The 2012 MLB interleague schedule has its opening weekend from May 18-20. One of the more interesting matchups is between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs, giving the city a chance to see its two teams do battle. The Boston Red Sox go up against the Philadelphia Phillies for three games as well, pitting two teams against each other that many baseball analysts had predicted would go to the World Series this year.

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The knuckleball pitcher is a dying fad in professional baseball. Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield recently retired after a 19-year MLB career that resulted in 200 victories, 186 with the Red Sox. Those 186 victories put him with pitchers such as Roger Clemens and Cy Young, who both won 192 games with the Red Sox.

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This is a big week for the Philadelphia Phillies. After winning a series against the San Diego Padres, the Phillies face a stretch against teams that they should be able to beat. They have two games against both the Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs before they host the Boston Red Sox in the first interleague series of the year. If the Phillies are going to get back to .500, this is the kind of stretch that gives them a chance to be successful.

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DALLAS (Reuters) - The baseball that broke the hearts of Boston Red Sox fans when it rolled through first baseman Bill Buckner's legs during the 1986 World Series sold to an anonymous bidder for $418,250 at auction on Friday, the auction house said. Buckner's error on a routine ground ball in Game 6 of the series against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in New York was widely blamed for costing the Red Sox a chance to win what would have been the team's first championship in 68 years. The Mets scored the winning run on the play and went on to win Game 7 for the title. ...

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DALLAS (AP) The baseball that rolled through the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series was sold at auction Friday for $418,250.

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DALLAS (AP) The baseball that broke the hearts of Boston Red Sox fans everywhere and turned Bill Buckner into one of the most famous goats in sports history is up for sale.

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No matter where the New York Mets finish in the NL East standings, their mascot will be No. 1 this season. Mr. Met, an iconic fellow with a giant baseball for a head who debuted 50 years ago, has been named America's top sports mascot by a marketing firm that surveyed fans. A story in Forbes magazine dishes on how the Marketing Arm's Davie-Brown Index determined that Mr. Met edged the Phillie Phanatic for the top spot, like he did in 2009 . (No, it's not the " Dave Brown Index ," as the New York Daily News originally reported, for I would have thrown out the results because of the mascots they omitted.) The top 10 list excludes Canadian mascots, which means it doesn't have Youppi! — the former Montreal Expos sidekick who now works for the NHL's Canadiens — and there are no college teams as in previous seasons. Here's who they do have: Mr. Met — New York Mets Phillie Phanatic — Philadelphia Phillies Benny the Bull — Chicago Bulls San Diego Chicken — Formerly of the San Diego Padres Wally the Green Monster — Boston Red Sox Racing Sausages — Milwaukee Brewers The Gorilla — Phoenix Suns Billy the Marlin — Florida Marlins Coyote — San Antonio Spurs 10 (tie). Racing Presidents — Washington Nationals 10 (tie). Rocky — Denver Nuggets As the headline asked: Where's Youppi!?

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The request we're sending to bloggers of all 30 teams this spring is a simple one: What are the 10 best things about being a fan of your favorite team? What features of the franchise have you excited for opening day and what keeps you coming back year after year? As we reach the end of our little experiment, we're glad to hear that so many of you enjoyed the ride. Polishing off our series is our own  David Brown . 1. Oct. 26, 2005: The White Sox had gone 88 years since winning the World Series, a streak of morbidity longer than the Boston Red Sox were riding into 2004 when they finally won it all. Further, the White Sox's futility was 91 percent as long as the Cubs' 97-season streak without a championship. They were just as bad or worse than the Red Sox and Cubs and yet, outside of Chicago — at least the parts that root for the White Sox — no one cared about the South Side. They didn't care when Juan Uribe and Paul Konerko teamed up to record the final out at Minute Maid Park against the Houston Astros. The ineptness of the Cubs and Red Sox was lamented internationally, even celebrated. Much of the baseball world had held its breath two in 2003 when the Cubs were six outs away from a World Series date with the Yankees. And it let out a mighty exhale in '04 when the Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees in the ALCS and then the Cardinals in the World Series. White Sox fans are born alone, they die alone and they celebrated the '05 World Series alone. And can't no one ever take that way. Our trophy! Get away! 2. Paul Konerko's grand slam against Chad Qualls in Game 2:

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The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. _ Cody Ross — serial bat flipper: Ross went deep twice — with a two-run shot to tie the score in the seventh against Jason Marquis, and a go-ahead solo blast with two outs in the ninth against Matt Capps — to carry the Boston Red Sox past the Minnesota Twins 6-5 on Monday night. Before Alfredo Aceves got the save, Boston even coaxed Daniel Bard, who temporarily (?) was demoted to the bullpen, into getting two key outs in the eighth to suppress a Twins rally. It's like all of Boston's problems never existed! [ Video: Boston Red Sox have major issues that are beyond manager Bobby Valentine ] Jeter playing young: Nice formula for the Yankees here: CC Sabathia allows four runs in eight innings, Alex Rodriguez hits a three-run homer and Derek Jeter collects four hits. After extending his hitting streak to 13 games in New York's 7-4 victory at Texas, Jeter is batting .346 over his past 85 games going back to July 2011. ''I keep kidding him that it's like 1999 again — three hits every day. He's amazing,'' Rodriguez said of the 37-year-old Jeter. So ... what happened in the Cubs game? The Cardinals were one strike away from beating the Cubs — no big deal, happens all of the time — when something odd happened. They lost. With closer Jason Motte on the hill, former Cardinals reserve Joe Mather lined a two-run single to give Chicago a 3-2 win at Wrigley Field . Through eight innings, Jaime Garcia had outpitched (barely) Matt Garza. Watch the fun happen (for some, not all) in the ninth:

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The 2012 MLB regular season well underway. It will be a long road to October baseball but one every team and fan is excited to travel this season. The beginning of the year brings promise, as many memories will surely be created this season. At this point, anything can happen!

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