2005 Overview:The Colorado Rookies suffered through a tough 95 loss season ending the year 15 games behind the NL West Champion San Diego Padres. The 2005 offense was led by 1st baseman Todd Helton (.320 20 79), outfielder Dustan Mohr (.214 17 38), and the young 3rd baseman Garrett Atkins (.287 13 89). Shortstop Clint Barmes (.289 10 46) and Matt Holliday (.307 19 87) also contributed to the lineup.The 2005 Rockies pitching was as...more
2005 Overview:The biggest news for Cincinnati Reds fans in 2005 was the fact that Ken Griffey Jr.(.301 35 92) was able to play an entire season injury free for the first time in over 5 full seasons. What was so impressive about Griffey's 2005 performance was his ability to completely return to form, hitting for both power and average. Griffey grabbed the Comeback Player of the Year Award for his outstanding efforts. The rest of...more
2005 Overview:With the departure of slugger Sammy Sosa, the offensive output for the Chicago Cubs has been replaced by the likes of superstars Derek Lee (.335 46 107) and Aramis Ramirez (.302 31 92). Both players came into their own in 2005 along with the help of Jeremy Burnitz (.258 24 87), catcher Michael Barrett (.276 16 61) and 2nd baseman Todd Walker (.305 12 40). Lee in particular impressed in 2005, hitting 27 home runs prior to the all star break and leading the league in hitting by the end of the season. Starters Carlos Zambrano (14 6 3.26), Greg Maddux (13 15 4.24), and Mark Prior (11 7 3.67) joined closer Ryan Dempster (5-3 3.13 35 saves) to provide the pitching depth in 2005 as the Cubs posted a 79-83 record to end the season 21 games behind the division leading St. Louis Cardinals.Off Season Moves:GM Jim Hendry traded for Florida Marlin's Juan Pierre (.276 2 47), who will lead off and play center in 2006, both of which were troublesome spots last year. Hendry also strengthened the Chicago Cubs bullpen with two free-agent signings: lefty Scott Eyre (2-2 2.63 - obtained from the San Francisco Giants) and right hander Bobby Howry (7-4 3.47 - acquired from the...more
2005 Overview:Mike Scioscia and his 2005 Anaheim Angels entered the new season ready to defend their 2004 American League West Title. Although the 2004 season ended in a disappointing 3 game ALDS sweep to the World Series Boston Red Sox, the Angels remained poised and confident they could return to the postseason once again. The...more
It is hard to believe just two years ago in October the Dow Jones industrial set a record high of 14,164. According to the Associated Press, just one year after that it was at 8,451 in mid October 2008. Today the Dow is around 9,800. Stocks have rallied recently on signs that retail sales are improving. The last two years have been a bumpy...more
Since eBay banned the sale of digital products in their auctions, many marketers have abandoned eBay as a source of income. Other factors to this abandoning of eBay included some policy and fee changes which were heavily opposed. However, those who were willing to stick with eBay found that is was still quite possible to make money on eBay.For instance, while it is no longer allowed to sell digital products on eBay, but smart sellers found a way around it. What they did was to put one or more digital products on a CD or DVD and physically shipped it out to customers. In addition to having gotten around the ban on digital products, sellers were able to capitalize on the fact that physical products have a greater perceived value than digital products.To save time from having to package, label, and ship every CD or DVD you sell, the best thing to do is to use a fulfillment company. These companies will basically package your CD or DVD up with a cover that you provide and they'll ship it out to your customers for a flat fee. For each disc that you sell, you could easily make a few dollars in profit. If you want to get creative, you could add bonuses or upsells onto the disc that your...more
When you are facing a mountain of bills its easy to start feeling like you are alone. The cold hard truth is, it is hard to get out of debt. That said, you need to keep in mind that you are not alone. Not only are there many others in the same...more
If you have been waiting for the right moment to start getting your finances under control then now is the time. There is absolutely no reason to wait. There are many debt help tools and resources available to get you on the right track. With just a...more
We all need a little help from time to time. In todays economy this has never been truer. If you are struggling to make ends meet and the payments on your debt is outpacing your income, then you owe it to yourself to stop, take a deep breath, and...more
If you need cash quickly, you may find that it can be hard to get a normal loan at the bank. In today's credit world, lenders are hesitant to lend out money, and that can affect many consumers. If your score is less than excellent, you may have a...more
A mortgage modification is a change to an existing mortgage loan that will make the payments more manageable for the borrower and help both lender and borrower avoid foreclosure. For both parties, this represents a big change that will hopefully...more
Having to negotiate with your lender when you are in default of your loan is a tough situation. Homeowners are worried about their financial status and it can be very intimidating to try to reach some sort of deal. Even though it is very stressful,...more