Environmental Issues

The Giants think that the hard turf in Dallas was a cause for all their injuries.

And here's a study showing the effects of cold weather in baseball. The conclusions are basically that pitchers fare better because they get to warm up more than hitters, and the cold, dense air prevents balls from traveling far. Is this why El Duque fared so well in October (being a fly-ball pitcher)? However, pitchers tend to walk more hitters in the cold, so a patient lineup should fare better (didn't work for the Yanks this year though).

PS: Matsuzaka has officially hired Scott 'Satan' Boras as his agent. I hate Boras, but this may actually help the Yankees. When some (small market) teams hear 'Scott Boras,' they'll drop them from the bidding. Hiring the best agent may actually hurt Matsuzaka's financial opportunity, because it's going to reduce the bidding war, from fear of Boras' notorious monetary demands.