Ramey's Rants

Predictions for the 2010 Baseball Season

2010-04-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

With the 2010 Major League Baseball season getting underway this week, I thought it’d be a good idea to try and make up for last years debacle of predictions and give it another go. In case you forgot (or just never read it), last year the 8 teams I had making the playoffs were the; Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians and Rangers. Hmm, well, uh, in my defense, at least I had the Yankees in the World Series? (just because I had the Cubs beating them doesn’t matter!). The major award winners I picked last year were: Albert Pujols as the National League Most Valuable Player (I said he’d hit .330 with 38 homers and 130 runs batted in. Well, I was pretty spot on with the average and RBI, but didn’t give him enough homeruns!), Tim Lincecum as the National League Cy Young Winner, Jordan Zimmermann as the Rookie of the Year, Miguel Cabrera as American League Most Valuable Player, Zach Greinke and Roy Halladay (in a tie) for Cy Young Award and Ricky Romero as the Rookie of the Year.

In my defense, I did correctly pick Pujols, Lincecum and Greinke! But, I missed the boat on Miguel Cabrera (who finished 4th), Jordan Zimmermann and Ricky Romero (who didn’t even finish among the top 10, respectively). What does this tell you? That I can pick the obvious winners, but have no idea about anything else. Which is why I’m going for broke this year and doing it again!

Since the New York Yankees won the World Series last year, I’ll start off with the National League again this season (maybe I’m a little superstitious).

National League East

Philadelphia Phillies: 99 - 63
Atlanta Braves: 94 - 68
Florida Marlins: 89 - 73
New York Mets: 81 - 81
Washington Nationals: 74 - 88

It’s really hard to pick against the Phillies from winning this division again. They subtracted Cliff Lee from their rotation and added Roy Halladay; that’s a step up, even from as good as Lee was last season. The only question marks for the Phillies are if Cole Hamels can rebound from a terrible season last year and if Brad Lidge has anything left in the tank. If both of those questions are answered positively, then the Phillies are prime to make another run deep into October.

The Atlanta Braves are fast becoming one of my favorite teams that I think could do some serious damage in the post-season (if they get there). In the off-season they traded their ace Javier Vazquez back to the Yankees, but get a fully healthy Tim Hudson and a complete season out of phenom Tommy Hanson. Couple that with the upgrades in the outfield with Melky Cabrera and rookie sensation Jason Heyward and I think the Braves are going to a team to be reckoned with this season.

The Florida Marlins narrowly missed the playoffs last year and should be primed for a breakout season under manager Fredi Gonzalez, but the mounting pressures that their delusional owner is putting on the team, means they won’t hold up to his standards and kiss Fredi Gonzalez’s job good-bye come mid-July.

If you remember, last year I was extremely critical of the New York Mets and bashed them at every chance I got. Well, consider this a flashback, because it’s the same old story. The Mets did nothing and I mean nothing to improve their ballclub from last season. Sure, the Mets can blame their lack of wins last season on the injuries, but even when healthy, this team, as it’s built is not good enough to win 85 games, let alone a division. Mark my words, by the 2nd week of August, the Mets are going to be staring up at the aforementioned three teams in the standings and everybody will be left wondering what happened. Well, I’ll tell you what happened; the Mets have an idiot General Manager who should have been fired two years ago. Stay Classy Metropolitans.

The Nationals are getting better, but they’re still the worst team in this division. They’re slowly, but surely taking the right steps in surrounding Ryan Zimmerman with talent and are a few years away from contending.

National League Central

St. Louis Cardinals: 95 - 67
Cincinnati Reds: 88 - 74
Chicago Cubs: 84 - 78
Milwaukee Brewers: 77 - 85
Pittsburgh Pirates: 72 - 90
Houston Astros: 71 - 91

Once again, the National League Central is a tough division to predict. The Cardinals have by far the best offense (anchored by Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday) and most stable starting rotation, but have a shaky bullpen. The Reds are going to be a team that surprises a lot of people, but not me, I think they can be in contention right up until the end of the season, thanks in large part due to the eventual emergence of Aroldis Chapman who will show that despite his age, he’s the real deal. The Cubs are going to disappoint again, simple as that. They blamed their shortcomings on Milton Bradley’s presence in their clubhouse last year, well, who’s to blame when the same failures happen this year, now that he’s gone? Bottom line, they’re the Mets of the NL Central.

National League West

Colorado Rockies: 96 - 66
San Francisco Giants: 91 - 71
Los Angeles Dodgers: 83 - 79
San Diego Padres: 78 - 84
Arizona Diamondbacks: 72 - 90

I’m extremely high on the Rockies. With the emergence as Ubaldo Jimenez as a front of the rotation starter and the hopeful return to health for Jeff Francis, the Rockies are primed to make a big splash this season and continue where they left off last season after Jim Tracy took over as manager. Their offense is high powered with Troy Tulowitzki finally beginning to live up to his promise and potential. The real question marks the Rockies have to answer are in their bullpen; can Huston Street stay healthy enough to close games? I’d hedge my bets and say yes, because the Rockies are the team to beat here.

The Giants have Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, which would make them the favorites to win any playoff series. The problem is, can they get to the playoffs? Aside from Cain and Lincecum, I don’t think Jonathan Sanchez has enough talent to throw strikes to give them another solid starter. Nor does their offense really strike me as an imposing force. Kung Fu Panda (terrific nickname) Pablo Sandoval is terrific, but they have too much age and too many guys who can only move base to base at a very slow pace. I see them having a hard time scoring runs consistently, so even with the dynamic duo of Lince-Cain, I don’t see it translating into enough W’s to push them over the hump.
Let me explain how the Dodgers season is going to turn out; Joe Torre announced that Vicente Padilla would be his opening day starter. (Yep, Vicente Padilla. I know, I thought he was playing in the Mexican Leagues somewhere too. But no, he’s the Dodgers opening day starter.) Also, they haven’t improved their ball club even remotely over last season, where they were completely underwhelming in the playoffs. So, to put it lightly, it’s no steps forward, and two steps back for them.
The Padres are going to be bad, but not as bad as the Diamondbacks. D-Backs ace Brandon Webb has stopped throwing in his rehab from his shoulder injury and there’s no timetable for his return. That is a major red flag. When you also factor in the D-Backs are starting Ian “I may have let up 12 runs but I still made my pitches” Kennedy at the back end of their rotation with Rodrigo Lopez and I’m calling shenanigans. (But, Arizona will shatter the record for number of players with funny names. Not only are they sporting an Augie Ojeda, but they’ve got a Gerardo Parra and a Rusty Ryal. If their bullpen is decent and Blaine Boyer and Esmerling Vasquez stick with the big club, all bets are off!)

National League Most Valuable Player: Honestly, they should rename this award after Albert Pujols. It’s his every year until he decides he doesn’t want it anymore. Why do they even bother pitching to him? He isn’t human. He’s a cyborg. I won’t even make steroid jokes about him, because even steroids wouldn’t help somebody this much. Chalk up another .330, 45 and 140 season for him and call it a day.

National League Cy Young Winner: Tim Lincecum has won two Cy Young Awards and he hasn’t even hit the prime of his career yet. People keep saying he’s going to break down with the violent motion of his delivery and sure, he could. But, I also could win the lottery tomorrow, doesn’t mean I will though. That being said, Lincecum won’t win it this year. I’m high on the purple and black in Colorado and this award goes to Ubaldo Jimenez. 19 – 7, 2.92 era and 210 strikeouts. Money in the bank. (watch him go 7 – 19 with a 5.00 era and I’ll laugh and retire)

National League Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward; Braves. He’s 20 years old and is the size of a middle linebacker. He’s dynamic, he’s exciting. He’s my first non-Yankee man-crush since Danny Tanner (shut up, Bob Saget is a genius). There’ll be a ton of ups and downs for him, he’ll strike out a ton and it won’t be long until the league figures out he can’t hit a breaking ball, but he’ll still manage .280 with 22 homers and 80 rbi. Just wait and see.

American League East

Boston Red Sox: 102 - 60
New York Yankees: 99 - 63
Tampa Bay Rays: 91 - 71
Baltimore Orioles: 82 - 80
Toronto Blue Jays: 70 - 92

The Orioles and Blue Jays won’t be in the division race discussion once the calendar turns to June. Toronto traded away their best player and the only guy who owned the Yankees, literally every time he pitched. That’s going to hurt a lot and it’s going to show in the standings, as well as in the stands. Good luck filling the Rogers Centre this season, really. The Orioles have made a ton of additions to their team that I like; Garrett Atkins, Miguel Tejada and Kevin Millwood, specifically. But, it isn’t enough to make up any considerable distance on the three headed monster of the AL East that is the Yank-Ray-Sox.

You could literally flip a coin to decide which team of the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays will win the division, who will be the wildcard and who will be the team left out of the party. There’s arguments as to why each team could win the division, just like there’s an argument why they won’t. This season, the coin flips towards Boston. Adding John Lackey, Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro and Adrian Beltre is going to sincerely help. The Red Sox had one of the worst defenses in baseball last season and now they will boast one of the best. For the next 3 or 4 years the Red Sox can throw an ace on the mound almost nightly (Beckett, Lester, Lackey and Buchholz). The only and I mean only problem with Boston is their loyalty to David Ortiz. That is going to be the Achilles heel of the team. Terry Francona is loyal to a fault and he won’t take Ortiz out of the lineup when he starts showing signs of further decline (my approximation will be 9:13PM, 2nd inning of the first game of the season). Ortiz is done, it’s over, finished. He’s old, he’s fat, he’s slow and he’s probably 43 years old. Call it a career. He had a nice 5 year run when he was the most feared hitter in the American League. Now he’ll be the most feared guy in the buffet line.

I know, I know, the Yankees won the World Series and I’m showing them no respect. But, give me a break. I bleed the pinstripes through and through and I’m no fool. The Red Sox have vastly improved their team and we vastly improved our pitching and defense too (adding Curtis Granderson and Javier Vazquez). But, it was at the expense of our offense. (sorry but Nick Johnson + Curtis Granderson does NOT = Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon). Does this mean I think the Yankees are done? Hell no, I just don’t think they’re going to win the division. That’s not a knock on them, at all, and I’ll even go one step further; even with a 2nd place finish in the AL East, they’re still the team to beat.

The Rays will benefit from having a full year in the rotation from David Price, as well as boasting the new most feared hitter in the American League Evan Longoria as the anchor of their lineup. They have a legitimate closer in Rafael Soriano, but that’s about it. What have you done for me lately, Tampa? You still have the Albatross known as Pat “don’t call me the bat” Burrell as your Designated Hitter, Carlos Pena last season looked more like the guy that no team wanted a few years ago, than the hitter he was in 2008. BJ Upton is liable to throw a tantrum and start crying after he strikes out and you can’t afford to keep Carl Crawford beyond this season. Add that to the fact that the Rays owner said next season their payroll will be about $15 million less and this team has “being blown up at mid-season and traded for assorted crap” written all over it.

American League Central

Minnesota Twins: 94 - 68
Detroit Tigers: 88 - 74
Chicago White Sox: 81 - 81
Kansas City Royals: 73 - 89
Cleveland Indians: 66 – 96

I could not have been more wrong about the AL Central last season. It was borderline pathetic. I under-estimated the Tigers, White Sox and Twins and over-estimated (terribly) the Indians and Royals. Let’s hope I can do better with this division in 2010.

The Twins have always been known as a team that could pitch and play defense, but their offense was always missing that one final piece to put them over the top. The last few years Mauer and Morneau have been giving their offense some more credibility. Last year Cuddy and Kubel helped them make their offense a legitimate threat. This year? The old faces are back, but they’ve brought some friends in Orlando Hudson, J.J. Hardy and Jim Thome. Yikes. The Twins are actually going to have one of the top-5 offense in all of baseball! Losing Joe Nathan for the season to Tommy John Surgery really hurts, but they do have a serviceable closer in Jon Rauch to step in. All this means is that the roles of every bullpen arm has just gotten more important to their success. They’ll be fine.

The Tigers added Johnny Damon, Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore to their every day lineup. That’ll help, to an extent. I just don’t see them doing enough to combat what the Twins have added. Johnny Damon isn’t 28 anymore. He’s also not playing with the short porch in right field for the Yankees. He’s playing in the cavernous Comerica Park and actually expected to play defense. Good luck with that Detroit.

The White Sox suck. Ozzie Guillen is a clown. Jake Peavy is pitching in the American League and not the National League. You lost Jim Thome and added Andruw Jones. Should I continue? They aren’t good, but they aren’t the levels of suck that is Kansas City and Cleveland. That’s a whole new level of suck. They’re the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. They actually suck at sucking. They can’t even do that well.

American League West

Texas Rangers: 93 - 69
Seattle Mariners: 85 - 77
Anaheim Angels: 81 - 81
Oakland Athletics: 73 - 89

Look, I picked the Rangers to win the West last year and they screwed me over. I’m doing it again this year and they better not let me down. Seriously though, Nolan Ryan apparently knows more about baseball than just throwing 98mph fastballs and walking 8 people a game, while throwing a no hitter. He knows how to build a contender. Slowly, but surely, he’s put the pieces together to help the Rangers claim the west. Now is the time to do it. The Angels aren’t the fearful group they once were, but more on them in a minute. The Rangers have power (Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Vlad Guerrero), speed (Elvis Andrus and Julio Borbon), pitching (Scott Feldman and C.J. Wilson) and a stud arm in the pen (Neftali Feliz). Watch out for Texas.

The Mariners added Cliff Lee and have paired him up with Felix Hernandez as the most imposing top of the rotation duo in the American League. But, you still need three other pitchers in that rotation and Ian Snell, Jason Vargas and Ryan Rowland-Smith aren’t at all imposing. Sorry, they just aren’t. Good enough to win 80+, but not good enough win 90+ and compete. Maybe next year, but probably not.

In the past 12 months the Angels have lost John Lackey, Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero. They’ve been replaced with Joel Piniero, Brandon Wood and Hideki Matsui. One of those names is actually an upgrade. The other two, not so much. I’ll let you be the judge and figure out who I’m referring to. The playoff series between the Yankees and Angels last year was terrific, but David finally slayed their Goliath. It’s just too bad the Yankees won’t get to do it again this season.

American League Most Valuable Player: Even though his team is going to finish in 3rd, the one place Tampa Bay finishes 1st is going to be in the MVP race. Evan Longoria will be your 2010 American League MVP. .310 average, 35 home runs and 125 runs batted in. He’s a superstar and he scares the living crap out of me at the plate.

American League Cy Young Winner: The Zach Greinke shot in the dark I won with last year, is going to replaced by the obvious choice of the best left handed pitcher in the American League. Apologies to Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia, but the best left hander in the AL is Red Sox Jon Lester. Realize it pains me to say he’s going to win the Cy Young, but he will. 20 – 6, 3.10 era. I wish I end up wrong and Sabathia wins it, but it’s not likely.

American League Rookie of the Year: Scott Sizemore; Tigers. He’s going to hit and he’s going to run. The rookie class in the American League isn’t that outstanding, so it shouldn’t take much for him to stand out above the rest.

We’ve got the regular season records and regular season awards all taken care of, now it’s time to take a look at the crystal ball for what October baseball will bring.

In the National League Division Series:

Phillies over Cardinals in 3
Rockies over Braves in 5

In the American League Division Series:

Rangers over Red Sox in 4
Yankees over Twins 5

In the National League Championship Series:

Rockies over Phillies in 6

NLCS MVP: Ian Stewart

In the American League Championship Series:

Yankees over Rangers in 7

ALCS MVP: CC Sabathia

In the World Series:

Yankees over Rockies in 6

World Series MVP: Curtis Granderson

There you have it. Before the games have even been played, I’ve predicted the records of all 30 teams in baseball, the winners of the major awards and how October (and early November) will play out. It took a lot of back and forth thinking to rationalize how the Yankees, a team I bashed before, could possibly repeat as World Champions. Well, once the calendar turns to October, the Yankees have the rings, the experience and the hunger of a champion. The Rockies want the rings, need the experience and are being fed to the lion.

So, like the 27 times before it, for the 28th time, to steal a line from Billy Joel, the entire world will be in a New York State of Mind.

Am I right? I guess we’ll find out in 6 months.

Until then….

Back to the Basics

2010-03-30T15:26:00.001-04:00

Remember me? You know, the guy who would ramble and rant about non-sense and do it so eloquently that you’d be enthralled by my wizardry of words? Well, it’s been 6 months, so you could very well have forgotten all about me. A lot has changed over the last half a year. The Yankees won the World Series, the Cowboys won a playoff game, both of which are things I would’ve sunk my teeth into 6 months ago and written pages upon pages of factual evidence on how it happened and why it took so long. But, I didn’t. Priorities changed, things happened, you know how it goes.

We’ve gone through fall and winter and begun to head towards spring. Nearly 3 seasons have gone by since the last time I was here. I could spin off some joke about how I was suspended for Performance Enhancing Drugs and my 6 month suspension is just being lifted, but the fact of the matter is, I put down my pen and put on a suit, I changed.

A year ago had you asked me what I’d be doing today, March 30th, 2010, I’d have said I’d be writing for Sports Illustrated or ESPN, because that was always my dream. If you had said I’d be in an over-sized blazer, sitting at a desk all day long, I’d have called you crazy because that wasn’t where I wanted my life to go. But that’s exactly where it has gone and do I regret it? Surprisingly, no. 6 months ago I made the tough, but conscious decision to abandon my sports writing dreams and go on an extended hiatus from my writing because I began to focus on my career, since my priorities changed.

I didn’t know exactly how long I planned on being away, but one day grew into a week, a week into a month and so on. It began to get to the point where I didn’t look at sports in the same way anymore. I used to look at a game from the viewpoint of how I could make a story out of what is transpiring before my eyes, then all of a sudden it turned into just looking at the scores and not focusing on the game itself.

I knew I had changed because everybody was telling me so, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself. In my eyes, I was the same guy then as I was now. Alienating myself from friends and loved ones, working long hours and feeling entirely burnt out, it wasn’t until recently that I began to admit to my level of unhappiness, as if something in my life was lacking and then it all clicked. And here I am.

When I was having a tough day or needed to vent frustrations, I’d turn to the blog and my writing. It was a sort of therapeutic release for me, to focus my stress on a certain subject and just write. It made me happy with myself, because I was really damn good at it. And then without so much as even thinking it over, I cast it to the side and threw it all away. And the frustration began mounting, the anxiety boiling over, the unhappiness mounting. Remember a few paragraphs ago I said it was a decision I didn’t regret? Well, call me a bad liar, because it’s one that’s been eating away at me for 6 long months and one that has been especially gnawing at my brain recently.

I’ve always been the guy who would tell a friend to chase their dreams, no matter the cost or consequence and here I sit, having abandoned my dream of being a sports writer at the drop of a hat, or signing of a paycheck.

Someone once said “life is all about timing, the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable becomes available, the unattainable…attainable. Have the patience, wait it out. It’s all about the timing”

It is because of that, I have come to realize that even though time does indeed pass us by and our lives take on different paths, we can’t lose the things that make us who we are. Everybody has something they love to do. Some love to bake, some love to read. Well, I love to write. Over the course of the last 6 months I’ve lost out on what made me special and made me who I am.

I may wear a suit 45 hours a week and seem like a workaholic, but at the end of the day, I know in my heart this is where I belong. Whether it’s once a week or twice a month, I need to get back to the basics of what makes me happy and what made this blog so much fun.

Consider this the 2nd chapter of my sports writing career. Let’s call this “The comeback.” Will this blog be as good as before? Only time will tell. But understand, it’s been 6 months since I’ve locked my sights on something to rant about. The creative juices are flowing and everybody and everything is a target. While my dream of becoming a newsworthy sports writer is still a lofty one and I’ve set myself back quite a ways, it is a dream that IS reachable; it is a goal that IS attainable. I have the patience to bide my time and wait it out. It’s all about the timing and my time is now.

Until next time; the rant lives on

Are you ready?

2009-10-07T01:31:00.006-04:00

A few hours have passed since the final score was tallied. The stadium in Minnesota is now empty. The media has quietly dispersed to write their newspaper stories and edit their sound bites. The respective clubhouses have both been cleared out; one filled with the lingering questions of ‘what if?’ and the other covered with the remaining residue of a raucous champagne celebration.

One of the most exciting “regular season” play-in games to ever occur is now finished; but a distant memory to some, an unforgettable moment to others. For fans of one franchise, the season is now over, a bitter and long winter lie ahead, pondering the questions of what should happen next and who needs to go. Fans of the other lie in anticipation for a quick turn around to compete in a first round playoff game in the Mecca of sports, the big apple, New York City.

Players on one roster must pack their bags and board a plane to head home, their eyes cast downward, sorting the disappointment from their minds, playing back each moment in their heads, wondering what could have been done to prolong their season for one more week, at least. Players on the other roster pack their bags eagerly awaiting the red eye flight to New York, their heads held high knowing they were the last men standing in an all out dog fight for 12 innings and nearly 4 and a half hours, living to play another day.

The manager of one squad must live with the decisions he made possibly being the cause of his club’s defeat. Having all winter to second guess his choices while trying to sort out roster fluctuations and getting back to the grind in preparations for spring training in February. The manager of the victors has to move on from the utter jubilation of a hard fought victory and assert himself and his coaches to prepare for their upcoming game a few short hours in the future.

Of course, I am talking about the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. In case you missed it, the Twins came from behind twice in the game (first down 3 – 0 and then down 5 – 4) to stage an improbable comeback 3 weeks in the making to win the American League Central Division Title and set up a first round match up in the American League Division Series with the New York Yankees.

For the past 10 days, Yankees fans have long been debating who they would rather see their beloved Bronx Bombers face, the struggling Detroit Tigers or the hottest team in the land the Minnesota Twins. It seemed as if people were on the fence (I, myself would talk myself into rooting for one and then 10 minutes later find myself thinking of reasons to root for the other) with their opinions, but now that the opportunity to debate is over with, let’s get down to the important matter, do the Twins pose a threat to the Yankees quest for a 27th World Championship?

In short, I’d say, yes, the Twins do pose a threat to the Yankees quest for a 27th title and a victory parade through New York City in 3 weeks. That’s not to say I expect the Twins to win the series, but I don’t think it’ll be as easy as many Yankee fans hope it will be. People will take a look at the head to head records of the two teams and see that the Yankees had a clean sweep of Minnesota this season defeating them in all seven games. But, if you take a closer look at the scores of the games, the Yankees beat the Twins by a 8 runs in 6 of those games. The only game that wasn’t close was a 10 – 2 victory in July. The rest of the games were decided by no more than 2 runs and in mid-May the Yankees needed three straight walk off victories to defeat Minnesota. It’s not as if Minnesota is just going to roll over and let the Yankees run right past them towards the American League Championship Series.

Many people felt that the Yankees were better suited facing the Twins because they lack superior starting pitching and their lineup isn’t as strong as Detroit’s, therefore they would be the better opponent for New York. I admit, before I began to take a closer look at the Minnesota team, I was one of those individual’s. After a brief analysis of their statistics, I came to the following conclusion: they’re a better team than Detroit. It’s really not even close.

The Tigers would have been an easier opponent for the Yankees to face (I know, I know, you’re going to start yelling at me that the Yankees would’ve faced Justin Verlander twice, but hear me out). Detroit was a team that should’ve wrapped up the division 3 weeks ago, then 2 weeks ago, then last week. Hell, they were up 3 games with 4 to play. It took a Hindenburg like disaster for the Tigers to lose this division to Minnesota (disclaimer, the Titanic of all collapses is still held by the Mets. Sorry, the Tigers made it close, but the Mets were the best team in the National League when they choked in 2007. Detroit was lucky to be in the AL Central and have a chance). Detroit is the team that all Yankee fans should’ve hoped and prayed they saw them face.

I fully understand that the Yankees would’ve had to face the Tigers ace Justin Verlander in 2 games of that series, but, who cares? Verlander wasn’t exactly that great of a pitcher in his career against New York and even if Detroit won those games, they still would have to win another game, which wasn’t exactly in their favor. Not to mention their closer had an earned run average way north of 4.00 (terrible, utterly terrible) and they had exactly 2 relievers with earned run averages under 4. Basically, you could score on their bullpen more than Paris Hilton.

And their starting lineup? Well, they’re just named recognition only. They aren’t throwing out the Magglio Ordonez or Placido Polanco of 3 years ago. They aren’t even throwing out the Curtis Granderson of last year. The only guy the Tigers lineup to really fear facing is Miguel Cabrera. He was the only person on that team who made you worried. Brandon Inge hit a bunch of home runs this season, but he’s batting lowering than David Ortiz on the season (in other words, he sucks guys). Curtis Granderson struck out nearly once per game and didn’t even get a hit one out of every four times (in other words, he sucks too guys). Their starting catcher and starting short stop were both batting worse than the previous two! Why was there even a debate on who the Yankees would be better off facing? I feel foolish for ever thinking Detroit was good!

But, Detroit lost, can’t talk them down any longer. I can only talk up the Minnesota Twins and what a problem they will pose for New York tomorrow night. Sure, the Twins starting pitching doesn’t boast an “ace” or someone that can conceivably silence the Yankees bats for a long stretch of time. But, they do have guys that consistently throw strikes and allow their defense (one of the best in baseball) to make spectacular plays behind them. They may not have the strikeout machine, flame throwing, pitchers that other teams have, but they’ve got guys who are crafty and know how to pitch. (even Carl Pavano).

Their bullpen is one to be weary of as well. Joe Nathan is their closer. He’s one of the top 3 closers in all of baseball (I’d rank him ahead of Jonathon Papelbon and about 9 miles behind Mariano Rivera). These guys don’t screw around. After adding Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay to the mix, to compliment Matt Guerrier, the Twins have one of the best bullpens in baseball as it stands right now.

Everybody thought the Twins were done when one of their best hitters in Justin Morneau went down with a back injury forcing him to miss the rest of the season (after all, that’s 30 home runs and 100 rbi they’re missing). But, they’re being powered by the MVP Joe Mauer (it’s not a question of IF he’ll win, but by how much he’ll win by…I vote unanimously). They also have two guys in Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer who have hit nearly 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in a piece. Orlando Cabrera is a veteran player who knows how to hit (and knows how to stick it to the Yankees. We haven’t forgotten 2004, you rotten little…) and Denard Span may be one of the biggest surprises of the season stepping into the center field job superbly and playing tremendous defense and adding in speed and poise at the top of the batting order.

All in all, the Twins are going to be a tough team to beat. They’ve essentially been playing must-win games for nearly a month and have risen to the occasion tremendously winning 17 of their last 21 games to reach the playoffs. There has been no team hotter in baseball over the past 6 weeks than these Twins. They are riding a hot streak we haven’t seen since the 2007 Rockies (who rode it all the way to the World Series).

I wouldn’t like to be the team that has to see these 25 guys sitting in the dugout across from you. They’re a fundamentally sound team, who are well coached by Ron Gardenhire and have not only momentum, but the confidence in themselves to play at a high level and succeed. Add in the fact they play their home games at the Metrodome (between those thunder sticks and the homer hankies, it’s a tough place to play in given all the noise) and the Yankees are in for a tall order to come up victorious in this five-game series.

Have I convinced you yet that the Yankees aren’t going to just steam roll right on through Minnesota? And that this series will be extremely tough and an absolute melee to see who comes out on top? Compelling argument isn’t it?

Well, forget every damn word you just read. It means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t matter that we play the Twins. It didn’t matter if we played Detroit either. They’re the New York Yankees. They aren’t the Yankees of 2000 – 2008. They are THE New York Yankees again. (did you just get chills reading that? Because I did). They’re back in the saddle and ready to roll on through October. No disrespect to the Twins, they are a great ball club and have been playing terrific baseball for the entire month of September (and into October), but what did that get you? It got you a first round date with the executioner; the Yankees. Sure, the Twins have been playing great for the past month, have you read the newspaper lately? The Yankees have been playing outstanding baseball for the past 4 months. Since June 23, the Yankees have gone 65 – 27, or just the best in the big leagues. They’re clicking on all cylinders. Offense, defense, pitching. You name it, they have it.

The Twins have starting pitching that challenges hitters and makes you put the ball in play, that’ll help in Minnesota, but in Yankee Stadium? You need to strike people out guys. That’s why the Yankees are the best in the business. No team fuels the high octane heat the Yankees throw out there on a nightly basis. They’ve got the big dogs in the rotation (Sabathia and Burnett). The big dogs in the bullpen (Hughes and Rivera).

The Twins have a terrific lineup filled with both power and speed, but, the bottom of their order is something to laugh at. Their 7 – 9 hitters couldn’t hit the backside of a barn if you gave them three tries. The Yankees 7 – 9 hitters? They hit a combined 67 home runs and 225 runs batted in. Yikes. The Twins have 4 players who hit 25+ home runs and had 90+ runs batted in. That’s impressive. The Yankees? They have 7 players who hit more than 20 home runs and had 7 with 80+ runs batted in. That’s historic.

The Twins are a terrific team, but the Yankees are better. It’s not even close. The Twins aren’t even in the same class as the Yankees. Honestly, no team in baseball is at this point in the season. The Yankees should be the odds on favorites to not only get to the World Series from the American League, but to win the whole thing.

The Yankees had the best record in baseball at 103 – 59, no other team was closer than 6 games back to the Yankees pace. The season the Yankees as a team and as individual’s had, would be the talk of town if it were any other team. But, it’s the Yankees and they just ‘spent another $400 million to get back to the post season’. If this were any other market in baseball, people would be salivating over them as being an unstoppable team with nothing in their way from a World Series birth. But, the Yankees don’t get the respect any more. They haven’t won anything in 9 years and didn’t make the playoffs last year and haven’t made it past the first round since 2004.

Things have changed. This was the year where the Red Sox and Rays were going to surpass the Yankees and leave them in a cloud of dust. Nobody expected the Yankees to be able to compete with the depth of the Red Sox or the youth and skill set of the Rays. How’d that work out for everyone? The Yankees effectively gave the rest of baseball the giant middle finger, a resounding “eff you” and went onto post historic seasons from many of their star players.

Derek Jeter? I wrote about him back in March, saying he was in decline, the Yankees needed to move on from him and get as far away from the Captain as possible. (I can be an idiot sometimes I guess) I was wrong. Dead wrong. Apologies to the faithful leader of the Yankees. He’s gone on to post arguably the best season of his career both offensively (.334, 18 home runs and 68 runs batted in) and defensively (he can actually move to his left this year) and would’ve been the sure-fire MVP if Joe Mauer decided not to play baseball this season. A giant “eff you” to me and the rest of the media for doubting him.

Alex Rodriguez? Embarrassed by being ousted as a former steroid user and subject to public ridicule, he suffered a hip injury and was forced to have surgery and miss the first 6 weeks of the season. What did he do? Come back with a passion and determination I never thought was possible and he put up numbers in ¾ of a season that most people would dream of having during a full season. A giant “eff you” to the entire world, including some of his own teammates.

The list could go on and on, but you get the picture. This isn’t your typical run of the mill Yankee team from years past. This is a team that is unified and actually likes one another. It’s a team that has a little old school flavor with that new school look. From top to bottom you can see it in their eyes. From the old guard in Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte and Posada, to the new guard of Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira and Swisher. They have the look. The hunger in their eyes. The determination. The grit. This is the year where all the past demons are exorcised. Consider this post season to be “The New York Yankee Exorcism”

First up on the agenda? The Minnesota Twins. The Yankees need to exorcise the first round post season demons that have plagued them in years past. In 2007, the Yankees soundly defeated the Indians in all 6 regular season match ups, only to be bounced out of the playoffs by the Indians and some bugs. In 2006, the Yankees were poised to wipe the floor with the Detroit Tigers and were promptly send home packing in stunning fashion. It’s always been said what happens in the regular season means nothing once the playoff starts. Usually, that would be the case. In this instance, it’s not. The victories the Yankees had over the Twins during the season speak volumes. They beat them early, they beat them late, they came back when they were down. They did it with offense, defense, pitching. In any way you could win a game, the Yankees did so against Minnesota. It’s time to exorcise the first round demon.

Carl Pavano is a Minnesota Twin. Yes, the American Idle himself. Spending 4 years and $40 million of the Yankees money to sit on the bench and never pitch, Mr. Pavano finds himself in the unfamiliar spot of actually having to pitch. (think you can find the Yankee stadium mound on Friday night Carl? You haven’t seen it too much before). There is nothing any Yankee fan wants to see more, than they want to see Carl Pavano on the receiving end of a good old fashioned butt whooping courtesy of the Yankees. Let’s exorcise that demon, shall we?

Let’s say the Yankees are able to get past Minnesota and move onto the American League Championship Series, this is where the exorcising demons get interesting. Red Sox or Angels; take your pick. There’s revenge to be sought from each of them. Memories of 2004 whirl around in our heads with each passing day on the calendar. Every time the Yankees play the Red Sox our blood pressure rises with the memories of the celebration on our field in 2004. But, then the Angels have eliminated the Yankees from the post season not once, but twice in the past decade. They’ve also been the only team over the course of the last 10 years to constantly and soundly spank the Yankees worse than a troublesome four-year old. We want revenge on each of them. It doesn’t matter who. One would be sweeter than the other, but the prize would be equally the same. Exorcise those demons any way you want.

If the Yankees somehow make it to the World Series, ah the sweetest revenge. We WANT the Dodgers. No, not for the posterity of avenging our 1981 World Series defeat. No, it’s Joe Torre. It’s Manny Ramirez. It’s the showdown people have been itching to see in New York. Torre was forced out of New York and didn’t have the most glowing things to say about some of his former Yankee friends. Manny Ramirez is just hated by everyone for being, well Manny. Nothing would be sweeter than to see Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez in Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the World Series. Actually, the only thing sweeter would be seeing them walk off the Yankee Stadium field in disappointment following a Game 6 loss as the Yankees celebrate (we can only dream).

This could be the year for it all to end. Every demon can be exorcised. Every loss, criticism and failure atoned for (this means you A-Rod and you too, CC). The next 3 weeks could dispel the bitter taste that has been in the mouths of all Yankee fans since that faithful night in 2001 when Luis Gonzalez’s bloop floated majestically over the head of Derek Jeter, ending the Yankee dynasty and putting us through 9 years of baseball hell.

The next 3 weeks could put the Yankees back on the track to beginning a new dynasty; with a mix of old Yankees and new Yankees united as one. Will it happen? I’m not sure. Can it happen? You bet. Do I think it will? I hope.

One thing I do know, and I’ve been seeing it for the past 6 months from game 1 all the way to game 162. Derek Jeter has the look. He’s got that championship gleam in his eye. He’s 35 years old, but he’s hungrier now than when he won the World Series for the first time 13 years ago.

If he comes running out of that Yankee dugout at 6:05pm tomorrow evening for Game 1 of the Division Series with a little extra hop in his step, well, the rest of baseball should be worried, because then I won’t be the only one thinking they’re back.

But, until then, I’ll leave you with this thought. To quote a song by T.I. and Jay-Z

"No one on the corner have swagger like us"

And it’s true. No one does. Sorry Minnesota Twins. It’s an admirable job you’ve done by making the playoffs. But, your good fortune is about to run out. It’s the New York Yankees time again.

Living a nightmare

2009-10-04T02:56:00.004-04:00

Please bear with me for a little bit, because I have some hostility to get off my chest in the direction of Tony Romo. Yes, it has been nearly a month into the NFL season and I have yet to condemn Romo’s ability or question his passion for the game of Football; until now. Ask anybody and they will tell you that I am an ardent supporter of anything having to do with the Dallas Cowboys. I bleed silver and blue, it’s a part of who I am and a part of what I am about. Despite my disdain for Romo’s surfacing prima donna attitude, I have (more often than not) kept quiet about my feelings towards #9 and have remained highly supportive of him (unless you count the time last year when he broke his pinky and I applauded), simply because he was (and to steal a line from Terrell Owens) MY quarterback.

For 3 years I lived under the mantra that the Cowboys won and lost as a team. It didn’t matter if Romo played bad and they won, or if he played terrific and they lost, it was a team effort. Well, after 3 years of hearing about him dating country singers, making commercials, vacationing in Mexico the week of the big playoff game, playing professional golf, or whatever other excuse you can dream of to explain the failures of a franchise, I can finally say, without a shadow of doubt; it’s on Romo.

Winning and losing as “a team” can only take you so far. At the end of the day, you can’t blame the coaches for a team failing to execute (although Wade Phillips sure makes it hard to do that). You can’t blame the owner/General Manager for butting into areas of game management where he doesn’t belong (although Jerry Jones sure makes it hard to do that). No, the blame for defeat or praise for victory lies with one and only one person; the quarterback. In this case, it happens to be Tony Romo.

As a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, life has not been too pleasant in the land of the big D for much of the last decade. The Cowboys, winning an impressive 3 Super Bowl titles in a 4 year span in the early 1990’s, have not won a playoff game since 1996. A 40 to 15 victory over the Minnesota Vikings was the last time the Cowboys played deep into the heart of January during the NFL season. Barry Switzer is the last Cowboys head coach to win a playoff game. Since his departure following the 1997 season, Cowboy fans have endured an un-impressive two year coaching stint from Chan Gailey (thanks for the 8 and 10 win seasons, with nothing to show for it), the worst coach in Cowboys history Dave Campo (you actually won 15 games in 3 years? I didn’t think it was that many), a guy who has turned around more franchises while sporting the dumbest nickname ever (Tuna) in Bill Parcells and for the past three seasons, Wade Phillips. What do the Cowboys have to show for it? Nothing. Zilch.

But, Cowboy fans remained supportive; after all, they didn’t have a quarterback during that time. It’s true. Troy Aikman wasn’t “Troy Aikman” any more. To say he was a shell of his former self would be an understatement. Once Aikman retired following the 2000 season, the revolving door of Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks began.

Being the Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is the most publicized pressure filled position in all of sports (all due respect to being the Centerfielder of the Yankees, the Cowboys is more important). Throughout the history of the Cowboys there have been two franchise quarterbacks who lived up to the hype and billing of being THE guy for “America’s Team”; Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman (all due respect to Don Meredith, Danny White and Steve Pelluer, but, you guys sucked). The Cowboys have won 5 Super Bowls as a franchise and three of them were Aikman and the other two were Staubach. Needless to say, not many people have played at a consistently high level for Dallas.

The search for the next franchise quarterback began in earnest following the 2000 season and continued on for the next 6 years until Romo stepped in. Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright, Ryan Leaf, Clint Stoerner, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe all had their chances to lead the Cowboys back to the playoffs and find a new level of success. To say they all failed would be an inaccuracy. While there’s no doubt in my mind Ryan Leaf was a train wreck and Anthony Wright was forgettable, Clint Stoerner plays for Team Arkansas in the All-American Football league, Chad Hutchinson can rest assured that his professional baseball career was far worse than his pro-football career, same with Drew Henson. Vinny Testaverde can at least resign himself to the fact that he played for 25% of the league in his career.

If not for the combined efforts of Quincy Carter and Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo would have never been given a chance to play in Dallas. (we’ll get back to that in a minute, but first I want to get to the root of the problem with Romo). The career of Tony Romo can be summarized with two words; Who knew? Who knew that a guy would be signed from relative obscurity to be a Dallas Cowboy, simply because one of the coaches on the team went to the same college and heard good things? Tony Romo didn’t go to a big-time athletic school with a chiseled out collegiate program that prepares you for the NFL. Nope. Romo went to Eastern Illinois, a college nobody has heard of, nobody knows where it is, nor does anybody really care. After his senior year, nobody in the NFL wanted him and he went undrafted.

But, there he was, signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent at the insistence of then assistant head coach Sean Payton. What Sean Payton saw in him that no other coach (other than former Bronco’s coach Mike Shanahan) nobody will ever know, but he saw something that warranted a contract and a roster spot. In 2004, Romo, then the emergency quarterback, was facing being cut from the roster the first week of training camp. However, thanks to the drug problems that “Cokehead Quincy” Carter suffered from and his overall poor attitude during camp, Romo was retained and Carter was released. See? Dallas fans can thank Quincy Carter for Tony Romo having a job right now.

A mere 2 years later, Romo finally got his chance; I was there to see it on October 23, 2006, Texas Stadium, Giants vs. Cowboys on Monday Night Football. After another underwhelming 1st half performance from Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe, amid boos and chants of “We want Romo”, the switch was finally made. At the start of the 2nd half, in front of a crowd of 63,512 crazed Dallas fans (and my wonderful family of Giants fans, whom I wouldn’t even sit with at the game), Romo trotted onto the field and begun taking practice throws, signaling to the crowd that he would be taking over the quarterback position for the Cowboys; the rollercoaster ride would begin.

Greeted by a standing ovation and chants of “Romo, Romo”, the Drew Bledsoe era had officially been given the Old Yeller treatment and a new era was ushered in. The results were largely unimpressive in his first prolonged taste of NFL action throwing 3 interceptions, but there were flashes of brilliance. With Romo behind center, fans were on the edge of their seats with every drop back, every dazzling scramble to avoid taking a sack, every throw sailing majestically into the Dallas night; a star was born that night in Texas.

The first highlight reel play from Romo came late in the 4th quarter, the outcome of the game already decided (resounding victory by the Giants), Romo unleashed a dazzling bomb to a wide open Patrick Crayton for a 53 yard touchdown pass. As the remaining crowd leapt to their feet with excitement, it wasn’t the fact that the Cowboys scored that we were cheering about, it was the fact that for the first time in 6 years, we had something to cheer about.

Two days later, on October 25, Tony Romo was announced as the new starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. In his first career start against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday Night Football in front of a national televised audience, Romo dazzled yet again, leading the Cowboys to a 35 – 14 victory and a media darling was created.

Tony Romo became the new hit of the NFL. Leading the Cowboys to impressive victories over the undefeated Indianapolis Colts on November 19th and a Thanksgiving Day victory over Tampa Bay which saw Romo throw a career high 5 touchdown passes, Romo was leading the charge to get the Cowboys back into the playoffs.

How was he doing this? How did this nobody from a school I can’t even locate on a map lead the Dallas Cowboys to the forefront of the NFC after years of failure? It’s simple, he was playing the game in a way that his Cowboy quarterbacking predecessors Bledsoe, Hutchinson, Carter, etc didn’t; with passion. Tony Romo played the position with a youthful enthusiasm that was rarely seen in Dallas for as long as I, or anyone can remember. With the somber and boring Drew Bledsoe, the Cowboys played just that, somber and boring. There was no excitement, no fire, no heart, from the team or fans in the crowd. Every minute of every quarter, for every game, for every season, it was just as if we were going through the motions, the game lacked a certain feel, whether it be hopefulness or joyousness to be watching “America’s Team” play. Tony Romo brought those feelings back. Tony Romo saved the Dallas Cowboys franchise on that cool Monday night in October 2006. He was the new sheriff in town. The new gunslinger in town ready to topple the NFC and lead the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl.

Or, so we thought. There was only one problem with that whole theory. Nobody knew that Tony Romo was lacking the most important gene that can be wired into an NFL player’s psyche; fortitude. Romo played with passion, he played with heart, but he would wilt under the pressure quicker than Alex Rodriguez in October. The first example of this was made clear in the 2006 playoffs as the Cowboys played the Seattle Seahawks in the first round. With 1:19 left on the clock and Dallas trailing 21 – 20, the Cowboys attempted a 19-yard field goal for the win; an easy chip shot, the 2nd round was in our sights. As the ball was snapped and Romo caught it to hold for Mike Vanderjagt, the unthinkable happened; he bobbled the ball, the kick was blown, the game was lost and the tears began to flow. As Tony Romo sat on the field with his hands on his head shaking in disbelief, I sat in a friends basement sobbing like a little school boy who was told there was no Santa Claus.

The next season began and it was more of what Romo had done in the previous season when he stepped into the starter’s role. Excitement, jubilation, smiles on the sidelines, exhibiting true joy in not only playing football, but being a part of this team. But, it all began to change exactly one year to the day of his first career start. On October 29, 2007, Romo was given a six-year $67.5 million contract extension with the Cowboys. Two weeks later he began dating pop-star Jessica Simpson (ughhhhhhhhhhhh) and the downward spiral would begin.

Romo finished off the 2007 regular season breaking the all-time Dallas record for touchdowns and completions in a season, leading the Cowboys to a 13 – 3 record and a playoff date with the New York Giants (who the Cowboys had manhandled twice previously in the season). What happened? Oh, it’s just those pressure situations we spoke of before. You know the rest. Romo chokes. Cowboys lose. Giants win the Super Bowl. My family rejoices and I shorten my life expectancy by at least 7 years with the amount of alcohol I consumed to get over my grief of yet another failed playoff venture.

The 2008 season was one of the biggest disappointments in Dallas Cowboy history. Being labeled as a Super Bowl contending favorite, the Cowboys faltered down the stretch during the last month of the season (which has become classic Romo due to his 5 – 8 career record in the month of December) and they failed to make the playoffs. It was midway thru the 2008 season that I had realized what was wrong with Romo; he lost his passion.

Call me crazy, call me a cynic, call me whatever you like; I stand by this statement; Tony Romo lost his passion for football and it became all about the stardom. Therein lies the problem. Before he received that wealthy extension with the Cowboys, Romo was just another guy who got a chance to play a game he loved as a living. Once he hit pay dirt, you could instantly see his eyes go “cha-ching”. Weeks later he’s become some sort of Hollywood party goer with Jessica Simpson. Months after that, in the week leading up to the biggest game of his career (the aforementioned playoff meltdown against New York), instead of preparing for the contest, what does he do? Flies to Mexico for a little love on the sand with his bosomy blonde bimbo Simpson. Hallelujah at least we know he scored at some point in the month of January in his NFL career (wow, that was a tasteless cheap shot and I don’t even care).

Bottom line is simple; at some point Romo stopped being about football and began thinking about life outside of football and becoming a mega-star. It’s no secret that Romo is an avid amateur golfer and has attempted to qualify for the PGA tour (and hey, guess what? Failed at that too. He chokes at two sports!). He is also a frequent guest on local sports radio programs in the Dallas area and even hosted his own sports radio program. He’s featured in commercials and TV ads, you get the picture. At some point it became less about being the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and more about being Tony Romo, rising star.

If you don’t believe me, just watch him play now compared to two years ago. Everything is different. Sure, most of the statistics are the same (right up to the usual December meltdown), but the body language is different. He doesn’t have the same loose attitude and jovial demeanor he exhibited when he became the toast of the town in 2006. The smiles on the sidelines have diminished. It stopped being about playing a game and having fun and just seems like it’s something he does to get paid to do. After a week 17 annihilation at the hands of the Eagles last season, Romo finished off his post game press conference with this doozy of a quote when asked about how he’ll deal with another loss and not going to the playoffs:

“I wake up tomorrow and I keep living”

The quarreling with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has increased. He alienated his star receiver Terrell Owens (call him a bad teammate if you like, but he was never a problem in Dallas) and ultimately led to his release. Even today I read reports that Romo and current receiver Roy Williams are having trouble getting on the same page. This is NOT the same Tony Romo that won the hearts of millions of Cowboy fans over the world. That’s the Tony Romo I cheered for. This Tony Romo I want to see benched and ridden out of town. I don’t want this Romo as my quarterback. He doesn’t belong.

He had the opportunity to be a franchise altering quarterback for the Cowboys and be this generation of Cowboy fans Troy Aikman. Instead, he’s already lost my faith and has begun to lose the faith of Dallas fans across the nation. Only one man can fix this and it’s Romo himself. He needs to take a good, long, hard look in the mirror and decide what he wants to be. Does he want to be just another NFL star who had a good career, made a lot of money and ventured off into other avenues? Or, does he want to be one of the next great players in this league and lead his team to a cavalcade of accolades? In my heart I always felt it would prove to be the latter, these days I feel like it’s going to be the former.

All I know the joy I used to have in watching the Cowboys play every Sunday is slowly diminishing with each incomplete pass and seeming indifferent attitude over failure that Romo exhibits now. He’s not the same man and I don’t think he will ever lead this team to the level people think he can. It just isn’t in his genetic makeup. Some people that ability to rise to the occasion, with your back against the wall and lead your team to a level of play you didn’t think existed, while others don’t. Tom Brady has it. Donovan McNabb doesn’t. Peyton Manning has it. Jay Cutler doesn’t. Eli Manning most certainly has it. Jamarcus Russell most certainly doesn’t. Brett Favre had it and has shown glimpses even in his old age that he still does. Tony Romo’s idol is Brett Favre, maybe he should study some film of old #4 and see what true heart is all about.

That’s what it’ll come down to for Romo in the end. He either has the heart of a warrior and a true competitive spirit a la Brett Favre, who despite his constant flip flopping on if he’s retiring or playing, has never once shown a lack of heart, or he doesn’t. Favre plays the game day in and day out today with the same passion and excitement he did 20 years ago. That’s the kind of man I want as my quarterback. That’s the man I thought was my quarterback on that Monday evening in Texas 3 years ago when I stood up and cheered with my eyes beaming with fervent excitement. As the games tread on and Romo’s lackadaisical play continues, I grow more and more weary of the bleak future for the Cowboys.

You’re 29 years old now Tony. What have you won? Nothing. So often you are compared to Troy Aikman for your talents and god given abilities. Well, Troy Aikman had 3 Super Bowl titles by the time he was 29.

With a matchup in Denver tomorrow afternoon, all eyes will be on Romo. He’s coming off 3 straight weeks of shaky performances, following a disappointing pre-season and an off-season in which he spent more time on the putting green than he did in the film room. It’s entirely up to Romo. Find the passion you once had for the game and get it back, before it’s too late. The excuse that you’re a young quarterback no longer plays into effect. The time is now to either take the road less travelled and become one of the elite, or go down the path of so many before you and just be “some guy who went to work every Sunday to collect a check”.

I don’t know if he’ll ever regain that look in his eyes that he used to have, but I can hope. But, until that day, there’s only one thing I can do in the meantime;

Wake up tomorrow and keep living

Remember Me?

2009-09-26T11:08:00.003-04:00

The bad seed is back! No, I don't mean Michael Vick and I don't even mean Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn. To quote the group House of Pain, “just like the Prodigal son, I’ve returned.” That’s right; it's me, the rambling ranter, the bombastic blogger, the tirading typist, the overall witty wordsmith that you have all missed for the past 2 months; Ramey’s Rants is BACK!

Where have I been, you ask? I could come up with some lame excuse like I was busy with school, or getting my life together, but, I'm not going to do that to you. You know me better than that. Let's just call the past 7 weeks the "summer of George" (cheap Seinfeld reference) or Ramey's Summer Sabbatical. Whatever spin you want to put on it, the bottom line is, I'm back, commercial free, no interruptions. It's been too long and I've missed you all (the 5 of you who are blood related and obligated to put up with my insufferable ranting).

I’ve missed a lot in the nearly 2 months it’s been since I last posted. Major League Baseball is wrapping up another star studded season; the NFL has started in full swing. Hell, I even missed Tony Romo’s first complete meltdown of the year! But, before I write about any of that, there’s one issue I want to cover; John Kruk. You sir, are an idiot. That’s the nicest way I can term what I really think of you. This is a family friendly blog, so I’m refraining from the alliteration of obscenities I would love to throw in your direction for being one of, if not the worst baseball analyst I have ever heard or seen in my 23 years on this planet.

You work for ESPN John, which stands for “Entertainment and Sports Programming Network”, which means, you are supposed to have some form of neutrality and unbiased take on the overall spectrum of Major League Baseball. That’s what I was expecting to read the other day when I read the article you wrote “Plenty of question marks for potential playoff teams.”

Yeah, I know, that was my first mistake. Reading an article written by John Kruk should’ve been my clue that I wasn’t going to be happy with the end result. Asking Kruk to write a coherent thought is like asking Jimmy Fallon to not laugh at his own jokes; you’d like to think it’s possible, but it won’t happen in this lifetime. But, I gave it a try anyway. I began reading it with an open mind and he had me for one sentence. Literally. One sentence. He lost all integrity after one sentence. Let me run you through my thought process as I read the first two sentences of his article:

“Which of the teams likely headed to the playoffs have the most to figure out in the next two weeks?”

Alright, he’s going to break down every team in the playoff hunt and what their key weaknesses are. This’ll help see how every team is shaping up.

“All of them except the Boston Red Sox”

MOTHER F%*@*$*@ COULD YOU BE ANY MORE OBVIOUS WITH YOUR DEVOTION TO ANYTHING CHOWDAH?

That was the PG version of my true reaction. In fact, the very first thing I did after I read those two sentences was copy and paste it and sent it to a friend who would be equally stunned and irritated at that notion. But, needless to say, I plunged ahead. I read the article waiting for him to explain how every other team has bigger holes than the Titanic and the Red Sox are a 25 man wrecking crew hell bent on baseball domination.

To paraphrase Mr. Kruk; the Angels have to figure out what to do with their bullpen only if they play Boston, since they just can’t beat them. The Yankees have such terrible pitching we should just forfeit the rest of the season and opt to not show up for the playoffs. The Cardinals and Phillies have equally bad bullpens (Last I checked, Ryan Franklin did not equal Brad Lidge). The Dodger’s starting pitching is iffy and the Rockies bullpen has holes to fill as well. So, if you’re keeping track, we have 4 teams with bullpen issues.

The Red Sox though? They are “the only team heading into the postseason that you can look at and say, ‘this team is ready for the playoffs.’ Aside from the middle relief, which hasn’t been too good…”

But wait John, how can you say that? If the Rockies, Cardinals, Angels and Phillies all have bullpen ‘questions’, how can the Red Sox be a well oiled baseball playing cyborg if their relief pitching “hasn’t been too good?”

Oh, not to mention “Jon Lester is pitching well and Daisuke Matsuzaka has looked good. The Sox look to me to be the one, of all the teams likely headed to the postseason, that is the most dolled up and ready to play in the playoffs.”

Right. The Red Sox are the most complete team headed into the playoffs. You know, not the Cardinals who have Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday anchoring their lineup with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright (combined 34 – 12 with a 2.45 era) at the forefront of their rotation, with Ryan Franklin (37 saves, 1.98 era and 1.14 whip) closing out games.

Not the Yankees who have the best record in baseball. Who, when the last time I blogged on August 5th had a 2.5 game lead over Boston, have expanded that to (at one point 9 games) now with 8 games to play an insurmountable 6.5 game lead. The same Yankees who have seven players with over 20 home runs and seven with over 75 runs batted in. Or, the same Yankees who have CC Sabathia (best pitcher in the American League over the last 2 months) as their staff ace, or Mariano Rivera (42 saves and a 0.91 whip) closing out games.

It can’t be the Dodgers who have had the best record in the National League since the beginning of time. It isn’t the Rockies who have been playing tremendous since Jim Tracy took over the team 3 and a half months ago. Nope, it’s still Boston. The Red Sox are the most complete and ready team for the playoffs. Uhh, whatever you say John. Have you been watching baseball for the last 3 months? ESPN does pay you to watch the games, right? You realize this is the Boston Red Sox of 2009 and not 2007, right? Need me to explain?

So, Boston is the team most ready for the playoffs. The Yankees have questions in their starting rotation, according to you; is Andy Pettitte healthy? How terrible will A.J. Burnett be? Should Joba Chamberlain even be on the roster? Well, how about those Red Sox John?

For as bad as A.J. Burnett has been in the 2nd half of the season (4 – 5, 4.69 era, 83 strikeouts and 10 home runs allowed in 88.1 innings), Josh Beckett hasn’t really been much better (5 – 3, 4.38 era, 84 strikeouts and 15 home runs allowed in 86.1 innings). That’s the Red Sox ace pitcher right there and Burnett is the Yankees #3 starter come the postseason. Ouch.

For as well as Jon Lester is pitching in the 2nd half (6 – 2, 3.04 era with 87 strikeouts in 83 innings), CC Sabathia has been phenomenally better (10 – 1, 2.54 era with 91 strikeouts in 92 innings).

Oh yeah, Daisuke Matsuzaka has “looked good” since coming back from injury. Granted he has 2 wins (and wins are all that matters), he has allowed 15 base runners in 11.1 innings and thrown 203 pitches or nearly 19 pitches per inning. Same Matsuzaka, just with a healthier shoulder. That equals trouble for Boston.

For as terrific as Clay Buchholz has been in the 2nd half of the season (7 – 3, 3.21 era with 58 strikeouts and a 1.32 whip in 84 innings), he hasn’t been as good as “injured” Andy Pettitte (5 – 2, 3.17 era with 73 strikeouts and a 1.09 whip in 76.2 innings).

Kruk is right though. Joba Chamberlain is a huge question mark. But, at most, he’ll start 2 games all postseason (one each in the ALCS and World Series, if the Yankees are lucky enough to get there). But, how much of a question mark does Jon Lester become now? Not only did he get smacked all over the Bronx by the Yankees last night (and terribly outpitched by Joba the question mark), but he also left with an injury.

Do you want me to tackle the Red Sox starting lineup, too? The Red Sox starting catcher is batting .208 and allows base runners to steal off him like they have an EZ pass going through a toll booth. Your starting designated hitter David Ortiz, while impressively has hit 27 home runs and is nearing 100 runs batted in, is batting a putrid .237. Jason Bay, the Manny Ramirez replacement, while he has put up power numbers reminiscent of Ramirez with 36 and 115, is batting just .265 and strikes out once per game. You want the key to beating the Red Sox? Keep Jacoby Ellsbury off the bases and pitch around Kevin Youkilis. Nobody else on that team scares you or can beat you.

This Red Sox team isn’t like the ones of years past. They aren’t scary top to bottom or have the bullpen that can shut a team down. Yeah, Jonathan Papelbon has 37 saves and a 1.94 era, but he also has a 1.20 whip and throws 18 pitches per inning. Not to mention the league has figured out Hideki Okajima, Ramon Ramirez has come back down to earth and Billy Wagner can’t pitch back to back days. But remember everybody, the Red Sox are the most ready.

To say I expected more out of John Kruk would be a foolish lie. I expect this out of him. He was an average player, who became a below average baseball analyst who is now obviously a lazy columnist who does no research or have any factual basis on anything he reports.

So congratulations John Kruk and ESPN for proving once and for all, without a shadow of doubt, where your allegiance and loyalties truly lie. ESPN is supposed to be the worldwide leader in sports, not the worldwide leader in Red Sox Nation. Don’t get me wrong, this is not some bitter Yankee fan angry that he questioned his team’s chances of competing for the World Series trophy. Once October starts anybody can win, even Boston. But, to flat out state that every team in the playoff hunt except Boston has questions needing answers is the most absurd and unsubstantiated claim I have ever thought imaginable.

This is public request and plea for John Kruk to respond to this and please lay claim to his reasoning behind Boston having no flaws headed into the playoffs. I’ve sent this article along to ESPN and would love nothing more than for you to respond John. I’m sure I’m not the only person in the world who read that article and came away with the same questions that I did.

I always said I would stop at nothing in life to get to what I feel was the pinnacle of sports journalism and work for ESPN. Now, I could care less. There are other networks and other websites I will set my sights on working for. I want to cover all sports, unbiased. That can’t happen at ESPN. So, I guess this is a thank you to John Kruk and the rest of your co-workers at ESPN. It was always my dream to work there, but, I’ve been woken up from it. Now it’s time to fall back asleep and find something else to dream for.

Until next time, I promise I won’t go far...

Random Thoughts

2009-08-05T12:21:00.005-04:00

This isn’t one of your normal run of the mill “Ramey’s Rants.” This is going to be a few paragraphs of me bragging and gloating about how awesome I am and how intelligent my sports knowledge is. Basically, this is me letting all of you know that 3 weeks ago in my 2nd half baseball preview, that was the writing equivalent of a breakout performance. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, let me explain.

The biggest deals made at the trade deadline were the deals that sent Matt Holliday, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, George Sherrill, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson and Ian Snell all packing to new locations. If you didn’t read my 26 page “Second Half Preview”, let me give you a few snippets from it when discussing the above names.

Re: Matt Holliday: “Adding Mark DeRosa, who now finds himself on the disabled list helps, but they (the Cardinals) could use something more. (perhaps call up Billy Beane and see how Matt Holliday is feeling?)”

Where’d Matt Holliday end up? The St. Louis Cardinals.

Re: Cliff Lee: “If they (the Phillies) can't put a package together to get Roy Halladay (you'd have to lose Kyle Drabek, sorrrry), maybe they could package some lesser talent together to snatch Cliff Lee from the Indians”

What happened? The Phillies refused to part with Kyle Drabek in order to acquire Roy Halladay and instead packaged together some lesser talent and snatched Cliff Lee from the Indians. Thank you, thank you very much.

Re: Victor Martinez: “Victor Martinez? Call up the Red Sox, see if you can pry Clay Buccholz from them for his services”

What happened to Mr. Martinez? Well, he got traded to the Red Sox, but I under-estimated Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro’s stupidity and he only got Justin Masterson out of it. Basically, that’d be the equivalent of trading in your Porsche for a used Toyota with poor brakes.

Re: George Sherrill: “thanks to the Joe Torre book on ruining bullpen arms, they could use a little more relief in that pen”

Well, I didn’t directly infer that the Orioles would trade Sherrill to the Dodgers, but I at least take credit in knowing that Joe Torre is still terrible at managing a bullpen and help was needed.

Re: Freddy Sanchez: “On the downside of things, your offense (Giants) is horrible. You need an Aubrey Huff or a Freddy Sanchez just to provide a little more support."

What happened to Sanchez? Freddy was packaged and shipped by the Pittsburgh Moving Company, I mean Pirates and sent to San Francisco. Again, I was right.

Re: Jack Wilson and Ian Snell: “With the recent trade of Yuniesky Betancourt and Ronny Cedeno batting just .168, they could be in the market for a middle infielder (Jack Wilson)….. The Mariners are one of the few teams who aren't in dire need of pitching help. I'd say maybe they'd be interested in someone like Ian Snell”

What happened to them? They were BOTH traded to the Mariners and Ronny Cedeno and his light weight batting average was part of the deal. I think I deserve a pat on the back for this one guys.

Now I’m not saying I’m some sort of baseball prophet on the level of Moses or Nostradamus or anything, but I’m definitely somewhere in between. I’m like the Muhammad of baseball knowledge.

That being said here are some random thoughts that have popped in my head this morning:

Ramey Rants Twenty Five Random Thoughts:

1. The New York Giants are giving Quarterback Eli Manning a $97.5 million contract extension. Huh??? Really? He’s not even a top-10 QB in the league! And if you don’t believe me, here’s who I’d rather have in no particular order; Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers. Sorry Eli, you’re no better than 11th best.

2. Of Trevor Hoffman’s major league record 578 saves, only 54 have been for more than 3 outs or a mere 9.3% of his total.

3. Of “best closer in baseball” Francisco Rodriguez’s 232 career saves, only 19 have been for more than 3 outs or just 8.1% of his total.

4. Meanwhile, to end any doubt that Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer in history, of his 513 career saves, a staggering 110 have been for more than 3 outs, or an astonishing 21.4% of his total.

5. Michael Jordan “retired” from the NBA on three different occasions, Roger Clemens “retired” on three different occasions as well. Brett Favre has now “retired” on three different occasions, but has ‘discussed’ the notion on at least five occasions. I thought boxers were the only athletes who were allowed to retire a million times?

6. Michael Vick spent 2 years in jail, was suspended 2 seasons from the NFL and is still suspended at least 4 games into the 2009 NFL season? How does this begin to make sense? Hasn’t he paid his debt to society?

7. The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium is living proof that everything is bigger in Texas. If a fan wants to sit in one of the luxury suites, it’ll cost $800,000 per year to lease it, but that doesn’t include game tickets. Also, you’ll have to dole out $90 for pizza (not kidding) and $66 for a 12-pack of beer (also not kidding). And people complained about Yankee tickets?

8. The last time a major league baseball team had two 20 game winners in the same season was the 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks; they got swept in the first round of the playoffs. Bad omen for the Giants as Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are both on pace to win 20 apiece.

9. San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie was fined $2,500 for posting a comment on his twitter account complaining about the food at training camp. Call out a player or coach, no big deal. Call out the chef on his choice of cuisine, pay the price. Food = power.

10. New York Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran has been out since June 22nd with a “bruised knee.” That could be the worst bruise in the history of black and blue’s.

11. Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay is a complete bulldog on the mound. He’s made 21 starts this season and has pitched at least 7 innings in 19 of them. In the other two starts he pitched 3 innings (and left with an injury) and 6 innings (his first start back from injury).

12. On June 7th, Halladay won his 10th game of the season, running his record to 10 – 1, with a 2.52 era. Since that time he’s put up a 1 – 4, 3.15 era in 57 innings over 8 starts. That also includes a complete game loss and another complete game no decision. Too bad they didn’t trade you buddy.

13. Recently enshrined to the baseball Hall of Fame, Rickey Henderson played 25 professional seasons and stole at least 50 bases in thirteen seasons; including 66 when he was 39 years old. Rickey liked to run. His AVERAGE season would see him hit .279 with 16 home runs, 59 runs batted in and 74 stolen bases. No wonder he declared himself “the greatest of all-time”

14. The ‘Ol Gunslinger Brett Favre, the “greatest Quarterback in history” had 36 career games of 3+ interceptions and 64 games of 3+ touchdowns and only twice in his career did he have 3+ of each. So, if you’re keeping score, Favre started 269 games in his career, in 13% of them he was REALLY bad, in 23% of them he was REALLY good and in the other 64% he was above average. He’s also guided his teams to a career 169 – 100 record for a .628 winning percentage.

15. On the other hand, Peyton Manning has started 176 games in his career and has only had 10 games of 3+ interceptions, while having 52 games of 3+ touchdowns and 71 games in his career without throwing an interception. So, if you’re keeping score again, of the 176 games Manning has started, in 5% of them he’s been REALLY bad, in 30% of them he’s been REALLY good, in 40% of them he’s been nearly flawless and he’s guided his teams to a 117 – 59 record for a .664 winning percentage. Sorry Brett, but Peyton is far and above better than you ever were.

16. Still don’t believe me? Well, Favre had only 5 seasons of 4,000+ yards passing and in only one of them did he complete over 65% of his passes. Peyton, meanwhile, has already had 9 seasons of 4,000+ yards passing and in six of those seasons he completed over 65% of his passes.

17. When it’s all said and done Albert Pujols will go down as the greatest hitter in baseball history. Think about this, the worst season he’s ever had was in 2007 when he hit .327 with 32 home runs and 103 runs batted in. He’s averaged 43 home runs per year in his career. He’s 407 home runs away from Barry Bonds. If Pujols averages just 35 home runs per season (which he very well can do since he’s only hit below 35 homers twice), he’ll surpass Barry Bonds record of 762 BEFORE his 40th birthday. Say hello to the baseball God.

18. When the Texas Rangers traded Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves at the 2007 trade deadline, they acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz and Beau Jones in return. Saltalamacchia is now the Rangers starting catcher, Andrus their starting short stop and Neftali Feliz, fresh off a 2 inning, 4 strikeout performance in his major league debut, is the best of the bunch. Greatest trade in Rangers history.

19. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers may be one of the dumbest names in sports. What the hell is a Sound Tiger? Then again, I may be employed by them in the future, so I may name my first child Tiger after them.

20. Back to the Twitter conversation from earlier; I follow dozens of athletes on twitter and I have to say, it really makes me dislike them. I thought I’d get an inside glimpse into the lives and personalities of athletes and I did, but I’ve been largely disappointed. I’ve learned that athletes, much like us regular Joe’s, are weird people with insane tendencies. Just ask Stephon Marbury. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, google it.

21. Pete Rose remains banned from Major League Baseball, because he bet on games? Yet, hundreds of players have compromised the integrity of the game by using performance enhancing drugs and they haven’t been banned. How’s that fair?

22. Can anybody else wait for the eventual press conference that David Ortiz will have in a few months saying that he tested positive for a banned substance in 2003 because of that mysterious “milkshake” he had that one time in the Dominican?

23. I’m glad to see Plaxico Burress was indicted on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment. If Michael Vick was given the stiffest penalty the law could provide, I hope Burress receives the same treatment and is put behind bars for at least 3 ½ years.

24. Don’t believe anything that MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko’s handlers say that they “tried their best to get a deal done with the UFC.” It’s 100% BS. If he really wanted to fight in the UFC, he would be. Fedor is scared of finally having competition and having the talent of his 30 – 1 record come into question, since about 25 of those victories have come from a group of people not good enough to be labeled a “has been” or a “never was”

25. Having recently attended a Yankee game, the stupidity and ignorance of sports fans is unbelievable. I’m talking about the “fans” who expect their sports teams to play flawless and nearly perfect 100% of the time. Newsflash genius’, nobody is perfect, nobody will play mistake free every minute of every day. If you expect that, give me whatever pills you’re taking, because life must be pretty sweet being that high. Grow a brain.

Ramey's Rants MLB Rankings

2009-08-03T00:32:00.004-04:00

Hello all and welcome to the newest addition to the Ramey Rants blog. Every 2 weeks (so twice a month for all you scholars out there), I'll be giving you my opinion on how each team ranks in baseball. (wait till football and basketball season and I'll do those as well). It's been about a week and a half since I've had a good rant, so enough with the small talk, let's get to the rankings and be on the lookout for a rant in the coming days!

30. Pittsburgh Pirates (45 – 59): Pirate fans have little to smile about. Nate McLouth, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Adam Laroche, are just a few of the names who have been traded in the past 6 weeks. Rookie super star Andrew Mccutchen is batting .292 and is fresh off a 3 homer performance on Saturday night, but he’ll be traded the moment he begins to blossom into something extraordinary.

29. Washington Nationals (33 – 72): Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is batting just .250 since June 1st. Just putting that uniform on can really drain the talent out of a player.

28. Cleveland Indians (44 – 61): They traded away their ace Cliff Lee and their all star catcher Victor Martinez. The only reason fans have to show up to the ballpark nightly is center fielder Grady Sizemore and he’s batting .229. I would say football season is just around the corner, but you have the Browns. So, uh, 3 months until the Cavaliers season starts!

27. San Diego Padres (43 – 63): They traded away their best pitcher of the last decade in Jake Peavy (out with an injury since mid-June) and toyed with the notion of trading the face of their franchise, best player and all-star Adrian Gonzalez. Needless to say, if they did that, all 4 Padre fans in the world would riot.

26. Kansas City Royals (41 – 63): Zach Greinke may very well win the Cy Young award, but the emergence as Brian Bannister as a legitimate #2 starting pitcher should make Royals fans hopeful about the possibility of making a wild card run next year. Think the Mets and their shaky starting rotation regret trading him for Ambiorix Burgos 3 years ago?

25. Oakland Athletics (44 – 60): I thought Billy Beane was Mr. Moneyball and in love with on base percentages and working the count? Their team batting average is a below average .253 and their team on base percentage is an abysmal .322. Maybe Beane should stop writing books and start evaluating talent?

24. Baltimore Orioles (44 – 60): Adam Jones is on pace for a 30 homer and 100 rbi season in just his 2nd full season in the big leagues. He’s already drawn more walks than last season and eclipsed his career high in homers nearly 2 months ago. A star is born.

23. Cincinnati Reds (45 – 59): Reds ace Edinson Volquez has been out for much of the season with a bad pitching elbow after an alarming jump in his innings pitched last season. Score another one for Dusty Baker. Add that to Mark Prior, Kerry Wood and former Giant Bill Swift and you’ve got yourself an impressive list of terrific talents that have been derailed by this man. Congratulations! Dusty Baker, ruining right arms for 20 years!

22. Arizona Diamondbacks (46 – 59): Brandon Webb has been out since April with a bad shoulder that we ALL knew he needed surgery on, but did he? Nope. Waited until August to finally decide to shut him down and perform surgery. Way to wait so long and blow his next season too. I put 70% odds that the Diamondbacks cut Webb loose after this season and he signs with the Dodgers and really sticks it to Arizona in 12 months for screwing him over.

21. Toronto Blue Jays (51 – 44): J.P. Ricciardi really screwed up the Roy Halladay trade negotiations. He demanded too much, over played his hand with his only real suitor (Philadelphia) and they turned around and picked up Cliff Lee for 1/5 the talent that the Blue Jays wanted for Halladay. Great job J.P., can’t wait for you to sign Adam Lind to a $90 million contract extension in 3 years. You signed BJ Ryan to ridiculous money, gave Vernon Wells an absurd contract and can’t even trade your biggest trading chip and will lose him in 12 months for nothing? No wonder you live in Canada.

20. Houston Astros (52 – 53): Wandy Rodriguez at home (5 – 2, 2.12). Wandy Rodriguez on the road (5 – 4, 3.15). Dr. Jekyll, meet Mr. Hyde.

19. Minnesota Twins (52 – 53): It doesn’t matter if the Twins make the playoffs or not, Joe Mauer is the best player in the American League and the most valuable player as well. He’s going to hit .350 with 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in while catching nearly 140 games and missing the first month of the season. The last time a catcher batted above .350 with 30+ homers and 100+ rbi in a single season was Mike Piazza in 1997 when he hit .362 with 40 homers and 124 runs batted in. You’ve taken the leap to the next level Joe Mauer.

18. New York Mets (50 – 54): A New York Mets commercial for an upcoming game showed a montage of David Wright highlights and had the caption “He hasn’t given up yet and neither should you.” Yep, there you go. The 2009 New York Mets: Playing mediocre baseball since April 6th.

17. Milwaukee Brewers (52 – 53): Prince Fielder is on pace to hit over 40 home runs and have nearly 150 runs batted in. He just turned 25 years old. He’s 280lbs of salad eating, vegan power.

16. Seattle Mariners (54 – 51): Ichiro Suzuki is in his 9th career major league baseball season and has amassed 1,958 career hits. If you add that to the 1,278 career hits he had in Japan and Ichiro Suzuki is nearing 3,300 career hits. Easily a 1st ballot Hall of Famer and will arguably be one of the greatest right fielders in baseball history.

15. Atlanta Braves (53 – 51): With the impressive starting rotation the Braves boast with Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe at the helm, the Braves should be a lot better than hovering around .500 on the season. If Chipper Jones and Brian McCann start hitting the way they’re capable of (and they’re showing signs of life), the Braves could make a late summer push towards the top.

14. Chicago White Sox (54 – 52): This past weekends 4 game series against the Yankees where the White Sox took 3 of 4 was definitely Gordon Beckham’s coming out party going 7 of 19 with 5 doubles and 8 runs batted in. He’s only 22 and he hasn’t even started hitting for power yet. Bad news for the rest of the AL Central.

13. Florida marlins (55 – 50): Cody Ross is second on the team in home runs with 17, trailing only Dan Uggla’s 19. Bet you didn’t know that. If Josh Johnson (10 – 2, 2.87) was in the American League, he’d be in the Cy Young debate, but pitching in the National League against the likes of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain and he’ll be lucky to garner a vote.

12. Detroit Tigers (54 – 49): After just acquiring lefty Jarrod Washburn (8 – 6, 2.64), the Tigers boast the best 1 – 3 starting rotation in the American League with hard throwing Justin Verlander (12 – 5, 3.16) and Edwin Jackson (7 – 5, 2.64).

11. Tampa Bay Rays (57 – 48): Tampa has stolen a league high 142 stolen bases and at the end of the season will have one player with at least 50 stolen bases, one player with 40 stolen bases and another with 30 stolen bases. They like to run. Might as well just sign Usain Bolt and stick him at DH.

10. Chicago Cubs (55 – 48): In the 4 weeks since Aramis Ramirez has returned from a shoulder injury, the Cubs have taken off, going 15 – 8 while Ramirez has batted .338 with 5 homers and 17 runs batted and a .409 on base percentage.

9. St. Louis Cardinals (58 – 50): The Good: In the 11 games Matt Holliday has been a Cardinal, he’s hit .540 with 3 homers and 10 runs batted in. The Bad: In the 11 games since Matt Holliday has been a Cardinal, Albert Pujols has hit .200 with 0 homers and 2 runs batted in.

8. Colorado Rockies (58 – 47): The Rockies have 5 players in their offense who are on pace to hit over 20 home runs and 80 rbi (Todd Helton, Brad Hawpe, Troy Tulowitzki, Clint Barmes, Ian Stewart).

7. San Francisco Giants (58 – 47): You know the numbers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have put up this season (combined 24 – 5 with a 2.15 era in 43 starts), but the really amazing feat of the Giants pitching staff is their bullpen. Jeremy Affeldt, Justin Miller and Brandon Medders are having outstanding seasons setting up closer Brian Wilson (27 saves, 3.04 era).

6. Texas Rangers (59 – 44): With the emergence as Scott Feldman as a true #2 starter behind ace Kevin Millwood and the Rangers bullpen being re-solidified at the back end with C.J. Wilson, they’re poised to continue their surprising run in just the 2nd year under the guidance of team President Nolan Ryan.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (59 – 44): Cliff Lee pitched a complete game and scattered 4 hits in his Philly debut Friday night in San Francisco. Can you say World Series favorites?

4. Boston Red Sox (62 – 42): Trading for Victor Martinez isn’t going to fix the problems in their rotation. John Smoltz, Clay Buchholz and Brad Penny have gone a combined 10 – 10 with a 5.64 era in 31 starts. Not too great when they’re your #3 – 5 starters.

3. New York Yankees (63 – 42): Sergio Mitre has a 7.98 era and a whip of 1.98 in 3 short outings in the Yankee rotation. Help is needed. Paging Mike Mussina, paging Mike Mussina, you are requested in the Bronx. But really, it’s going to be Sidney Ponson, we all know it.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (63 – 40): And people thought the Angels would miss Mark Teixeira’s bat in the lineup? All due respect to Teixeira, but Kendry Morales is having a stellar offensive season belting 23 home runs and 53 extra base hits to go along with 69 runs batted in.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (65 – 40): Andre Ethier is having a career year batting .274 with 22 home runs and 67 runs batted in. And the Athletics traded him for Milton Bradley in 2005. Remember that questionable talent evaluating skill of Billy Beane I mentioned at #25, well this proves it.

The Roy Halladay Sweepstakes

2009-07-21T04:31:00.004-04:00

With the trade deadline fast approaching (10 days away), I thought it’d be a neat idea to run through a list of potential individuals to be traded over the next week and a half and the likeliest landing spots for them. I decided to start that concept off today with the hottest debated topic in baseball right now, Roy Halladay.

Unless you spend your days living in an old Volkswagen Scirocco and have no contact with the outside world, you’ve obviously heard of Roy Halladay. You’ve also heard that Roy Halladay is currently on the trading block and as many as a possible dozen teams are vying for his services. If he is traded, he will instantly make whatever team he is on, the favorites to win the World Series. He has that sort of impact on a game.

This season Halladay has an 11 – 3 record with a 2.73 era in 132 innings. Over the course of his career, he has a 142 – 69 lifetime record and an astonishing 44 complete games (nearly unheard of in this day and age of 5 inning pitchers). He has a fairly reasonable contract that will pay him roughly $20 million over the next 18 months before he is eligible for free agency. The Toronto Blue Jays General Manager J.P. Ricciardi will obviously be looking for an exorbitant amount of talent in return for Halladay, so any team hoping to acquire him will need to be willing to suffer a great deal of pain.

Just where will he go? Let’s dissect and analyze that right now!

We’ll first start off by giving every team in baseball the same equal shot at acquiring Roy Halladay and then eliminate them piece by piece based on Halladay’s preferences in accepting a trade (he has a full no trade clause and must accept any tentative deal) or just the sheer possibility of a particular team acquiring him.

Firstly, Roy Halladay has stated all along he prefers to play for a championship contending team (sorry San Diego, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Washington, Oakland, Cleveland, Kansas City and Baltimore. I really thought you had a chance).

That was pretty easy, one question and 1/3 of the league is already eliminated! Next up, you have to factor in a teams financial situation to be able to absorb the monetary cost of acquiring that type of impact player (sorry to Houston, Milwaukee, Florida and Minnesota. Thanks for playing).

Lastly, you need to think about the teams in baseball that clearly lack the minor league talent to acquire a player of this magnitude and not entirely mortgage your future and still be capable of fielding a respectable farm system (that means you; Colorado, Cubs, Atlanta, Detroit, Mets and Seattle).

Alright, after asking and answering those 3 questions, it leaves us with 10 teams. (San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Texas, Anaheim, White Sox, Tampa Bay, the Yankees and Boston). That sounds about right, remember before I said up to a dozen teams would be vying for Halladay? And you thought I was kidding, huh?

But, oh yeah, before we even get into our “Top 10 likely landing spots for Roy Halladay,” I completely forgot about Halladay’s preference to play for a team that trains in Florida during the spring. (Hey, he’s got a blanket no trade clause, he could say he wants to play for a team whose stadium’s outfield is pointed west towards the setting sun).

So, factoring in the teams who play in the Grapefruit League during Spring training, that potentially eliminates another handful of teams who play in the Cactus League in Arizona (Apologies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Texas, Anaheim and the White Sox. You were so close!! Please accept this complimentary fruit basket and your very own copy of “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” because well, the only thing keeping you from getting Halladay is he doesn’t like the heat, that’s unfair to you!)

Wow, so we’re down to 5 teams. Just 5 teams who have the need, organizational prospects and the financial capabilities to acquire the services of Doc Halladay. (Tampa Bay, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis) Oh, shoot! I forgot that Tampa Bay’s ownership said they can’t add on any more payroll this year, so they’re hands are tied! (Now that has to sting, huh? You’ve got the prospects but can’t back it up with your wallet. Tough break. At least you field a terrific team in front of a sell out crowd every night! Wait, really? You’re telling me that the defending American League Champions have the 5th lowest attendance rate in baseball? No way, the Washington Nationals and Kansas City Royals average more fans per game? No kidding! Well, it could be worse. You could be Pittsburgh)

Alright, alright, for real this time, we are down to just 4 teams who are capable of giving J.P. Ricciardi what he wants for Roy Halladay, being able to stomach the financial cost of it all and not mortgage your future by gutting your farm system. Those 4 teams are the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Time to break it down in order of who has the best chance at making the big splash for Halladay before the deadline.

4. Boston Red Sox:

Why they will: The Red Sox starting rotation has considerable question marks outside of top-2 Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. Although Tim Wakefield is 11 – 3 and fresh off his first all-star game, his era is still above the league average and he’s just luckier during his starts than actually dominating the competition. Couple that with the fact Daisuke Matsuzaka is injured (as well as ineffective), Brad Penny and John Smoltz haven’t exactly pitched up to the standards as being the “saviors” to the Red Sox rotation (combined 7 – 7 record with a 5.30 era, averaging just 5.3 innings per start).

What they’d have to give up: Like I said earlier, any team that makes a trade for Roy Halladay is going to have to suffer with giving up pieces they really cherish. Wave goodbye to 24 year old Clay Buchholz who already has a no hitter under his belt. Also, bid adieu to 22 year old flame-throwing Michael Bowden, who has posted a 3.13 era at triple-a Pawtucket this season. You can also rest assured that the Blue Jays would request 21 year old Lars Anderson. After those three must haves, the Jays would want a few of their lesser prospects like short stop Argenias Diaz and left fielder Ryan Kalish. That’s a steep price to pay for 18 months of a 32 year old starting pitcher.

Why they won’t: The question marks at the back end of the Red Sox rotation aren’t nearly as important as their offensive struggles. The Red Sox desperately need to add another bat to their lineup. Dustin Pedroia, reigning American League MVP has seen his power numbers drop by nearly 60% since last season. There hasn’t been a power outage that bad since the New York City blackout of 1977. David Ortiz is still hovering around the .220 mark. Right fielder J.D. Drew is hitting .239, catcher Jason Varitek’s average is down to .234, it goes on and on. Jason Bay, who carried the Red Sox for the first 2 months of the season, has gone into tailspin over the past 4 weeks, batting just .184 with 2 home runs. Even Grizzly Adams himself, Kevin Youkilis is only batting in the low .260’s over the past 6 weeks. They. Need. Help.

Odds of a Halladay trade: 20 to 1

What will likely happen: The Red Sox don’t pull the trigger on any Roy Halladay deals and instead you’ll see them acquire a Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff-esque player to provide insurance to their aging and meandering offense.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

Why they will: The Cardinals have a good team, not a great team. They are currently leading the National League Central with a 2 game lead over the Chicago Cubs. Adding Roy Halladay would put them far and above any other team in their division and would put them ahead of the Dodgers as the favorite’s in the National League. Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak has already shown he isn’t afraid to make a trade, with his recent acquisition of Mark Derosa, which cost the Cardinals a valuable set-up man from their bullpen. No team in baseball would be able to beat Halladay, Carpenter, Wainwright in a 7 game series. That’s as good as you can find. Don’t forget to factor in the success that Kyle Lohse and Joel Piniero have seen this season as well. The Cardinals, unlike the Yankees or the Red Sox, don’t have the same long-term window of sustained success. If they think they can win the World Series if they make this trade, they will do it, plain and simple.

What they’d have to give up: The Blue Jays want an impact player in return, kiss Colby Rasmus goodbye. Outside of Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick, Rasmus has been an absolute offensive beast for them. Having a terrific rookie season at the age of 22, Rasmus has hit .269 with 11 home runs and 40 extra base hits. He’s been good and will only get better. He’ll blossom into a 30+ home run guy within 2 seasons. So, try stomaching that loss when he’s playing left field for Toronto. The Blue Jays would also want a top prospect infielder, preferably a third baseman, but Brett Wallace and his .302 average at triple-a will do just fine. You can’t get Roy Halladay with just 2 players though, so you can add in reliever Jason Motte, 22-year old right hander Lance Lynn (9 – 2, 3.50 era) and Scott Gorgen (4 – 6, 3.40 era). Just be happy they wouldn’t ask for catching prospect Bryan Anderson as well, although I wouldn’t put it past them.
Why they won’t: You’d be adding a top-tier pitcher to combine with Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, but you’d be losing your one of your only offensive pieces outside of Albert Pujols in doing so. Sure, they’d only let up 3 runs a game, but you’d be relying on Pujols to score you 4. The Cardinals would love to add Halladay, but I think the asking price of the Blue Jays is too steep even for the Cardinals to part with, despite the undeniable difference he would make. Their team, as it stands right now, is more than capable of winning their division, as well as putting up a valiant fight with the Phillies or Dodgers for the National League Pennant. Every championship team wins with strong starting pitching and a good bullpen. The Cardinals have 2 of the best starters in the National League in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter and their closer Ryan Franklin has a 0.76 era. Check and mate.

Odds of a Halladay trade: 12 to 1

What will likely happen: The Cardinals stand pat on the Roy Halladay front and instead trade for Jon Garland or Doug Davis of the Diamondbacks. Don’t sleep on them making a moderate splash in the trade market and see them target Indians lefty Cliff Lee, either.

2. New York Yankees

Why they will: Chien-Ming Wang is likely out for the rest of the season and had a 1 – 6 record prior to his injury. Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain (8 – 5, 5 – 2 respectively) have been off and on with their level of consistencies throughout the season. The Yankees are heavily relying on either Sergio Mitre or (if they go this route again) Alfredo Aceves to replace Wang in the rotation. They currently sit tied for the American League East with the Boston Red Sox and are in prime position to make a run at not only the Pennant, but a World Series run as well. Given the fact that the core of the Yankees over the last decade (Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera) is seeing their respective careers near the end, the Yankees may see this as their best shot to get a ring.

What they’d have to give up: Well Yankee fans, this is where it hurts. Right now, just look at a picture of either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes wearing a Yankee uniform, because it’d be the last time you’d see one of them donning it. You can also bet they’d have to part with one of Jesus Montero (19 years old, the next Miguel Cabrera…next season) and Austin Jackson (tremendous upside, could be a Torri Hunter type center fielder). Then you have to also part ways with serviceable prospects, in the lines of 21 year old Zach McAllister who is shooting his way through the organization or catcher Austin Romine. The odds of having to give up a Mark Melancon or a David Robertson is also increasingly likely too. Is it worth it?

Why they won’t: It goes against the way Brian Cashman does business. He doesn’t make short sighted moves at the drop of a hat, just because there’s a pressing need right away. When an injury (Wang) or inconsistencies (Joba/Pettitte) happen, Cashman always finds a low-cost solution in-season. You rarely see him pull the plug on a blockbuster trade, it’s not the way his mind operates. Even with Wang injured and the Yankees relying on an unknown (Sergio Mitre) to provide them with much needed support, I don’t see Cashman changing his way of doing business. He won’t strip the farm system of his best prospects for a season and a half of Roy Halladay. Price is too steep.

Odds of a Halladay Trade: 9 to 1

What will likely happen: With Brian Cashman’s newfound mantra of retaining prospects who show tremendous upside, Jesus Montero, et al won’t be dealt. The Yankees will pull the trigger on a dealing a low level prospect to acquire a Doug Davis or Ian Snell type pitcher who is a low risk, high reward. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see them sign free agent Mark Mulder (who is nearly fully recovered from various shoulder injuries) or former Yankee Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez (who was recently released by the Texas Rangers).

1. Philadelphia Phillies

Why they will: The Phillies won the World Series last year, if they added Roy Halladay this season, watch out. They would be the favorites this year and next to win the World
Series and would have the opportunity to have a mini-dynasty. The Phillies are in prime position to run away with the National League East and challenge the Dodgers as the best team in the National League. Even though they’re in first place, their starting rotation could use the improvement. Their #2 starter Brett Myers is out for the rest of the season with a hip injury, Antonio Bastardo who filled in for him is injured as well. Their ‘ace’ Cole Hamels is just 5 – 5 with a 4.72 era. Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer, ( a combined 15 – 10, with a 5.01 era) haven’t been overly dominant or consistent at any point this season. If not for the emergence as J.A. Happ (7 – 0, 2.68 era), the Phillies would not be in the position that they are. They have won 9 in a row and have been the best road team in baseball, even with their rotational issues. Roy Halladay would absolutely put this team over the top.

What they’d have to give up: The price would be steep, but the Phillies certainly have the pieces and the depth of their farm system to sustain the losses they would incur. Start right off the bat with giving up 23 year old outfielder Michael Taylor and his .325 average and 16 home runs in the minor leagues. Everybody touts Jason Donald as being a top short stop prospect for Philadelphia, that they aren’t willing to part with. Frankly, I’ve seen the kid play in the minors, he’s nothing special. If Toronto wants him, give him up. He’s got absolutely no range and a swing that has more holes than Swiss cheese. He’ll be a forgotten prospect, before he’s even a decent major leaguer. The Phillies could get away with not giving up Taylor if they would be wiling to part with 22 year old highly touted prospect Carlos Carracco ( 6 – 8, 4.97) or 21 year old Kyle Drabek (9 – 2, 2.83). After giving up at least 2 of those 4 individuals, the Phillies would need to add in second and third tier prospects to get the deal done, like John Mayberry Jr., Yohan Flande and Joe Savery.

Why they won’t: I would really like to say that the Phillies will land Halladay. Frankly, a week ago, I would have said “there’s no doubt in my mind.” But, with the Phillies having won 9 in a row and opened up a comfortable lead in the NL East, I don’t see the pressing need for it anymore. They won the World Series last year with roughly the same team, they can do it again.
Odds of a Halladay trade: 4 to 1

What will likely happen: Halladay doesn’t end up in Philly by the trade deadline. They run the gambit with Pedro Martinez and stay as they’re currently assembled.

Where Roy Halladay Ends Up

Call me crazy, but I think Roy Halladay stays put. I can just as easily be dead wrong with everything I laid out and analyzed and Halladay could be pitching for someone like the Houston Astros by dinner time. But, based on everything I know, have read, my opinion and just the way the standings are starting to shape up, Halladay stays put at the deadline.

But, he won’t stay in Toronto for long. He’ll be gone in the off-season. And I’ll put all my money in the basket and say he gets traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, for roughly the same package I outlined previously and signs a 5 year, $90 million contract extension.

Am I wrong? Probably. But, if I’m right? There’s no telling how large my ego will grow to from this point forward!

Back at it soon with another edition of “who gets traded at the deadline!”

Until next time…

Game 92: Orioles at Yankees Game Review

2009-07-20T21:56:00.006-04:00

The New York Yankees (54 – 37) opened up a 3 game series against the Baltimore Orioles (41 – 50) at Yankee Stadium tonight. The pitching match-up saw left handed Andy Pettitte (8 – 5, 4.85) take on right handed David Hernandez (2 – 2, 3.94).

Baltimore Orioles

The Good: David Hernandez. He battled early, but hung tough and pitched a simply outstanding ball game. Impressive start for the youngster. Nick Markakis is a terrific outfielder and an outstanding hitter. He’s going to be mashing home runs against New York for the next decade.

The Bad: The Orioles base-running. Robinson Cano faked out Luke Reimold and Cesar Izturis into thinking line drives off the right field wall were ground balls and forced them into sliding, which kept them from scoring. Then Brian Roberts gets thrown out at the plate on a ball that only got 3 feet away from Jose Molina with 2 outs, with their hottest hitter at the plate. That’s just poor baseball; you need to be more heads up than that guys.

New York Yankees

The Good: Eric Hinske hit his 4th home run in only 13 at bats as a Yankee. He needs more playing time. I know he isn’t this good, but Swisher is batting .203 in the last month. Give him a break and let Hinske take some hacks! Andy Pettitte was terrific tonight. 7.1 innings and 8 strikeouts. Season highs in both categories. Mark Teixeira is the best fielding first baseman the Yankees have had since Don Mattingly (no offense Tino). The Yankees flashed some serious leather tonight and made heads up plays all around. Oh yea, I called Hideki Matsui’s walk-off home run. I’m good.

The Bad: While David Hernandez pitched extremely well for the Orioles, the Yankees inability to hit with runners in scoring position and really put the screws to a young pitcher on the ropes, rears its ugly head again. That’s really going to affect them sooner or later.

Outcome: Yankees win 2 – 1 on a walk-off home run from Hideki Matsui. Your winning pitcher is Alfredo Aceves ( 6 – 1) and your losing pitcher Jim Johnson (3 – 4). The Yankees move to a season high 18 games over .500 at 55 – 37 and the Orioles fall to 41 – 51.

Random Thoughts

1. Charlie Weiss’ son threw out the first pitch before the game tonight. Don’t understand why he did and not Weiss himself. But, I did notice that Weiss is getting so fat that I think the Yankees need to re-sod the grass where he stood because he killed it.

2. The Mets rejected a proposal from J.P. Ricciardi that would have them send Jon Niese, Fernando Martinez, Bobby Parnell and Ruben Tejada for Roy Halladay.

3. No, really, they did. They were giving up crap, overrated-ness, lack of skill and nobody to get the best pitcher in the American League and Minaya says “nah.” Ladies and Gentleman, your 2009 New York Mets

4. Andy Pettitte should NEVER start games at Yankee Stadium. He’s just been brutal here. (tonight not included) He’s the anti-Wandy Rodriguez (who is phenomenal at home for the Astros)

5. Nick Markakis has an absolute rocket for an arm. He held at least 3 runners to singles tonight, just because he’s got a weapon of mass destruction attached to his right arm. (get it? It’s a rocket! Haha I’ll be here all week folks)

6. Spike Lee was at the Yankee game tonight. I think he should make a sequel to “He Got Game”, but have it starring Robinson Cano. He should call it “He Got Game: Unless There’s a RISP”

7. Prediction: Eric Hinske is going to be Shane Spencer circa 1998. He’ll hit a bunch of home runs, became an instant folk hero, then you’ll never hear from him again. (See also: Maas, Kevin and Duncan, Shelley)

8. Most pitching staffs have the motto “first pitch strike.” Do the Yankees use the motto “first batter walk?”

9. Is there anybody in baseball who can pull off that 360 throw that Derek Jeter does?

10. It’s an absolute breath of fresh air to see a Yankee first baseman who can make a throw to second base. (that’s painful for me to say, since I LOVE Jason Giambi)

11. Can’t wait for the Yankees to sign Nick Markakis in the winter of 2018 when he’s over the hill and on the downswing of his career, just because he spent the previous decade killing us. You know, like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco, etc.

12. It’s nice to see umpires get close plays correctly! It seems so often lately that the umpires inconsistencies have been exploited to a greater degree. But, they were very good tonight.

13. Random NFL tidbit for you, Sinorice Moss spends far too much time twittering than he does learning how to be a football player

14. Random MLB news for you; Mets manager Jerry Manuel said that pitcher Livan Hernandez could start seeing some playing time at first base or right field. Ladies and Gentleman, once again, you’re New York Mets!

Until next time...

What the future holds and a new Ramey's Rants regular feature

2009-07-17T22:48:00.010-04:00

I’ve been thinking of ways I could spice up the blog a bit and to add a few new elements for my readers to enjoy and I decided that once training the NFL preseason starts, I’ll cover all 32 teams in 32 days with season previews, leading up to the beginning of the regular season.

I will also be providing weekly picks on who I think will win throughout the course of the season. Basically, if you actually value my opinion that much and make wagers based on what I think, I take full credit for all winnings and no liability for any losses incurred.

And for the rest of the baseball season, I will be providing Yankee game reviews. Will I do it for every game? Probably not. Will I try and do it for as many games possible? Definitely. We all know I never miss a game, so I’ll provide you with my insights on how the game turned out, whether positive or negative for the Yankees. I’ll share the good and the bad I saw for each team during the game and then a few random thoughts as well. All of that business taken care of, let's get to the game.

Game 89: Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees

The New York Yankees (51 – 37) opened up the second half of the season tonight taking on the American League Central leading Detroit Tigers (48 – 39) at Yankee stadium.

Detroit Tigers

The Good: Curtis Granderson continues his All-Star season in impressive fashion having two hard hits including a home run and exhibited great range in center field. Miguel Cabrera shows it doesn’t matter how big his waist may get, he will always flat out rake, picking up another two hits against the Yankees. He’s gotten a hit in every game he’s ever played against New York.

The Bad: Terrible team defense as errors by Clete Thomas, Josh Anderson and Brandon Inge indirectly led to 2 runs scored by the Yankees and could have been much more. Joel Zumaya’s rocky season continues as he allows 5 hits and 3 runs, raising his season era to 4.94.

New York Yankees

The Good: Mark Teixeira seems to have finally busted out of that month long slump he was in, collecting 3 hits and 3 rbi, including a monster 3 run home run in the 7th inning to put the Yankees ahead for good. Melky Cabrera’s 2 outfield assists definitely helps the Yankees show that not all their outfielders have poor arms. Phil Hughes was downright filthy tonight, recording 6 strikeouts in 2 innings of scoreless relief.

The Bad: The Yankees offense continues to squander opportunity after opportunity. They had Luke French battling on the ropes on three occasions, but couldn’t come up with the big hit. Yankee pitchers continue to have trouble throwing strikes. It’s been a problem for them all season and will continue to be throughout the rest of the season. Leadoff walks to start innings and lack of control will always come back to bite you. They dodged a bullet that Burnett only allowed 3 runs.

The Outcome: Yankees win 5 – 3. Your winning pitcher is Phil Hughes (4 – 2) and the losing pitcher is Joel Zumaya (3 – 3). Mariano Rivera picked up the save, his 24th of the season and 506th of his career.

Random Thoughts:

1. Derek Jeter swings at the first pitch WAY too much. It’s getting to the point of being ridiculous. Vegas should start wagering on the odds of Jeter actually taking the first pitch of an at bat. If I were the Vegas odds maker, here’s how I would view it: in the first inning, you’d have the odds be set at 500 to 1 that Jeter takes the first pitch. As you progress through the game the odds will obviously decrease, say in the third inning the odds go down to 9 to 2. By the sixth inning, you’re living pretty at a cool 5 to 2 odds that he’d take the first pitch. But, if it’s a close game late, then the odds jump back up to at least 250 to 1 that Jeter takes a pitch. Why am I the only one that realizes this? Never throw him a first pitch fastball and you will get him out 85% of the time.

2. The way the Tigers scored their first run was something the Yankees are never able to do. It was sound, fundamental baseball. Get him on, get him over, get him in. 28 other teams in baseball can do it, yet the two teams in New York can’t?

3. Robinson Cano makes every play seem effortless and smooth. He’s a much better fielder than anybody gives him credit for.

4. Luke French didn’t overpower the Yankees in any way, he wasn’t fooling them on the mound and he was in trouble 60% of the time, but he kept them off the scoreboard. Even though the Yankees have a surprisingly good record against rookie starters this season and over the past few years, doesn’t it seem like they never win these games?

5. Can’t it be extremely hard to watch A.J. Burnett pitch sometimes? He’s either going to be lights out and impressive, or the lights off and he’s terrible. Tonight was more lights off than lights out. While his final line of 6 innings, 6 hits and 3 runs is deemed a quality start, he was anything but tonight. The 5 walks and 1 hit batsman, not to mention the complete lack of control Burnett had tonight weren’t good. But, he battled and kept the Yankees in the game.

6. The Yankees ability to overcome deficits completely astonishes me. There is no game they are entirely out of. This was their major league leading 12th victory when trailing after 6 innings. To the very last out they are a team of 25 fighters . It’s fun, yet agonizing to watch.

7. Josh Anderson is going to be a very, very good player. He has tremendous plate discipline and outstanding speed.

8. Clete Thomas is going to be one heck of a ball player too.

9. Jorge Posada’s throws like my mother. Actually, that’s an insult to my mother. Jim Abbott could throw harder with his right hand and he doesn’t even have one.

10. Johnny Damon should practice sliding, because his pseudo-slide/fall flat on his face at home plate wasn’t pretty to see.

11. Remember when Joel Zumaya was going to be the next phenom closer in baseball? Yea, me either. He’s certainly fallen off the face of the earth. He throws the ball 100mph consistently, but, like many flame throwers has no idea where it’s going. Say hello to the next Kyle Farnsworth.

12. Taiwanese pitcher Fu-Te Ni came on in relief for the Tigers. His first and last name is a total of 6 letters. Is that a record for shortest full name in the world? Or, is there a Jon Wu, somewhere out there that I’m not aware of? Somebody research this and get back to me.

13. With the bases empty, Robinson Cano is a modern day Rod Carew batting 353. this season and .322 for his career. But, with runners in scoring position, he transforms into Mario Mendoza batting a paltry .211 and a below average .261 for his career.

14. The Yankees looked half asleep through the first 6 innings of this game until Phil Hughes came in for the 7th and immediately started blowing fastballs by the Detroit Hitters.

15. Speaking of Phil, for any person who thinks that Joba Chamberlain should be put back into the bullpen and Phil Hughes inserted into the rotation, just stop that nonsense. Hughes has now become the Yankees biggest asset. He is pitching with the same confidence and swagger that Joba Chamberlain had out of the pen 2 years ago. He’s on an entire other level right now physically. He hit 97mph on at least two occasions tonight. Until now, I have never seen Hughes do that before. Leave him be. We’re watching something remarkable.

Until next time...

A little Friday morning creativity

2009-07-17T03:50:00.004-04:00

As most of you know, New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain has been struggling recently and is likely pitching to keep his spot in the rotation during his next start. While it must be tough on Joba to be pitching so poorly, it must be just as tough on his manager Joe Girardi as well. With Joba’s do or die start coming on Sunday afternoon, I thought it’d be the perfect time for another bout of random creativity and to write a song from the perspective of Joe Girardi, appealing to Joba Chamberlain to show some improvement. Hope you enjoy…

(Sung to the tune of “Lord, I hope this day is good” by Don Williams)

I hope this start goes well

Joba, I hope this start goes well
You’ve been lookin shaky and it’s easy to tell
You should be winning, Joba, don’t make me yell
But Joba, I hope this start goes well

Joba, did you forget how to throw
I’ve been prayin that you still do know
I’m not saying that you need to thrive
But Joba I hope you can go five

I don't need fist pumps and I don't need k's
Throw them the slider, Joba, down and away
But when you're pitching, looking for strike three
Plan a good pitch for me

Joba, I hope this start goes well
You’ve been lookin shaky and it’s easy to tell
You should be winning, Joba, don’t make me yell
But Joba, I hope this start goes well

Out of the pen you were the best we had
All that I’m askin is for a little less bad
It might be hard for Pettitte to do
But it should be easy for you

Joba, I hope this start goes well
You’ve been lookin shaky and it’s easy to tell
You should be winning, Joba, don’t make me yell
But Joba, I hope this start goes well

National League East Second Half Preview

2009-07-16T07:03:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are in first place, sporting a 48 - 38 record and currently have a 4 game lead over the Florida Marlins. They just got Raul Ibanez back from injury and Jimmy Rollins has finally begun to show some signs of life at the plate. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are having their typical All-Star seasons. Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz have been solid contributors to the offense as well. Jayson Werth undoubtedly was the Phillies biggest surprise of the first half, blowing up to the point of 20 home runs and 56 runs batted in. Their offense isn't where they need any help.

J.A. Happ has been a welcomed addition to their starting rotation. In just 87 innings he has posted a 6 - 0 record and a 2.30 era. The rest of the starting rotation, Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Brett Myers (when he was healthy), Antonio Bastardo (when he was healthy) have all been downright terrible. The Phillies are certainly lucky that they are playing in such a weak division, or they would find themselves in serious trouble.

The Phillies will certainly be active at the trading deadline, in the market for starting pitching. Signing Pedro Martinez today was a very good start, he should be an added boost to the back end of their rotation. While he obviously isn't the pitcher he once was, he is much better than the 5.61 era he posted last season. If he pitches somewhere in between, the Phillies front office and fans will be extremely pleased. But, that won't be nearly enough! They need a top of the line, front-end starter. If they can't put a package together to get Roy Halladay (you'd have to lose Kyle Drabek, sorrrry), maybe they could package some lesser talent together to snatch Cliff Lee from the Indians. Or better yet, call the Orioles, see if you can put something together for Jeremy Guthrie. You need to get creative in your thinking, because you'll win the division with the team you currently have put together, but you don't have enough to repeat as champions. Yet...

Florida Marlins

The Marlins are a team a lot of people like. They're sneaky good, one of those teams that lurk in the shadows before making their move. They are perfectly placed as it stands right now at 46 - 44, they are just enough games out of the division race (4), where they think they have a realistic chance. And they're just as much in the wild card race as well (also 4), where the the playoffs are certainly a feasible goal to approach.

Offensively, you won't find many better. Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross have swung some mighty good bats at this juncture of the season. If Dan Uggla is able to do anything other than hit a home run or strike out and raise that average from the depths of Papi-land (that's the name for anyone who bats under .230 now, it's Papi-Land)

I'm really high on the Marlins pitching rotation. Josh Johnson is an absolute stud at the front of that pitching staff. And after a terrible start to his season that saw him get demoted to the minor leagues, Ricky Nolasco is finally beginning to show signs of life as well. If the Marlins are able to get any form of sustained consistency from Chris Volstad and Andrew Miller, they could have one of the best young rotations in baseball.

But, like every team it seems, the problems lie solely in the bullpen. Their closer Mark Lindstrom has been on the disabled list for over a month, but even when he was pitching he wasn't pitching well at all (to the tune of a 6.52 era). Set-up men Leo Nunez and Dan Meyer have certainly been the bright spot to the much maligned Marlins pen, along with Kiko Calero. I wouldn't be shocked one bit to see the Marlins call up the Diamondbacks and see what it would take to pry away closer Chad Qualls.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves saw themselves have a mediocre first half racking up a 43 - 45 record, which currently places then 6 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. While it would seem the Braves are in a world of trouble and are looking at missing out on the playoffs for yet another season, I see big things for the Braves in the second half. The Braves aren't lacking many pieces that would keep them from contending with the rest of the National League East, either.

Offensively is where the Braves find their biggest problem. Their offense is not only inconsistent, but they lack a true power presence in the lineup as well. Even with the addition of Nate McLouth last month, the Braves find their offense just sputtering around. Trading for another bat would do the Braves a world of difference. It doesn't even need to be a standout offensive force (although, packaging Yunel Escobar, Jordan Schafer and a few prospects to land Matt Holliday couldn't hurt), but rather someone such as the Orioles Aubrey Huff could help immensely.

Their pitching staff has shaped up nicely with Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez stepping up as a nice 1, 2 punch at the back end of the Braves bullpen and the off-season additions of Javier Vazquez and Derek Lowe constantly keeping their teams in the game. Youngsters Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson have certainly lived up to their expectations as well. With the likely return of former Oakland Athletics standout pitcher Tim Hudson sometime in mid-august from Tommy John Surgery, he could certainly be prove to be one of the pivotal acquisitions the Braves need in order to make a move in the second half.

New York Mets

Oh, the Mets. What can I say about the precious Mets. Well, on the bright side, you have a really fan friendly new stadium. On the negative side of things, IT'S BIGGER THAN YOSEMITE! But, that's not something you can change. You have to live with what you're given. The Mets can't make any trades. Your farm system is completely barren of talent and frankly, whatever talent you do have, is already on your starting roster. Injuries have hurt your team terribly. It's hard to bounce back from injuries to Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes. If you add that to the fact David Wright has played more like Jose Reyes this year than he has like David Wright (duh power hitting), your team isn't going to win many games.

Frankly though, you can't blame Jerry Manuel, you can't blame the players. Blame Omar Minaya. This is the team he gave you. Even without the injuries, did you honestly think you would be competitive with a rotation (behind Santana) of Maine, Pelfrey, Perez and Livan Hernandez? If you just said yes to that question, you're obviously a Mets homer, Mike Francessa or ESPN, because anybody without a bias, knew that the Mets rotation was garbage. Then, even with injuries to Oliver Perez and John Maine, you don't call up Pedro Martinez? Really? You let him sign with one of your biggest rivals, when your team is in shambles. That just doesn't make sense. I know he's not the Pedro of 10 years ago, but I still guarantee he's better than anything you have.

I don't see any second half win streak that gets the Mets back into the race. Even if you get huge contributions from Gary Sheffield and David Wright learns how to hit for power again, it just doesn't seem plausible. Getting back Reyes, Delgado and Beltran will certainly help, but, they can't pitch for you. I just have one question to ask Mets fans, before I move on. How's it feel to know you have Oliver Perez for at least another 3 years for all that money? (ouch, too soon?)

Washington Nationals

For the love of all that is good and holy, sign Stephen Strasburg. That's all you have to do. That's all you have to worry about. Who cares about your stupid team? You're terrible anyway. Nobody watches you play. Your fans don't even care about your team. All your fans care about is signing Stephen Strasburg. Dangle that carrot in front of his face and let him bite.

Reading that you have ONLY offered him a minor league contract makes me angry and I've never met the kid, nor will I ever meet the kid. That is an absolute (originally there was 5 or 6 expletive laced words written here that I've since removed because this is a family friendly blog) deal and we all know it. Offer him the contract he rightly deserves. If you screw this one up, no Nationals fan will EVER go to another game again.

And believe me, everybody wants the Nationals to sign Strasburg, they want to see this deal get done, because they want to see this kid pitch.

Well, everyone except people in Montreal. Those bitter Expos fans are laughing their asses off right now.

National League Central Second Half Preview

2009-07-16T06:59:00.003-04:00

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals currently find themselves at 49 - 42 and in first place in the NL Central. This is certainly a position not many people figured them to be in at the beginning of the season. They figure to be a factor the rest of the season as well, showing no signs of slowing down. Offensively, they have the greatest player on the planet in Albert Pujols leading them. I predict a second half explosion from Mr. Pujols that will see him win the triple crown award. I also see the Cardinals lose a bunch of games in the process, because there will be a time eventually that he gets the Barry Bonds treatment (repeated intentional walks) and force the other hitters in the lineup (Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, Mark DeRosa) to beat the opposing team.

That could very well be the achilles heel for the Cardinals. They have had much maligned hitting outside of Pujols and Colby Rasmus this season. Adding Mark DeRosa, who now finds himself on the disabled list helps, but they could use something more. (perhaps call up Billy Beane and see how Matt Holliday is feeling? Or call up the Pirates and ask about the availability of Jack Wilson? I'm not saying they need 40 home runs, they just need somebody to make contact).

On the pitching side of things, Adam Wainwright has been nothing short of their ace after the first half of the season and I see no reason why that won't continue into the second half. Chris Carpenter, even with his oblique injury from early in the season, seems to be rounding into top form and pitching like he used to. With Joel Piniero having a good first half and Kyle Lohse expected to get into the swing of things after being out so long with a forearm injury, the Cardinals can make some noise with their rotation. They aren't going away any time soon.

What can I say about their bullpen? Ryan Franklin is a beast. 0.79 era? Are you kidding me? Dude's got a sick beard too. After trading Chris Perez for Mark DeRosa last month, the Cardinals could use another arm in the pen, but I think with their rotation and Albert mashing at the plate, the second half should be just as good as the first half for the Cards.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers lost Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia in the off-season. Yet, somehow they are 45 - 43 and only 2.5 games behind the Central leading Cardinals. Words can't even express the surprise I have in that. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun have been nothing short of outstanding through the first half of the season, combining for 38 home runs and 136 runs batted in. Couple that with the impressive season Mike Cameron has had and their offense is in pretty good order. They could certainly use another bat, whether it's attempting to trade for a Victor Martinez type impact bat, or a lesser commodity such as an Aubrey Huff or a Garrett Atkins. They need to find some way to get something out of their middle infielders, which they are yet to do this year. Rickie Weeks' season ending injury hurts, as well as J.J. Hardy's struggles at the plate. I would mention Bill Hall, but he's so bad I won't even waste my breath.

Pitching wise, to quote Ryan Braun "they need some help". Yovani Gallardo is having a fine season with a 3.22 era, but he has just an 8 - 7 record to show for it. And after Gallardo, it gets pretty ugly. Jeff Suppan and Braden Looper both have era's near 5. Dave Bush has an era over 5.50 and Manny Parra was banished to the minor leagues, only to see himself and his 6.78 era get quickly recalled. They need to make a trade for somebody, badly. It doesn't matter if they somehow scrounge together enough prospects to make an offer for Roy Halladay (you'd have to lose either Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder though...), or lesser deals to get the likes of a Jon Garland. Hell, you made that blockbuster deal with the Indians last year for Sabathia, give them a call and see if you can replicate that for Cliff Lee. Either way, you need help and you need it now. The only way the Brewers can have a successful second half is to make a deal. Sadly, I don't think they will, so Milwaukee fans will have to look forward to a great year from their Bucks! (crap, sorry, they suck...ugh, wait till next year)

Chicago Cubs

To say the Cubs first half was a disappointment would be a colossal understatement. Having a .500 record at 43 - 43 after the first half of play, after being a consensus pick to win the division easily (and the World Series by some.....oops), the Cubbies have been the model of inconsistency throughout the year. Inconsistent hitting, mediocre pitching, shoddy defense, you name it, they've sucked at it.

But, I truly believe the Cubs can turn this around, after all, they are only 3.5 games out of first place and I think they can do it (mostly) internally. On the offensive side of things, the Cubs have seen themselves get incredibly under-whelming seasons thus far out of Alfonso Soriano, Mike Fontenot, Milton Bradley, reigning Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto and until recently first baseman Derrek Lee. With the recent return of All-Star third baseman Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs offense experienced a much needed jolt.

The only thing that could help the Cubs out more is if Alfonso Soriano remembered what a "base hit" was. He's been absolutely brutal batting a putrid (vocab word of the day) .233 and an on-base percentage of .298, which is bad even for him. In the ways of possible trades, the Cubs could look to acquire an Aubrey Huff type to add a little extra oomph to their lineup. They could also look to replace Mike Fontenot/Andres Blanco with a Felipe Lopez or a Ty Wiggington type as well. But, after missing out on re-acquiring Mark Derosa, I'm not sure the Cubbies will pull the trigger on any deals. It looks like the offensive woes may be up to Fonzi, Soto and Bradley (sounds like characters from Happy Days).

On the pitching side of things, if at the beginning of the year, I told you that Randy Wells and his 2.72 era would be the best pitcher the Cubs have had this season, in a rotation filled with Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden, how many of you would have agreed with me? Nobody, exactly. The Cubs starting rotation could not be any more shakey than it is right now. Carlos Zambrano is a walking, talking, psychotic bomb waiting to explode at the drop of the hat. Ryan Dempster may be either the most hard lucked SOB or the most fragile, after breaking his toe and landing on the disabled list. Rich Harden, (oh wait, here's the most fragile human being alive), has pitched terribly in his return from his normal first half disabled list trip. But, on the bright side, Harden is likely to string together a beautiful string of 7 or 8 starts and go on a nice run...before he gets injured again. Seriously, wait for it. It's going to happen. Write that down right now.

The bullpen headed by the likes of Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg, has sure been a roller coaster ride of excitement for Lou Pinella, since Marmol is a one man Jekkyl and Hyde show. Relying too heavily on arms like Aaron Heilman, Jeff Samardzija and Sean Marshall could end up biting the Cubs right in the behind. They're definitely in the market for whatever arms may be available. Regardless of all that, I still think the Cubs can turn it around and get back to their winning ways (....after over 100 years)

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a tough team to gauge. While their 44 - 44 record and being tied with the Cubs for 3rd place in the NL Central, unlike the Cubs, I think the Astros are going in the other direction. I don't think they have the talent to stay competitive with the likes of the Cardinals, Cubs or Brewers for the remainder of the season.

It's because of that, I think they will likely be sellers come the trade deadline and not much of a factor in the playoff hunt come late-August and September. They certainly boast a number of interesting trade candidates, should they choose to go that route. Short Stop Miguel Tejada is having a phenomenal year, batting .329 with 7 home runs and could see himself traded to a team that has a glaring need in the infield (Boston Red Sox). Center Fielder Michael Bourn is having a terrific year with a .286 average and 32 stolen bases. He could provide much needed speed in the outfield and on the bench for any number of teams (Cubs, Tigers, Mets, Angels).

The pitching staff boasts two arms that would be ultimately valuable to at least half of the league; Latroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde. Last season, Latroy Hawkins couldn't get a single person out as a member of the Yankees. After being traded mid-season to the Astros, it seems Hawkins found the fountain of youth (of a vile of Tejada's "vitamin b12"), and he hasn't missed a beat yet this season posting a 2.39 era with 10 saves. Jose Valverde, has bounced back nicely from an early season injury and has struck out more than 1 batter per inning and posted a 3.43 era. Either one of those men would be welcomed additions to any bullpen in the league.

Hopefully the Astros don't get caught up in "pennant race fever" and actually think they can keep up for the rest of the season with the other teams. It's not likely and it won't end well. Trade some of the valuable pieces you have and see yourself get a few good prospects in return.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds may find themselves only 5 games out of first place with the second half on the horizon, but with a 42 - 45 record and behind 4 other teams in their division, they aren't looking to be much of a factor. Outside of Joey Votto, (who has come back strong since he was out dealing with personal issues) and Brandon Phillips, the Reds don't really have any outstanding offensive players. Jay Bruce has sure hit for some great power this season, but with a batting average hovering around the .200 mark and now being out 6 weeks with a broken wrist, the Reds find themselves in an odd position. Do they stand pat and not make any deals, hoping to build toward next season? Or, do they consider themselves sellers and start selling off pieces (Willy Taveras or out of the bullpen Arthur Rhodes and Nick Masset. Perhaps a starting pitcher and Bronson Arroyo (Mike Francessa would sure love that) ) Let me be the first to say that while the Reds have certainly had a first half of the season to be proud of, it's time to pack it in guys. Wait till next year, and see if you can make some noise in the NL Central!

Pittsburgh Pirates

To put this simply, the Pirates in the first half, are what they are in the second half of every season, terrible. Your offense is bad, your pitching is bad, you've got no hope. You'll probably trade Adam Laroche, but it doesn't matter. Your team is just bad. Zach Duke is your only star on the pitching staff and Andrew McCutchen is a superstar in the making. But, you're the personal trading partner for the New York Yankees and the rest of baseball.

In the last year alone, the Pirates have traded an entire outfield of Jason Bay, Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady, as well as Eric Hinske and Damaso Marte.

You can rest assured in the next 2 weeks before the trading deadline, the Pirates will be actively shopping their players. It's like a tag sale. Cheap items, available for even cheaper prices. Matt Capps? Take him. Jack Wilson? Give us $20. Freddy Sanchez? Make me a BLT. It's ridiculous.

The Pirates should probably change their name to "Pittsburgh Movers" and their motto should be "where players go to be relocated across America."

National League West Second Half Preview

2009-07-16T06:54:00.003-04:00

Los Angeles Dodgers

There's not much to say about this team, except, I don't know how Joe Torre does it. I wrote him off as a manager that walked into success with the Yankees and that he would be nothing more than "Clueless Joe" that he was before his run in New York. Let me proudly say, I'm eating a heaping pile of crow right now. He's a great manager and is certainly getting the best out of his players.

I expect nothing less in the second half of the season that the Dodgers didn't do in the first half of the season. They survived a 50 game suspension from their best player and still have the best record in baseball and a 7 game lead in their division. I expect an absolutely HUGE second half from Manny Ramirez, to make up for his embarrassment. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier will continue to rake the ball at the pace they have been. Orlando Hudson has been a terrific addition to the team as well. To put it bluntly, their offense is phenomenal and their pitching staff is great, so there's not much they need. But, thanks to the Joe Torre book on ruining bullpen arms, they could use a little more relief in that pen. Belisario already has his arm dangling by a thread and I fear Jonathan Broxton may not be too far behind. If they suffer any more injuries to their bullpen, it could be dire consequences out in La La Land.

San Francisco Giants

You're winning the wildcard Giants fans. That's all your second half preview needs to tell you. Tim Lincecum is becoming one of the best. In San Francisco he's like a Messiah on the Mound. The 1, 2 punch that Lincecum and Matt Cain pose for the Giants, make them a dangerous team to face at any time, whether its regular season or post-season. The Giants are almost assured victories on 2 out of every 5 days. Last week, Jonathan Sanchez pitches a no hitter and would've had a perfect game if Juan Uribe knew how to catch a groundball. Barry Zito isn't as bad as he used to be. Suddenly things in San Francisco are looking a bit more cheerful!

On the downside of things, your offense is horrible. You need an Aubrey Huff or a Freddy Sanchez just to provide a little more support. But, I doubt it will matter much, because hey, you're riding high with Lince and Cain. Enjoy it while you can, because you don't know when it will end. Needless to say, the Giants are going to win plenty of games in the second half and mark my words, they will make the NL West a race. I doubt they'll catch the Dodgers, but they will make them sweat a little bit. You just wait and see.

Keep the Giants in mind as a dark horse candidate to land Roy Halladay. Can you imagine that rotation in a 7 game series? (bear in mind, I'd expect the Giants to give up Matt Cain to get him)

Colorado Rockies

While the Rockies certainly have a couple useful trading chips they could part with (Huston Street and Garrett Atkins), I don't see them being sellers at the deadline. They are 47 - 41 and are right in the middle of the Wild Card race. Granted being 9 games out of the division makes it seem extremely unlikely they could challenge the Dodgers, the Wild Card is certainly within their reach.

The Rockies offense is nothing to slouch at, with Brad Hawpe, a resurrected Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki leading the charge. They can score runs with the best of them. Their pitching is nothing to scoff at either. The surprising success of Jason Marquis, coupled with the expected emergence of Ubaldo Jimenez (who is much better than his 6 - 9 record will dictate) and the usual respectable stats from Aaron Cook has definitely put the Rockies on the map. With Huston Street at the back end of the bullpen seeing himself revert back to his old self, has certainly been a breath of fresh air for Colorado. If anything, I see the Rockies as buyers at the deadline, to see if they can put forth another second half charge, reminiscent of their World Series run from a few years ago. Look for the Rox to try and add another arm, both in their bullpen and their rotation.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks currently find themselves near the cellar of the National League West, a 38 - 51 record and sitting an un-impressive 18.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Obviously, this is not a team that is poised for a second half run that would lead them to the division, or even wild card races. Their season has been over since mid-May. But, the Diamondbacks are certainly a team to watch in the next two weeks, with the trade deadline fast approaching. The Diamondbacks find themselves in the position of being one of the few teams to realize their playoff hopes are eliminated and are a prime candidate to be a major seller on the trade market.

Offensively, their biggest trade chip would seem to be second baseman Felipe Lopez, who is having an impressive season, batting a career best .302 with 6 home runs and 46 runs batted in. While Lopez doesn't figure to be the same offensive presence he was when he hit 23 home runs as a member of the Cincinnati Reds in 2005, he is still only 29 years old and is only due $3.5 million this season. He could be a good pick-up for a team such as the Chicago Cubs or even the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (if they think that the Howie Kendrick/Maicer Izturis combination isn't working out).

On the mound is where the Diamondbacks figure to be the most active. While their staff ace Dan Haren is relatively untouchable (I think he could be had for the right deal; think 5 or 6 major league ready talents), two other members of their rotation could be valuable back end of the rotation guys for teams in the thick of the playoff hunt. Former White Sox and Angels pitcher Jon Garland is struggling mightily this season posting a 5 - 8 record with a 4.53 era, but, he has pitched extremely well as of late and has the credentials of posting back to back 18 win seasons with the White Sox and has a World Series ring to boot.

In addition to him, the Diamondbacks could also part ways with lefty Doug Davis. While there have been rumblings that the Brewers were looking to re-acquire the southpaws services, no deal has materialized as of yet. Unlike Garland, Davis has pitched considerably well, posting a 3.41 era despite his 4 - 9 record to show for it. Davis isn't a flashy pitcher who will blow a lot of balls past hitters, but will instead attack the zone and induce countless ground balls. He will also save your bullpen on most days, having pitched at least 6 innings in 13 of his 19 starts.

Arizona closer Chad Qualls could also be dangled as trade bait for any number of teams to possibly acquire as a valuable cog to fix any leaky bullpens. Qualls has saved 16 games in 20 opportunities and has impeccable control, only allowing 5 walks to date this season in 37.1 innings. Teams such as the Yankees, Rays, Tigers, Angels and Marlins could call the Diamondbacks to inquire about his services.

San Diego Padres

The Padres, like the Pirates are just bad. 36 - 52, 20 games out of first place. It'll be a long time before the Padres are competitive again. The only thing Padres fans have to look forward to for the second half of the season, is the day it ends.

Your best player is Adrian Gonzalez, and he has a cast of mediocre players surrounding him. You tried trading Jake Peavy to the White Sox, he turned the deal down and promptly got hurt. You'll surely trade him in the off-season. Heath Bell, the lone star of your pitching staff will be lucky to make it 2 more weeks with your team. I don't see anything good coming for you. Well, I mean, I guess the weather is nice in San Diego?

American League East Second Half Preview

2009-07-16T06:49:00.003-04:00

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox, like most years in recent memory are in first place and coming off an impressive first half that saw them win 54 games. But, like it always seems to be in the AL East, it doesn't matter how good you are, you need to continue to get better. The Red Sox are certainly going to be in need of an additional bat to their lineup. Although the recent resurgence of David Ortiz (11 homers since the beginning of June) has certainly added an additional boost to the Red Sox lineup, the injury questions surrounding third baseman Mike Lowell make trading for a possible insurance policy (a Garrett Atkins or a Scott Rolen) could never hurt Boston. Although Nick Green and Julio Lugo have stepped in to play short stop wonderfully in Jed Lowrie’s absence, the Red Sox could also be in the market to add someone there as well (Yunel Escobar, who has fallen out of favor with Bobby Cox could be the man).

The rumor mills are swirling that the Red Sox are reportedly interested in acquiring the services of Roy Halladay. I'm not buying it. The Red Sox don't need him. They currently have a great top end of the rotation with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester (who has come on impressively strong recently). Couple that with 42 year old, first time All-star Tim Wakefield putting up his normal numbers and the Red Sox are poised to make a run deep into October. The back end of their rotation has some questions with the inconsistencies that Brad Penny and John Smoltz have shown thus far. But, even without Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox have finally seen the light and called up Clay Buccholz after 3 and a half months of utter domination at Pawtuckett. If Buccholz pitches even half as well for the Red Sox as he did for Pawtuckett, all questions will be answered. Watch out for this team, they are on the rise yet again.

New York Yankees

I could give you 2,000 words just based on what the Yankees can expect in the second half, but I'm trying to be objective here and not focus as much on the Yankees. So, I'll try to keep this as short and as sweet as I possibly can.

The Yankees currently find themselves in 2nd place, 3 games behind the Red Sox with a 51 - 37 record. Starting the second half fresh off an embarrassing 3 game sweep against the Angels, the Yankees find themselves pondering a few questions. How good are we? How good can we be? What will it take to get there?

To answer the first question, the Yankees are a very good team. Their run differential is among the best in baseball, which means they score a hell of a lot more than they allow. That being said, they are an extremely streaky team as well. They can look so good for 5 or 6 games at a time, then look absolutely lost for a few games.

To answer the second question, I think they can be the best team in baseball. They can certainly win the wild card, I even think the division is within their grasps as well. The World Series isn't a tough thing to get excited about either. This is a fun team to watch, it's a fun team to root for.

But, it will take a lot to get them to that point. No, I don't mean they need to break the bank for Roy Halladay. While the thought is tempting and I'm salivating at the notion of him pitching in pinstripes, it would be a short-sighted move. I've tossed back and forth about it and feel that giving up on Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, or trading prospects like Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero, are moves the Yankees don't and shouldn't make any longer.

In order to be the team they're capable of, the Yankees don't need anything to change offensively. Their lineup is good top to bottom and Alex Rodriguez is even starting to heat up as well. What the Yankees need, is more consistency from their pitching. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are fine, they're known commodities, we understand what we're going to get from them and we love it. But, I'm looking in your direction Joba and at you Mr. Pettitte. The Yankees will only go as far as you two take them. This can either be an absolutely terrific team, or a good team that fell short. It rests easily on you guys. Either you get yourselves figured out and pitch at the level you expect and everyone else expects from you, or we fail. Baseball is a team game, the Yankees can't do it without you.

But, on the other hand, how about that Yankees bullpen?!? Mariano Rivera, still proving after all these years, he is the best of all-time and is showing no signs of slowing down. And what about the nice little group we have in Aceves, Coke and Hughes?? That's a modern day Mendoza, Stanton, Nelson, if you ask me.

The Yankees don't need to trade for another starting pitcher. They get Chien-Ming Wang back in about 3 weeks and he was just starting to round into his old form when he went down with his shoulder injury. I believe he can be better than any person we may trade for. The bullpen doesn't really need much in the way of trading for anything either. Damaso Marte (yes, he still exists) is on his way back from injury and Mark Melancon should drastically improve. They will prove to be the two biggest pieces of our bullpen. Brian Bruney, I'm sorry to say, is done. He just doesn't have it anymore. He's lost at least 5mph on his fastball and it's so straight with no movement, I think I could make contact.
All things being equal, I think the Yankees are primed for a breakout second half, but they've got a lot of improving to do over the course of the next 80 games, if that will really happen.

Tampa Bay Rays

Let me just say, the Tampa Bay Rays, scare me. They are good and only getting better. Last year was no fluke and the poor start they got off to tihs season was simply a mirage, because this team is one of the top 5 teams in all of baseball. Crawford, Longoria, Upton, Pena, my head hurts just thinking about facing that lineup.

The scariest part? If they somehow found the money to afford Roy Halladay's contract for NEXT season, he'd be in a Rays uniform by the end of this sentence. They have the prospects to part with to acquire Halladay. If by some chance they secured the funds, or found a way to afford Halladay's salary for next season, the Rays would be the favorites for the World Series.

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Add another arm to that bullpen via trade (Danys Baez, Latroy Hawkins, Jose Valverde, Chad Qualls, Heath Bell, to name a few), and the Rays bullpen woes are solved as well. This is going to be the best team in the second half of the season, you can almost count on it. If they make the big splash and get Roy Halladay? Well, then it's football season for me.

Toronto Blue Jays

I'll make this easy for J.P. Ricciardi, trade Roy Halladay. Don't be a fool man! You're sitting on a gold mine and you're trying to tell teams you won't allow them to negotiate a contract extension?!?!? HAVE YOU GONE MAD? You're going to end up screwing this up so badly, it'll cost you your job. Mark my words, the trade, or non-trade of Roy Halladay, will be the only thing J.P. Ricciardi is remembered for and that isn't going to be a good thing.

You've got the best pitcher in the American League over the past 8 years on your team, he's in the middle of his prime at the age of 32, his contract runs out at the end of next season and you're playing hard ball? If you don't want to rush into things and trade him during the season, that's fine, you're entitled to that. But, if you don't trade him in the off-season, for the king's ransom package you can get for him and you lose him to free agency and only receive 2 draft picks for him, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Trade Roy Halladay. I can't get much more straight forward than that. I don't care where you trade him, it doesn't matter. Nor should it matter to you. Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies, Rangers, Rays, who cares? Just get the best offer you can for him. Don't sell yourself short. Don't sell him short. He's given you nearly 10 great years of his life to play for you, you owe him.

Oh yea, I think the Blue Jays will play some games in the second half and you probably won't win many of them

Baltimore Orioles

Much like the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Orioles find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to play in the American League East. Safely positioned in last place with a 40 - 48 record and a distant 14 games behind the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles will most certainly be sellers at the trade deadline and then try and play spoiler to the other teams of the AL East.

Aubrey Huff and Ty Wiggington are the two likeliest members of the Orioles offense to be traded, as well as reliever Danys Baez in their bullpen. Huff would provide much needed left handed power to a number of teams (paging Omar Minaya, paging Omar Minaya) and Wiggington would be a serviceable jack of all trades for any number of teams, being capable of playing numerous positions. With Danys Baez having a find bounce back year after many years of injuries and disappointments, the Orioles would be hard pressed not to deal him in the next 10 to 14 days for a couple of minor league prospects. Possessing the ability to throw strikes and throw them consistently, as well as boasting a good ground ball inducing sinker, Baez could be an intrical part of any teams bullpen come August and September (Yankees, Phillies, Tigers, Mets).

All hope is not lose however Orioles fans. Boasting a lineup with young stars such as Nick Markakis, Luke Scott, Adam Jones and the newly emerging Matt Wieters, the future for the Orioles is getting brighter by the day. Couple that with the surprising success of Brad Bergesen and with a number of highly talented arms stashed away at the minor league level for the Orioles, it won't be too long before they start making a splash again in the AL East. Until that time however, be patient loyal Oriole lover's. Help is on the way.

American League Central Second Half Preview

2009-07-16T06:44:00.002-04:00

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are ontop of the American League Central division, sitting pretty at 48 - 39. Like the rest of their division (outside of the Indians) the Tigers are looking to add some pieces they think would put them over the top to do big things in the playoffs. With their core of Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Placido Polanco and Curtis Granderson all having fine seasons (Cabrera = terrific season, the rest are having decent seasons, which brings their grade to a level of fine) and a formidable rotation of Edwin Jackson, Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello, the Tigers only glaring weaknesses lie in the back end of their rotation and their bullpen.

I think the Tigers rotation concerns after their big 3 aren't nearly as important as the questions regarding their bullpen. It's SCARY bad. Outside of Bobby Seay and Brandon Lyon, the Tigers bullpen is full of troublesome and erratic arms. Even their closer Fernando Rodney has been shakey. Nate Robinson was terrible as a reliever before he was eventually placed on the disabled list. Joel Zumaya can throw the ball 100mph with relative ease, but has no idea where the hell it's going. The pen is a mess and it needs an extreme makeover (God, did I really just make that joke?)

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox find themselves right in the thick of the AL Central division race, sitting just 3.5 back at 45 - 43. There isn't much that Ozzie Guillen's squad may need to add in order to remain entrenched in the hunt. Having a terrific (contract yeaaaaaar) from Jermaine Dye who has 20 home runs already, on top of the tremendous season Paul Konerko has had, certainly helps the White Sox cause. With Alexei Ramirez finally playing like the Cuban Missile that he is and Gordon Beckham seeming to have grabbed the reigns at third base, Chicago is in fairly good position offensively. If they can get Carlos Quentin back soon and relatively healthy, he would be better than any trade acquisition they may look to receive.

On the pitching side of things, the White Sox bullpen is one of the best around. The set-up of Linebrink, Thornton and Dotel paving the way to get to Jenks, is as good as you'll find in the major leagues. That being said however, the White Sox could certainly look to add another starter. It doesn't necessarily have to be a shut down ace, but someone on the lines of a Jon Garland or a Doug Davis type, who can stabilize the back end of the rotation, since Bartolo Colon has eaten himself out of his talents. With Jose Contreras pitching much better since his recall from the minor leagues and Mark Buerhle continuing to be Mark Buehrle, the Sox may need just one more arm to that rotation to give them the decided advantage.

Minnesota Twins

I can make this really simple and easy for Twins fans. You want your team to make the playoffs? You need a better starting rotation. Call in the cavalry, hypnotize Francisco Liriano and convince him he's Satchel Paige, I don't care. You aren't going to do anything of importance in the second half of the season unless you get somebody to help Nick Blackburn. Mauer and Morneau can handle the offensive duties and they have done so beautifully. But, your rotation is garbage. Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glenn Perkins and Liriano. It's a pupu platter of trash! Fix it. Fix it now. You're 4 games out of first place. That's so close you can taste it. Too bad I don't think there are any deals on your horizon to make...Sorry

Kansas City Royals

I predicted at the beginning of the season that the Royals would be this years Tampa Bay Rays....I could not be more wrong. But, I at least correctly predicted that Zack Greinke would absolutely break out and be a star. Ding ding, we have a winner!

While it is clear that the Royals won't be contending for any playoff spots this year, I don't think they should go into the mode of being a seller. Rumors have it that they are actually looking to add some pieces (to the bullpen and starting lineup), since they feel their starting pitching can get them back into the race this year.

That's a very good thought and I applaud the Royals enthusiasm and optimism. But, other than Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister, your rotation isn't that great. Gil Meche isn't as bad in reality as his 4.50 era and 4 - 9 record would show, but he also isn't as good as his $55 million contract would make you think either. Luke Hochevar has been as inconsistent as any young player can be, but he's got a 5 - 3 record, so I guess he's done some things right.

With a guy like Joakim Soria (who reminds me of a young Mariano Rivera) at the back end of your bullpen, you won't blow many saves at the end of a game. But, it's the bridge to your closer that poses the problem for the Royals. Off-season acquisition Juan Cruz and Kyle Farnsworth have both shown flashes of being good and flashes of being terrible. They need more stability in the pen, but then again, who doesn't.

If you think about it, the Royals recent trade for Mariners short stop Yuniesky Betancourt, would really lead you to believe that they are in it to play for this season. Maybe I'm terribly under-estimating them, after over-estimating them during the spring, but I just don't see it. They lack a distinct power presence, they have minimal team speed at best, they don't even have any real contact hitters. No matter how good their pitching may end up being, I don't think they have the offense to put up the runs in order to win. In addition to that, I don't think they have the prospects to dangle to get the offensive pieces they may need.

Sorry Royals fans. Your post-George Brett futility is continuing until next season at least, because I don't see any tremendous second half surge from you guys.

Cleveland Indians

Honestly, if I'm the Indians General Manager right now, I'm putting up a "For Sale" sign outside the Cleveland Indians locker room. Come one, come all, everything must go! You're 35 - 54 and 14 games back, time to blow it up and start over. The Indians can say all they want that they're looking towards next season with Jake Westbrook coming back healthy and full, healthy seasons out of Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner, but, sorry, not buying it. Trade anything you can, while you can.

Cliff Lee? You can get 3 or 4 good prospects for him. He's the reigning AL Cy Young Winner!

Victor Martinez? Call up the Red Sox, see if you can pry Clay Buccholz from them for his services.

Carl Pavano (yes, really)? See what type of lovely assortments of bats and balls you could get from the Marlins (who are looking to add pitching) for his useless body.

Sorry to all you Tribe fans out there, but this isn't your teams year, next year probably won't be either. Start building towards the future, stockpile your farm system and see if you can land a few big fish in a couple years.

American League West Second Half Preview

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Los Angeles Angels

Speaking as a Yankee fan, I should HATE this team. Speaking as a baseball fan, I LOVE watching this team. I don't know how they do it, whether it's the Rally Monkey or the California weather, but this team is just always good. Even after the start of their season, which saw their 3 best pitchers on the disabled list, their best young player die tragically, and injuries to Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter, they JUST. CONTINUE. TO. WIN! It's completely unbelievable to me.

But, here we are again, the first half is over and the Angels are poised to make another run at the division and another playoff appearance, as they open the second half at 49 - 37 and 1.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers.

If the Angels think they can weather the storm of injuries to their outfield and not trade for any additional help out there, I think an infield bat and glove like Felipe Lopez of the Diamondbacks is someone that could certainly boost their offense.

On the pitching side, they should be in the thick of things in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. They have the prospects they'd need to make a deal (think Brandon Wood, Ervin Santana and 2 other prospects). Or, they could go the safe route and look to acquire the Doug Davis' or Ian Snell's of the world. Either way, I see the Angels being very active near the trade deadline.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers, for the first time in years, are finally having a good season! Rangers fans are excited about the chances this team has for the second half, hell, even the players are optimistic for a change! 48 - 39 and only 1.5 games behind the Angels (who they have OWNED this season) and there are reasons for much optimism in Texas.

I don't even need to discuss their offense. It's good and doesn't need any tinkering with whatsoever. Michael Young, Marlon Byrd, Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, they're all good, they can all hit. This time will go as far as Mike Maddux and their pitching staff can take them. Adding a bullpen arm is an important aspect (the same names from before, whether it's a Qualls, Hawkins, etc) for the team to maintain their level of success, but the biggest crutch this team has is in their starting rotation. They have no true ace. Don't get me wrong, Kevin Millwood has been good and they have a lot of talent in that rotation, but they're missing that big game starter that every team craves.

If the Rangers owner Tom Hicks wasn't in the financial trouble that he is currently in, you can bet your bottom dollar that Elvis Andurs, Taylor Teargarden and Neftali Perez would be at the airport boarding a flight for Toronto, while Roy Halladay flew to Texas. The Rangers will hang tough with the Angels the second half, they'll beat them head to head, but it's how they do against their other opponents that'll determine how this season ends for the Rangers. They just need one more man to get them over that hump...

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are a lot better than people think. Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn as a top 3 are as good as any other 3 in the league. Russell Branyan was the surprise of the first half, pounding out 22 home runs. Ichiro Suzuki is having another stellar season, batting .362. They are lurking. Consider them the Marlins of the American League. At 46 - 42 they remain just 4 games behind the Angels in the AL West. They're only 5 games behind the Yankees in the Wild Card. They are there for the long haul.

With the recent trade of Yuniesky Betancourt and Ronny Cedeno batting just .168, they could be in the market for a middle infielder (Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez). They could also try and make a big splash by acquiring a power bat to have in the meat of the order (Aubrey Huff or Miguel Tejada even).

The Mariners are one of the few teams who aren't in dire need of pitching help. They have a strong top 3 of their rotation, Jason Vargas has come on nicely posting a 3.87 era and Brandon Morrow still figures into the discussion of being their 5th starter. (I'd say maybe they'd be interested in someone like Ian Snell or Carl Pavano, but I think Morrow is better than both). There had been rumblings that the Mariners were looking to possibly trade Erik Bedard, but they can't in good conscience do it. Nor would it make sense to do it when they're this close to being in the playoff race

The Mariners bullpen is arguably their greatest strength. Closer David Aardsma has saved 20 games and boasts a miniscule 1.96 era, while middle relievers Mark Lowe, Miguel Batista and Sean White have provided incredible relief as well.

While I'm not sure the Mariners have the talent to sustain a full season of this type of success, I think they will go right down to the wire and be in the discussion for the playoffs, if nothing else. It'll be an entertaining summer in Seattle, for the first time since the Sonics moved to Oklahoma (ouch, was that too soon?).

Oakland Athletics

While the Oakland Athletics are in last place in the AL West, 12 games behind the Angels and are 12 games under .500 at 37 - 49, their season is long over, but I don't see them as being sellers at the deadline. The only trading chip they have in Matt Holliday hasn't hit a home run in nearly 6 weeks and is in a tremendous slump. His stock could not be any lower than it currently is. He's staying put. You can't trade Jason Giambi, because he's not even a shell of his former Yankee self. He's basically a corpse who goes to the plate 4 times a game.

In addition to that, there are no pitchers on their roster that Billy Beane should even dream of trading. They are setting themselves up nicely for the future having a young rotation of Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson. Top that off with Andrew Bailey in the bullpen and you've got yourself a great young ball club. While the Athletics won't make any noise in the form of making the playoffs, they should be an ultra competitive team to play the rest of the season and will look to build on any second half success they see and carry it over into next season. But, this is going to be an odd trading deadline when Billy Beane won't be a factor at all.

Preview of Baseball's Second Half

2009-07-15T22:34:00.033-04:00

With the Home Run Derby and the All-Star game behind us it's time to look forward to the second half of the baseball season, the dog days of August that lie ahead and the pennant races shaping up over the course of the next 11 weeks! Since I have written ad nauseum about the Yankees this season, I feel in an effort to 'shake things up a bit', we'll cover a brief synopsis on each team in baseball and what they need to do (trade players, acquire others, build towards the future, etc) in order to have a potentially successful second half.

I'm not giving any more indications on who I think will be awarded playoff spots, or anything of the sorts. You want to know what I think about that, read my Season Preview or First Half Review. Now it's all about taking a brief look at each team and see how they're shaping up for the last 80 or so games. Kick back, relax and enjoy...

(Editor's Note: Given the length of this article, the alphabetized listing of the teams was done in large part to provide you the opportunity to scroll down to the teams of your choosing)

Arizona Diamondbacks

Offensively, their biggest trade chip would seem to be second baseman Felipe Lopez, who is having an impressive season, batting a career best .302 with 6 home runs and 46 runs batted in. While Lopez doesn't figure to be the same offensive presence he was when he hit 23 home runs as a member of the Cincinnati Reds in 2005, he is still only 29 years old and is only due $3.5 million this season. He could be a good pick-up for a team such as the Chicago Cubs or even the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (if they think that the Howie Kendrick/Maicer Izturis combination isn't working out).

On the mound is where the Diamondbacks figure to be the most active. While their staff ace Dan Haren is relatively untouchable (I think he could be had for the right deal; think 5 or 6 major league ready talents), two other members of their rotation could be valuable back end of the rotation guys for teams in the thick of the playoff hunt. Former White Sox and Angels pitcher Jon Garland is struggling mightily this season posting a 5 - 8 record with a 4.53 era, but, he has pitched extremely well as of late and has the credentials of posting back to back 18 win seasons with the White Sox and has a World Series ring to boot.

In addition to him, the Diamondbacks could also part ways with lefty Doug Davis. While there have been rumblings that the Brewers were looking to re-acquire the southpaws services, no deal has materialized as of yet. Unlike Garland, Davis has pitched considerably well, posting a 3.41 era despite his 4 - 9 record to show for it. Davis isn't a flashy pitcher who will blow a lot of balls past hitters, but will instead attack the zone and induce countless ground balls. He will also save your bullpen on most days, having pitched at least 6 innings in 13 of his 19 starts.

Arizona closer Chad Qualls could also be dangled as trade bait for any number of teams to possibly acquire as a valuable cog to fix any leaky bullpens. Qualls has saved 16 games in 20 opportunities and has impeccable control, only allowing 5 walks to date this season in 37.1 innings. Teams such as the Yankees, Rays, Tigers, Angels and Marlins could call the Diamondbacks to inquire about his services.

Atlanta Braves

Offensively is where the Braves find their biggest problem. Their offense is not only inconsistent, but they lack a true power presence in the lineup as well. Even with the addition of Nate McLouth last month, the Braves find their offense just sputtering around. Trading for another bat would do the Braves a world of difference. It doesn't even need to be a standout offensive force (although, packaging Yunel Escobar, Jordan Schafer and a few prospects to land Matt Holliday couldn't hurt), but rather someone such as the Orioles Aubrey Huff could help immensely.

Their pitching staff has shaped up nicely with Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez stepping up as a nice 1, 2 punch at the back end of the Braves bullpen and the off-season additions of Javier Vazquez and Derek Lowe constantly keeping their teams in the game. Youngsters Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson have certainly lived up to their expectations as well. With the likely return of former Oakland Athletics standout pitcher Tim Hudson sometime in mid-august from Tommy John Surgery, he could certainly be prove to be one of the pivotal acquisitions the Braves need in order to make a move in the second half.

Baltimore Orioles

Aubrey Huff and Ty Wiggington are the two likeliest members of the Orioles offense to be traded, as well as reliever Danys Baez in their bullpen. Huff would provide much needed left handed power to a number of teams (paging Omar Minaya, paging Omar Minaya) and Wiggington would be a serviceable jack of all trades for any number of teams, being capable of playing numerous positions. With Danys Baez having a find bounce back year after many years of injuries and disappointments, the Orioles would be hard pressed not to deal him in the next 10 to 14 days for a couple of minor league prospects. Possessing the ability to throw strikes and throw them consistently, as well as boasting a good ground ball inducing sinker, Baez could be an important piece of any teams bullpen come August and September (Yankees, Phillies, Tigers, Mets).

All hope is not lose however Orioles fans. Boasting a lineup with young stars such as Nick Markakis, Luke Scott, Adam Jones and the newly emerging Matt Wieters, the future for the Orioles is getting brighter by the day. Couple that with the surprising success of Brad Bergesen and with a number of highly talented arms stashed away at the minor league level for the Orioles, it won't be too long before they start making a splash again in the AL East. Until that time however, be patient loyal Oriole lover's. Help is on the way.

Boston Red Sox

The rumor mills are swirling that the Red Sox are reportedly interested in acquiring the services of Roy Halladay. I'm not buying it. The Red Sox don't need him. They currently have a great top end of the rotation with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester (who has come on impressively strong recently). Couple that with 42 year old, first time All-star Tim Wakefield putting up his normal numbers and the Red Sox are poised to make a run deep into October. The back end of their rotation has some questions with the inconsistencies that Brad Penny and John Smoltz have shown thus far. But, even without Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox have finally seen the light and called up Clay Buccholz after 3 and a half months of utter domination at Pawtuckett. If Buccholz pitches even half as well for the Red Sox as he did for Pawtuckett, all questions will be answered. Watch out for this team, they are on the rise yet again.

Chicago Cubs

But, I truly believe the Cubs can turn this around, after all, they are only 3.5 games out of first place and I think they can do it (mostly) internally. On the offensive side of things, the Cubs have seen themselves get incredibly under-whelming seasons thus far out of Alfonso Soriano, Mike Fontenot, Milton Bradley, reigning Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto and until recently first baseman Derrek Lee. With the recent return of All-Star third baseman Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs offense experienced a much needed jolt.

The only thing that could help the Cubs out more is if Alfonso Soriano remembered what a "base hit" was. He's been absolutely brutal batting a putrid (vocab word of the day) .233 and an on-base percentage of .298, which is bad even for him. In the ways of possible trades, the Cubs could look to acquire an Aubrey Huff type to add a little extra oomph to their lineup. They could also look to replace Mike Fontenot/Andres Blanco with a Felipe Lopez or a Ty Wiggington type as well. But, after missing out on re-acquiring Mark Derosa, I'm not sure the Cubbies will pull the trigger on any deals. It looks like the offensive woes may be up to Fonzi, Soto and Bradley (sounds like characters from Happy Days).

On the pitching side of things, if at the beginning of the year, I told you that Randy Wells and his 2.72 era would be the best pitcher the Cubs have had this season, in a rotation filled with Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden, how many of you would have agreed with me? Nobody, exactly. The Cubs starting rotation could not be any more shakey than it is right now. Carlos Zambrano is a walking, talking, psychotic bomb waiting to explode at the drop of the hat. Ryan Dempster may be either the most hard lucked SOB or the most fragile, after breaking his toe and landing on the disabled list. Rich Harden, (oh wait, here's the most fragile human being alive), has pitched terribly in his return from his normal first half disabled list trip. But, on the bright side, Harden is likely to string together a beautiful string of 7 or 8 starts and go on a nice run...before he gets injured again. Seriously, wait for it. It's going to happen. Write that down right now.

The bullpen headed by the likes of Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg, has sure been a roller coaster ride of excitement for Lou Pinella, since Marmol is a one man Jekkyl and Hyde show. Relying too heavily on arms like Aaron Heilman, Jeff Samardzija and Sean Marshall could end up biting the Cubs right in the behind. They're definitely in the market for whatever arms may be available. Regardless of all that, I still think the Cubs can turn it around and get back to their winning ways (....after over 100 years)

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds may find themselves only 5 games out of first place with the second half on the horizon, but with a 42 - 45 record and behind 4 other teams in their division, they aren't looking to be much of a factor. Outside of Joey Votto, (who has come back strong since he was out dealing with personal issues) and Brandon Phillips, the Reds don't really have any outstanding offensive players. Jay Bruce has sure hit for some great power this season, but with a batting average hovering around the .200 mark and now being out 6 weeks with a broken wrist, the Reds find themselves in an odd position. Do they stand pat and not make any deals, hoping to build toward next season? Or, do they consider themselves sellers and start selling off pieces (Willy Taveras or out of the bullpen Arthur Rhodes and Nick Masset. Perhaps a starting pitcher and Bronson Arroyo (Mike Francessa would sure love that) ) Let me be the first to say that while the Reds have certainly had a first half of the season to be proud of, it's time to pack it in guys. Wait till next year, and see if you can make some noise in the NL Central!

Chicago White Sox

I know, I know, my alphabetizing is entirely out of order. But, in my defense, it's 3am, my eyes are heavy and I'm far too lazy to re-order everything. (realize, I also could have said I have a Western Connecticut State education and frankly I'm lucky I can read).

On the pitching side of things, the White Sox bullpen is one of the best around. The set-up of Linebrink, Thornton and Dotel paving the way to get to Jenks, is as good as you'll find in the major leagues. That being said however, the White Sox could certainly look to add another starter. It doesn't necessarily have to be a shut down ace, but someone on the lines of a Jon Garland or a Doug Davis type, who can stabilize the back end of the rotation, since Bartolo Colon has eaten himself out of his talents. With Jose Contreras pitching much better since his recall from the minor leagues and Mark Buerhle continuing to be Mark Buehrle, the Sox may need just one more arm to that rotation to give them the decided advantage.

Cleveland Indians

Cliff Lee? You can get 3 or 4 good prospects for him. He's the reigning AL Cy Young Winner!

Victor Martinez? Call up the Red Sox, see if you can pry Clay Buccholz from them for his services.

Carl Pavano (yes, really)? See what type of lovely assortments of bats and balls you could get from the Marlins (who are looking to add pitching) for his useless body.

Sorry to all you Tribe fans out there, but this isn't your teams year, next year probably won't be either. Start building towards the future, stockpile your farm system and see if you can land a few big fish in a couple years.

Colorado Rockies

While the Rockies certainly have a couple useful trading chips they could part with (Huston Street and Garrett Atkins), I don't see them being sellers at the deadline. They are 47 - 41 and are right in the middle of the Wild Card race. Granted being 9 games out of the division makes it seem extremely unlikely they could challenge the Dodgers, the Wild Card is certainly within their reach.

The Rockies offense is nothing to slouch at, with Brad Hawpe, a resurrected Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki leading the charge. They can score runs with the best of them. Their pitching is nothing to scoff at either. The surprising success of Jason Marquis, coupled with the expected emergence of Ubaldo Jimenez (who is much better than his 6 - 9 record will dictate) and the usual respectable stats from Aaron Cook has definitely put the Rockies on the map. With Huston Street at the back end of the bullpen seeing himself revert back to his old self, has certainly been a breath of fresh air for Colorado. If anything, I see the Rockies as buyers at the deadline, to see if they can put forth another second half charge, reminiscent of their World Series run from a few years ago. Look for the Rox to try and add another arm, both in their bullpen and their rotation.

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are ontop of the American League Central division, sitting pretty at 48 - 39. Like the rest of their division (outside of the Indians) the Tigers are looking to add some pieces they think would put them over the top to do big things in the playoffs. With their core of Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Placido Polanco and Curtis Granderson all having fine seasons (Cabrera = terrific season, the rest are having decent seasons, which brings their grade to a level of fine) and a formidable rotation of Edwin Jackson, Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello, the Tigers only glaring weaknesses lie in the back end of their rotation and their bullpen.

I think the Tigers rotation concerns after their big 3 aren't nearly as important as the questions regarding their bullpen. It's SCARY bad. Outside of Bobby Seay and Brandon Lyon, the Tigers bullpen is full of troublesome and erratic arms. Even their closer Fernando Rodney has been shakey. Nate Robinson was terrible as a reliever before he was eventually placed on the disabled list. Joel Zumaya can throw the ball 100mph with relative ease, but has no idea where the hell it's going. The pen is a mess and it needs an extreme makeover (God, did I really just make that joke?)

Florida Marlins

Offensively, you won't find many better. Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross have swung some mighty good bats at this juncture of the season. If Dan Uggla is able to do anything other than hit a home run or strike out and raise that average from the depths of Papi-land (that's the name for anyone who bats under .230 now, it's Papi-Land)

I'm really high on the Marlins pitching rotation. Josh Johnson is an absolute stud at the front of that pitching staff. And after a terrible start to his season that saw him get demoted to the minor leagues, Ricky Nolasco is finally beginning to show signs of life as well. If the Marlins are able to get any form of sustained consistency from Chris Volstad and Andrew Miller, they could have one of the best young rotations in baseball.

But, like every team it seems, the problems lie solely in the bullpen. Their closer Mark Lindstrom has been on the disabled list for over a month, but even when he was pitching he wasn't pitching well at all (to the tune of a 6.52 era). Set-up men Leo Nunez and Dan Meyer have certainly been the bright spot to the much maligned Marlins pen, along with Kiko Calero. I wouldn't be shocked one bit to see the Marlins call up the Diamondbacks and see what it would take to pry away closer Chad Qualls.

Houston Astros

It's because of that, I think they will likely be sellers come the trade deadline and not much of a factor in the playoff hunt come late-August and September. They certainly boast a number of interesting trade candidates, should they choose to go that route. Short Stop Miguel Tejada is having a phenomenal year, batting .329 with 7 home runs and could see himself traded to a team that has a glaring need in the infield (Boston Red Sox). Center Fielder Michael Bourn is having a terrific year with a .286 average and 32 stolen bases. He could provide much needed speed in the outfield and on the bench for any number of teams (Cubs, Tigers, Mets, Angels).

The pitching staff boasts two arms that would be ultimately valuable to at least half of the league; Latroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde. Last season, Latroy Hawkins couldn't get a single person out as a member of the Yankees. After being traded mid-season to the Astros, it seems Hawkins found the fountain of youth (of a vile of Tejada's "vitamin b12"), and he hasn't missed a beat yet this season posting a 2.39 era with 10 saves. Jose Valverde, has bounced back nicely from an early season injury and has struck out more than 1 batter per inning and posted a 3.43 era. Either one of those men would be welcomed additions to any bullpen in the league.

Hopefully the Astros don't get caught up in "pennant race fever" and actually think they can keep up for the rest of the season with the other teams. It's not likely and it won't end well. Trade some of the valuable pieces you have and see yourself get a few good prospects in return.

Kansas City Royals

While it is clear that the Royals won't be contending for any playoff spots this year, I don't think they should go into the mode of being a seller. Rumors have it that they are actually looking to add some pieces (to the bullpen and starting lineup), since they feel their starting pitching can get them back into the race this year.

That's a very good thought and I applaud the Royals enthusiasm and optimism. But, other than Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister, your rotation isn't that great. Gil Meche isn't as bad in reality as his 4.50 era and 4 - 9 record would show, but he also isn't as good as his $55 million contract would make you think either. Luke Hochevar has been as inconsistent as any young player can be, but he's got a 5 - 3 record, so I guess he's done some things right.

With a guy like Joakim Soria (who reminds me of a young Mariano Rivera) at the back end of your bullpen, you won't blow many saves at the end of a game. But, it's the bridge to your closer that poses the problem for the Royals. Off-season acquisition Juan Cruz and Kyle Farnsworth have both shown flashes of being good and flashes of being terrible. They need more stability in the pen, but then again, who doesn't.

If you think about it, the Royals recent trade for Mariners short stop Yuniesky Betancourt, would really lead you to believe that they are in it to play for this season. Maybe I'm terribly under-estimating them, after over-estimating them during the spring, but I just don't see it. They lack a distinct power presence, they have minimal team speed at best, they don't even have any real contact hitters. No matter how good their pitching may end up being, I don't think they have the offense to put up the runs in order to win. In addition to that, I don't think they have the prospects to dangle to get the offensive pieces they may need.

Sorry Royals fans. Your post-George Brett futility is continuing until next season at least, because I don't see any tremendous second half surge from you guys.

Los Angeles Angels

But, here we are again, the first half is over and the Angels are poised to make another run at the division and another playoff appearance, as they open the second half at 49 - 37 and 1.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers.

If the Angels think they can weather the storm of injuries to their outfield and not trade for any additional help out there, I think an infield bat and glove like Felipe Lopez of the Diamondbacks is someone that could certainly boost their offense.

On the pitching side, they should be in the thick of things in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. They have the prospects they'd need to make a deal (think Brandon Wood, Ervin Santana and 2 other prospects). Or, they could go the safe route and look to acquire the Doug Davis' or Ian Snell's of the world. Either way, I see the Angels being very active near the trade deadline.

Los Angeles Dodgers

I expect nothing less in the second half of the season that the Dodgers didn't do in the first half of the season. They survived a 50 game suspension from their best player and still have the best record in baseball and a 7 game lead in their division. I expect an absolutely HUGE second half from Manny Ramirez, to make up for his embarrassment. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier will continue to rake the ball at the pace they have been. Orlando Hudson has been a terrific addition to the team as well. To put it bluntly, their offense is phenomenal and their pitching staff is great, so there's not much they need. But, thanks to the Joe Torre book on ruining bullpen arms, they could use a little more relief in that pen. Belisario already has his arm dangling by a thread and I fear Jonathan Broxton may not be too far behind. If they suffer any more injuries to their bullpen, it could be dire consequences out in La La Land.

Milwaukee Brewers

Pitching wise, to quote Ryan Braun "they need some help". Yovani Gallardo is having a fine season with a 3.22 era, but he has just an 8 - 7 record to show for it. And after Gallardo, it gets pretty ugly. Jeff Suppan and Braden Looper both have era's near 5. Dave Bush has an era over 5.50 and Manny Parra was banished to the minor leagues, only to see himself and his 6.78 era get quickly recalled. They need to make a trade for somebody, badly. It doesn't matter if they somehow scrounge together enough prospects to make an offer for Roy Halladay (you'd have to lose either Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder though...), or lesser deals to get the likes of a Jon Garland. Hell, you made that blockbuster deal with the Indians last year for Sabathia, give them a call and see if you can replicate that for Cliff Lee. Either way, you need help and you need it now. The only way the Brewers can have a successful second half is to make a deal. Sadly, I don't think they will, so Milwaukee fans will have to look forward to a great year from their Bucks! (crap, sorry, they suck...ugh, wait till next year)

Minnesota Twins

New York Mets

Frankly though, you can't blame Jerry Manuel, you can't blame the players. Blame Omar Minaya. This is the team he gave you. Even without the injuries, did you honestly think you would be competitive with a rotation (behind Santana) of Maine, Pelfrey, Perez and Livan Hernandez? If you just said yes to that question, you're obviously a Mets homer, Mike Francessa or ESPN, because anybody without a bias, knew that the Mets rotation was garbage. Then, even with injuries to Oliver Perez and John Maine, you don't call up Pedro Martinez? Really? You let him sign with one of your biggest rivals, when your team is in shambles. That just doesn't make sense. I know he's not the Pedro of 10 years ago, but I still guarantee he's better than anything you have.

I don't see any second half win streak that gets the Mets back into the race. Even if you get huge contributions from Gary Sheffield and David Wright learns how to hit for power again, it just doesn't seem plausible. Getting back Reyes, Delgado and Beltran will certainly help, but, they can't pitch for you. I just have one question to ask Mets fans, before I move on. How's it feel to know you have Oliver Perez for at least another 3 years for all that money? (ouch, too soon?)

New York Yankees

The Yankees currently find themselves in 2nd place, 3 games behind the Red Sox with a 51 - 37 record. Starting the second half fresh off an embarrassing 3 game sweep against the Angels, the Yankees find themselves pondering a few questions. How good are we? How good can we be? What will it take to get there?

To answer the first question, the Yankees are a very good team. Their run differential is among the best in baseball, which means they score a hell of a lot more than they allow. That being said, they are an extremely streaky team as well. They can look so good for 5 or 6 games at a time, then look absolutely lost for a few games.

To answer the second question, I think they can be the best team in baseball. They can certainly win the wild card, I even think the division is within their grasps as well. The World Series isn't a tough thing to get excited about either. This is a fun team to watch, it's a fun team to root for.

But, it will take a lot to get them to that point. No, I don't mean they need to break the bank for Roy Halladay. While the thought is tempting and I'm salivating at the notion of him pitching in pinstripes, it would be a short-sighted move. I've tossed back and forth about it and feel that giving up on Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, or trading prospects like Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero, are moves the Yankees don't and shouldn't make any longer.

In order to be the team they're capable of, the Yankees don't need anything to change offensively. Their lineup is good top to bottom and Alex Rodriguez is even starting to heat up as well. What the Yankees need, is more consistency from their pitching. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are fine, they're known commodities, we understand what we're going to get from them and we love it. But, I'm looking in your direction Joba and at you Mr. Pettitte. The Yankees will only go as far as you two take them. This can either be an absolutely terrific team, or a good team that fell short. It rests easily on you guys. Either you get yourselves figured out and pitch at the level you expect and everyone else expects from you, or we fail. Baseball is a team game, the Yankees can't do it without you.

But, on the other hand, how about that Yankees bullpen?!? Mariano Rivera, still proving after all these years, he is the best of all-time and is showing no signs of slowing down. And what about the nice little group we have in Aceves, Coke and Hughes?? That's a modern day Mendoza, Stanton, Nelson, if you ask me.

The Yankees don't need to trade for another starting pitcher. They get Chien-Ming Wang back in about 3 weeks and he was just starting to round into his old form when he went down with his shoulder injury. I believe he can be better than any person we may trade for. The bullpen doesn't really need much in the way of trading for anything either. Damaso Marte (yes, he still exists) is on his way back from injury and Mark Melancon should drastically improve. They will prove to be the two biggest pieces of our bullpen. Brian Bruney, I'm sorry to say, is done. He just doesn't have it anymore. He's lost at least 5mph on his fastball and it's so straight with no movement, I think I could make contact.

All things being equal, I think the Yankees are primed for a breakout second half, but they've got a lot of improving to do over the course of the next 80 games, if that will really happen.

Oakland Athletics

In addition to that, there are no pitchers on their roster that Billy Beane should even dream of trading. They are setting themselves up nicely for the future having a young rotation of Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson. Top that off with Andrew Bailey in the bullpen and you've got yourself a great young ball club. While the Athletics won't make any noise in the form of making the playoffs, they should be an ultra competitive team to play the rest of the season and will look to build on any second half success they see and carry it over into next season. But, this is going to be an odd trading deadline when Billy Beane won't be a factor at all.

Philadelphia Phillies

J.A. Happ has been a welcomed addition to their starting rotation. In just 87 innings he has posted a 6 - 0 record and a 2.30 era. The rest of the starting rotation, Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Brett Myers (when he was healthy), Antonio Bastardo (when he was healthy) have all been downright terrible. The Phillies are certainly lucky that they are playing in such a weak division, or they would find themselves in serious trouble.

The Phillies will certainly be active at the trading deadline, in the market for starting pitching. Signing Pedro Martinez today was a very good start, he should be an added boost to the back end of their rotation. While he obviously isn't the pitcher he once was, he is much better than the 5.61 era he posted last season. If he pitches somewhere in between, the Phillies front office and fans will be extremely pleased. But, that won't be nearly enough! They need a top of the line, front-end starter. If they can't put a package together to get Roy Halladay (you'd have to lose Kyle Drabek, sorrrry), maybe they could package some lesser talent together to snatch Cliff Lee from the Indians. Or better yet, call the Orioles, see if you can put something together for Jeremy Guthrie. You need to get creative in your thinking, because you'll win the division with the team you currently have put together, but you don't have enough to repeat as champions. Yet...

Pittsburgh Pirates

In the last year alone, the Pirates have traded an entire outfield of Jason Bay, Nate McLouth and Xavier Nady, as well as Eric Hinske and Damaso Marte.

You can rest assured in the next 2 weeks before the trading deadline, the Pirates will be actively shopping their players. It's like a tag sale. Cheap items, available for even cheaper prices. Matt Capps? Take him. Jack Wilson? Give us $20. Freddy Sanchez? Make me a BLT. It's ridiculous.

The Pirates should probably change their name to "Pittsburgh Movers" and their motto should be "where players go to be relocated across America."

San Diego Padres

Your best player is Adrian Gonzalez, and he has a cast of mediocre players surrounding him. You tried trading Jake Peavy to the White Sox, he turned the deal down and promptly got hurt. You'll surely trade him in the off-season. Heath Bell, the lone star of your pitching staff will be lucky to make it 2 more weeks with your team. I don't see anything good coming for you. Well, I mean, I guess the weather is nice in San Diego?

San Francisco Giants

On the downside of things, your offense is horrible. You need an Aubrey Huff or a Freddy Sanchez just to provide a little more support. But, I doubt it will matter much, because hey, you're riding high with Lince and Cain. Enjoy it while you can, because you don't know when it will end. Needless to say, the Giants are going to win plenty of games in the second half and mark my words, they will make the NL West a race. I doubt they'll catch the Dodgers, but they will make them sweat a little bit. You just wait and see.

Keep the Giants in mind as a dark horse candidate to land Roy Halladay. Can you imagine that rotation in a 7 game series? (bear in mind, I'd expect the Giants to give up Matt Cain to get him)

Seattle Mariners

With the recent trade of Yuniesky Betancourt and Ronny Cedeno batting just .168, they could be in the market for a middle infielder (Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez). They could also try and make a big splash by acquiring a power bat to have in the meat of the order (Aubrey Huff or Miguel Tejada even).

The Mariners are one of the few teams who aren't in dire need of pitching help. They have a strong top 3 of their rotation, Jason Vargas has come on nicely posting a 3.87 era and Brandon Morrow still figures into the discussion of being their 5th starter. (I'd say maybe they'd be interested in someone like Ian Snell or Carl Pavano, but I think Morrow is better than both). There had been rumblings that the Mariners were looking to possibly trade Erik Bedard, but they can't in good conscience do it. Nor would it make sense to do it when they're this close to being in the playoff race

The Mariners bullpen is arguably their greatest strength. Closer David Aardsma has saved 20 games and boasts a miniscule 1.96 era, while middle relievers Mark Lowe, Miguel Batista and Sean White have provided incredible relief as well.

While I'm not sure the Mariners have the talent to sustain a full season of this type of success, I think they will go right down to the wire and be in the discussion for the playoffs, if nothing else. It'll be an entertaining summer in Seattle, for the first time since the Sonics moved to Oklahoma (ouch, was that too soon?).

St. Louis Cardinals

That could very well be the achilles heel for the Cardinals. They have had much maligned hitting outside of Pujols and Colby Rasmus this season. Adding Mark DeRosa, who now finds himself on the disabled list helps, but they could use something more. (perhaps call up Billy Beane and see how Matt Holliday is feeling? Or call up the Pirates and ask about the availability of Jack Wilson? I'm not saying they need 40 home runs, they just need somebody to make contact).

On the pitching side of things, Adam Wainwright has been nothing short of their ace after the first half of the season and I see no reason why that won't continue into the second half. Chris Carpenter, even with his oblique injury from early in the season, seems to be rounding into top form and pitching like he used to. With Joel Piniero having a good first half and Kyle Lohse expected to get into the swing of things after being out so long with a forearm injury, the Cardinals can make some noise with their rotation. They aren't going away any time soon.

What can I say about their bullpen? Ryan Franklin is a beast. 0.79 era? Are you kidding me? Dude's got a sick beard too. After trading Chris Perez for Mark DeRosa last month, the Cardinals could use another arm in the pen, but I think with their rotation and Albert mashing at the plate, the second half should be just as good as the first half for the Cards.

Tampa Bay Rays

The scariest part? If they somehow found the money to afford Roy Halladay's contract for NEXT season, he'd be in a Rays uniform by the end of this sentence. They have the prospects to part to acquire Halladay. If by some chance they secured the funds, or found a way to afford Halladay's salary for next season, the Rays would be the favorites for the World Series.

Add another arm to that bullpen via trade (Danys Baez, Latroy Hawkins, Jose Valverde, Chad Qualls, Heath Bell, to name a few), and the Rays bullpen woes are solved as well. This is going to be the best team in the second half of the season, you can almost count on it. If they make the big splash and get Roy Halladay? Well, then it's football season for me.

Texas Rangers

I don't even need to discuss their offense. It's good and doesn't need any tinkering with whatsoever. Michael Young, Marlon Byrd, Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, Elvis Andrus, they're all good, they can all hit. This time will go as far as Mike Maddux and their pitching staff can take them. Adding a bullpen arm is an important aspect (the same names from before, whether it's a Qualls, Hawkins, etc) for the team to maintain their level of success, but the biggest crutch this team has is in their starting rotation. They have no true ace. Don't get me wrong, Kevin Millwood has been good and they have a lot of talent in that rotation, but they're missing that big game starter that every team craves.

If the Rangers owner Tom Hicks wasn't in the financial trouble that he is currently in, you can bet your bottom dollar that Elvis Andurs, Taylor Teargarden and Neftali Perez would be at the airport boarding a flight for Toronto, while Roy Halladay flew to Texas. The Rangers will hang tough with the Angels the second half, they'll beat them head to head, but it's how they do against their other opponents that'll determine how this season ends for the Rangers. They just need one more man to get them over that hump...

Toronto Blue Jays

You've got the best pitcher in the American League over the past 8 years on your team, he's in the middle of his prime at the age of 32, his contract runs out at the end of next season and you're playing hard ball? If you don't want to rush into things and trade him during the season, that's fine, you're entitled to that. But, if you don't trade him in the off-season, for the king's ransom package you can get for him and you lose him to free agency and only receive 2 draft picks for him, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Trade Roy Halladay. I can't get much more straight forward than that. I don't care where you trade him, it doesn't matter. Nor should it matter to you. Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies, Rangers, Rays, who cares? Just get the best offer you can for him. Don't sell yourself short. Don't sell him short. He's given you nearly 10 great years of his life to play for you, you owe him.

Oh yea, I think the Blue Jays will play some games in the second half and you probably won't win many of them

Washington Nationals

Reading that you have ONLY offered him a minor league contract makes me angry and I've never met the kid, nor will I ever meet the kid. That is an absolute (originally there was 5 or 6 expletive laced words written here that I've since removed because this is a family friendly blog) deal and we all know it. Offer him the contract he rightly deserves. If you screw this one up, no Nationals fan will EVER go to another game again.

And believe me, everybody wants the Nationals to sign Strasburg, they want to see this deal get done, because they want to see this kid pitch.

Well, everyone except people in Montreal. Those bitter Expos fans are laughing their asses off right now.

And there you have it. We just previewed the second half for every team in baseball. Are you still with me? If you actually have been able to stay coherent enough and interested enough to read all of this, then frankly, God bless you. I can honestly say I am impressed. I put a lot of work into this particular column, over 5 and a half hours it has taken me to write. I started this at 11pm and it is nearly 5am and I'm just finishing it.

You're probably thinking why didn't I just stop? Well, it's honestly because I'm that dedicated to my writing. I wanted to get this article out bright and early since the second half of the season starts in about 14 hours. We've gone through all the teams, you heard my opinions on every little tidbit. Now it's time to watch some baseball.

This is why I love Summer. It's time to weed out the contenders and the pretenders. We'll go from 30 teams spread out over 2 leagues and 6 divisions, to 8 teams having the chance to play in October and only 2 teams will reach the promised land of the World Series, with just 1 raising that trophy high above their heads while being showered in champagne.

If you don't like what I said about your team, well then please, let me know what you think! Leave a comment or send me an e-mail and let your opinion be heard!

As always, until next time

The Next Big Thing

2009-07-15T00:43:00.010-04:00

"Millions of fans watched as Brock Lesnar refused to accord his opponent the respectful gesture of touching gloves before their match. He was even more ignominious in victory; insulting the sponsor, dismissing his opponent and giving the fans not on, but two middle fingers."

- Meredith Lyons, Chicago Martial Arts Examiner

All due respect to Ms. Lyons, while the matter of disrespect that Brock Lesnar showed after his UFC Heavyweight Title Defense against Frank Mir on Saturday night was as classless as it comes, I just have to pose the question, who cares?

I understand entirely that martial arts is more about respect for yourself, respect for your opponent and respect for the entire "art" of the "sport", but what I'm failing to grasp is why Brock Lesnar owes anybody that respect?

When Brock Lesnar burst onto the scene in the spring of 2006 declaring his intentions to delve into the world of Mixed Martial Arts, he was ridiculed. After all, he was a former professional wrestler and a failed NFL defensive lineman who was trying to step into a sport he had never competed in before in his life. After his first professional fight, a submission victory due to strikes just 1 minute and 8 seconds into the very first round over Min Soo Kim, he still wasn't taken seriously.

Joining the UFC a mere 6 months after his first career MMA fight, did anybody buy into the hype? Nope. His first fight as a UFC competitor ended just 1 minute and 30 seconds into the first round, a submission loss to Frank Mir. Did people begin to take notice of the brute strength Lesnar possessed as he pummeled Mir at the onset of the fight in a shocking display of raw power? They finally did.

But, when Lesnar was awarded a heavyweight title shot against UFC hall of famer Randy "The Natural" Couture, were people thinking he was deserving? No way. The overall consensus among many MMA fans and fighters alike were that he was just handed his title shot because of his past fame as a professional wrestler in the WWE and not because of what he already accomplished as a mixed martial artist. How exactly did Lesnar feel about that?

"I don't run around looking for any respect. There are going to be critics, but I don't give a damn what anybody thinks."

And you know what, he shouldn't. And that's the exact reason why it didn't bother me one bit that after Lesnar turned Frank Mir's face into mincemeat on Saturday night that he paraded around the ring taunting his bloodied and battered opponent and amid a chorus of boos, gave the fans the ol' one fingered salute. You never respected him, why the hell should he respect you?

But, unlike the many cynics around the world who never thought Lesnar would be worth a damn as a mixed martial artist and he was nothing more than some circus side show who was built on name recognition alone, I knew he was the real deal. People just looked at his resume and saw that he was a "performer" in the World Wrestling Entertainment; fake and scripted wrestling and laughed at the thought of him being involved in a truly physical competition.

Well, big time newsflash for you people, Brock Lesnar had a whole lot of name recognition long before he laced his boots to step into the fictional ring. The athletic prowess and competitive hunger this man has, goes way back to when he was a high school wrestler. In Lesnar's senior year of high school, he boasted a wrestling record of 33 wins and 0 losses. After high school, Lesnar enrolled in Bismark Junior College and promptly won the National Junior Wrestling Championship in 1998. From there, Lesnar dreamed big and transferred to the University of Minnesota for his junior and senior seasons, where he was a two-time Big Ten Conference Champion and the 2000 NCAA Heavyweight Champion. In his 4 year college career, he compiled an overall record of 106 wins and 5 losses. Yep, you read that right, 5 losses in 4 years. Yeah, this guy is definitely not a fighter.

After graduating college and turning down offers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins to play football, he turned his attention to pro wrestling, where he showed off his athletic abilities so much to the extent of earning the nickname "The Next Big Thing" (remember that, we'll get back to it). Having spent just 3 years in the WWE as a professional "entertainer", Lesnar made the personal decision that he wanted to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL, stating that he didn't want to wake up one day at the age of 40 and wonder if he could have done it.

Lesnar played for the Minnesota Vikings, where he was known to stir up quite the heated altercations with his propensity to start fights and be exactly what he is, a natural aggressor. Although Lesnar certainly proved he could hang with the biggest and toughest men in the NFL, he was offered a spot on the Vikings NFL Europe roster, but declined, having satisfied his desire to prove his worth to himself.

This brings us back to that fateful day that he woke up and decided "hey, I want to punch guys in the face for a living and get paid to do it." Understand, Lesnar is not some paper champion. This man is a competitor in the truest sense of the word. When he finds something he wants to do, he breaks his back in setting out to accomplish it. Whether it's becoming one of the best collegiate wrestlers in the United States, becoming a phenom professional wrestler or stepping into the Octagon as an MMA competitor, Lesnar succeeds at what he does.

The term "failure" isn't in his vocabulary. This is a 6'3, 275 pound monster carved out of stone, who has fists the size of melons. His amateur wrestling background alone proves that he belongs in the discussion of being a mixed martial artist. As Lesnar said in November 2008, before his fight with Randy Couture "I'm here to represent amateur wrestling. Would there be other pro wrestlers that could make this transition? Absolutely not, because they don't have the background that I have."

It's that very reason that Dana White has rarely referenced Brock's days in the world of pretend fighting in the WWE and instead focuses on his impressive NCAA collegiate accomplishments. That is, after all, what makes him a force to be reckoned with. Add in his size and astounding athletic ability (there is not one man in the UFC heavyweight division who can move as quickly as Lesnar.) In reality, Lesnar is a rare breed of talent. He possesses the size and strength of some sort of mythical figure that you read about in tall tales. But, he also is readily equipped with the agility of a man half his size.

The two things that Brock Lesnar can bring with him from his days as a professional wrestler are his persona and his attitude. He was dubbed 'The Next Big Thing' in the WWE and frankly, I seen no reason at all why he shouldn't have that same nickname now. That is exactly what he is in the UFC. He's the next big thing.

While the persona of being the next big thing is yet to be talked about or even considered, Brock certainly has brought his attitude with him. The post-fight antics Lesnar boasted as he taunted Mir's bloodied corpse and egged on the capacity crowd to keep booing him, was something straight out of a wrestling script. The bad guy persona that fit Lesnar perfectly in the WWE, is one that he is currently relishing in the UFC.

Many will say that he is bad for Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. They'll say that his attitude and behavior has no place in their sport and he's making a mockery of everything they've helped to build over the past decade. I say those individuals are wrong. And contrary to what Dana White may be saying publicly (since he lashed out against Lesnar's behavior), he must be sitting down smiling and counting the dollar signs in his head. Lesnar is EXACTLY what White has been looking for.

With fighters such as Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture who brought the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts into the mainstream nearing the ends of their respective careers, the sport is looking for a new face. The next individual who can stand out and be "THE GUY". They're looking for the next big attraction. Dare I say, the next big thing?

Can't you just see UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer now at UFC 108 on January 2nd in Las Vegas, which is likely the next time Lesnar will defend his title?

"Standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing in at 265 lbs. Fighting out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ladies and Gentleman, he is the REIGNING, DEFENDING, UNDISPUTED, Heavyweight Champion of the World. THE NEXT BIG THING Brock Lesnar"

Honestly, it almost sounds too good to be true. I feel like I need to get on Twitter right now and send Dana White a message. He should be having me do publicity and promotions for Brock, because I think I can market him to astronomical proportions. The parallels are just too great to pass up. I am imploring for Lesnar to take his former nickname and run with it. He could take this sport to heights never before imagined.

The number of media outlets discussing Lesnar's actions over the weekend on television this week has been outrageous. ESPN, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, you name it, they've talked about it. Do you think Dana White considers that bad? He's getting publicity for his company! Bottom line is, whether you like Brock Lesnar or you hate him, he'll sell tickets. People will tune into any fight Lesnar has, just in the hopes of seeing him get his face pounded like an old catcher's mitt. That's all Dana White cares about. It doesn't matter to him if you're for Brock or against Brock, but you're there to watch Brock. Lesnar on the other hand, craves the hatred. He is only satisfied if every person in the world wants to see him fail, wants to see him on the receiving end of a beating.

In the 1980's, Mike Tyson was known as the bad boy of boxing. Well, UFC fans around the world, let me be the first to say we've now been ushered into a new era of entertainment. Say hello to the Maniac Muscle of Mixed Martial Arts.

And to whoever Brock Lesnar's next opponent may be at UFC 108, whether it's Shane Carwin or the highly anticipated possible match-up with Russian Super Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, be wearing of not taking him seriously. This man is a fighter. Whatever he may have done in his past, is just that, in the past. He is a force to be reckoned with and there may not be a man alive who can stop him.

Frankly, I'm giddy at the thought of where Lesnar can take the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. But, whoever that lucky opponent may be, just remember one thing, watch out for his devastating right hand. And if for some reason you find yourself on the ground with Lesnar's chiseled physique hovering atop you with those fierce hammer fists reigning down on the bridge of your newly shattered nose. Well, I've just got four words for you:

HERE COMES THE PAIN

2009 All-Star Game

2009-07-14T08:45:00.010-04:00

Ah, the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star game, the Midsummer Classic, the time when the best and brightest stars in Major League Baseball play in a showcase of their skills. First introduced in 1933 from the creative mind of Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, the All-Star game has proven to be a spectacle (the first game was played during the World's Fair in Chicago) as well as a farce (2002's tie game in Milwaukee).

While the majority of baseball fans are most likely greatly anticipating the latest incarnation of this star studded spectacular, count me in the minority that could care less about it. No, I'm not some bitter Yankee fan who is angry that only 3 Yankees were named to the team (It was actually 1 too many in my opinion), but consider me just a frustrated fan, who longs for the time when the game actually means something again.

The All-Star game hasn't mattered for nearly 40 years. In my entire life-time, I haven't seen an All-Star game that actually did.

I know, I know, now you're thinking, "but Chris, the game decides home-field advantage in the World Series, this time it counts!" Really? It counts now, so why does Major League Baseball still get it wrong? Confused? Let me explain...

We're supposed to be held under the guise that the All-Star game is a crucially contested match-up of the American League and National League where the winner receives the ultimate prize of being awarded home-field advantage in the World Series, yet they don't treat it like it does.

There are a few reasons that prove the All-Star game is nothing but a cheesey exhibition game (which is what it's supposed to be!), filled with players who could truly care less about the importance of the outcome. I'll outline all of MY problems with the game and then offer you the solutions I've come up with that would at least appeal to my interests.

Do you think the Washington Nationals lone representative Ryan Zimmerman really cares about winning, so the National League gets home-field advantage? If you just answered yes to that question, just stop reading right now, because well, you're an idiot and I don't need your support from the mental institution you should be committed to. OF COURSE HE DOESN'T! His team isn't going to be there, hell his team won't even be out of last place for the next 5 years. The only time "World Series" and "Ryan Zimmerman" should be put into the same sentence is when you say "Gee, I wonder what room in his house Ryan Zimmerman is going to watch the World Series this year?"

Problem 1: Players from every team needing at least one mandatory representative

Solution 1: If the game really does matter, every team doesn't need a representative. No offense to you personally, Ryan Zimmerman, because you are indeed having an All-Star worthy season. But, I'm talking about the years that a player only makes the team because his team is required to have a representative. (See: 2003; Devil Rays, Tampa; Carter, Lance)

If the game does matter, like Bud Selig wants me to believe, well, then only the best players who are deserving should be there. Voting for the All-Star game is nothing more than a ballot stuffing popularity contest for your favorite players. And, while I'm complaining about the selection process, I'm sick of seeing the respective managers of each squad, rewarding their team for hard play by favoring their players as reserves, over other teams (the Joe Torre special).

Problem 2: Fans voting for un-deserving players

Solution 2: Take the voting for the All-Star game starters, away from the fans. Simple as that, it's happened before do it again. (In 1957, after a ballot stuffing scandal saw 7 Cincinnati Reds players selected as starters, Commissioner Ford Frick discontinued fan voting). That way, the fans aren't having players go to the All-Star game based on name recognition only. I'm sorry, but Mark Teixeira and his .275 average does not merit him getting the starting first baseman job over Kevin Youkilis. Nor does Dustin Pedroia and his .303 average, 4 home runs and 40 rbi, deserve the starting second base job over Aaron hill and his .292, 20 and 60. (this was at least rectified when Pedroia opted not to play due to personal reasons and Hill was awarded the start). If the game truly is to be taken seriously as a critical game, then I want the players and coaches around the league to vote for who they think is deserving. (this could very well back-fire, but it worked from 1957 to 1969, we can make it work again).

Problem 3: Managers selecting their own players as reserves for the All-Star team over much more deserving players on other squads.

Solution 3: Have the players and coaches league wide vote on not only the starters, but the reserves as well. I didn't think it was fair in 2004 when Joe Torre took 8 players with him to the All-Star game. Just as Terry Francona did in 2008 when he selected Jason Varitek and his .218 batting average to the All-Star team. Or, this year with Joe Maddon selecting Carlos Pena and his .228 average with 24 home runs to the team. I'm supposed to believe that the league I'm supporting is pulling out all the stops to win, while our manager is playing favorites with the roster? I'm sorry, but Pena and his .228 average is not having a more All-Star worthy season than Miguel Cabrera and his .321 average. Don't tell me it's because Pena is leading the league in home runs with 24, because Cabrera is among the league leaders with 18 and he's struck out TWO TIMES fewer than Pena. In a late inning, pinch hit situation, with the game on the line, who would you rather have hitting? The man who strikes out 36% of the time in Pena, or the man who GETS A HIT 32% of the time in Cabrera? My point exactly.

If the All-Star game was such an important contest, then shouldn't the coaches actually manage it, as if it were just that? Every player doesn't need to get into the game in order for your league to have the best chance to win.

Problem 4: Managers trying to get every player into the game for at least a little bit

Solution 4: If the game has that much meaning behind it, with home-field advantage at stake, a player shouldn't have his feelings hurt if he doesn't find his way into the game for his 1 at bat, or if he's a pitcher, 1 batter faced. If you want to tout the fact that the winner of this game determines home-field advantage, then hey, my hats off to you, but, you better damn well manage it like it's the 7th game of the World Series and not like it's a celebrity softball tournament.

So the fans vote for the 8 respective starters at each position, the players and coaches around the league then vote for 5 starting pitchers, 3 relief pitchers and 8 back-up players for each position. The manager then determines the final 8 players on the roster. Wait, the fans then get to decide the "All-Star Final Vote", really? So there are 33 players on an All-Star team roster, when at any other point before September 1st, the Major League roster size is only 25?

Problem 5: There are far too many players participating in the All-Star game

Solution 5: 33 players is far too many, have the normal 25 man roster! If Commissioner Bud Selig and the rest of baseball think they need more bodies on the roster, in case the game goes into extra innings and may end in a tie (like the aforementioned 2002), then they should look at solution 4 listed above. Play the game like it really does matter and you won't need the 8 extra players. If the All-Star game is now just as vital to my teams World Series chances as a regular season game, then do you think I'm going to care if Andrew Bailey didn't get to pitch, or that Jason Bartlett didn't pinch hit for Derek Jeter? HELL NO! I want to see the best players on that field for 9 innings, busting their hump with every play. You want to tell me it count, then you better play like it does too.

One of the biggest caveats with the All-Star game in the past was that it was the only time of the year, other than the World Series, that fans were able to see players from the other league. Now, not so much.

Problem 6: Too much of a good thing, can actually be a bad thing. Inter-league play has taken away much of the luster the All-Star game used to possess.

Solution 6: While this has no chance of EVER happening, since Major League Baseball is all about being a financial success and Inter-league play has proven that its a hit with fans, given attendance for those games are higher than normal games, it does tarnish the true tradition of the All-Star game. If you get rid of Inter-League play, you restore some of the old tradition that the game once stood for.

The Major League Baseball All-Star game is an exhibition game, that's what it was meant to be when it was created 76 years ago. It was supposed to be a one time affair, that only became annual because of the success it had.

Problem 7: Having the All-Star game be played for home-field advantage in the World Series

Solution 7a: Well, this is simple, don't have the All-Star game be played to determine who receives home-field in the World Series. Novel concept, huh? After all, the NBA All-Star game winner doesn't determine which conference hosts the NBA Finals. Just as the NHL All-Star game isn't used to decide that either. They are merely exhibition games to showcase the talent and skills of their players. If I'm mistaken, that's what the All-Star game used to be about.

Solution 7b: Or let's just make this really easy. The home team in the World Series used to just switch leagues on a yearly basis. Really? Why haven't they just adopted what the NBA or the NHL do, which hey, makes sense? THE TEAM WITH THE BEST RECORD HAS THE HOME-FIELD!!!! Stop me if I'm making too much sense here.

The All-Star game in baseball used to have a sense of pride factored into it. The American League and National League would never play one another outside of the World Series before, so when they got together in the All-Star game, it was a matter of bragging rights for your respective league. This was the time when you would show them who the best players in the game truly were.

That's why you had such memorable All-Star moments such as Ted Williams breaking his elbow in the first inning of the 1950 All-Star game and staying in the game! That's how important the game was back then. Ted Williams shatters his elbow in an exhibition game, but refuses to come out, because he wants to win.

Or arguably the most talked about and most controversial play in All-Star game history; July 14, 1970, Ray Fosse meet Pete Rose. After an improbable comeback in the bottom of the 9th inning when trailing 4 - 1, the National League forces the American League to extra innings. Playing in front of his home crowd at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, Pete Rose singles with 2 outs in the bottom of the 12th inning. After moving to second base on single to left field by Billy Grabarewitz, the stage was set. After a single by the next batter Jim Hickman, Pete Rose races around third base heading for home plate. Without slowing down Rose barrels into Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse, jarring the ball loose, winning the game for the National League and separating Fosse's shoulder in the process.

Those are the types of All-Star game moments we won't see now or probably ever again. The game just doesn't have the meaning behind it that it used to. And don't try to tell me that the game actually means something more now than it did 7 years ago when it ended in a tie, since home-field advantage is being determined, because you're only fooling yourself.

Call me cynical, call me crazy or call me whatever you like, I don't care. Just call me when Major League Baseball admits their mistake.

This time it counts? Well, count me out this time.

How good can Brett Gardner be?

2009-07-11T06:10:00.006-04:00

Just how good can Brett Gardner be? I've often posed myself that question a few times over the course of the last year and a half. For those of you who are unaware, I have been the biggest follower on the "Brett Gardner Love-Fest" long before he ever stepped to the plate in his first Major League game, last June 30th, 2008 against the Texas Rangers (he went 0 for 3 that night).

No, I have been following Gardner since he was just a 21 year old speedster playing for the Staten Island Yankees in Rookie Ball in 2005. (where he hit .284 with 5 home runs and 19 stolen bases). I continued to follow his progression through the Yankee farm system over the course of the next 3 years as he made stops at Tampa (.323 average and 30 stolen bases), Trenton (.285 average, 57 stolen bases) and finally Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (.283 average, 58 stolen bases). At each stop in the minors he went through the same statistical rise and fall; he would start off hot, then quickly taper off as the league caught up to him and after a periodic slump (usually 3 weeks or so) he would make adjustments and ultimately start hitting again. That's been the tale of his career thus far, where he has compiled career minor league statistics of a .291 average, 9 home runs, 125 runs batted in and 153 stolen bases in 184 attempts (an 83% success rating) in just over 2 full seasons.

So far in his brief major league career he has seen that same sort of gradual progression towards nearing his statistical prowess. In his brief cup of coffee with the Yankees last season, Gardner batted an un-impressive .228 and only drew 8 walks for a mediocre .283 on base percentage. Despite that, he was still able to steal 13 bases and in the final month of the season (when he finally began seeing regular playing time again), he was able to raise his average 60 percentage points, to finish his season on a terrific note.

Thus far in 2009, he has carried that success over into this season as well. Through the first half of the season, Gardner has attained a .286 average, a .358 on base percentage, swatted 3 home runs, driven in 19 runs and managed to steal 18 bases. He has achieved all that, while maintaining a platoon role with fellow youngster Melky Cabrera. It seems as if much like his stays at each level of the minor leagues, Brett Gardner has begun to figure out major league hitting and if (obviously a big if) everything holds true as it has in his young career, this is the type of player Brett Gardner can be.

His scouting report states:

" Gardner is a contact hitter who has a good approach at the plate while possessing terrific plate discipline. Speed is by far his best tool, he can steal bases effectively and will improve as he continues to get better reads and breaks. He can greatly impact the game on the bases. Gardner's speed is a game-changer in the field as well. He can track down just about any ball in the air and covers a tremendous amount of ground. With his speed, Gardner could be a very useful backup with the Yankees by 2008 and he should be ready to become an every-day leadoff type in the Bronx by 2009."

Now just who does he remind you of? Any particular names come to mind? Well, since you refuse to answer, I'll throw out one name who Gardner is a perfect embodiment of; Tom Goodwin. (yeah, I know, you probably don't know him or remember him). Goodwin played 14 major league seasons during his career (for the Dodgers, Royals, Rangers, Rockies, Giants and Cubs) and was a career .268 hitter with 24 home runs and 369 stolen bases. Much like Gardner, Goodwin's game was purely speed. He was a slap hitter (like Gardner) who's main goal was to either work a walk, or hit the ball on the ground and beat the throw to first. He had the ability to single handedly change games offensively and defensively with his speed.

Much like Gardner, Tom Goodwin also had the same type of progression through the minor leagues as well. His hitting, plate discipline and base running ability all showed steady improvements through each level of the minor leagues. Throughout Goodwin's minor league career he posted a similar .284 average, 13 home runs, 136 runs batted in and 124 stolen bases. (seems oddly familiar, doesn't it?).

Goodwin had a moderately successful career as a major leaguer, playing bits and pieces of 6 seasons for the Dodgers (at the beginning of his career) and the Giants and Cubs (at the end of his career) in a strictly reserve/pinch running role. But, with the Royals and Rangers, he was given a starting job and regular playing time and he certainly made the most of it. Arguably his best season came in his first full year as a starter for the Royals in 1995 where he hit .288 with 4 home runs, 28 runs batted in and 50 stolen bases, while compiling a .346 on base percentage. During his career, Goodwin stole at least 35 bases in 6 consecutive seasons (his 6 consecutive seasons as an every day player). Throughout his time as a starting outfielder, he hit a combined .273 with 18 home runs, 226 runs batted in, 298 stolen bases and compiling a .341 on base percentage.

Obviously I could be entirely wrong with how I think Brett Gardner's career will go. His success could fizzle out next week or next month. But, this has been his trademark his entire career. Early struggles, which lead to prolonged success. He is the fastest player the Yankees have had patrolling their outfield since Rickey Henderson 20 years ago (he is nowhere near the caliber of player Henderson was, don't get me wrong). But, much like Henderson was able to change the course of a single game with his speed and ability to draw walks, that's what Gardner brings to the table as well. With the statistics Gardner has accrued thus far this season, prorated over the course of a full 500 at bat season, it would see Gardner hit .286 with 8 home runs, 50 runs batted in and 49 stolen bases. That's a game changing player if I ever saw one.

The jury is still out on whether or not Brett Gardner can be a serviceable major league player, or if he's better suited as a reserve outfielder/pinch runner (a la Tom Goodwin the last 4 seasons of his career). But, given the patience of the Yankees front office and manager Joe Girardi, Gardner's track record could speak for itself and they may very well have a game changing presence on the base paths for years to come.

Just make sure you don't blink, or you may miss him.

Until next time...

Have you seen this man?

2009-07-11T01:59:00.009-04:00

Usually I will never write a blog immediately following a Yankees game, win or loss, simply because my emotions are still running high and I am unable to coherently piece together my thoughts to formulate any sense of rational thinking. Well, in life there are exceptions. This being one of them.

After the latest poor outing from Joba Chamberlain, I've come to realize that he cannot keep himself composed on the mound and that greatly affects his performance. Last Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, Chamberlain gave up 8 runs (3 earned) in 3.2 putrid innings. Everything unraveled for Joba in the 4th inning after third baseman Cody Ransom made an error. Once the error occurred, Joba lost his composure and promptly got pounded out of the game by an offensive onslaught from Toronto. Following that performance, Joba went on to say;

"I felt like I did a good job today. They're great hitters. I threw good pitches and they put good swings on it. They've been doing it all year. And they're going to continue to do it."

Then there was tonight's game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Staked to a 4 - 1 lead, in the 5th inning, a close (but blown) call at second base by umpire Brian Gorman, an error by third baseman Alex Rodriguez and once again things completely spiraled out of control for Chamberlain. He promptly let up a 3-run game tying home-run to Angels first baseman Kendry Morales, then a rocket double to Designated Hitter Mike Napoli and was promptly pulled from the game. And how did he feel his outing tonight went?

"I felt I've been better in the last two (starts) but we came up against some good ball clubs. They hit mistakes and that is what they're supposed to do. You have to work your tail off, but the sun will come out tomorrow. I'll be the same person I was before."

Frankly, I've grown frustrated with his constant deflecting of his pitching and trying to put a positive spin on his outings. You cannot let up 13 runs in your past two starts, never pitch past the 5th inning and declare them "your two best starts of the season." I'm sorry, it just doesn't work that way. Not now, not ever.

Just once I would like Chamberlain to own up to his failures and struggles and say "you know what, I just plain stunk tonight." A.J. Burnett has done it, so has Andy Pettitte. Why can't Joba?

I think we've finally reached the point where something needs to be done about Chamberlain's ineffectiveness. Somewhere along the way he has lost his 97mph fastball and filthy slider with tremendous bite on it. I happen to believe it's because he's simply out of shape and needs to get better lower body conditioning done. (Felix Hernandez had the same problem, lost 25lbs in an off-season and has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season). I'd like to think it could be something as fixable as that.

But, whatever it is, the Yankees cannot continue to run Chamberlain out there, only to see him labor through 4+ innings, then afterwards put the "they're a good team and they just put good swings on it" routine. I think the time has come that the Yankees need to send Mr. Chamberlain on a bus to Scranton and let him get some work in at the minor league level.

People tend to forget that a) Chamberlain is only 23 years old and b) he never had to earn his job in the rotation. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were handed jobs in the rotation last year and were absolutely killed anytime they pitched. This season? They both started the season out in the minors and had to earn calls back up to the big club. With Chamberlain, even despite a rocky spring training (where Phil Hughes out-pitched him), he had a guaranteed spot in the Yankee rotation.

I think that went to his head. Chamberlain has gotten FAR too complacent with his spot in the rotation and at times seems like he forgets that he's not a 10 year seasoned veteran, but is in fact a young, 23 year old hot-shot pitcher, with tremendous talent, but has yet to put up the consistent stats to back up his immense ego.

The fact that Chamberlain allows a bad umpiring decision, or a defensive miscue to rattle him so much, that it causes his entire game to spiral downward, shows a clear lack of maturity on the mound. Obviously it's because he is a young pitcher and the ability to compose one self will come with experience. That being said, Chamberlain lacks the same mature presence on the mound his younger teammate Phil Hughes possesses. Is that through any fault of Joba's? Not at all. I'm just simply stating that Chamberlain isn't as mentally prepared as Hughes. Chamberlain is still functioning with a rookie mind-set, while Hughes is walking around with a veterans swagger. Hughes has the utmost confidence in his ability and has begun to let his pitching do the talking for him.

With Joba, it's still all in the talking phase. His pure stuff and glimpses of greatness can sure talk the talk, but he's yet to consistently string it together and 'walk the walk' so to speak. He's lost the hunger he once had. The same hunger that Phil Hughes now brings with him to the mound every time the bullpen phone rings.

It's time something is done and I think that something is a short stint in the minor leagues. It wouldn't exactly be the worst thing that could happen to the Yankees or to Joba Chamberlain. He may simply need a few weeks just to get his game together, both mentally and physically and fine tune his mechanics.

Make him earn his job back. We forget that it was handed to him right out of Spring Training like it was some sort of divine right. I think that went to his head. Hell, it would go to my head too. I'd be the cockiest, most arrogant SOB around if that happened to me. Joba needs to be hungry. Let Kei Igawa or Sergio Mitre take his spot in the rotation for a couple weeks, they can't possibly do any worse at this point than Joba has recently. And frankly, they've both at least earned their shot to get a crack at the big club. (Igawa especially, he's been biding his time for well over a year).

It's not out of the realm of normalcy for a highly touted pitcher to be demoted to the minor leagues and need to work on his mechanics or fine tune his skills. Roy Halladay, arguably the best pitcher in the American League had to do that at the age of 24. After the 2000 season, (when he was 23, Joba's current age) where Halladay posted a 4 - 7 record with a 10.64 era, he was optioned to the Class A Dunedin Blue Jays (the lowest level of the minor leagues) to rebuild his delivery. All of the adjustments and tinkering Halladay worked on in the minor leagues proved successful. After six weeks he was promoted to class AA Tennessee and 4 weeks later to class AAA Syracuse. By the all-star break he had rejoined the Blue Jays rotation, where he posted a 5 - 3 record with a 3.19 era and he hasn't looked back since.

If a pitcher with the talent and make-up of Halladay can be sent back down to the minors to be entirely rebuilt as a pitcher, why can't Joba be sent down even for a momentary mental breather just to work some stuff out? It's clear to me (and probably anybody watching him pitch) that he clearly is lacking confidence in his pitches and is tentative to be aggressive early in the count, which is why he's constantly battling and works every batter into a full-count. Am I naive to think that sending him to the minors for a few weeks and have him work on being more aggressive to hitters would be a bad thing? Please, somebody stop me if I'm not making sense or completely being ridiculous right now.

I still believe that Chamberlain can piece it all together and be that pitcher that I and the rest of the Yankee universe hope he can become. But, it's not up to us. There's nothing Joe Girardi or Dave Eiland, or even Derek Jeter can say to him. It's all up to Joba now. Does he have the maturity to buckle down and do what he needs to do in order to harness his talents? That's a question we cannot answer. Joba has all the talent in the world built up in that right arm of his.

Now is a turning point for the young man's career. Either he'll build on that talent and develop the mindset of a major league pitcher. Or, he'll just turn out to be another great talent who couldn't live up to the hype. The ball is in your hands kid. Do you want to be remembered as the Phenom Joba Chamberlain? Or do you want to be just another forgotten memory of Yankee lure?

Only time will tell. But, with each continued poor outing and every post-game interview where you don't own up to your failures, the clock tolls for thee. People are losing faith in your abilities. Don't make me feel foolish for having believed in them for so long. You and you alone have the power to end this.

Will the real Joba Chamberlain, please stand up?

A look back at the first half of baseball...

2009-07-07T13:17:00.009-04:00

Now that we've reached the half-way mark of the baseball season, I think it'd be a good time to take a look back at what I predicted the day before the season began and reflect on how I felt each division race would shape up and who would win the major awards...(basically, this is the time to see if I know what I'm talking about or I'm just blowing smoke up all your butt's).

I figure to make life easier for all of you, I'll show the divisions as I predicted them in April and then as they currently are today. Like always, since I'm an American League man, we'll start things off with the National League.

National League East Predictions

Atlanta Braves: 92 - 70

Florida Marlins: 88 - 74

Philadelphia Phillies: 87 - 75

New York Mets: 85 - 77

Washington Nationals: 56 - 106

National League East Today

Philadelphia Phillies: 43 - 37

Florida Marlins: 43 - 41

New York Mets: 39 - 42

Atlanta Braves: 39 - 43

Washington Nationals: 24 - 56

Alright, well I was somewhat looking good on this prediction of the National League East 3 months later. The Nationals are currently in the cellar of the division, on pace for 48 wins, which is less than I predicted for them. The Mets are mired in mediocrity like I so eloquently predicted. The Braves have surely been more of a disappointment than I had hoped, but I predicted the top 4 teams in this division would finish within 7 games of one another and as of the half-way point of the season, the top 4 teams are within 5 games of one another.

I should also point out, in my predictions column I stated and I quote "The Mets #2 - 5 starter's are Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Livan Hernandez. Mark my words, those guys will be lucky to win 40 games combined this year." I would have you know, that with the season half over today, those 4 men have a combined record (whether it be due to inconsistency or injury) of 17 - 13 with a 5.82 ERA. If you're doing math, they're on pace to finish with (yep, you guessed it) less than 40 wins!

National League Central Predictions

Chicago Cubs: 101 - 61

St. Louis Cardinals: 85 - 77

Milwaukee Brewers: 80 - 82

Cincinnati Reds: 79 - 83

Pittsburgh Pirates: 74 - 88

Houston Astros: 74 - 88

National League Central Today

St. Louis Cardinals: 45 - 39

Milwaukee Brewers: 43 - 39

Chicago Cubs: 41 - 39

Cincinnati Reds: 40 - 41

Houston Astros: 40 - 41

Pittsburgh Pirates: 37 - 46

Let me be the first to say I over-estimated the talent of the Chicago Cubs and under-estimated the talent of the Cardinals and Brewers. Although I stated that the division was "tough to figure out because there's so many teams that have a chance to finish 2nd", I also said that "nobody will challenge the Cubs." Can I get a mulligan on that one? Is there any team in baseball that has been a bigger disappointment than the Chicago Cubs? (Actually, there might be, we'll get to that) My prediction to win the World Series, largely uncontested has seen their offense virtually implode (thank you Milton Bradley) and I also stated that the Cardinals even with a healthy Chris Carpenter (my fantasy team loves you) they wouldn't have the pitching to sustain it throughout the season. Well, it looks like I was wrong on that one. The Cardinals and Brewers are certainly for real and this is going to be a 3 team dog fight to the finish. Obviously my prediction of 101 victories for the Cubbies isn't going to be anywhere near accurate, but I still like them to right the ship and win the division when it's all said and done.

National League West Predictions

Los Angeles Dodgers: 100 - 62

San Francisco Giants: 94 - 68

Colorado Rockies: 86 - 76

Arizona Diamondbacks: 75 - 87

San Diego Padres: 72 - 90

National League West Today

Los Angeles Dodgers: 52 - 30

San Francisco Giants: 45 - 37

Colorado Rockies: 43 - 39

San Diego Padres: 35 - 47

Arizona Diamondbacks: 34 - 49

Can I get some credit here? I accurately predicted the Dodgers to build up a sizeable lead in the division and that the Giants would surprise a lot of people. Check and mate right there. But, I also said that the Rockies, while having a good offense, their rotation outside of Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez left a lot to be desired. Well, my apologies to all you Rockie fans, because I stated they would "need somebody else to step up if they wanted to compete." I introduce you to Jason Marquis and his 11 wins and his 3.61 ERA. Consider that stepping up.

National League Most Valuable Player Prediction: Albert Pujols; .330 average, 38 home runs and 130 runs batted in

First Half National League Most Valuable Player: Albert Pujols; .336 average, 31 home runs and 82 runs batted in. Well, I'd like to apologize to Albert Pujols. While it's obvious you are well on your way to winning another NL MVP award, I under-estimated you by a considerable margin. The numbers I predicted you to have for the full season, you basically have at the halfway mark. You are truly one in a million. Now please, pee into this cup and prove that you did it legally.

National League Cy Young Winner Prediction: Tim Lincecum; 22 - 8, 2.45 ERA, 230 strikeouts

First Half National League Cy Young Winner: Tim Lincecum; 9 - 2, 2.23 ERA, 140 strikeouts. Hey, I was right with this one. Lincecum has proven that he is the best young pitcher in the game and is projected to finish his season with a 19 - 4 record with 279 strikeouts. So he's predicted to win fewer games and strike out more than I had originally thought, but he's your Cy Young Winner barring anything unforeseen.

National League Rookie of the Year Prediction: Jordan Zimmermann; 12 wins and a sub-4 ERA

First Half National League Rookie of the Year: While Zimmermann has largely been average at best posting a 3 - 3 record with a 4.52 ERA in the first half, the NL Rookie of the Year for the first 81 games has without question been St. Louis Cardinals Outfielder Colby Rasmus who posted a line of .282, 10 and 32. I can't be right all the time, can I?

American League East Predictions

New York Yankees: 99 - 63

Boston Red Sox: 97 - 65

Tampa Bay Rays: 89 - 73

Toronto Blue Jays: 81 - 81

Baltimore Orioles: 75 - 87

American League East Today

Boston Red Sox: 49 - 33

New York Yankees: 48 - 34

Tampa Bay Rays: 44 - 39

Toronto Blue Jays: 43 - 31

Baltimore Orioles: 36 - 47

I predicted the AL East would be a close race between the Yankees and Red Sox and despite the Yankees being 0 -8 against Boston this season, the race has certainly lived up to the hype. Tampa Bay started off poorly, but has come on strong the last three weeks to get back into the race. The Blue Jays who were in the mix of things for the first 2 months or so have begun taking a tailspin towards the cellar as of late. I still hold true to my prediction that the Yankees will win the division.

I should also toot my own horn a little bit here and state that I was 100% correct on two specific stories from the American League East. Not sure what I'm talking about? Let me enlighten you. on April 5th I wrote "David Ortiz's bum wrist is not healed and until he can drive the ball with any sort of power he's not a threat." Ding Ding! Call me Nostradamus, because this boy is a Prophet!

When speaking of the topic of the Yankees bullpen, I stated that "there's not one person in that pen that I trust to throw 1 strike, let alone get 1 out. Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and Damaso Marte aren't the answer. We need some help in the bullpen." I won't get too excited about being right with that prediction, because the writing was on the wall. They were all terrible. I knew it in December. I convinced most of you by February. It took Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi until mid-June to realize it.

American League Central Predictions

Cleveland Indians: 88 - 74

Kansas City Royals: 84 - 78

Chicago White Sox: 82 - 80

Minnesota Twins: 79 - 83

Detroit Tigers: 76 - 86

American League Central Today

Detroit Tigers: 44 - 38

Minnesota Twins: 43 - 40

Chicago White Sox: 42 - 40

Kansas City Royals: 36 - 46

Cleveland Indians: 33 - 50

This is just hard to do. I literally picked the division in complete reverse order. I can't even be mad at myself, that takes some serious skill if you ask me. Like I said in April, this division is extremely difficult to determine, because there is no clear cut great team. That being said, I'm beyond disappointed in the Indians and Royals. Two teams I expected to break out and really surprise people, have surprised them with how poorly they've played. I said the Tigers had no starting pitching, specifically insulting Edwin Jackson, who has been one of the top 5 pitchers in the American League so far. I also said the Royals would be this year's Tampa Bay Rays. Eh, wrong again Chris. Basically any possible way you could be wrong, I was wrong when predicting the American League Central (although, I think I'll be vindicated a little bit later...but we'll get to that). My apologies to fans of this entire division, I was hanging out with Jeremy Mayfield and was high on meth when I was writing back in April (ha ha my first ever Nascar joke).

American League West Predictions

Texas Rangers: 93 - 69

Seattle Mariners: 85 - 77

Anaheim Angels: 81 - 81

Oakland Athletics: 73 - 89

American League West Today

Anaheim Angels: 46 - 35

Texas Rangers: 45 - 36

Seattle Mariners: 43 - 39

Oakland Athletics: 35 - 46

Heyyy, I wrote in April I seemed crazy for predicting the Rangers and Mariners to do well, but it looks like I'm pretty smart right now, huh? Granted I predicted the demise of the Angels a bit prematurely, I am pleasantly surprised with how this division is shaping up based on how I thought it would. Mike Maddux has been the tremendous pitching coach the Rangers thought he would be and they have really set themselves up with a nice pitching staff. It is a little sad and tragic that in April I spoke so highly of Angels starting pitcher Nick Adenhart, only to see him pass away a week and a half later. But, despite all of the injuries the Angels have seen themselves encounter, they continue to play well and they continue to win. It looks like the Angels may have something to say the 2nd half of the season to all those who think the Rangers can steal this division (myself included).

American League Most Valuable Player Prediction: Miguel Cabrera; .340 average, 42 home runs and 140 runs batted in

First Half American League Most Valuable Player: Joe Mauer; .389 average, 14 home runs and 45 runs batted in, AFTER missing nearly the first 5 weeks of the season due to injury. All due respect to Miguel Cabrera, even though I picked your team to finish in dead last and you find yourself in first place, you have certainly had an MVP caliber season thus far hitting .322 with 16 home runs and 47 runs batted in. But, Mauer is well on his way to winning yet another batting title and has already posted near career marks in home runs and runs batted in. This will be Mauer's award to lose the rest of the season.

American League Cy Young Winner Prediction: Gut said Zach Greinke, heart told me Roy Halladay at 20 - 10 with a 2.65 ERA

First Half American League Cy Young Winner: Zach Greinke; 10 - 4, 2.00 ERA. It looks like I should've gone with my gut over my heart back in April. But, I can at least rest assured that I correctly predicted the top-2 finishers in the Cy Young voting this season. Roy Halladay is currently 10 - 2 with a 2.79 ERA, likely to do better than the 20 - 10 season I predicted for him. But, Greinke, even on a below average team has been putting up numbers out of this world. He leads the major leagues in complete games, holds a 6:1 strikeout to walk ratio and has been the only form of consistency on his team. He could very well win 20 games on a last place team, which is almost unheard of. I tip my hat to you Zach and am glad to see that the breakout year I hoped for you is well under way.

American League Rookie of the Year Prediction: Ricky Romero

First Half American League Rookie of the Year: Ricky Romero; 7 - 3, 2.96 ERA. Looks like I correctly figured this one out. I said back in April it wouldn't surprise me if he won 14 games for the Jays and he's currently on pace to finish with a 15 - 6 record. He's a young pitcher with tremendous upside and after seeing him defeat the Yankees, he reminds me of a younger, less polished, Johan Santana. Him and Roy Halladay could make a good 1 - 2 combo for the Jays for years to come.

So there you go, after the first half of the season, more often than not I have largely been correct with my predictions to this point. There's still plenty of baseball left to play and in baseball, as Joaquin Andujar once said "you know anything can happen." It should be a great summer and I'm looking forward to more baseball and more surprises.

Until next time...

Yankees have hurt Wang

2009-07-06T21:47:00.010-04:00

Don't you just love the title? It's a double entendre! I swear, even though I'm trying to become a serious published writer, there was NO WAY I was passing up the opportunity to get that comedic title in there. But, with that out of the way, now it's time to get down to the business at hand. A lot has happened in sports since the last I posted. Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays and Steve McNair have all passed away (stay tuned for a Steve Mcnair post later this week), the Yankees have surged their way back up the standings and currently sit 1 game behind Boston and oh yeah, I'm now a published writer! (more on that a little later as well).

The Yankees are currently auditioning for the role of a new 5th starter, with the latest injury to the oft-maligned Chien-Ming Wang. I don't want to say that he's injury prone, but, in his 5 year major league career, he's found himself on the disabled list multiple times with various injuries (shoulder, hamstring, foot, hip and now shoulder again) in 4 seasons. If that isn't "injury prone", I don't really know what is. Now, I'm not voting him to the starting rotation of the "Carl Pavano All-Stars" (People who find themselves on the DL more than they find themselves on the field), but he's slowly creeping up to that status.

It is a shame though, because Wang was FINALLY starting to string together some decent to moderately good outings. In his last 4 starts, Wang was starting to show glimpses of his former self inducing groundballs and keeping his team competitive, going 20.2 innings and lowering his ERA from 13.92, to a more respectable (And better than Oliver Perez!!!!!) 9.64 ERA. Is it great? Hell no. Is it the worst on the team? Hell yes. Was he pitching like the back of his baseball card says? Actually, almost.

The question that remains to be answered, is where do we go from here? Who is going to step in and fill the spot in the rotation that the two-time 19 game winner has left open now? Phil Hughes? Not a chance. He's in the bull pen for the foreseeable future. If, for some reason, a CC Sabathia or an A.J. Burnett were somehow injured and had to miss a significant portion of time, then you'd see Hughes stretched out and put back into the rotation. But, we're not trying to replace our ace, we're trying to replace a pitcher with a 1 - 6 record and an ERA more bloated than John Kruk's waistline.

That being said, I've listened to all of the interviews the Yankees coaching staff and front office have given and I've looked at all the stats of our minor league affiliates and I've come up with 3 candidates who I think would make the logical choice to fill in as a spot starter until Wang returns in a few weeks.

The first candidate standing in at 6'3 and weighing 225lbs, his scouting report boasts him as having a nice sinking fastball and the ability to throw his curveball and changeup for strikes, but left handers give him trouble at the major league level and he projects to be a 5th starter or middle reliever at best (which is what we need from him anyway), hailing from Los Angeles, California, he is....SERGIO MITRE! (any idea who that is?)

(really? No clue still?).....Well, Mitre is a former 7th round selection of the Chicago Cubs and has posted a career record of 10 - 23 with a 5.36 ERA. Obviously he's not going to light up the stat sheets with 0's, but maybe the Yankees can catch lightning in a bottle (a la Aaron Small) and get a few useful starts out of him. He's 3 weeks removed from his off-season 50 game steroid suspension and nearly 12 months removed from Tommy John Surgery. He's made 5 starts at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the Yankees and has posted a 2 - 1 record with a 3.26 era in 30.1 innings of work. He's allowed less than a hit per inning and has shown impeccable control allowing only 3 walks. Obviously since he's less than a year removed from major reconstructive elbow surgery (normal rehabilitation time is 12 to 18 months) the odds of Mitre helping the Yankees in the long-term boasts to be more possible (since the Yankees have him under contract for 2010 as well) than he does in the interim. But, given how well he's performed over the past month since being activated, might as well give him a little taste of the Bronx this season and have him come out for spring training next year poised to make the team. Could he be our starter on Thursday? I'd put the odds at 60/40.

Our next candidate stands 6'1 and weighs in at a respectable 210lbs, he is the three-time Central League strikeout champion, three-time all-star, a former MVP and Eiji Sawamura Award winner, hailing from Oarai, Japan, he is...Kei Igawa!!! (really...I'm not kidding....I swear to God he's still being paid by us).

Hear me out on this one, I'm not choking, I'm not trying to pull a fast one over you. I realize the Yankees paid $26 million for the right to negotiate that 5 year $20 million contract with the Yankees almost 2 and a half years ago (actually 2 and a half years to the day now that I've checked) and he's only posted a 2 - 4 record with a 6.66 ERA during his always brief call-ups to the Bronx, but, for the past two seasons at Scranton, he has shown on a consistent basis he can get hitters out. He has without question been the most accomplished pitcher of the International League over the course of the last 18 months.

Is that something to be proud of? Well, not really. But, it's a start. There's going to be a time that the Yankees will need to see if they can muster any form of success out of Igawa. I know they've tried him for brief periods in 2007 and a little bit last season as well, only to have it blow up in their face as a colossal failure. But, I have a feeling this time would be different. Is he going to be the MVP caliber pitcher he was in Japan? Let's put it this way, there's a better chance of Michael Jackson moon-walking into my bedroom right now than Igawa has of being THAT good. (was that Michael Jackson joke too soon? Who cares, I liked it). But, I certainly think he can be serviceable and give the Yankees what they need; a body who can throw strikes and eat innings. This season at Scranton, Igawa has posted a record of 6 - 3 with a very respectable 3.80 ERA in 85 innings. He has shown incredible control boasting nearly a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio and has shown the ability to challenge hitters on a consistent basis, which is something the Yankees are desperately lacking. Is Igawa the answer? Maybe. I'd hinge my bets and put the odds at 70 / 30 that you WON'T be seeing Igawa tow the rubber for the Yankees any time soon.

Our last candidate steps in weighing 218lbs and stands at 6'3. Boasting a career record of 6 - 1 with a 2.19 ERA, hailing from San Luis Rio Colorado (I swear did they just combine St. Louis, Rio and Colorado into one town?) Mexico, he is; ALFREDO "ACE" ACEVES!!! Ta da, here's your most likely candidate to start on Thursday. Arguably one of the best relievers the Yankees have today not named Rivera or Hughes, Aceves is the most likely candidate to get the nod on Thursday afternoon in Minnesota. He's been a starter his entire career, including 7 spot starts with the Yankees last season (including his first career win and start last August against the Angels where he allowed 1 run in 7 innings).

Out of sheer necessity the Yankees were forced to use Aceves out of the bullpen, first in a long relief/mop up role, where after continued success he found himself thrust into the role of being an effective middle reliever. It was only a mere 48 hours ago that Aceves found himself earning his first career save pitching 4 innings of 1 hit ball to preserve a 10 - 8 Yankees win over the Toronto Blue Jays. In essence, Aceves is the 2009 version of Ramiro Mendoza. He doesn't have incredibly over-powering stuff, but throw strikes, attacks the zone and has a strong presence on the mound, much like Ramiro Mendoza did for the Yankees in the late 90's. The only pitfall to starting Aceves is that you'd have to take him out of the bullpen for the short-term, which would create a caveat of sorts, since he's one of our few reliable relievers now that Brian Bruney forgot what the strike zone was. Also, because Aceves has pitched so often in relief for the Yankees, he won't be able to provide the length that Mitre or Igawa would, seeing as though Aceves hasn't thrown more than 50 pitches since his season debut this year on May 4th (where he threw 70 pitches in 4.1 innings against Boston). So, the Yankees would be incredibly hard pressed to throw Aceves more than 60 pitches since he would tire quickly after that point. Despite that, I'd say it's an 85/15 chance that you WILL see Aceves getting the start on Thursday afternoon.

Do I think that is the right decision should the Yankees go that route? No, I don't. I happen to think you shouldn't mess with what works. Right now, the Yankees bullpen of Aceves, Coke and Hughes serving as the bridge to Mariano Rivera is working beautifully. Everybody is pitching tremendous and they all know the roles they serve. Coke is the reliable lefty out of the pen (a modern day Mike Stanton if you will), Hughes is the righty with the nasty hook (a more electric Jeff Nelson without the fake to third, throw to first move) and Aceves is the effective middle reliever who can go 2 or 3 innings at a time when the starter fails to go past the 5th inning (a new and improved Ramiro Mendoza). Will this bullpen chain of command continue to work for the rest of the season? Only time will tell that, but why would you mess with what works? Sure, Aceves could step in on Thursday and toss 6 innings of 1 hit ball, but, he could also let up 5 runs in 3 innings and completely deflate all of the confidence he has built up in his relief outings. Why would the Yankees want to mess with what's working right now?

In my opinion, the Yankees would be best suited to throw out Mitre or Igawa (my preference would be Igawa, because you have to find out if you can recoup some of that investment one of these days) on Thursday, because you're not trying to replace CC Sabathia. We're just looking for a stop gap to a 1 - 6 pitcher. You could throw me out there for God sake's and get the same mixed results the Yankees are just hoping to get from that spot in the rotation. Let the rehabbing Mitre or the Ghost of Kei Igawa get the start, leave Aceves in the pen to clean up their mess and don't screw with what got you back to being the hottest team in baseball the last 3 weeks.

There you have it. Three candidates the Yankees can replace Chien-Ming Wang with over the next month or so until he returns. I think Mitre, Igawa or Aceves are all more than capable of getting the job done, but I'd very much like to see Mitre get some more innings under his belt at Scranton as he rehabs from his injury, Aceves stay in the bullpen where he's most valuable to our success and Kei Igawa get the long awaited call to the Bronx Bombers. Will the Yankees do that? Probably not. You'll probably be seeing Ace on Thursday, but whether it works or not, I'll still be pining for Kei Igawa to re-emerge in the Bronx sometime soon. Hopefully in the past year we haven't seen him he's gotten his over-bite fixed by an Orthodontist.

Well, before I get to my signature sign off, let me just say it's always a pleasure to rant and know that the true few who read this blog actually enjoy what they read (or at least lie to me and say they do). And in my quest to attain a level of notoriety for my rants, I've gotten the opportunity to publish articles on E-Sports .com, a world-wide sports writing website. It's not Sports Illustrated or ESPN just yet, but it's baby steps. Let's consider it the minor leagues as I continue to wait for my call up to the big club.

Despite all that, don't think I'll be forgetting about my faithful blog followers. Even though I'll be continuing with Grad school, searching for a job and posting weekly on E-sports, don't think I'll be going on another long-term hiatus from Ramey Rants. In fact, I plan on posting a lot more, because frankly, I have a lot more complaining to do. So, be on the look out for blogs galore. And now you can even find me on twitter at twitter.com/rameyrants. And as I said, expect to find new posts almost daily here and don't forget to check me out on E-Sports .com (I'll be posting different stories there that you won't be seeing here...hey, I'm trying to start a career, I've gotta get a good rating on there so I can be a featured columnist).

With that, as always, until next time...

3.8 Seconds

2009-06-23T20:57:00.009-04:00

If you had one shot or one opportunity

To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment

Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?

- Eminem

Who would have thought that words echoed by rap artist Eminem would ring so true in what I'm about to discuss. The Yankees - Red Sox rivalry, the sporting equivalent of the Greek's and the Persian's has spanned the course of time for nearly a century since the date of January 3, 1920; the day Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees. From that point on, the rivalry had begun and would evolve on and off the field with players and fans alike, but, we'll get back to that in a minute.

Let's fast forward 84 years, 9 months and 15 days. The date on the calendar reads October 17, 2004. For any Yankee or Red Sox fan, this is a day held in infamy; it's the day it all changed. The Yankees are one year removed from defeating the Red Sox in the 2003 American League Championship Series in one of the greatest playoff series in history. The Yankees now find themselves a mere 3 outs away from their second consecutive playoff elimination of the Boston Red Sox and successfully winning their 40th Major League pennant. Mariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history stoically stands atop the mound, his heart pounding, but his nerves undeniably calm. Nobody is aware of the history altering moment that is about to happen.

Kevin Millar steps into the batter's box leading off the 9th inning, as the Red Sox trail the Yankees by a run at 4 - 3. Miraculously, Millar works a walk on 5 pitches and trots slowly to first base. Emerging from the Red Sox dugout is little used reserve outfielder, Dave Roberts, to pinch run for Millar. As he takes his lead off first base, Mariano Rivera makes a snap throw to first base to keep him close, then another, then a third throw. It's obvious to all that Roberts' is the main concern for every player in a Yankee uniform. As Rivera comes to a set and delivers the pitch to home plate, Roberts makes a mad dash for 2nd base, and history is unknowingly made.

Remember that quote from before? In the time it took to read it, Dave Roberts seized his opportunity and captured his moment. 3.8 seconds to change the course of baseball history as we know it. 3.8 seconds to erase 86 years of futility and alter the lives of two entire fan bases. The Yankees - Red Sox rivalry truly started the day Babe Ruth was sold to New York and it ended on the field in those 3.8 seconds.

That's the moment it all changed, where the Red Sox took the momentum and stepped on the throttle towards history. You know how the story ends; the Red Sox tied the game 2 pitches later, went on to win in extra innings and rode the wave of momentum for 7 more consecutive wins to demolish the Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals en route to the most historic comeback in sports history and their first world championship in 86 years.

The rivalry hasn't been the same since that fateful night. It's as if we've stepped into another dimension, where everything has turned upside down. The Red Sox are now the greatest franchise in sports, having won 2 world championships in five seasons and the Yankees have taken on the role of the perennial loser.

People say that the Yankees - Red Sox rivalry is the greatest in all of sports. What they fail to realize is that the rivalry on the field no longer exists with the same brooding hatred that can be found in the stands. The rivalry on the field hasn't exuded the same level of animosity since that night in 2004. And I don't mean because the Red Sox ended the Curse of the Bambino and won the World Series, but because that's the last time there was even the slightest inkling of dislike between the two franchises. What happened to the old days of Yankees outfielder Jake Powell and Red Sox manager Joe Cronin fighting beneath the stands during a game (May 30, 1938)? Or the days of Jimmy Piersall and Billy Martin squaring off in the tunnel before a game (May 24, 1952)? That's what is currently missing in the rivalry.

There's far too much camaraderie between the players. Whether it's the stories of Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia becoming acquaintances during the World Baseball Classic, or the friendship fellow Dominican's Robinson Cano and David Ortiz share, the days of the rivalry being intense are a far distant memory. To be perfectly honest, the last time this rivalry had any meat on its bones was in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, when Pedro Martinez hit Karim Garcia in the back, prompting both benches to empty, and then later on culminated with Yankees coach Don Zimmer being tossed like a lawn dart by Pedro.

Realize with every continued stroke of the keyboard my blood boils with anger. I am NOT a Red Sox fan. I hate the Red Sox with every fiber of my being. My loyalties lie with my New York Yankees. I will not knowingly befriend a Red Sox fan and I certainly will never date a fan of Boston. They don't like me and I hate them. It's how I was raised; it's how I will raise my children. They are the enemy. I know that's how they were raised to feel about us and that's perfectly fine in my eyes. It's the way the rivalry used to be and it's the way it will continue to be from every fans perspective. But, that is where the Yankees - Red Sox rivalry ends. Now it only exists flowing in the blood of the fans.

Can the rivalry on the field be reinvigorated with the passion and disdain that each fan feels for their opposition? Only time will tell, but, it's at least a comforting thought deep in the heart of this Yankee fan to know that it only takes 3.8 seconds to change the course of history. Here's hoping the Yankees get their one shot or one opportunity to seize everything they ever wanted in one moment. And here's hoping they capture it and don't let it slip.

The Luxury Tax Conundrum

2009-06-18T21:57:00.005-04:00

For the 2009 Major League Baseball season, the New York Yankees have the highest payroll for the ninth consecutive year, paying their players a total salary of $201.4 million. The next highest club is the New York Mets with a payroll of $149.4 million. The luxury tax threshold for this season is $162 million. In case you aren't familiar with what that exactly means, let me explain it to you. Any team whose payroll is over the luxury tex threshold ($162 million this season) has to pay a certain percentage rate; 22.5% for exceeding the limit the first time, 30% for the second time and 40% for every subsequent infraction. Because of this, the Yankees will be paying nearly $16 million in luxury tax expenses for the current season (they are the only team over the threshold).

The purpose of a luxury tax is to prevent teams in "major markets" with high incomes from signing the most talented players, ergo destroying the competitive balance in the sport. The money that is then gained from the luxury tax is divided up among the teams in the "smaller markets", to allow them to accrue more revenue and maintain a competitive level with the rest of the league.

Let me be the first to say how truly ridiculous that is. The Yankees are considered "bad for baseball" by so many purists because they overspend on player contracts to get individuals to sign with New York. Just this past off-season, they doled out over $420 million to sign Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. And according to every sports columnist, the Yankees are "buying a championship." Right, the Yankees are signing players they feel they need in order to compete, or dare I say, maintain a competitive level with the rest of the league and they are bad for baseball?

Over the past 6 years, the Yankees have had to pay the highest amount for the luxury tax to the "small market teams" so they can remain competitive with those big bad boys of the large media markets (Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, etc). To the un-informed reader, that would seem fair. You see teams like the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, Florida marlins, etc and you see them with mediocre talent, low payrolls and you curse the name of George Steinbrenner for making it so impossible for those teams to compete!

Well, newsflash genius, those teams can compete, they just choose not to. I'm sick of the Yankees having to pay the luxury tax year in and year out. I think it's ridiculous that the REd Sox have had to pay the luxury tax twice, or that the Tigers have had to pay it as well. I'm sick of all this "small market" hooplah that I hear every single day. So the Yankees have the highest payroll, we have the highest player contracts, blah, blah, blah. With the way these media outlets spout off in a barrage of anti-Yankee rhetoric, you would think that George Steinbrenner is the richest owner in sports and just throws out large denominations of cash to lure those players as he sports a greedy smile on his face.

Too bad that isn't true. Not even close to true in fact.

George Steinbrenner is worth $1.3 billion, which is a pretty substantial amount. He's worth more money than 2/3 of the other owners in Major League Baseball. now, I'm not saying he's poor by any stretch of the imagination, since obviously he has a large amount of cash in his name. But, were you area of the fact that there are currently 9 other owners, or ownership groups worth more (and in some cases considerably more) than the New York Yankees owner? I bet the mainstream media didn't really clue you, or anyone else into that. Listed below are the names of the owner's currently worth more than George Steinbrenner and the teams they are currently in charge of:

Chicago Cubs: Thomas S. Rickets - $1.3 Billion

Texas Rangers: Thomas O. Hicks - $1.4 Billion

Detroit Tigers: Mike Illitch - $1.6 Billion

Houston Astros: Drayton McLane, Jr. - $1.6 Billion

Atlanta Braves: Liberty Media - $2.3 Billion

Cleveland Indians: Larry Dolan - $3.3 Billion

Washington Nationals: Theodore N. Lerner - $3.5 Billion

Minnesota Twins: Carl Pohlad - $3.6 Billion

Seattle Mariners: Nintendo Corporation - $257.4 Billion (yes, you read that right, Nintendo owns the Mariners and the entire corporation is worth nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars)

Notice any teams that really jump out at you? Possible perennial payroll bottom dwellers and mid-market teams such as the Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins? Seems rather peculiar that two of the least spending teams in Major League Baseball boast the wealthiest owners, doesn't it? But wait, I thought they were just poor lowly teams that can't afford to compete with the endless finances that teams like the Yankees offer other players. I mean after all, the Twins payroll this season is only $65.3 million and the Nationals is no better at $60.3 million. How can these victims of the Yankees tyranny honestly compete with a monetary juggernaut like George Steinbrenner? (in case you haven't realized it, I'm being sarcastic and I'm laying it on pretty thick)

Bet you didn't know that, huh? Weren't aware that the wealthiest owners were in charge of some of the lowest spending teams? Of course not, because nobody wants you to know that. The media to portray the Yankees and teams like them in such a negative light that it makes the story seem interesting. Would you read a story (kinda like this one, so I guess you would) that speaks about the other owner's who refuse to spend money? Like you honestly know who Theodore Lerner or Carl Pohlad are? Well, I do, because I've researched this topic endlessly because it aggravates me so much. Their refusal to spend money has forced Major League Baseball into this conundrum (I had to slip it in there at some point) of having a luxury tax. They are rewarding ineptitude and that's utterly mind boggling.

Major League Baseball implemented the luxury tax to punish teams like the New York Yankees for spending so much money on signing players. They initiated this as a way to "keep the game competitive and every team on equal footing." In reality, the sport needs more owners like George Steinbrenner. He's good for baseball. The Steinbrenner's are one of the only ownership groups in Major League Baseball willing to do whatever it takes to win. They are the only owners who put the fans first and worry about the product on the field, rather than the bottom line. It's purely ludicrous that the Yankees or any other team that exceeds the luxury tax threshold has to give millions of dollars to those "small market" teams, when their owners are worth nearly twice as much!

In effect you are penalizing any owner's passion and desire to win at any cost. We should be applauding owners like George Steinbrenner, Frank McCourt, Fred Wilpon and John Henry. They are more than willing to take the necessary steps they see fit to put the best team possible on the field. They are willing to spend money to put the best product on the field for the fans.

I propose that the luxury tax should work in reverse order. Set a precedent for how much money each team should spend each season. If they don't spend the minimum amount, they should be penalized and have to pay the other teams in baseball a percentage. Now that's the way you maintain a competitive balance. Force the teams that refuse to spend money to open up their wallets and at least pretend they're attempting to be competitive.

I'm sick and tired of hearing about the Yankees are "buying championships" simply because we have an owner who is willing to set aside business ventures and puts the team and wining first and foremost. If we have to cut one more check to teams like the Nationals or Twins, I may be sick to my stomach. Somebody write your Congressman! Implore them to force these cheapskate owners to at least pretend like they give a crap about their team or the fans.

I'm talking directly to you Theodore Lerner. And to you (the family of) Carl Pohlad. You boast two of the lowest payrolls in all of sports, yet you're both worth over $3.5 Billion respectively. Tell me where's the justice in that? They receive millions of dollars per year from the Yankees as a part of revenue sharing, so their teams can "maintain a competitive level."

Hey, tell you what, if you spent the same percentage of your net worth on your team's payroll, we'd be begging you to share some money for our poor small market Yankees. George Steinbrenner spends nearly 17% of his net worth on the Yankees payroll alone. Do you know how much the Nationals payroll would be if Theodore Lerner spent the same 17% of his net worth on his team? Their payroll would be a whopping $595 million.

If that doesn't prove a point, I don't know what will. George Steinbrenner and owner's cut from the same mold as him are not bad for baseball. Teams like the New York Yankees don't hurt the competitive balance in the sport. You want to know what is bad for the sport? Take a look at all those teams on the receiving end of the revenue sharing. It's people like Theodore Lerner that are hurting the sport and compromising the competitive balance in baseball.

Until next time...

When crime does pay

2009-06-18T11:12:00.004-04:00

Usually I will use this blog as a forum to vent my frustrations about why the Yankees did this, or why the Cowboys didn't do that, basically just airing out the grievances I have with my beloved professional sports teams. But, I feel I need to take a slight detour in my thinking (with a lot less humor) and talk about something else in the sports world that has ravaged me with anger; the way athletes are treated by the law makers of this country. It's absolutely incredulous and frankly I am becoming sickened by the lack of justice that is bestowed upon athletes for serious offenses.

With the recent news that Plaxico Burress is getting his court date adjourned until September, where he is assured of having it adjourned AGAIN until the following summer, so it enables him to play in the upcoming NFL season is beyond ridiculous.

The man carried an un-licensed handgun into a public place in New York City, the gun was discharged and he was lucky he only accidentally shot himself and not an innocent bystander. The crime is punishable by up to 3 1/2 years in prison, but, will he see a day in jail? I'd likely bet he won't. I think it's more probable that the court system in New York will force Burress to pay a hefty fine and have to serve a considerable amount of community service, to "set an example." Is that fair? Absolutely not. If you, or I, were driving from Connecticut and got pulled over just across the border into New York and we were merely in possession of an un-licensed hand gun, we'd be arrested on the spot and would serve at least 12 months in a state corrections facility, no questions asked. That's the law. That's the way the law works; unless you're a professional athlete.

Then you have the case of Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver Donte Stallworth. In case you aren't familiar with this particular individual, on the morning of March 14, 2009, Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in Miami Beach, Florida. Police estimated that Stallworth was speeding and he was under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently arrested and charged with DUI and second degree manslaughter. A few days ago he pled guilty to the charges and received a sentence of 30 days in jail, 2 years house arrest and 8 years of probation. He also agreed to some form of monetary compensation to the victim's family. Now, I ask you, is this fair? Once again, absolutely not. In the state of Florida, the prison sentence for second degree manslaughter is 15 years in prison and at least $10,000 in fines. If I was the offending participant and 'accidentally' killed that man while I was driving intoxicated at 7am, you know the next time you'd be seeing me? Around the year 2024 sounds about right. And do you know why that is? Because my pockets aren't lined with hundred dollar bills.

Are you beginning to see the point I'm trying to make? Athletes are treated above the law, simply because they have a famous face and a wad of cash in their wallet. To provide further evidence to my claims, I'll share with you the names of a few other athletes, the crimes they committed, the sentences they (didn't) receive and what the law would constitute as proper punishment if it was me who was the perpetrator.

In 1998, St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little left a birthday party drunk, crashed into and killed a woman. When his blood alcohol level was tested, it measured 0.19 percent, a level that was well over twice the level of intoxication of 0.08 in the state of Missouri. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served a whopping 90 days in jail. Really, 90 days? That's it for killing a woman? That can't be the law in the state of Missouri, can it? Nope, it isn't. In fact, that's not even nearly the type of sentence you can receive for such a crime. Just last year a man was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for causing a crash in Missouri when he was high on marijuana (obviously still impaired, but not to the extent that a 0.19 would have you be) and he received a total of 11 years in prison, without the possibility of parole. Welcome to the United States Justice System. Two men commit the exact same crime, one of them is a professional athlete, the other is just a regular guy; the athlete gets a slap on the wrist and the regular Joe gets put in the slammer with the key thrown away. God Bless America!

In 1989, New York Yankees outfield Luis Polonia was arrested on a road trip in Milwaukee for having sexual relations with a 15 year old girl. He was charged and eventually convicted of the crime of having sex with a minor. He received 30 days in jail. Now doesn't that seem a little lenient to you? I researched the statutes and laws dealing with the repercussions of being convicted for having sex with a minor. Based on the different sentences I came across, the crime usually yields a sentence between 6 months and 20 years. Yes, you can get up to 20 years as a FIRST time offender for this crime. Luis Polonia received 30 days. If I got arrested for that sort of crime, you'd be seeing me somewhere between the ages of 24 and 43, depending on how severely the judge wishes to punish me. But, if I was a famous athlete, see you in a month. Fair? not by a long-shot.

Former NBA player (and current Lebanese club "Champville" player) Ruben Patterson was convicted in 2001 of 3rd degree rape of his child's nanny in September 2000. I researched the laws in the state of Washington (where Patterson was residing at the time as a member of the Seattle Supersonics) and the crime of 3rd degree rape is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 5 years in prison. How long do you think Ruben Patterson served in prison? Luis Polonia served 30 days just a decade earlier for a less severe crime (less severe because he didn't force himself on the girl, she was a willing participant since she arranged to meet with him). So, if it was a more severe crime, you'd think he'd serve somewhere between a few months and 5 years, right? Nope. He served 15 days. FIFTEEN DAYS! 15 days for raping your nanny. Welcome to the life of a professional athlete. Fair or not fair? And the survey says....NOT FAIR

Notice that I'm still yet to mention Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson. Well, let me explain the reasoning behind his absence in this list. The court system for athletes finally caught up to him! He originally got away with murder, because he was a flashy former athlete who had a ton of money. But, all the civil lawsuits later, and he's just another poor man, who gets arrested for robbery and kidnapping and uh oh! You can't buy your way out of prison like it's a monopoly game. Sorry, O.J. You do not pass GO, you do not collect your $200. You go directly to jail. See you in 9 1/2 to 33. Johnny Cochran couldn't have even helped you out this one. You'll get to spend probably the rest of your life finding out if prison inmates like vitamin C (get it? Because O.J.'s nickname was "the juice" and Orange Juice has vitamin C! Oh shut up, I thought it was funny. I hate you all)

What is the message being sent to kids? They look up to professional athletes; they idolize them and consider them to be heroes in the eyes of an innocent child. So the message being sent is "hey kids, if you work really hard and excel in sports, you can do anything you want and get away with it!"

Well, that would be the case if you were any athlete other than Michael Vick. He's currently finishing out the 2 year prison sentence he was given for his part in a dog fighting ring. He has had to pay over $1 million for care and rehabilitation for the surviving dogs and has been suspended from the NFL for the past 2 years. When he is finally released in July and able to return to a normal life and hopefully resume his NFL career, the Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell has made it abundantly clear that he may seek further punishment against Vick.

So, let me get this straight. Leonard Little and Donte Stallworth have both killed individuals because they were driving drunk and receive slaps on the wrist. Plaxico Burress fires a weapon in a crowded New York club and he'll get off virtually unpunished. Ruben Patterson rapes a woman and he gets a cake-walk jail sentence. But Michael Vick harms animals and receives 2 years? Where is the justice in that? Now before you get all PETA on me and attempt to bite my head off, realize I'm not condoning what Vick did. I think it's reprehensible and I'm glad he was prosecuted and put in jail for his transgressions, but, doesn't it seem rather dubious that out of every criminal infraction that I've mentioned (O.J. and his empty pockets aside) he receives the stiffest punishment?

That's the country we live in. Kill an innocent man and receive a few inconveniences in your star studded life. Kill an innocent animal and get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Only in America do we value the life an animal over the life of another human being.

The age old saying; "crime doesn't pay" is obviously incorrect. Crime only pays when you have money. Just ask Plaxico Burress or Donte Stallworth.

Until next time...

Why Jessica Simpson needs to go

2009-06-17T11:10:00.008-04:00

Alright, well as you all know, I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. (yea yea, insert your random "Cowboys suck and the Giants/Eagles/Redskins/whoever are better) And I have been very adamant about my disdain for Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo. It's not that I think he's a bad guy (really, he's a jackass) or a bad quarterback (he ain't no Troy Aikman). It's just that I'm really, REALLY sick of how he puts EVERYTHING ELSE ON EARTH before Football.

For example, now, I'm not saying that I want the guy to live and die with football, say to hell with his family and just spend 12 months a year in full blown football mode, but it'd sure as hell be nice to know that he's at least keeping in shape (and I don't mean round)

I was watching Sportscenter this morning and they reported that the Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett (The offensive schmuck who went from being an offensive guru to an offensive Forrest Gump in about 3.5 nanoseconds) has asked Tony Romo to shed about 15 pounds of weight (really, he meant girth) for the upcoming season, because he was getting a little round about the edges. THAT'S JUST FANTASTIC!

So, you're being paid 67.5 million over the next 6 years and you decide you want to let yourself go during the off-season? Hey buddy, last time I checked, Christmas was 6 months ago. There are no fruitcakes and there isn't any thanksgiving turkey right around the corner either. You have NO reason whatsoever to be out of shape with training camp 3 and a half weeks away.

Obviously, I found who to blame. No Tony, I don't blame you for your doughy appearance and unsightly man-boobs. I blame the woman on your arm, Jessica Simpson. I blame you. You hussy. How many careers can you harpoon and ruin? I mean first it was poor Nick Lachey. He barely got of that marriage without killing himself because of your stupidity (she once honestly asked if "Chicken of the Sea" was really chicken or tuna). Then you ruined your own pop-singing career by attempting to become a country singer (epic failure) and to make your career even worse you got fat, denied getting fat, even though it was so painfully obvious you were fat, then you shed the weight and Tony Romo gets husky (my conspiracy theory is that she has in fact not lost any weight, she just made Romo get so big she looks thin by comparison).

So thank you, Jessica. You're a bigger jinx than the curse of the Bambino, the curse of the Billy Goat and Yoko Ono. It is no wonder that Cowboys fans refer to you as Yoko Romo. You're a train wreck waiting to happen. You've been dating Tony Romo for just over 18 months now and let's go through some of the missteps you've caused in your relationship, shall we?

The first Cowboy game you ever went to as Tony Romo's beau, you proudly sported a pink Tony Romo jersey (let me go on record saying I hate pink jerseys. I don't care what sport it is, football, baseball, hockey or badminton, pink jerseys are terrible. I don't care if it's female sportswear. You look like a powder puff girl) and Tony went on to have the WORST GAME OF HIS CAREER!!!

Then, to make life even worse for Cowboys fans, you decide to make Romo take you on vacation THE WEEK BEFORE THE BIGGEST PLAYOFF GAME OF HIS LIFE?!?!?!?!?! Really? Really now was that necessary? Couldn't it have waited two weeks? Or three weeks? But noooo, you just HAD to go to Mexico didn't you? I loathe you

I mean the number of people who dislike you and wish horrible things upon you cannot be quantified (really, scientists have determined the number of individuals who hate Jessica Simpson is larger than Pi). You know the whole "jinx theory" gets bad when President Bush takes a potshot at you when the Giants were at the White House for the traditional reception for the Super Bowl Winning team, when he said "we're going to send Jessica Simpson to the Democratic National Convention" (great, when that idiot makes fun of you, you know you're screwed)

But, all of the extra-curricula's aside, you really are just plain old bad luck. I don't know if you just cast a black shadow over everything you touch or you just make people stupid by spending time with you, but it's true. Tony Romo was a terrific young quarterback on the way to superstardom, then it all changed when he met you. Now he's a quarterback who's passion, talents and attitude are in question. A man who was once on his way to being in the upper-echelon of NFL quarterbacks, now finds himself mired in the muck of being just another man (a rich man's Matt Schaub if you will) Don't believe me? Well, as always, I've got the stats to prove it

Tony Romo BEFORE Jessica Simpson:

Record as a starter: 14 - 5

Passing Yards: 5,751

Yards Per game: 302.7

Average Yards Gained Per Attempt: 8.70

Passing Touchdowns: 47

Interceptions: 25

Completions: 432

Attempts: 661

Completion Percentage: 65%

Fumbles: 3

Fumbles lost: 0

Quarterback Rating: 100.3

Best Statistical Comparison Over 16 Game Season: Drew Brees in 2008

Tony Romo SINCE Jessica Simpson

Record as a starter: 12 - 7

Passing Yards: 4,541

Yards Per Game: 239

Average Yards Gained Per Attempt: 7.02

Passing Touchdowns: 35

Interceptions: 21

Completions: 399

Attempts: 646

Completion Percentage: 61%

Fumbles: 8

Fumbles lost: 4

Quarterback Rating: 87.8

Best Comparison Over 16 Game Season: Jake Plummer in 2004

Honestly, the numbers speak for themselves. The 19 games Romo started before he began dating Jessica Simpson had him basically in a league of his own. The only quarterback over that span that had better numbers than Romo were Tom Brady, whose numbers are staggering. Then, in the subsequent 19 games Romo has been a starter (kinda ironic it's the same amount of games, huh?) his numbers are considerably worse and he compares to Jake Plummer. Anytime the words "Jake Plummer" and "statistically comparable to" are in the same sentence, that screams terrible things happening. (I'm serious, look up the word "horrific" in the dictionary and you'll see; Noun; Jake Plummer's Career)

The bottom line is simple. Jessica Simpson must be stopped. She's the biggest threat to the nation since Osama Bin Laden. She's systematically destroying everything in her path. I'm beginning to fear that all hope is beginning to be lost. Time is running out. I don't know how much longer Romo can last before he succumbs to the pressures of mental incapacity at the hands of the Siren calls from Jessica Simpson.

So please, Tony, for the sake of your life, career and the hearts of Cowboy fans around the globe, do us a favor. Listen to Jason Garrett. Drop some weight and get in better shape. Drop the dead-weight of Jessica Simpson and re-connect your pelotas to your body. She's only holding you back. I'm sure somebody has to be in your ear about this daily. It's not just a coincidence. I cannot possibly be the only person on earth that's done the research and connected the dots to realize you were a pro-bowl quarterback on the brink of greatness before her and are now on the brink of being cast off into the realm of insignificant afterthoughts of a quarterbacking yesteryear.

I may dislike you, I may have wanted to trade you for Jay Cutler 2 months ago. But, I still believe your career is salvageable. If I didn't think so, I'd be writing how I want you to tear an ACL so Jon Kitna is our quarterback (wait for that column around week 4 in October).

You've got the talent and confidence you need to be successful. All you need is the moron out of your life. Just say NO to Jessica Simpson. I blame her for it all Tony. For the fact you screw around during practices and don't follow Jason Garrett or Wade Phillips' instructions, the fact you spend more time on the Golf course than you do on the football field and the fact when somebody asks you how you're going to make adjustments next time after a bad loss you say "I wake tomorrow and I keep on living." (it's kind of like "is Chicken of the Sea chicken or tuna?" No, really, it is. They're both 12 syllables. I'm not even making this up!)

Tony, it's on you. I can't stand any more horrible playoff defeats, embarrassing regular season losses, painful interceptions or botched holds on field goal attempts. (even though that was Pre-Jessica, that one still sings. Damn you Jordan Babineaux) I know I'm not alone in this. There are millions of Cowboy fans who feel the same way. You have the power to end this. Now it's on you to do it.

And just be happy that I didn't bring up the fact Alex Rodriguez is more clutch in pressure situations than you are at playing football in the month of December. Break up with Jessica or I'm spouting off all the dirty details of how you're just like A-Rod as a stat padding oaf who can't be relied on in any critical situation when the game is on the line. The parallels are all there buddy. You have Jessica. He had Madonna. I've got the stats and I'm not afraid to use them. You know what you have to do.

Until next time...

Lebron didn't shake hands, so what?

2009-06-09T02:01:00.008-04:00

"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."

-Lebron James

So it's been more than a week and a half since the Lebron's errr I mean Cavaliers were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic. It's also been more than a week of the barrage of negative publicity Lebron James has received for his perceived immature behavior following May 30th's 103 - 90 loss in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

His team had the NBA's best record in the regular season, they were the odds on favorite's to get to the NBA Finals and would be paired with the dream match-up against the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe vs Lebron. It's what everyone wanted. It's what everyone expected. It's not what happened. You know how it happened. The Cavaliers decided to forget they had the best team defense in the league, forgot how to defend perimeter shots, forgot how to run any play except a high screen with Illgauskas and Lebron. Basically the coach of the year Mike Brown was out-classed, out-matched and out-witted by a Ron Jeremy look alike in Stan Van Gundy.

But, did any sports analyst discuss how in the last four games of that series, the Orlando Magic shot three pointers at a staggering pace, probably never seen before in any series in history? Of course not. The reason? Lebron James. In a matter of 8 days, Lebron James went from hitting one of the most unprecedented shots in NBA playoff history to being labeled as "immature and ingracious" by ESPN analyst Jalen Rose. And why is this? When the buzzer sounded and the Orlando Magic won the deciding game to eliminate Cleveland, Lebron James left the court without shaking hands with his opponents.

ALERT THE MEDIA!!!! LEBRON JAMES DIDN'T SHAKE HANDS!

With the way people are acting about this, you would've thought he went Tonya Harding on Dwight Howard's knee or Gunter Parche on Rashard Lewis (if you don't know who Gunter Parche is, a little history lesson for you, he's the psycho who stabbed Monica Seles on April 30, 1993 during a Tennis match in Hamburg, Germany). What's the big deal about not shaking hands? I know it's a general practice among professional athletes to shake hands after the game, but really, where's the harm in what he did? It's happened before. It'll happen again. Actually, it's not the first time Lebron has even done it. When the Celtics eliminated the Cavaliers last season in the Eastern Conference Finals, guess what? Lebron didn't shake their hands either. And frankly, I don't blame him.

Call him immature, say his behavior is disrespectful to his opponents, spin it however you want it, I liked it. Obviously I'm in the minority on that, since Lebron was fined $25,000 for his infraction. But, I think it was the best thing that could have ever happened. We need more of this. We need more of this in sports. I don't mean being disrespectful to opponents, or being deemed a sore loser. You can be gracious in defeat without having to shake your opponent's hand.

I mean give me a break. Before the game the players are shaking hands, hugging and wishing each other good luck. Then, the game starts and they bust their asses for 2 and a half hours pushing, shoving, trash talking, anything to get the slightest advantage, only to have the game end and the hand shaking and hugging frenzy begins again? Seriously? Does the NBA hypnotize their athletes or something? And it isn't just the NBA, they do it in the NHL and the NFL too. And frankly, I just don't get it.

Alan Hahn of Newsday stated it perfectly last week when he said, "I, was pleased to see the excruciatingly controlled King James show that he does bleed like the rest of us." Put yourself in Lebron James' shoes for a moment. You're the MVP of the league. You're the best player not only on your team, but in the entire league and probably on the entire planet. You play for the best team, you ARE the franchise. You play in Cleveland, a city that hasn't won a championship in nearly 50 years. The weight of the world is on your shoulders. And you lose to a team that nobody really gave a chance to. You come up short, yet again at reaching the pinnacle of success. You work hard every day of your life to win a championship and it gets taken from you. You are tired. You are pissed off and upset that you just lost. You feel like you not only let yourself and your team down, but an entire city. You carry that burden with you. And you're expected to shake hands right away and say "hey, good job kicking my butt all over the place. Go get 'em big guy"? Hardly.

In the NBA today, the players aren't allowed to express any sort of emotion. They're basically robots. They're told what to wear, how to conduct themselves, what to say, what not to say, etc. The pre-game rituals of handshakes and hugging, the post-game handshakes and hugging. It's all contrived.

Basketball may be a game, but it's also their job. It's a competitive job. Look at it this way, if you're working in an office and you're up for this huge promotion, but, there's another 30 people at the office who are up for it as well, are you going to pull out all the stops to get it? Odds are that most of you (myself included) would do anything it takes to get where you need to be. Handshakes are reserved for friendly encounters between individuals. In the game of basketball, with a championship at stake, there should be no room for friendly encounters. In the illustrious words of Shaquille O'neal "winning a championship, takes everything you've got".

That's why I absolutely loved the fact that Lebron James didn't follow the traditions of the sport and have the customary hand shake after the game. He was acting off his emotion. That wasn't contrived, it wasn't the fake hug and smile that you see half these athletes give each other when they could probably care less about most of these guys. I mean give me a break. Half the time after the Laker's win a game, Kobe Bryant probably doesn't recognize who half the guys are on his team he's shaking hands with.

The sporting world needs to get rid of all the lovey-dovey hand shaking and we are the world type behavior. I'm not saying the players should be going out with pitch forks and torches looking to start a riot, but a little feistiness is something every sport could use.

When Roger Federer lost the 2008 Wimbledon Final to Rafael Nadal in arguably one of the greatest Tennis Matches in history, he shook Nadal's hand, as is customary when a tennis match is complete. Do you think he wanted to? After 4 hours and 48 minutes of back and forth grueling action, do you think he wanted to shake his main rivals hand after such an emotionally draining defeat? If you just answered yes to either of those questions, please, just stop reading now and kill yourself, because you may be the antichrist. THERE'S NO WAY HE WANTED TO SHAKE NADAL'S HAND. Of course he respects him, but you cannot tell me after losing in that fashion that he wanted to shake another man's hand when victory was so close to him.

Or what about Tiger Woods? Since I'm not convinced he's even human (I swear to God he's a cyborg sent from the future. They're making Terminator 5: Quest for a Green Jacket next year starring Tiger). Remember him playing on one leg at last year's US Open? Do you think, if after he made that impressive comeback, with all the emotion he exerted, everything he put into his triumphs that day, he'd want to shake Rocco Mediates hand if he had lost? Let's say Tiger doesn't sink that putt to force a playoff and he loses after he had come so far, on one leg, his head crumpled towards the ground and the anger stewing in his stomach; would he want to shake Rocco's hand? Of course not. But would he? You bet he would, because that's what tradition dictates; being gracious and submissive in defeat. Here's a history lesson for you. Do you know who writes history? The winners.

That being said, there are no more true rivalries in sports. Bring back the days of the bad boy Pistons, when the entire Pistons team refused to shake the Chicago Bulls hands in the 1991 playoffs. Bring back the utter hatred Cowboys fans hold for Eagles fans for the fact they cheered when Michael Irvin's career ended (actually, that never left. I hate the entire city of Philadelphia)

People say that the Yankees - Red Sox rivalry is the greatest in sports....Uh, really? It hasn't really been a rivalry since 2004. And I don't mean because the Red Sox ended the curse and won the World Series, but because that's the last time there was even the slightest inkling of dislike between the two franchises. What happened to the days of Yankees Outfielder Jake Powell and Red Sox player-manager Joe Cronin fighting beneath the stands during a game (May 30, 1938). Or the days of Jimmy Piersall and Billy Martin getting into a skirmish before a game in the tunnel (May 24, 1952). That's what makes a rivalry more intense. When you don't like the other team and they don't like you. The brawl Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk got into on August 1, 1973 is a prime example. Do you think they were shaking hands and having a beer together afterwards? Probably not.

The last time this rivalry had an meat on its bones was truly in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS when Pedro Martinez hit Karim Garcia which prompted both benches clearing, then later on another bench clearing incident ends with Don Zimmer getting tossed like a lawn dart by Pedro. Those days are long gone. Now you get bombarded with stories of how Dustin Pedroia and Derek Jeter are best friends or that David Ortiz and Robinson Cano hang out together in the off-season. The days of the rivalry being intense are gone. Hell, it's hard to even find reasons to dislike their players. All of the hated enemies of the past are long gone.

Rivalries are dead in sports. Now you just get players hugging and treating each other like they're long lost brothers. Sports are supposed to be intense match-ups pitting competitors against one another. Where has that all gone?

I'm sick of all the camaraderie athletes show one another. You don't have to be best friends to respect someone else. You can be bitter enemies but still respect what they do or what they've accomplished. I don't shake hands when I lose. In fact, I basically do what Lebron James did. I put my head down and leave. Ask my brother, he'll tell you. When he beats me, it doesn't matter if he beat me by 1 or 100, I won't shake his hand.

Does that make me a sore loser? Probably in most eyes it does. But, I don't view myself as being one. Just because I won't shake your hand doesn't mean I don't respect your talents or the fact that you won. It's just not me to shake someone's hand. I think the reason Lebron James doesn't like to shake hands when he loses, is the same reason I don't. By shaking hands, it's almost as if you're admitting the other person is better than you, that they've gotten the best of you. And I won't do that. I've never done it and I never will. You wait and see, Lebron won't either.

This is probably the first and only time in my life that I will ever be able to compare myself to Lebron James, but..

It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you lose to them. I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand.

Until next time...

More random creativity...

2009-06-08T16:28:00.004-04:00

I just had on WFAN (my first mistake) and I decided to hear what Mike Francesa was discussing on his show today (my second mistake) and of course, I had to tune in for his daily "Joba should be in the bullpen" rant. Apparently allowing 3 runs on 4 hits through 6 innings of Yesterday's game is just terrible. Against a depleted Ray's lineup, he should've pitched a no hitter. But, I guess then again, if he had done that Francesa would've beaten Joba to death for walking a better. But, if he had pitched a perfect game, he would've gotten on Joba for using too many pitches or something.

Look, I get it. Francesa wants Joba in the pen. It doesn't matter what Chamberlain does this season, next season or 10 years from now. He could retire as the greatest starting pitcher since Cy Young and Francesa would be sitting in his rocking chair 25 years from now, being given a diet coke intravenously and he'd still say Joba should've been the Yankees set-up man and future closer. If you think I'm being over-zealous, just listen to the man for 10 minutes and you'll have two emotions come over you. 1) You'll want to call up his show and just tell him how much of a moron he is...And you'll try and you'll be on hold for 45 minutes and never get through (Believe me, I go through that same emotion daily) and 2) You'll want to drive to the studio where he does his show and beat him to death with your shoe (Believe me, I've looked up the address and am ready to go whenever you are)

I swear though, Francesa's show is like being addicted to heroin. You know it's bad for you, you know it's going to have harmful effects on your health, but you do it anyway. I know listening to Francesa is bad for me, I know it's going to make me so angry I'll suffer a massive coronary one day. But, I still listen. I'm still hoping for that ONE day that he gets it. That he understands the intricacies of sports and all the knowledge he's missing out on attaining. Do some research Mike. Look up a stat on your own. LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS! I know I'm not right all the time. Hell, I'm probably wrong 95% of the time, but I don't just shoot down other's opinions. It's maddening to me that every single day Francesa just starts screaming at some guy who calls into his show, simply because his opinion doesn't match his own.

Maybe he's ignorant. Maybe he's thickheaded. Maybe he's too dumb for his own good. Whatever it is, Francesa will never allow somebody else to get their point across without being dismissed and belittled. And frankly, I reached my tipping point at about 3:47pm on June 8th, 2009. It is because of this, that I now present to you, "You give sports a bad name", a parody of the famous Bon Jovi song "You give love a bad name."

Take a look, hum it in your head. It's catchy. It's true. It's because of Mike Francesa that I'm putting off Graduate school work to relay my anger to you, my ranting readers.

Sung to the tune of "You give love a bad name" by Bon Jovi

You give sports a bad name

Pierced through the ears and it's a shame

Mikey, you give sports a bad name

An idiot's knowledge is what you boast

Without Dog, you're just a terrible host

Too much anger, you're such a schmuck

Ya eat too much, you need a tummy tuck

Oh! You weigh a ton, yeah

Oh! And you're just no fun

No one can save you

The show should be done

Pierced through the ears and it's a shame

You give sports a bad name

(Bad name)

Moron's who listen just give you fame

You give sports a bad name

(Bad name)

Hey, you give sports a bad name

Diet Coke's in your dreams

Joba to the pen is all he screams

It's what we need and I ask why

Your sports talk is weak and your humor is dry

Whoa! You weigh a ton

Whoa! And you're just no fun

No one can save you

The show should be done

Pierced through the ears and it's a shame

You give sports a bad name

(Bad name)

Moron's who listen just give you fame

You give sports a bad name

(Bad name)

You give sports, oh!

Oh! Pierced through the ears and it's a shame

You give sports a bad name

Moron's who listen just give you fame

You give sports a bad name

Another Bout of Spur of the Moment Creativity...

2009-06-08T01:56:00.005-04:00

With the Yankees and Red Sox starting a 3 game series Tuesday evening in Boston, I felt the need to take another slight jab at their most famed player, David Ortiz. You may remember last week that I wrote a piece on Ortiz, saying in the most subtle way that he's done, it's over, throw the towel in on his career. Well, as of this writing, Ortiz is still batting a woeful .197 with just 2 home runs and 22 runs batted in. I should point out he's now got as many home runs as Milwaukee Brewer's pitcher Yovani Gallardo and fewer runs batted in than Mark Teixeira had in two weeks last month. (Granted, I should point out the little Gnome and reigning American League Most Valuable player Dustin Pedroia only has 2 home runs and 23 runs batted in too...)

Now although the Yankees haven't beaten the Red Sox in 5 attempts yet this season, we are still in first place, albeit by the slimmest of margins. And although this will probably work as a reverse jinx on ressurect the career of David Ortiz and force me to eat crow for every negative word I've written about him, I'm continuing on with this anyway...

In 1987, the band Europe came out with a hit single (no, it's not the Final Countdown...to Daivd Ortiz's career...hahaha get it?)...It was a power ballad called "Carrie" about the end of a relationship. Well, I'm now taking it upon myself to present to you "Papi", a song written for David "Big Papi" Ortiz, from the perspective of Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

(Editors Note: This song is being dedicated to every member of Red Sox Nation)

Sung to the tune of "Carrie" by Europe:

Papi

When ball games start, I see no reason

For you to hit, think about this every day

In every game, all situations

I know you've tried

But please don't ask to play

Can't you see it in your swing

Though this might be your last at bat

Papi

Your talents gone my friend

Woh ohh

Papi

Maybe you'll play again

Someday, in Japan

I see you play, with no confidence

In every at bat, I wish you'd sit on the bench

I've taken my time

And shown a lot of patience

You suck now, are you the black Kevin Mench?

Can't you see it in your swing

Though this might be your last at bat

Papi

Your talents gone my friend

Woh ohh

Papi

Maybe you'll play again

Someday, in Japan

Ohh

Can't you see it in your swing

Though this might be your last at bat

(ohh ho ho)

Ohh

Papi

Ohh, your talents gone my friend

Papi, Papi, Papi

(Ohh ho ho)

Papi

Maybe you'll play again

Someday, in Japan

When ball games start

Joba...Future Ace or Future Closer?

2009-05-28T22:15:00.008-04:00

Well, unless you've been living under a rock or out of the tri-state area, you probably haven't heard any number of sportscasters debate the future of Joba Chamberlain. I've watched Steve Phillips, Joe Morgan, Joe Buck, Mike Francesa, every baseball tonight anchor not named Winfield and hell I think John Madden even chimed in (the team who let's up the fewest runs, may just win this game)...They all have their opinion and we all know how they feel. EVERY single one of them wants Joba (or Jobber if your Mike Francesa) in the bullpen. The Yankees in their minds, are a better team with Joba coming out for the 8th inning.

Let me be the first to loudly and emphatically DISAGREE !!!!!!!!!!

I've gotten into this argument with my parents, my brother, basically anybody I know not named Matt Lorenzo, wants to see Joba in the bullpen.

Before I do my typical banter of spouting off countless statistics that disprove any theory of Joba being the Yankees set-up man, let me just ask you, my reading public (well, is it considered a "reading public" when I can count my readers on one hand and still have a thumb and a pinky left?), which is more valuable to a team? A pitcher who throws 70 innings over 60 games, who is coming into the middle of a game? Or , a pitcher who throws 200 innings spanned over 30 games, where the longer he pitches, the better chance your team has to win?

Obviously, I know you will say that "Joba is more valuable to the Yankees in the bullpen, because that's where their need is"

Now, I'm the first one to tell you that the Yankees bullpen is terrible. I was saying it way back in November, December, January and February, when every media member in New York was fawning all over the young "studs" in the Yankees bullpen. Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, Damaso Marte, they sound like the guys who washed my car last week. No disrespect to any of those guys, but would you be able to pick them out of a crowd of people? Exactly. Neither can their wives.

Let's for argument sake say the Yankees moved Joba Chamberlain out of the rotation and moved him into the bullpen. Alright, so you "solved" the quandary of who pitches the 8th inning every night. Now, here's the problem you just caused. Who takes Joba's spot in the rotation? Chien-Ming Wang? Have you seen him pitch this year? I've got a little clue for you. That 20.50 next to his name isn't exactly his salary this year, that would be the amount of runs he allows per game. What makes anyone (Wang included) think he'll all of a sudden be the pitcher who won 19 games in consecutive years? It's encouraging to see Wang pitch two consecutive scoreless innings against the Rangers the other night, but (and I'm guilty of this too) let's not get too excited over 6 outs against the bottom of the order of a team down by 7 runs. It's a great sign, yes, but he hasn't proven he can do it consistently for long periods of time yet.

Which leads me into the next point. You're thinking "Joba only goes 4 or 5 innings a start, throws a ton of pitches and burns out our bullpen". Well, yes, you're right. It can be absolutely maddening to watch Chamberlain pitch at times. He'll quickly get ahead of a batter 0 - 2 and then proceed to waste 3 consecutive pitches either low and away to a righty, or up and away to a lefty, trying to get them to chase. That's currently the biggest problem that Joba faces. He's trying too hard to consciously be a "pitcher", who's not trying to be a "flamethrower." He's overanalyzing every at bat. Rather than just challenge the hitters when you get ahead in the count, he nibbles on the corners too much and is seemingly always in a full count, which gives the hitter an easy choice. A) Joba is going to try and blow a fastball by you, B) he's going back to the well and throwing a righty a down and away slider or C) a 12 to 6 curveball to a left handed batter.

It's something that he will learn over time. People sometimes fail to realize that he's only 23 years old. What were you doing when you were 23 years old? I can tell you what I'm doing as a 23 year old, I'm writing about somebody 9 months older than me, who'll make more money than I'll ever see in my life and he gets to pretend he likes Alex Rodriguez. I WANT THAT LIFE! But, that's neither here nor there.

Look, I know how great Joba was in the bullpen two years ago. He was a rock-star. The home crowd loved him, the opposing crowd hated him. He feasted off that energy and gave it right back with jubilant fist pumps, 100mph fastballs and filthy sliders in the dirt that everybody chased. I get that. I saw it, I loved it, I lost my voice cheering for it.

And I know he isn't the same pitcher he was two years ago. He's lost a little on his fastball. Instead of being consistently 97 - 98 and being able to dial it up to 100 when he needed, he's currently sitting at 93 - 94 and can sometimes reach back and hit 96 on the gun when he wants.

His slider isn't as sharp anymore because he doesn't need to throw it as much. When he was coming out of the bullpen he was strictly a two pitch pitcher. You knew what was coming and do your best hitting it. You're getting two 99mph fastballs and then the slider low and away. You try not to chase it, but you swing and miss, Joba pumps his fist, Posada pumps his fist, I pump my fist and somewhere Joe Buck shakes his head disapprovingly.

As a starter, Joba has to refine his secondary pitches. The curveball and the changeup are even more important to his success than his slider ever could be. You don't let a guy who possesses 4-plus pitches according to scouts, to toil away in the bullpen, only pitching every other day and refining two of them. You can't waste that sort of talent.

Right now you're going to make the "Mariano Rivera was a starter and the Yankees moved him to the bullpen and he's the greatest closer of all-time" argument. Well, I'll coin a phrase that Mike Francesa used yesterday on his show (if you've never seen it, god bless your eardrums), to describe Mariano Rivera's career as a starting pitcher:

ATROCIOUS! ABSOLUTELY ATROCIUS! DO YOU SEE WHAT HIS WHIP WAS? ATROCIOUS (Note: to really understand the emphasis on the yelling, picture me waving my arms like a gorilla, foaming at the mouth like a rabid pitbull and having my cheeks jiggle like a bowl full of jello, all the while hooking up a diet coke into an IV and having a constipated look on my face)

Scary thought, isn't it? I can hear him yelling right now in my mind. Actually, never mind, that's not in my mind. "The Best of Mike Francesa" is currently on the YES network. And guess what he's yelling about?!?! Yep, you guessed it! Joba Chamberlain to the bullpen! God, I can't make this stuff up.

Alright, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Joba Chamberlain isn't going to the bullpen anytime soon. The Yankees foresee, project, hope, wish and dream that Joba Chamberlain can be a 200 inning pitcher for them next season. The only question remaining is, can he stay healthy. If he stays healthy, he'll reach his innings plateau of 150. Once he gets around that mark, it wouldn't surprise me if the Yankees moved Joba to the bullpen just for the postseason, in order to keep his arm fresh and around a certain threshold of innings. Moving him to the bullpen at the end of May, simply because our bullpen is terrible, is a completely shortsighted move.

You know that great 9 game winning streak the Yankees had for a week and a half? You know why our bullpen pitched so great? Because our starting pitchers continually went 6+ innings. If your starting pitchers give you length, it shortens up the game for the bullpen. That way, you see a whole lot less of Jose Veras and a whole lot more of Mariano Rivera. In a perfect world, our starter will go 7+ innings, and the rest will be up to Rivera. But, we don't live in a perfect world. If we did, I'd be employed by ESPN and showcased on Baseball Tonight, instead of Eric Young and his broken sentences and incoherent babbling. Once again, that's a story for another time.

Alright, I think we've reached the portion of this blog where I start showing off my research and analysis skills (brought to you by the wonderful folks of Western Connecticut State University. See mom, I'm using that Bachelors Degree in History right now by exemplifying my superb talent for researching a topic and combing through countless information to get to the root of what I'm after! HA! And you thought I couldn't put it towards anything worthwhile!)

I'm going to give you a list of the statistics for 6 different pitchers. I'll list off their win - loss record, earned run average, innings pitched, hits allowed, walks, strikeouts and strikeouts per 9 innings Each of these stats is for the first 20 starts of their professional careers. This is why you can't judge a person too early on in their career and must give them time to develop:

Player A: 4 - 10 record, 4.50 ERA, 124 innings pitched, 140 hits allowed, 53 walks, 91 strikeouts and 6.6 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Any idea who player A is? It's hall of famer Bob Gibson

Player B: 6 - 8 record, 3.43 ERA, 110.1 innings pitched, 110 hits allowed, 62 walks, 83 strikeouts and 6.78 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Give up on who Player B might be? That's Sandy Koufax

Player C: 7 - 6 record, 3.91 ERA, 117.2 innings pitched, 104 hits allowed, 66 walks, 95 strikeouts and 7.29 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Any clue? That would be future hall of famer and current big leaguer Randy Johnson

Player D: 6 - 6 record, 4.20 ERA, 111.2 innings pitched, 118 hits allowed, 54 walks, 70 strikeouts and 5.66 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Did you get this one right? No? Well, that's current Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay

Player E: 1 - 3 record, 5.32 ERA, 103.1 innings pitched, 104 hits allowed, 43 walks, 105 strikeouts and 9.17 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Care to venture a guess? That would be the Mets ace and arguably the best pitcher in the National League, Johan Santana

Player F: 5 - 2 record, 3.18 ERA, 113.2 innings pitched, 106 hits allowed, 50 walks, 120 strikeouts and 9.54 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Hmm, who could this be? That's the guy you want to throw in the bullpen, Joba Chamberlain

See my point? Don't you think those other 5 guys respective teams are happy they didn't give up on their struggling young pitchers? In fact, Roy Halladay was so lost on the mound when he was 23 years old in the year 2000, the Blue Jays sent him all the way back down to the lowest level of the minor leagues and made him earn his way back up.

Johan Santana was a Houston Astros castoff, turned Minnesota Twins long reliever and spot starter. Finally refined the way he threw the ball and became the biggest sensation in the American League in the year 2002.

Don't you think it'd be a little premature to give up on Joba Chamberlain as a starter? He's only had 21 professional starts at the major league level. He was an absolute star out of the bullpen, for 2 months. Let him get his feet wet pitching at the major league level in the starting rotation before we write him off entirely and consider him a failed starter.

Mike Francesa said yesterday that Joba Chamberlain as a reliever was lights out and the best in the business, but as a starter he isn't electrifying. Well, I can tell you the list of starters who are electrifying is extremely short. My list only has one name on it and that's Tim Lincecum. Joba Chamberlain has the chance to be that good. But, we'll never know if he can be, unless he's given every opportunity to do so. That's what the Yankees are doing. They're throwing him out there every 5th day and giving him a chance. One day you'll love him, the next day you'll want to strangle him. What young kid doesn't evoke that sort of emotion out of you? (If you're related to me, you're nodding in agreement right now)

I doubt this article has in any way skewed your opinion on whether or not Joba should continue starting. But, I ask you this. Be patient. I implore you to remain patient with him. Sometimes he will absolutely drive you crazy with his pitch counts and inability to throw strikes. But, I promise you. There's going to be a start in the near future where he puts it all together. He'll throw 7 innings, allow 2 hits and strike out 12. And you'll think to yourself "wow, that was a masterpiece."

The pieces are all there folks. It's just a matter of time before the kid puts the rest of the puzzle together. And when he does, we're all going to see something special.

Afterall, he's only 23. And much like myself, he hasn't even scratched the surface on his potential yet.

Until next time....

He's baaaaaaack

2009-05-26T13:01:00.008-04:00

That's right, I'm back. Did you all miss me? You're probably wondering where I've been the past 6 weeks, well it's very simple. While I may have told most of you that I was on a ranting hiatus because I was focusing on finishing school and graduating (Which was a success by the way, you're now reading the rants of an accomplished college graduate, thank you), in actuality I didn't stop blogging because of that. In reality, much like Manny Ramirez, I was suspended for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding).

All joking aside, it's good to be back. The pressure of school is behind me for the time being and only the pressures of finding a job in this terrible economy lie ahead. Well, now that I've entirely just bummed myself out, I'm going to smash my head on the keyboard for a second to vent the unemployed frustrations out of my body....

(10 minutes later.....)

Alright, since that's out of my system now, it's time to get down to business. I've spent much of the last few days thinking what my first blog back should be about (Okay, that's a lie, I've spent the last few days in an alcohol induced celebratory coma, but maybe I had a few blog dreams) The one story that's ongoing in Major League Baseball right now is what in the holy hell is wrong with David Ortiz? Is it his wrist? Is it his knee? Is it his expanding waist line? Has he run out of clean syringes to inject himself with? The questions are endless for what is exactly plaguing the former most feared slugger in the American League.

But, I would just like to say "I told you so." For at least 2 and a half years now I've said time and time again that Ortiz is nothing more than an overweight hitter with marginal skill who was boosted to elite status by having a hall of fame player batting behind him; Manny Ramirez. Long before David Ortiz became "Big Papi", I spouted off from the mountain tops that he was merely riding the success that Manny Ramirez created for him. Well, guess what? Turns out I was right. As always, I've got the stats to prove it!

The three season period of 2004 - 2006 saw David Ortiz catapult himself into the category of "most feared home run hitter in baseball." In the 9th inning of any tied game, who was the one hitter no team wanted to face? It was David Ortiz. I can't tell you how often he would hit a game-tying or game-winning home run against the Yankees, or any other team that tried pitching to him. He was the definition of clutch.

In that 3 year period, Ortiz played an average of 153 games per season, averaging the numbers .315, 47 home runs and 141 runs batted in. Those numbers are absolutely astounding.

But, those were also the only years of Ortiz's career where he has played over 150 games. 2009 is now the 13th year that 'Big Papi' has been on a Major League Baseball roster, and he's only played 150+ games a total of 3 times. He's only played above 130 games 5 times.

All the talk about whether David Ortiz is "finished", or "losing his bat speed", etc, is all over blown. The simple fact is. He is who we thought he was. Before he came to Boston he was a left handed nobody hitter with the propensity to strike out a ton and couldn't play in the field if his life depended on it.

Then he was introduced to his partner in crime, Manny Ramirez and suddenly his career took off. That's no small coincidence.

Bear in mind when David Ortiz was on the Minnesota Twins BEFORE he was paired up with Manny Ramirez, he played in a total of 455 games, batting .266 with 58 home runs and 238 runs batted in. In essence he averaged a home run every 7.8 games, and a run batted practically every 2 games. If you extrapolate those averages out over the course of a 162 game season, his PRE-MANNY numbers would see him hit around .266 with 20 home runs and 85 runs batted in. Basically, he's a lot less Hercules and a whole lot more the fat Jose Guillen.

Now, after he signed with the Boston Red Sox and started hitting 3rd in the Boston order in front of Manny Ramirez, over the next 6 seasons Ortiz played a total of 698 games, hitting .294 with a Herculean 199 home runs and 624 runs batted in. Basically, with Manny Ramirez protecting him in the lineup, he averaged a home run every 3.5 games and a run batted in nearly every game. If his statistics are extrapolated and averaged out over the course of a 162 game season, his numbers WITH-MANNY saw him hit .294 with 46 home runs and 145 runs batted in. That's a man who should be feared.

But, once Manny Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers, it's been all down hill for the big man ever since. In the time that Manny was traded to Los Angeles last July 31st, Ortiz has played in 92 games, a little more than half a season. In that time, Ortiz has hit .234 with 10 home runs and 64 runs batted in. If that pace keeps up, over the course of a 162 game season, Ortiz would bat below .240 with 17 home runs and 112 runs batted in. Basically, his post-Manny life is seeing him turn into a fat Jason Giambi without the On-base percentage.

You can say that Ortiz has an injured wrist that hasn't healed since last year, or that he has a bad knee, or whatever other excuse you can make for him. The bottom line is, he's playing like he did when he was on Minnesota. There is a reason why the Twins let him go. THIS IS THE PLAYER HE IS! His player biography of his time with the Twins states "Ortiz's time with the Twins will be looked back upon as a series of injuries and inconsistency at the plate. Ortiz suffered wrist injuries in both 1998 and 2001."

Hmm, does that sound familiar? Isn't that what's been plaguing Ortiz for the past season and a half? Injuries and inconsistencies? It seems to me that the David Ortiz from 2004 to 2006 was the statistical anomaly and that the David Ortiz from 1997 - 2002 and from 2008 until now is the real David Ortiz.

Think of him what you may. But, Manny Ramirez should be credited with any success David Ortiz has attained. Without Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz would still be known as David Arias (no clue what I'm talking about? Google it. You'll laugh).

It's because of Manny Ramirez that David Ortiz will be remembered as a slugger who once was. The David Ortiz from 3 years ago is long gone. The career of David Ortiz will finish the way it began 12 years ago in Minnesota; frustrated, unhappy and on the bench

He is who we thought he was

Until next time...It's good to be back