Zach brings back the old NTSF column with a new mission, this week looking at how we pick our favorite teams [when we have neither geographical nor family links to help us... →]

The New York Mets have traded Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants, reportedly for prospects. [READ MORE →]

Zach steps back to examine what just might be the most heretical question in sports…

Any fan who follows baseball has plenty of opinions to offer.  Opinions on which players were great, which were overrated, or which were more important to the game than their numbers might suggest.  Each year, these opinionated folks get an opportunity to evaluate potential Hall of Fame candidates, and , ultimately, the Hall of Fame [...]

In 2004, Carlos Beltran was playing what may have been the best baseball of his life. As a member of the Houston Astros, he nearly single-handedly propelled the team from fifth to first in the NL Central. Beltran dominated the playoffs, batting .435 with eight homeruns, fourteen RBIs, six stolen bases, and a 1.558 OPS [...]

The Rangers have acquired outfielder Jeff Francoeur from the New York mets for infielder Joaquin Arias. Joaquin Arias has played in 91 games with about 242 plate appearances in four seasons worth of time. This year he has appeared in 50 games while having 101 plate appearances. So far this year, he is batting .276 [...]

Francisco Rodriguez, the New York Mets’ closer, was arrested late Wednesday night and charged with third-degree assault early Thursday morning after assaulting his father-in-law at Citi Field, the police said. The father-in-law was taken to the hospital with some sort of bump on his head and a cut on his face.