With the San Francisco Giants coming back from a 3-1 series deficit in the NLCS to beat the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers sweeping the New York Yankees, the matchup for the 2012 World Series is set.

The Giants will have home field advantage in the World Series by virtue of the National League's win in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadum in Kansas City, MO back in July.

Here is the schedule for 2012 World Series (will be updated as warranted):

 vs

Wednesday, October 24 – Game 1, Tigers @ Giants, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

Thursday, October 25 – Game 2, Tigers @ Giants, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

Saturday, October 27 – Game 3, Giants @ Tigers, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

Sunday, October 28 –  Game 4, Giants @ Tigers, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*Monday, October 29 – Game 5, Giants @ Tigers, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*Wednesday, October 31 – Game 6, Tigers @ Giants, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*Thursday, November 1 – Game 7, Tigers @ Giants, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*if necessary

H/T to Fang's Bites for the announcing pairings

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With the St. Louis Cardinals beating the Washington Nationals 3-2 and the San Francisco Giants coming back to take the series 3-2 against the Cincinnati Reds, the matchup is set for the 2012 National League Championship Series.

The Giants won the NL West and are the third seeded team so they will have home field advantage in the NLCS. The National League holds home field advantage in the World Series by virtue of their win in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadum in Kansas City, MO back in July.

Here is the schedule for each matchup (will be updated as warranted):

 vs

Sunday, October 14 – Game 1, Cardinals @ Giants, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

Monday, October 15 – Game 2, Cardinals @ Giants, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

Wednesday, October 17 – Game 3, Giants @ Cardinals, 4:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

Thursday, October 18 –  Game 4, Giants @ Cardinals, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*Friday, October 19 – Game 5, Giants @ Cardinals, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*Sunday, October 21 – Game 6, Cardinals @ Giants, 4:37 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*Monday, October 22 – Game 7, Cardinals @ Giants, 8:07 p.m.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck. (play-by-play), Tim McCarver (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter), Ken Rosenthal (reporter)

*if necessary

H/T to Fang’s Bites for the announcing pairings

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

With the Detroit Tigers beating the Oakland A’s 3-2 and the New York Yankees taking the series from the Baltimore Orioles 3-2, the matchup is set for the 2012 American League Championship Series.

The Yankees finished with the best record in the American League so they will have home field advantage in the ALCS. The National League holds home field advantage in the World Series by virtue of their win in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadum in Kansas City, MO back in July.

Here is the schedule for each matchup (will be updated as warranted):

 vs

Saturday, October 13 – Game 1, Tigers @ Yankees, 8:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson. (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst), Ron Darling (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter)

Sunday, October 14 – Game 2, Tigers @ Yankees, 4:07 p.m.
TV: MLB Network
Announcers: Ernie Johnson. (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst), Ron Darling (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter)

Tuesday, October 16 – Game 3, Yankees @ Tigers, 8:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson. (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst), Ron Darling (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter)

Wednesday, October 17 –  Game 4, Yankees @ Tigers, 8:07 p.m.
TV: TNT
Announcers: Ernie Johnson. (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst), Ron Darling (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter)

*Thursday, October 18 – Game 5, Yankees @ Tigers, 4:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson. (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst), Ron Darling (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter)

*Saturday, October 20 – Game 6, Tigers @ Yankees, 8:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson. (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst), Ron Darling (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter)

*Sunday, October 21 – Game 7, Tigers @ Yankees, 8:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson. (play-by-play), John Smoltz (analyst), Ron Darling (analyst), Craig Sager (reporter)

*if necessary

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With the St. Louis Cardinals beating the Atlanta Braves last night in NL Wild Card round, the matchups for the 2012 National League Division Series are set.

The Washington Nationals (NL East winner), Cincinnati Reds (NL Central winner), San Francisco Giants (AL West winner) and Cardinals (wild card playoff winner) will be the four teams competing for the right to represent the American League in the World Series.

The Nationals finished with the best record in the American League so they will have home field advantage through the NLCS should they advance that far. The National League holds home field advantage in the World Series by virtue of their win in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadum in Kansas City, MO back in July.

The matchups are set as the Nationals will take on the Cardinals while the Reds take on the Giants.

Here is the schedule for each matchup (will be updated as warranted):

 vs

Saturday, October 6 – Game 1, Reds @ Giants, 9:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Joe Simpson (analyst), Tom Verducci (reporter)

Sunday, October 7 – Game 2, Reds @ Giants, 9:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Joe Simpson (analyst), Tom Verducci (reporter)

Tuesday, October 9 – Game 3, Giants @ Reds, 5:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Joe Simpson (analyst), Tom Verducci (reporter)

Wednesday, October 10 –  Game 4, Giants @ Reds, 4:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Joe Simpson (analyst), Tom Verducci (reporter)

Thursday, October 11 – Game 5, Giants @ Reds, 1:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Joe Simpson (analyst), Tom Verducci (reporter)

*if necessary

Click the read more button below to see the schedule for the Nationals and Cardinals if you’re on the home page.

 vs

Sunday, October 7 – Game 1, Nationals @ Cardinals, 3:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Bob Brenly (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)

Monday, October 8 – Game 2, Nationals @ Cardinals, 4:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Bob Brenly (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)

Wednesday, October 10 – Game 3, Cardinals @ Nationals, 1:07 p.m.
TV: MLB Network
Announcers: Bob Costas (play-by-play), Jim Katt (analyst) and Sam Ryan (reporter)

Thursday, October 11 –  Game 4, Cardinals @ Nationals, 4:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Bob Brenly (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)

Friday, October 12 – Game 5, Cardinals @ Nationals, 8:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Bob Brenly (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)

*if necessary

All games will also be available on ESPN Radio.

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With the Baltimore Orioles beating the Texas Rangers last night in AL Wild Card round, the matchups for the 2012 American League Division Series are set.

The New York Yankees (AL East winner), Detroit Tigers (AL Central winner), Oakland Athletics (AL West winner) and Orioles (wild card playoff winner) will be the four teams competing for the right to represent the American League in the World Series.

The Yankees finished with the best record in the American League so they will have home field advantage through the ALCS should they advance that far. The National League holds home field advantage in the World Series by virtue of their win in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadum in Kansas City, MO back in July.

The matchups are set as the Yankees will take on the Orioles while the Athletics take on the Tigers.

Here is the schedule for each matchup (will be updated as warranted):

 vs

Saturday, October 6 – Game 1, A’s @ Tigers, 6:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Don Orsillo (play-by-play), Buck Martinez (analyst), Jaime Maggio (reporter)

Sunday, October 7 – Game 2, A’s @ Tigers, 12:07 p.m.
TV: MLB Network
Announcers: Matt Vasgersian (play-by-play), Jim Kaat (analyst), Sam Ryan (reporter)

Tuesday, October 9 – Game 3, Tigers @ A’s, 9:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Don Orsillo (play-by-play), Buck Martinez (analyst), Jaime Maggio (reporter)

Wednesday, October 10 –  Game 4, Tigers @ A’s, 9:37 p.m.
TV: TNT
Announcers: Don Orsillo (play-by-play), Buck Martinez (analyst), Jaime Maggio (reporter)

Thursday, October 11 – Game 5, Tigers @ A’s, 9:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Don Orsillo (play-by-play), Buck Martinez (analyst), Jaime Maggio (reporter)

*if necessary

Click the read more button below to see the schedule for the Yankees and Orioles if you’re on the home page.

 vs

Sunday, October 7 – Game 1, Yankees @ Orioles, 6:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Jr. (play-by-play), Cal Ripken, Jr. (analyst), John Smoltz (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

Monday, October 8 – Game 2, Yankees @ Orioles, 8:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Jr. (play-by-play), Cal Ripken, Jr. (analyst), John Smoltz (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

Wednesday, October 10 – Game 3, Orioles @ Yankees, 7:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Jr. (play-by-play), Cal Ripken, Jr. (analyst), John Smoltz (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

Thursday, October 11 –  Game 4, Orioles @ Yankees, 7:37 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Jr. (play-by-play), Cal Ripken, Jr. (analyst), John Smoltz (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

Friday, October 12 – Game 5, Orioles @ Yankees, 5:07 p.m.
TV: TBS
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Jr. (play-by-play), Cal Ripken, Jr. (analyst), John Smoltz (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

*if necessary

All games will also be available on ESPN Radio.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

It’s that time of year again where the MLB Playoffs take place. And for the first time, we have something different.

When Bud Selig added another wild card team in each league, it made things all the more interesting as we saw in the races down the stretch. And now, Selig’s plan takes to fruition as the 2012 MLB Playoffs kick off tonight on TBS.

Here’s the breakdown with announcers:

National League:

@

Time: 5:07 p.m.
Announcers: Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, Joe Simpson and Tom Verducci

American League:

@

Time: 8:37 p.m.
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, John Smoltz, Cal Ripken and Craig Sager

H/T to Fang’s Bites for the announcing crews

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

As we get closer and closer to the non waiver trade deadline and teams start to fight for better position or begin to drop off you have to wonder which managers will survive the season and return to their club in 2013.

With that in mind former Boston manager Terry Francona, after a year in the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball booth is expected to be highly coveted.  So where does Tito land?

In the American League East it looks as all five skippers will be safe and will return to their clubs.

In the AL Central it appears to be a different story as two teams could look for new dugout leaders for 2013.  You have to wonder how safe Ron Gardenhire is in Minnesota.  The Twins are suffering through another awful season but their history has shown the front office to be more than patient with the manager.

In Gardenhire’s case he is not only a long time manager, since 2002, but he was a coach on Tom Kelly’s staff from 1991 and replaced him when he retired after the 2001 season.  He is under contract through the 2013 season and after 11 seasons he may have had enough to even walk away on his own.  Gardenhire will be 55 in October and maybe a year off or moving to the front office may rejuvenate him.

The other Central team that could be looking is Kansas City.  Ned Yost, 56, has been there since 2010 after a tumultuous ending to his 6-year tenure as skipper of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 when he was fired by the team with two weeks to go in the season and the club in the heat of the pennant race.  That Brewers club did make the playoffs under interim manager Dale Sveum.

Right now the Yost is also signed through the 2013 season but the Royals are nearly 20 games under .500 and have a sub .500 record since he took over for Trey Hillman.

In the AL West one club that could be looking at a change is the Seattle Mariners.  Currently Eric Wedge, a former Red Sox farmhand and Cleveland Indians manager, is their skipper.  Wedge, 44, had success in Cleveland before the team was broken apart with trades of star players and impending free agency.  He won the 2007 AL Manager of the Year in taking Cleveland to the ALCS before blowing a 3-1 series lead and losing to Boston in 7 games.

After 7 seasons in Cleveland he was let go and after a year off he took over in Seattle in 2011.  In his first season the team went 67-95 (.414) and this year at the July trade deadline the Mariners are 10 games under .500 and 14 games behind the division leader.

As of late the Seattle ownership has been less then lenient with managers having gone through Daren Brown (2010), Don Wakamatsu (2009-10), Jim Riggelman (2008), John McLaren (2007-08), Mike Hargrove (2005-07) and Bob Melvin (2003-04) since the 10 year tenure of Lou Piniella.  So you have to wonder where Wedge’s status sits in the eyes of the ownership.

Wedge reportedly got a three-year deal when he was hired so he is under contract through 2013.

To continue reading, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

In the National League East I’d say at this time only Charlie Manuel may be on the hot seat with the Philadelphia Phillies dropping off so far and so fast this season.  He has had to cope with many injuries and that may buy him another year but for all the high priced talent on the club it hasn’t looked good.  In fact it appears at this time the team is in sell mode as they are reportedly shopping SS Jimmy Rollins, RF Hunter Pence and SP Cliff Lee.

Manuel, 68, has been the Phillies manager since 2005 after having managed the Cleveland Indians for 2 and half seasons before he was eventually replaced by Wedge that offseason.  In Philadelphia, Manuel has had much more success that he did in Cleveland leading the Phils to a World Series title in 2008 and back to the Fall Classic in 2009, losing to the New York Yankees.

Manuel was on the hot seat at least once in his Philly tenure back entering the 2008 season it was seen as do or die and after a slow start the team produced the World Series championship and saved his job.

In addition over the years Manuel has had many severe health problems including kidney cancer, a blocked colon, a heart attack and triple bypass surgery.  He is under contract through the 2013 season.

While in the Nations Capital, the Washington Nationals are leading the division behind 69 year old Davey Johnson.  There are no indications that the Nats would get rid of Johnson or that Johnson would retire but given his age, along with Manuel’s, retirement is a distinct possibility.

Johnson took over part way into 2011 after an 11-year absence from a major league dugout.  Johnson has managed in many places over the years including Los Angeles, Baltimore, Cincinnati and New York where he won the 1986 World Series with the Mets.  He is under contract to manage through the 2013 season.

Johnson could also hang around for another year knowing how good this team has been and how much better it may be in 2013.

In the NL Central St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee all would appear to be staying put in the dugout.  I think under no circumstances does Brad Mills return to the Houston Astros in 2013 when they move to the AL West.  Mills, a former Red Sox bench coach under Francona, is currently managing a poor team made up of Triple A and Double A players as the new general manager and ownership sell out any real players from under him.

Mills, 55, has been the Houston bench general since the start of the 2010 season and is highly respected in baseball circles.  This is his first managerial job at the major league level and you have to feel for him with the way the Houston organization has run all of it’s talent out of town in his tenure.

There have been several reports earlier this month that Mills will be relieved of his duties at the end of season.  He is in the final year of his contract and the team has an option for 2013.

Another NL Central club could be looking for a new skipper come 2013 and that’s the Cincinnati Reds.  Currently Dusty Baker, 63, is in the final season of his contract and the Reds have yet to approach him about next season even with the club in or near first place most of the season.

Baker is a long time MLB manager having lead the San Francisco Giants for 10 seasons and to a World Series berth in 2002.  He was also a three time NL Manager of the Year in his time with Giants.  After the World Series season he left the Giants and moved onto to the Chicago Cubs for four seasons before taking a year off working at ESPN.  He has been the Reds manager since 2008.

In the NL West the Colorado Rockies would be a team that could look to make a change.  After failing to meet expectations in 2011 and now again 2012 it looks as though it may be the end of the line for Jim Tracy in the Rocky Mountains as the team is 25 games under .500.

Tracy, 56, is in his fourth season as the Rockies skipper and won the NL Manager of the year in 2009 after replacing Clint Hurdle in May of that season.  He has also managed 5 seasons in Los Angeles and 2 seasons with Pittsburgh before his Colorado tenure.  His contract expires at the end of the season.

So where does this leave Francona?

It gives him some options that’s for sure.  In the American League it would give him Minnesota, Kansas City, Seattle and Houston.  While in the Senior Circuit there are potential openings in Philadelphia, Washington, Cincinnati and Colorado.

I’m not sure that Francona would be willing to go back to Philly after his first go around there wasn’t so great.  It was nothing like his tenure in Boston and Phillies fans threatened him and his family and even reportedly flattened the tires on his car in the stadium lot.

To me the places that make the most sense would be Minnesota, Washington and Cincinnati should they have openings.

Minnesota has always had talent and deep farm system with more behind it.  Even though they haven’t been so good their first two seasons at Target Field I would imagine help isn’t that far away.  Plus the front office has always been manager friendly having had only two managers since 1986.

Washington would be a great landing spot should Johnson retire or decide to go back to the front office spot he had before taking over.  The Nats have some incredible young talent in Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg and very good young pitching staff with some vets sprinkled in.  Francona would essentially be walking into a situation similar to what he had when he came to Boston in that he would have a good team ready to win when he got there.  The only difference is this one is full of young stars not aging ones.

And that leaves Cincinnati who has had a baseball rebirth the last few seasons with great everyday players in Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto.  Throw in the up and comers in Zack Cozart and Devin Mesoraco with a solid pitching staff that has Mat Latos, Johnny Cueto, veteran Bronson Arroyo and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Aroldis Chapman on the back end.  This team can easily contend for several seasons in the NL Central and for a World Series title in the process.

If I am Francona I want to punch my ticket for a team that is close to a title and can stay at that level for four or five seasons.  I wouldn’t be shocked to see Cincinnati not extend Baker in hopes of landing Francona.  And with Mills likely out of Houston at season’s end it potentially gives Tito his former bench coach back as he builds his staff.

So if you were Terry Francona which job(s) look(s) interesting to you?

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

Starters				Starters
Pos	Name	Team		Pos	Name	Team
C	Buster Posey	Giants		C	Mike Napoli	Rangers
1B	Joey Votto	Reds		1B	Prince Fielder	Tigers
2B	Dan Uggla	Braves		2B	Robinson Cano	Yankees
SS	Rafael Furcal	Cardinals		SS	Derek Jeter	Yankees
3B	Pablo Sandoval	Giants		3B	Adrian Beltre	Rangers
OF	Matt Kemp*	Dodgers		OF	Josh Hamilton	Rangers
OF	Carlos Beltran	Cardinals		OF	Curtis Granderson	Yankees
OF	Melky Cabrera	Giants		OF	Jose Bautista	Blue Jays
–	–	–		DH	David Ortiz	Red Sox
Reserves				Reserves
Pos	Name	Team		Pos	Name	Team
C	Carlos Ruiz	Phillies		C	Matt Wieters	Orioles
C	Yadier Molina	Cardinals		C	Joe Mauer	Twins
1B	Bryan LaHair	Cubs		1B	Paul Konerko	White Sox
2B	Jose Altuve	Astros		2B	Ian Kinsler	Rangers
SS	Ian Desmond*	Nationals		SS	Elvis Andrus	Rangers
SS	Starlin Castro	Cubs	–	SS	Asdrubal Cabrera	Indians
3B	David Wright	Mets		3B	Miguel Cabrera	Tigers
OF	Jay Bruce	Reds		OF	Adam Jones	Orioles
OF	Carlos Gonzalez	Rockies		OF	Mark Trumbo	Angels
OF	Ryan Braun	Brewers		OF	Mike Trout	Angels
DH	Giancarlo Stanton*	Marlins		DH	Billy Butler	Royals
OF	Andrew McCutchen	Pirates	–	DH	Adam Dunn	White Sox
P	Clayton Kershaw	Dodgers		–	–	–
P	Craig Kimbrel	Braves		P	Matt Harrison	Rangers
P	Aroldis Chapman	Reds		P	Joe Nathan	Rangers
P	Gio Gonzalez	Nationals		P	Felix Hernandez	Mariners
P	Stephen Strasburg	Nationals		P	Ryan Cook	A’s
P	Cole Hamels	Phillies		P	Justin Verlander	Tigers
P	Jonathan Papelbon	Phillies	–	P	CC Sabathia*	Yankees
P	Wade Miley	Diamondbacks		P	David Price	Rays
P	R.A. Dickey	Mets		P	Jered Weaver	Angels
P	Lance Lynn	Cardinals		P	Jim Johnson	Orioles
P	Joel Hanrahan	Pirates		P	Chris Sale	White Sox
P	Huston Street	Padres		P	Chris Perez	Indians
P	Matt Cain	Giants		P	Fernando Rodney	Rays
–	David Freese	Cardinals-		–	Yu Darvish	Rangers

* – injured and will not participate in game

Sabathia will not pitch in the 2012 All-Star Game due to injury. He’s been replaced by C.J. Wilson* of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Kemp is on the disabled list and will not play. He’s been replaced on the roster by Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves.

Stanton is injured and will not play. He’s been replaced on the roster by Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals.

Molina is on the family emergency list and will not play. He’s been replaced by his St. Louis Cardinals teammate, Matt Holliday.

Desmond is injured and will not play. He’s been replaced on the roster by Michael Bourn of the Atlanta Braves.

Wilson is injured and has been replaced by Jake Peavy of the Chicago White Sox.

To see the players in the Final Vote, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Here are the five candidates from each league for the Final Vote.

National League:

Michael Bourn, Braves

David Freese, Cardinals

Bryce Harper, Nationals

Aaron Hill, Diamondbacks

American League:

Jonathan Broxton, Royals

Yu Darvish, Rangers

Ernesto Frieri, Angels

Jason Hammel, Orioles

Jake Peavy, White Sox

You can vote for whom you think deserves to be the 34th All-Star for each team. My votes will be going to Chipper and Frieri.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Here’s the press release from MLB and TBS announcing that TBS will broadcast the MLB Wild Card games:

Major League Baseball and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. announced today that TBS will exclusively televise the American League and National League Wild Card games in 2012 and 2013. The new Postseason format will feature the two Wild Card teams in the American League and National League playing in a single-elimination game with each winner advancing to compete with the three division champions from its League in the Division Series.  MLB also announced that two Division Series games in each of the 2012 and 2013 Postseasons will shift from TBS to MLB Network.

Turner’s partnership with MLB spans more than 35 years. TBS has televised all MLB Division Series games and one League Championship Series each year since 2007. In 2012, the network will televise 18 of 20 potential Division Series games and will have exclusive coverage of the American League Championship Series (ALCS). In addition to the MLB Postseason, TBS televises a 26-game “Sunday MLB on TBS” regular season schedule and is the exclusive home of the 2012 MLB All-Star Selection Show airing July 1.

TBS will also continue to televise any necessary regular season tie-breaker games.  The network has recently aired three memorable regular season tie-breakers, including Padres vs. Rockies in 2007, Twins vs. White Sox in 2008, and Tigers vs. Twins in 2009.

MLB Network will exclusively televise two Division Series games in each of the next two years, marking the first time MLB Network will air live Postseason games. MLB Network has produced weekly original game telecasts since its inaugural season in 2009.  With a roster of on-air talent including Bob Costas, Jim Kaat, Al Leiter, Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian, MLB Network has received 28 Sports Emmy Award nominations and nine Sports Emmy Awards.

“The new format will create two compelling Wild Card match-ups for fans that will begin our Postseason with unprecedented pressure and implications,” said Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “We are confident that TBS will provide outstanding coverage and promotion of the games. I am also very pleased that this arrangement allows for MLB Network to air Postseason games for the first time. MLB Network has done a remarkable job with its live game coverage and I am certain that its extraordinary work will continue as it produces Postseason games.”

“We applaud Major League Baseball on their decision to expand Postseason eligibility and we’re excited to build upon our long-standing partnership with MLB by adding these highly anticipated exclusive Wild Card games to our Postseason coverage on TBS,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “We believe the additional single-elimination Wild Card spots will build upon the popularity of the sport and will serve as a great launching pad for our Division Series and ALCS coverage on TBS.”

The new format this season marks the first amendment to the Postseason since MLB utilized the six-division, eight-team Postseason structure for the first time in 1995.

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I hope you enjoyed the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB preview.  Over the last week we gave you a team by team look at the key players, new faces, potential MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year candidates, possible starting lineups and rotations as well as a quick summary.

This preview was sculpted over a two month period in the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication.  It comes from a culmination of reading many baseball magazines, periodicals, articles and websites.

I’d also like to take a minute to thank William Tasker from The Flagrant Fan blog who helped point me in a good direction for some additional information and had some answers to some questions I had along the way.

I hope you enjoy this look at the upcoming season.  I know everyone will not agree with me and that’s fine put it in the comments or hit me up on Twitter.  I can assure you I’ll most likely have an argument for each and every objection that you could possibly raise.

After previewing all six divisions today is the day we look at the big winners and managers who could be in trouble in 2012.  You can check out all the division previews by following the links.

Sunday: NL West

Monday: AL West

Tuesday: NL Central

Wednesday: AL Central

Thursday: NL East

Friday: AL East

Play Ball!

Note from Ian: My sincere apologies to Steve and all the readers as this was supposed to be posted on Saturday. Due to a technical error on my part, it didn’t run.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

2012 Post Season picks, Award winners and Managers on the Hot Seat

In the final day of the Gigantic Sox and Dawgs 2012 MLB Preview, with a little help from Ian, will reveal all my playoff picks.  This includes the World Series winner and the major Award winners for 2012 but first let’s take a quick look at what managers are in dire straits as we begin the new season.

In the National League former Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills is entering his third year with Houston and now it’s with a new owner and GM.  There was a rumored possibility in late November that the new ownership would clean sweep the staff including Mills but he ended up getting to stay.  Now we will see for how long.

San Diego’s Bud Black is in a very similar situation with a new general manager in Josh Byrnes taking over.  Black is in his 6th season with the Padres and when the team struggles, as it will, it could be end of Black.

New York Mets manager Terry Collins in his second season could be a scapegoat for a poor team.  If Collins can’t keep it together and keep the team playing hard despite losses it could mean the end for him.  He came on board during this entire mess with the Wilpon family and Madoff and he would be undeserving of being let go when it isn’t his fault that the product on the field isn’t up to par.  As long as the players are giving it their best effort he should stay.

In the American League Seattle’s Eric Wedge and Oakland’s Bob Melvin could be in similar situations to Collins.  Leading a team whose management isn’t putting together a competitive squad, in most cases it’s not the manager’s fault when they get fired but it’s easier to dump them then trying to unload the entire team.

Now here are the Sox & Dawgs picks for the 2012 playoffs and the major award winners:

Steve:

AL East: Tampa Bay Rays

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

AL Wild Cards: Texas Rangers and New York Yankees

Ian:

AL East: New York Yankees

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

AL Wild Cards: Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers

Steve:

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central: Cincinnati Reds

NL West: San Francisco Giants

NL Wild Cards: Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins

Ian:

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers

NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Wild Card: Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins

Steve:

AL Play in Game: Texas beats New York

NL Play in Game: Atlanta defeats Miami

Ian:

AL Play in Game: Boston beats Texas

NL Play in Game: Cincinnati beats Miami

Steve:

AL Division Series: Detroit beats Texas, 3-2 and Los Angeles beats Tampa Bay, 3-1

NL Division Series: San Francisco beats Philadelphia, 3-2 and Atlanta beats Cincinnati, 3-1

Ian:

AL Division Series: Detroit Beats Boston 3-1 and New York beats Los Angeles 3-2

NL Division Series: Philadelphia beats Cincinnati 3-1 and Arizona beats Milwaukee 3-2

Steve:

AL Championship Series: Detroit beats Los Angeles, 4-2

NL Championship Series: San Francisco beats Atlanta, 4-3

Ian:

AL Championship Series: Detroit beats New York 4-2

NL Championship Series: Philadelphia beats Arizona 4-1

Steve:

World Series Champion: Detroit beats San Francisco, 4-2

Ian:

World Series Champion: Philadelphia beats Detroit 4-3

Steve:

AL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B Los Angeles

NL MVP: Jose Reyes, SS Miami

Ian:

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, Boston

NL MVP: Joey Votto, Cincinnati

Steve:

AL Cy Young Winner: David Price, Tampa Bay

NL Cy Young Winner: Mat Latos, Cincinnati

Ian:

AL Cy Young Winner: Justin Verlander, Detroit

NL Cy Young Winner: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco

Steve:

AL Rookie of the Year: OF/DH Mike Trout, Los Angeles

NL Rookie of the Year: P Julio Teheran, Atlanta

Ian:

AL Rookie of the Year: Matt Moore, Tampa Bay

NL Rookie of the Year: Yonder Alonso, San Diego

Steve:

AL Manager of the Year: Jim Leyland, Detroit

NL Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker, Cincinnati

Ian:

AL Manager of the Year: Jim Leyland, Detroit

NL Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson, Arizona

Gold Gloves – AL

P – Derek Lowe, Cleveland

C – Joe Mauer, Minnesota

1B – Adrian Gonzalez, Boston

2B – Dustin Pedroia, Boston

3B – Adrian Beltre, Texas

SS – Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland

LF – Alex Gordon, Kansas City

CF – Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston

RF – Nick Markakis, Baltimore

Gold Gloves – NL

P – Mark Buehrle, Miami

C – Yadier Molina, St. Louis

1B – Joey Votto, Cincinnati

2B – Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati

3B – Placido Polanco, Philadelphia

SS – Jose Reyes, Miami

LF – Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado

CF – Michael Bourn, Atlanta

RF – Andre Ethier, Los Angeles

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