No Run Support

The math doesn't quite add up.

2009-09-18T10:16:00.000-04:00

Interesting stat of the day

Run differential for teams +0.500 so far this year: (as of 9-17-9)
Yankees +149
Red Sox +126
Rays +45
Blue Jays +13
Twins +17
Angels +102
Rangers +53

Phillies +107
Braves +79
Marlins +12
Cardinals +86
Cubs +29
Dodgers +156
Rockies +78
Giants +44

Only teams without more runs scored than opponent and a winning record
Mariners -54
Tigers +/- 0

This is a strange team I root for. We win 2-1 and lose 10-3.

Biggest Surprises of the 09' season

2009-09-09T08:10:00.002-04:00

I have seen a ton of articles about baseball's biggest 2009 surprises. These articles are basically writers saying - man was I wrong about my predictions and the only plausible explanation is that whatever actually happened was a huge surprise.

Isn't it possible that the Mets, Cubs, and Indians weren't disappointing - its just that they are bad teams that everyone fell in love with in the preseason. Isn't it possible that the AL Central is a weak division and Detroit built a team based on starting pitching and defense and the core of their offense is still around from their 06 run? Detroit isn't a surprise anymore than the Indians are a surprise.

For the record I stand by my pre-season picks. I am not going to tell you Cleveland and Atlanta and Oakland were surprise teams. I will be man and just tell you - I had no idea. I guessed poorly. I am not a fortune teller. That is why baseball is so great, no one knows.

The kids are growing up right before our very eyes...

2009-08-13T16:30:00.002-04:00

I am a perpetual optimist. When I was growing up I could always convince myself that this was the Tigers year.

I am choosing to look at the good again this summer. The Tigers have just lost 3/4 to the Red Sox, in Boston, and I couldn't be prouder of how the team played throughout the entire series.

Game 1: Edwin Jackson, who has always had issues in Fenway looked like he is on his way to a 2 inning 12 ER performance. And if he had that type of night you couldn't blame him. The guy has been spectacular the entire year. Instead he guts throug 4 innings giving up 4 earned and kept the Tigers in the game. Slowly but surly the Tigers climbed back into the game tying things at 5-5 in the top of the 7th. The Sox responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, and again the Tigers climbed back putting runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 8th with only 1 out. The didn't score the run, but it was a gritty game from a team that has been terrible on the road this year.

Game 2: Rick Porcello stands up for the Red Sox plunking Miggy two straight games. He drills Kevin Youkilis with retaliation. Now he could have chosen the 145 lb Dustin Pedroia or the 105 lb Nick Green or the chubby and old Jason Varitek, but no. He went after the Red Sox best hitter, who also received every vote for "Which Major League Player would you least like to run into in a dark alley". Youkilis, not enjoying being plunked charged the mound and threw his helmet at Porcello. Porcello stood his ground and calmly threw Youk to the ground. It wasn't a Nolan Ryan/Robin Ventura situation, but for a rookie he showed tremendous poise. Chris Lambert, who replaced Porcello did not have a great night and the Tigers fell 7-5. However, I will take a team bonding bench clearing brawl over a win on this particular night.

Game 3: Tigers have to face Josh Beckett and hours before the game Tiger's starter Armando Galaraga, who has been battling the flu, determines he cannot go. Zach Miner is called up and again keeps the Tigers in the game, until Boston blows it open late. I would have loved for Detroit to make a statement and come out and beat Beckett, the day after the brawl, but I am an optimist, not a miracle worker.

Game 4: Ok the Tigers have lost 3/4 and really just need to get out of Boston with a win. They give the ball to their ace, their opening day starer, Justin Verlander and he does not disappoint one bit. With a depleted bullpen Verlander went 8 innings of shut out dominance before handing the game over to Rodney to close out the win and head back to Detroit.

Was this the series I had hoped for? No way, but the Tigers showed a ton of heart and only lost 1/2 game in the standings over 4 days to the White Sox.

Your long lost blogger returns!

2009-07-23T08:02:00.002-04:00

Greetings. I hope everyone has enjoyed their all-star break. I apologize for my extended absence, but trying to wrap up my graduate work by the end of the 2009 year has really eaten into my free time. I resolve to do my best to post as we head into the playoff push for the 09' season. I knew I had to get a post in today because the Tigers lead is down to one measly game in the AL central. This has been an interesting season for the Tigers, best exemplified by their recent stretch of losing 4 of 5 games. Three of those losses were by the score 2-1 and two of those three were games blown by the bullpen, not the starting pitching. The Tigers could really use a stick in the next few weeks. They don't need an Adam Dunn or someone to hit the ball to Windsor, they really need someone with a great OBP who will always be on base and score tons of runs. I am optimistic that Carlos Guillen will be that guy when he gets back from the DL sometime this month.

Here's to hoping the White Sox fade, the Twins don't turn it around and the little team from Detroit is someone no one would want to see in the playoffs when they trot out Verlander and Jackson 1-2.

How do you put a red tag in Tom Glavine's locker?

2009-06-04T07:21:00.002-04:00

Dear Frank Wren,

I know you are new at this job. This team is mostly the work of your predecessor and you cannot be entirely to blame for the Braves being 26-26 (I guess you really can't be given the credit either). Also, you were not the GM during the run of 14 straight division titles. You may not be entirely familiar with the team from that era. I can sum up the team for you in 6 names: Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Leo Mazzone. You may know Bobby and Chipper as they are still your manager and third baseman, respectively. There were others than were part of that run, integral members even, however to Braves fans everywhere - those 6 names are the Mount Rushmore of Atlanta baseball (perhaps with Hank Aaron thrown in as well). This spring you lost out on bidding for John Smoltz to the Boston Red Sox. Fans were a bit upset, but understanding that these are tough economic times, Smoltz certainly doesn't need the money, and after all you tried. You offered him a contract. Then you redeemed yourself and re-signed Tom Glavine for one more year. It was a smart deal, requiring Tom to make it to the majors before the incentives kicked in. Tom was looking at off season surgery and is 43 years old. If he wasn't going to make a full recovery from surgery you weren't on the hook for millions of dollars.
Let's fast forward to this spring when you were faced with Tim Hudson not coming back until mid-season and Glavine being delayed at least a month as he recovered from surgery. At this point Tommy Hanson, the greatest pitching prospect since Phil Hughes (ok bad example there) was throwing the cover off the ball in spring training. However, you decided to start him in AAA. You can claim you wanted Tommy to gain more experience all you want - but everyone who knows baseball knows that the Matt Wieters', David Price's, and Tommy Hanson's of the world are not brought up at the beginning of seasons to allow another year before they are arbitration eligible. Its a weird rule that I am sure saves the club money, but has absolutely nothing to do with baseball. This is the guy you wouldn't trade for Jake Peavy, he was in the minors with a sub 2.00 ERA and he was being left to dominate AAA hitters so the Braves could get another year of his services at a discount.

Ok Mr Wren - so far I am with you. These have all been shrewd moves to help a team with a smaller pay-role compete. Then you went and cut Tom Glavine and ruined everything. Yesterday, after throwing eleven scoreless innings in the minors Tom Glavine was cut by the Atlanta Braves. That's right Mr. Wren, you decided to chop off a face from Mount Rushmore. It would have cost the Braves 1 million dollars when he was called up and another 1.5 million if he stayed up in the majors for 30 days. Tom had done everything you had asked of him. He had signed the incentive laden contract. He was 43 and had surgery to repair his arm. He went to the minors and rehabbed exceedingly well. And then this guy, who has won 305 games, who is responsible his fair share of the 14 straight division titles, who has been a model citizen in Atlanta for nearly 20 years, was shown the door.

And naturally, that's when you decide to call up Tommy Hanson, the same day you cut Tommy Glavine. I know your staff is doing well, but you can't tell me there isn't room on that 25 man roster for a guy who has thrown 11 scoreless innings in the minors and is on Mount Rushmore of your team.

You simply don't cut this guy. Never. He leaves and retires when he is ready. Look at Boston - Big Papi isn't hitting his weight, hell he isn't hitting Dustin Pedroia's weight, but each day Terry Franconia puts him in the lineup. He has earned the right to decide when its time.

Congratulations Frank, you took what should be the most exciting start of the season for the Braves, Tommy Hanson's debut, and thrown it under the rubble by cutting a HOFer on the same day.

If you want I am sure many teams will take Chipper Jones off your hands for a player to be named later.

Best of luck down the stretch,
No Run Support

Thinking unconventionally late in games

2009-05-23T13:56:00.004-04:00

I was at the Braves/Diamondbacks game last Friday. The Braves won 4-3 and scored the walk off run in the bottom of the 9th on a Yunel Escobar sac fly. Right before the winning run was scored, AJ Hinch had a chance to make an unconventional managerial move that I think should be standard practice.

The situation:

Tie game (3-3) bottom of the 9th inning.
Braves have the bases loaded and there are no outs.
On third is Jordan Schafer. If you know the Braves you know Schafer is the fastest guy on the team (also you are impressed he was actually on base).

At this point AJ Hinch visited the mound to talk to his pitcher. This was the perfect opportunity to bring in a 5th infielder to cut down the run at the plate. Hinch did nothing, and Yunel Escobar hit a routine fly to center that Schaffer tagged on and won the game.

The ending of the game proves my point for me, there is really very little chance of the batter hitting a fly ball shallow enough that the outfielder can throw him out, but deep enough that the infielder can't make the play. This is really the only reason you have outfielders at this point - for the very rare case of the in-between blooper. By bringing in another infielder you cut down on the number of ground balls that get through in the infield. You already have the infield drawn in, increases the chances a ball get through, to cut down the run at the plate, why not give yourself another glove? Would it have changed this game? No, not at all. But I would argue that it would save many more games than it would cost. You rarely see this from a seasoned manager, let alone a 37 year old under qualified guy who has only been on the job a few weeks, so I understand why Hinch went with convention. But the non-convention may have saved him the game.

If enough managers do this and it starts saving games it will become conventional wisdom. There is a similar evolution occurring in the NBA when teams are up by 3 with little time left on the clock, they foul the other team before they can get a shot off. Its a bit counter intuitive, but its the right move to make, and someday so will bringing in the 5th infielder.

Naming names...

2009-05-15T17:24:00.005-04:00

Why do we accept some forms of cheating and not others in baseball?

Stealing signs, doctoring the baseball, selling a catch on a trapped ball in the outfield are all common tactics seen in baseball over the years.

The Giants won the 1951 pennant on the "Shot heard round the world" by Bobby Thompson. In reading several books and articles recently it seems that the Giants almost certainly cheated and stole signs during the season. This wasn't the typical staring at the third base coach and figuring out the indicator (which by the way was common practice on both my high school and college team). They had a telescope in center-field picking up the catcher's signs. The Giants actually had an employee relay the signs and tip off the hitters. Despite this known cheating, I challenge anyone to not get goose bumps when they hear the scratchy radio call of, "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"

Gaylord Perry, a 1991 Hall of Fame Inductee, wrote a book entitled "Me and the Spitter: an autobiographical confession." Throwing a spitball is illegal. It gives the pitcher an unfair advantage. Perry admitted to cheating and no one seems to have any issue. Could you imagine if Mark McGwire wrote a book entitled: "Me and the Roid's: How I juiced my way to 62 and beyond" (by the way, how great of a title is that?). Do you think it may hinder his HOF chances? Considering he only garnered 21.9% of the vote in 2009. This was a man who saved baseball in 1998. And has NEVER been convicted of anything. And has NEVER admitted anything. Do I think Big Mac took some illegal substances? Sure, I am not naive and I wasn't born yesterday. I am willing to be tthat Big Mac, Clemens, Bonds, Sosa, Tejada, Pudge, and the like all took some sort of PED. And I know Pettite, Giambi, Manny, and A-rod did.

You may be asking, Jacob what's your point?

Throwing a spitter is exactly like steroids, it gives on player an unfair advantage over another player. I would argue that throwing the spitter is actually a worse offense because you are physically altering a ball that is in the game. The problem is with the public perception. We understand the spitter, or at least the basic advantages a spitter gives you. It makes the ball move more than a normal ball, it breaks sharper and gives the pitcher an advantage. We have absolutely no idea what steroids do. Bonds, McGwire, Clemens - all of these guys were at the top of their game before steroids. And there are plenty of convicted steroid users that never even made the majors. Our problem is we have no way to quantify the contribution of steroids to a player's career. And baseball is a game obsessed with counting everything. There is also the problem of damage to one's body and providing a good role model for children etc, etc. But for the on field changes, we have no idea what steroids do to a person's baseball ability. And so we have decided to get upset, and black-list everyone who has ever been whispered to be associated with the roids. No HOF for them. This is beyond terrible. This is what McCarthy did to suspected Commies back in the day and we are doing it with ball players today. People are guilty until it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and that is no way for America's past time to do business.

Look I have no problem with people getting upset and shunning all cheaters in baseball. But, you have to ban all cheaters. Everyone who throws the spitter, steals a sign, lies about their age, tips pitches to the other team, uses and PED, uses any other illegal drugs, etc., etc. We cannot pick and choose which cheaters to ban and which to embrace. You have to get as upset about Kenny Rogers using some sort of illegal substance in the WS in 2006 as you do about Barry Bonds hitting 73 home runs under questionable circumstances.

There's really nothing like seeing a guy realize he's not done yet

2009-05-13T09:11:00.006-04:00

The title of this post is a quote from Sports Nite - and today it applies perfectly to Dontrelle Willis. The Tigers traded for Willis last year and to say he's a disappointment would be a bit of an understatement. He has been a colossal failure on the mound. He walked everyone, he couldn't find his fast ball. All the critics of the trade snickered as his ERA was 9.38 in 8 games for the Tigers last year. He spent most of last season in the minors working on his delivery, his control, and his head. There are not many, if any, former Cy Young award winners who would take a minor league assignment. And even fewer who would take it seriously. This spring was supposed to be the re-birth of the D-train. He was going back to the care-free, fun loving, crazy windup throwing lefty we have all come to love. And then the pressure seemed to get to him. He was placed on the DL for anxiety (which tops Joel Zumaya's guitar hero injury as the strangest DL trips for a Tigers pitcher I can remember). Once again Willis met the challenge with determination and a smile. He has thrown well at several stops in the minors and tonight is taking the ball for the Tigers against the Twins. If he falls apart again, this may be the end of his career. There are only so many opportunities a guy can have. However, if he can regain his form, his control, and his confidence - there's really nothing like seeing a guy realize he's not done yet. Usually it goes the other way. Here's hoping the D-train gets it back on the tracks.

Mr Gallardo, you are all that is man.

2009-05-01T14:31:00.004-04:00

Score from Wednesday April 29th.

Final Brewers 1, Pirates 0
WP: Y. Gallardo (3-1) S: C. Villanueva (2)
LP: I. Snell (1-3)
HR: MIL - Y. Gallardo (2)

Yovani Gallardo did all he could to put the "I" in team. His final stats for the night 8.0 IP 2 H 11 Ks. Oh, and he hit a solo homerun when his team won 1-0. Basically the Brewers other 8 players combined to make 16 defensive outs and not much else. I heard this was only the 4th time in the past 100 years when a pitcher struck out over 10, hit a homer, and won 1-0. In the midst of NBA and NHL playoffs this game has gotten a bit lost. Sadly, Yovani is always going to have an * next to his name in the record book - since his opponent was the Pirates.

Enjoy the weekend games!

Long live the bird and other thoughts...

2009-04-29T08:14:00.003-04:00

I apologize for the delays in postings. Life got busy and sadly the blog is the first thing I drop when things get busy. I have had many thoughts from the first few weeks of the season and I will try to summarize here as best I can.

1. Mark Fidrych passed away earlier this month. Fidrych had two great seasons for the Tigers in the late 70s. Often I have been asked which player in history would I have most liked to have seen from the past. There are many great answers the Babe, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, would all be acceptable answers. However, my answer has always been Mark Fidrych in 1976. He went 19-9 for a terrible Tigers team. His starts became rock concerts. He would sell out the stadium and deliver a fantastic performance.

2. Speaking of the Tigers - so far so good. No one is going to run away with the AL Central, and for the first month the Tigers have risen to the top of the mediocrity. Brandon Inge is hitting, and finally getting noticed for playing unreal defense at third. Seriously, every-time watch baseball tonight he has a Web Gem. The guy has a cannon and great great hands - which makes for a great third baseman.

3. Of all the teams that are playing above their heads KC, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Sand Diego, I believe that Toronto has the best chance to sustain this level of play. The rest of the division is worse than everyone thought and we are just now learning how great of a manager Cito Gaston really is.

4. Enjoy the games this week. Game of the week: Saturday 3:55 pm Tigers vs Indians on Fox. Cumberland's finest, Aaron Laffey, faces the Tigers in Mo-town.

Look for more posts coming soon.

0-2... eight straight times.

2009-04-11T19:14:00.004-04:00

The first Saturday baseball game on Fox was fantastic. Red Sox just beat the Angels 5-4. The last out of the game was a classic. With bases loaded and two outs Papelbon and Howie Kendrick embarked on a classic battle. Any base hit would win the game for the Angels, any out and the game would go to the Sox. Papelbon started Kendrick with two consecutive sliders which put Kendrick in a quick 0-2 hole. Kendrick then proceeded to foul off the next seven 0-2 offerings. That's right seven. This was great drama for a game in April.

I have put some thought into this from Papelbon's side, and I think I like it. (Kendrick did all he could fouling of seven tough pitches before stroking a ball right to end the game).

I know you never want to give the hitter anything to hit when you have them 0-2. Especially with the bases load. Especially with 2-outs in the ninth with a one run lead. However, I like the mentality from a closer - here is comes - bet you can't hit it. Ok, you fouled it off, here it comes again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Game over.

Other thoughts as we wrap up the first week of the season:

- The Blue Jays may be a bit better than people have given them credit for. Also, the Indians may be a bit worse.

- I was talking to my friend, who is a Braves fan. We were discussing the Braves giving up 8 seventh inning runs turning a 10-3 lead into an 11-10 deficit and eventual 12-11 loss. I think he had the right mentality: Every bullpen is going to blow some games. You might as well get all of the kinks out in one night. Think of the Seinfeld episode when George wants to get fired from the Yankees. He not only wants to get fired, He wants to go out with a bang, with people proclaiming, "Wow, now that guy got canned." Same mentality from Philly earlier this week, "Wow that bullpen blew a lead!" Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

- Currently, I watching Kawakami's first major league start for Atlanta. He is down 1-0 going into the bottom of the second. The game should be 0-0. Jeff Francoeur had Ryan Zimmerman thrown out at the plate, but Brian McCann moved too far in front of the plate to receive the throw. There should be a stat for this. The other stat I want: Hitters batting 8th in the order in the NL. The situation - they come to bat with two-out and nobody on base. If they reach base they allow the pitcher to bat and turn the order over for the next inning. This is quietly a big deal through the season. Willie Harris just did this for the Nationals, who will now have the top of their order up in the third, instead of Lannan leading off. Its always the little things.

Time to make a wish...

2009-04-08T07:53:00.002-04:00

As my wife will attest, I am not the best at remembering dates, times, things to do, to eat, etc. Sometimes these things slip my mind. However, if you ever need to know that Willie Hernandez was the 1984 AL Cy Young and MVP - I have that information at the tip of my finger, never mind that I was only 2 when that happened.

So where am I going with this?

norunsupport turned one year old on the 5th of April. Although a few days late I thought I would mark the occasion. If anyone out there has been reading this, I thank you. As always any comments/suggestions are welcome. Its been a lot of fun trying to put my random thoughts about baseball into words. I have learned many things, but most of all - this is much much harder than it looks. I have much more respect for the people who write columns and blogs that I frequent (which are all list to the right)

Short post today, because you really don't want me to talk about last night... about the three run lead in the 8th inning. About the game tying home run by Inge in the 9th, and then Lyon blew the game again in the bottom of the inning.

Mr Groundball, Zach Miner, looks to right the 09' Tigers ship tonight.

This feels vaguely familiar

2009-04-07T07:41:00.004-04:00

I had been anxiously awaiting Opening Day since the end of last season. The season that saw the Tigers get picked by SI to win the American League and then promptly finish in last place, behind the Royals. Well, that's not entirely true, it wasn't prompt at all. It was an agonizing year as a Tigers fan. Not to worry though, a new season was here. All the experts have picked the Indians, Twins, White Sox, and even Royals (thank you Bill Simmons) to win the AL Central. Everyone has forgotten about the Tigers. This is exactly what 2006 felt like, right before the Tigers put together a World Series run. Perhaps 09 was the 06. At least that had been what I was telling myself all winter long.

Fast forward to opening day.

Thanks to a 7:15 first pitch and a free preview from extra innings on cable, I got to watch the season opener yesterday. I set myself down on the couch with beer and meat (ok so it was hummus and a diet pepsi) to watch the 09 season get underway. And then before I had finished my first swig of Diet Pepsi, before I had the chance to imagine what it would be like for this team to win it all, before I had even seen Miguel Cabrera has his first 09' at-bat... 4-0 Blue Jays.

You may recall last year I was unwavering in my confidence of Detroit in the early going, despite the 0-7 start. My confidence is not as high this year. Bonderman is hurt, Zumaya is hurt, Willis and Robertson pitched so poorly we gave a starting rotation spot to a 20 year old kid. I really was hoping to see a bit more out of our ace yesterday. I am still optimistic, just cautiously so.

161 games to go. Thankfully, the lineup is not facing Roy Halladay today.

Your giving me the "its not you, its me routine." I invented its not you its me. If its anybody its me

2009-03-31T10:35:00.006-04:00

Mr Sheffield:
You are the weakest link, goodbye
The tribe has spoken
You're fired
There is a red tag in your locker
You've been chopped
You are no longer in the running to become America's next top model
You are out
Its not you, its me
I think we should see other people

However you want to say it, the Tigers no longer employ Gary Sheffield. And I, for one, could not be happier. I know he is sitting on 499 home runs. I know he is probably the most patient hitter in the lineup. I know he has hit everywhere he has been. Call it a gut feeling, this guy is bad news. I hated the move when they traded for him. I talked myself into the mindset of, "I am glad they did something after losing the WS and not just standing pat. I am sure he will take walks and help the lineup." However I never got over the following, he can hit, but he's trouble. Sheffield clogs up the DH spot because he is such a liability in the outfield. He hit .220 last year and complained about having to DH.

I love, love, love this move. Bad clubhouse guy, gone. Clog at DH gone. Now Leyland can give Maggs, Guillen, Cabrera, and Thames days to rest at DH. Newly acquire Josh Anderson can be speed off the bench.

To me this is the textbook addition by subtraction.

09' NL preview

2009-03-24T07:15:00.002-04:00

Here is your eagerly awaited 2009 Norunsupport NL preview.

NL East - Atlanta Braves
I tried not to pick the Braves. I tried to realistic about Chipper's health and Fanceour's declining stats. I tried to tell myself they don't have a true leadoff hitter. At the end of the day, it comes down to the arms. The Mets ace is hurting. The Phillies ace is hurting. Derek Lowe is throwing out of his mind. The Braves also have a wonderful mid-season pickup built in with a mid-summer return for Tim Hudson. Case closed.

NL Central - St Louis Cardinals
I don't love anybody in this division and yet I don't hate anyone either. The Cardinals somehow were in contention last year with Carpetner still out and Pujols missing some time. I think with a full season from Pujols and the development of the young arms and bats, the Red Birds could be flying in October. I think the Brewers are due for a step back and the Reds and Astros aren't quite there yet. And finally, the Pirates and Cubs are... well the Pirates and Cubs.

NL West - Arizona Diamondbacks
I can't be the only one envisioning Manny having a "hamstring injury" sidelining him for months at a time? I am also entrigued by the Giants pitching, but at the end of the day I have to go with the Snakes. They fell apart last year but I think the young bats are seasoned and ready to strike.

NL Wild Card - San Fansisco Giants
As long as they can close out 2-1 victories all season that pitching staff will carry them. They have great arms 1-5 and should hit just enough to fill Pac Bell in October.

Daily Hilarity

2009-03-18T11:54:00.002-04:00

NL preview is coming soon. Until then enjoy this online chat:

Via: bless you boys

I can't express how much I love the screen name OhComeLetUsOrdonez - it may become my new fantasy team name.

Predictions for the 2009 MLB season (part 1)

2009-03-10T16:04:00.008-04:00

I really enjoy reading others predictions before upcoming seasons, but not nearly as much as I enjoy reading predictions after the season to see how completely wrong they were. I am no exception; in 2008 I stated that the Rays were an overblown pick. Amazingly enough I also called out the Arizona Cardinals for being an overblown trendy pick. Wow. I apologize. All I can say is that was my second post ever and I hope that this year’s predictions go bit better.

Division Winners:
AL East – Yankees – I doubt Mike Lowell and David Ortiz’s health a lot more than A-rod’s and the Rays seem primed for a WS hangover.

AL Central – Indians – Bounce back years for Pronk, and Victor fill out an impressive lineup. Cliff Lee is bound to come back to earth, but Carmona is bound to be better. I am not sold on Detroit or Chicago and if Mauer is really hurt the Twins can just pack it in.

AL West – A’s – This is a bit of a default pick. I am not sold on any of these teams. But I do like the additions of Giambi and Holliday – a 2009 Bash-Brothers.

Wild Card –Tigers – Complete ‘homer’ pick. I am counting on Leyland leading the Motor City Kitties into October

ALDS:
Indians over Yankees
Tigers over A’s

ALCS:
Tigers over Indians

AL MVP: Grady Sizemore
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
AL ROY: Rick Porcello

NL to come later this week.

I can't be the only one to see this...

2009-03-06T09:28:00.004-05:00

On my commute to work this morning I started to see the parallels between Joba Chamberlain and Devin Hester. I am certain I am not the first person to make this comparison. If anyone knows of an earlier comparison leave it in the comments so I can give proper credit.

Here's are the parallels

1. Devin Hester - Chicago Bears. Three years ago he was one of the most exciting kick returners in the history of the NFL. He broke off long returns. He had multiple kick returns for touchdowns. He was in the pro-bowl. He opened the Super bowl with a kick returned for a TD. Teams had to change their game plan when playing the Bears. No one wanted to kick to this guy. He was a special teams game changer. Then the Bears got greedy. They took the best kick returner in the game, some say ever, and forced him into a roll as a wide receiver. In 2007 he was a part-time receive and part-time kick returner. The results were mixed. Then last year he served as a more featured receiver. He went from 20 receptions to 50. However, his return yards went from over 600 to just under 200. Congratulations Bears you took the best kick returner in the game and now you have a very average receiver.

2. Joba Chamberlain - New York Yankees. Two years ago the Yanks brought up a young flame thrower named Joba. He slid into the 8th inning role bridging the gap between Mariano Rivera and the starting pitchers. He was unreal. I hate the Yanks, but this guys was lights out. People will remember him for locust night in the playoffs at Jacob's field, but he was a great great reliever for a rookie. He became the heir apparent to Rivera. Then in 2007 Hank Steinbrenner decides Joba should be the starter. Since Hank had run Joe Torre out of town, he had some pull over his manager Joe Girardi. Girardi caved and the Yankees converted Joba into a starting pitcher. As a starter Joba showed some promise. An ERA under 3, but he averaged under 6 innings. To make matters worse he became injured due to the increased work load. This year Joba is projected at the 5th starter for the Yankees. The Yanks bought Burnett and CC. The have Wang and Pettite following. And they have Phil Hughes, who they refused to trade for Johan Santana, ready in the minors. To me, this is just like the Hester situation. They have taken a guy, who was a dominant reliever, and made him the 5th starter on their team. They have gotten greedy and I think its going to blow up in their face.

Which scenario do you think is more likely in 2009? 1. Joba is lights out, wins 20 games and a Cy Young award.
2. Joba is solid if not flashy. Can pitch 5-7 innings a game. Has a record of 15-10 or so. And Rivera, who is 39, gets hurt and now this billion dollar rotation has Demasco Marte closing games.

Hope springs eternal.

2009-02-25T08:31:00.003-05:00

The first spring training games of the year take place today and that means that 30 teams are still telling themselves that this is their year. Their fans are all calculating how if things fall "just right" we could really make a run at this thing.

In Orlando it sounds like this:
"You know a rotation of Lowe, Vasquez, Glavine, Jurrgens, and Kawakami is solid. Hudson comes back in July/August. Gonzo is healthy in the bullpen. If Franceour can hit like 2007, why can't we win the NL east?"

Or in Lakeland:
"Zumaya and Willis are throwing the cover off the ball. Sheffield is re-dedicated. No way Cabrera starts off slow again, Inge is back at third. Lyon will be the solid closer we were missing last year. Etc, etc."

I can't help but having high hopes for the 09' Tigers and Braves (my national league adopted team). And every time I try to curb my enthusiasm (seriously one show I need to get into) I see an article like this. How can I not make my October reservations now?

Really Bud Selig?!!? Really?!?!

2009-02-22T09:11:00.004-05:00

If you haven't seen Really?!? with Seth and Amy on SNL I suggest you click here or here before reading the rest of this post.

Last week A-rod was outed from his "anonymous" steroid test in 2003. Since then he has admitted to using PED from 2001-2003 while with the Rangers. No doubt A-rod is an idiot who cheated the game. His interviews and press conferences have been awkward and uncomfortable. His story is always changing. Basically, A-rod is doing his best Barry Bonds/Roger Clemens impersonation. And, I might add, he is doing a fantastic job. I think the public is handling A-rod well. He is being ridiculed. He is being made fun of. He probably has cost himself a chance to be enshrined into Cooperstown. So, for today, I will leave A-rod alone. However, there is one villain in this story who has been getting off without the penalty he deserves, and that is commissioner Bud Selig. Outside of being compared to Vince McMahon, Selig really hasn't come close to receiving the punishment he deserves.

Which brings me to a completely copied segment that I will call: Really?1? with No Run Support (cue cheesy theme music)

Really Bud Selig?!? Really?!? You said you wouldn't change anything you did about steroid if you had to do it all over again? You felt that you did everything you could Really?!? Let's take a look at your best hitter from this era: Barry Bonds. And the best pitcher: Roger Clemens. The best story: The 1998 Homerun chase with McGwire and Sosa. It seems like the best things that happened in the past decade have all been up to their ears in steroid controversy. Really.

Really Bud Selig?!? Really?!? A-rod has shamed the game? Reallly?!? From 2001-2003 steroids were not illegal in Major League Baseball. Really. You were the commissioner during this time and couldn't get steroids, a substance that is illegal in the United States of America, made illegal in your sport. That is like MLB not having a rule against murder or tax evasion! What the hell? How can you not have a rule against steroids? And really?!? Bud Selig, A-rod shamed the game?!? Really?!? There were 104 people on that anonymous list of positive steroid users in 2003. Really. 104 people. Really. There are 750 roster spots in Major League Baseball. At least 14% of all players in your league tested positive. Perhaps the problems runs a bit deeper than A-rod, Bonds, Giambi, Clemens, Petite, and Tejada. Perhaps, the head of the league should take some responsibility for 14% of his workforce using an illegal and performance enhancing substance. Imagine what would happen is 14% of Windows employees tested positive for Meth? Do you think Bill Gates would be patting himself on the back? Belly-aching about people blaming him for things out of his control? Really.

And finally, Bud Selig this was your response to people questioning your leadership during the steroid era, "I don't want to hear the commissioner turned a blind eye to this or he didn't care about it." Really?!? Really Bud Selig?!? You know, I didn't want to hear that there is going to be a players strike in 1994, or that the All-Star game was going to end in a tie, or that the commissioner refuses to attend games when the all-time home run record is about to be broken only because he is good friends with the previous holder of the record and there is assumed steroid guilt of the guy breaking the record. But I had to deal with all of that Bud, while you skirted your responsibilities. Really.

The secret to signing Manny

2009-02-06T16:17:00.002-05:00

Here we are nine days from the start of spring training and the list of available free agents is absurd. Its gotten to the point where everyone has written the "all-free agent team" article such as this one. With so much top notch talent for hire and most wallets thinner than last year, GMs need to start getting creative. To illustrate my point I will explain how any GM should court the services of Manny Ramirez. Seriously, there isn't one team that Manny wouldn't hit 3rd or 4th for this year, not one.

First, you must realize that Manny does not need money. He has made enough money to retire 10 times, each time like a king. He no longer has any concept of money. When he left Boston they found un-cashed checks in his locker.He is basically in the same situation Forrest Gump was in after investing in Apple, he no longer needs to worry about money. "That's one less thing." Its not about the money for Manny, its all about the status and the respect. Status and respect in baseball are dictated entirely by length and magnitude of contract... until now.

Manny needs to know that he is loved and respected. The economy is down so paying him 30 million per year is out of the question. I propose the following stipulations in Manny's contract:

1. For the entire time Manny is with your team and for 5 years following his departure - he gets to name the stadium anything he wants. "The House that Manny built" "Man-Ram's" " I-HOP"... whatever. Its his call.

2. Manny gets to setup all in stadium promotions during the season. It would be like having a minor league team run by a crazy uncle. Its liver and onions day today at Man-Ram stadium.

3. Manny gets to control 3 spots on the 25-man roster. If Manny wants to bring in Pedro, Shaq, and Charles Nagy you go out and sign Pedro, plug in Shaq at third, and find Charles Nagy. Its Manny's call. Trust me, a 22-man roster with Manny is better than a 25-man roster without Manny.

4. A tricked out golf cart will be responsible for driving Manny to and from left between innings. Picture the bullpen cars from the 80s. It would be like a Zamboni. Manny could fire the t-shirt gun on his way out.

All of these little additions are public ways to decree the respect you have for Manny. He doesn't need the money, he just wants the respect, and nothing says respect like t-shirt guns between innings.

Remembering May 9, 2003. They day I won a game for the Cincinnati Reds

2009-02-01T16:39:00.007-05:00

I know what you are asking yourself. Jacob, I have been reading this blog for months now and you never told me you pitched in the majors?
Let me answer that by saying first, many thanks for reading this blog for months. And second, sadly I might add, I have never thrown a pitch in the majors. My 3 career home runs in division III baseball are as close as I came to being into the show.

So now I am sure you racking your brain. How could you have won a game for the Reds? Did I give Adam Dunn the same speech Mr. Burns gave to Daryl Strawberry?
No, no speech was given.

As all good stories go, "So there I was.."

Myself and several friends decided to take in a game at the Great American Ballpark on May 9, 2003. Exams were done for the semester and Cincinnati was only a 2-hour drive from Delaware, Ohio. Most of us had never been to the GAB and two of my friends are big Reds fans. The game wasn't sold out and we got great seats in the right field bleacher directly next to the Brewers bullpen. To be exact, I was sitting on the end of the aisle and immediately to my left was the bullpen about 20 feet straight down (this will come into play a bit later).

This story truly begins in the bottom of the first inning. Austin Kearns hits a towering home run into the Brewers bullpen, giving the Reds an early 3-0 lead. Curt Leskanic actually caught the ball in the bullpen. I immediately called out, "Hey Curt throw it up here." Typically in these situations smaller children or attractive woman are the two likeliest candidates to receive a home run or foul ball from a player. I am neither small, a child, or an attractive woman. However, Curt Leskanic looks right at me and goes to throw me the ball. Perhaps he was flattered I actually new his name? I may never know Leskanic's true motivations. Whatever the reasoning Curt throws the ball right at me, with one minor problem. He shorted me by about 10 feet. It was only a twenty foot throw! Ok, I told myself, not to worry, I am sure he is a bit embarrassed, but I know he will reach me on the next throw. He probably just misjudged the distance. To reassure Curt I hold out my hands, and really give him a good target. And that is when Curt Leskanic made an enemy for life...

Leskanic catches the ball following his ten-foot throw. Turns around and then perfectly tosses the ball to a small child sitting a few rows up from where we were sitting. What just happened? Did I really just get punked by Curt Leskanic? Did he think this was funny? Did he have any idea whom he was dealing with?
Answers to the previous questions are:
1. Curt Leskanic was having some fun on your behalf
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No, not a clue.

At this moment my friends and I decided to make it a very miserable and sad day in the Milwaukee bullpen. For the next several innings we berated Curt with all kinds of taunts and jabs. "Hey Leskanic I hope you can make the 60 ft throw from the mound to the plate." "Hey Leskanic...you stink!" You know, really let him have it.

Normally I do not condone this type of behavior, these guys are just trying to do their job. But, as any three year old would say, "He started it!"

Then Christmas came early to Cincinnati. Leskanic was warming up to pitch the 8th inning. That's when we really started pouring it on. Critiquing every pitch he threw. Giving him grief every time he bounced a curve or missed the catchers target. It was probably the most attention anyone has ever paid to Curt Leskanic during a major league game. Naturally, Leskanic entered the game and had a 1,2,3 inning, including 2 strikeouts. The wind was immediately deflated from our proverbial sails. The picture above depicts his celebration following the second strikeout. I had to tip my hat to Leskanic. He was the better man that day. He both talked and walked. However, we re-grouped and decided that he may have won the battle, but the war was far from over. We decided that any reliever toeing the rubber for the Brewers would have to deal with our wrath on Leskanic's behalf. Why should the rest of the pen get off so easy. After all, they were all there when Curt shorted me with that throw. It was a whole new ball-game.

And in the ninth inning we made our major league debut. After rattling the cages of Mike DeJean, he promptly went out and gave up a two-run lead to send the game into extra innings. Success! After the Brewers scored a run in the top of the 10th, we knew we had our work cut out for ourselves against Luis Vizcaino. Fortunately, Mr Vizcaino was no the same consummate professional that Curt Lesaknic was. Now, I can't write everything we said to Mr Vizcaino, this is a family blog. However, the last thing we told him before he took the mound in the bottom of the 10th was, "You can blame all of this on Curt Leskanic and his pathetic arm." Buzz-ing.

When you look up the box score from May 9, 2003 you will read that Jose Guillen won the game for the Reds with a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. What you won't read, is how four men were wronged by Curt Leskanic in the first inning and sought their vengence againt him and the Brewers organization. If we had talked trash to the Brewers bullpen 10 times, they might win 9. But not this time. For May 9, 2003 belonged to us.

The Mayor's term has come to an end

2009-01-28T16:53:00.005-05:00

Earlier this week Sean Casey announced his retirement. Casey played for the Tribe, Reds, Tigers, Pirates, and Red Sox. He was in the Show, as Crash Davis would put it, from 1997-2008. He had several great seasons, he was a three-time all star, and was the only Tiger who bothered to hit in the 2006 world series. Sadly, he was also the only Tiger to be thrown out at first from left field that year as well. However, Casey won't be remembered for his stats, or his speed. He will be remembered for living up to his nickname of "The Mayor". In the past 10 years every time major leaguers were polled on who was the nicest player in the league, the votes were never close. Casey always won by a landslide. He played with a perpetual smile on his face. Every time a runner reached first base during Casey's tenure some conversation would always begin, shenanigans ensued.

5 years from now I doubt Casey will garner much support for Cooperstown, however today he will be enshrined into the NRS wall of fame.

What if....

2009-01-27T08:50:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite debates to have is the what if... debate. What if the Hawks had taken Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams or Brandon Roy instead of Sheldon Williams. Or, what if the Braves had actually signed Bonds. Or the Tigers had never traded Smoltz.

This morning I came across this article. It goes through the entire 1999 baseball draft with the Kansas City Royals. The article talks about who the Royals took with each pick, and then who was the best player available (knowing what we know now). If you make it to the end of the article you can't help but feel bad for anyone who is a KC fan.

My 2009 Baseball Bucket List

2009-01-25T15:19:00.003-05:00

Every year I make a mental note of the players I want to see play in person. Sometimes I try to catch a veteran towards the end of their career. This was the case with Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens a few years ago. Sometimes I try to catch a pitcher or batter having an unreal season (last year it was Brandon Webb). With Spring Training just a few short weeks away, I thought I would make my 2009 Baseball Bucket List: Players to see during the 2009 season.

If there is anyone I have forgotten leave them in the comments.

1. Tim Lincecum - This guy is the reigning Cy Young, he's young, he has a funky delivery, and he strikes out a whole bunch of people. What's not to love.

2. David Price - Watching Price throw in the playoffs last year reminded me a lot of K-rod or Joel Zumaya. A little known rookie making a big name for himself on the national stage. It will be interesting to see if Price (and for that matter the Rays in general) are for real.

3. Hanley Ramirez - No one goes to games in Florida. The Marlins are rarely on national TV. This is tragic, because they have one of the most exciting lead off men in the game. Ramirez is better than Jose Reyes, he just doesn't play in NY. Ramirez has power and he can run, what's not to love.

4. Ichiro - Since arriving in America 8 years ago Ichiro has an MVP, a ROY, the most hits in a single season, 1805 hits, 315 SBs, and a cannon in the outfield. I have never seen him play, and I figure I have 3-4 more years when I can see him in his prime.

5. The Big Unit - Randy is chasing 300 wins late in his career. Naturally, he signed with the baseball equivalent of a retirement community - San Francisco. However, if he has anything left in the tank it will be a treat to watch potentially the last 300 game winner reach his milestone.

Finally, a Lion (Lyon) the people of Detroit can get behind

2009-01-23T08:12:00.002-05:00

Detroit has finally nabbed their ninth inning man. After waiting out the market the Tigers have signed Brandon Lyon to a one year deal reportedly worth 5 million + incentives. The full story appears here. I love this deal for Detroit. Zumaya and Rodney are much more effective in the 7th and 8th innings. I love the one year contract for a closer - the drive will still be there. And personally, I believe all contracts should be incentive based. This guy was a proven closer for a playoff team. If he can sew up the ninth inning in Detroit it should be a bounce back year for the Tigers.

Baseball quote to get you through a cold Monday

2009-01-19T11:49:00.003-05:00

David Wells upon being asked why he doesn't put more effort into getting into shape,
"I've never heard of anyone going on the DL for pulling their fat."

Spectacular.

The Braves 2008 off season: brought to you by Susan Lucci

2009-01-15T08:16:00.003-05:00

The Atlanta Braves have had one of the worst off seasons that I can remember, until last weekend. The Braves, like most teams, entered the hot stove season with a number of needs. And each one was addressed with the energy and enthusiasm to get everyone in town excited and then let us all down.

- Starting rotation help -The off season started knowing Hudson was out until at least mid season. Hampton signed elsewhere. Glavine and Smoltz were big big question marks. Jair Jurrgens was the only starter who's name Bobby Cox can write in pen when the season ended.
What they did in the hot stove

The good - They traded for Javier Vasquez. It was a nice pick up to bolster the back of the rotation, but hardly anything to get excited about.

The bad - Smoltz left for Boston. I think this one hurt the pride of Atlantans more than anything else. The guy is 42 and coming off surgery, if he wasn't John Smoltz no one would really be that sad to see him go.

The ugly - the Braves outright refusal to pony up the prospects for Jake Peavy. Allow me to step on my soap box and shout at the rain for a moment. I will never understand what makes GM hang onto pitching prospects when they have the opportunity to trade for elite pitching (see Yankees vs Johann Santana). It basically boils down to this, if your pitching prospects hit their ceiling - they will be Jake Peavy. Doesn't it make more sense to trade for Peavy? This clip explains it all. If you play out all scenarios I believe the Braves trading for Peavy would have been a no lose situation. If Peavy was great and the Braves were in contention, then all is well in the world. If the Braves were out of the race in July they would be able to unload Chipper to a contender and re-stock the farm system.

The redemption - Braves sign Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami this past weekend. Suddenly their rotation lines up with Lowe, Jurrgens, Vasquez, Kawakami, and someone to fill a gap until Hudson gets back. This is a deep rotation, if not overly impressive.

- Lead off hitter - the Braves have a lot of guys who can fill in the lead off roll, but no traditional lead off hitter. Escobar and Johnson filled in last year, but neither one gets on base or is enough of a threat to run to really make an impact.

What they did in the Hot stove
Well Rafael Furcal signed a four year deal to return to Atlanta. He was going to reclaim his position in short stop and return to his spot atop the Turner Field line up. There were articles on line and in the paper. The Braves had planned a press conference. And then things became very real. Furcal just used the Braves to get the contract he wanted from the Dodgers. Wow. This is a painful experience for any team, but add in the fact that it happened from your starting short stop from 2000-2005 and that's enough to make anyone go straight for the bottle. But hold on Braves fans, its about to get a whole lot worse.

- Right handed middle of the order hitter, preferably a left fielder - The core of the Braves order is solid Chipper, McCann, Kotchman, Escobar, etc. But they are missing that one feared hitter to anchor things. Since Chipper is a switch hitter, and B-Mac is a lefty, if the new guy could be a righty all the better.

What they did in the Hot Stove

Every time a free agent right-handed power hitter was mentioned this off season the Braves were mentioned as a contending team. Somehow, they came home with nobody.

Pat Burrell - Tampa
Raul Ibanez - Philly
Milton Bradley - Cubbies

Now don't worry Braves fans there is still time to act. If you can sell yourself on a Lefty-heavy lineup Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn could be yours. There is a chance a former Brave and current Dodger will be heading back to Atlanta - sadly, it may be Andruw Jones and not Furcal. And we all know Manny is still a free agent.

Well Braves fans the good news is Susan Lucci eventually got her Emmy. Who knows maybe your off season award is still to come.

Once again on my soapbox for Alan Trammell

2009-01-04T15:29:00.006-05:00

Once again, we are approaching the time of year when Major League Baseball will announce that Alan Trammell has received 10-17% of the votes for election to baseball's Hall of Fame (75% is needed for election). This is also the time of year I have to ask: What does a guy have to do to get elected around here? Before I begin making my case for Trammell's HOF credentials, let me state that when I was growing up, Alan Trammell was my favorite player. I wrote my college admissions essay based on Alan Trammell, I always play number 3 in roulette for Trammell, and I believe he is one of the most underrated players of his generation. That being said - Alan Trammell should still have his bust in Cooperstown alongside other Tiger greats.

Alan Trammell played from 1977-1996 with the Detroit Tigers
During his 20 year career Trammell amassed 2365 hits, 185 HRs, 1003 RBIs, 1231 Runs, and 236 SBs.
He was the 1984 WS MVP (incidentally, no one from the 1984 championship team is in the HOF).
He should have been the 1987 AL MVP, but lost a close contest to George Bell, solely because Bell had more home runs.
He was a 6 time all-star.
He was a 4 time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner.
When he retired, he was one of 7 shortstops to hit 0.300 six times or more. The other 6 were already in the HOF.
And possibly the strongest argument: Trammell was on Magnum PI with Tom Selleck. I don't know how any HOF voter can watch this video and not be swayed.

He had longevity and consistency. He and Lou Whitaker were the core of a great Tigers team in the 80s.

In all seriousness, the strongest argument for Trammell's induction to the hall goes as follows (this is not my argument, I just really like it): Ozzie Smith (who was a first ballot HOFer with 92% of the vote in 2002) played in the same era as Trammell. During both of their careers, there would not have been one year the Tigers would have ever traded Trammell for Smith straight up. Smith was flashier, but Trammell was the better player throughout their careers.

Trammell's HOF resume is probably hurt by the following:

1. He never got that MVP. Even though I would argue until the cows come home that Trammell was a More Valuable Player than George Bell in 1987, Trammell came up a bit short.
2. He was never flashy. He didn't do back flips or have funny quirks at the plate. He was just very good for a very long time.
3. He played in Detroit. It's a small market team in the midwest. If Trammell had the identical resume in Pinstripes, there is no doubt he would have been a first ballot HOFer
4. Trammell and Whitaker were referred to in the same breathe throughout their career. I think voters had trouble separating the two when it came to Cooperstown.

I would also argue that Trammell was hurt by the explosion of offensive short stops after he retired. As he came up on the ballot voters looked at A-rod, Nomar, Tejada, Jeter, Furcal ,etc - all putting up obscene offensive numbers from a traditionally defensive postion. Now it looks like all of these numbers were put up during an era that was an offensive explosion.

So will 2009 be any different for Trammell's HOF case? Probably not. His best chance will lie with the Veterans committee in the future. Until then I will be the voice of the minority (the 10-15% of voters who understand what Trammell meant to Detroit and baseball).

Will work for food.....

2009-01-03T08:43:00.003-05:00

The free agent fenzy for 2008 is gone. Most of the big names made their homes in NYC (CC, AJ, Tex, K-rod). Now we are left with teams scrambling to fill holes with the table scraps in 2009. That is with one major exception - Man-Ram. How crazy must this guy be? Last year posted 0.322 37 121 scored over 100 runs and he is still unemployed 6 weeks before spring training! He put the Dodgers in the playoffs last year, before that he was a big part of breaking the curse of the Bambino, and before that he had Cleveland in the playoffs and 3 outs from a world championship. He has won everywhere he has been. He can hit anyone, anywhere, at any time. And for 25 million per year he can be all yours. Oh there is one thing..... Its a small thing, I don't think you are going to care but...... HE IS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY INSANE. But don't worry GMs, I have the perfect way to calmly integrate Manny into your organization. Sign Manny, hold a press conference, and then at the conference announce that you have also signed Barry Bonds. Suddenly you have the Left/Right combo in your lineup. Most importantly, the Manny Ramirez circus will be tamed, because now you have the largest craziest circus in all of baseball - Barry Bonds. For probably 40-50 million per year you can have Ramirez and Bonds in your lineup and a national following of your team -doesn't this sound like the perfect idea for the Pirates, Nationals, or Royals? You can thank me later.

Picking out the perfect jersey

2008-12-19T15:49:00.005-05:00

The holidays are quickly approaching and whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or Festivus, gift giving and receiving is on the mind. One essential item every baseball fan must have is the jersey from his/her favorite team. When selecting a jersey to buy there is an important set of guidelines to follow to ensure you sport a jersey that will let you fellows fans know - this is a real fan of (Insert your favorite team name here).

1. Avoid any player who has just signed/been traded to your team. Example - you are a die hard Brewers fan - don't buy the Sabbathia jersey. It looks like you are on the band wagon and chances are you jersey will be obsolete in a few short seasons.

2. Don't buy a jersey of the most popular player on the team. Everyone has a Jeter, Ortiz, Howard, Ichiro, etc jersey. You want to stand out as a true fan, not as someone who picked up their jersey at Target.

3. Select a player that is integral of your team's success, but does not necessarily get all the national spotlight. As my wife would put it, you want the "sneaky trendy" player. Fans of your team will see you as the die hard fan, who really knows the team. Some examples would include Carlos Guillen for the Tigers, Brian McCann for the Braves, or Kevin Youklis for the Red Sox. Be careful here, you don't want to pick someone too obscure - for instance if you start wearing the Tim Brydak jersey in Detroit - people will assume you are strange or related to Tim Brydak.

4. Avoid the Man-Crush/Flash in the pan jersey. Everyone has had this moment. An up an coming player catches fire for your team and everyone is comparing him to the next (insert cliche player here Ruth, Mantle, etc.). You get caught up in the moment and buy a jersey. Great move? Not so much. Remember these players often fizzle out, imagine how silly I would look going to games in my Chris Shelton jersey. Make sure your player has some staying power.

5. Home vs Away jersey. Now I am not going to even talk about alternative jerseys or alternative colors - they are simply a no. As for Home and Away jerseys, I believe it really comes down to preference. Take a careful look at your team's options and make the best call.

6. Jerseys of players no longer with the team. This is a tough one. There are two categories here 1. Retired players - these jerseys are fair game, enjoy your status as a long standing fan of that team. 2. Players who leave the team for another team. Sadly, your jersey will have to go into the closet for 5 years. Wearing this jersey anytime before then will advertise yourself as someone who really isn't that into the team, but still likes wearing the jersey. Don't be at a Toronto game this year in your AJ Burnett jersey - allow that wound to heal. After 5 years your jersey will be a tribute to time this player was with your organization. Example - it would totally be acceptable to wear the Mariners Griffey Jr jersey these days -its retro and shows you have been a fan for quite some time.

Best of luck with your holiday shopping and remember only 6 more shopping days until Christmas.

- In the interest of full disclosure I should add - I own a Jeremy Bonderman Tigers home jersey.

How to Fix the AL East in 2009

2008-12-19T08:53:00.004-05:00

I must start this post with an apology. I had aspirations of previewing every team individually this off season. Unfortunately, December has not afforded as much free time as I had once hoped (seriously, who's Christmas tree falls over twice? And for the record, I didn't see it and it did make a sound - so at least we can settle that debate). So my compromise to you, the loyal reader (if you are out there), is an abbreviated preview of each team. So we will start out east, because we all have that east coast bias. So here it is, your AL east preview.

Tampa Rays -
2008 recap - Everything went right. No one had a career year, but everyone played well. They spent the entire year with everyone waiting for them to fall apart during the regular season, they didn't. Then we thought they might stumble in the playoffs against the more experienced White Sox, the didn't. We were sure the Red Sox would stomp them out in the ALCS, again the didn't. They put Tampa baseball on the map and at least 7,000 fans a night were there to witness it.
Bright Spots of 2008 - Well, everyone. Especially David Price, Rocco, and most of all the introduction of the Ray-Hawk
How to fix the Rays in 09' - A great mechanic once told me, "never question success". This should be the Rays mantra. They have a well rounded team. They have a future ace in David Price. The Rays need to tweak a few things, but no major changes. Just keep on keeping on. They picked up some power in the outfield by trading for Matt Joyce. It wouldn't hurt to sure up the bullpen - Troy Percival could be next year's Todd Jones. It may have been a fluke last year, but until we know for sure - don't break up the best team in the AL east.

Boston Red Sox
2008 Recap - It was a strange season for Boston. They had the emergence of an Ace in John Lest. Matsusaka never seemed to lose. Their gritty second baseman won the MVP. Youklis had a breakout season. Jason Bay proved he could handle the big stage. But not all was well in Mudville. Manny basically held Boston hostage until he was sent packing, David Ortiz looked very old very quickly. Josh Becket had a fairly pedestrian regular season - and shockingly a rather pedestrian post-season as well. Mike Lowell was hurt. It almost seemed like the Red Sox were underachieving all season - and yet they were one game away from the world series.
Bright Spots of 2008 - I'll keep this rather short. Pedroia and Lester give Boston fans hope for life after Manny and Ortiz
How to fix the Red Sox in 2009 - Don' get complacent. The Yankees are re-loading with one thing in mind - beat Boston. If Ortiz can't find his stroke, Lowell remains hurt, and Beckett is a 0.500 pitcher - you can almost convince yourself this is a 3rd place team. They really need to sign Teixeira. One more solid, steady bat to go with Pedroia and Youk. The rotation could use some depth after Lester, Matsusaka, and Beckett -but that's not as important as the offense.

New York Yankees
2008 Recap - I have never seen more stories written about failures and disappointments from a team that won 89 games. Last year, for the first time I can remember, the Yankees decided not to mortgage the future to go for the world series this year. The refused to trade Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes for Johann Santana. They were going to keep and develop Melky Cabrera. This was the first season of the new Yankees mantra.
Bright Spots of 2008 - There were many nice stories this year, but Mussina winning 20 for the first time in his career, one year after everyone pronounced his arm dead, take the cake.
How to fix the Yankees in 2009 - Well, as your probably know the Yankees have invested 240 million in AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia. This may prove to be just what the Yankees need to reach October baseball in 2009 - However, in 2011, 12, 13, etc. I imagine CC and AJ are going to be the highest paid duo who live on the DL. The Yanks really still need a bat - Giambi is gone and Teixeria makes sense, but someone other than A-rod and Jeter have to hit on this team.

(I am running a bit short on time - so the Jay and O's will be done in Haiku)

Toronto Blue Jays
2008 Recap
Two aces threw well
However other three stunk
Spahn and Sain of 08'
Bright Spots of 2008
86 wins great
Alex Rios rising star
Doc is fantastic
How to fix the Blue Jay in 2009
Someone needs to score
Cito brings back 90s ball
Young arms come through soon

Baltimore Orioles
2008 Recap
Miles away from 4th
Staff is all fifth starters but
At least Huff can hit
2008 Bright Spots
Few and far between
5 guys with 20 plus bombs
Meet next great closer
How to fix the Orioles for 2009
Offense needs anchor
Pitching staff needs everything
At least park is great

Thoughts on the Hot Stove

2008-12-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Here are a few thoughts on what's happened so far.

1. CC - to the Yankees for 160 million dollars. Ok Sabathia was phenomenal down the stretch. Each of his starts, and at-bats for that matter, were must watch TV this summer. That being said, I think this deal is going to be the beginning of the end of Brian Cashman's reign as GM In NY. I love CC - I just can't imagine signing a 300 lb guy to a 7 year contract. He threw 10 complete games last year. He threw well into October. I know he has 8 straight seasons of around 30 starts, but I would be absolutely shocked if he had 7 more. I know the Yankees had to do something, they are opening the new Stadium and they missed October baseball last year. If all they do is sign CC then the risk is worth the reward. If they also sign Burnett -then they are just asking for Carl Pavano all over again. As for CC, can anyone really blame a guy for signing a 7 year 160 million dollar deal?

2. K-rod - to the Mets for 3 years. I like this deal for the Mets. They are coming off 2 historic September collapses. Their bullpen was terrible. Solution? Sign the guy who just obliterated the single season save record. K-rod should add some great stability to their bullpen and if he should falter - see #3.

3. JJ Putz - traded to the Mets. Ok this one was extra sour for me - I had sold myself on the Tigers trading for Putz. Again - Mets needed to sure up the bullpen and when healthy this guy has been dominant. I think he will flourish in the 8th inning role with less spotlight.

4. Ryan Freel to the O's. Call me crazy. But this is actually an off season move of the Orioles that I like. Freel is an all around player, he can run when he gets on base, and he seems to be a class guy. These are all good qualities to look for when trading for a player. Baltimore could be a bit feisty this year, especially if they get the mercenary Mark Texeria.

5. Kerry Wood to Cleveland. First of all, this ends the Wood/Prior era in Chicago. I am sure in 2003 many Cubs fans envisioned these two anchoring the rotation for the next decade plus. For the Tribe - they roll the dice a bit on a guy who has had chronic health problems, but really re-invented himself as a closer this year. If he can stay healthy I think he will be a great addition to the Jake...sorry the Prog, or whatever its now called.

6. Edwin Jackson to Detroit. Well Detroit missed out on Putz (rumored to be because they wouldn't trade Matt Joyce) and the same day trade Joyce to Tampa Bay for Jackson. Jackson has great stuff, but has never really had great control. If he's on his game his is unhittable, if not - well he's Rick Vaughn pre-glasses. I really see him as Jeremy Bonderman lite, which isn't a bad thing. I think if Detroit asks Bonderman, Jackson, and Gallaraga to be solid 2-4 starters and Verlander can regain his form as an ace - the Detroit rotation will be very deep.

Those are the big trades/signings so far. We are still waiting on Fuentes (come on Detroit!), Texeria, Burnett, Randy, Sheets, etc to all find homes.

Rickey being Rickey

2008-12-08T09:21:00.003-05:00

There have been a lot of great articles about Rickey Henderson recently. He is headlining the 2009 HOF eligible list. There are many great Rickey stories out there and this article ranks the top 25. I was heart-broken to learn number 17 was untrue.

One story that did not make the list I remember from Baseball Tonight several years ago. I think this was around the time Henderson was retiring and HR told his favorite story. I am going to mess this up a bit but here was the basic gist.

Reynolds led the league one year with 60-some stolen bases.

He said he received a phone call from Henderson after the season.

Rickey: "Reynolds, its Rickey"

HR: "Hey Rick, what's up!"

Rickey: "60? You should be ashamed of yourself. Rickey had 60 at the break."

How to fix the Washington Nationals for 2009

2008-12-01T11:25:00.007-05:00

2008 recap
The 2008 Washington Nationals season: 59 wins and 102 losses. Not exactly the way you want to open a new stadium. Amazingly, this was a bit of a step back from the 73 win team in 07' and the 71 win team from 06'. This year's Nationals team lost their feistiness. Previously, the Nats were a below average team that you really did not want to play in late September with playoffs on the line. This year they just phoned it in. There were injuries Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson, and Austin Kearns, all missed significant time due to injuries. When you are a young team - you can't afford to have the veteran presence of your team going down. They are the glue that supposed to hold the ship together. When they go down - you lose 102 games. The pitching staff was only 2 deep, which also meant that 60% of the time the Nationals were faced with having to try and create a weird 8-7 win in the late innings. The good news on the mound was Jon Rauch emerged as a legitimate late inning guy converting 17 saves. The bad news is - he now plays for the D'Backs.

Bright spots of 2008
1. Rauch was a decent closer and brought a decent prospect from the Diamondbacks in return. They traded him to the Marlins. From the Fish they brought in Josh WIllingham and Scott Olsen. This turned out to be a great set of deals for the Nationals. They know have a solid lefty starter and a power outfielder.
2. The Nationals minor league system gets better the further down you go. Their single A teams had very good records. Their double A team had an average record, and the triple A team was bad. That means there is talent. It just may take a little bit.
3. They opened their new stadium in style. They had the opening night in baseball. Packed house, GW on hand, and they put together a walk-off win against the Braves
4. A few names emerged as decent starting pitching Tim Redding and John Lannan
5. Christian Guzman is a really solid major league shortstop. He can hit, he has a bit of a glove, and he plays hard.

How to fix the Nationals in 2009

Don't try to fix the Nats in 09'. This sounds strange, but the best thing for the Nationals will be to build with youth. Don't try for the quick fix. We have seen the quick fix fail for bad teams over and over again. The Pirates, Royals, Nationals, etc. always over pay for older veterans and it results in 70 wins instead of 65. Nationals fans, 08' is going to be tough. You need to let the young guys develop. Look at the Twins, Rays, and A's as model teams. Have a starting rotation of Lannan, Redding, and Olsen. Find out if the middle of the order with ZImmerman, Willingham, Guzman, and Nick Johnson can score some runs.

2009 Outlook
Things are bleak, but hopefully they have bottomed out. An improvement to 70 wins with the young guys will be a great start.

How to fix the Detroit Tigers for 2009

2008-12-01T10:20:00.005-05:00

Ok, I am a bit delayed in my off season preview of teams, but I am determined to get all teams in the near future. I thought I would start with the team nearest and dearest to my heart - The Detroit Tigers

2008 Recap:
Complete and total disaster. This is a team that finished behind the Royals in last place. The took a team that had won 95 and 88 games in 2006 and 2007. They added Miguel Carbrera, Edgar Renteria, and Dontrelle Willis - and then went out and won 74 games. Ouch. In retrospect the deals were greedy. This team had a good offense and Dave Drombrowski thought Miguel Cabrera was the missing piece. I can't kill him for this. The moves were all made with the intention of making the team stronger. Everything just happened to implode starting with the 0-7 start.

Ok, I have vented. When you take a step back there was a perfect storm of problems Detroit dealt with. The starting pitching looked like the walking wounded - with Dontrelle, Bonderman, Robertson, and Rogers were all non-factors in the 08' rotation. Todd Jones finally hit the wall as a closer and no one seemed eager to step into that role. There were 13 Tigers that had a save opportunity in 2008 - only 5 different Tigers converted a save.

The offense - I have written about this before - all star teams don't work. While on paper Pudge, Guillen, Polanco, Renteria, Cabrera, Grandersen, Ordonez, Sheffield, and Thames sounds fantastic. In practice its a disaster. Everyone wants to be that guy who hits the 7-run home run to fix the season. No one lays down a bunt. No one moves the runners over.

Bright Spots of 2008
Few and far between.
1. Carbrera - I know he's over weight. But he has a Manny like ability to absolutely hit anyone at any time. He has DH written all over him. But I think you can also jot down 0.300 30 and 125.
2. Armando Gallaraga - so Detroit trades Jair Jurrgens and Andrew Miller in the off-season, depleting our minor league pitching. Dontrelle Willis pulls a Wild-Thing and suddenly Gallaraga is thrown into the mix. Final stats 13-7 3.43 126 K's. A true diamond in the rough. I have him penciled in for quite some time.
3. Zach Miner - another guy who got the opportunity to throw because of pitching woes and did great. Miner went 8-5 with a 4.27 ERA. Those number may not sound impressive, but he was incredibly versatile - 13 starts 32 relief appearances. And when that sinker is worker you can almost convince yourself of Derek-Lowe-Lite.

How to fix the Tigers for 2009.

1. Get the starting rotation in order. You can write in Verlander, Gallaraga, and Bonderman. That leave's Dontrelle, Nate, Zach Miner, and Feddy Garcia in the mix to fill out the rotation. I am not convinced that the Tigers need to chase AJ Burnett, Derek Lowe, or any of the other big names. If healthy I think the above 7 pitchers can create a formidable 5-man rotation.
2. Closer. Get a closer! Rodney and Zumaya have had their chances and neither has impressed. When healthy they can be the best 7th and 8th inning guys in the game. But they just don't seem to have the I-don't-give-a-crap mentality that Todd Jones had. There are a lot of closers on the market this off season. I would avoid K-rod like the plague, but someone like Jose Valverde who has closed before would be perfect.
3. Someone to field and throw at short stop. Renteria was a miss. I don't think the Tigers need to pay a big name. They need a gritty guy who knows how to handle the bat and can field the position. Jack Wilson, Adam Everett, Orlando Cabrera are all names to fill in. They need someone.
4. Get rid of Sheffield. He is a cancer. Besides being in the news everyother day for the wrong reasons, he really puts a hamper on the lineup. Bottom line - he is no where near good enough to be an everyday DH anymore. With Sheffield demanding playing time that means Leyland can't give Maggs or Cabrera or Guillen or Thames a day at DH to rest. I don't care if they cut him - the team will be much better w/o Gary Sheffield. Bottom line - guys with his stats don't play for 7 teams because they are great teammates.

2009 Outlook:
I think 2009 is going to let us know whether this Tigers team is really the 95 win team from 06' or the 75 win team from 08'. If the starting rotation comes together and they get someone to close out games - I am a believer in October baseball for Detroit in 2009.

The Moose heads out to pasture

2008-11-20T21:12:00.003-05:00

Mike Mussina announced his retirement from baseball today.

Naturally, the hall of fame debate for Mussina began minutes after he announced his retirement.

I thought I would begin by apologizing to Mussina. As a kid growing up in Maryland, Mussina was the best pitcher I got to see on TV on a regular basis. He was fantastic for the O's and unfortunately one night I learned an unspoken baseball rule: Never talk about a perfect game. Never. Never.
It was the 8th inning, Moose hasn't allowed a base runner against the Indians. I decide to inform all my friends at the bowling alley that Mussina was working on a perfect game. Naturally, as everyone gathered around the TV Sandy Alomar Jr singled off Mussina breaking up the perfect game.

Now does Moose deserve a plaque in Cooperstown? Absolutely. He won 270 games. In 15 years 250 is going to be the milestone for pitchers. His career record was 270-153. 117 games over 500. Between 1991 and today the best pitchers of the generation were Randy, Clemens, Glavine, Smoltz, Maddox, Schilling, Pedro and Mussina. That list represents the HOF pitchers from the 90s (with some possible steroid exemptions) and Mussina belongs on that list.

I don't vote, but Mussina would get mine. (for the record so would Lee Smith, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, among others).

The envelope please......

2008-11-03T20:29:00.002-05:00

As the awards are going to start trickle in the next few days. I thought would weigh in on some of the less popular awards for the 2008 season. I will leave the MVP, Cy Young, etc to the "real" sports writers.

- The I have completely checked out award - Andruw Jones Los Angeles Dodgers - 18 million bought the boys in blue a 0.158 AVG and 3 HR. Imagine how much better the Dodgers would have been if they had signed anyone else with the 18 million (seriously - Bonds would have been a better investment).

- The Maybe we should watch them play one game before we induct them into Cooperstown award - tie Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes. The Yankees decided not to trade for Johan because giving up either Kennedy or Hughes was too high of a price tag.

- The worst trade of 08' - this may be a bit of a homer pick - but when the Tigers picked up Edgar Renteria for Jair Jurrjens I was skeptical. When Jurrgens won 13 games and Renteria looked like a 60 year old man playing SS I had John Smoltz flashbacks. If Jurrjens with 200 games and saves 150 I may just cry.

- The 08' Man Crush - there were many good candidates this year. David Price almost stole the show in October, but Tim Lincecum had the windup and the strikeouts to take home the hardware. * Tim Lincecum cannot be here tonight to accept this award. Accepting on his behalf is 1987 Man Crush winner Andre Dawson.

- Top Moment(s) of the year - tie Josh Hamilton and Josh Hamilton. 28 first round home runs in the Derby and receiving an intentional walk with the bases loaded.

Warm up the hot stove

2008-11-03T07:32:00.002-05:00

Well the 2008 season has officially been put to rest. I really hope the Chase Utley play in the 8th inning of game 5 is remembered historically. It was one of the better heads up plays I have seen in the playoffs in quite sometime. Congrats to the Phillies - that makes one more team I don't have to hear the belly aching from their fans (its now down to the Tribe, the Cubs, and a few others).

What I plan on doing over the next few weeks is going through each team's offseason needs. What is likely to happen, what is a fantasy, and what do that team's chances look like for next season. I would like to have fans from different teams weigh in on their team's offseason outlook (as the fans have a much better inside grasp of their team that I do), so I will be soliciting friends of mine to voice their opinions. If you would like to analyze your favorite team in the offseason drop me an email or leave a note in the comments section.

And now, as always, we all start counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report.

Still holding!! Still holding!!

2008-10-29T07:47:00.002-04:00

Wow. What a complete mess. I love it. Suddenly a World Series with two smaller market teams that has been highlighted by low scoring games that no one was watching has our attention. Game 5 was fantastic. Seeing Pena go the other way in a monsoon with two outs was phenomenal.

The suspension was great. Suddenly we have a 3 and 1/2 inning game to decide the World Series. Everything is huge at this point. There is not getting into the flow of the game. The game is on the line once the players take the field tonight, or tomorrow, or sometime in early 09'. The story lines are great. Who is on the mound for each team? Who is up first for the Phils (Cole Hamels spot is due up first when play resumes)? Do the Rays go back to the David Price well? Will Brad Lidge enter in a tied game?

Unfortunately for the Phils, the suspension really favors the Rays. The basically get to play a 3 inning game without Cole Hamels for a chance to go back home. I know the Phils have a good pen, but Hamels is the dominant pitcher of this post-season. The most important thing for the Rays is going to be getting out of the bottom of the 6th without allowing any runs. If Philly should happen to push a run or two across in the 6th I think you will have the Santa booing, battery throwing, faithful starting to believe.

For the Rays the game plan is simple. Get 1 run and hope David Price still doesn't quite realize how big of a moment this is.
If the Rays can comeback and win game 5, I really like their chances to win it all.

And I have to say for as much slack as Bud Selig takes, granted he deserves a bunch of it, I really think he handled this about as well as could be expected.

I know the 2004 Red Sox. I watched the 2004 Red Sox. The 2004 Red Sox were a team I could cheer for. You sir are not the 2004 Red Sox.

2008-10-20T09:39:00.005-04:00

Since we are up to our necks in the political season I thought the title of this entry was fitting. However, I promise you will get no political opinions here.

How bout them Rays!

Wow. This had all the makings of a Red Sox comeback.

1. The Red Sox have comeback from 3-1 and 3-0 deficits before.

2. Game 5 was an emotional 7-run comeback in the final three innings.

3. Former playoff superman Josh Beckett had been shalacked this year in the playoffs....until now. He went out and won game 6, in Tampa, where the Red Sox had only won 2 other times this year.

4. Current ace, Jon Lester, had the ball in the game 7 for the Sox. Lester looked absolutely unhittable for the first 3 innings.

5. Matt Garza, noted head case, gave up a lead off home run to 2008 MVP candidate Dustin Pedroia

6. Even the announcers started softening the blow in the early innings. "Even if Tampa loses its been a great season...." etc. etc.

Apparently the Rays weren't paying attention. They were able to grind out an impressive 3-1 win and move on to Fox's nightmare of a World Series: Rays vs Phillies.

* Side note - every time Rocco Baldelli is up the announcers talk about his mitochondrial disorder and for once in my life the only two things I consider myself knowledgeable on, science and baseball, meet.

Here's to you Tampa...Ummm St. Petersburg.... whatever. Congrats on the pennant, now bring one home for the American League.

We got ourselves a ball game

2008-10-19T08:24:00.005-04:00

1. Finally, a series with some drama worth watching! This series has given us our first game 7, and there is really nothing better in baseball playoffs than game seven.

2. ABC Tampa, ABC. Always Be Closing. Seven outs, seven run lead. You never want to let the defending champ get up off the mat and have a few more rounds. Now the Rays face a Jon Lester in game 7 with something to prove.

3. Boston fans - please turn in your reputation for being hard core baseball fans. Any respect I had for Boston fans went out the window in game 5. And not for the reason you think. Sure 10,000 people left when the Sox were down 7-0 in the 7th. But what really got to me - Boston fans were booing Jason Varitek and David Ortiz. Really Boston?!? Look, there are certain people that should NEVER hear boos at their home stadium. For Boston - anyone who was on the 2004 team AND the 2007 team should be immune to home boos. I don't care if Varitek he hit 0.220 and didn't throw out a single runner all year. He is your Captain. And the Ortiz booing is just embarrassing. Here is your most clutch hitter in the playoffs the past 5 years. He is the face of your franchise. He is having a bad ALCS and the entire stadium turns on him. Wow. I guess when you win 2 WS in 3 years you get a bit spoiled.

Look Boston - if you want to boo Jason Bay, Pedroia, or Ellsbury - go ahead. At Wrigley they can boo whomever they like because no one on that field has broken the 100 year curse. They can boo A-rod at the stadium. But no way can you ever boo the following people in Fenway - Dave Roberts, Terry Francona, Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, Manny, Varitek, etc.

4. This pro-longed ALCS is going to be bad for Philly. It really hurt Colorado last year and Detroit the year before. Cole Hamels has that much more pressure to throw a gem in game 1 - because his teammates may be a bit flat.

ALCS game 4: Tim Wakefield doing his best Christmas tree impersonation

2008-10-14T20:57:00.002-04:00

Currently the Rays lead the Sox 5-1 on 3 early home runs off the knuckler. I feel bad for Wakefield - he has been a very solid pitcher for his entire career and everyone is going to remember him for one moment Aaron "bleeping" Boone.

It looks like the dream World Series of Manny heading back into Fenway Park (along with Nomar and Lowe) for game 1 is becoming a pipe-dream. I hope Fox is getting ready for some sad ratings with a possible/probable Rays/Phils World Series.

Possible Rays and Phillies story lines

- Jamie Moyer is older than all of the Rays, and is actually Evan Longoria's father.

- Rays fans don't want to hear the belly-aching from the Phillies fans. You may not have won a World Series since 1980, we haven't won a World Series ever, and we have employed Jose Canseco.

ok I am struggling here. Either the Red Sox or the Dodgers need to make a trip to the WS.

Never saw it coming.

2008-10-13T20:39:00.003-04:00

I'll admit it, I never thought the Rays would be in this position. I am not surprised the Rays won the east, beat the White Sox, or even salvaged a split in Tampa. I am shocked that the Rays beat the Red Sox 9-1 tonight, in Fenway, with John Lester on the mound. I keep waiting for the Rays to play like the young team who is just happy to be there. John Lester had been annoited this year's Josh Beckett, and I had bought into the hype. All day today I saw articles praising Theo Epstein's genius for not trading Lester for Johan Santana. I guess the Rays weren't reading the same articles.

Now the Red Sox are down 2 games to 1 with Tim Wakefield on the hill to save the season.

The best thing that can happen when you are losing 6-1

2008-10-13T07:23:00.003-04:00

The playoffs are all about momentum. Last night the Phillies started game three of the NLCS with a 2 games to none lead over the Dodgers. Before Jamie Moyer could get out of the first inning the Dodgers had a 5-0 lead and all the momentum. The game was basically over, yet both teams had to play out the last 8 innings. Typically, a game like this would be a huge boost to the Dodgers while deflating the high flying Phils. However, Kuroda (the Dodgers starting pitcher) decided to buzz the tower of the 'Flyin' Hawaiian' Shane Victorino. It was not totally uncalled for: Russell Martin had already been drilled that night and Manny had his tower buzzed the game before. Even Victorino knew it was coming - complaining that the Dodgers throw at his body, not his head. These things are part of baseball. However in the case of last night, I think it was the worst thing the Dodgers could have done. Now all anyone is talking about is the incident. The Phillies are fired up. They were dead in the water about to face Derek Lowe in game 4 - it looked like a perfect scenario for the Dodgers to tie the series. Now who knows.

Aside - also when the benches cleared last night it was Manny who was front and center in the altercation. If he had thrown a punch or shoved someone - he may have been suspended. We would have had a similar situation to when Amare Staudameire and Boris Diaw were suspended for coming to the support of Steven Nash, who had just been cross checked into the scorers table by Robert Horry.

Bottom line - what may have been a bad win for the Dodgers is great for the fans.

The 2008 ALCS preview

2008-10-09T20:42:00.002-04:00

I am hoping the terribly lame LDS will result in a memorable ALCS this fall.

The ALCS already has a few things working in its favor.

1. David vs Goliath. I know the Rays won the east. And the Rays made the White Sox look like the White Sox. But, if you are playing the defending champs in the playoffs - you are the underdog. Especially, if this is the first time in October there have been baseball games in the city of Tampa. Everyone wants to see Rocky knock out the Russian.

2. These are inter-division rivals that plain don't like each other. Even when the Rays were a joke, they were never a team the Red Sox wanted to face. Even if the Sox were winning, chances were a brawl was only an up and in fastball away.

However, the ALCS has a few things working in the direction of making a lame series.

1. The Rays don't have 'that guy'. There is no one who terrifies you in the lineup (granted there is also no easy outs), there is no dominant October pitcher......yet (remember Josh Becket coming into the 03' playoffs?).

2. The Red Sox are missing Manny, Schilling, Pedro, Damon, and David Ortiz is only a shadow his former self. In other words - there are very few people to root against on this team. That doesn't mean I like them, but I have no real disdain for Jacoby Ellsbury or Jason Bay or Kevin Youklis. Good stories need good villians. This team is made up of a bunch of great ball players, but not one Lex Luther.

3. There is a chance we will wake up tomorrow and the Rays will realize - "We are the Rays, we have no business being here" - and disappear into the cold New England night.

To ensure this will be a great series I have created a top 5 list - David Letterman-esque:
"Top 5 ways to make a great 2008 ALCS"

5. Put Mike Lowell on the roster. He doesn't need to start, but he needs a chance to have his Kirk Gibson moment - "I don't believe what I just saw"

4. Grant Belfour and Youk get into a shouting match during the game. Youk doesn't like Balfour yelling after pitchers so he calls his shot to left field. Belfour doesn't want to be shown up - so he calls his shot - Youklis' left ear. Welcome to October

3. Game one, first at-bat for Big Papi and James Shields buzzes the tower. He doesn't need to hit Ortiz, but he needs to announce his presence with authority. Let the benches empty. Perhaps a shove or two. You know, really set the tone for the series.

2. Eric Hinske and Carlos Pena hit back to back home runs of Papelbon in Boston reminding Red Sox fans they should have never let them leave Boston. In the bottom of the 9th Pedroia hits a walk-off home run reminding the Rays that they are the Rays.

1. Super Rays fan Dick Vitale and Red Sox "fan" Ben Affleck get into a fist fight in the stands. Fight is broken up by Matt Damon who sides with Vitale, pulls off his Red Sox hoodie and reveals a Rays jersey.

Prediction: Rays in 6

NLCS preview

2008-10-08T07:25:00.002-04:00

aka "The Battle to be Larry Bowa's Favorite Son"
Both the Dodgers and Phillies made the NLDS look like a stroll through the park. I don't believe either team will have it so easy in this round. On paper this looks like a great series that should go 7. Each team is stong all-around with the Dodgers have the slight edge in starting pitching, and the Phillies sporting the more potent offense.

Most important player for LA - someone other than Manny has to hit. It could be Loney, or Martin, or Furcal, but someone on that team must give Phillies pitchers something to think about or Manny is going to spend this series walking down to first.

Most important player for the Phils - Brad Lidge. Its true Brad Lidge has not blown a save this year, but he is getting shakier and shakier as the season progresses. If the Phils have a lead late, he must come in and close the door - or the swagger this team has built up could be lost.

I had trouble picking this one, when in doubt always go with the home team - Phillies in 7

Dear Cubs..........

2008-10-06T09:21:00.003-04:00

I am very sorry you were not able to break the curse after 100 years. But its your own fault. I have never seen a 97 win team look more sad and beaten down 4-2 in the sixth inning in my life. AND THIS WAS GAME ONE!!!!!! Look, the curse is cute, its nice, it sells tickets, and it gives 20-something Cubs fans something to belly ache about (even though they haven't been alive for 80 years of the misery, they somehow feel all the pain). The curse is supposed to be for the fans - and you have let it into the clubhouse - and until you extradite it, you will never win. There is really only one way to break this curse. I can't believe I am saying this, but you must act like the 2004 Red Sox. You have to not care about curses or fans or media or anything of the sort. That team, and it was a team by all definitions of the word, cared about each other and winning games, period. And that is why they were able to break the curse of the Bambino. That is the only way they came back from a 3-0 deficit to the Yanks - one year removed from Aaron "bleepin" Boone. Look its understandable for Cubs fans to pack it and start talking about next year when you were down 4-2 in the sixth inning of game one, its what Cubs fans do best. But you can't listen to them! I have outlined a fool proof plan to for breaking the curse of the goatcatbartman.
1. Fire Lou. He is a great manager, but you are never going to break this curse with a well-known great manager. If Lou never wins another game, he is still going to Cooperstown. You need a manager who is hungry
2. Hire Ryan Sandberg or Alan Trammell or Mark Grace or some up and coming next generation manager. And when he breaks the curse - he will have left his mark in Chicago forever.
3. Cut or trade anyone who can't win a game, or at least play like they are going to win a game, when you are losing. Zambrano, Soriano, etc. These guys are both great players when you are winning and headaches when things aren't going well. Its going to be tough and people will think you are crazy, but trust me - you are not going to break this curse by sweeping your way through the playoffs. There is going to be adversity, and you need some fox hole guys.
4. Get the foxhole guys. Get you talented guys who are going to give 150% whether the score is 1-0 or 0-35. If you need any examples look at the 2008 Rays team. When they are down 2 runs everyone still believes they are going to win the game, and they do.
5. Embrace the curse. Seriously. Have Steve Bartman throw out the first pitch of the playoffs while a black cat crosses his path. Laugh at the curse.
6. Sneak into the playoffs. You need to break this curse by fighting and clawing your way into October. That will give the players no time to think about the curse. You won't even have time to catch your breathe - just go out and win.

So there you have it Chicago. A sure fire way to break the curse.

NRS

A playoff update

2008-10-05T10:18:00.002-04:00

Its been quite a weekend of boring games and 2-0 series. Thankfully Dave Bush pushed the series in Milwaukee to at least 4 games (game 4 is 1 pm today). I am really hoping that Jeff Suppan can find a way to send the series back to Philly. I think all baseball fans need to see CC in a game 5 against Cole Hamels. It would be an amazing game and I think baseball fans deserve at least 1 really good game in the first round.

- The Cubs are going to have to wait at least 101 years before breaking the black cat- billy goat - Bartman - woe is me curse. I have never seen a team look so amazing in the regular season and look so bad in the post season. Everyone on that team was trying to hit the 8-run homer, and they never got anything going .

- With 4 pretty lousey (so far anyways) LDS - I think there are two really good LCS lining up. Red Sox vs Rays - should be a long drawn out series with plenty of bean ball wars, walk-off wins, and fist pumping. And I really think Philly vs LA could be a great series. Both teams can pitch and hit. Both teams have a fairly solid bullpen.

- So keep hope alive baseball fans. Even if 3/4 series end in a sweep - the next round is looking up.

Playoff preview

2008-10-02T10:25:00.005-04:00

NRS apologizes for not providing a thorough playoff preview. Since I missed out on previewing the other 3 series, I thought I would preview Sox vs Rays in an NBA style commercial

Overly-dramatic music cued up in the background.

AJ/Carlos: "162 games and it all comes down to this. Win or go home."

Carlos: "We have no choice but to win. We have no history, no fans, and are no longer possessed by the devil. This is our time to show 30 million dollars and dream can lead to a world championship."

AJ: "No one likes me. People hate my coach. Our best player is out for the season. Everyone wants to see Chicago in the World Series, just not the White Sox. Its us against the world, and we all know I will find a way to the center of the controversy."

AJ/Carlos: "This is what its all about - welcome to October"

Prediction: Rays in 5

The debacle that is the 2008 NL MVP

2008-10-01T07:26:00.003-04:00

What a great finish to the regular season. And as we take a quick breathe before the playoffs begin I am left pondering - who is going to win the NL MVP this year. This is a strange year. I think there are really 5 candidates for NL MVP (my apologies to those of you in the Johann Santana camp). I see the race between Pujols, Berkman, Howard, Manny, and CC.

You can break this race into three different groups.

1. The amazing numbers, but subpar team group - Pujols and Berkman. Both had amazing seasons, but both teams ended up a bit short of a playoff run. There is some precedent for MVPs coming from non-playoff teams, but its not very often.

2. The allow me to carry my team in September after having a subpar year group - Howard. Ryan Howard's final numbers are very impressive, but voters are overly impressed with two things September play and home runs. Howard has both of these in spades. It is true if he wasn't carrying the Phillies in September the Mets would have likely won the NL east, but if Chase Utely and Pat Burrell didn't pick up the slack in earlier months - the Phils would have been the fish. And at the end of the day, I am not ok with an MVP who hit 0.245

3. The trade deadline pickup group - Manny and CC. Neither player was a member of the NL when the season began, however both were intrigal parts to the Dodgers and Brewers making the playoffs. Can you win an MVP by playing only half a season? If either guy was putting up these numbers in this league all year, it would be a two horse race. CC has the added trouble of being a pitcher.

Verdict: Look Pujols and Berkman both had great years and Howard had a great September in a pennant race. But if we look at the term Most Valuable Player - it has to be CC. Everyone else on the Brewers (with the possible exception of Prince Fielder) were folding like tents while CC demanded the ball and pitched like it was the dead ball era. I don't think he will win MVP, but I truly believe he was the most valuable player in the NL this season. Try to imagine where the Brewers are without him, they are the Cardinals - and that is why CC gets the nod over Pujols.

I like to picture the conversation between CC and his agent in September

Agent: CC - you have gone 8-0 for the Brewers, but I am getting worried about all these complete games. What do you think about resting a bit in September?

CC: Give me the ball!

Agent: CC, we are going to sign over 100 million dollar contract - you can be a Yankee, or an Angel, or a Met, but you have to stay healthy!

CC: Give me the ball!

Agent: Look CC the Brewers are just using you. They know they won't re-sign you next year so they want to over-work your arm the rest of the season. Look what they have done to Ben Sheets.

CC: Give me the ball!

A fond fairwell to Todd Jones

2008-09-25T21:50:00.009-04:00

In the midst of Yankee Stadium closing, the Rays clinching, the Tigers being swept into last place, and the Mets and Brewers backing into the wild card - Todd Jones announced his retirement. He will retire with 319 career saves. Todd won't get to walk the mound at Comerica one last time, he won't hear the crowd chanting his name, or get to hear the loud speaker play the Counting Crows' 'Mr Jones'. He deserves better. His nickname the last few years in Detroit has been "roller coaster" because he would always have men on base and have to wriggle out of trouble. Yet, he always seemed to get the job done. I think the term "a pro's pro" was coined for a guy like Todd. He never had good stuff - Zumaya, Rodney, Farnsworth, and Leyland all throw harder. Yet, he wanted the ball in the 9th with the game on the line. I think when people look back at the 2006 Tigers team that turned around the franchise, he will be the forgotten man. But he was vital - just ask this year's Mets and Cardinals what they would give to have a reliable closer. Five year's from now Cooperstown won't come calling. I don't even know if Detroit will retire his number. He will retire with 319 career saves, and the most all-time in Tigers history, but he was never flashy, never dominant, but always good. I have decided to start a wall-of-fame here on the blog, and Todd Jones is going to be the first inductee. This wall-of-fame will exist to honor those players that had great careers, not very flashy, and plenty of fantastic facial hair. I think my favorite story of Todd Jones (his impersonation of Maggs during a rain delay would come a close second) is when Jim Leyland was asked about his closer - he referred to Todd as his "pack closer", because every time he took the mound Leyland was going to have to smoke a pack of cigarettes just to get through the outing.

Here's to your Mr. Jones

Best games of the last week

2008-09-23T06:52:00.002-04:00

Here we are in the last week of the regular season and only the Cubs, Angels, and Rays are guaranteed a spot playing in October. That means there are many series this week worth keeping an eye on.

1. Cubs vs Mets. The Cubs
- The Cubs have nothing to play for. The Mets are in the midst of a second straight September collapse. The Cubs took the opener on Monday. I am not sure if the Cubs should even want to win these games. If they sweep the Mets that will greatly help the Brewers in the NL wild card - giving the Cubs the Dodgers in the first round. If the Mets win - the Cubs could turn around and play the Mets again in October.

2. White Sox vs Twins
- After being usurped for what seemed like half a month by the Republican National Convention - the Twins return home for the biggest series of the year. The Twins are down two in the standings and must take 2, but a sweep is really what they should have their eyes on. If the twins sweep - they would again control their own destiny. For the White Sox, winning all three would be great, but just a series win would probably wrap up the AL central.

3. Pirates at Brewers
- Best cure for a September collapse? Have the Pirates visit. The Brewers enter this series only one game down to the Mets. The must sweep the Bucs who have nothing to play for and have traded away almost every dangerous bat in their lineup. I love that the Brewers went for it by trading for Sabathia, and making the playoffs would make it all worth it. However, if they should end up the odd team out, this could set back the franchise years.

4. Tigers at Royals
- Ok there are absolutely no playoff implications with this series. However, with Detroits recent free-fall, and after dropping the opener in KC - the Tigers hold only a one game lead over the last place Royals. It would mean a lot for KC not to finish in the basement, and for Detroit - this season has been a complete embarassment, hopefully the guys can save a little face and not finish dead last.

Enjoy the last week of the season!

I was in the show once.......

2008-09-08T20:47:00.003-04:00

The playoff races are heating up, its early September, and the Giants have been buried since March. So I am no totally surprised that Scott McClain's story has been a bit buried. Scott McClain is a September call-up for the Giants and he hit his first major league home run on September 3rd. This was not your average September call-up home run. Scott McClain's first major league home run came on the heels of 287 career minor league home runs. His major league debut came 10 years ago - with the Rays, when they were possessed by the Devil. He is 37 years old and hitting his first home run with the Giants - is rather fitting. Despite his age - McClain is still considered young talent by the Bay. He was drafted in 1990 - almost 2 decades before hitting his first major league home run.

"I was in the show once. I was in the show for 21 days, the greatest 21 days of my life."

Daily Musings for September the 2nd

2008-09-02T21:40:00.005-04:00

- The Cy Young race is starting to resemble the 08' general election. The media has a lot to do with the public perception and opinion. Today in my readings online and listening to podcasts I heard 4 separate people pitching (again pun totally intended) Tim Lincecum for NL Cy Young, as their dark horse candidates. I have no problem with people supporting Lincecum for Cy Young - he does lead the NL in ERA and strikeouts - two pretty solid categories for a pitcher to lead his league. I just find it funny that all of the sudden Tim Lincecum is everyone's NL Cy Young darling.

- Today Dontrelle Willis and Feddy Garcia threw a simulated game against each other at Comerica. According to the story on detroittigers.com both threw well and looked good. This is encouraging - at their best both guys would be a great addition to the rotation in 09'. However, this reminded me that the 08' Tigers look great on paper, but once they step on the field - suddenly the 08' Tigers are the 62' Mets.

-The Braves are currently leading the Marlins 14-13 in the bottom of the 6th inning. I would be willing to bet if the Falcons and Dolphins played tonight - they would not score 27 combined points. Not to worry the Marlins have 2 on and no one out in the 6th. This has really become a game about field position. Before I could finish writing the sentence the bases are now loaded. Maybe I should head down to Miami - someone is going to need a 26 year old left handed situational reliever tonight.

Enjoy the last month!

You have ruined his moment!!!!

2008-09-01T11:27:00.006-04:00

I like to talk a lot about moments. The walk-off home run. The amazing game saving play. Watching the Tigers slowly fade into mediocrity. Yesterday - I saw a great moment ruined. CC Sabathia continued his dominance of the NL yesterday. He threw another complete game shutout against the Pirates (ok that's not the impressive part) and he only allowed one "hit". This is a great start and any pitcher would be happy with a one-hitter. However, the hit was bogus. I first learned of this news by reading CC's line on the bottom line of ESPN. His line was followed by the statement that the Brewers are filing a protest to the league to have that hit reversed to an error. This seemed a bit strange, so I stayed up to see the late Sportscenter to see what the fuss was about. If you haven't seen the "highlight" yet, here it is.

Even if the Brewers are successful in having this call overturned - the moment is gone. A no-hitter is great and something I am sure CC would take with him forever. However, its the build-up that makes the no-hitter great. In my early days of blogging I wrote about the build-up here.

This is what CC will never get back from yesterday.

1. Being isolated in the dugout starting around the 7th. No one wants to be that guy who ruins the no-no (to John Smoltz and Mike Mussina - I am truly sorry)

2. The walk out to the mound in the 9th.

3. The standing ovation from the opposing team. Such a cool event when the other team gives you props because its good baseball.

4. His defining moment of the second half of the 08' season. I have been hearing more and more arguements that CC should be the NL MVP, but not the Cy Young. Voters love defining moments to look at - and his was taken away by a scorekeeper.

5. The amazing akward hug between CC and Kendall. CC is listed at a conservative 6'7" and 290 lbs. Jason Kendall is 6'0" and 200 lbs. I just love the thought of CC jumping into Kendall's arms and crushing him to the ground. This may be as close as we can get today to David Spade and Chris Farley.

Even if baseball reverses that call - the moment is gone. Hopefully he will have another chance at a no-hitter through his career, but you never know.

$207,108,489 can buy happiness....just not in the Bronx

2008-08-28T17:17:00.005-04:00

Although the Yanks avoided the sweep today, I think its safe to say their 2008 season is over. No playoffs for the Yankees for the first time since I was 13 years-old. Now the Yankees are not a terrible team - they have been around 10 games over .500 for most of the second half of the year.

But when you spend 207 million - you get everything that's coming to you.

There were injuries to Posada, Wang, A-rod, Jeter, and Joba. The kids were terrible - Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have no wins. Zero. This could go down as the worst trade that never happened. Their manager is gone. The Boss is gone. Carl Pavano was hurt (I couldn't resist).

It was a perfect storm of disaster. And now it its final year, the House that Ruth Built is starting to look like the rest of the real estate market.

For some reason I can't stop smiling. Do I feel bad about the injuries? No, not really. Did anyone feel bad when Darth Vader had his hand cut off? My point exactly. Am I sad the stadium is closing? There is a bit of nostalgia - but mostly I am happy to see the Death Star go - because as they close the door on Yankee Stadium they are closing the door on the Joe Torre, George Steinbrenner, and Mariano Rivera era. I have a strange feeling the new era of the Yanks is going to look a lot like the Knicks. There is a new curse of the Bambino - and he lives in the Bronx.

Oceans' 12

2008-08-26T15:35:00.003-04:00

How is Albert Pujols still underrated?

He has an MVP - 2005
He has a ring - 2006
He has a moment - I will never forget watching him hit that ball against Brad Lidge. In related news the National Weather Service has reported that the home run ball should be landing sometime in late November

However, this weekend was one of the most miraculous things I have ever seen in the Braves vs Cardinals series.

Coming into the series Chipper Jones of the Braves was leading the NL with a 0.360 batting average, Phat Albert entered the series at a pedestrian 0.348

On Sunday both Chipper and Albert were tied at -0.359. This isn't early May when batting averages can fluctuate by the at-bat, this is late August. And this wasn't a weekend series where Chipper came in hitting 0.360 and went 0 for the series to see his average plummet. Chipper lost 0.001 in three days by going 4-12.

So how did Albert make up 12 points in 3 games with Chipper only losing 1 point?
- He went 8 for 10 in the series. According to the announcers ( I didn't get to watch the entire series) - Pujols could have been 10 for 10 - hitting the ball hard both times he was retired.Now as surprising as it is that anyone can go 8 for 10 in a series, I am more shocked by the concept that the Braves threw at least 10 strikes to Pujols in the series!!

Dear Roger McDowell,

Make Rick Ankiel beat you!

Sincerely,
The Entire City of Atlanta

If I was an opposing team Albert would be given the Barry Bonds treatment - no not that treatment - the never throw him a strike force those other guys to beat you treatment. This guy still doesn't seem to get his due. People are obsessed with A-rod and Madonna, Manny's hair, and Prince Fielder's diet (don't get me wrong I follow all of those things). Albert, when you accept you 2nd MVP this season - know that I will be in awe. Everyone else has decided you are just another boring superstar, and I think that may be your best quality.

A solution to fix the Pirates

2008-08-25T22:24:00.002-04:00

If you haven't seen this article - I will summarize it in two sentances. There is a nine-year old pitcher playing in an 8-10 year old little league. He has been banned from pitching for throwing too hard. Wow. He has never hit a batter and apparantly has great control.

Pirates team officials plan to use this tactic the next time they are in Wrigley.

Pirates front office: "Mr Selig we would like Carlos Zambrano banned from throwing tonight."

Bud: "Really are you concerned he may go head hunting, are you worried for the safety of your players?"

Pirates front office: "No sir, he is just too good. And if you can ban him from hitting as well we would really appreciate it."

The Twins are the Anti-Tigers

2008-08-22T08:48:00.002-04:00

Their payroll is low. They traded away the best pitcher in the game. And their second best pitcher from 2007 now throws in Tampa. Their left-handed Phenom has been hurt most of the year. Recently, they cut the pitcher on their team with the most wins. Their Gold-glove center fielder left to play elsewhere for more money. This is the recipe for disaster, this sounds like the Reds. However, this is your 2008 Minnesota Twins. Currently 73-54 and only 1/2 game out of the AL Central lead.

How is this possible?

This has been made possible by a combination of things, but mostly - they have a great team, they play hard, and they are managed well.

Sure it helps that the middle of your order has Mauer and Morneau - The best catcher in the AL and the reigning AL MVP respectively. They also have a lights out closer - who may be the most underrated guy in the American league in Nathan. After that, there are a bunch of great pieces and parts - but no one really spectacular. Delmon Young - the big off season pick up has been solid -but 7 HR 53 RBI - not exactly tearing the cover off the ball. Can you imagine if the Yankees had Jeter, A-rod, Rivera, and then a bunch of roll players and a starting rotation held together by band-aids and duct tape? The Yankees complain about injuries more than anyone - but they still have Jeter, A-rod, Rivera, Mussina, Cano, etc, etc. And don't even get me start about the Tigers. After Mauer, Morneau, and Nathan do any Minnesota Twins start for Detroit?

I know Joel Madden is going to win the AL manager of the year - and with good reason. But Ron G. has no shame in finishing second in this race.

From first to third.

2008-08-18T21:22:00.003-04:00

And here we go around the horn:

1. Josh Hamilton you are all that is man. No run support's favorite candidate for the AL MVP added an impressive stat to his resume last night. In the 9th inning will the Rays leading the Rangers 7-3 Joel Madden decided to walk Hamilton, oh yeah the bases were already loaded. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I have never seen this. I have so much more Joel Madden respect today, and I loved him yesterday. He is coaching the surprise team of the season and he was willing to be unconventional, walk in a run and not let Josh Hamilton beat him. Josh Hamilton you weren't going to the playoffs this year anyways - and now you have a story to tell at the bar for the rest of time, "There I was....."

2. Olympic baseball is a complete joke. Earlier this week the United States was playing the heavily favored Cuba. The game went into extra innings and when the game reached the 11th we found out just how dumb the rules in the olympics are. Starting in the 11th inning teams begin each inning with runners on 1st and 2nd and may start the inning at any point in their order. This is brutal, its not baseball. I could even live with having teams start with runners on 1st and 2nd - it seems similar to the college football rule of having to go for 2 point conversions after several overtimes. However, starting at any point in your order completely ruins the game of baseball. Strategy is dead. Having a balanced lineup is pointless. What if you are managing and use you left handed reliever in the 11th to get a tough lefty out - that's ok he will also lead off the 12th, and 13th, and 14th....... Baseball is a great game of strategies and situations and this rule takes both of those elements out of the game. Let's hope that no games in the medal round get to the 11th inning.

3. CC Sabathia is the guilty pleasure of the summer of 08'. Hats off to the Brewers - they haven't been to the playoffs since I was one and they have decide to rent themselves quite a piece of real estate for the playoff push. CC is currently 7-0 since coming to the NL with 4 CGs. If the Brewers make the playoffs CC will be leading that parade through downtown Milwaukee. And thank goodness that CC went to the Brewers - at 6'5" and 295 lbs there are only certain uniforms that really work well for CC - Cleveland was a great fit, as is Milwaukee. I just can't picture him in a Marlins home uniform or in the Astros road uniform. As long Brandon Webb wins 20+ I don't think CC will win the Cy Young, but he has made pitching fun to watch and its an added bonus getting to watch him hit 3 times a night.

As I am writing this and watching the Astros and Brewers the ESPN bottom line has reported that Greg Maddux has been traded to the Dodgers. I predict he will throw an absolute gem in the playoffs - probably against the Cubs. In other news - why does baseball even have a trading deadline?

A plea to Barry Bonds

2008-08-13T07:30:00.003-04:00

Dear Barry,

I was great to see you last weekend. I know things haven't been great between us in the past, but I can change, we can make this work. The truth is, baseball needs you Barry. I need you. I miss never missing one of your at-bats because I am equal parts a huge fan and disgusted by what you have done. Every good story needs its heroes and its villains and the 2008 season is turning into one sappy Disney movie. We have a comeback player of the year looking like he may win AL MVP, the Rays (yeah those Rays) are probably going to win the east, the Cubs may actually win the world series, the Yankees are terrible, and Curt Schilling is hurt. Even the White Sox picked up Jr and are becoming much harder to root against. I think I am going to be sick. You see, baseball needs its villains - Yanks, Schilling, steroids, you, etc.

So in the spirit of bringing back my Lex Luther for the good of baseball I have devised a fool-proof plan to ensure you are in a uniform next season: wearing 9 tons of body armor and driving Bud Selig crazy every step of the way. Follow these steps and I ensure you one someone will suddenly need a left-handed DH with power and a 0.500 obp.

Step 1 - Apologize directly and unequivocally. Apologize for everything. Steroids, cheating, ruining children's lives, the high gas prices, the Kennedy assassination.... People just want to see you be humble. Once you apologize, never speak of it again and go back to being your cocky self.

Step 2 - Grow a mustache. And I am not talking about some tiny little manicured piece of facial hair. This needs to be out of control. People love mustaches and no one can be mad at a guy with one - see Jason Giambi.

Step 3 - Show up everywhere. Show up to game in Pittsburgh - sign autographs, thank the fans for all the memories. Show up in Detroit to see Leyland. Show up in Philly, ok bad idea there. Make the rounds of your own personally PR tour. Shake hands, kiss babies, etc.

Step 4 - This may the most important step of all - get a self-deprecating commercial or bit on SNL. We have to see that not only are you sorry, but have some humility as well. Maybe a weekend update with a "really" bit where you can drop in. Laugh it up, the jokes on you.

Follow my plan Barry and I assure we can go back to the way things once were. 29 teams rooting against you on the outside (and cheering for you on the inside) and the 1 team you play for pretending you body naturally changed shape over the years. Best of luck Barry, hope we will be seeing you soon.

Sincerely,
No Run Support

One chance to turn this whole thing around

2008-08-08T11:48:00.004-04:00

I was watching the Braves vs. Diamondbacks game last night with my friend. We were both commiserating that our respective teams are in the midst of pretty disappointing seasons. That led to conversations about the future - what do the Braves need to do to get back to the playoffs next year. I think their biggest need is a feared hitter in the middle of the order. Currently, the Braves have a lineup of guys who should be hitting 1-3 and 6-8. They really need at least one of those guys who can drive the ball out of the ball park consistently and you put in the 4 or 5 spot everyday. It is possible that Jeff Francoeur can become a 5 hitter again, but he looks so lost at the plate this year it is hard to tell. And I love Brian McCann, but I have a problem counting on your catcher to be your cleanup hitter. At best the guy is only going to play 140-145 games a year. Ideally, the Braves would want this guy to play left field. My friend and I talked about a few actual options Adam Dunn of the Red, Marcus Thames of the Tigers, etc. Both are fun players and are country strong. Then we realized the perfect person for that spot is Ryan Braun - The Hebrew Hammer himself. Of course the Brewers have no intention of trading Braun. So this takes me to my point of the post - if your favorite team could add one current player from any other team who would it be? Would this be enough for your team to make the playoffs, win the WS, maybe finish at 0.500. I plan to start of list of each team's dream player from around the league. Feel free to add your favorite team and their fantasy draft pick. Remember to take into consideration the age of the person you are drafting and the current makeup of your team.

Atlanta Braves - Ryan Braun - Braun moves right into the cleanup spot and LF and the Brave lineup goes from good to scary. If the pitching can become moderately healthy next year I think this team wins the NL east.

Detroit Tigers - Jonathan Papelbon - Ok, I really wanted Tim Lincecum, but when I am honest with myself - the Tigers need a nasty closer who wants the ball in the 9th inning. With Papelbon, Zumaya and Rodney can hold down the 7-8th innings. I think with JP and a healthy Bonderman the Tigers could win the Central (maybe even a reinvented Dontrelle Willis - ok now I am really am just dreaming).

Playoffs? Playoffs?

2008-08-06T08:48:00.003-04:00

Ok. I died a little last week. The Tigers traded Pudge for Kyle Farnsworth.......yes that Kyle Farnsworth. I wasn't even that sad to see Pudge go. Sure he represented the beginning of the turn around in Detroit - but he had become a problem in the clubhouse and has been immune to walks since 2006. It was a bit nostalgic to see him go, but I wish him well in the Bronx. But while I was on vacation last week I kept asking myself the same thing - what did I do to deserve Kyle Farnsworth?

I tried to sell myself on the trade. Maybe he can be the glue that holds the bullpen together down the stretch. Perhaps he will throw with a chip on his shoulder and have a dominant August and September. But I knew the truth, for I had seen this Kyle Farnsworth before.

And so all of my worst fears were realized last night, in what I think may be the worst Tigers loss ever for me personally. The whole season has been one huge disappointment from D-train missing the strike zone, to Bonderman getting hurt, to the Roller Coaster that is Todd Jones, and of course the addition of Farnsworth. Its been a tough year for Tigers fans, especially in a year when expectations were higher than ever. Sure, the Tigers have teased us, gotten us to believe that we are just one or two hot series away from turning this whole thing around. And then the Tigers got swept in Tampa making this current series with the White Sox, in this humble blogger's opinion, Leyland's last stand in 08'. Sweep the White Sox and there is hope again in Detroit - anything else and I think you can safely start making tee times for early October. I am so glad I didn't see this game, instead I saw the Dark Knight. I am sure my nighmares would have been much much worse if I had actually seen the game. Our hero, Farnsworth enters the game with a one run lead and promptly gives up a game-tying home run to Alexi Ramirez is who is 6'3" and 185 lbs (or 1/6th of Prince Fielder). By the way Farnsworth has appeared in 3 games for Detroit this year - 2 BS. Not to worry Tigers fans Fernando Rodney shakes off his recent troubles and throws 3 innings of scoreless relief allowing the Tigers to score twice in the top of the 14th on a Placido Polanco 2-run homer (apparently it was tiny second basemen hit big home runs night in Chicago - first 10 fans get their own Luis Castillo home run ball). And then comes the bottom of the 14th Joel Zumaya in to close the opening game of the series. He gets into trouble, but appears to get out by inducing a ground ball to Renteria with 1 out in the 14th. Edgar boots the ball, as Tigers fans everywhere wonder just how good Jair Jurrgens is going to be, and allows the inning to continue. Nick Swisher then hits a 3-run 2-out home run to send the Sox to a 10-8 win and send me straight for the Jack. As I drink to the high hopes of the 08' season I can almost year taps being played, every so softly. Well - there's always next year.

Over/Under

2008-07-25T15:19:00.002-04:00

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.

Time to pull off the band-aid and bring on the White Sox

2008-07-22T09:32:00.003-04:00

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)

15 innings caps an interesting ASG

2008-07-16T08:11:00.006-04:00

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)

Thoughts from 8,000 feet

2008-07-10T09:55:00.002-04:00

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!

25 million a year does not buy common sense

2008-07-03T21:08:00.006-04:00

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!

And its a no-hitter for Weaver!!! (kind of)

2008-06-29T09:38:00.002-04:00

Short post this morning. As I have a baseball game at 12:15 (the Atlanta A's look to go 8-1 on the season)

From last night:

1. The Tigers won another game they had no business winning. Ok, they should have won the game going into the 9th with a 5-2 lead. However, Todd Jones was too busy perfecting his Magglio impersonation and gave up 4 runs in the 9th. Not to worry, Miguel Cabrera stepped up in the 9th and doubled home the tying and winning runs. Miraculously, the Tigers now stand at 40-40 after starting 0-7. There is a lot of season left and the Tigers are starting to remember how to win.

2. In probably the best pitch to be the official spokesperson of this blog: Jered Weaver. Weaver's line from last night 6.0 IP 0 H 1 R (0 ER). Weaver was lifted for a pinch hitter in the 7th. Jose Arredondo relieved Weaver and threw 2-innings of hitless relief. Final stats for the game Dodgers 1 Angels 0. For the Dodgers 1 run on no hits. I think Jered Weaver needs a hug.

Top 10 Baseball checklist for the second half of 2008

2008-06-28T13:39:00.006-04:00

I feel like I really need Paul Shaffer here for this. Here is tonight's top-ten things to do in the second half of the baseball season (drum roll please). Each baseball season is unique and exciting, and therefore each season creates different summer opportunities. As we approach the halfway point of the season I present you with a top-ten check list for the 2008 major league baseball season.

10. Get to know your Rays. These guys have been the laughing stock of the AL east since they were created in 1998. This year is different the Rays are talented, they are young, and they are really fun to watch. Find time this summer to see Scott Kazmir pitch, watch Carl Crawford play (its the least you can do for the guy - he's been on your fantasy team for years), and get caught up in Ray-fever! Heck buy yourself an Eric Hinske jersey.

9. Attend a bobblehead day. Any bobblehead day. (I checked this one off my list last week by attending Brian McCann bobblehead day). It will give you a reason to attend a random game(Braves vs Brewers Wed at 1 pm. No way I would have gone to this game w/o the Bobbling-incentive) and they will drive you wife crazy. Its win/win!

8. Pick a team that is currently 5-10 games out of the playoff picture. And root like hell they make a run. Get behind their mid season trades and late season call-ups. Your team may already be in this position, however if you are a Cubs or Red Sox fan 1. Seriously - get some imagination 2. Pick a team in the other league to pull for. If you are a fan of the Mariners or Padres - you need something to cheer for this year. I recommend picking a team that has a player that used to be on your team. For me the Braves have both Jair Jurrgens and Omar Infante. Its great getting caught up in magical late season runs. You could jump on the next one early. Imagine if you had picked the Rockies last year. Granted, you may have your heart broken - but as they say its better to have loved and lost.......

7. Attend batting practice. As I have gotten older I find myself showing up to games closer and closer to the National Anthem. As a kid I remember getting to the stadium as the opened the door to watch BP and go for autographs. Watching BP is such a great experience. Sit yourself either in the outfield (hello - cheap HR ball) or down near the field behind the plate. Typically teams will let you go down to the field level. If you have cheap seats this will give you a chance to see the players up close. I still remember watching a steroid juiced Ken Caminiti throwing with Tony Gywnn in Pittsburgh from about 10 feet away.

6. Go to a minor league game. It makes no difference it is A or AAA or independent. If you have never been to a minor league game, shame on you. The tickets are inexpensive, you get to sit close,the stadiums are typically very cool, and most teams spend every minute between pitches trying to entertain you. I once won a 40 dollar gift card to Old Navy because I was holding the ginormous beach ball when the music stopped in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Find a time when there is a great promotion, or better year a major leaguer on a re-hab outing. This year alone in the Tigers minor league systems you could have seen Dontrelle Willis, Joel Zumaya, Fernando Rodney, and Gary Sheffield.

5. Play catch. I don't care how old you are, there is no excuse for not doing this at least once a summer.

4. Stop at a baseball stadium on your summer vacation. Better yet, plan your vacation around a stadium or stadiums you have never seen. There are tons of new parks or if you time it right you could see the last season of Shea and Yankee Stadium on the same day, or at least same weekend. (I highly recommend PNC and the Great American Ball Park as two good Midwestern destinations).

3. Have a hot dog with everything. I mean everything. Look. I am as health conscience as the next guy, probably more so, but at least once a season you have to sit down at a game with a foot-long heartburn-dog on your lap. I am talking about catsup, mustard, relish, chili, jalapenos, cheese, onions, and anything else they may have at the stadium. Its not officially summer until you come home from a baseball game, run directly to the bathroom, and thank God you are live in America.

2. Get caught up with a rookie and have a 'man-crush'. Every year there is a crop of rookies that come up to the majors and take off like gang busters. This year we have already seen Jay Bruce, Armando Gallaraga, Aaron Laffey, etc. There is nothing like watching a rookie in his first weeks in the majors, hitting 0.500, and loving every second.

1. And the number 1 baseball related checklist for 2008 - Find something to cheer for in your favorite team. If you are a Cubs fan, I don't want to hear one word about a goat. If you like the Phillies - who cares if Ryan Howard can't hit his weight - its not his fault we weighs .305. Stay positive on your team - its a long season, but the second its over, you know you will be counting down to 2009. As for my Tigers - I promise not to lose hope - no matter how bad it may seem or how many injuries we incur, I know I will be able to keep my head held high because deep down in my heart I know that the following is true: The White Sox are going to fold like a cheap cheap suit.

Enjoy the second half.

Curt Schilling for the Hall of Fame?

2008-06-27T11:12:00.006-04:00

Look, I have no beef with Curt Schilling. Ok, I have tons of beef with Curt Schilling. He is like an unfunny Shaq. It annoys the crap out of me that he will sit and chastise Kobe from the first row, and I can't stand Kobe. I hate how he claims he doesn't care about the HOF because to me, its obvious he cares very much about what the media thinks about him. (remember when he went ballistic because he was accused of not getting along with Pedro in Boston - I love how he used the term 'grab-ass' in his response) I used to love this guy when he threw for the Phillies. He got no run support (shameless plug), he struck out everyone, and he was cocky as hell. However, as he grew older he never grew up. He's not funny, he's no longer interesting, he whines, he blogs (what a loser), and he flashes his world series ring(s) at basketball games. He epitomizes what everyone in the rest of the country thinks about Boston sports these days - "SIT DOWN AND SHUTUP". He was a lovable loser and is an intolerable winner. The bloody sock game was great, it was heroic, and it has been blown so far out of proportion. It was game 6 of the ALCS - it wasn't the world series. But, because it was Schilling, and because it was Yanks and Red Sox it will never go away (much like Carlton Fisk's game 6 HR in Boston). I loved watching that game, but now I am over it. Watching the Red Sox win has gotten boring. They are just another team that wins a ton of games by buying a great team.

Ok - I have vented. I dislike Curt Schilling. However, I want to keep the rest of this conversation about Schilling's stats on the field.

Since it was announced Schilling would have season-ending-shoulder-surgery (seriously just say that once) - there has been a lot of speculation that he may retire. This speculation has lead to the discussion - is Curt Schilling a HOFer. I wasn't going to comment on this until every analyst I have heard has claimed Schilling is a no doubt first ballot HOFer. This is disgusting. Not because I think he shouldn't be in, but because if Curt Schilling makes it and Jack Morris is still on the outside, I believe the HOF will become a travis-sham-mockery (well more of one - since they still haven't opened their doors to Alan Trammell!)

Let's look at the resume's:

Curt Schilling - Career Stats:
216-146, 83 CGs, 20 SHO, 3116 K's, and 3.46 ERA
Post season:
10-2, 2.23 ERA, 120 K's in 133.1 innings
3 world series wins - 2001 (Ari) and 2004 + 2007 (Bos)

Overall
- Very very solid numbers for the Orioles, Phillies, D'Backs, and Red Sox. 216 wins and 3116 strikeouts are his most impressive stats.
- He has 3 rings and was a big part of all 3.
- He has 'the moment' - game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. The Sox were down 3-0 in the series. Schilling was called upon in New York to extend the series. He threw with a torn tendon in his ankle. There was a bloody sock. It was amazing. Schilling's final line in his "moment" 7 IP 1 ER 4 K's

- Look a very solid career. But there is nothing amazing in the regular season. He didn't get to 250 wins. He never won a Cy Young award. He doesn't have 4,000 K's.

Jack Morris - Career Stats
254-186, 175 CGs, 28 SHO, 2478 K's, 3.90 ERA

Post-season:
6-1, 3.80 ERA 64 K's in 94.1 Innings (remember only 2 rounds in the playoffs when Jack played.)
3 World Series wins 1984 Detroit, 1991 Minnesota, 1992 Toronto

Overall
- 250 wins. The conversation should be over right now. He should be in. But he's not, so we move on. Nearly 2500 K's
- Also has 3 rings, also was a huge part of each title run
- Has 'the moment' 1991 world series game 7. The elimination game saw Jack Morris and John Smoltz trade 0's on the scoreboard for 9 innings. And then Morris came out to pitch the 10th. Final line 10 IP 0 R 8 Ks - in my opinion the most underrated sports performance of the past 25 years. Try to imagine how many times you would have seen the highlight of Jack Morris coming out to pitch the 10th inning if it had been in New York.

Final Score - the regular season and post-season numbers are eerily similar. I would argue Morris' moment is more impressive. It was in the World Series (not ALCS), it was in game 7 (not game 6), he threw 10 shutout innings (not 7 giving up a run). In my opinion they are basically one in the same, and I am sorry Curt, but if there isn't room for Jack Morris there certainly isn't room for you and your bloody sock.

No need for coffee this morning, just this.

2008-06-26T08:50:00.003-04:00

Todd Jones is a roller coaster. If he has a 3-run lead he is going to give up 2. He always seems to have 2 runners on base. However, he almost always gets the save. Everything I have ever heard about Mr. Jones has been extremely positive - good clubhouse guy, good citizen, etc.

This makes me like the guy that much more: Todd Jones impersonating Magglio's 2006 ALCS walk-off home-run

Enjoy.

The NL < 0.500 All Stars (part 2 of 2)

2008-06-24T21:45:00.004-04:00

As promised: Here are your lone representatives from the NL teams under 0.500 as of 6/24.

New York Mets - Jose Reyes SS: The Mets are a virtual who's who of big names playing badly. Reyes has been fairly solid so far .297 avg, 55 runs, 26 sb, and 36 extra base hits.

- Also could make a case for - David Wright, Billy Wagner (Santana immediately DQ'd for giving up a grand slam to King Felix)

Braves - Chipper Jones 3B - Chipper has fallen off the 0.400 pace a bit. However, .393, 16, 46, and a 0.485 OBP more than reserve his ticket to the Big Apple.

- Also could make a case for - Brian McCann, Tim Hudson, and Jair Jurrjens

Washington Nationals - Jon Rauch RP: 3-1 record 2.39 ERA and 15/18 in saves. Very solid stats for a closer on a very bad team.

- Also could make a case for - Christian Guzman

Pittsburgh Pirates - Nate McLouth OF: 0.292, 15 HR, 51RBI , 58 R, and 9 SB. This guy has been phenomenal and it will be great for the national audience to see him play.

- Also could make a case for - Xavier Nady, Ryan Doumit, Matt Capps

Houston Astros - Lance Berkman OF: The teddy bear has been sick with 0.354, 20, 60. He also has 23 2Bs and score 66 runs. If it weren't for the Astros' record and Chipper chasing 0.400 there would be a lot of MVP talk.

- Also could make a case for - Miguel Tejada, Carlos Lee

Cincinatti Reds - Edison Volquez SP: Not only should this guy make the team, he should start the game. 10-2, 1.71 ERA, 110 Ks. If he keeps this up the NL Cy Young could be living in the basement of the NL central

- Also could make a case for - Griffey (for nostalgia), Joey Votto, Jay Bruce (because you know he would do something amazing)

Los Angeles Dodgers -James Loney 1B - solid stats for the rising star 0.310, 6, 39. Also sporting a 0.368 OBP. Nothing flashy, but no one really stands out on this roster.

- Also could make a case for - Russell Martin, Chad Billingsley, Joe Beimel

San Fransico Giants - Tim Lincecum SP - if you want an alternative for Volquez - Lincecum would be a fine choice to start the game. 8-1, 2.54 ERA, and 103 strikeouts. The sky is the limit for this guy. He's everything the Giants had hoped Barry Zito would be.

- Also could make a case for - Bengie Molina, Aaron Rowand, Brian Wilson

Colorado Rockies - Aaron Cook SP - 10-4, 3.57 ERA (in Coors). A bright spot on an otherwise disappointing team.

- Also could make a case for - Matt Holliday, Garret Atkins

San Diego Padres - Adrian Gonzalez OF: 0.294, 21, 65 - playing in a ginormous park in San Diego for a bad, bad team. Poor guy could use the short porch in NY for a night.

- Also could make a case for - Jake Peavy - but that's a stretch

The best of the rest! - is that Robert Fick? Oh Yay!

2008-06-22T10:11:00.005-04:00

All-star balloting wraps up in the next 10 days. And this year, I must say this year the fan's have done a great pretty solid job (at least in the senior circuit).

The NL is shaping up to be: Berkman, Utley, Tejada, C. Jone, Soriano, Fukudome, and Griffey

(you could argue against the outfield, but overall it wasn't too bad - and you know deep down you really want to see Griffey at the game and Soriano's hurt).

The AL is a disgrace....a Boston and NY disgrace. I am embarrassed to be an AL fan - there are other teams than Boston and NY: Youklis, Pedroia, Jeter, A-rod, Papi, Manny, Ichiro, Hamilton. (I am glad to see Hamilton there).

Today, I am going to discuss a time-honorer all-star tradition - Each team gets at least one representative. I love this rule. I am sick of people complaining about it. For the average baseball fan the only games we get to see on national TV are Yanks, Cubs, Sox, Braves, etc. There is no national love for KC, Oak, SF, Cle, etc. There are fans of all these teams - and they all deserve an all-star, even if they don't have millions of ballot stuffers putting an injured Papi into the game. If having one all star from each team means that a deserving Damon or Ellsbury doesn't make it in favor of a Jose' Guillen or Brian Roberts -that is fine by me. The average fan is so sick of Yankees and Red Sox. NY and BOS fans are already voting in non-deserving Jeters and Papis The small markets should be represented as well. So here are your 2008 All-star(s) from all teams below 0.500 as of June 22. I am paying no attention to position - if 20 middle relievers are deserving, then that is who I will select. I will let Francona and Hurdle deal with that problem.

Today we will go through the AL - NL later this week:

Baltimore Orioles: Aubrey Huff DH - besides saving my fantasy team Huff has solid stats 0.271 14 42. He is also slugging .500 and has scored 42 runs.

- you could also make a case for - Brian Roberts, Jim Johnson

Toronto Blue Jays: Roy Halladay SP - run support? hello run support? maybe this should be Doc Halladay's blog. He is only 8-6 but has 93 strikeouts, 5 CGs, and a 2.90 ERA

- you could also make a case for - Alex Rios

Detroit Tigers: Magglio Ordonez OF - the 2007 AL MVP runner-up has been having another solid solid season .301 11 45. Also slugging .482 and has scored 41 runs.

- you could also make a case for - Carlos Guillen, Armando Galarraga, Placido Polanco

Cleveland Indians: Cliff Lee SP - no doubter here. 10-1, .245 ERA, 79 k's, and 1 saved career.

-you could also make a case for - Grady Sizemore, Ben Francisco

Kansas City Royals: Jose Guillen OF - strong season, called out his teammates, and managed to hit .289 12 57. He has been on a terror of late and every all-star team needs that crazy guy.

- you could also make a case for - Joakim Soria, Zach Greinke

Texas Rangers - Josh Hamilton OF - has been the feel good story of the year. Wait. What's that? The Rangers are at 0.500? Your kidding. Your not kidding? Ok - well let's move on.

Seattle Mariners - Ichiro Suzuki OF - the fans will once again vote in Ichiro, and its really hard to argue 0.293, 52 runs, 32 SB. He is going to have 200 hits again this year, and he has a hose in the outfield

- you could also make a case for - Jose Lopez, Felix Hernandez (Roy Halladay lite)

Those are my 2008 sub 0.500 AL all-stars - we will go through the NL a bit later. Anyone else you think I missed - toss it in the comments section.

Marcus Thames for the derby!

2008-06-19T19:59:00.004-04:00

The all-star game is quickly approaching. I love the midsummer classic. Growing up a Tigers fan, that was my one chance a year to see one Tiger in the national spotlight, usually an 8th inning pinch hit. You could argue that Robert Fick or Brad Ausmus weren't exactly traditional all-stars, but I pulled for them just as hard. In an upcoming post I will discuss why having an all-star from each team is essential. However, today I am going to pitch (pun alert) Marcus Thames being invited to the HR derby. I fully realize this is a homer pick (there's another one). I want the whole country to know Marcus. His last 8 hits have been bombs. Eight! This guy is country strong, and now is finally getting a chance to play full-time. Also, Thames is a throwback to home-run hitters of yore. He swings hard, strikes out a ton, and when he connects..... look out. Earlier this week launched a ball at Pac Bell where only Barry had ventured before. In the age of steroid hysteria, and a 2008"coincidental" power outage, why not have Thames. It would be a great story, the one time Yankee farmhand comes back to close the house Ruth built by dropping bombs all throughout the Bronx.

Why it won't happen:

1. Thames hasn't been playing full-time all year so he only has 120 at-bats.

2. He's doesn't have a home run hitting name. If his name were Ortiz, or Hafner, or Griffey and kids everywhere has his jersey he would warrant the invite.

3. You have to think MLB doesn't want a disgruntled ex-Yankee coming into the stadium dropping bombs all over Hank's world

Why it will happen:

1. Injuries are everywhere: Hafner, Manny, and Papi - all currently hurting. Other than sentimental favorites Carlos Quentin and Josh Hamilton; and hometowner A-rod there are no shoe-ins ahead of Thames in HRs this season (Giambi, Sizemore, Crede, Manny, Drew, Beltre, and Bradley)

2. No Yankee wants a Red Sox to have the derby title the last year of the stadium. And I have no confidence A-rod can win this thing.

3. 120 at-bats......13 bombs - if he can get to the 17-18 plateau I think he has a chance.

Here's to you Marcus, hitting taters the old fashion way using the best philosophy in baseball: swing hard, you might hit the ball.

My AL only fantasy team thanks you!

2008-06-15T13:13:00.003-04:00

It seems like the score-keepers in Toronto are giving errors whenever then can when Doc Halladay is on the mound to keep his ERA lower. I was read this and realized I owe the score keepers in Toronto a beer. I have Roy on my AL only fantasy league and his ERA has helped me climb out of an early season funk. The more I think about this the funnier it is, ERA is a pretty overrated stat and it really only affects fantasy baseball, stat geeks, and Roy's wallet.

Marbles? .....Juevos?

2008-06-14T18:36:00.004-04:00

Edwin Encarnacion just dropped a 2-out 2-strike game tying homer against John Papelbon at the Great American Ball Park. This was a fantastic AB. Encarnacion fouled off several pitches, kept fighting, and eventually tattooed a pitched into let to tie the game. This wasn't a cheap HR off a tired Papelbon, Encarnacion saw several tough two-strike pitches and was able to foul them off. This is why baseball is the greatest sport ever. There was no time winding down, no clock to contend with, just Encarnacion vs Papelbon. Scrumtrulescent.

This almost made it ok that Fox decided to show me Reds/Red Sox and not Tigers/Dodgers.

Week in review

2008-06-14T10:15:00.006-04:00

My apologies for not having more posts this week. Now its Saturday and I have some time to catch up on thoughts around the MLB this week. Here's the week that was:

The Braves are an enigma wrapped inside a riddle: For the moment let's look past all of the injuries they have sustained this year, including Chipper Jones' latest - fouling a ball off his face......on Friday the 13th. This may not be Atlanta's year. The Braves are second in the NL in both batting average and ERA, yet they only sport a 33-35 record. They have lost a record twenty-one straight one run games on the road. This is beyond impressive - its crazy. I have not counted the Braves out yet, usually these things even themselves out, but man are they a strange team to watch.

Let's give some love to America's wang: The teams from Florida this year are playing out of their mind. The Marlins are 30th in league in payroll. Their payroll is almost 1/2 that of the 29th place team in payroll. And as of yesterday they were 36-31. Who are these guys? They have shipped out Josh Beckett, AJ Burnett, Miguel Cabrera, Pudge Rodriguez, Dontelle Willis -
(ok that was a great call), etc. Raise you hand if you are a baseball fan and can name 5 current Marlins. This team is scrappy, they have great young players, and they deserve a lot better than the 7 people that show up each night in Miami. As we move to the gulf side of the state the Tampa Bay Rays have lost the Devil (apparently, it went down to Georgia) Their pitching is solid, they hit, and they are becoming a thorn in the AL east's paw. Strange as it seems, I think their scuffle with the Red Sox was important to their season. They need to be taken seriously. They are no longer the doormat of the AL east. These two teams are squaring off in the best interleague match up of the weekend and nearly 19,000 saw the game in Tampa last night. That is sad. Let's hope these teams can rally the support from Del Boca Vista - phase 2.

Aaron Laffey is the AL ROtM (rookie of the month): I blogged earlier this week about Aaron Laffey of the Cleveland Indians. Aaron has been pitching out of his mind. Here at norunsupport.blogspot.com we were relieved to find out we don't share the SI cover jinx. After being featured on norunsupport, Aaron threw another gem this week after the posting. In the post, I linked to a vote for Rookie of the month and your voice has been heard, the voice of Aaron's 0.76 ERA for the month has been heard as well. He was named the AL rookie of the month. Congrats to Aaron who, to my knowledge, is the first Allegany Camper to win such an honor.

SHHHHHHH!!! Be very very quiet. The Tigers are showing signs of life: Well it was a great week for the Tigers, except for the Monday night ESPN game when I had my friends over for a housing warming and the "D-train" gave up 8 runs in 1 and 2/3 innings, but I digress. This week saw the Tigers split a 4 gamer with the Tribe, sweep the Chi-Sox, and take the first game from the Dodgers. This wasn't your average good week for this team. These were low scoring affairs, where the Tigers had to come back late, and get timely hitting, and solid pitching. It almost looked like a baseball team out. The month or so the all-star game is crucial for Detroit. If they can keep up their winning ways, take some momentum into the break, I think they could be poised for a solid second half run, because the White Sox are not the type of team to run away and hide with the division. Rodney and Zumaya are both back later this month, and Armando Gallaraga looks like a very solid big league pitcher. I am down right giddy, or at least as giddy as possible for a team still 7 games under .500

Enjoy the interleague ball.

I'm only happy when it rains.

2008-06-10T21:54:00.003-04:00

Growing up I feared rain in the summer. Rain meant your baseball game might get rained out. And if you grew up loving baseball like I did, that could ruin your week.

Last night was the first time that I can remember I was rooting for rain. The Tigers fell behind the Indians 8-0 in about 2 and 1/2 minutes. While the D-train was getting 4 outs he managed to give up 5 walks, three hits, two bombs, and 8 runs. Not his finest outing. The score remained 8-0 into the 4th inning, yet I was given a ray of hope. The skies in Detroit opened up. It began to rain and by the time it was 8-2 the tarp was on the field. If the skies could have remained open, the game would have been rained out and not official. Dontrelle's terrible start would have been a dream, albeit a nightmare. Sadly, the rain stopped and the Tribe salvaged a split in Detroit.

If you follow baseball long enough - you will eventually root for everything, including a rain-out.

Sophie's Choice.

2008-06-07T22:59:00.005-04:00

How does one choose?

1. I love the Tigers and 2. I played high school ball with Aaron Laffey of the Indians. Vote here for Laffey for the AL rookie of the month award.

- Aaron was called up by the Indians last year and threw well in the late summer. As strange as it seems now, Aaron got his break because Cliff Lee was so unbelievably terrible. This was amazing - the Allegany Campers are not exactly known for producing tons of Major League prospects. I would be considered a success story for the baseball program, and I sat the bench of a DIII school in Ohio (go Bishops). Aaron threw well enough in August and September make the post-season roster and threw in the ALCS, in Fenway. Unreal. This year he has been very impressive since his call-up sporting a 3-3 record with a 3.02 ERA This is so cool. My friends in Atlanta following now root for and follow Aaron. My Father-in-law and I discuss his starts and future with the team (my father in law being part of Chief Wahoo's tribe). I love rooting for Aaron. Not just because we played together, or that I really like the guy, or that we were the only 2 lefthanded picthers on the same team, or that Cumberland, Maryland isn't exactly the hotbed of professional athletes. I don't root for Laffey just because I have him on my AL only fantasy league. Also a surreal moment - drafting a guy you know. I root for Aaron because this is my Kevin Bacon moment. At any give Indians game, every 5th day - I am only 2 degrees of separation from facing Big Papi, Ichiro, and A-rod. And when I play in my 'old man' league on Sundays, when I toe the rubber, I know Allegany's lefties have a proud tradition to uphold. Thankfully, Aaron's major league career has never once faced me with a conflict of interest, until today. Aaron was facing the Tigers. Both teams really needed a win. And I couldn't of asked for a better outcome.

Laffey threw a great game, and the Indians bullpen blew it late - Tigers win. Crisis adverted.

That was some good news to take the day Bonderman was pronounced he was done for the year. Maybe the Tigers can trade for Laffey.

400, 500, 600!

2008-06-06T08:13:00.005-04:00

Props to Chipper Jones last night for dropping no. 400 into the seats at Turner field. Manny Ramirez deposited no. 500 at Camden earlier this week (or Fenway light as it should be termed). And we are all waiting on Jr. to send some lucky fan to Ebay with no. 600.

I feel terrible for all of these guys. In an age of steroids where 61 became 70 and then in the blink of an eye 73, and 755 became 762******** I am finding that numbers have less meaning. Growing up as a kid I remember following Eddie Murray's every at-bat as he was chasing no. 500. Eddie was old and tired when he hit no. 500 and it felt like that's how it should be. A great milestone towards the end of a great career.

Since Murray we have seen the following sluggers hit no. 500: All in varying clouds of performance enhancing controversy.

Barry Bonds - The Don of steroid controversy

Sammy Sosa - Roids and Cork - a true two-way player

Mark McGwire - "I am only here to talk about the future, and not why I have no neck"

Rafael Palmeiro - Don't point that finger at me sir, I don't know where its been

* Thome, Frank Thomas, and A-rod have also joined the list since Murray - steroid-controversy free as of 6-6-8

With the above list including 2 members of the 600 home run club, 3 people who at one time held the singe season home run record (Sosa had his 15 minutes in 1998), the all-time home run champ, and a guy who pitches Viagra I have to ask, how does anyone else have a chance to be celebrated? The numbers are tainted, they don't mean anything today because the players with the greatest numbers are the biggest cheaters. Numbers are part what make baseball great, and steroids have ruined that. Now to the worst part - Griffey and Chipper - both would have much more impressive numbers if they weren't both frequent fliers on the DL, which could have been avoided by steroid, but these guys have way too much class. Here's to you Larry and Ken! And yeah we will even drink one for Manny (just don't tell my wife - Indians fans don't take too kindly to Manny).

The stache'

2008-06-03T09:26:00.004-04:00

Two thoughts from last night's games:

1. The next nutrisystem ad on TV: Fade in to Jason Giambi and his porn stache. Sad music is playing and a single tear drips down Giambi's face. Giambi talks about the food in NYC, how steroids made him hungry, etc. This is followed by Tom Selleck holding pants with a 42 inch waist screaming "Potroast!" (if you can think of a good song for the "after" picture place it in the comments section)

2. Bobby Cox has marbles the size of grapefruit: Braves vs. The Fish last night. Big game in the NL east. John Smoltz returns to his role as a closer with blown save. However, the Braves rally to a wild pitch in with 2 outs in the 9th. However, it was the bottom of the 10th that Cox showed why he has been a great manager for the past 350 years in A-town. Here's how it played out.

Bottom of the 10th game tied 5-5:

1. Kelley Johnson leads of the inning with a walk

2. Johnson advances to second on a wild pitch with Yunel Escobar batting

3. Escobar works the count to 3-0

4. Bobby gives Escobar the green light

5. 2-run Bomb to dead center. Drive home safe, remember there is construction on 85/75 through downtown.

Here's why I love this. Conventional wisdom says: You have the winning run on second with no outs and your leadoff hitter up. BUNT! Put him at 3rd with one out. However, when you take a step back the move makes sense. If Yunel bunts you have KJ on third with one out and Omar Infante up. I love Omar, he is a former Tiger, but he is 0-4 on the night. If Omar gets out the Marlins would then walk Chipper and Tex to load the bases and take your chances of getting a hit with Jeff Francoeur. So you have placed your chances to win the game on guys hitting .250 and .256 respectively. What if Bobby has Yunel take 3-0. Yunel walks. Omar bunts KJ and Yunel to second and third. Again Chipper walks. And you have Tex, who is not the fastest guy in the world, up where a double play ends the inning.

However, Bobby let Yunel swing. I love this for the following:

1. The pitcher had just walked KJ and went 3-0 to escobar. This guy is due to groove a strike. He does, game over.

2. Even if Yunel had popped out to second I like the move. Infante is then up and gets tons of pitches to hit since Kensing will do everything in his power not to face Chipper with runners on first and second. Infante is a very solid contact guy and Kensing is coming right around the plate.

I know you can over think these things, and I am sure bunting would have been entirely acceptable. However, giving Yunel the green light was unconventional and effective.

Bruce Almighty

2008-05-30T11:20:00.003-04:00

The standard move for teams in contention is trading for veteran help at the all-star break. The standard move for teams that are not in contention or are in fringe contention is to call up the highly touted prospect form the minors. The young guy call up is much much better. I love this. It is way more exciting than teams picking up a lefty setup man or another bat off the bench. Typically, the call up is someone who fans of the team have heard about for years, the next can't-miss-change-your-franchise player. And these players typically come out like Gangbusters and the fans suddenly are reminded of Ted Williams, Roger Clemens, etc. Now for every Albert Pujols there is a Fransisco Liriano. For every Hanley Ramirez there is a Phillip Hughes (now Hughes and Liriano are both young and injured - so there is still time but the fizzle is pretty loud at this point). No matter the eventual outcome these players bring hope. I have seen this with Verlander and Zumaya, Jeff Francoeur, Liriano, Hughes, etc. etc.

And I am glad to see 2008 is no exception. I would like to welcome Jay Bruce to the club of the "Called up for a week already touted for the Hall of Fame". Jay is the highly touted Reds outfielder and he came out 3-3 in his debut with a 2B. Time will tell whether Mr. Bruce is the next Griffey or the next Russell Branyan, but for now hope springs eternal.

Give me Vaughn! You mean rick Vaughn?

2008-05-29T09:18:00.003-04:00

Cubs 2 Dodgers 1 10 innings

Last night Takashi Saito did his best Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn impersonation. "Ball 4, Ball 8, Ball 12, and Vaughn has walked the bases loaded. How can hitters lay off pitches that close?". Saito entered the game in the 9th inning with a 1-0 lead. Lowe and Zambrano had brought a pitchers duel this far and Joe Torre turned to his closer to preserve the 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for Torre, he no longer signals for Mariano Rivera in the 9th inning. He has Saito. In his defense, Saito has been a solid closer since coming over from Japan, 71 saves in just over 2 years. However, once he threw his first pitch in the 9th I knew he was going to blow this game. There are times when a pitcher enters a game and you just know there is no way this guy is closing out this game. Saito walked 2, gave up 1 hit, missed first base covering on a ground ball to James Loney, and threw 37 pitches during the blown save. It was painful to watch, but I couldn't look away, I had to see how he was going to blow the game. I am not sure what it was about the situation that made me realize he wasn't closing this game, but I was certain of it. I am not alone with this skill. Two years ago the Tigers were facing the Yankees on ESPN. Rivera was not available to preserve a 2-run lead so Torre turned to Kyle Farnsworth (that may have been a low point in his NY tenure). Before the inning started a I received a phone call from a good friend - all he said was "There is no *&$$#!!!-ing way Farnsworth closes this game." (edited for children) Sure enough the Tigers score 3 in the ninth to win. I received a text from the same friend: "Its not so much me, as it is Farnsworth". Truer word have never been texted.

Advice to Joe Torre or any other manager: If your closer has a look like there is no this is going to end well. Pull him, get anyone else, because you are not winning this game with this pitcher.

There is no I in team, but there is one in Tigers

2008-05-28T08:45:00.003-04:00

As a life long fan I am dealing with an age old question of etiquette. When talking about your favorite team, which set of pronouns do you use? There are two choices: first person and third person. If you want to use third person, that is your prerogative and I respect your decision. However, I believe in the right to use first person (given you meet the below criteria). Through reading other blogs, listening to podcast, etc. I have seen a lot of negative sentiment towards using first person pronouns when talking about your favorite sports team. The conversation usually goes something like this:

"The Tigers look terrible are you concerned?"

"Its been a bad start but once we get back Zumaya and Rodney things will pick up."

"We? Are you on the team?"

"Yes, I am on the Tigers, that is why I go to school full-time and write a blog about baseball. Jackass."

Things typically escalate from here and my wife again has to bail me out of jail. Why do I take such offense to people questioning my pronoun usage? Because I have lived and died with the Tigers since I was 5 years old, which is not only longer than any Tiger has been with the organization, but is as long as Tiger outfielder Matt Joyce has been alive. I think I have earned the right as a fan to speak of the team in terms of 'we'. When the Tigers beat the A's in the ALCS in 2006 I have dozens of phone calls and text messages of congratulations - people know I am part of the team - albeit not in the traditional sense.

If you too want to be part of a team, any team, you must meet the following criteria:

1. There can only be one personally possessive team per sport - no "we" referring to the American League East.

2. You have to either a. Have put in 5+ years as a fan or b. put in 2+ years as a fan during losing seasons. You are not automatically granted personal pronoun status, this must be earned.

3. You must truly live and die with this team. If you are from Baltimore, grew up an O's fan, but now have no idea who Daniel Cabrera is - you have lost the right to be a part of the team. Being part of the team requires dedication at all times (not just during the playoff run).

I leave you on Wednesday hoping we can salvage a game against the Angels. The pitching has been great in the series, we are just waiting for the offense to show up.

And for the Royals no runs, on no hits......

2008-05-20T16:11:00.005-04:00

Apparently John Lester does not like to be shown up. Last fall fellow highly touted rookie Red Sox hurler Clay Bucholz shocked the baseball world by throwing a no-hitter. Last night Lester became the latest Red Sox rookie pitcher to go the distance without giving up a hit. I was able to see the 9th inning last night - ESPN kindly patched over from the Cubs and Astros. And while I was watching this I realized something - there is really nothing like a no hitter. The no-hitter is like the perfect song (in my opinion Lightning Crashes by live) slowly building to an ultimate crescendo. There are certainly other great songs and other great acts in baseball, but the slowly building rock anthem really belongs to the no-hitter. The game begins, just as the song, by slowly building a strong foundation through the first few innings ("A new mother cries.....") and suddenly the announcers are mentioning - "one time through the order and Lester hasn't given up a hit". Now things are about to get serious. There is a moment in every no-hitter when it moves from being a well pitched outing to HOLY CRAP THIS MIGHT HAPPEN!!! I think its somewhere during the 6th inning. If you survive the 6th you are two-thirds of the way there, you only have to see each batter one more time, the stadium starts to buzz, and ESPN now mentions "John Lester has a no-hitter through 6" on the bottom line ("Pale blue colored eyes!"). When the pitchers enters the dugout after the 6th he beings living on an island. No one wants to talk to him, no one wants to mention anything, no one wants to be that guy. (amazing guitar interlude) Most no-hitters I can remember have a defining defensive play,and Lester's was no exception. Ellsbury made a rediculous diving catch in the 4th inning preserving the no-no ("I can feel it!!"). And then there is the 9th inning. I have never been in a stadium where a pitcher took a no-hitter into the 9th, but I can imagine the ovation as he walks to the mound, history a mere 3 outs away ("Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind!"). Once the third out is secured the moment peaks, it has been building for 27 outs, and now it lets loose. The pitcher is mobbed on the mound as everyone wants to remember that moment, their part of history ("I can feel it......"). If you are ever casually watching a baseball game, make sure you don't turn it off until both teams have their first hit. You don't want to miss that chance to hear the song from the beginning - the ending is great, but its that much better if you know where it started.

Rock Bottom?

2008-05-19T16:08:00.004-04:00

Ok - the major-league-team-formally-known-as-the-Tigers are now an abysmal 10 games under .500. I have the following promise. No more complaining about the Motor City Kitties on the blog. I am not giving up on the Tigers, but I don't want this to turn into a forum for me to belly-ache. I will work on highlighting other amazing, not so amazing, and hilarious things around the league.

The best moment from last week:

Manny being an entertaining idiot. If you haven't seen this , its simply fantastic. Watch Manny catch a fly ball, jump up the wall, high five a sox fan in Baltimore, and then double up a runner at first. Amazing.

You will notice I did not write Manny being Manny. This is horrendous and needs to stop. Certain catch phrases get used way too much and are undeserved. Second on my list "The Boston Three Party" - unless you are including Rajon Rondo - Ray Allen is not a big three, he is Kyle Korver with a better past, but since he has a great nickname -everyone pays attention.

Maybe I need a nickname.....

Why don't all-star teams work?

2008-05-08T17:18:00.003-04:00

We are just over 1/4 of the way into the baseball season and today I plan to address the following question: Why don't all-star teams work?

We have seen this over and over again in sports - the 06' Yankees of "Murderer's Row and Cano'" (seriously - the dude his .342 with 78 RBIs and had to be the little cute tag line on the 06' Yanks). The lineup resembled those we see in the mid-summer classic - and yet they were undone by the young and hungry Tigers (in the greatest baseball series I have ever seen).

This phenomenon is not baseball specific. See the 03'-04' Lakers, and I am still not a believer in the 07'- 08' Celtics (seriously - only one win for the Hawks in Boston......anyways).

So there I was in the off-season watching the Tigers slowly replace their gritty, young players with veterans with all-star credentials.

In were
Jaque Jones
Edgar Renteria
Miguel Cabrera
Dontrelle Willis

Out or to the bench were
Jair Jurrgens
Brandon Inge
Andrew Miller
Cameron Maybin
Mike Rabelo

The difference between what came in and what went out - in - had all the credentials, and out had all the potential.

Now I am not advocating for a lineup off all young hungry guys - this usually doesn't work either (every now and then you get the 07' Rockies, but usually its more like the 07' Brewers).

To my point: I think the Tigers are doing so poorly this year because - they have too many well established stars. Stay with me now...this should eventually make sense. The staff - veterans. The lineup - veterans. So while the entire team is made up of proven major league talent - I don't think any of them live and die with wins and losses anymore. I am sure Mags and Guillen can eat just fine after 5 losses in row (as they should - they have been around forever and realize this is a 162 game season). However, too many guys with that attitude is how an all star team is suddenly 10 games under .500. Its weird to think, but I believe if the Tigers season is going to be turned around it will be due to Matt Joyce and Armando Gallaraga. These are the two rookies who are filling in for D-Train and JJ. These are the guys who can't sleep after a loss, who take every big at bat during the regular season as due or die. I love these guys. They are hungry, they are young, and they might just jump start the Tigers to making some noise this season.

So for whatever team you root for. Cheer for your all-stars, your first ballot HOFers, and your journeymen. However, make sure you cheer for the 23 year old rookie who is wide eyed and just young and ignorant enough to jump start a team back to .500. Anyways - these young guys have given me hope (and I would have thought that would have been Miguel Cabrera)..

Rain delay......

2008-05-03T21:21:00.004-04:00

My apologies if anyone is actually reading this blog consistently. I have recently bought a house and the Hawks are in the middle of an amazing playoff run (game 7 vs the Celtics tomorrow!). This will be my last chance to post for a week, but once we are moved next week I plan to post as often as possible. Since I haven't posted in quite some time I thought I would give you the highlights and thoughts around the league from the past 2 weeks (in no particular order).

1. Micah Owings

- My "man crush" on Micah dates back to August 18, 2007 (the "man crush" will no doubt be a topic of a future post). I went to Turner Field to see a D'Backs vs Braves game and Owings was pitching. Owings threw well, however it was his 4-5 2HRs 6RBI line that won my heart. We actually stayed into the 8th inning of a blowout loss in 95 degree heat to see Owings bat one more time (since he was a triple away from the cycle - sadly he lined out to first).

- Flash forward to this week. D'Backs down by 2 in the 7th, and Owings comes in to pinch hit. The Astros change pitchers to get a better matchup against a pitcher, and Owings still hits an opposite field jack to tie the game (I swear this should be the ending of some Major League movie).

2. Curtis Granderson

- Holy cow did the Tigers miss this guy. Since his return the Tigers have resembled an actual major league baseball team. Granderson is getting on base, making plays in center, and it I would argue, helping to settle down the rest of the lineup. There is a lot to be said for missing your leadoff hitter, especially when your team really doesn't have another typical leadoff hitter. I am still optimistic about the 08' Tigers - since no one in the AL is really running away to hide and the bullpen MASH unit may be ending soon (a healthy Zumaya and Rodney are better than any midseason trade for bullpen help).

3. John Smoltz

- The one time Tiger farmhand is headed back to the bullpen - but not in the same way Barry Zito is headed to the bullpen. Smoltz is coming off the DL and stepping into the dominant closer role he previously occupied. I am not sure how I feel about this. I know the Braves have blown several games late, and having a dominant closer is a great great asset in a playoff race. However, I worry about their rotation sans Smoltz. Hudson can be great and dominant - however he has been somewhat up and down in the ATL. After Hudson, Jurrgens and Glavine can be solid but the back of the rotation is full of question marks. I am not totally against the move, but I wouldn't be shocked if in August/September the Braves really wish the balding guy with a nasty slider and 3000 career K's was throwing every 5th day.

4. Miguel Tejada

- He is out to prove that he isn't washed up, he just really hated Baltimore (it aged him considerably). On Friday Miguel not only talked the talk, he walked it as well. Before the game Mr. Steroid-cloud-birth-certificate-forging-former-AL-MVP promised a sick young child that he would hit him a home run. And then in the 6th innning - he delivered. This is beyond phenomenal. This is heroic. For a guy who has been in the press for all the wrong reasons recently - I think this deserves some press. And most importantly we get to relive the Seinfeld when Kramer promised a sick child that Paul O'Neil would hit 2 home runs during a Yankees game (O'Neil hits the first and it looks like an inside-the-park-home run has fulfilled a promise for a sick young boy.....when it is ruled a triple with an error).

Enjoy the week in baseball - Tigers are on ESPN (when the always seem to play bad) as they take the long slow walk to respectability.

K-rod you owe Tori Hunter a beer.

2008-04-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

I posted earlier about the walk off home run being the greatest moment in all of sport. I stand by that statement - however I think the walk off, game saving, home run-robbing catch is not a bad way to end a game either.

If you didn't see the highlights from Friday night allow me to set the scene. Angels and Mariners playing in Anaheim. It is early, but this is a big game between two teams everyone thinks is going to be racing for this pennant all summer. We will pick up the action in the top of the 9th, two outs, one on, Angels holding a 5-4 lead, K-rod on the mound, and Richie Sexton at the plate. (Sexton at this point in the game is 2-3 with 2 home runs - needless to say - he is seeing the ball rather well).
K-rod makes the mistake of hanging a breaking ball, which Sexton kills towards dead center field. It looks like a go ahead 2-run 2-out homer in the 9th and a 3 home run day for Richie, except for the fact that the Angels "overpaid" for Tori Hunter in the off season. Hunter tracks the ball beautifully leaps at the fence and brings back the go ahead home run to end the game and preserve a 5-4 win for the Angels.

A few things to think about:

1. When the ball was initially hit K-rod pointed straight up in the air, as if he expected Erick Aybar to settle under the pop-up. Instead the ball was hit 405 feet away. It would have been a great picture of K-rod pointing straight up and Sexton pumping his fist as the ball left the yard.

2. Baseball is such a statistical game, but defense like Hunter's is impossible to quantify. He creates so many more outs with his glove, most of which never make it to sportscenter. If I am going to overpay for a free agent in the off season - I am going to overpay for a free agent that has a bat and a glove (naturally the Tigers signed Cabrera who has a great bat, but bought his glove at the same place Papi and Hafner bought theirs)

3. Can Richie Sexton catch a break? Here is a guy who has been a pretty big bust since coming to Seattle - he has 2 jacks already in the game - and then hits a 400 ft + shot to dead center -unfortunately for him - the Angels have Tori Hunter on the wall, they need him on that wall.

4. Naturally I am up against K-rod in fantasy this week (come on CJ Wilson - I need one more save).

You don't know what you got until its gone.......

2008-04-16T21:22:00.003-04:00

I am watching the Sox and Yanks on ESPN2 -- the score 7-4 Sox in the fifth -- and the following dawned on me: I hate the Yanks and I hate the Red Sox (this fact did not just dawn on me - I have known this for years, often I debate which team I root against more. I only mention my dislike for both teams so that my in-laws do not disown me), but I love the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Rivalries are great in any sport (Duke/UNC, Shaq/Kobe, Giants/Dodgers, etc.) and in the past decade, no rivalry has come close to the Yanks and the Sox. In my adult life alone we have had Dave Roberts' steal, Aaron 'bleeping' Boone, Grady Little leaving Pedro out to die, Don Zimmer trying to kill Pedro, A-rod and Tek's cute little scuffle, and many more. Incidents like these are what made the rivalry great - back when these teams really seemed to hate each other. That hatred was something I could really get behind.

I turn on the game tonight and see Big Papi single to right when his team is down 7-4. He hugs Giambi at first. Manny singles, Papi then hugs Jeter at Second (but not before he playfully teases Melky Carbrera about throwing behind him when he rounded second). Another base hit, now Manny is at second chatting up Robinson Cano. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE????????? Is this rivalry dead? I hope this friendliness it is just a bi-product of the lack of competitive spirit in April baseball. But I am afraid there's more to the story.

This rivalry has gone soft. None of this would have happened on Pedro's watch. All of my favorite Villains are gone or are now lame professional ball players (Johnny Damon... I am looking at you). Have they no shame? I am not tuning into to see the Yanks and Sox to see a well-played, high scoring American League game between two great teams. I'm tuning in to see a bloodbath.

Well its now 11-9 Yanks, and the game is shaping into an instant classic. Man, am I depressed. Here's to hoping Farnsworth comes out of the pen and makes a game out of this thing.

Finally, the 08' Tigers we expected.

2008-04-15T08:12:00.004-04:00

The starting pitching was mediocre. The defense was shakey. The bullpen gave up a bunch of runs. But, the offense overcame all of that and pulled out the 11-9 win last night in Mo-town. This was just one game, there are 161 more in the season (10 of which the Tigers have already lost), and you never want to put too much emphasis on one game, but it was nice to see a come from behind win against one of the tougher bullpens in the AL. I think when Jim Leyland retires he can have a career as a motivational speaker (think 'scared straight' in Arrested Development).

Also from around the league last night: Is there a scarier closer to cheer for than Joe Borowski? (and I thought I had it bad w/ Mr. Jones). Wow, what an implosion last night. Giving up the 1-run to tie the game - ok it was a ground ball double, a nice bunt, and a sac fly. You can live with that. Even the 2-out bloop single to Papi - it was a good pitch. But I don't know how you throw Manny Ramirez the bp fastball down the middle in any count in any situation. I give it 2 weeks until Chief Wahoo is calling on someone else to close out games for the tribe.

The greatest act in sport

2008-04-14T21:17:00.005-04:00

Well the Tigers are 2-10 and currently down 5-4 in the 7th inning tonight, so I won't waste energy on more Tigers woes. I thought I would write about something I have thought about often in the past 10 years or so: The greatest act in sport.

There are many acts in sport that you could argue for:

- Game winning buzzer beater in basketball

- Hail Mary in football

- Overtime goal in hockey

However, there is nothing greater in sport than the walk-off homerun. The game is over, the home team has won, yet everyone must wait until the hero has finished his trot around the bases. This is the only game-winning act where the team cannot immediately mob the hero - they must wait until he finishes his 360 ft victory lap - the crowd goes wild (what other game winning moment in sport can only happen for the home team?) In sport no moment is remembered as often as the game winning walk off homerun. If I close my eyes I can still see Kirk Gibson pumping his fist and Joe Carter jumping for joy (as Mitch Williams performs the ultimate walk of shame). And only because I am too young do I not remember Fisk willing the ball fair or "The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant!!!!!

If you have ever witnessed a walk off homerun live then you know what I am talking about (I have Todd Hundley in Dodger Stadium to thank). Well I sign off now left with hope of the next walk off homerun because the 2-10 Tigers about to be 2-11 so that's all I have.

A strange play at Turner

2008-04-05T18:58:00.002-04:00

I was unable to watch the Tigers today since the nice people at Fox thought I should see the Braves and Mets instead (when I already get the Braves game locally). If you didn't see the Braves/Mets game then I suggest catching the highlights on SC tonight since there was a crazy play in the 5th (maybe the 4th).

Braves up 4-1 in the top of the inning. Bases loaded for the Mets, one out, and Jose Reyes up (things looking bleak for Atlanta). Reyes hits a fly ball to center and Mark Kotsay makes a dive and a catch (or so it is rule). The Mets runner who was on second is doubled up at second - inning over.

However, upon reply it is obvious Kotsay trapped the ball. The umpires meet and do get the call right. Now they have to figure out what to do with the runners. It gets even crazier when you realize the runner from second (who was doubled off originally) not only was doubled off but passed the runner on third during the live play. Eventually they give Reyes the single and everyone gets one base. I think the most amazing aspect of this play was the somehow Bobby Cox did not manage to be thrown out. However, at time of posting the game was not finished.

and yes, the Tigers did lose again (0-5). The D-train took a no hitter into the 6th and that's when Jim Thome took an 0-2 pitch out of Comerica. At least Verlander is throwing on ESPN tomorrow.

What me worry?

2008-04-05T09:47:00.003-04:00

And the Tigers are 0-4...... Not the start you would hope for as a Tigers fan, however I am not in panic mode yet (give me 2 more days at least) for 2 big reasons.

1. Since Jim Leyland got to Detroit this team relishes the underdog roll. In 2006 no one thought they would make the playoffs (cue major chip on the shoulder) and they did. Then no one thought they would beat the Yankees (especially after losing game 1 and Verlander getting into a bases loaded jam in the first of game 2), and they did. Then everyone picked the A's in the ALCS, and they swept. At this point everyone jumped on the Tigers bandwagon, especially after the Cardinals came out of the NL, and of course Detroit went quietly into the dark night. However, I think 1-2 more weeks of losing and baseball will again write off the Tigers (bullpen issues, Dontelle's ERA, Cabrera has put on 140 lbs in 2 weeks, etc, etc.) and that is when the Tigers will get a Gilbert Arenas size chip on their shoulder and make a run.

2. The offense has been awful. The Tigers have made Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, and Zack Greinke look like a young Smoltz, Glavine, and Maddux. And then let Contreras off the hook time and time again yesterday. It looks like everyone is trying to hit the proverbial 10 run homerun to jump start the offense and get on their way to scoring the 1,000 runs everyone has predicted. I think once Granderson gets healthy this lineup will be deadly, it may just take some time (after all it took the Big Cactus a little while to get adjusted in the desert).

So here's to the Tigers getting off the schneid today. They are the only team in the majors w/o a win. However, since the predictions about the Tigers offense have been wrong so far, here's to hoping the predictions about Dontrelle Willis will also be wrong. And if there is one thing baseball fans can agree upon, its that no one wants to see the White Sox win.

3:55 on Fox.

How to make a trendy preseason prediction (Atlanta I am looking in your direction)

2008-04-05T08:02:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, I started this blog one week into the baseball season so I will have to pass on making any sort of preseason predictions (except that the Tigers will eventually win a game, or so I hope). However, I will take this time to breakdown the thought process behind making a preseason prediction. There are two types of preseason predictions (I will focus manly on the second type):

1. The predictions made by Joe Anyone - these will not be seen on TV, read on the internet, or listened to on the radio. These tend to be very safe and reasonable predictions. Joe Anyone has the Red Sox and the Mets meeting in the World Series. Joe Anyone may be from Cleveland and choose the Indians or live Arizona and really like the Diamondbacks, but generally Joe Anyone chooses the teams he/she really believe will make it to the World Series. I would venture to say that Joe Anyone does a better job at predicting the World Series than our prognosticators in group 2.

2. The predictions made by an expert that will be seen by the public. These are the guys who write for espn, yahoo, foxsports, cnnsi, cbssportline, etc, etc. These are also the guys on Sports Center and Baseball Tonight. These guys cannot pick teams they think will make it to the World Series (even though this is exactly what they are being asked to do). For the most part group #2 does not have the Mets and Red Sox in the world series, that's far too obvious, that's what Joe Anyone does, and we all know these prognosticators are paid because they know much more about baseball than Joe Anyone. Its actually a pretty crappy situation to be in. This group has to put much more time into their preseason picks because their picks must satisfy two criteria.
1. Their pick cannot be who Joe Anyone picked
2. You have to still believe them. Them must have the "Sneaky Trendy Pick".
Group 2 loves the Atlanta Braves (they are 2008's #1 group 2 team). The Atlanta Braves are the perfect choice to make the world series in 2008 if your pick is going to be seen by millions. They are a very solid team, well balanced, a good mix of veterns and younger players, etc. However, they are also the 3rd best team in their own division (let alone the entire NL, although one could argue they are the 3rd-4th best team in the NL). Even though they are running 3rd in their own division you wouldn't be totally surprised if they in fact did make it to the World Series. That is why all of the experts go on TV and give you the Braves, is not their fault, they have to, if they gave you the same 2 teams you had, then you wouldn't listen to them. This phenomena is not baseball specific - just look at Charles Barkley picking the Utah Jazz to come out of the West in the NBA, everyone who had a #3 seed winning the NCAA tournament, or everyone who is going to be really excited about the Arizona Cardinals come August.

There are also second tier group 2 picks. These are "teams that will surprise in 2008". For 2008 these are the Reds and Rays. However, I am not sure how they can surprise when every expert has picked them as the teams to surprise.

Feel free to leave any preseason predictions in the comments (you can predict from group 1 or group 2)

Pre-Game

2008-04-05T07:58:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my little corner of the internet universe (thank you very much Al Gore). Recently, I noticed that I spend a good bit of time each day reading other peoples blogs and listening to podcasts at work. So I have decided to contribute to the procrastination problem and start writing a baseball blog. I have no idea if anyone will actually read this, but I thought it might be fun to give it a try. The goal is to discuss all things baseball, although I will state upfront my undying love for the Tigers (once you suffer through 119 loses the love truly becomes undying). However, if for whatever reason you are reading this and you have a topic you would like discussed please email me and I will do my best to accomodate.

Here goes nothing..........