With PTI taking a break this week I thought I would present the MLB last third of the season over/under. Leave your choices in the comments section - and please no pushes - Wilbon has the week off.
1. Over/Under a second place MVP finish for Josh Hamilton
Everyone's HR derby darling is having a breakout year. And the media, who vote, do love a good comeback story. However, Hamiton's Rangers are permanently stuck in 3rd. On the other hand - who is your AL MVP from a first place team? K-rod?
2. Over/Under a second place finish for the Detroit Tigers
Again - I think this is the line. Are the Tigers going to come all the way back from an 0-7 start to win the central, or will the be held off by the Twins and the White Sox? It really depends which Tigers team shows up in August.
3.Over/Under 81 wins for the first place team in the NL west
I really hope for the sake of baseball that someone in that division puts together a respectable stretch drive and finishes the season on the happy side of par. As of today the D'Backs lead the way at 50-51 (for the record the Rangers would have a 1 and 1/2 game lead on that division - but of course they would lose their DH)
4.Over/Under 10 national league wins for CC
He's 4-0, with three consecutive CGs for CC. I think if he gets to 10-0 in the NL he would have to be considered for the Cy Young, especially if the Brewer's make the playoffs for the first time since I was 9 months old.
That's all from here for today. I leave with the thought of being Ryan Braun - and knowing next time you bat against St Louis you are going to get a pitch in your ear - strutting around the bases as the Crew swept the Cards.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Time to pull off the band-aid and bring on the White Sox
Ok - its July 22nd. The Tigers sit 5 and 1/2 games behind the Sox and 5 behind the Twins. This has been a dramatic improvement over the 0-7 start. For the past month or so the Tigers have been somewhere between 4-7 games out of first place. This is not a terrible spot to be in, and there is still plenty of time to make a run. However, I am entirely sick of being in fringe contention. Thankfully, I believe the next 5 series will really determine if the 08' Tigers are for real.
We have series against KC, CWS, CLE, TB, and CWS. That's 6 games against the division leaders, 3 games against everyone's AL darling Rays, and 6 more games against the basement. I am stoked. I am tired of being on the fringe of contention - its exhausting. If the Tigers are going to be serious about this they are going to have to win these big series over the next few week because if they lose these series it may be time to put this season to bed. This is great - I am sick of beating the KC and BAL while the White Sox beat TEX and SEA. Its no fun always being on the fringe. Let's play the big dogs and see what happens. The boys are hitting, they are pitching (with some minor Nate Robertson road bumps), and the bullpen is coming together. Let's see where we are and bring on the Sox. One way or another I think we will have a good idea of who this team actually is around August 10th. (seriously if they are still 4-7 games out of first on August 10th - I am going to go crazy)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
15 innings caps an interesting ASG
A few quick thoughts from the all-star game.
1. Without Josh Hamilton having the greatest round in home run derby history - that is probably the worst derby ever. I mean when the biggest name is Lance Berkman and there are two second basemen it doesn't exactly shape up to be Griffey vs Thomas.
2. Look I hate to see a tie as much as the next guy. But I would have been worried if Verlander threw on Sunday and was asked to take the ball from the 15th inning and throw until the game ended - Kazmir was the last AL pitcher. Baseball is the only sport where you can really affect a team's second half success by having a long exhibition game. To fix the extra inning fiasco in the future I propose the following: (first, I must admit this isn't my idea, but the owner of the idea does not have a blog). To make things fair: Add 2 AAA pitchers and catchers for each league to the all-star roster. You tell the pitchers, "there is no way you getting into the game until we have thrown every all-star, and when you get in the game there is no way you are coming out until the game is over". The catchers would have a similar fate, and they could catch in the bullpen during the game.
Pros: Managers won't have to save a pitcher or two in case of extra innings. Each all-star can have their own moment. Its a great insurance policy. The AAA guys would have a ball. Just being around the All-stars for a few days. I would even be fine with the AAA players coming from the home town's team. This would cost MLB a total of 4 plane tickets.
Cons: We wouldn't get to see Bug Selig sweat for making the dumbest rule in sports - the Winner of the ASG gets home field advantage in the WS. I heard Mr Selig defending this on Mike and Mike the other day by claiming that it wouldn't work to award home field advantage to the team with the best record because there wouldn't be enough time to setup accommodations for the world series. What a load of crap. Bud, you don't know where the first game of the WS is going to be played until the LCS is over! Are you telling me Denver really started making game 3 world series plans last year because the AL won the all-star game? Brutal. If Morneau had been thrown out at the plate last night, how long would it have taken for Bud to call the game this time? Would Francona of left Kazmir out to pitch the rest of the game? Pretty convenient for the Red Sox that the last pitcher left for the AL was Kazmir, no? (know that I don't blame Francona, it just interesting)
1. Without Josh Hamilton having the greatest round in home run derby history - that is probably the worst derby ever. I mean when the biggest name is Lance Berkman and there are two second basemen it doesn't exactly shape up to be Griffey vs Thomas.
2. Look I hate to see a tie as much as the next guy. But I would have been worried if Verlander threw on Sunday and was asked to take the ball from the 15th inning and throw until the game ended - Kazmir was the last AL pitcher. Baseball is the only sport where you can really affect a team's second half success by having a long exhibition game. To fix the extra inning fiasco in the future I propose the following: (first, I must admit this isn't my idea, but the owner of the idea does not have a blog). To make things fair: Add 2 AAA pitchers and catchers for each league to the all-star roster. You tell the pitchers, "there is no way you getting into the game until we have thrown every all-star, and when you get in the game there is no way you are coming out until the game is over". The catchers would have a similar fate, and they could catch in the bullpen during the game.
Pros: Managers won't have to save a pitcher or two in case of extra innings. Each all-star can have their own moment. Its a great insurance policy. The AAA guys would have a ball. Just being around the All-stars for a few days. I would even be fine with the AAA players coming from the home town's team. This would cost MLB a total of 4 plane tickets.
Cons: We wouldn't get to see Bug Selig sweat for making the dumbest rule in sports - the Winner of the ASG gets home field advantage in the WS. I heard Mr Selig defending this on Mike and Mike the other day by claiming that it wouldn't work to award home field advantage to the team with the best record because there wouldn't be enough time to setup accommodations for the world series. What a load of crap. Bud, you don't know where the first game of the WS is going to be played until the LCS is over! Are you telling me Denver really started making game 3 world series plans last year because the AL won the all-star game? Brutal. If Morneau had been thrown out at the plate last night, how long would it have taken for Bud to call the game this time? Would Francona of left Kazmir out to pitch the rest of the game? Pretty convenient for the Red Sox that the last pitcher left for the AL was Kazmir, no? (know that I don't blame Francona, it just interesting)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thoughts from 8,000 feet
This will be a short post since I am currently in Snowmass, Colorado for a workshop.
1. The players can never again complain about the fan voting in the all-star game. The fans have Joe Mauer as their starting catcher in the AL, the players chose the 0.218 hitting Jason Varitek. Look, Tek has had a pretty solid career, and there really aren't tons deserving backstops in the AL this year, but this is still embarrassing. Why not send Posada (its his home game) or Pudge (this could be his last one). Better yet, send someone else who deserves to go - who is not a catcher. You have 2 young catchers on the AL squad - I am sure they both wouldn't mind catching 4-5 innings each. Do you think Tek feels weird about going? " No really guys I am hitting 0.218, I don't mind a few days off......."
2. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. This week the Brew Crew picked up CC (note the lack of '.') Sabathia and then 24 hours later the Cubs picked up Rich Harden. Wow are the Cubs desperate. They have been the best team in the NL all season long, they have a 5 game lead over the Brewers, and they made a risky reactionary move. Rich Harden is a great pitcher, the problem is he is usually on the DL. Although if I was curse by a goat, I would probably be pretty unstable as well.
3. I don't get the Indians. They are having the equivalent of the Superbowl curse, only much much worse. As Yogi said half of this game is 90% mental.
4. Here's to hoping the last 2 AL HR derby participants are Marcus Thames and Jason Giambi's mustache.
Enjoy the last weekend of the first half!
1. The players can never again complain about the fan voting in the all-star game. The fans have Joe Mauer as their starting catcher in the AL, the players chose the 0.218 hitting Jason Varitek. Look, Tek has had a pretty solid career, and there really aren't tons deserving backstops in the AL this year, but this is still embarrassing. Why not send Posada (its his home game) or Pudge (this could be his last one). Better yet, send someone else who deserves to go - who is not a catcher. You have 2 young catchers on the AL squad - I am sure they both wouldn't mind catching 4-5 innings each. Do you think Tek feels weird about going? " No really guys I am hitting 0.218, I don't mind a few days off......."
2. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. This week the Brew Crew picked up CC (note the lack of '.') Sabathia and then 24 hours later the Cubs picked up Rich Harden. Wow are the Cubs desperate. They have been the best team in the NL all season long, they have a 5 game lead over the Brewers, and they made a risky reactionary move. Rich Harden is a great pitcher, the problem is he is usually on the DL. Although if I was curse by a goat, I would probably be pretty unstable as well.
3. I don't get the Indians. They are having the equivalent of the Superbowl curse, only much much worse. As Yogi said half of this game is 90% mental.
4. Here's to hoping the last 2 AL HR derby participants are Marcus Thames and Jason Giambi's mustache.
Enjoy the last weekend of the first half!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
25 million a year does not buy common sense
Its no secret that Alex Rodriguez is not loved in New York. I always felt kind of sorry for him. I mean since coming to the Bronx in 2004 he has hit 36, 48, 35, and 54 homeruns. Just look at his career highlights on mlb.com. They are grouped by year, because each year there is a new chapter in the book of career highlights. He is the reigning AL MVP and I am pretty sure Yankee fans can't stand him. He is the necessary evil of the Evil Empire. He is this generation's Roger Maris. And I am totally convinced all of that would change if he would win the Homerun derby at the all-star game in the last season of Yankee stadium. The homerun derby, in this bloggers humble opinion, is the best part of all star weekend. The fans love it, it appeals to the very nature of being a fan - how far can you hit this.
We fast forward to this week when A-rod (sorry Andy Roddick) says he will not participate in this year's HR derby if invited. Dude, you just don't get it. The fans don't like you because you don't seem like one of them. You are the anti-Derek Jeter. And when you are given a chance on a platter (think of how weak the field may be this year in the derby - no Papi, no Hafner, no Thome, probably no Howard or Prince either) - you look down your nose from Modanna's penthouse and pass. While an admitted steroid using, mustache growing, bad fielding, strikeout prone, former AL-MVP Jason Giambi is jumping at the chance. He is campaigning for a chance. Do the right thing Alex, grab a bat and finally hit a homerun when the whole world is watching!
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