My Favorites Explained

1. Major League Baseball (MLB) - Perhaps the most important site for any baseball fan to bookmark as one of their favorites is MLB.com. Designed and updated by the league offices, MLB.com is the most comprehensive website available to find out anything to do with baseball. The site provides everything from up-to-date standings, team schedules, and league leaders on a simple and well-designed interface that anyone can understand. Live scoring and video highlights make up a bulk of the home page, allowing avid baseball fans to remain engaged in multiple games at a time. Links to team stores and ticket offices can also be found fairly quickly for any fan looking to attend a game while donning their favorite player's jersey or ball cap. Aside from in-game action, the site also includes a variety of different human interest stories pertaining to the game off the field. This allows fans to get a closer look into the lives of their idols and the impact they are having on the their community beyond just providing entertainment.

Audience: Anyone looking for current information about anything to do with baseball.
Link: MLB

2. Major League Baseball Rumors (MLBTR) - Given that it is the offseason, MLBTR is one website I constantly find myself refreshing. This site is extremely up-to-date with minute-by-minute news about all the happenings around Major League Baseball, including trades and free agent singings. The writing team is very dedicated to keeping the fans in the loop, so even the more obscure deals can be found on the site. Readers can find essential background information, statistics, and contract details for all of the players mentioned in any given post. Players names are hyperlinked to my next favorite site, Baseball Reference, so that readers can also do additional research if they so choose. Tim Dierkes, the site owner,  also provides updated Twitter accounts for every team so that followers know when a post about their favorite team has been posted. However, probably my favorite feature to the site is the comments implemented within each post. Once registered, readers can discuss the contents of the post with other fans to get additional opinions on the news. This allows readers the freedom to speak their mind and provides a great outlet for fan interaction.

Audience: Avid baseball fans who are looking for rumors (possible signings, trades) about their favorite team.
Link: MLBTR

3. Baseball Reference - When it comes to comparing player performance, there are very few sites that can match the ability of Baseball Reference. Unlike many other sports, baseball is very much statistics driven. A player's success is measured by a combination of many different calculated numbers, all of which are at your disposal while browsing this site. Baseball Reference provides fans with a complete encyclopedia of every player to ever play the game, including those who have yet to make the pros. With this information, it is very easy for fans to compare the performance of any given player, a very useful tool when trying to determine match ups for a particular game. The site also includes results of prior awards that have been handed out in baseball history, amateur player draft results, as well as a bunch of other interesting baseball information.

Audience: Fans who enjoy stat crunching or those looking to expand their knowledge of baseball history.
Link: Baseball Reference


4. Jon Heyman's Twitter Feed - Being an avid fan of sports, I often find myself reading stories written by professional sports journalists in order to gain further knowledge about current events. While I follow a variety of different styles of writing, one name that is consistently popping up in my history is Jon Heyman. Heyman is currently a baseball insider for CBS Sports and is considered to be one of the most prolific baseball writers of today. Not only does he write incredibly interesting feature stories about major baseball events, but he also has a knack for breaking news stories long before everyone else. For this reason, I tend to find myself paying close attention to his twitter feed, especially during the offseason. Constantly on the run, Heyman uses this feed to release information about deals being done minutes after they become final. His plethora of contacts allows for him to gain access to information that other reporters seemingly can't obtain. He is definitely someone that I look up to when it comes to writing journalistically and someone I recommend every baseball fan following.

Audience: People who enjoy a well-written baseball story or desire to have access to breaking news regarding trades and major signings.
Link: Jon Heyman's Twitter Feed

5. ESPN.com - Another site that is definitely a must for any sport fan's bookmarks is ESPN.com. Referred to by many as "The Worldwide Leader in Sports," ESPN is the perfect place for fans of any fan to get information about anything to do with sports. Along with covering every professional sport, ESPN also does a remarkable job covering college sports. From college basketball and March Madness coverage to BCS Championship news, ESPN is a highly credible source for everything to do with college sports. Much like many other sports websites, the ESPN homepage is littered with countless human interest stories that are written by a dedicated writing staff. These stories are sorted by sport and are easily accessible to even the average fan. While I might be a little biased, the MLB section of ESPN is definitely my favorite and provides for even more interesting content that can't be found on MLB.com. Unique to EPSN is an insider feature that requires readers to sign up in order to have special access to certain stories. While some might find this to be inconvenient, the $8.95/month cost is certainly not the most expensive exclusive subscription and provides for great inside information.

Audience: Anyone looking to expand their knowledge of any given sport, while having access to some of the best written sports stories on the internet.
Link: ESPN