The King Is Injured! Long Play The King!

In a season that's already seen so many ups and downs for the man touted as the best player of this generation, Cardinals first baseman and superstar Albert Pujols sustained a fractured left wrist from Royals infielder Wilson Betemit yesterday in interleague play. While the injury seemed minor at first, tests were done and it appears that Pujols will miss 4-6 weeks.

If he were a fringe player, we wouldn't be concerned. If he were a fan favorite but not much else, we still wouldn't be concerned. If he was a big star, we'd notice, but still might not be concerned. But this is Albert Pujols. This is, as I said, the best player of this generation. Not only that, this is the best player of this generation...who's in the last year of his contract and will be a free agent at the end of this season, possibly the most sought-after free agent in years. This is one of those rare players that can completely change a franchise forever. He's become the face of the Cardinals, gaining the kind of popularity and respect in that organization reserved for players like Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson, Stan Musial and Rogers Hornsby. Mind you, those are all Hall of Fame Players who are spoken of in almost revered tones. Only halfway through his already celebrated career, Pujols is one of the most important and popular players in the game. So an injury to him is not just bad. It's catastrophic.

Look at it this way: in 10 full seasons, he's never hit under .312 (career .329 average), never sent less than 32 baseballs into the cheap seats, and never batted in less than 116 runs in any year. This year, he was on pace to do .279/38/100. For any other player, those are MVP-caliber stats. For Albert Pujols, that's underperforming. Not even slightly underperforming, that's a noticeable dip. Is there still any doubt how much he impacts his team, his league, his sport? There really shouldn't be. However, missing two months would crush a regular man's season, and it certainly won't do much good in Albert's quest to salvage his and the Cardinals' playoff hopes. This is a team that already lost their best pitcher, Adam Wainwright, before the season even began. Take their best position player out of the mix as well, and you're looking at a unbeatable force that just had its weakness discovered. This is a blowup more monumental than the Padres' 10-game losing streak late last season that cost them the division and the playoffs. Sure, Lance Berkman (who will most likely take over the cold corner in Pujols' absence while fourth outfielder John Jay gets the nod in right field) and a healthy Matt Holliday are still around to power the offense, and with Colby Rasmus expected to get hot, as well as the somewhat anticipated return of David Freese from the DL fast approaching, this is a Cardinals team that may be able to survive through the Period Without Pujols. However, the chances of them somehow powering past the red-hot Brewers and the heating-up Reds without The Machine seem to be slim.

Of course, all of this is besides the point. This is a walk year for El Hombre. Not that he would walk away from the city that so gladly and willingly embraced him, nor would he want to. But if the money isn't right (pressure from the players' union for him to sign a contract that tops Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million monstrosity is mounting at a feverish pace), it most likely will be good elsewhere. Many speculate that, if he does not stay a Redbird, he'll find a new roost in Chicago (who only have hit-or-miss Carlos Pena contracted through this season), and there are plenty of other cities that would love to house this golden goose. But an injury that could sideline him through most of the remainder of this year, and one that would make his stats take a nosedive after already being in freefall for most of the first half, might surprisingly tarnish his otherwise spotless reputation. Chances are extremely high that this won't make a difference to most teams interested in him, but it does show that even gods can bleed. And no one wants to think of Superman breaking his arm, especially to a minor villain like Wilson Betemit (who?).

So, Alberto, you're in our hearts and thoughts...just not in our starting fantasy lineups for a while.

A Brief Exposition Of Random Musings Regarding The 2011 Season Thus Far (Part 3).

If Mets shortstop Jose Reyes keeps playing the way he's playing, he won't be playing in New York for much longer (or, if he does, it'll be a different NY on his cap). After rumors surfaced that the flailing, defending world champion Giants were interested in trading for Reyes were quelled, there has been much discussion whether a trade that would benefit both Reyes and the Mets, or Reyes simply signing elsewhere this upcoming offseason is more likely to occur. The way Mets owner Fred Wilpon unloaded on his organization a few weeks ago, Reyes playing elsewhere come next season seems almost a done deal. And I couldn't help but think he'd look great in pinstripes.

Has anyone noticed that Yovani Gallardo has an 8-1 record? What about Shaun Marcum with 83 strikeouts? We've been paying so much attention to Zack Greinke since his return from the DL, that we forgot there are two other incredibly competent aces in the Brewers' rotation. In fact, Gallardo leads the team in wins, while Marcum leads in ERA and strikeouts. These guys need more attention.

I love interleague play. There, I said it. I don't get why so many people dislike it. It provides us with interesting matchups between teams that wouldn't play each other anyway, which is a refreshing change of pace after seeing the Mets and Braves play each other 18 times. Also, you just know there's a potential World Series preview in one of those series. Sure, it's probably not the White Sox-Diamondbacks matchup (although I must admit, I am enjoying the Padres-Twins series, considering I predicted that as my long-shot World Series matchup last year and both teams are doing so poorly this season) that's going to be happening in late October, but a Brewers-Yankees series? A Rockies-Indians matchup? A Phillies-Red Sox series, which many have and still predict WILL be what we see in the Fall Classic? The way this season is going, any of these could be it. But that's why it's so cool to see interleague play, regardless of what the so-called "baseball purists" say.

Edwin Rodriguez, the coach who took over the managerial duties of the Florida Marlins after Fredi Gonzalez was fired last season, took a preemptive measure against his own job security and resigned this weekend amidst a 17 losses out of 18 games skid by his team. He's the second manager to be out of a job this season, after the Atheletics fired manager Bob Geren. Baseball is notoriously horrendous when it comes to manager turnover: while the likes of George Steinbrenner are gone, it's still far too easy for a manager to be used as a sacrificial lamb when his team's not doing well. I'm not saying that it's necessarily unjustified; a team is only as good as the people leading it. You can have an All-Star at every position, but if the manager doesn't know what he's doing, the team will make the Pirates look like the Yankees. However, it's also not great for a team to have 2 or 3 different kinds of managerial styles to get used to in the span of 1 or 2 seasons. If the team can't get behind, or get used to, a manager before he's booted out the door, it can affect the day-to-day as much as the overall state of the team. There's a very delicate balance that has to be found, and it seems like most general managers or owners can't seem to get it right yet.

This blog must be jinxed. Every time I talk about someone doing well or awful, they almost immediately begin to do the opposite. Therefore, I feel that I'm personally responsible for Derek Jeter's injury and subsequent placement on the DL, pausing his quest for 3,000. Jeet, I'm sorry.

The Old Switcheroo?

There have been initial talks about switching a National League team to the American League, finally balancing out the 16 NL teams and 14 AL teams to an even 15. This would in turn lead to 5 playoff spots in each league during the postseason as opposed to the 4, with a one-game playoff between the two wild card teams seemingly inevitable should this all come to pass.

While many players, managers and fans may not agree with this, giving both leagues the same number of teams might bring a parity to the game that hasn't really existed since the expansion teams of the 90s and the creation of the Central division. The question is, what team makes the switch? And does it geographically make sense for a team to do so? If we here at TBF had to guess, we would say that a team from the NL Central (only division in the game with 6 teams) would make the jump to the AL West (only division in the game with 4 teams). There have been rumors that the Houston Astros could make the switch, thereby instituting a slightly more interesting rivalry with the Texas Rangers. However, being in the same division or league might make the matchup a little less interesting (who cares about watching a Phillies-Pirates matchup? Exactly). Then there's the idea of maybe moving one of the NL teams to make more geographical sense for switching to the AL. Take the Astros and move them to Nevada? The Las Vegas Gamblers? Hey, stranger things have happened (the Montreal Expos?). Hell, the city of Milwaukee has had both of these things happen to it: the Braves left for Atlanta in the 60s, and then the Brewers, who started out as an AL team, made the switch to the NL in 1998. Or, they could always move a team from the AL Central to the AL West, then switch an NL Central team over to the AL Central. But, again, which team makes the switch? The team closest to being in the West would be the Royals, and they're in the heartland of the Central geographically. Or, even more ridiculously, they could simply create 2 more teams in the AL, one in the West and one in the Central to match the NL counterparts. The Oklahoma Plains? The Utah Salts? All right, if it happened, the teams would have better names, but we're just speculating here.

Now, it wouldn't necessarily be prudent or even sensible to make this kind of move. Baseball fans and everyone involved in the sport haven't seemed to mind the imbalance in the number of teams, and the playoff structure has been such that an equal number of teams make it to the postseason despite there being 2 extra teams in the NL. However, if the plans to add a second wild card in both leagues gets accepted (which all indications are pointing to it coming to pass after this or next season), it would only make sense to have 15 teams in both leagues. 5 teams in each division, 1 winner in each division then 2 open spots for any 2 teams that didn't win their respective divisions, 1 game playoff between the two wild cards, and on from there. Not only does it spice up the postseason, it gives a better sense of balance and fairness: in the NL, 2 more teams lose out on a chance at the playoffs every year than in the AL, whereas if they had the same number of teams, there would be a slightly fairer chance for every team (aside from the Cubs, let's face it). As far as this extra wild card idea goes, it's also becoming a polarizing issue amongst fans: does a sudden-death, one-game, single-elimination playoff matchup detract from the spirit and integrity of the playoffs? By allowing an extra team to just hop on the October-bound train only to have a higher chance at getting thrown under the tracks, it takes away a little of the magic, knowing that a team that worked so hard to get into the playoffs can either easily get knocked out, or even worse, knock out another team with high aspirations. But that's just how the game is: everyone can't win all the time. Except for the Yankees.

While we're at all this relocation and switching, why don't we just get rid of the Boston Red Sox? I would be more than fine with that.

Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw...Sizemore?

Close your eyes for a second. I'm going to list a few stats, and you try to guess what team I'm talking about.

5th overall in batting average (.259)
16th in ERA (3.80)
Team leader in home runs has 10
No one else has more than 6
Team leader in wins has 6
1 other pitcher has 5 wins
33 wins
1st place

Open your eyes.

Give up?

It's the Cleveland Indians.

I won't blame you if you close your eyes again, and I certainly won't think less of you if you decide to keep them closed until November.

Somehow, with team stats that don't place them any higher than 8th overall in any category, the Cleveland Indians have had a stranglehold on the AL Central divison since Opening Day, and it doesn't seem as if they'll be letting go any time soon.

On the flip side, the Minnesota Twins, winner of the AL Central 6 times in the last decade, are 20 games under .500, trail the Indians by 16.5 games, and don't rank higher than 26th overall in any category, offensive or defensive.

Uhh...what?

Did someone flip the standings? Is this an elaborate prank played by Native American spirits, to make us think we're back in the '90s, or even the '40s? The Indians haven't had a winning record since 2007 (the last time CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee played in the same uniform and made a postseason run before falling to the Red Sox in the ALCS), and won only 69 games last year. Now, they're almost halfway to that number...and we're only a third of the way through the season.

Should we blame powerful young catcher Carlos Santana for revitalizing the offense? Should we shake our fists at Shin-Soo Choo for exempting his mandatory military service for his native South Korea? Should we get mad at Josh Tomlin for leading the team, and most of the AL, with 7 wins and a 3.07 ERA? Hell, should we blame anyone at all? Is this a situation that deserves blame? Well, maybe. But the blame doesn't rest on the headrests of these real tomahawk choppers (no offense, Atlanta). They've simply been doing what every ballclub should be doing: they've been winning games. You want to blame someone for the Indians' successes? Blame Ron Gardenhire. Blame Ozzie Guillen. Blame Jim Leyland and Ned Yost, but keep Manny Acta's name out of the tirading and shouting. When you want to start giving them praise, that's when Acta's named should be brought up. Regardless of injuries, rainouts, unlucky calls and at times faltering offense and defense, Acta's team has pulled through to have one of the best records in the game. All the other managers have dealt with just as many of these negative consequences, and have yet to turn things around. You can't get mad at the Indians. They're doing what they haven't done enough of since the mid 90's, and that's lighting up the basepaths, shutting opponents down from the mound, and refusing to allow anyone to overtake them for very long. Will this hold up? Only time will tell. But, considering that the favored Twins are so far back entering June, it seems likely that this October, we'll all have to take a puff of that peace pipe these boys are passing around...they sure seem to have enough to share.

Buster Got Busted.

As every baseball fan, adamant or casual, has heard by now, young catching phenom Buster Posey, reigning Rookie of the Year and member of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, will be sitting the rest of the 2011 season out after a nasty collision with Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins at home plate a few days ago. This is a giant blow to a Giants team that already seemed unlikely to repeat as champions, but it also brings to light a serious issue regarding major injuries in the game, and how MLB and teams handle it.

A catcher always takes a certain level of risk when they man the backstop. They could always be the victim of a concussion due to a broken bat or charging runner, they're susceptible to more intense leg injuries (and a higher frequency of such), and they could still be hit by a 100 MPH fastball from their own pitcher. While their position and presence is essential to most defensive plays, it might just be the most dangerous to play in the game. They've got to go straight from kneeling to jumping to their feet to pick off a runner attempting a steal, to field a tricky pop fly, or to retrieve a missed pitch before a runner advances or scores. They've got to be conscious of the pitcher, runner and batter, often at the same time; neglecting to notice the actions of any of the three for a second could yield disastrous results of their own. And, of course, they're expected to abuse their body by blocking the plate from being touched by a huge professional athlete, who's also been given orders (either managerial or mental) to run like hell and slam into the defending catcher as hard as they possibly can to knock the ball loose and make the play. With this being such a necessary part of the game, it's almost surprising that the kind of injury Posey suffered isn't way more common.

However, it only needs to happen to one catcher, be it a high-profile one like Posey or Brian McCann, a veteran like Ivan Rodriguez or Jorge Posada, or a lesser-known backstop like Jarrod Saltalamacchia, whose entire career to this point has been heavily curtailed due to injuries suffered in the line of duty, to bring to prominence the dangers of being a catcher. After Twins first baseman Justin Morneau suffered a concussion while sliding into second base last season that ended his year, MLB instituted a 7-day disabled list especially for players who get knocked in the head, to see if they suffer further injuries or are cleared to resume playing. A weak, ineffective measure? Maybe. An attempt to solve a problem after it's already occurred? Perhaps. A sign that the league is beginning to recognize that more needs to be done to protect players who are put into high-risk situations? Possibly. But it begs the question: how do you protect a catcher, when using their bodies in such a way is a big part of a team's defense? Athletics GM Billy Beane recently told catcher Kurt Suzuki to avoid putting himself in such a position, but how else can he stop runs from scoring? Some former catchers have spoken out about how Cousins should have found another way to reach home plate, but how is the runner supposed to do that when the catcher knowingly puts himself in a dangerous position? How can the players, managers, and bigwigs change the game in such a way, when plays like this are so important?

The answer is, they can't. As much as MLB doesn't want to admit some things, they have to face the music: they can't stop plays like this from happening, just like they can't stop steroid usage. However, just like steroid usage, they can encourage the abolishment of it by way of fines and suspension. It may not be the most popular decision, but it may be the smartest decision. Both catchers and runners alike will know to guard the play, and attempt to take it, in safer ways: runners could slide or dive lower, catchers could defend the corners or the opposite side and still make a tag, et cetera. Playing smart isn't always easy, nor does it always work, but it can help to keep the kind of thing that happened to Posey, and has happened to others before him, from continuing at any pace.

A Brief Exposition Of Random Musings Regarding The 2011 Season Thus Far (Part 2).

The Cleveland Indians are in first place in the AL Central. Don't adjust your screen or rub your eyes, you read that right. It's almost the middle of May, and THE CLEVELAND INDIANS ARE IN FIRST PLACE IN THE AL CENTRAL. You can thank Grady Sizemore (.288/5/10 in 17 games back after knee surgery last year), Shin-Soo Choo (4 homers, 17 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases), and a rotation that is 1st in quality starts in the entire league, despite being 7th in ERA. Will they have what it takes to keep this hold on the divisional lead until October? All indications point to "Are you kidding me? No bleeping way!", but that's why they play the game. Stranger things have happened (the 2005 World Series between the Chicago "What?" White Sox and the Houston "Who?" Astros springs to mind).

Angels manager Mike Scioscia tallied his 1,000th career managerial win last Sunday against the aforementioned first-place Cleveland Indians. Scioscia has long been known as one of the "badass" managers, and players have seemingly enjoyed his hardball style of managing. Even though he's only won 1 championship with the Angels, it's a big one: the only one the franchise has to date. As great as this milestone is, it'd probably mean more to the 2-time Manager of the Year if his club honored him by getting championship number 2 this season. And with the Rangers not performing as well as predicted, and the A's and Mariners being the A's and Mariners, it's not entirely implausible.

The Yankees have 3 players poised to make history this season: shortstop Derek Jeter is 44 hits away from 3,000 (he'd be the first Yank to do so), third baseman Alex Rodriguez is continuing his climb up the all-time home run leaders list and could feasibly pass Ken Griffey Jr. AND Willie Mays this season (he needs 13 more long shots to pass Griffey, 43 more to pass Mays), and Mariano Rivera needs 31 more saves to pass Trevor Hoffman as the all-time saves leader. Even though a return to the World Series seems pretty unlikely for the Bronx Bombers this season, there will be some major moments in Yankee Stadium nonetheless.

Monday, May 9th, 2011, is the latest into a season that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been over .500 since May 29th, 2004. Pittsburghians are celebrating. The rest of the country is laughing.

The Mariners designated troubled outfielder Milton Bradley for assignment today, meaning he needs to either be sent to the minor leagues, traded, or released within the next few weeks. Bradley has now sullied his good reputation in 8 cities, including 5 separate teams in the last 5 seasons. Even anger management training seemed to have no effect on how he carries himself on the field. Everyone loves a bad boy, especially in baseball, but when you're more vilified than Roger Clemens in certain areas, it's time to start singing a different tune.

I love Curtis Granderson. It's not a stretch to say he's one of the best center fielders in the game right now. I liked him when he was on the Tigers, so when he signed with the Yanks during the 2010 offseason, I was understandably ecstatic. Even though his injury shortened season last year was subpar, he's really blowing up this year, with a .283 average and 12 homers (second in the AL) to this point. I think we all expect big things from him. Can he do it? The Grandyman can, my friends...the Grandyman can.

Booze, Boo-Boos, Geezers And No-Nos.

Braves ace starter and 14-year veteran Derek Lowe was arrested in Atlanta last Thursday night for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was pulled over after driving erratically, refused to take a breathalyzer test, and was arrested on the charges of DUI, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane. Had he been anyone else, he'd probably still be sitting in jail waiting for someone to post bail. However, he escaped detainment in time to make his scheduled start Sunday against the Cardinals (the Braves won on a walk-off single by Brooks Conrad; Lowe didn't factor into the decision). This is the third instance of a ballplayer driving drunk this season, after Tigers star first baseman Miguel Cabrera belligerently swung at his arresting officer shortly before spring training, and Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was arrested on similar charges this past Tuesday. Long gone are the days when baseball players are revered as role models for kids, it seems. They've become increasingly greedy, going for multi-million dollar deals worth more than some countries' GDP. As if that weren't enough, their bad attitudes (Brewers outfielder Nyjer Morgan has earned more ejections in the past 2 seasons than any other player in that time), leanings toward violence (Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez is still vilified for brutally beating his girlfriend's father at the end of last season), and now with substance abuse resurfacing, all signs point to a loosening of morals amongst ballplayers around the league. It's not a surprise, as there have been plenty of players throughout history that have been terrible role models, but with a resurgence of clean-cut, respectable players (Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, etc.), it's a shame to see this kind of behavior happening again.

And now, I have to do something that I rarely do: I have to apologize for my statements about Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano. After I wrote a post lamenting how poorly he's doing this season, he threw a no-hitter against the flailing White Sox on Tuesday. Despite giving up 6 walks and 2 strikeouts in 123 pitches, this was enough to keep the poor White Sox offense at bay to give Liriano his no-hitter. Although this only improves his record slightly (he's now 2-4 on the season), it's the first no-no of the 2011 season, so congratulations, Liriano. You could have done this a week ago and saved me from doing my least favorite thing (apologizing/admitting I was wrong).

And in other no-hitter news, Tigers hurler Justin Verlander threw the second no-no of his career last night against the floundering Blue Jays. If it weren't for a J.P. Arencibia walk, it would have been the first perfect game of both the year and Verlander's short career (he's only been playing for 6 seasons and is only 28). It brought his record for this season to 3-3, and lowered his ERA to 3.16. He only struck out 4 batters, but it brought his total so far to 55 K's. That's not all in the No-No News: the aforementioned Derek Lowe didn't allow a hit through 6.1 innings in Friday's win over the Phillies (Cliff Lee, although taking the loss, struck out 16 batters despite allowing 5 runs); Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals was perfect through 7.1 innings against the Brewers, and ended that outing with a 2-hit complete game shutout, the first in his very short career; and Marlins pitcher Anibal Sanchez had a perfecto going today, going 6.2 innings but giving up 2 hits before getting out of the inning and ending his day with 11 strikeouts.

Apparently, we've all traveled back in time to the 2003 season. That's the only explanation for why aging veterans Johnny Damon, Lance Berkman, and Alfonso Soriano are having such huge impacts on their respective teams: Damon has become a dominant force and a vital reason why the Rays, who had most of their important players leave them in the offseason, are viewed as a contender again...Berkman is getting more attention (and hits) on the Cardinals than the first baseman he's a backup for...only one player on the Cubs has more than 2 home runs, and it's Soriano with 11. By the grace of God, these players have battled through their mid-baseball-life crises and found new power, stamina, and ability with their new clubs. Hell, even Derek Jeter hit 2 home runs today, ending a 62-game drought dating back to last season (not to mention the fact that he's 44 hits away from 3,000). Even with a fresh crop of bright-eyed rookies such as Freddie Freeman and Eric Hosmer hitting the major league fields for the first time, all eyes seem to be turned to the class of yesteryear for headlines and exciting plays this season.

Finally, we'll end this post with a new segment, the Injury Updates. Zack Greinke made his National League debut for the Brewers in Atlanta this past Wednesday, but someone forgot to tell him he doesn't play for the Royals anymore: he only struck out 6 batters over 4 innings, and gained a 9.00 ERA as well as an 0-1 record to start the year; Rays third baseman Evan Longoria finally rejoined the team after his DL stint for his oblique injury, and has already hit his first homer of the season while providing offensive power Tampa Bay's been missing; Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton reportedly took 125 swings off a tee recently and reported little to no pain in his shoulder, and predicted he could be back in 2-3 weeks; still no word on how Twins catcher Joe Mauer's knees are feeling, but word is he should be back within a month; and Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is set to begin his extended spring training within the next few months, hopefully rejoining the big ballclub before the All-Star break.