Without a hint of irony, the Associated Press reported that "Trailing by seven runs with seven outs left in their season, the Red Sox pulled off the biggest postseason rally since 1929. Boston staved off elimination in the AL championship series with an 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night when J.D. Drew singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth."

That's right: in the midst of a market meltdown, the Red Sox pulled off the greatest comeback in playoff history since 1929, and they did it on October 16th, just 13 days before the anniversary of Black Tuesday. Coincidence? Who knows?

But given that there are a lot of people making predictions about the future of the market -- and none of them really know what they're talking about -- I'm proposing a new method. If the Red Sox come back to win the next two games and shock the Tampa Bay Rays out of their first ALCS title, then the comeback is real -- and the markets have bottomed.

But if the Red Sox break their fans hearts by losing after such a glorious comeback, then we'll have to chalk the market's modest gains of the past week up to a bear rally -- sucking in optimists only to destroy still more wealth.

In light of current economic conditions, you might be worried about your situation: your job security, your home's value, your 401(k), and how you're going to pay for your kid's college.

But hey: quit being so selfish, and have a little sympathy for the real victims of this mess. That's right: professional athletes. MLB.com's Hal Bodley reports that "Economic uncertainties facing virtually every professional sports team, every player and, of course, each and every fan undoubtedly will have a trickle-down effect during baseball's offseason."

He goes on to say that teams are expected to be "more cautious, if not conservative, in locking up those not considered superstars," as they cut spending in anticipation of depressed attendance and advertising revenue.

But 2008 revenue hit a record high and some commentators, including agent Scott Boras, who is of course biased, say that baseball may well prove to be recession-proof. But I'm not so sure. It may be that attendance and consumer interest in the game will remain robust, but leading sponsors, especially in the financial industry, may be less aggressive with their marketing dollars. The PGA Tour is certainly seeing that effect already.

It looks like it could be a blue Christmas for Manny Ramirez.

There are many ironies in the fact that President George W. Bush will throw the first pitch at Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in New York. For one, President Bush is the first managing general partner of a Major League team (the Texas Rangers) to become President of the United States.

President Franklin Roosevelt was the first to attend an All-Star Game and throw out the first pitch, starting the tradition. He too had to deal with a poor economy and by the time he threw out that first ball the groundwork was being laid for World War II. President Bush has had to contend with his own war.

While there are differing views as to whether we should have gone into Iraq and whether we should stay or get out, this will always be viewed as George's war, fair or not. And the state of our economy in 2008 will also be viewed as George's economy, fair or not.

The ultimate irony for me is that Yankee Stadium is scheduled to be torn apart at the end of the season. This is YANKEE Stadium and the last president to set foot in it will be George W. Bush. The stadium with the greatest heritage in baseball, the 'House That Ruth Built', is going to be torn apart while our economy is also being torn apart. It is being torn out at its roots.

Back in June, Georges Yared blogged about one of the silliest lawsuits in sports history: Major League Baseball decided that it would take on fantasy baseball leagues, battling for a licensing fee for the use of statistics, such as batting averages, home runs and earned run averages. Major League Baseball sought to limit the number of companies that could use its data for operating fantasy baseball websites in exchange for a fee, and CDM Fantasy Sports Corp sued, essentially arguing that data about a factual event such as the outcome of a baseball game was not proprietary because it could be garnered from various sources other than the league itself.

CDM won in federal court and baseball appealed to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. According to the Wall Street Journal, "In taking on the fantasy-baseball operators, and losing, MLB has likely cost every pro sports league millions of dollars. All the leagues had been getting fees from fantasy operators."

It's good to see Major League Baseball lose here: after failing miserably to protect the game's integrity from the threat of illegal drugs, gouging fantasy players for fees should have been the last thing on the league's mind. MLB doesn't need any more controversy right now, and should never have waded into this battle in the first place.

It was less than 3 weeks ago when Alex Rodriguez decided that the middle of World Series Game 4 was the opportune time to announce he was ditching the Yankees through a clause in his contract. At the time, Howard Stern sidekick (and lifelong Yankees fanatic) Artie Lange quipped: "Don't let the free-agency door hit you on the way out" (I'm paraphrasing to keep it clean, folks).

In the wake of this stunt, our own Georges Yared referred to A-Rod as a "crybaby extraordinaire" and a "selfish, self-centered you-know-what." Georges also noted that, "The attempt to upstage the Red Sox and Rockies should not be forgiven nor forgotten by the baseball brethren." Indeed, it was a classless move, one likely perpetrated by A-Rod's agent, but certainly given the green light by the third baseman himself.

And yet, here it is mid-November, and hijo pródigo A-Rod and the Yanks are back at the table. It's all sorts of amusing, really. This morning, it hit newswires that negotiations mediated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) officials have resulted in a new contract for the clutch player who isn't. Reportedly, A-Rod wanted to restart negotiations with the team, but chose to use a third party (Goldman representatives) instead of his agent, Scott Boras.

Shortly after the market closed today, I got one of my familiar MarketWatch.com bulletins in my in-box. But it wasn't concerning after-hours earnings or the Dow's (latest) triple-digit drop. Rather, it simply stated: "Home-run king Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction of justice charges."

Yowsa. While everyone always just assumed Bonds used the juice at some point in his career, I think this comes as a surprise to many sports fans. A federal grand jury has accused Bonds of lying under oath when he said he was unaware that substances handed out by personal trainer Greg Anderson were steroids. Bonds has also maintained that he did not use steroids in 2001, as he chased the single-season home-run record, then held by Mark McGwire.

According to MarketWatch, John Burris, "one of" Bonds' lawyers, told San Francisco radio station KCBS the Bonds would plead "not guilty." Burris also asserted that Bonds "will be found not guilty." Burris says the indictment was a shock, as the government doesn't have proper evidence to bring such a claim.

As Barry pointed out last week, Taco Bell -- my favorite arm of the Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) empire -- introduced a "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" gimmick wherein free crunchy beef tacos (one per customer) would be handed out if a base was stolen in the 2007 World Series. Thanks to a speedy move from Boston Red Sox rookie center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, free tacos are on the table.

There are, of course, some catches. The offer must be redeemed between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time tomorrow, October 30. And the deal is valid at participating locations only.

The site advertising the Free-Tacos deal, however, could use some updating. It closes with "Watch the 2007 MLB World Series Live on FOX." As fans of the national pastime already know, the Red Sox again nabbed the World Series trophy in a four-game sweep of their opponents. (They committed the same offense against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004). Colorado Rockies fans should be entitled to two tacos as a consolation prize, but the bitter taste of defeat might have a negative effect.

Meanwhile, at YUM, regular tacos currently run somewhere around 89 cents to 99 cents a pop, depending on the market. That's a lot of free ground beef, cheese, and red sauce, even for a 3-hour window. I'm assuming YUM officials are counting on most free-taco bandits also ordering other menu items, or a drink.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

You have to admire the courage of senior management teams who agree to present at financial conferences, especially when the president of the company is unloading stock, and the best spin the CFO can put on the numbers is that they aren't as bad as they used to be. Such is the case with G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. (Nasdaq: GIII), which manufactures and distributes higher end coats and jackets under label for Calvin Klein, Guess?, Tommy Hilfiger and others, as well as licensed sportswear. G-III licenses jackets for the NHL, NBA, MLB, and dozens of major colleges and universities. They control a brand portfolio to envy. So why is it that the best the company can do is not lose as much money as quickly?

To its credit, G-III has narrowed its losses in 3Q 2007 by almost 60%, down to about $0.05 per share, compared with $0.14 per share a year ago. Net sales for the recent quarter were up 21% to $84 million. CEO Morris Goldfarb was so pleased with the posted loss that was well below what was expected that he has raised FY2007 guidance to $0.90-$0.95 per diluted share based on a $10 million increase in sales to $510 million.

This positive spin does not at all address the problems facing G-III. Are its costs not yet under control? Are its licensing deals structured in such a way that it is difficult to turn a profit? It manufactures team jackets for most major American sports leagues. Surely some of them must be widely popular with sports fans. Yet even CEO Goldfarb admits that sportswear is not yet a "meaningful" contributor to the bottom line. Investors should hope he accelerates his search for meaning and soon.

To those of you sitting at home who often think you can manage your favorite baseball team better than those actually in charge -- a position just came open.

On the heels of the New York Yankees bowing out in the first round of post-season play -- again -- Joe Torre has parted ways with the legendary club, but on his terms. Instead of being dismissed, as many fans and sports analysts were anticipating, Torre was actually given the option of a one-year contract carrying a price tag of $8 million (including incentives).

But the former Yankees skipper -- who held the title for 12 years and ranks second in the club's history for number of wins (at 1,173, trailing only Joe McCarthy) -- met Thursday afternoon with Yankee general manager Brian Cashman and owner George Steinbrenner to turn down the offer.

Baseball is heating up big-time, and the biggest story of the year, if not the decade, is the success of the streaking Colorado Rockies. A month ago -- a month ago! -- this team was in fourth place in its six-team division. They were given up for dead and out of the playoff hunt.

The Rockies went on to win 14 of their last 15 regular season games, and a one-game playoff versus the San Diego Padres to claim the National League wild-card in the playoffs. They beat San Diego to advance to the divisional series, and went on to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies in three games; then they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks, four games to none in the National League Championship series. They will face the winner of the Cleveland Indians-Boston Red Sox American League Championship series (Go Indians -- up 3 games to one!! My hometown team!!) in the World Series. The Rockies have won an unbelievable 21 of their last 22 games. But their greatest gesture was done with class and quietness.

Back on July 22, coach Mike Coolbaugh of the Rockies' Double AA minor league team, the Tulsa Drillers, was killed by a line drive to the head. It was a totally freak accident, as he was hit on exactly the right spot that could cause death. Its never happened in baseball before. Mike Coolbaugh was coaching first base when the tragic accident happened. Coolbaugh, only 32 years old, left behind a widow and two young sons. A revered coach with a passion for the game and its players was so senselessly lost.

During the past week or so, fashion designer Marc Ecko has been tabulating votes to decide what to do with Barry Bonds' 756th home-run ball. The three choices offered in an online poll were: Bestow It, Brand It, Banish It.

The fans have spoken, and door-number-2 was selected; the ball -- bought by Ecko for $752,467 -- will be marked with an asterisk before being handed over to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. According to the site Ecko set up for the express purpose of voting, 34% favored giving the ball, unblemished, to the Hall of Fame. 19% of voters wanted the ball banished, and 47% preferred branding it. The asterisk merely serves as a permanent reminder that Hank Aaron's record was toppled by someone facing allegations of steroid use. Bonds has repeatedly denied knowingly taking any performance-enhancing drugs.

Ecko and Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey both appeared on NBC's Today show to discuss the matter. Petroskey noted that, regardless of the asterisk, "We're happy to get [the ball] ... we're a nonprofit history museum, so this ball wouldn't be coming to Cooperstown without Marc Ecko buying it from the fan who caught it."

Bonds, naturally, had a compelling opinion on the matter, telling The San Francisco Chronicle, "[Marc Ecko's] stupid. He's an idiot ... What he's doing is stupid."

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) and rival, XM Satellite Radio's (NASDAQ: XMSR) proposal to allow a la carte pricing should convince skeptical regulators to approve the merger which has been bogged down in debtae for five months.

The proposal announced earlier would enable users to cherry-pick their favorite channels as part of a discounted package. The cheapest offering would run for $6.99 per month and includes 50 selected channels; for $16.99, a subscriber can keep their existing SIRI or XMSR service and select from the a listing of the "best" offering from the competitor. Beyond the 50-channel package, additional channels can be added for as little as 25 cents a piece. Premium programming, however, would cost $5 or $6. For the full press release from SIrius detailing the proposed plans, click here.

This should rebut criticisms that the merger hurts consumers. I certainly hope it goes through. The chance to have Howard Stern, Major League Baseball, and the best in commercial-free music is tantalizing, and certainly worth the price of a movie ticket. In fact, it seems as though the only contingent that would suffer from a merger of the only two satellite firms would be their biggest competition, terrestrial radio.

Can anyone explain to me why this merger isn't over and done already? Satellite radio is not a necessity - if the Sirius-XM pairing leads to higher prices, subscribers can choose to leave. The industry faces competition from terrestrial (read: "free") radio, Internet radio, MP3 players, CDs, books on tape, and numerous other forms of entertainment for the home and vehicle.

Pitching, pitching, and more pitching. That's what teams sought most at Thursday's Major League Baseball draft at The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS)'s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. Dreams do come true, especially if you're a southpaw.

Top pick David Price of Vanderbilt, selected by the almost hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays, is sure to quickly reap the rewards of his talents, since he is represented by Scott Boras. That would be the same Scott Boras who helped Alex Rodriguez secure the largest contract in professional sports history, the 10-year $252 million deal he signed heading into the 2001 season with the Texas Rangers. Price was one of seven lefthanders selected by baseball's 30 teams in the first round of the draft.

Overall, 17 of the 30 were hurlers. Young baseball talent isn't surrounded with the level of hoopla that goes with college players heading for the National Football League or National Basketball Association drafts. But the money will still be there for those lucky enough to hear their names Thursday. Last year's top pick, pitcher Luke Hochevar, also a Boras client, signed with the Kansas City Royals for a reported $5.3 million plus a $3.5 million bonus. Two years ago, it was shortstop Justin Upton, taken with the top pick by Arizona. The Diamondbacks finally signed him to a deal that included a $6.1 million bonus payable over five years.

David Price is sure to garner similar dollars from the moribund Devil Rays, who dream about not finishing last in the American League East.

Last night, Allan Kreda commented on how Barry Bonds' personal bottom line might fare if (when) he topples Hank Aaron's home-run record (he's currently 10 runs shy at 746). The controversial slugger is lacking in lucrative endorsement deals and facing hefty legal fees. Not that I feel too badly for the guy.

One group that is hoping to benefit as Bonds continues to chase the record is television broadcasters. Polarizing personality or not, Barry Bonds is keeping baseball fans interested in seeing a new entry in the record books (even if an asterisk is involved).

Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ESPN is hoping to break into its normally scheduled programming whenever Bonds comes to bat once there is the potential to tie or break the record. News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) FOX is working with Major League Baseball to air an extra game (outside of its set broadcast schedule) when the record-breaking is imminent.

How much money would Barry Bonds be worth if he liked the media and the media liked him? That is the proverbial $64,000 question with the brawny outfielder just 10 home runs shy of Hank Aaron's career home run record of 755.

The 42-year-old Bonds has a one-year $16 million contract with the San Francisco Giants and if he has saved and invested well during his lucrative playing years, he should have no financial worries heading into his life after baseball. His career earnings dating back to his rookie season with Pittsburgh in 1986 are at least $172 million. But with potential legal bills mounting, Bonds is probably saving every penny he can. He still may be indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of perjury and he could be fined hefty amounts by the U.S. government in tax penalties.

With all this going on for the soon-to-be home run king, he's practically invisible on the endorsement front. Companies don't want to go anywhere near Bonds because of still unproven suspicions of steroid use. That and his general unfriendliness towards the media, and he really is alone on an island most days at the ballpark. But that didn't seem to bother him much this week as the Giants visited Shea Stadium and the New York Mets.

Bonds didn't even speak to the media before the first game of the series on Tuesday. The most intriguing aspect of the Bonds home run-record chase is how Aaron himself says he won't attend when the record is broken. And Commissioner Bud Selig has not confirmed whether he will attend either. Some way for baseball to treat its most hallowed record. The same Major League Baseball which clearly turned its collective heads the other way when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa (both bulked up beyond rational belief) were chasing Roger Maris' single season record of 61 in 1998. McGwire went on to hit 70 dingers that summer, a record Bonds surpassed with 73 in 2001.

Will Bonds ever reap the financial rewards of the record he's about to shatter? The answer, quite clearly, is no.