A few quick links to start your day ... • Villanova. George Mason. The United States hockey team. And now the Netherlands baseball team. If the World Baseball Classic ends up becoming a huge success, we're going to point toward the Dutch's two wins over Dominican Republic as the initial spark. ...

If you've been watching the World Baseball Classic, they've been hard to miss. Ads for corporations are located on players' sleeves and helmets and they're hawking everything from cellular phone service to a big-box electronics retailer. They're relatively small, but still noticeable and every time ...

Are you sitting in an office right now? If so, I'd like you to tab five people in your line of sight. Are you sitting at the computer by yourself? Then pick out five buddies from your IM list or Twitter feed. Everyone ready? Then brace yourself for some bad news. One of your five friends will not be...

A few quick links to start your day ... • Well, that was easy. Team USA advanced to the WBC's second round with a 15-6 romp over Venezuela Sunday night in Toronto. As our own Gordon Edes writes, this edition of the American team is playing a lot looser than its 2006 counterpart and Dustin Pedro...

A few quick links to start your day ...  • Didn't bother waking up early for Korea's 9-0 triumph over Chinese Tapei this morning? Me either. But we can relive all the unforgettable moments through David Chalk's live blog. (He watched the game so we didn't have to.)[Bugs & Cranks] &bull...

Flush with cash these days? Have a little extra cheese to spend? Always wanted to call yourself a Yankees seaon ticket holder? Well, you're in luck! Over on Yankees.com, they're advertising that there's still time to be a part of the inaugural season ticket holder class at new Yankee Stadium. Yes, f...

If you have a profile on Facebook, there's a 100 percent chance you were bombarded with requests to write "25 Random Things" about yourself.  The fad — which is probably already over — was navel-gazing at its finest, but it was also perfectly suited for the blog environmen...

Though the majority would later greet the announcement with an indifferent meh, the Yankees unveiled their 2009 hat on Thursday, a special edition cap that commemorates the team's first year in new Yankee Stadium. While nothing will eclipse the reaction the Mets got for their now-infamous pizza patc...

We baseball fans have become a suspicious sort. For example, I was recently directed toward this picture of David Ortiz posing with J.D. Drew's freshly-caught fish down in Florida. I suppose the redirector's intent was to get a chuckle out of Big Papi holding a delicious bass, yet I couldn't help my...

A few money links to start your day ... • According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers' latest rejected offer to Manny Ramirez followed the age-old economic principle of "We will gladly pay you on Tuesday for a hamburger home run or two today." While Hernandez's ...