By the time I'm starting to write this post, the trade deadline has passed, and while the dust is still settling, I'd like to kick it up a little bit more and give my faithful readers my humble analysis of the big moves this year. To see a list of the trades made in the past few weeks, simply go to ESPN's MLB website and find the Transactions tab.
First, the big one that I touched on in my first post: Roy Oswalt finally found a team that was willing to put up with him: the Philadelphia Phillies. After finally deciding to drop his outrageous demand for any receiving team to pay him his $16 million option, the Phils went straight for him. This was not completely unpredicated, though; Oswalt seemed more than happy to go to a team that has a shot at the playoffs instead of the other teams that were more interested in him than he was in them. In return, the Astros got a few minor league prospects and pitcher J.A. Happ, who spent the majority of the season either on the DL or in the minor leagues, only pitching in 4 games this season (2 at the beginning, and 2 in the past week). Of those 4, he only got two decisions, but both were wins, including his debut in Houston. Oswalt lost his first start in Philly. So, let's review: Philadelphia gets a 6-12 pitcher (who, admittedly, not only has a somewhat low ERA but also hasn't been hampered by injury) who promptly loses his first start with his new team (and how; the Nationals won 1 to 8, and Oswalt gave up 5 of those runs in 6 innings), therefore making his record 6-13. Houston, however, gets a 1-0 pitcher who hadn't pitched in the big leagues since April 15th, but he comes in, pitches 6 shutout innings against hard-hitting Prince Fielder and the Brewers, no earned runs, and 6 strikeouts to get his 2nd win in 2 decisions he's factored into this season. Phillies fans, I wouldn't put on that Oswalt jersey just yet if I were you; hell, I wouldn't even rip the tags off, you may want to get your money back soon so Roy can't get his full option.
This next one hurts me a little bit: Lance Berkman, also from the Astros, was traded to the Yankees just this afternoon for a couple of minor leaguers. In his debut down in Tampa, Berkman went 0-4 as a designated hitter (remember a few posts ago when I was discussing a change in New York's first baseman situation? I thought this would affect it; thankfully, I was mistaken). In all fairness, Rodriguez did the same, and he wasn't making a debut (although it would have been nice if home run number 600 could have made a guest appearance), but I think that, in a couple of years, the Astros will again benefit from this trade more than they lose: the minor league prospects are, of course, young and impressionable, and could end up becoming big shots and help lead the Astros not necessarily to the playoffs at first, but at least to a winning record. Hey, anything's possible. And with Berkman, who's 34 and has spent 11 seasons in the major leagues, past his prime (which was certainly just that: he has 326 career homers, 1,090 RBIs, and a batting average just under .300), it seems even more likely.
The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals, both of whom look to still be playing past late September, made a trade involving the Cleveland Indians (non-contenders in every way) that sent pitcher Jake Westbrook (and his 6-7 season record, not to mention his 4.65 ERA) to the Cards, who in turn sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to San Diego. Out of all 3 of these teams, 1 benefited. Can you guess who? Here's a hint: IT WAS SAN DIEGO. While his career numbers aren't necessarily incredible considering his time in the league, there's no doubt to any Cardinals fan that he was essential in helping them stay afloat in the standings this season. Of course, when you have a lineup with Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in it (when they're healthy), you've got a lot to work with offensively. However, going from a team that has a very delicate grasp on their division to one that's surprisingly been in 1st the entire season shows your value. Fans in St. Louie can only hope they'll get along fine without Ludwick...but, as I said, when you've got the hands-down best player in the game, the transition becomes a lot smoother.
Cleveland also sent out another player, relief pitcher Kerry Wood, to the Yanks. Wood, who came off the disabled list almost immediately before being sent to New York, has 8 saves and 1 win this season, but with an ERA of 6.30 (far too high for a reliever to be considered effective), it's hard to see in him what the Yankees do. Clearly, he won't be doing much more than trying to make a clean transition to the final innings, in which Mo will handle business as he usually does, but it seems that this area is where the Bronx Bombers have no firepower: the starting rotation is strong, and there's no closer better than Rivera, but adding Wood to an already-weak string of relievers such as the terrible Joba Chamberlain and the dreadful Chan Ho Park does little to help, at least noticeably. New York fans will simply have to trust the Yanks' judgment and hope that there won't be too many blown saves (1 blown save is 1 too many, if you ask me).
After pitching a no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Edwin Jackson is now a member of the hitter-dominant American League (which he's actually accustomed to; this season with the D-backs was his only one in the National League), being traded to the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Believe it or not, this one actually benefits the AL team instead of the NL team: the ChiSox sent over two pitchers of little to no consequence (if I haven't heard of them until this, they can't be too influential) for a pitcher who can throw a no-no with an atrocious team like the one in Arizona behind him. It can't be ignored, though, that his record is 1-4 since then, giving him a season record of 6-10 with a too-high ERA of 5.16, but with some heavy batters who are strong defenders, this could be what Jackson needs to turn this season around.
There are plenty more trades that have occurred recently, but the last one I want to touch on is actually a two-parter: the Texas Rangers got heavy-hitting third baseman Jorge Cantu from the Marlins, and sent troubled catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (spelled without any help, thank you very much) to Boston. For a team with an 8.5 game lead over the next closest team in their division, the Rangers' playoff hopes just became much more certain: Cantu, who had an impressive hitting streak at the start of the season, comes to Texas eager to help them make the postseason, and he has the power to stand out even in a lineup with massive sluggers Vlad Guerrero, Nelson Cruz, and Ian Kinsler (when he's back in it, that is). The Rangers were also smart to send Jarrod S. (I'm not even attempting that one again) away; since coming off his shoulder injury that made him miss most of the 2009 season, S-Man had a lot of difficulty simply getting the ball back to the pitcher. It will possibly take some more rehab in the minors and more conditioning to get him back to his breakout rookie season numbers, but it's pretty clear that Texas got the better end of this deal.
In response to my own title, it seems like the answer is no, pretty much straight across the board: the richest team in baseball (take a guess) got an old first baseman and an ineffective reliever, and the two-time defending NL champ gets a loss out of their expensive new pitcher's first start, while a bankrupt team adds more power to propel them into the playoffs, and a surprise first place team adds a strong outfielder. Money can't buy happiness, but insurance, which not only leads to peace of mind in this situation, but also a better shot at some strengthened teams, sure seems worth it.
In my next post, I'll briefly discuss (because I'm not fond of him) why David Ortiz is still the best power hitter in the game, why Joe Torre won't win a World Series in Los Angeles (hint: it has a lot to do with the last team he managed), and I'll also stop doing this little "next post preview" at the end of my future posts, making each new one unexpected and exciting. Right?
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Like Taking Candy From A (Professional) Baby.
This may come a shock to some, but I've never been a fan of the Boston Red Sox. Seeing David Ortiz hit home runs has never made me jump for joy, watching Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and Jonathan Papelbon get wins and saves doesn't thrill me, and even though he's a Jew like me, Kevin Youkilis never gave me any reason to have pride in Jewish baseball players (now, players like Ian Kinsler and Ryan Braun have made me proud to be a Hebrew). So it should be no surprise that their longlasting rivalry with the Yankees has always made me excited to watch: what matchup of opponents could be more exciting, aside from the basketball meetings between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics (funny, another team from Boston involved in a heated rivalry)? What two other teams have such a long, intense history in which, no matter who wins what, they continuously try to one-up each other, always trying to stay in step or one step ahead of each other by any means necessary? What other rivalry has had so many layers, so many stories, and still not become one-sided? Unfortunately, that last part can't be said for even this rivalry in recent years. Since their last World Series appearance in 2007, the BoSox have dropped in the standings each year, most noticeably this season. It doesn't help that the Tampa Bay Rays have suddenly become one of the best teams in baseball and the biggest challenger to both the Sox and Yanks in the AL East, but aside from all the injuries that have made 2010 so heartwrenching for the Red Sox, they simply aren't the intimidating contenders they were just a couple of years ago. Could it be that the Yankees have more confidence from their most recent Series win and are therefore playing better because of it? Maybe the Yanks had less significant injuries and less players on the DL? Whatever the case, it became evident early on this year that the two teams that were really fighting for dominance in the AL East were the Yanks and the Rays. The best thing I can think to say about Boston is that they've won enough games to only be 7.5 games out of 1st and 5.5 games out of the wild card. What does that tell you about their season? With the way the Yanks have been playing this year and last, it's safe to say that the rivalry is pretty much dead now. Of course, it'll be revived once the Sox get back into form, but with a different star landing on the disabled list seemingly every other week, it could be a while before Boston can hold their own amongst the big boys.
I've digressed from the point I wanted to make. This rivalry is the best in any sport, and yet, for the past couple of seasons, the scales have tipped heavily in New York's favor. Some might claim that I'm only saying this because of my loyalties, but even a neutral observer can tell that the Red Sox's performance from its players has seriously dropped as of late. There have been some highlights for the Boston crew: the acquisition of Adrian Beltre and of Marco Scutaro has boosted them immensely, but as stated earlier, it's been all the injuries and important players out that has really put a damper on their season. While not impossible, it seems unlikely that the Sox will be able to pull ahead in the standings and make the playoffs this year, unless either the Yanks or the Rays suddenly lose all dominance, every player on both teams' rosters gets sick and dies, the world stops spinning, the apocalypse happens, et cetera. So, sorry, Boston fans...on the other hand, I'm not sorry at all.
Something I used to not really be able to grasp was why home-field advantage is such a big deal in sports. Now that I'm older, I understand: the home team knows their field better than any other team or field they visit, so it stands to reason that they should play better because of it, right? Well, not necessarily. All the time, I hear a lot of talk about how some parks (such as Colorado's Coors Park, Texas's Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and Arizona's Chase Field, the top 3 ballparks on the list of hitter-friendlies) are such that even the weakest player can put up spectacular numbers. If that's the case, then home-field advantage becomes a non-factor; sure, the home team knows the park and where to hit it, but it seems like the opposing team stands just as good of a chance to knock in a good amount of runs. So why does this supposed "advantage" matter so much in some matchups? Every day, many teams win in a park that isn't theirs, it's not very difficult to do. And yet, in the playoffs, it seems crucial to have this apparent upper hand. Why? If the team you're facing is good, they'll beat you either in your town or theirs, it just depends where you want to lose. Do you only watch the All-Star Game each year just to see which league will win and therefore get home-field advantage through the playoffs? If you're like me, you probably watch the game, oh, I don't know, to see the game's top players all together on one field, facing off to prove who's the best? The prize is ancillary in my eyes. Like I said, if a team is that good, they'll win in any park against an inferior team. Everyone should understand this, regardless of what team you root for: I heard a good friend, who's a Braves fan, say after the ASG, "Well, the question this season is simply, 'Where are the Yankees going to win the World Series this year if they don't have home-field?'" The outcome of the game rarely depends on much more than, believe it or not, effective defense and/or offense by one or both teams, not whether or not the grass is real or just astro-turf. Sure, if a player isn't accustomed to one of the two and slides because he wasn't aware of the force and blah blah blah physics, then it can maybe influence the game to some degree, but it's only if he gets injured severely that it really makes a difference. Good players can do well anywhere.
With that in mind, I want to talk about Miguel Cabrera, someone I barely knew about before this season. From his quiet rookie season (quiet meaning putting up 12 homers and 62 RBIs in just a little over half a season...oh, and a homer in the World Series that helped his then-home team Marlins beat my New York boys and win it all) to his first All-Star appearance since being traded into the American League, he's the best player that's most likely managed to stay below most of your radars. That is, until this year, when he just refuses to go unnoticed any longer. As of this post, he's hit 25 home runs, 89 RBIs, and has an average of almost .350. Aside from Toronto's Jose Bautista, who leads the game with 30 dingers, he's tied with Paul Konerko of the White Sox for the second most long shots, and is leading in RBIs and batting average. If he can manage to pull ahead of both players, we could see the first batting Triple Crown winner in baseball since 1967, when Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox managed to accomplish the feat. The fact that no other batter has achieved this in 43 years, especially when you consider how many amazing batting moments there have been just in my lifetime, should give you some insight into Cabrera's turnaround season. If it weren't for the fact that they were also dealing with some debilitating injuries, Miguel could be commanding Detroit into the playoffs (they're currently 6 games out of the White Sox and 5.5 games behind the Twins, so while not impossible, with Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen out for a good while this late in the season, it'll be difficult to get back in the thick of things before October rolls around). Cabrera's amazing capabilities absolutely deserve a Triple Crown win, and it'll be a shame if he falls short because some schmuck in Canada got lucky a few times more than Miguel (even though he's hit 30 this season, Bautista's 89 career home runs and 286 RBIs pale in comparison to Cabrera's career stats of 235 and 844, respectively). It's ridiculous to think that Jose will step back and allow Cabrera to pass him by, but it just makes the race (not that Bautista has a shot at the Triple Crown; rather, his lead in homers could just make it out of reach for Cabrera) more complicated, and therefore more exciting. I know I'll be rooting for the Tigers slugger over the former Tampa Bay Ray, for obvious reasons.
In my next post, I'll focus solely on the big name trades made in this year's trade deadline, and how some of them already seem to be benefitting the team sending the good players instead of those receiving them.
I've digressed from the point I wanted to make. This rivalry is the best in any sport, and yet, for the past couple of seasons, the scales have tipped heavily in New York's favor. Some might claim that I'm only saying this because of my loyalties, but even a neutral observer can tell that the Red Sox's performance from its players has seriously dropped as of late. There have been some highlights for the Boston crew: the acquisition of Adrian Beltre and of Marco Scutaro has boosted them immensely, but as stated earlier, it's been all the injuries and important players out that has really put a damper on their season. While not impossible, it seems unlikely that the Sox will be able to pull ahead in the standings and make the playoffs this year, unless either the Yanks or the Rays suddenly lose all dominance, every player on both teams' rosters gets sick and dies, the world stops spinning, the apocalypse happens, et cetera. So, sorry, Boston fans...on the other hand, I'm not sorry at all.
Something I used to not really be able to grasp was why home-field advantage is such a big deal in sports. Now that I'm older, I understand: the home team knows their field better than any other team or field they visit, so it stands to reason that they should play better because of it, right? Well, not necessarily. All the time, I hear a lot of talk about how some parks (such as Colorado's Coors Park, Texas's Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and Arizona's Chase Field, the top 3 ballparks on the list of hitter-friendlies) are such that even the weakest player can put up spectacular numbers. If that's the case, then home-field advantage becomes a non-factor; sure, the home team knows the park and where to hit it, but it seems like the opposing team stands just as good of a chance to knock in a good amount of runs. So why does this supposed "advantage" matter so much in some matchups? Every day, many teams win in a park that isn't theirs, it's not very difficult to do. And yet, in the playoffs, it seems crucial to have this apparent upper hand. Why? If the team you're facing is good, they'll beat you either in your town or theirs, it just depends where you want to lose. Do you only watch the All-Star Game each year just to see which league will win and therefore get home-field advantage through the playoffs? If you're like me, you probably watch the game, oh, I don't know, to see the game's top players all together on one field, facing off to prove who's the best? The prize is ancillary in my eyes. Like I said, if a team is that good, they'll win in any park against an inferior team. Everyone should understand this, regardless of what team you root for: I heard a good friend, who's a Braves fan, say after the ASG, "Well, the question this season is simply, 'Where are the Yankees going to win the World Series this year if they don't have home-field?'" The outcome of the game rarely depends on much more than, believe it or not, effective defense and/or offense by one or both teams, not whether or not the grass is real or just astro-turf. Sure, if a player isn't accustomed to one of the two and slides because he wasn't aware of the force and blah blah blah physics, then it can maybe influence the game to some degree, but it's only if he gets injured severely that it really makes a difference. Good players can do well anywhere.
With that in mind, I want to talk about Miguel Cabrera, someone I barely knew about before this season. From his quiet rookie season (quiet meaning putting up 12 homers and 62 RBIs in just a little over half a season...oh, and a homer in the World Series that helped his then-home team Marlins beat my New York boys and win it all) to his first All-Star appearance since being traded into the American League, he's the best player that's most likely managed to stay below most of your radars. That is, until this year, when he just refuses to go unnoticed any longer. As of this post, he's hit 25 home runs, 89 RBIs, and has an average of almost .350. Aside from Toronto's Jose Bautista, who leads the game with 30 dingers, he's tied with Paul Konerko of the White Sox for the second most long shots, and is leading in RBIs and batting average. If he can manage to pull ahead of both players, we could see the first batting Triple Crown winner in baseball since 1967, when Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox managed to accomplish the feat. The fact that no other batter has achieved this in 43 years, especially when you consider how many amazing batting moments there have been just in my lifetime, should give you some insight into Cabrera's turnaround season. If it weren't for the fact that they were also dealing with some debilitating injuries, Miguel could be commanding Detroit into the playoffs (they're currently 6 games out of the White Sox and 5.5 games behind the Twins, so while not impossible, with Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen out for a good while this late in the season, it'll be difficult to get back in the thick of things before October rolls around). Cabrera's amazing capabilities absolutely deserve a Triple Crown win, and it'll be a shame if he falls short because some schmuck in Canada got lucky a few times more than Miguel (even though he's hit 30 this season, Bautista's 89 career home runs and 286 RBIs pale in comparison to Cabrera's career stats of 235 and 844, respectively). It's ridiculous to think that Jose will step back and allow Cabrera to pass him by, but it just makes the race (not that Bautista has a shot at the Triple Crown; rather, his lead in homers could just make it out of reach for Cabrera) more complicated, and therefore more exciting. I know I'll be rooting for the Tigers slugger over the former Tampa Bay Ray, for obvious reasons.
In my next post, I'll focus solely on the big name trades made in this year's trade deadline, and how some of them already seem to be benefitting the team sending the good players instead of those receiving them.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Juice Is Loose, Hide The Kids!
Recently, the MLB made another controversial, somewhat confusing policy: testing minor-leaguers for human growth hormone and other steroids instead of major-leaguers. To many, this seems idiotic: test the league with the most prevalent cases of steroid usage. It doesn't make sense to some why the big guys (figuratively and literally) get more of a pass than the more talented, less drug-addled kids. However, I think this is a good idea. This is rooting out the problem before it even truly becomes one. According to most admitted juicers, their experiences started not when they were first drafted, but after a season or so in the big leagues. Therefore, if you incite the fear of God (or at least of George Mitchell) into these young men, they hopefully learn to be smarter about this kind of thing once they're called up. Of course, you have to consider the fact that people, especially well-paid athletes, are ultimately going to do whatever they think will help them become better players and/or help their team go further every season, so it's irrational to think that this alone will make the future waves of major-league players completely abstain from steroids or other banned/frowned-upon substances, but it's a start. This could possibly start the new era of players with natural, raw talent who perform at a similar or potentially better level than their contemporaries who are doping.
On the flip side of this coin, you have to think about what the game and the players would or will be like without steroids. Now, in no way do I condone drug usage by anyone, especially players who are still seen as role models, but the stats show that hitters have become much more powerful since the full-blown introduction of growth hormones into the game. Steroids basically fueled the intense, exciting race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa a few years ago to see which player would break the single-season home run record first. Steroids led Barry Bonds to break the all-time home run record (which, as much as I dislike him, he probably could have gotten close without drugs as it was). In an indirect way, steroids are actually responsible for the resurgence in baseball's popularity. There's no denying what fans, casual or hardcore, really want to see in a game: good plays are fun, pitching achievements have their moments, and a stolen base is exciting...but nothing gets the crowd going like a smashed home run. However, this season has already begun to show the effects of banned substances actually being just that: a pale shade of the 60- to 70-run seasons some players had just a few years ago, only one player in the MLB has 30 home runs (Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, and he's leading every other player by at least 4 dingers). Hopefully, this will convince minor-leaguers that, even though it's a sign of the times, that they could hit just 45 homers and be a Silver Slugger in this day and age. I suppose it'll just be a few years before we really start to see the true effects of steroids being used or not, and how it will affect the next generation.
Another surprising thing that could happen in the next few years (bear with me here) is a Series championship for Chicago. No, I don't mean the White Sox (I think they'd revoke Ozzie Guillen's managerial benefits if he's allowed on national television again), although they currently have a very tenuous hold on the AL Central (that is, if you discount the very likely chance that either Minnesota or Detroit will make a late-season resurgence, as they have most of the past decade). Believe it or not, I mean the Chicago Cubs. Now, this may be a bold statement, considering we're going into the 103rd year of a drought that's become the thing the Cubbies are best known for inside and outside of baseball, but I don't think it's impossible. If you look at their roster, they have a genuinely good team: infielders Starlin Castro, Derrek Lee, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot and Aramis Ramirez are not only good defenders, their bats have been getting really hot lately. The same can be said for the outfielders Marlon Byrd, Alfonso Soriano, Tyler Colvin and even Kosuke Fukudome (even though his numbers have dropped since he came from Japan's major league, he's only been here for 3 seasons and therefore has plenty of time to get used to the way things go in the US). So, with a lineup that's stronger than ever, why aren't they making the playoffs? One reason that mainly focuses on one player: the pitching, and Carlos Zambrano. When Big Z is your ace, IT'S TIME TO TRADE. Ted Lilly, Carlos Silva, and Tom Gorzelanny (who also moved to the rotation after Zambrano's suspension after his childish argument with Lee after giving up 4 runs in 1 inning) aren't very good as it is, but at least all of them (aside from Lilly, with a 3-8 record) have more wins than losses. Zambrano has a 3-6 record, and that's after he was misguidedly moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation; he had no saves in his relief stint before that. In all fairness, he hasn't always been this awful: he pitched a no-hitter in September '08, he's famous for being one of the few pitchers in the National League that can actually hit (20 career homers, nearing the top of the all-time list for pitchers who bat), and even led the NL in wins in 2006. However, this just makes it that much more confusing as to why he shines when his team is worthless, yet he can't deliver when he actually has a strong team, defensively and offensively, behind him. The solution, while difficult to execute, is simple: get Zambrano out of Chicago. There are plenty of options as far as who could replace him, just get any free-agent pitcher and send a couple of minor-league prospects out with Carlos. It's astounding how almost any other pitcher could perform incredibly well with a team like the Boys in Blue, and yet this jerk manages to fail spectacularly in the year he should be doing the best. So, if the Cubs want a chance to finally go deep into the playoffs, they have to send Zambrano out.
One team that should keep a certain player for as long as they can, though, is the St. Louis Cardinals. I wonder if you can guess which player I'm talking about...if you can't, you should probably go read something other than this blog. Albert Pujols is one of the best things to happen to the Cardinals since Roger Hornsby and Stan Musial (props to my father for reminding me of him), and he only gets better every season. It's really surprising that he's only won a single World Series in his time there (2006, against the Tigers), but under the coaching of both Tony LaRussa (whose abysmal career as a player seems to make his incredibly successful managing career that much more ironic) and the new hitting coach, one Mark McGwire, it seems like Pujols and the Redbirds could finally make it back to The Show. They're true contenders every season, but this year, their lineup finally has more depth: the addition of star outfielder Matt Holliday, and teammates Colby Rasmus and Skip Schumaker (although both have been in simultaneous slumps lately) having seasons better than their previous ones takes some of the pressure off of Albert and allow him to do what he has always done without having to worry about getting more run support, and the rotation of Carpenter, Wainwright and surprisingly good Hawksworth who just came up from the minors, and the bullpen, a short time ago help him immensely as well. Still, the question is still in the air: could Albert Pujols ever play for another team? It seems as unlikely as Derek Jeter ever playing in a uniform without pinstripes...which brings me to a point that I still catch a lot of hell for: am I the only one who thinks that Pujols could stand to gain a whole lot in the Bronx? I mean, it's not likely that he could split time with Mark Teixeira (who, if Pujols came in, would most likely be headed elsewhere, which also seems unlikely), but considering how incredibly Pujols plays in what's known as the weaker league, it stands to reason that he would be mindblowingly good in any American League team. Even if he had to move to a designated hitter position (something I and millions of other people would never want to see...Pujols in the lineup but not on the field? Blasphemy!), he could be hitting homers well into his later years when he's no longer in shape to normally play the field, like Jim Thome and Ken Griffey, Jr. Like I said, it's not something I want to see (him in a DH position, not him joining the AL), but it may not be the worst thing in the world. But he's simply far too important to the Cards for them to let him go, especially without a fight. He's become more than their best or most important player: he's the symbol of hope and pride for St. Louis. The comparison to Jeter wasn't just to satisfy my Yankees reference quota for each post I write; Albert, like Derek, has played for one team his entire career up to this point, and it's hard to imagine either of them anywhere else. Albert Pujols is the face of the Cardinals franchise, as he well should be. They need him. Should he decide to leave for another team, he'd become as hated in St. Louis as Johnny Damon was when he left Boston. As interesting as I think it'd be if Pujols played in New York, he needs to stay in St. Louis, and he needs another championship so his already larger-than-life legacy (and personality) all but guarantees he'll be voted into the Hall of Fame whenever he's first eligible.
In my next post, I'll discuss why the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has not only cooled since 2007, but has tipped heavily in one's favor, how home-field advantage doesn't always guarantee a win, and how Miguel Cabrera can turn his shockingly good season into the first Triple Crown since the '70s.
On the flip side of this coin, you have to think about what the game and the players would or will be like without steroids. Now, in no way do I condone drug usage by anyone, especially players who are still seen as role models, but the stats show that hitters have become much more powerful since the full-blown introduction of growth hormones into the game. Steroids basically fueled the intense, exciting race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa a few years ago to see which player would break the single-season home run record first. Steroids led Barry Bonds to break the all-time home run record (which, as much as I dislike him, he probably could have gotten close without drugs as it was). In an indirect way, steroids are actually responsible for the resurgence in baseball's popularity. There's no denying what fans, casual or hardcore, really want to see in a game: good plays are fun, pitching achievements have their moments, and a stolen base is exciting...but nothing gets the crowd going like a smashed home run. However, this season has already begun to show the effects of banned substances actually being just that: a pale shade of the 60- to 70-run seasons some players had just a few years ago, only one player in the MLB has 30 home runs (Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, and he's leading every other player by at least 4 dingers). Hopefully, this will convince minor-leaguers that, even though it's a sign of the times, that they could hit just 45 homers and be a Silver Slugger in this day and age. I suppose it'll just be a few years before we really start to see the true effects of steroids being used or not, and how it will affect the next generation.
Another surprising thing that could happen in the next few years (bear with me here) is a Series championship for Chicago. No, I don't mean the White Sox (I think they'd revoke Ozzie Guillen's managerial benefits if he's allowed on national television again), although they currently have a very tenuous hold on the AL Central (that is, if you discount the very likely chance that either Minnesota or Detroit will make a late-season resurgence, as they have most of the past decade). Believe it or not, I mean the Chicago Cubs. Now, this may be a bold statement, considering we're going into the 103rd year of a drought that's become the thing the Cubbies are best known for inside and outside of baseball, but I don't think it's impossible. If you look at their roster, they have a genuinely good team: infielders Starlin Castro, Derrek Lee, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot and Aramis Ramirez are not only good defenders, their bats have been getting really hot lately. The same can be said for the outfielders Marlon Byrd, Alfonso Soriano, Tyler Colvin and even Kosuke Fukudome (even though his numbers have dropped since he came from Japan's major league, he's only been here for 3 seasons and therefore has plenty of time to get used to the way things go in the US). So, with a lineup that's stronger than ever, why aren't they making the playoffs? One reason that mainly focuses on one player: the pitching, and Carlos Zambrano. When Big Z is your ace, IT'S TIME TO TRADE. Ted Lilly, Carlos Silva, and Tom Gorzelanny (who also moved to the rotation after Zambrano's suspension after his childish argument with Lee after giving up 4 runs in 1 inning) aren't very good as it is, but at least all of them (aside from Lilly, with a 3-8 record) have more wins than losses. Zambrano has a 3-6 record, and that's after he was misguidedly moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation; he had no saves in his relief stint before that. In all fairness, he hasn't always been this awful: he pitched a no-hitter in September '08, he's famous for being one of the few pitchers in the National League that can actually hit (20 career homers, nearing the top of the all-time list for pitchers who bat), and even led the NL in wins in 2006. However, this just makes it that much more confusing as to why he shines when his team is worthless, yet he can't deliver when he actually has a strong team, defensively and offensively, behind him. The solution, while difficult to execute, is simple: get Zambrano out of Chicago. There are plenty of options as far as who could replace him, just get any free-agent pitcher and send a couple of minor-league prospects out with Carlos. It's astounding how almost any other pitcher could perform incredibly well with a team like the Boys in Blue, and yet this jerk manages to fail spectacularly in the year he should be doing the best. So, if the Cubs want a chance to finally go deep into the playoffs, they have to send Zambrano out.
One team that should keep a certain player for as long as they can, though, is the St. Louis Cardinals. I wonder if you can guess which player I'm talking about...if you can't, you should probably go read something other than this blog. Albert Pujols is one of the best things to happen to the Cardinals since Roger Hornsby and Stan Musial (props to my father for reminding me of him), and he only gets better every season. It's really surprising that he's only won a single World Series in his time there (2006, against the Tigers), but under the coaching of both Tony LaRussa (whose abysmal career as a player seems to make his incredibly successful managing career that much more ironic) and the new hitting coach, one Mark McGwire, it seems like Pujols and the Redbirds could finally make it back to The Show. They're true contenders every season, but this year, their lineup finally has more depth: the addition of star outfielder Matt Holliday, and teammates Colby Rasmus and Skip Schumaker (although both have been in simultaneous slumps lately) having seasons better than their previous ones takes some of the pressure off of Albert and allow him to do what he has always done without having to worry about getting more run support, and the rotation of Carpenter, Wainwright and surprisingly good Hawksworth who just came up from the minors, and the bullpen, a short time ago help him immensely as well. Still, the question is still in the air: could Albert Pujols ever play for another team? It seems as unlikely as Derek Jeter ever playing in a uniform without pinstripes...which brings me to a point that I still catch a lot of hell for: am I the only one who thinks that Pujols could stand to gain a whole lot in the Bronx? I mean, it's not likely that he could split time with Mark Teixeira (who, if Pujols came in, would most likely be headed elsewhere, which also seems unlikely), but considering how incredibly Pujols plays in what's known as the weaker league, it stands to reason that he would be mindblowingly good in any American League team. Even if he had to move to a designated hitter position (something I and millions of other people would never want to see...Pujols in the lineup but not on the field? Blasphemy!), he could be hitting homers well into his later years when he's no longer in shape to normally play the field, like Jim Thome and Ken Griffey, Jr. Like I said, it's not something I want to see (him in a DH position, not him joining the AL), but it may not be the worst thing in the world. But he's simply far too important to the Cards for them to let him go, especially without a fight. He's become more than their best or most important player: he's the symbol of hope and pride for St. Louis. The comparison to Jeter wasn't just to satisfy my Yankees reference quota for each post I write; Albert, like Derek, has played for one team his entire career up to this point, and it's hard to imagine either of them anywhere else. Albert Pujols is the face of the Cardinals franchise, as he well should be. They need him. Should he decide to leave for another team, he'd become as hated in St. Louis as Johnny Damon was when he left Boston. As interesting as I think it'd be if Pujols played in New York, he needs to stay in St. Louis, and he needs another championship so his already larger-than-life legacy (and personality) all but guarantees he'll be voted into the Hall of Fame whenever he's first eligible.
In my next post, I'll discuss why the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has not only cooled since 2007, but has tipped heavily in one's favor, how home-field advantage doesn't always guarantee a win, and how Miguel Cabrera can turn his shockingly good season into the first Triple Crown since the '70s.
Give My Regards To Bobby Cox.
As I said, as a native Southerner, I've been around Braves-mania my entire life. I didn't embrace it, being the Yankees fan that I am, but even I felt a tinge of pride in 1995 when the Atlanta boys won it all in the World Series (although, unsurprisingly, they won against the Cleveland Indians; the next year, they made it back to The Show, but fell to none other than The Pinstripes). But even with that Series win, and the 10-year string of division records, the thing the Braves have been most famous for is "choking" every time they make an appearance after September. If you look closely, you'll see that for every playoff season, the Braves either lose in the NLCS, or get sweeped by the Yankees in the 1999 postseason rematch between the two. By 2000, they were getting eliminated in the NLDS, and by 2006, they were no longer contenders period. Now, for a team that actually has a genuinely strong coaching staff (much as I'm a Yankees fan, even I can respect that Bobby Cox is one of the best managers the game's ever seen) and with a core of good players that's been led by Chipper Jones since the mid-'90s, it's almost sad that they haven't been as strong in recent years as they should have been. This season, however, has seen a recent Tomahawk Chopper resurgence: they started off a few games behind those darn Phillies, and were being heavily challenged by that other team in New York (who, by the way, is now the home team for Jeff Francouer, a Georgia boy who was drafted by the Braves a few years ago and actually went to the high school that was the rival to my own school), but they've been leading the division with a pretty healthy amount of games over both teams for most of the past 2 months. Clearly, it's the offense that's responsible for this; rookie Jason Heyward is the biggest phenom in Atlanta since Francouer (and is already putting up superior numbers), and players like Martin Prado, All-Star MVP Brian McCann, Omar Infante, and Brooks Conrad (who always seems to hit a walk-off grand slam whenever he pinch-hits) have been smashing the ball for hits and runs like never before. It's certainly not the pitching that's heavily impacted their winning spree; Kenshin Kawakami is an embarrassing 1-9, Derek Lowe has almost as many losses as wins, and Jair Jurrjens' stint on the DL really didn't affect the team much either way. It goes to show that offense is still more important than defense. However, we have to face facts: if they make it to the postseason this year, which it seems like they will, the smart money says that they'll lose in the NLCS, if they even get that far. I mean, I sure as hell wouldn't want to face the Cardinals or the Giants (who seem to have the NL Wild Card seemingly locked in) with the kind of year they're both having. So, let's not count the Atlanta crew out just yet...but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves either.
Switching gears now from a team that's done better than expected, I want to talk about how the Seattle Mariners had the chance to make this year their best ever. For a team with so much promise (and rightfully so: Ichiro is still one of the best outfielders in the game, and with the addition of fast-running, base-stealing madman Chone Figgins from the Angels and the strong pitching of Cliff Lee, even though they only had him for half the season), they quickly showed us that, even though they had strong players, a team can still lose with an astounding rapidity. Maybe it was the eventual oversaturation of the lineup (as of now, they currently have 3 rotating first basemen: the not-worth-remembering Casey Kotchman, Cleveland's Russell Branyan, who's played for 8 different teams in the past 12 years and made absolutely no impact on any team, and Texas's Justin Smoak, a hot young prospect sent to The Rainy City in the Lee trade and definitely deserves more playing time than either of the former two); maybe the expectations on the pitching rotation (which were deserved, considering Lee's and Felix Hernandez's spectacular skills) were just a little too high; or maybe the devastation of Ken Griffey Jr. finally hanging it up (even though they were in last place since the season began, long before Junior left) did them in. I think it probably has a lot to do with the preseason switch of Figgins and Jose Lopez: while Figgins was already established as a third baseman, and Lopez the same at second, the Mariners decided to switch the two, a decision that confused at least me and could be one of the major problems that led to their abysmal performance. Whatever it was, it's a shame. It's likely they'll end the season well under .500; if this comes to pass, it will be the 5th time in 10 years they've ended with a losing record. However, with their record now at .379 two months before the season ends, this could be the worst year in the previous 10 (let me put it in perspective...only 3 teams have worse records; the Diamondbacks, the Pirates, and the Orioles, three of MLB's perennially awful teams). This team could have done so well this year, but at the time this blog is written, they're 21.5 games back in their division, and with Texas and Los Angeles still having strong seasons, 2010 looks just as bleak for the M's as...well, every other year that wasn't 2001. But hey, Seattle, don't be upset: I hear that Philadelphia's Jayson Werth is a free agent after this year...maybe send Milton Bradley and Kotchman/Branyan away for him? Not like Philly needs a first baseman that badly, seeing as Ryan Howard is still putting up great numbers for them, but you could get rid of yours...and it seems like you finally realized why Chicago wanted Bradley out. And if you put Werth in a lineup and an outfield with Ichiro, I'd say 2011 suddenly looks a little brighter.
I recently heard a report that Pedro Martinez's agent said that, although Martinez wouldn't return for the last half of the 2010 season, he hasn't retired and hopes to pitch in 2011. My immediate thought was "Who gives a flying f%*k?!" Believe it or not, my dislike of him has a lot less to do about the fact that he was a member of the Red Sox (especially when they broke the Curse of the Bambino in '04) and a lot more to do with the fact that he's just an absolute schmuck (I can't use the word I really want to, as I'm trying to keep this blog somewhat censored and hopefully classy). Obviously, the most prevalent example is game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, in which he threw the 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground. What kind of supposedly mature and rational grown man does that to an elder? It showed a complete lack of disregard and truly horrid conduct. Now, it's not feasible to think that competitive, angry athletes aren't going to fight; but in a multiple-player scruff, who thinks to attack the old man? It's absolutely ridiculous that he wasn't suspended after that. While his career numbers are good (a 219-100 overall record, 2.93 ERA, and 3,154 career strikeouts), he lost all my respect that October, and he'll never get it back.
In my next post, I'll talk about why testing minor-leaguers for HGH is actually a better idea than it seems, how the Chicago Cubs could possibly win a World Series title in the next 10 years, and why Albert Pujols is even more important to St. Louis than everyone already thinks (and also why he'd do much better in the American League than the National League).
Switching gears now from a team that's done better than expected, I want to talk about how the Seattle Mariners had the chance to make this year their best ever. For a team with so much promise (and rightfully so: Ichiro is still one of the best outfielders in the game, and with the addition of fast-running, base-stealing madman Chone Figgins from the Angels and the strong pitching of Cliff Lee, even though they only had him for half the season), they quickly showed us that, even though they had strong players, a team can still lose with an astounding rapidity. Maybe it was the eventual oversaturation of the lineup (as of now, they currently have 3 rotating first basemen: the not-worth-remembering Casey Kotchman, Cleveland's Russell Branyan, who's played for 8 different teams in the past 12 years and made absolutely no impact on any team, and Texas's Justin Smoak, a hot young prospect sent to The Rainy City in the Lee trade and definitely deserves more playing time than either of the former two); maybe the expectations on the pitching rotation (which were deserved, considering Lee's and Felix Hernandez's spectacular skills) were just a little too high; or maybe the devastation of Ken Griffey Jr. finally hanging it up (even though they were in last place since the season began, long before Junior left) did them in. I think it probably has a lot to do with the preseason switch of Figgins and Jose Lopez: while Figgins was already established as a third baseman, and Lopez the same at second, the Mariners decided to switch the two, a decision that confused at least me and could be one of the major problems that led to their abysmal performance. Whatever it was, it's a shame. It's likely they'll end the season well under .500; if this comes to pass, it will be the 5th time in 10 years they've ended with a losing record. However, with their record now at .379 two months before the season ends, this could be the worst year in the previous 10 (let me put it in perspective...only 3 teams have worse records; the Diamondbacks, the Pirates, and the Orioles, three of MLB's perennially awful teams). This team could have done so well this year, but at the time this blog is written, they're 21.5 games back in their division, and with Texas and Los Angeles still having strong seasons, 2010 looks just as bleak for the M's as...well, every other year that wasn't 2001. But hey, Seattle, don't be upset: I hear that Philadelphia's Jayson Werth is a free agent after this year...maybe send Milton Bradley and Kotchman/Branyan away for him? Not like Philly needs a first baseman that badly, seeing as Ryan Howard is still putting up great numbers for them, but you could get rid of yours...and it seems like you finally realized why Chicago wanted Bradley out. And if you put Werth in a lineup and an outfield with Ichiro, I'd say 2011 suddenly looks a little brighter.
I recently heard a report that Pedro Martinez's agent said that, although Martinez wouldn't return for the last half of the 2010 season, he hasn't retired and hopes to pitch in 2011. My immediate thought was "Who gives a flying f%*k?!" Believe it or not, my dislike of him has a lot less to do about the fact that he was a member of the Red Sox (especially when they broke the Curse of the Bambino in '04) and a lot more to do with the fact that he's just an absolute schmuck (I can't use the word I really want to, as I'm trying to keep this blog somewhat censored and hopefully classy). Obviously, the most prevalent example is game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, in which he threw the 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground. What kind of supposedly mature and rational grown man does that to an elder? It showed a complete lack of disregard and truly horrid conduct. Now, it's not feasible to think that competitive, angry athletes aren't going to fight; but in a multiple-player scruff, who thinks to attack the old man? It's absolutely ridiculous that he wasn't suspended after that. While his career numbers are good (a 219-100 overall record, 2.93 ERA, and 3,154 career strikeouts), he lost all my respect that October, and he'll never get it back.
In my next post, I'll talk about why testing minor-leaguers for HGH is actually a better idea than it seems, how the Chicago Cubs could possibly win a World Series title in the next 10 years, and why Albert Pujols is even more important to St. Louis than everyone already thinks (and also why he'd do much better in the American League than the National League).
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
No Offense, Mike Piazza...
...but Joe Mauer is the best catcher in the past 40 years.
Now, I can't forget Yogi Berra, Piazza, or even Jorge Posada, so I'll correct myself: Joe Mauer is the best catcher in the past 40 years outside of New York.
That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that Joe Mauer is the best thing to happen to baseball in a while. He's a power hitter (even though his numbers have slipped a little this season due to injury, he's still batting over .300 with 6 homers and a ton of RBIs), he dominates the backstop like a true professional, and baseball isn't even the only sport he plays well; he was a football and basketball star in high school as well as a baseball star. He's the face of the Twins franchise (not an easy feat, considering how many good players they have, including Jim Thome, who's number 10 on the all-time home run leaders list), a hometown hero, and a great guy. He helped lead his team into the playoffs last year after a tiebreaker with the Tigers, and although they've slid in the division race some, it's likely you'll possibly see Minnesota in October with his help. As much as I love the Yankees, I would definitely like to see Mauer and his teammates hoist the trophy in the Fall Classic, and as long as people like Justin Morneau (still on the DL), Delmon Young, Denard Span and all the other good players on the Twins (there are actually a lot, just check out their roster and you'll be surprised that they're not leading their division as of today) keep doing what they're doing, they'll make it at least to the ALCS (if they don't face the Yanks in the first round like last year).
Anyway, I'm rambling. The point is that I think Joe Mauer, the reigning AL MVP who helped get his team to their first playoff appearance in a few years, is on track to be one of the best players in history. He just needs a World Series ring now.
Something that's surprised me this year is the dominance of some very unexpected teams, such as the Texas Rangers. For a team that has no World Series titles or appearances, they're leading the defending division winner Angels by almost 9 games (who are tied with the Athletics, who are also having a moderately good season) and haven't been out of first place the entire season. Of course, it's most likely due to Ian Kinsler finally delivering after a bout of injuries, Vladimir Guerrero coming from Los Angeles and hitting home runs left and right, and the new addition of master ace pitcher Cliff Lee, but even players such as Nelson Cruz have been delivering in ways no one imagined. Another team that is even more shocking is the San Diego Padres, who are in the same vein: no World Series rings, but they've been first in their division the entire season. With the addition of ex-Yankee Jerry Hairston Jr. joining his brother Scott (and both being excellent hitters), and Heath Bell, the only closer in the game I consider to be as good as New York's Mariano Rivera, they're another team that, pardon the pun, seems to have come right out of left field. Third on my list of "Teams I Never Expected To Be Good" are the Cincinnati Reds, who've been above, tied with, or just a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals all season. And again, for a team whose last World Series win, appearance, and presence in the playoffs was the year I was born (1990), they've come from nowhere to tangle with Albert Pujols and his unsurprisingly strong supporting crew. With first-time All-Star Joey Votto leading the team, and batters like Orlando Cabrera, Scott Rolen (who, despite recent injury, is having one of his best seasons) and Jonny Gomes, not to mention strong pitching thanks to Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto, there's a chance the Reds could knock St. Louis out of the division title come the end of September.
And now, I want to talk about something that's been bothering me for almost 2 months: the almost perfect game in Detroit. By now, even the casual baseball fan knows about Armando Galarraga's botched perfect game, which would have been recorded in the books if not for a misjudged call by first base umpire Jim Joyce. The truly good part about this story is the class and grace both sides handled the potentially nasty situation with...however, for every good story, there's a downside. In this situation, it's two-fold: the first part is that this could have easily been prevented if MLB would expand the use of instant replay, and the second part is that Bud Selig, who had the power to overturn the call and award Galarraga the 21st perfect game in history, decided not to, citing the desire to "not set a precedent" in case a similar situation arises down the line. The first part should have a simple answer: expand the use of instant replay. There's no question, there should be no debate. It would only serve to help the umpires, the players, the coaches, and even the fans. There would be less confusion as to a player being safe or out, a home run going through, a balk by a pitcher, anything. However, it seems that the jury's still out on this one, which is endlessly frustrating. The second part, however, makes much less sense to me: The Commish doesn't want to set a precedent. For what, doing the right thing? He doesn't want a precedent set for correcting the mistakes brought on by not using instant replay so that a pitcher (who, let's face it, isn't very good anyway) can go down in the history books not for losing a perfecto bid but for instead achieving this difficult feat? Maybe it's not such a bad thing Selig's retiring after next season.
In my next post, I'll expand on the Braves' Cinderella run this season and how it will most likely end, why the Mariners should have been on top this season, and why no one should give a crap about Pedro Martinez.
Now, I can't forget Yogi Berra, Piazza, or even Jorge Posada, so I'll correct myself: Joe Mauer is the best catcher in the past 40 years outside of New York.
That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that Joe Mauer is the best thing to happen to baseball in a while. He's a power hitter (even though his numbers have slipped a little this season due to injury, he's still batting over .300 with 6 homers and a ton of RBIs), he dominates the backstop like a true professional, and baseball isn't even the only sport he plays well; he was a football and basketball star in high school as well as a baseball star. He's the face of the Twins franchise (not an easy feat, considering how many good players they have, including Jim Thome, who's number 10 on the all-time home run leaders list), a hometown hero, and a great guy. He helped lead his team into the playoffs last year after a tiebreaker with the Tigers, and although they've slid in the division race some, it's likely you'll possibly see Minnesota in October with his help. As much as I love the Yankees, I would definitely like to see Mauer and his teammates hoist the trophy in the Fall Classic, and as long as people like Justin Morneau (still on the DL), Delmon Young, Denard Span and all the other good players on the Twins (there are actually a lot, just check out their roster and you'll be surprised that they're not leading their division as of today) keep doing what they're doing, they'll make it at least to the ALCS (if they don't face the Yanks in the first round like last year).
Anyway, I'm rambling. The point is that I think Joe Mauer, the reigning AL MVP who helped get his team to their first playoff appearance in a few years, is on track to be one of the best players in history. He just needs a World Series ring now.
Something that's surprised me this year is the dominance of some very unexpected teams, such as the Texas Rangers. For a team that has no World Series titles or appearances, they're leading the defending division winner Angels by almost 9 games (who are tied with the Athletics, who are also having a moderately good season) and haven't been out of first place the entire season. Of course, it's most likely due to Ian Kinsler finally delivering after a bout of injuries, Vladimir Guerrero coming from Los Angeles and hitting home runs left and right, and the new addition of master ace pitcher Cliff Lee, but even players such as Nelson Cruz have been delivering in ways no one imagined. Another team that is even more shocking is the San Diego Padres, who are in the same vein: no World Series rings, but they've been first in their division the entire season. With the addition of ex-Yankee Jerry Hairston Jr. joining his brother Scott (and both being excellent hitters), and Heath Bell, the only closer in the game I consider to be as good as New York's Mariano Rivera, they're another team that, pardon the pun, seems to have come right out of left field. Third on my list of "Teams I Never Expected To Be Good" are the Cincinnati Reds, who've been above, tied with, or just a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals all season. And again, for a team whose last World Series win, appearance, and presence in the playoffs was the year I was born (1990), they've come from nowhere to tangle with Albert Pujols and his unsurprisingly strong supporting crew. With first-time All-Star Joey Votto leading the team, and batters like Orlando Cabrera, Scott Rolen (who, despite recent injury, is having one of his best seasons) and Jonny Gomes, not to mention strong pitching thanks to Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto, there's a chance the Reds could knock St. Louis out of the division title come the end of September.
And now, I want to talk about something that's been bothering me for almost 2 months: the almost perfect game in Detroit. By now, even the casual baseball fan knows about Armando Galarraga's botched perfect game, which would have been recorded in the books if not for a misjudged call by first base umpire Jim Joyce. The truly good part about this story is the class and grace both sides handled the potentially nasty situation with...however, for every good story, there's a downside. In this situation, it's two-fold: the first part is that this could have easily been prevented if MLB would expand the use of instant replay, and the second part is that Bud Selig, who had the power to overturn the call and award Galarraga the 21st perfect game in history, decided not to, citing the desire to "not set a precedent" in case a similar situation arises down the line. The first part should have a simple answer: expand the use of instant replay. There's no question, there should be no debate. It would only serve to help the umpires, the players, the coaches, and even the fans. There would be less confusion as to a player being safe or out, a home run going through, a balk by a pitcher, anything. However, it seems that the jury's still out on this one, which is endlessly frustrating. The second part, however, makes much less sense to me: The Commish doesn't want to set a precedent. For what, doing the right thing? He doesn't want a precedent set for correcting the mistakes brought on by not using instant replay so that a pitcher (who, let's face it, isn't very good anyway) can go down in the history books not for losing a perfecto bid but for instead achieving this difficult feat? Maybe it's not such a bad thing Selig's retiring after next season.
In my next post, I'll expand on the Braves' Cinderella run this season and how it will most likely end, why the Mariners should have been on top this season, and why no one should give a crap about Pedro Martinez.
Introduction.
First post, whooo. I've always loved baseball, and now I'm old enough (20, and with enough time on my hands) to actually discuss my opinions on a medium like this.
I have to start off by mentioning that I was born and raised in Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA, and I have always been a hardcore New York Yankees fan. So, while I will of course stay somewhat true and discuss the Braves (and the other 28 teams in the game), I will also spend a lot of time focusing on the Bronx Bombers.
And speaking of them, I think the pressure people are or were putting on Alex Rodriguez to hit his 600th career home run is getting a little out of hand. I can't remember anyone else having this much attention dedicated to them when they hit or surpassed the same record. What's the rush? There are still 2 months left in the season (and, let's face it, as a member of the Yankees, there's a good chance he'll be playing into October as well) and he's still got a few good years left, he'll hit it soon enough. Willie Mays didn't his his 600th until 21 at-bats after 599, so it's not uncommon, even though it is somewhat upsetting. But it'll happen. Just let it be.
Let's give a special shout out to Matt Garza for pitching the first no-hitter in Rays history against the Tigers on Monday. Since they're the team that I perceive to be the biggest threat to the Yanks' bid for back-to-back World Series appearances, I can't say I'm terribly happy for them, but it's still a big achievement. I knew this season was the so-called "year of the pitcher" before it even started, when Stephen Strasburg was already being hailed as the best thing to happen in D.C. since President Obama (by the way, both have performed subpar to the expectations they created, but I still say that The Kid is doing better than number 44). However, to see a pitcher skyrocket from complete obscurity to being called "one of the best pitchers to ever play in the big leagues" by none other than Curt Schilling is pretty good. Really, all this means for Ubaldo Jimenez (aside from almost certainly getting a NL Cy Young this year if he can beat out Roy Halladay) is that the pressure is heavily on him, not for the remainder of this season but for next season. If he doesn't repeat or give a similar performance, it's almost guaranteed that he'll go back to being an unknown in a matter of time.
Speaking of the Phillies' new ace, I'm surprised that Doc has been pitching since 1998 and got his perfect game this season. Of course, a lot of it has to do with the fact that the Phils' defense is better than any team in Canada, but still, if a pitcher's good, he can get it done one way or another. Which is why I don't get all the hype about Roy Oswalt. Everyone's been speculating about where he'll go and how great he is for weeks. Since when does a 6-12 record make you buzzworthy? My 14-year-old sister could get a similar record playing for the Astros, it's not impossible to do. Hell, Zack Greinke plays for one of the worst teams in baseball, and even he got the Cy Young last year. But what really pisses me off about Oswalt is his arrogance: he refuses to back down on his demand that whatever team wants him must pay him the $16 million option he's owed next season. You know what, Roy? When you post a winning record, someone will think about throwing some money your way. Until then, stop being newsworthy.
In my next post, I'll be discussing why Joe Mauer is my favorite player, why the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds may not be as bad as we all originally thought, and why setting a precedent for not awarding a perfect game to someone who earned it does more to hurt the game than help it.
I have to start off by mentioning that I was born and raised in Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA, and I have always been a hardcore New York Yankees fan. So, while I will of course stay somewhat true and discuss the Braves (and the other 28 teams in the game), I will also spend a lot of time focusing on the Bronx Bombers.
And speaking of them, I think the pressure people are or were putting on Alex Rodriguez to hit his 600th career home run is getting a little out of hand. I can't remember anyone else having this much attention dedicated to them when they hit or surpassed the same record. What's the rush? There are still 2 months left in the season (and, let's face it, as a member of the Yankees, there's a good chance he'll be playing into October as well) and he's still got a few good years left, he'll hit it soon enough. Willie Mays didn't his his 600th until 21 at-bats after 599, so it's not uncommon, even though it is somewhat upsetting. But it'll happen. Just let it be.
Let's give a special shout out to Matt Garza for pitching the first no-hitter in Rays history against the Tigers on Monday. Since they're the team that I perceive to be the biggest threat to the Yanks' bid for back-to-back World Series appearances, I can't say I'm terribly happy for them, but it's still a big achievement. I knew this season was the so-called "year of the pitcher" before it even started, when Stephen Strasburg was already being hailed as the best thing to happen in D.C. since President Obama (by the way, both have performed subpar to the expectations they created, but I still say that The Kid is doing better than number 44). However, to see a pitcher skyrocket from complete obscurity to being called "one of the best pitchers to ever play in the big leagues" by none other than Curt Schilling is pretty good. Really, all this means for Ubaldo Jimenez (aside from almost certainly getting a NL Cy Young this year if he can beat out Roy Halladay) is that the pressure is heavily on him, not for the remainder of this season but for next season. If he doesn't repeat or give a similar performance, it's almost guaranteed that he'll go back to being an unknown in a matter of time.
Speaking of the Phillies' new ace, I'm surprised that Doc has been pitching since 1998 and got his perfect game this season. Of course, a lot of it has to do with the fact that the Phils' defense is better than any team in Canada, but still, if a pitcher's good, he can get it done one way or another. Which is why I don't get all the hype about Roy Oswalt. Everyone's been speculating about where he'll go and how great he is for weeks. Since when does a 6-12 record make you buzzworthy? My 14-year-old sister could get a similar record playing for the Astros, it's not impossible to do. Hell, Zack Greinke plays for one of the worst teams in baseball, and even he got the Cy Young last year. But what really pisses me off about Oswalt is his arrogance: he refuses to back down on his demand that whatever team wants him must pay him the $16 million option he's owed next season. You know what, Roy? When you post a winning record, someone will think about throwing some money your way. Until then, stop being newsworthy.
In my next post, I'll be discussing why Joe Mauer is my favorite player, why the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds may not be as bad as we all originally thought, and why setting a precedent for not awarding a perfect game to someone who earned it does more to hurt the game than help it.
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