Marquis' Arm, Lee's Bat Lead Cubs

On average; there are some steals, and some outrages

(NEWSER) - Fans of winning baseball franchises pay for their bragging rights with more expensive beer, the Wall Street Journal reports. On average, a team that wins 6 out of 10 games charges $1.30 more for a 16-ounce beer than a club with a .400 winning percentage. There are, of course, exceptions, allowing for some great deals and some unconscionable gouging. More»

Pittsburgh's futility streak longest in North American sports history

(NEWSER) - Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates set a new North American standard for consecutive losing seasons by a major sports franchise, the Post-Gazette reports, with today’s loss to the Chicago Cubs guaranteeing the team finishes with more losses than wins for the 17th year in a row. The Pirates had shared the dubious distinction with the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies. “Obviously, I am disappointed,” the team’s owner said. More»

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2009/enhancedroster.jsp

(AP) - Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay were selected today as the starting pitchers for tomorrow night's All-Star game in St. Louis. Lincecum, last year's National League Cy Young Award winner, is 10-2 with a 2.33 ERA for the San Francisco Giants; he got the nod from NL manager Charlie Manuel. Halladay, 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA for the Toronto Blue Jays, was chosen by American League manager Joe Maddon. More»

(NEWSER) - For the first time ever, four Jewish players could make baseball’s All-Star Game, Bloomberg reports. Boston’s Kevin Youkilis and Texas’ Ian Kinsler each lead the voting at their positions, Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun is second in voting among National League outfielders, and Colorado pitcher Jason Marquis has the most wins in his league. “We’re in a glory time for Jewish baseball players,” says Howard Megdal, author of The Baseball Talmud. More»

Marlins come bottom in latest ranking of baseball's MVTs

(NEWSER) - The New York Yankees' $1.5 billion valuation lands them solidly in the top spot in the Forbes ranking of baseball's most valuable teams. The crosstown Mets came second, trailing by almost $600 million. The Yanks, however, were one of only two teams to lose money last season, dropping $3.7 million. The Detroit Tigers lost a whopping $26.3 million. More»