-Which desire was/is stronger?: Ted Thompson to get Brett Favre out of Green Bay, or Theo Epstein to get Manny Ramirez out of Boston?
-Brett Favre refused to talk to the Buccaneers and the Jets, and recently it has been reported that the Packers have at least internally entertained the idea of trading Favre to an NFC North rival like Chicago or Minnesota. Maybe I will still be right. Maybe Favre will be wearing Vikings purple on the Monday Night Football stage on Monday September 8th.
-With Manny Ramirez now in Los Angeles, what do the Dodgers do with their other 750 outfielders? Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones, I guess, no problem, they are now overpaid part-timers. But Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp are young, developing players who need to be playing everyday. With Ramirez needing to be in the lineup most days, it'll be hard for both Ethier and Kemp to join him everyday. Florida would have made more sense, but they wanted money from the Red Sox on top of the 7 million to cover Manny's salary.
-The Detroit Tigers are 6 GB in their division, and 5.5 back in the Wild Card chase. Once interleague play ended on June 29th, the Tigers were surging at 41-40. Today they are only 55-53. They have strung together plenty of 6-4 stretches lately, but it has not been enough to help them gain significantly on either the White Sox or the Twins. They have shown no signs picking up the pace, and though Minnesota and Chicago have their flaws, they haven't really allowed Detroit back into it. The best thing Detroit has going for them is that neither Minnesota nor Chicago made any moves at the deadline to improve their team. Though, Minnesota could soon add Francisco Liriano into the mix, which could be a crucial in-house acquisition.
-The Tampa Bay Rays stood pat at the deadline. They were willing to part with Jeff Niemann to acquire Jason Bay, but they believed that the Pirates' counter-offer, demanding Wade Davis, way too high a price to pay. So, Pittsburgh trades Bay to Tampa's divisional rival. Tampa Bay had a serious chance to win the tough AL East, and there really is no telling when they are going to get another chance. They'll be competitive next year, because their core is young, but Boston and New York could spend big bucks to gain on Tampa, maybe or probably even pass them.
-Just as I head out: Some continued Favre-watch. Amidst all of the trade-deadline talk, ESPN still managed to squeeze in plenty of Favre talk. ESPN flies Mark Schlereth and Sal Paolantonio to San Diego Chargers' training camp all for a three-minute bit on the prime-time Sportscenter. Chris Mortensen, waiting with flowers for Favre in Wisconsin got a ton more air time with today's Favre bottom-line crawl of the day: "Favre charters a private plan to Green Bay." Apparently the Jets are very interested in Favre. It's not Minnesota, I'll give up my prediction, God, just kill this story.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Daily Grind
-I am looking for more writers. I would like to update this blog AT LEAST daily. And I simply do not have the time. And we might not have the time between Carty, myself and Pratt. If you are interested email me at samuel.leroy1985@gmail.com.
-The Los Angeles Angels of Disneyland added some thump to their lineup, acquiring Braves first baseman Mark Texiera for minor league pitcher Stephen Marek and Casey Kotchman. Its win-win for both sides. Atlanta was going nowhere this year, so they traded an impending free agent for a solid first baseman they control for three years and a potential future closer in Marek. The Angels, one of the stronger money-making franchises in the league and maybe the best team in baseball (who else has come into Fenway and won two series this season?) acquire some serious power, and a player owner Arte Moreno has the means to resign, even if he is a Boras client.
-Both the Angels and the Diamondbacks are the strongest teams in their weak Western divisions. The Angels may be running away with it more so than the Diamondbacks, but Arizona is probably still the class in their division. They were also the top contenders for Teixera's services. Arizona was willing to part with Chad Tracy, but were either partially or completely against the idea of trading Conor Jackson, Max Scherzer or Jarrod Parker to go with Tracy. Arizona's farm system was raided in their acquisition of Dan Haren, and they obviously didn't feel that as a small market team, they were able to purge it anymore for a rental player in Teixera. And that is fair from their perspective, but Arizona cannot be taken seriously as a playoff contender in October with their shoddy +20 run differential, the worst among MLB divisional leaders by 20 runs (Tampa is second worst at +40).
-I leave the sports media blogging to Boston Sports Media Watch, Neil Best's Watchdog Blog, and Awful Announcing. But, Best recently reported that Chris "Mad Dog" Russo may soon be leaving WFAN in New York for a plush gig with Sirius satellite radio. Russo has a shrill voice, and can be quite goofy, but he should be great covering sports on a national level. He has never been much of a New York homer, so in a way, New York City was never a perfect fit. I'll be excited to see Russo on Sirius. He'll need a partner though. May I suggest Tony Kornheiser?
-I was not the least bit surprised to find "Brett Favre signs reinstatement papers" on the ESPNews bottom crawl in front of the Teixera trade. Of course that is bigger news. I am sure its currently in front of both the Teixera trade and the Artest trade. This follows previous crawls like "Brett Favre has not signed reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre does not report to camp," "Brett Favre says he wants to get traded," "NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will not act to day on Favre's reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre fumbled his car keys," you get the idea.
-The Houston Rockets are apparently going to trade for disgruntled Sacramento King Ron Artest. The Kings are netting a pretty solid package in Bobby Jackson, a 2009 first rounder, and a third player, rumored to be 2008 draftee Donte Green out of Syracuse. So I guess the Rockets' starting five is going to be Rafer Alston, Tracy McGrady, Artest, Scola and Yao Ming. Shane Battier is relegated to the bench after showing over the last two years that he was not the sole piece missing to get Houston and McGrady out of the first round of the playoffs.
-The Los Angeles Angels of Disneyland added some thump to their lineup, acquiring Braves first baseman Mark Texiera for minor league pitcher Stephen Marek and Casey Kotchman. Its win-win for both sides. Atlanta was going nowhere this year, so they traded an impending free agent for a solid first baseman they control for three years and a potential future closer in Marek. The Angels, one of the stronger money-making franchises in the league and maybe the best team in baseball (who else has come into Fenway and won two series this season?) acquire some serious power, and a player owner Arte Moreno has the means to resign, even if he is a Boras client.
-Both the Angels and the Diamondbacks are the strongest teams in their weak Western divisions. The Angels may be running away with it more so than the Diamondbacks, but Arizona is probably still the class in their division. They were also the top contenders for Teixera's services. Arizona was willing to part with Chad Tracy, but were either partially or completely against the idea of trading Conor Jackson, Max Scherzer or Jarrod Parker to go with Tracy. Arizona's farm system was raided in their acquisition of Dan Haren, and they obviously didn't feel that as a small market team, they were able to purge it anymore for a rental player in Teixera. And that is fair from their perspective, but Arizona cannot be taken seriously as a playoff contender in October with their shoddy +20 run differential, the worst among MLB divisional leaders by 20 runs (Tampa is second worst at +40).
-I leave the sports media blogging to Boston Sports Media Watch, Neil Best's Watchdog Blog, and Awful Announcing. But, Best recently reported that Chris "Mad Dog" Russo may soon be leaving WFAN in New York for a plush gig with Sirius satellite radio. Russo has a shrill voice, and can be quite goofy, but he should be great covering sports on a national level. He has never been much of a New York homer, so in a way, New York City was never a perfect fit. I'll be excited to see Russo on Sirius. He'll need a partner though. May I suggest Tony Kornheiser?
-I was not the least bit surprised to find "Brett Favre signs reinstatement papers" on the ESPNews bottom crawl in front of the Teixera trade. Of course that is bigger news. I am sure its currently in front of both the Teixera trade and the Artest trade. This follows previous crawls like "Brett Favre has not signed reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre does not report to camp," "Brett Favre says he wants to get traded," "NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will not act to day on Favre's reinstatement papers," "Brett Favre fumbled his car keys," you get the idea.
-The Houston Rockets are apparently going to trade for disgruntled Sacramento King Ron Artest. The Kings are netting a pretty solid package in Bobby Jackson, a 2009 first rounder, and a third player, rumored to be 2008 draftee Donte Green out of Syracuse. So I guess the Rockets' starting five is going to be Rafer Alston, Tracy McGrady, Artest, Scola and Yao Ming. Shane Battier is relegated to the bench after showing over the last two years that he was not the sole piece missing to get Houston and McGrady out of the first round of the playoffs.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The Final Act?
Dan Shaughnessy, Steve Buckley, and Sean McAdam all wrote about "it" today. "It" is the latest sports-talk fodder and, for the first time for many card-carrying Nation-ers, "it" has become a topic of discussion - a formerly unmentionable, unwhisperable proposition for the better part of two or three years.
The "it" is Manny Ramirez being shipped out of town and, while this "it" has been brought up in the past, the Mannymoon has continued in Boston.
All milestones, championships, and high-fives aside, it may be the right time to discuss "it". By many accounts, the whole "Manny being Manny" thing has jumped the shark. Aloof, studious, devastating, frustrating, and funny all rolled into one, lately it's been the negative images attached to the future HOFer. Words like "push" and "64-year-old man" have popped up. Words like "fined" and "disciplined" are inserted into headlines where words of heroics once stood.
One of the last and most prominent remnants of a Dan Duquette era gone, but never forgotten, the $160 million act is getting old and so is Ramirez. If Boston chose to pick up his two option seasons, Ramirez would be swinging the stick at Fenway until he was 38-years-old.
Are we to expect Manny-esque numbers as his youth (at least in a physical capacity) leaves him? Looking at the rest of the 500 home run club, there are very mixed results for post age 36 play.
So the results, as I interpret them, are inconclusive. You can remove older players or more recent players from consideration for various reasons (steroids, medical advances, etc), but the facts are there. What happens from here is impossible to predict, but there are two superstar players being dangled on the market - Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday - and the Red Sox, for the first time ever, could get a good return for Ramirez. Mike Cameron, Lastings Milledge, and cash were rumored to be Boston-bound at the trade deadline in 2005, but the deal was nixed when the Sox asked for another prospect. None of that.
The only obstacle - and a fairly major one at that - would be Manny's 10/5 no-trade clause. He would have to approve a deal to any team. Would you approve a trade to Atlanta or Colorado? It would have to be a sign and trade, most likely, which isn't likely.
Manny being Manny anywhere besides Boston just doesn't seem like a likely proposition. The double-armed home run salutes, brisk jogs down the first base line, and knee-slapping/infuiating fielding plays (or lack thereof) in left field appear as if they'll be played under the shadow of the Green Monster.
Just like Happy Days was destined for more irrelevant episodes after jumping it's shark (I'm still trying to find out what happened to Chuck Cunningham...), it doesn't seem like Ramirez will be moved. The difference is the Sox' ability to cuts ties with him after this season. It leaves a big hole - one that can't even be filled by a Big Papi.
Holliday becomes a free agent after 2009, but do you wait a season to try and sign him or fork over a couple prospects? Do you find a one-season stopgap til Holliday hits the market? Is it a smart idea to put all your eggs in one Coors Field-enhanced basket?
Teixeira is a free agent after this season, but he can't play left field. Do you sign the best hitter available and try to "work it out"? Do you trade Gold Glover Kevin Youkilis, who Manny sparred with, to get a player who statistically doesn't give you much more at first base? And, then, if you pay to keep Teixeira, do you pay Manny his $20 mil per year to patrol left field?
"It" is not a simple issue, but one day, whether now, next season, or the season after that, "it" will happen and it's up to the Sox to decide when the Manny Ramirez era will end.
The "it" is Manny Ramirez being shipped out of town and, while this "it" has been brought up in the past, the Mannymoon has continued in Boston.
All milestones, championships, and high-fives aside, it may be the right time to discuss "it". By many accounts, the whole "Manny being Manny" thing has jumped the shark. Aloof, studious, devastating, frustrating, and funny all rolled into one, lately it's been the negative images attached to the future HOFer. Words like "push" and "64-year-old man" have popped up. Words like "fined" and "disciplined" are inserted into headlines where words of heroics once stood.
One of the last and most prominent remnants of a Dan Duquette era gone, but never forgotten, the $160 million act is getting old and so is Ramirez. If Boston chose to pick up his two option seasons, Ramirez would be swinging the stick at Fenway until he was 38-years-old.
Are we to expect Manny-esque numbers as his youth (at least in a physical capacity) leaves him? Looking at the rest of the 500 home run club, there are very mixed results for post age 36 play.
- Aged to perfection: Barry Bonds "blew up" for 73 home runs at 36, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth were productive until age 39. Raffy Palmiero, Willie McCovey, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, and Eddie Murray also enjoyed late success in their careers. 8/24, 33%
- The in-betweens: Ken Griffey Jr. started to fall apart in his early 30's, but has found some of his magic, maintaining a slugging percentage just shy of .500 the last two seasons. Mike Schmidt was a stud at 37 (35/113/.293/.548) and done at 38 (12/62/.249/.405) and Frank Thomas had one good season with Oakland at 38 (39/114/.270/.545) to report. Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson also fall somewhere in the middle. 5/24, 21%
- Where's my teef?: Willie Mays started to fall off at 36, never besting 28 home runs or .291/.506 averages through his last seven uneventful seasons - trust me, it was quite the drop-off for him. McGwire's .187, 29 home run season was an embarrassment and Sammy Sosa's two stints at or after age 36 came in Baltimore and Texas to .221/.376 and .252/.456 clips. Mickey Mantle's sad final season came at age 36. Harmon Kilebrew, Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Matthews, and Mel Ott also tailed off. 8/24, 33%
- The null set: Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Alex Rodriguez. 3/24, 12%
So the results, as I interpret them, are inconclusive. You can remove older players or more recent players from consideration for various reasons (steroids, medical advances, etc), but the facts are there. What happens from here is impossible to predict, but there are two superstar players being dangled on the market - Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday - and the Red Sox, for the first time ever, could get a good return for Ramirez. Mike Cameron, Lastings Milledge, and cash were rumored to be Boston-bound at the trade deadline in 2005, but the deal was nixed when the Sox asked for another prospect. None of that.
The only obstacle - and a fairly major one at that - would be Manny's 10/5 no-trade clause. He would have to approve a deal to any team. Would you approve a trade to Atlanta or Colorado? It would have to be a sign and trade, most likely, which isn't likely.
Manny being Manny anywhere besides Boston just doesn't seem like a likely proposition. The double-armed home run salutes, brisk jogs down the first base line, and knee-slapping/infuiating fielding plays (or lack thereof) in left field appear as if they'll be played under the shadow of the Green Monster.
Just like Happy Days was destined for more irrelevant episodes after jumping it's shark (I'm still trying to find out what happened to Chuck Cunningham...), it doesn't seem like Ramirez will be moved. The difference is the Sox' ability to cuts ties with him after this season. It leaves a big hole - one that can't even be filled by a Big Papi.
Holliday becomes a free agent after 2009, but do you wait a season to try and sign him or fork over a couple prospects? Do you find a one-season stopgap til Holliday hits the market? Is it a smart idea to put all your eggs in one Coors Field-enhanced basket?
Teixeira is a free agent after this season, but he can't play left field. Do you sign the best hitter available and try to "work it out"? Do you trade Gold Glover Kevin Youkilis, who Manny sparred with, to get a player who statistically doesn't give you much more at first base? And, then, if you pay to keep Teixeira, do you pay Manny his $20 mil per year to patrol left field?
"It" is not a simple issue, but one day, whether now, next season, or the season after that, "it" will happen and it's up to the Sox to decide when the Manny Ramirez era will end.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Daily Grind
Well, hopefully the lackluster updates have come to pass. The MLB pennant race is alive and well. NFL training camp has opened. Okay, I am not that excited about NFL training camp, not at least until a starting QB tears his ACL and a team calls on Brett Favre.
-The New York Mets are back in first place in the NL East after taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies. The Mets, by the way, were under .500 at 41-42 on July 1st. They are now 8-4 against the Phillies this season. Their mastery of their strongest divisional opponent is obviously a big reason why they are back on top. Of course, the Mets' and their abysmal 2-7 record against the Braves, who just are not a very good team.
The team is now 21-12 under interim manager Jerry Manuel. He might not have done enough yet to secure an extension, but it is clear the team is responding better to him, whether they will admit it or not, or whether it is something they truly believe they can control or if its subconscious.
Chase Utley and Carlos Delgado are big reasons why their teams are going in opposite directions. Chase Utley's 2008 NL MVP campaign got off to a blistering start with a .352 BA in April, but he has cooled off since .259, .266 and .257 batting averages in the months following. Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado spent the first two months of the season as the biggest punching bag Mets' fans have had since Bobby Bonilla, but that rhetoric has cooled off. In the first two months of the season Delgado had 12 HRs and a meager 25 RBI, in the two months since (July is still going, I know) he has 11 HRs and 34 RBI so far. Maybe its the weather too, Delgado hit .204 in April, and he's hitting .406 with a majestic .500 OBP in July.
-Two weeks ago, the Department of Defense revised its interpretation to require its cadets to serve to years of active duty. Lions head coach Rod Marinelli and recent draftee/West Point graduate Caleb Campbell were not informed of this until yesterday, on the eve of training camp starting. Campbell had already been issued a helmet, and now he is on his way to Iraq or Afghanistan. It's a bad move by the Department of Defense. Campbell had a commitment to the Army which he had fully intended to honor, and then they made a concession for him so he could play in the NFL, and serve the Army as a recruiter. Their decision to pull the rug out from under him this late, right before training camp opens was just a classless move by them. Plus, Campbell won't be able to do nearly as much for the Army in active duty, as he could as a high-profile recruiter. All you have to do is remember what David Robinson did for the Navy.
-Starting tomorrow, the Yankees and the Red Sox meet at Fenway Park with only 3 games separating the two in the standings. The Red Sox have performed supremely at home with a 36-11 record, they have been abysmal on the road, 8 games under .500 at 24-32 after a three-game sweep of the moribund Seattle Mariners. The Yankees have been much more balanced, 23-23 on the road and 33-22 at home. That strong home record for the Yankees is a result of an active ten-game home winning streak. Lets assume that both teams are strong at home, and middling on the road. Why is this? Let's look at some of both of the teams' more notable offensive players.
J.D. Drew, the All-Star game MVP has a .430 OBP at home, and a still-impressive, albeit much less successful .386 OBP on the road. Ditto for Manny Ramirez (who is iffy for this weekend) with a .418/.388 split. Ellsbury (.382/.284) and Crisp (.345/.281) seem to be the most egregious offenders. For the record, I know Ellsbury has batted .232 in July, and his average has fallen to .259 on the season, I have not given up on him. It's a sophomore slump. The kid is a very special player and will be for many years to come. Ellsbury had an OBP of .394 in his 33 regular season games last year. He had a .402 OBP in April this season. Pitchers may have figured him out a little bit, but not so much for fully account for his atrocious June OBP at .265 his July OBP of .275.
The Yankees have been playing well on the road so far this year with a 23-23 record. But they have a whole lot of road games coming up. 101 games into the season, and they have played 55 games at home, and 46 on the road. The Red Sox have the situation virtually reversed with 56 road games in the bank, compared to 47 at Fenway. It probably helps both teams that the Rays have already played 56 home games (at an incredible 40-16 clip), and will have to play 36 more road games (where they are 19-25).
Can the Yankees keep up this pace on the road? They average 4.33 runs per game on the road, and 5 runs per game at home. The Red Sox have an even greater gulf, averaging 4.34 runs on the road, and 5.83 runs at home. But, the Red Sox are going to be home. The Yankees need Giambi and Rodriguez to heat up on the road, where their splits have been too large for players as important to their teams as they are. Rodriguez has a .363 BA and a 1.144 OPS at Yankee Stadium, and underwhelming figures on the road in a .270 BA and a .825 OPS. Giambi who has been a god-send for the pinstripes this year has a .276 BA at home coupled with a 1.006 OPS, match that with comparitively abysmal road numbers at .235/.854.
-Mark Cuban is apparently in the final five being considered by the Tribune Co. to buy the Cubs. None of the remaining bids are supposed to be below a billion dollars. Pretty good for a group that bought the team in 1981 for 20 million dollars. The Tribune Co does not have the final word on who buys the Cubs, the approval of three-fourths of the other MLB owners is also required. Bud Selig and some of the more lethargic owners might not want to see Cuban in their fraternity. It's unfortunate, he has done so well to invigorate the Dallas Mavericks' franchise, and he could do the same in baseball. The Cubs do not need him as much as some other teams, like the Pittsburgh Pirates, who could have really used him. The Cubs situation is a long way from resolved, because supposedly the Tribune is trying to sell Wrigley Field separately from the Cubs themselves. Seems sketchy to me.
-It's not College Football season yet. But I am ready to dive in. Look at the USC schedule. Most teams that are contending for a BCS title choose to stack their non-conference schedule with cupcake home games. It's great for both sides. The BCS team rack up huge wins, which the BCS computers love, and the cupcake schools pick up a healthy check for rolling and taking the beating like the good sports they are. But, USC chooses to play Virginia and Ohio State to start the season. Certainly not easy games, and two of the better games in September. Meanwhile, another exciting Michigan non-conference schedule: Miami (OH), Utah, Toledo, and Notre Dame. Oh Boy!
I know the schools set up the easy schedule to give themselves the best chance to play in the big-money BCS bowls. It's still boring, and ultimately bad for a game that has a lot more opportunities and potential to produce exciting match-ups than the NFL.
-Auston English and James Laurinaitis (2007 Butkus Award Winner) will be the heavy favorites to rack up defensive player of the year awards after the regular season whether they deserve it or not. All too often college football individual awards are awarded on reputation, as opposed to merit. It is hard for the writers for follow 130+ teams, and all of their players, and this is just the result of that. Year in and year out.
Some small-school (smaller, at least) players who could be in the mix with English and Laurinatis: Wake Forest's Alphonso Smith (8 INT, 3 returned for TDs) and USF's George Selvie (14.5 sacks).
-On ESPN.com, under their search dialog, they advertise what they want us to believe are their "Hottest Searches." They listed "TitleTown," a supposed reference to inane Sportscenter special. Yeah, I just don't think the masses are clamoring for more information on "TitleTown" on ESPN.com. Please.
-The New York Mets are back in first place in the NL East after taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies. The Mets, by the way, were under .500 at 41-42 on July 1st. They are now 8-4 against the Phillies this season. Their mastery of their strongest divisional opponent is obviously a big reason why they are back on top. Of course, the Mets' and their abysmal 2-7 record against the Braves, who just are not a very good team.
The team is now 21-12 under interim manager Jerry Manuel. He might not have done enough yet to secure an extension, but it is clear the team is responding better to him, whether they will admit it or not, or whether it is something they truly believe they can control or if its subconscious.
Chase Utley and Carlos Delgado are big reasons why their teams are going in opposite directions. Chase Utley's 2008 NL MVP campaign got off to a blistering start with a .352 BA in April, but he has cooled off since .259, .266 and .257 batting averages in the months following. Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado spent the first two months of the season as the biggest punching bag Mets' fans have had since Bobby Bonilla, but that rhetoric has cooled off. In the first two months of the season Delgado had 12 HRs and a meager 25 RBI, in the two months since (July is still going, I know) he has 11 HRs and 34 RBI so far. Maybe its the weather too, Delgado hit .204 in April, and he's hitting .406 with a majestic .500 OBP in July.
-Two weeks ago, the Department of Defense revised its interpretation to require its cadets to serve to years of active duty. Lions head coach Rod Marinelli and recent draftee/West Point graduate Caleb Campbell were not informed of this until yesterday, on the eve of training camp starting. Campbell had already been issued a helmet, and now he is on his way to Iraq or Afghanistan. It's a bad move by the Department of Defense. Campbell had a commitment to the Army which he had fully intended to honor, and then they made a concession for him so he could play in the NFL, and serve the Army as a recruiter. Their decision to pull the rug out from under him this late, right before training camp opens was just a classless move by them. Plus, Campbell won't be able to do nearly as much for the Army in active duty, as he could as a high-profile recruiter. All you have to do is remember what David Robinson did for the Navy.
-Starting tomorrow, the Yankees and the Red Sox meet at Fenway Park with only 3 games separating the two in the standings. The Red Sox have performed supremely at home with a 36-11 record, they have been abysmal on the road, 8 games under .500 at 24-32 after a three-game sweep of the moribund Seattle Mariners. The Yankees have been much more balanced, 23-23 on the road and 33-22 at home. That strong home record for the Yankees is a result of an active ten-game home winning streak. Lets assume that both teams are strong at home, and middling on the road. Why is this? Let's look at some of both of the teams' more notable offensive players.
J.D. Drew, the All-Star game MVP has a .430 OBP at home, and a still-impressive, albeit much less successful .386 OBP on the road. Ditto for Manny Ramirez (who is iffy for this weekend) with a .418/.388 split. Ellsbury (.382/.284) and Crisp (.345/.281) seem to be the most egregious offenders. For the record, I know Ellsbury has batted .232 in July, and his average has fallen to .259 on the season, I have not given up on him. It's a sophomore slump. The kid is a very special player and will be for many years to come. Ellsbury had an OBP of .394 in his 33 regular season games last year. He had a .402 OBP in April this season. Pitchers may have figured him out a little bit, but not so much for fully account for his atrocious June OBP at .265 his July OBP of .275.
The Yankees have been playing well on the road so far this year with a 23-23 record. But they have a whole lot of road games coming up. 101 games into the season, and they have played 55 games at home, and 46 on the road. The Red Sox have the situation virtually reversed with 56 road games in the bank, compared to 47 at Fenway. It probably helps both teams that the Rays have already played 56 home games (at an incredible 40-16 clip), and will have to play 36 more road games (where they are 19-25).
Can the Yankees keep up this pace on the road? They average 4.33 runs per game on the road, and 5 runs per game at home. The Red Sox have an even greater gulf, averaging 4.34 runs on the road, and 5.83 runs at home. But, the Red Sox are going to be home. The Yankees need Giambi and Rodriguez to heat up on the road, where their splits have been too large for players as important to their teams as they are. Rodriguez has a .363 BA and a 1.144 OPS at Yankee Stadium, and underwhelming figures on the road in a .270 BA and a .825 OPS. Giambi who has been a god-send for the pinstripes this year has a .276 BA at home coupled with a 1.006 OPS, match that with comparitively abysmal road numbers at .235/.854.
-Mark Cuban is apparently in the final five being considered by the Tribune Co. to buy the Cubs. None of the remaining bids are supposed to be below a billion dollars. Pretty good for a group that bought the team in 1981 for 20 million dollars. The Tribune Co does not have the final word on who buys the Cubs, the approval of three-fourths of the other MLB owners is also required. Bud Selig and some of the more lethargic owners might not want to see Cuban in their fraternity. It's unfortunate, he has done so well to invigorate the Dallas Mavericks' franchise, and he could do the same in baseball. The Cubs do not need him as much as some other teams, like the Pittsburgh Pirates, who could have really used him. The Cubs situation is a long way from resolved, because supposedly the Tribune is trying to sell Wrigley Field separately from the Cubs themselves. Seems sketchy to me.
-It's not College Football season yet. But I am ready to dive in. Look at the USC schedule. Most teams that are contending for a BCS title choose to stack their non-conference schedule with cupcake home games. It's great for both sides. The BCS team rack up huge wins, which the BCS computers love, and the cupcake schools pick up a healthy check for rolling and taking the beating like the good sports they are. But, USC chooses to play Virginia and Ohio State to start the season. Certainly not easy games, and two of the better games in September. Meanwhile, another exciting Michigan non-conference schedule: Miami (OH), Utah, Toledo, and Notre Dame. Oh Boy!
I know the schools set up the easy schedule to give themselves the best chance to play in the big-money BCS bowls. It's still boring, and ultimately bad for a game that has a lot more opportunities and potential to produce exciting match-ups than the NFL.
-Auston English and James Laurinaitis (2007 Butkus Award Winner) will be the heavy favorites to rack up defensive player of the year awards after the regular season whether they deserve it or not. All too often college football individual awards are awarded on reputation, as opposed to merit. It is hard for the writers for follow 130+ teams, and all of their players, and this is just the result of that. Year in and year out.
Some small-school (smaller, at least) players who could be in the mix with English and Laurinatis: Wake Forest's Alphonso Smith (8 INT, 3 returned for TDs) and USF's George Selvie (14.5 sacks).
-On ESPN.com, under their search dialog, they advertise what they want us to believe are their "Hottest Searches." They listed "TitleTown," a supposed reference to inane Sportscenter special. Yeah, I just don't think the masses are clamoring for more information on "TitleTown" on ESPN.com. Please.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Daily Grind
-Joe Posnanski has a great new article up about Stan Musial. Stan Musial never hit 40 home runs in a season, but he is probably one of the top 15-20 players ever to play baseball. He loses a lot of deserved credit as a great player because he played in an era where Boston and New York dominated the baseball landscape, while the St. Louis Cardinals toiled in relative obscurity.
-Be sure to check out Dave Carty piece on the Oakland A's, Billy Beane, and pieces they have acquired in recent trades. Scroll down below this post, or click here. Easily the finest piece of writing featured in this blog.
-In the aforementioned Joe "Poz" article about Stan Musial, Joe mentions that Musial played in 3, 026 games, never once being issued an ejection. In the comments section of the same article, someone mentioned that Walt Frazier was never ejected in his 13-year NBA career. Frazier once held Knicks' franchise records for most games (759), minutes played (28,995), field goals attempted (11,669), field goals made (5,736), free throws attempted (4,017), free throws made (3,145), assists (4,791) and points (14,617). Patrick Ewing has since taken over most of those records, save for the assists record. Frazier is probably still the most beloved player in Knicks franchise history having been the best player on both of their championship teams. A class act, and a constant presence still to this day at Knicks games, doing color commentary on MSG with Mike Breen. And I am sure Knicks fans, and general NBA fans alike are aware of Bill Simmons' "Ewing Theory."
-Kudos to Mike Reiss, in his Football Notes in the Boston Globe today, reduced Brett Favre to a small blurb on the right side of the page. It was refreshing to get a nice, healthy dose of NFL chatter without Brett Favre dominating the conversation.
-Reiss discussed the Jets and the Chad Pennington/Kellen Clemens situation at great length. What really struck me was his mentioning of the Jets' big free agent signings, and their ages: Alan Faneca (31), Damien Woody (30) and Kris Jenkins (29). The Jets finished last season at 4-12 after going 10-6 the year before. I know things can turn around in a hurry in the NFL, but I wonder if signing older players to lengthy deals is a reasonable fix. Especially when you consider the recent injury history of Woody (13 games started in the last two seasons) and Jenkins (two season-ending injuries before his 27th birthday). In a frenzied media market like New York, GM Mike Tannenbaum and Head Coach Eric Mangini know that it would be hard to survive two poor seasons in a row. Meanwhile, neither Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington have done much so far this offseason to distinguish either of themselves as sure-fire NFL starters.
-I took issue with The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo defending Twins' GM Bill Smith's decision to keep Francisco Liriano in the minors and fight Liriano's agent Greg Genske's call to the Players' Association to investigate why Liriano has not been called up. Here's the blurb, as usual, I do not want to use my poor grammar to articulate something someone else explained perfectly:
So, because the Twins are surprising people, and Hernandez is veteran and the "glue," Smith wants to ignore the fact that Hernandez just isn't a very good pitcher. Of the five starters currently in Minnesota's rotation (Hernandez, Blackburn, Slowey, Baker and Perkins), Hernandez has the worst ERA (5.29), WHIP (1.58), K/9 (3.31), and hits allowed (178 hits in 127.2 IP). But, it's all fine, he's the glue of the rotation because he won 10 games. Francisco Liriano, meanwhile, this season in Rochester (AAA) is 8-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 17 starts. I know its a far cry from his 2006 campaign when he was 12-3 with 2.16 ERA 16 starts and 12 relief appearances, but still he should be able to give Minny a better shot at winning every fifth day than Hernandez does. The biggest disparity between 2006 Liriano and 2008 Liriano? And probably the strongest arguement Smith has against promoting him? In 2006 Liriano walked 32, and struck out 144 (A 4.5 K/BB ratio). In AAA this season Liriano has 94 punchouts to 28 walks (A 3.36 K/BB ratio). He is obviously not the same pitcher he was in 2006, and may never be again, but still... If Smith and the Twins do not reinstate him, they should at least somehow credit him with some MLB service time, so that his arbitration situation is improved.
-The Oklahoma City Thunder. That might be the new name of the NBA team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics. It sounds like an Arena Football Team. I am not sure, though, that a team from Oklahoma City cannot sound like a minor league baseball team, or an "AFL" team.
-Just in: The Redskins acquired DE Jason Taylor from the Dolphins for a 2009 2nd round pick, and 2010 sixth-round pick. Pretty typical Redskins move: Trade out of the draft, upgrade a position with a 34-year old. Taylor should be pretty good for them, he is only a year and a half removed from being the NFL's defensive player of the year. But, if you a Redskins fan, aren't you a little frustrated that your team is constantly upgrading via free agency/trades when most recent Super Bowl champions can point to the draft as the dominant reason they won.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Outkast ft. Slick Rick- Da Art of Storytelling
-Be sure to check out Dave Carty piece on the Oakland A's, Billy Beane, and pieces they have acquired in recent trades. Scroll down below this post, or click here. Easily the finest piece of writing featured in this blog.
-In the aforementioned Joe "Poz" article about Stan Musial, Joe mentions that Musial played in 3, 026 games, never once being issued an ejection. In the comments section of the same article, someone mentioned that Walt Frazier was never ejected in his 13-year NBA career. Frazier once held Knicks' franchise records for most games (759), minutes played (28,995), field goals attempted (11,669), field goals made (5,736), free throws attempted (4,017), free throws made (3,145), assists (4,791) and points (14,617). Patrick Ewing has since taken over most of those records, save for the assists record. Frazier is probably still the most beloved player in Knicks franchise history having been the best player on both of their championship teams. A class act, and a constant presence still to this day at Knicks games, doing color commentary on MSG with Mike Breen. And I am sure Knicks fans, and general NBA fans alike are aware of Bill Simmons' "Ewing Theory."
-Kudos to Mike Reiss, in his Football Notes in the Boston Globe today, reduced Brett Favre to a small blurb on the right side of the page. It was refreshing to get a nice, healthy dose of NFL chatter without Brett Favre dominating the conversation.
-Reiss discussed the Jets and the Chad Pennington/Kellen Clemens situation at great length. What really struck me was his mentioning of the Jets' big free agent signings, and their ages: Alan Faneca (31), Damien Woody (30) and Kris Jenkins (29). The Jets finished last season at 4-12 after going 10-6 the year before. I know things can turn around in a hurry in the NFL, but I wonder if signing older players to lengthy deals is a reasonable fix. Especially when you consider the recent injury history of Woody (13 games started in the last two seasons) and Jenkins (two season-ending injuries before his 27th birthday). In a frenzied media market like New York, GM Mike Tannenbaum and Head Coach Eric Mangini know that it would be hard to survive two poor seasons in a row. Meanwhile, neither Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington have done much so far this offseason to distinguish either of themselves as sure-fire NFL starters.
-I took issue with The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo defending Twins' GM Bill Smith's decision to keep Francisco Liriano in the minors and fight Liriano's agent Greg Genske's call to the Players' Association to investigate why Liriano has not been called up. Here's the blurb, as usual, I do not want to use my poor grammar to articulate something someone else explained perfectly:
Twins GM Bill Smith has shown great restraint in not reacting to agent Greg Genske, who's asking the Players Association to "investigate" why Francisco Liriano hasn't been brought up after winning seven straight games for Triple A Rochester. The team's strength has been its five starters, four young pitchers and one veteran, Livan Hernandez, who is the staff's glue. "I don't want to say too much about it," said Smith. "I think the agent is probably just doing his job. We love the success Liriano is having in Rochester, but our kids up here are pitching great and we've been on a roll and our team has played very well." Asked whether the Twins will try to upgrade with a deal, Smith said, "We have to be very careful because we love the chemistry on this team and the job our manager and coaches have done with a lot of new players. The last thing we want to do is disrupt that. We're always looking to upgrade, but it has to make sense."
So, because the Twins are surprising people, and Hernandez is veteran and the "glue," Smith wants to ignore the fact that Hernandez just isn't a very good pitcher. Of the five starters currently in Minnesota's rotation (Hernandez, Blackburn, Slowey, Baker and Perkins), Hernandez has the worst ERA (5.29), WHIP (1.58), K/9 (3.31), and hits allowed (178 hits in 127.2 IP). But, it's all fine, he's the glue of the rotation because he won 10 games. Francisco Liriano, meanwhile, this season in Rochester (AAA) is 8-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 17 starts. I know its a far cry from his 2006 campaign when he was 12-3 with 2.16 ERA 16 starts and 12 relief appearances, but still he should be able to give Minny a better shot at winning every fifth day than Hernandez does. The biggest disparity between 2006 Liriano and 2008 Liriano? And probably the strongest arguement Smith has against promoting him? In 2006 Liriano walked 32, and struck out 144 (A 4.5 K/BB ratio). In AAA this season Liriano has 94 punchouts to 28 walks (A 3.36 K/BB ratio). He is obviously not the same pitcher he was in 2006, and may never be again, but still... If Smith and the Twins do not reinstate him, they should at least somehow credit him with some MLB service time, so that his arbitration situation is improved.
-The Oklahoma City Thunder. That might be the new name of the NBA team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics. It sounds like an Arena Football Team. I am not sure, though, that a team from Oklahoma City cannot sound like a minor league baseball team, or an "AFL" team.
-Just in: The Redskins acquired DE Jason Taylor from the Dolphins for a 2009 2nd round pick, and 2010 sixth-round pick. Pretty typical Redskins move: Trade out of the draft, upgrade a position with a 34-year old. Taylor should be pretty good for them, he is only a year and a half removed from being the NFL's defensive player of the year. But, if you a Redskins fan, aren't you a little frustrated that your team is constantly upgrading via free agency/trades when most recent Super Bowl champions can point to the draft as the dominant reason they won.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Outkast ft. Slick Rick- Da Art of Storytelling
Friday, July 18, 2008
Those Thirfty A's
Oakland's at it again. Actually, they have been since the end of the 2007 season, when the Athletics finished third in the AL West with an underwhelming 76-86 record - their first sub-.500 season since 1998. Last year, the A's opened up their wallets like not previously seen, spending over $79 million on the opening-day roster, their highest team payroll of the decade and probably ever (Cot's only goes back to 2000 and I don't have the Elias Sport Bureau to help).
Somewhere after the dust settled, Billy Beane, baseball's prince of price-crunching, decided a change was necessary. That's when the first bomb dropped. First Dan Haren was sent packing. Then Marco Scutaro, Mark Kotsay, and Nick Swisher changed addresses. Since the end of last season, eight players have been traded from the bay yielding - brace yourself - twenty players. Of the twenty, eleven were pitchers - five southpaws - and only six had thrown or faced a pitch in the bigs. The two most "experienced" - heavy quotation fingers flying - players acquired by Beane were outfielder 26 year old Matt Murton (870 major league at-bats) and 22 year old Sean Gallagher (73.1 IPs). Five of the players were among Baseball America's top 100 prospects to go with the other two Oakland already had (Daric Barton, #22 and Trevor Cahill, #98).
Among the departing Oakland players, only Swisher was signed beyond 2009 (Haren had an option). Some of Oakland's starters came at a bargain, but the green and gold never stood a chance to re-sign Harden. Thrifty? Why wait?
__________
Here's a breakdown of each trade...
__________
As it was, Oakland's 2008 opening day payroll was trimmed by $32 million and several salaries are off the books in 2009. Harden's $7, Swisher's $5.3, and Haren's $5.5 million contracts have all been outsourced. Alan Embree and Mark Ellis both have club options that are likely to be turned down for '09, freeing up another $5-$7 million. Emil Brown, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, and Keith Foulke, all low-cost additions, all come off the books, which further purges the A's system.
All told, it's a fresh start for Oakland. It hasn't received quite as much attention as dismantling the Big Three, but the unloading is there. You can believe if Sweeney, Thomas, or Foulke were productive and healthy, Beane would shop them too. He can't get out from underneath Eric Chavez's albatross of a contract (they're stuck with him at $11 million until at least 2010), but he's done everything in his power to free up space and bring in prospects.
His 2008 incarnation is nothing to sneeze at. The Athletics are first in the league with a 3.38 team ERA, despite trading away three star pitchers. If Huston Street stays, the bullpen has a solid foundation. The offense leaves something to be desired, but that's what happens when Mike Sweeney, Frank Thomas, and Eric Chavez all go down with injuries.
So, what's next? The Athletics' payroll in 2009 projects to be even lower than this season's. The cash is there for a high level free agent or two to build up the offense. It's not the A's mantra, but it would put them right back in competition for next season. Next year's starting pitching will consist of surprise ace Justin Duchscherer and remnants of A's players past. The arrival date for many of these prospects is 2009 or 2010 at the latest, so a multi-year deal for, say, an Adam Dunn makes a lot of sense. It's addition-by-subtraction-and-more-addition.
For all that Oakland has jettisoned, it has gained very capable major leaguers. How long they stay with the Athletics remains to be seen. There are 'if's, as there always are. But if all goes according to Beane's plan, he can hold em and won't have to fold em.
Somewhere after the dust settled, Billy Beane, baseball's prince of price-crunching, decided a change was necessary. That's when the first bomb dropped. First Dan Haren was sent packing. Then Marco Scutaro, Mark Kotsay, and Nick Swisher changed addresses. Since the end of last season, eight players have been traded from the bay yielding - brace yourself - twenty players. Of the twenty, eleven were pitchers - five southpaws - and only six had thrown or faced a pitch in the bigs. The two most "experienced" - heavy quotation fingers flying - players acquired by Beane were outfielder 26 year old Matt Murton (870 major league at-bats) and 22 year old Sean Gallagher (73.1 IPs). Five of the players were among Baseball America's top 100 prospects to go with the other two Oakland already had (Daric Barton, #22 and Trevor Cahill, #98).
Among the departing Oakland players, only Swisher was signed beyond 2009 (Haren had an option). Some of Oakland's starters came at a bargain, but the green and gold never stood a chance to re-sign Harden. Thrifty? Why wait?
__________
Here's a breakdown of each trade...
- 11/18/07 - Traded INF Marco Scutaro to Toronto for Minor League RHP Kristian Bell and RHP Graham Godfrey.
Ok, so trading Marco Scutaro and his lifetime .259 average wasn't exactly earth-shattering news - if you even noticed in the first place. Scutaro brought his mediocrity to baseball's Mediocrity Heaven at the Rogers Centre (.261/.347/.333, 31 RBIs in 83 games) and Oakland began to build anew. Unfortunately, neither 24 year-old Bell (9.45 ERA at AA) or 23 year-old Godfrey (5.59 also at AA) have shown much in the way of progression. - 12/14/07 - Traded RHPs Dan Haren and Connor Robertson to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for LHPs Brett Anderson, Dana Eveland and Greg Smith, INF Chris Carter and OFs Aaron Cunningham and Carlos Gonzalez.
Merry Christmas, Arizona! Dan Haren, originally brought over to Oakland during Beane's Mark Mulder sale, has solidified Arizona's rotation (2.72 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 8.02 K/9 - all career bests). Too bad Arizona still hasn't learned to hit. Robertson has also sipped from the big cup this season.
Meanwhile, two-fifths of Oakland's rotation is comprised of players acquired in the deal. Eveland, 24, is a horse (6'1", 215 or 240, depending on who you believe) who has quietly put together one of the American League's best seasons. Smith, in his first big league stint, has joined the fun. He's drawn comparisons to Mark Mulder and Ted Lilly (must be the hat) as a soft-throwing lefty. He's been getting plenty of outs, though. In addition, three of Baseball America's top 100 prospects came over in this deal - Carlos Gonzalez, #26; Brett Anderson, #50; Chris Carter, #99. Gonzalez, 22, has shown positive early returns (.276 batting average) but needs to develop some plate discipline (4 BB in 146 ABs, yikes). Anderson was promoted to AA with Cahill and both have been named to the USA Olympic team. If he keeps up his numbers (5.14 K/BB, career minor league), the 20 year old could make the 2009 rotation out of Spring Training. Carter (.576 slg, 27 HRs, 20 2Bs in 340 ABs) has shown tremendous power but needs to hit for more contact and refine his play in the field (he's currently DHing for high-A Stockton) and Cunningham is a good all-around player.
Needless to say, Oakland got a fine return for Haren. Whether or not Haren would have pushed Oakland to the top of the AL West is a topic to be debated, but he couldn't do it last year. Every one of the six players acquired in this deal could see major league time and three of the members could comprise most of Oakland's rotation next season. Not too shabby. - 1/3/08 - Traded OF Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for LHP Gio Gonzalez, RHP Fautino De Los Santos and OF Ryan Sweeney.
The rock star Swisher may never match his power totals of 2005 (35 HRs, 95 RBIs, .493 slg%) and will never be known as a contact hitter (.249 career BA), but this year's numbers (.236, 12 HRs) combined with those of Paul Konerko, are ugly enough to frighten children all over the south side and may ultimately doom the ChiSox championship hopes.
Gio Gonzalez, 22, has straightened the ship as of late (0.95 ERA in his last four starts) and figures to take Joe Blanton's spot in the rotation. He led the minor leagues in strikeout with 185 last season, showing the tiny southpaw has big-time ability. Ryan Sweeney is hitting .301 in 206 at-bats with Oakland. He's never been much of a power hitter, but a .300 average at 23 years old out of the third best prospect in the trade sounds like a success to me. This season he's played at least 10 games at each outfield position and still has not committed an error at the major league level. De los Santos will be out for up to a year after undergoing elbow-ligament-replacement surgery, but was considered a top prospect with Chicago. - 1/14/08 - Acquired RHP Joey Devine, nonroster RHP Jamie Richmond and cash from the Braves for OF Mark Kotsay and cash (about $5 mil).
Oakland had to cough up some cash to unload Kotsay (similar to Edgar Renteria going to the Braves...or to the Tigers for that matter). Kotsay's 2008 average is right on par with his career - .279, .282 respectively - but whatever power and speed he had is long gone.
Joey Devine allowed only three runs in 22 innings and striking out 28 before hitting the infirmary with elbow inflammation. Richmond, a non-roster invitee, has started 18 games for Kane County with a 4.26 ERA.
Beane was able to dump some salary and free a spot for Sweeney in centerfield and get some prospects in return. That's multi-tasking the Billy Beane Way! - 7/8/08 - Sent RHPs Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs for RHP Sean Gallagher, C Josh Donaldson, INF Eric Patterson and OF Matt Murton.
Beane cast off the oft-injured Harden (only 32 starts from 2005-2007) and spot-starter Gaudin for a mix of talent and potential.Gallagher filled Rich Hill's spot in the Cubs' rotation after he struggled out of the gate. Since then he has proven an effective starter and, at 22, he has plenty of time to meet and exceed expectations as a permanent member of Oakland's rotation. Murton may never be a star, but he never got the chance to show his ability under Lou Piniella. If 20 HR potential isn't in his future, a career as a role player in the bigs is likely. Patterson is just a spare piece and Donaldson, a 2007 sandwich pick, has turned around a rough season a bit since arriving in Stockton.
- 7/17/08 - Acquired INF Adrian Cardenas, LHP Josh Outman and OF Matt Spencer from the Philadelphia Phillies for RHP Joe Blanton.
Blanton finished second last season in innings pitched and has started at least 31 games each season since 2005. His ability to eat innings - not always effectively - and activity by National League competitors are what enticed the Phillies, but it came at a steep price.
Cardenas (#2) and Outman (#4) were two of the Phillies' top 5 prospects according to Baseball America. Cardenas, who turns 21 in October, is hitting .303 in his minor league career (.309 this season at high-A) and has some wheels stealing 48 out of 58 bases. Outman, 23, has a killer slider and could advance to AAA this year and A's bullpen in 2009. Spencer is a throw-in with power potential and not much else at the moment.
__________
As it was, Oakland's 2008 opening day payroll was trimmed by $32 million and several salaries are off the books in 2009. Harden's $7, Swisher's $5.3, and Haren's $5.5 million contracts have all been outsourced. Alan Embree and Mark Ellis both have club options that are likely to be turned down for '09, freeing up another $5-$7 million. Emil Brown, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, and Keith Foulke, all low-cost additions, all come off the books, which further purges the A's system.
All told, it's a fresh start for Oakland. It hasn't received quite as much attention as dismantling the Big Three, but the unloading is there. You can believe if Sweeney, Thomas, or Foulke were productive and healthy, Beane would shop them too. He can't get out from underneath Eric Chavez's albatross of a contract (they're stuck with him at $11 million until at least 2010), but he's done everything in his power to free up space and bring in prospects.
His 2008 incarnation is nothing to sneeze at. The Athletics are first in the league with a 3.38 team ERA, despite trading away three star pitchers. If Huston Street stays, the bullpen has a solid foundation. The offense leaves something to be desired, but that's what happens when Mike Sweeney, Frank Thomas, and Eric Chavez all go down with injuries.
So, what's next? The Athletics' payroll in 2009 projects to be even lower than this season's. The cash is there for a high level free agent or two to build up the offense. It's not the A's mantra, but it would put them right back in competition for next season. Next year's starting pitching will consist of surprise ace Justin Duchscherer and remnants of A's players past. The arrival date for many of these prospects is 2009 or 2010 at the latest, so a multi-year deal for, say, an Adam Dunn makes a lot of sense. It's addition-by-subtraction-and-more-addition.
For all that Oakland has jettisoned, it has gained very capable major leaguers. How long they stay with the Athletics remains to be seen. There are 'if's, as there always are. But if all goes according to Beane's plan, he can hold em and won't have to fold em.
The Daily Grind
In his column today, Bob Ryan thanked Brett Favre for giving himself and other pundits something to talk about this week, the slowest week of the year in sports. I will not thank Brett Favre, though I could. I did talk about it. Not really, though, because I want to, but because I had to. But, man, this is a slow, slow sports week. It's over now. "Real" baseball is back in full swing, and I couldn't be happier.
-I avoided discussing the Ramirez/traveling secretary saga in this space. Because, I really don't care. The people that spend time discussing incidents like that do so, in my opinion, because they don't like the actually sports enough. They in turn need to discuss the external factors, and embellish them.
But, today Bob Lobel, formerly the sports director of WBZ-Boston (CBS) suggested that Ramirez intentionally stood in the batter's box and took three called strikes from Mariano Riviera on July 6th as a form of protest against the Red Sox management. This is the stuff that really matters. If Ramirez really carried his grievances against the team management onto the field, then in my mind, his legacy is permanently scarred.
Since July 6th, Ramirez and team owner John Henry famously sparred in the papers. I will just print Manny's remarks, because they don't often make 100% sense to me: "no more [expletive] where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing." Henry shot back saying that he "find(s) remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive." If this is Ramirez's last year with Boston, and I do not believe it is, but if it is, he is going out in Pedro-like fashion.
-James Posey signed a 4 year, 25 million dollar deal with the New Orleans Hornets. The Celtics will probably resign Tony Allen, and give him a greater role this coming season. Another example of years being more important than money. In addition to the Celtics being in luxury tax hell as it is, they are an incredibly old team as it is. Paul Pierce will be 31 in October. Ray Allen is 33 in two days. And Garnett is 32. With Posey at age 31, the team simply could not lock up another 30+ player in a lengthy contract.
Posey is a special player, maybe the most special 7ppg player on the planet. He cannot be fully replaced. But with Tony Allen back, and Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens on board, the Celtics have players that if they play up to their potential can give the team the energy, defense, toughness, athleticism and tenacity that Posey gave them in time. The Celtics are now more likely to give Eddie House a second year in a deal to resign him.
-Four series to check out this weekend in the MLB: NYM@CIN, BOS@ANA, PHI@FLA, and LAD@ARI.
The Mets have been rolling, winning their tenth straight game last night. They have been showing a ton of resilience lately. They have been playing with heart. This sounds cliche, and it is. But, I feel compelled to put it in writing because it is the Mets, the most lethargic, underwhelming, pathetic, under-performing team in league for the first 85 games of the season. Suddenly, they have come to life, I guess I have to give Jerry Manuel a lot of credit. He has changed the culture in the Mets' clubhouse, it might not even be anything he has done, it might just be that he is not Willie Randolph.
The Angels and the Red Sox are probably the two best teams in the American League, and they are going head-to-head this weekend. What else do I have to write? Do I have to hype it? Three serious statement games for both teams. In the first game of the series Clay Buchholz returns to the rotations, looking to bounce back from a disastrous first stint, where he garnered a 5.40 ERA.
The Phillies and the Marlins duel this weekend in Miami. Both teams are deeply flawed in terms of their starting rotations. The Phillies are 11th in the NL in starters' ERA at 4.48, and the Marlins are 14th with a 5.18 ERA. The Phillies' crappy old starting pitching versus the Marlins' youthful, inconsistent starting pitching. The two teams are #1 (Florida, 135) and #2 (Philadelphia, 132) in the National League in home runs. If you like offense and middling starting pitching, it should be an exciting series to check out this weekend.
I love the Marlins' closer Kevin Gregg. He is not a perfect, he has 20 saves, and 6 blown saves. What continues to impress me about Gregg is his ability to pitch out of trouble. He is not a great pitcher by any stretch of the imagination. He does not have the best stuff, but he has ice water in his veins. A lot of this, I think can be attributed to his previous job as a setup pitcher with Anaheim from 2003-2006. I love the inherited runners-to-inherited runners scored ratio, and Gregg has been consistently impressive in that regard. An 11/0 ration this season. A great 20/3 ratio last season, his first season as a full time closer. I'll also throw out a tidy 29/11 ratio from 2004.
I dedicated a healthy paragraph to fawning over Kevin Gregg. I have to at least acknowledge the amazing season Brad Lidge is having. He has not blown a save this season after blowing eight last season. His ERA has shrunk from 3.36 last season to 1.13 this season. Is he a rare closer who warrants consideration as a Cy Young candidate? I love Gregg, but advantage Phillies in the closer column.
Oh yeah, and the Dodgers and Arizona do battle this weekend. Who will the NL West? Who sucks the least? I feel like the NL West has sucked nine out of the last ten years. Pratt, wanna help me on this one?
-My mind has been scattered all day. I was up until 4am last night. I saw The Dark Knight at a midnight showing. It is a pretty special film. Probably the most impressive superhero film ever made. Heath Ledger was probably the most layered, interesting, maniacal, funny, enduring, genuine villain I have ever seen on film. Ledger will probably receive a posthumous Oscar nomination, if not an outright win. Ledger is now atop my all-time Joker rankings. Here's the list:
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Public Enemy- 911 Is A Joke
I have phased out the miscellaneous video of the day. I think and hope we can all agree that this feature is much more fun.
-I avoided discussing the Ramirez/traveling secretary saga in this space. Because, I really don't care. The people that spend time discussing incidents like that do so, in my opinion, because they don't like the actually sports enough. They in turn need to discuss the external factors, and embellish them.
But, today Bob Lobel, formerly the sports director of WBZ-Boston (CBS) suggested that Ramirez intentionally stood in the batter's box and took three called strikes from Mariano Riviera on July 6th as a form of protest against the Red Sox management. This is the stuff that really matters. If Ramirez really carried his grievances against the team management onto the field, then in my mind, his legacy is permanently scarred.
Since July 6th, Ramirez and team owner John Henry famously sparred in the papers. I will just print Manny's remarks, because they don't often make 100% sense to me: "no more [expletive] where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing." Henry shot back saying that he "find(s) remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive." If this is Ramirez's last year with Boston, and I do not believe it is, but if it is, he is going out in Pedro-like fashion.
-James Posey signed a 4 year, 25 million dollar deal with the New Orleans Hornets. The Celtics will probably resign Tony Allen, and give him a greater role this coming season. Another example of years being more important than money. In addition to the Celtics being in luxury tax hell as it is, they are an incredibly old team as it is. Paul Pierce will be 31 in October. Ray Allen is 33 in two days. And Garnett is 32. With Posey at age 31, the team simply could not lock up another 30+ player in a lengthy contract.
Posey is a special player, maybe the most special 7ppg player on the planet. He cannot be fully replaced. But with Tony Allen back, and Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens on board, the Celtics have players that if they play up to their potential can give the team the energy, defense, toughness, athleticism and tenacity that Posey gave them in time. The Celtics are now more likely to give Eddie House a second year in a deal to resign him.
-Four series to check out this weekend in the MLB: NYM@CIN, BOS@ANA, PHI@FLA, and LAD@ARI.
The Mets have been rolling, winning their tenth straight game last night. They have been showing a ton of resilience lately. They have been playing with heart. This sounds cliche, and it is. But, I feel compelled to put it in writing because it is the Mets, the most lethargic, underwhelming, pathetic, under-performing team in league for the first 85 games of the season. Suddenly, they have come to life, I guess I have to give Jerry Manuel a lot of credit. He has changed the culture in the Mets' clubhouse, it might not even be anything he has done, it might just be that he is not Willie Randolph.
The Angels and the Red Sox are probably the two best teams in the American League, and they are going head-to-head this weekend. What else do I have to write? Do I have to hype it? Three serious statement games for both teams. In the first game of the series Clay Buchholz returns to the rotations, looking to bounce back from a disastrous first stint, where he garnered a 5.40 ERA.
The Phillies and the Marlins duel this weekend in Miami. Both teams are deeply flawed in terms of their starting rotations. The Phillies are 11th in the NL in starters' ERA at 4.48, and the Marlins are 14th with a 5.18 ERA. The Phillies' crappy old starting pitching versus the Marlins' youthful, inconsistent starting pitching. The two teams are #1 (Florida, 135) and #2 (Philadelphia, 132) in the National League in home runs. If you like offense and middling starting pitching, it should be an exciting series to check out this weekend.
I love the Marlins' closer Kevin Gregg. He is not a perfect, he has 20 saves, and 6 blown saves. What continues to impress me about Gregg is his ability to pitch out of trouble. He is not a great pitcher by any stretch of the imagination. He does not have the best stuff, but he has ice water in his veins. A lot of this, I think can be attributed to his previous job as a setup pitcher with Anaheim from 2003-2006. I love the inherited runners-to-inherited runners scored ratio, and Gregg has been consistently impressive in that regard. An 11/0 ration this season. A great 20/3 ratio last season, his first season as a full time closer. I'll also throw out a tidy 29/11 ratio from 2004.
I dedicated a healthy paragraph to fawning over Kevin Gregg. I have to at least acknowledge the amazing season Brad Lidge is having. He has not blown a save this season after blowing eight last season. His ERA has shrunk from 3.36 last season to 1.13 this season. Is he a rare closer who warrants consideration as a Cy Young candidate? I love Gregg, but advantage Phillies in the closer column.
Oh yeah, and the Dodgers and Arizona do battle this weekend. Who will the NL West? Who sucks the least? I feel like the NL West has sucked nine out of the last ten years. Pratt, wanna help me on this one?
-My mind has been scattered all day. I was up until 4am last night. I saw The Dark Knight at a midnight showing. It is a pretty special film. Probably the most impressive superhero film ever made. Heath Ledger was probably the most layered, interesting, maniacal, funny, enduring, genuine villain I have ever seen on film. Ledger will probably receive a posthumous Oscar nomination, if not an outright win. Ledger is now atop my all-time Joker rankings. Here's the list:
1. Heath LedgerApparently the film grossed over 18 million from midnight showings alone. Wow. Go see it, it's a bit long, at over 2.5 hours.
2. Cesar Romero
3. Jack Nicholson
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Public Enemy- 911 Is A Joke
I have phased out the miscellaneous video of the day. I think and hope we can all agree that this feature is much more fun.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Daily Grind
I have to get through this quick today. I had the day off from work, I could have been doing this all day. But, no, I slept, fielded birthday wishes, and listened to "Mike and the Mad Dog" and took a nap (it was a slow show). Yesterday was maybe my shortest post, and today won't be too different. Hey, these are the only three days a year where there are no games being played by the four major sports (NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL). So, its slow times in the blogosphere/commento-sphere (Yes, I am calling myself a commentator whether you like it or not).
-A Ron Artest-Lamar Odom swap was heavily rumored earlier in the offseason, but it seems to have died down. But, its not for a lack of effort on the part of Artest to keep it alive. Artest really wants to play for the Lakers. He has fired his agent and is now representing himself, and begun making disparaging remarks towards the Maloof brothers and the Sacramento Kings: "I do believe [there is] a team out there that can be more committed than Sacramento to me... Now that I'm my own agent, I can get a better feel on how teams really view me because I can represent myself." Joe Maloof fired back today: "Take a deep breath and quit flying off the handle with comments that don't make sense... I hate to say it that way, but that's how I feel...He's just got to settle down."
I know the Kings have not been winning with Artest, but it seemed last off-season that Artest was very happy there. I thought Artest would be a King for the rest of his career. I thought he really enjoyed the relationship the Maloof brothers have with their players. The team stunk in 06-07, just as they did in 07-08. Both years trade rumors involving Ron-Ron swirled. So, I am curious as to what exactly happened recently to make Artest totally change his tune. I'm just going to throw my arms up, I'm flabbergasted. It's just Artest being Artest. It's another feather in Larry Bird's cap, another solid explanation for his thesis: "Why Ron Artest is Not Worth It."
Personally, I think Artest-for-Odom would be great for the Lakers. I don't necessarily understand why the Kings would want to do it. It gives the Lakers some much needed defensive toughness. And offensively, Artest is skilled, so he won't slow down a Lakers offense that really got rolling, scoring 100 points a game after acquiring Pau Gasol, but before running into the Celtics (Yes, I have a huge smile on my face).
-Brett Favre, again. Chicago and Minnesota both have solid teams, if they had quarterbacks who weren't killing them. So, to me, they looked like good fits for Favre if he wants to play next year. But, I can hardly blame Packers GM Ted Thompson for not wanting to trade Favre in-division to either of those teams. So, if he moves out of division, it is rumored that both Carolina and Washington have interest. I don't like Favre going to Washington at all. If he goes there, the Redskins will be abruptly halting Jason Campbell's development. Carolina seems like a better fit, they have a solid defense and he could be a significant upgrade with Jake Delhomme at QB.
Baltimore has been linked to Favre as well, but Ozzie Newsome has been making it clear, "No way." Baltimore seems committed to Troy Smith and Joe Flacco. Kyle Boller can be officially labeled a "bust," if you haven't done so already.
-I really enjoyed the Home Run Derby last night. Save for Rick Reilly and Chris Berman, who did everything in their power to ruin the show for me. Josh Hamilton's 28 HR explosion in the first round was obviously the star of the show. This was no fluke, this kid has finally put his life together. I was a bit put off by his "thanking Jesus" post-game interview with Erin Andrews (in her worst outfit ever), but he's the next great power hitter in the game, along with Ryan Braun.
I don't really think Hamilton tired that much, when he lost in the finals to Morneau. I am more of the opinion that his 71-year old mentor/derby pitcher tired and was not throwing as well as the night went on.
-I want to just make a quick note here. I do not want to say too much without doing any research. Ryan Church is back on the disabled list after the Mets badly botched his concussion issue, and now he could be lost for the season. Mark Mulder obviously has not been right the last few years. He didn't look good earlier this season in the minors and then the bullpen, but the Cardinals still threw him out there for a start. He faced three batters, and he probably won't be heard from again, maybe ever, almost certainly not this season. And to pick a non-baseball story: We all remember Ted Johnson with the Patriots. After he was done playing, Johnson went in front of the ESPN cameras, alleging that Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli often pressured him to play through concussions and concussion-like symptoms.
It's an ugly business. I understand teams wanting to get value for players they invest so heavily in. But, it strikes me as very odd that unions that are supposedly as strong as the player unions would not be able to shield their players from situations like these. Very grim situation. If anyone knows more about this: more examples, more informations, avenues of research. Please, let me know.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Derek Waters Presents Drunk History
Funny Video, part of series, I guess. Michael Cera of Arrested Development and Superbad is in it as Alexander Hamilton.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Method Man- Bring the Pain
-A Ron Artest-Lamar Odom swap was heavily rumored earlier in the offseason, but it seems to have died down. But, its not for a lack of effort on the part of Artest to keep it alive. Artest really wants to play for the Lakers. He has fired his agent and is now representing himself, and begun making disparaging remarks towards the Maloof brothers and the Sacramento Kings: "I do believe [there is] a team out there that can be more committed than Sacramento to me... Now that I'm my own agent, I can get a better feel on how teams really view me because I can represent myself." Joe Maloof fired back today: "Take a deep breath and quit flying off the handle with comments that don't make sense... I hate to say it that way, but that's how I feel...He's just got to settle down."
I know the Kings have not been winning with Artest, but it seemed last off-season that Artest was very happy there. I thought Artest would be a King for the rest of his career. I thought he really enjoyed the relationship the Maloof brothers have with their players. The team stunk in 06-07, just as they did in 07-08. Both years trade rumors involving Ron-Ron swirled. So, I am curious as to what exactly happened recently to make Artest totally change his tune. I'm just going to throw my arms up, I'm flabbergasted. It's just Artest being Artest. It's another feather in Larry Bird's cap, another solid explanation for his thesis: "Why Ron Artest is Not Worth It."
Personally, I think Artest-for-Odom would be great for the Lakers. I don't necessarily understand why the Kings would want to do it. It gives the Lakers some much needed defensive toughness. And offensively, Artest is skilled, so he won't slow down a Lakers offense that really got rolling, scoring 100 points a game after acquiring Pau Gasol, but before running into the Celtics (Yes, I have a huge smile on my face).
-Brett Favre, again. Chicago and Minnesota both have solid teams, if they had quarterbacks who weren't killing them. So, to me, they looked like good fits for Favre if he wants to play next year. But, I can hardly blame Packers GM Ted Thompson for not wanting to trade Favre in-division to either of those teams. So, if he moves out of division, it is rumored that both Carolina and Washington have interest. I don't like Favre going to Washington at all. If he goes there, the Redskins will be abruptly halting Jason Campbell's development. Carolina seems like a better fit, they have a solid defense and he could be a significant upgrade with Jake Delhomme at QB.
Baltimore has been linked to Favre as well, but Ozzie Newsome has been making it clear, "No way." Baltimore seems committed to Troy Smith and Joe Flacco. Kyle Boller can be officially labeled a "bust," if you haven't done so already.
-I really enjoyed the Home Run Derby last night. Save for Rick Reilly and Chris Berman, who did everything in their power to ruin the show for me. Josh Hamilton's 28 HR explosion in the first round was obviously the star of the show. This was no fluke, this kid has finally put his life together. I was a bit put off by his "thanking Jesus" post-game interview with Erin Andrews (in her worst outfit ever), but he's the next great power hitter in the game, along with Ryan Braun.
I don't really think Hamilton tired that much, when he lost in the finals to Morneau. I am more of the opinion that his 71-year old mentor/derby pitcher tired and was not throwing as well as the night went on.
-I want to just make a quick note here. I do not want to say too much without doing any research. Ryan Church is back on the disabled list after the Mets badly botched his concussion issue, and now he could be lost for the season. Mark Mulder obviously has not been right the last few years. He didn't look good earlier this season in the minors and then the bullpen, but the Cardinals still threw him out there for a start. He faced three batters, and he probably won't be heard from again, maybe ever, almost certainly not this season. And to pick a non-baseball story: We all remember Ted Johnson with the Patriots. After he was done playing, Johnson went in front of the ESPN cameras, alleging that Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli often pressured him to play through concussions and concussion-like symptoms.
It's an ugly business. I understand teams wanting to get value for players they invest so heavily in. But, it strikes me as very odd that unions that are supposedly as strong as the player unions would not be able to shield their players from situations like these. Very grim situation. If anyone knows more about this: more examples, more informations, avenues of research. Please, let me know.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Derek Waters Presents Drunk History
Funny Video, part of series, I guess. Michael Cera of Arrested Development and Superbad is in it as Alexander Hamilton.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Method Man- Bring the Pain
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Daily Grind
Sorry for the lack of posts last week. I was extremely busy with work/personal issues. Hopefully I've got a full week of updates this week for my loyal readership. All two of them.
-The Mets won their last nine games going into the All-Star break. And it really looks like they have finally put it together. With the Braves maybe looking past this season, and the Phillies licking their starting pitching wounds, the Mets could really capitalize and win the NL East. Who saw that coming? I didn't.
The Mets' recent run is due to two factors: The unreasonably strong performances by Fernando Tatis and Damion Easley; and the strong top three in the rotation (Pelfrey, Santana, and Maine, not necessarily in that order). The starting pitching should continue to be a strength of the team. It does seem unlikely, however that Tatis (.262 career avg, .292 this season, .370 this last week) and Easley (.286 this season and in the last week, .253 career) will continue their torrid paces. The losses of Ryan Church and Moises Alou for the season will come back to haunt the Mets.
The Mets' schedule for the rest of the season is pretty favorable. Here are a few of reasons why (Please add to this in the comments section if you have more): No more West Coast Road Trips; nine games against the Washington Nationals; farthest trip? 1600 miles to Houston; 35 home games/32 road games.
-The Red Sox are 36-11 at Fenway, and 21-29 on the road and in a virtual tie for the best record in baseball with the Chicago Cubs. Last season, on this date the Sox were 30-15, but 25-20 on the road. I don't often agree with the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo but he said in his column today that the Sox do not need to be as good as their 2007 counterpart to win the World Series this season. I do agree. But, if the Sox falter, and miss the playoffs, their home/road split could be a glaring statistic to be looked at.
-Brett Favre texted the Packers writing, "Give me my helmet or give me my release." The Packers have rightfully decided to do neither. The Packers do not owe Favre anything. They did their due diligence in courting Favre after the season, making sure he really wanted to retire. The management has made it obvious that Aaron Rodgers is their starter next season, even if Favre gives them the better chance to win next year. The Packers probably don't want to keep him as a backup, because as soon as Rodgers has a bad game, or a bad quarter, the fans will call for Favre.
ESPN must be annoyed that Favre gave his longest interview since retiring to Fox News and Greta Van Sustersten (No, I am not bothering to spell check that... I hate Fox News too much. I'll thank them to misspell my name in the future. It's only fair). Did Favre think ESPN would be too hard on him? Has he been watching Sportscenter, the softballs would be coming heavy and frequent.
-Monday comes to an end with James Posey still available on the free agent market. Posey has it down to a 50-50 proposition between Boston and New Orleans. Assuming the Hornets aren't offering a fourth year. I'd be shocked not to see him back with Boston, if all his offers are 3 years.
Much more to come later this week. A short post, I know. I am prepping a full article tomorrow. My first article. Not just little snippets. Stay tuned. I am going to go enjoy the Derby. I got Berkman in the office pool.
-Ted Nolan was let go today as head coach of the New York Islanders. Nolan wanted to win now, Garth Snow wanted to build with youth. It's a fairly typical reason for coaches to be removed from their post by GMs. I feel badly though, because when GM and coaches are on the same page, special things happen. Even when it is not easy. Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge were always in total agreement about what the Celtics were going to do: Win now or build for the future/future trade. And look how well that worked out.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Jose Canseco Sucks at Boxing
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony- First of the Month
-The Mets won their last nine games going into the All-Star break. And it really looks like they have finally put it together. With the Braves maybe looking past this season, and the Phillies licking their starting pitching wounds, the Mets could really capitalize and win the NL East. Who saw that coming? I didn't.
The Mets' recent run is due to two factors: The unreasonably strong performances by Fernando Tatis and Damion Easley; and the strong top three in the rotation (Pelfrey, Santana, and Maine, not necessarily in that order). The starting pitching should continue to be a strength of the team. It does seem unlikely, however that Tatis (.262 career avg, .292 this season, .370 this last week) and Easley (.286 this season and in the last week, .253 career) will continue their torrid paces. The losses of Ryan Church and Moises Alou for the season will come back to haunt the Mets.
The Mets' schedule for the rest of the season is pretty favorable. Here are a few of reasons why (Please add to this in the comments section if you have more): No more West Coast Road Trips; nine games against the Washington Nationals; farthest trip? 1600 miles to Houston; 35 home games/32 road games.
-The Red Sox are 36-11 at Fenway, and 21-29 on the road and in a virtual tie for the best record in baseball with the Chicago Cubs. Last season, on this date the Sox were 30-15, but 25-20 on the road. I don't often agree with the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo but he said in his column today that the Sox do not need to be as good as their 2007 counterpart to win the World Series this season. I do agree. But, if the Sox falter, and miss the playoffs, their home/road split could be a glaring statistic to be looked at.
-Brett Favre texted the Packers writing, "Give me my helmet or give me my release." The Packers have rightfully decided to do neither. The Packers do not owe Favre anything. They did their due diligence in courting Favre after the season, making sure he really wanted to retire. The management has made it obvious that Aaron Rodgers is their starter next season, even if Favre gives them the better chance to win next year. The Packers probably don't want to keep him as a backup, because as soon as Rodgers has a bad game, or a bad quarter, the fans will call for Favre.
ESPN must be annoyed that Favre gave his longest interview since retiring to Fox News and Greta Van Sustersten (No, I am not bothering to spell check that... I hate Fox News too much. I'll thank them to misspell my name in the future. It's only fair). Did Favre think ESPN would be too hard on him? Has he been watching Sportscenter, the softballs would be coming heavy and frequent.
-Monday comes to an end with James Posey still available on the free agent market. Posey has it down to a 50-50 proposition between Boston and New Orleans. Assuming the Hornets aren't offering a fourth year. I'd be shocked not to see him back with Boston, if all his offers are 3 years.
Much more to come later this week. A short post, I know. I am prepping a full article tomorrow. My first article. Not just little snippets. Stay tuned. I am going to go enjoy the Derby. I got Berkman in the office pool.
-Ted Nolan was let go today as head coach of the New York Islanders. Nolan wanted to win now, Garth Snow wanted to build with youth. It's a fairly typical reason for coaches to be removed from their post by GMs. I feel badly though, because when GM and coaches are on the same page, special things happen. Even when it is not easy. Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge were always in total agreement about what the Celtics were going to do: Win now or build for the future/future trade. And look how well that worked out.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Jose Canseco Sucks at Boxing
ATLANTIC CITY -- Jose Canseco was knocked out by former Philadelphia Eagles return man Vai Sikahema in their celebrity boxing match Saturday. Canseco's size advantage -- he is 6-foot-4, 245 pounds to Sikahema's 5-9, 205 -- was not a factor in the bout, which was over in the first round. "When you step inside the square circle," Sikahema said, according to the Press of Atlantic City, "don't ever think that your size is going to matter because in Philadelphia, we will chop you down." Sikahema was asked if there were any surprises. "That it didn't finish in the first 30 seconds," he said. Sikahema, who is also a sportscaster, has some experience in the ring. He has had more than 80 fights as an amateur boxer, according to the Press. Canseco said he had a background in martial arts.Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony- First of the Month
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Daily Grind
-I think I have to get it off right here with explaining why I hate Rick Reilly. In his latest "Life of Reilly" column, Reilly writes about the last few months of Yankee Stadium. He interviews Yankees players like Derek Jeter and Joba Chamberlain, and they joke about taking the whole stadium with them. Har Har. The column starts out with: "Yankee Stadium is our Roman Coliseum, our sports Louvre, our Delphi." Ugh. What does that tell the reader about Yankee Stadium? I am sure Reilly has been to Yankee Stadium plenty of times, but you would never know it from reading the column. It is his column! Express some opinion, emote a little, because you're not that funny, Rick!
Ken Tremendous of FireJoeMorgan.com put it pretty well, discussing another Reilly column, which was about athletes going bankrupt:
-The Sixers moved some contracts to clear the room to sign Elton Brand to a 5 year/82 million dollar deal. The Sixers' starting lineup now looks like this: Andre Miller, Andre Igoudala,
Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. Wow. They need to beef up the bench little bit, but this could be the third best team in the Eastern Conference if Detroit dismantles and Cleveland stands pat. Brand reneges on his word to the Clippers, which leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But, this is a dog-eat-dog world, and to me, its really just another day in the world of professional sports these days. Suddenly, the Baron Davis signing is a lot less significant.
The Warriors panicked after losing out on Davis and Brand, and offered an over-sized contract to Corey Maggette. I cannot blame Maggette for taking the money. It was not exactly a small difference in money: 10 bills from the Warriors, 5 and change from the Spurs and Celtics. I always thought in the back of my head that Maggette was too young (28) to take a discount to win a championship.
-The Cubs countered quickly after the Brewers' move for Sabathia, acquiring Rich Harden. Harden was the best starting pitcher available. Harden only has 26 starts in the past 3 seasons, and has only topped 30 once in his career. It is a mammoth risk for the Cubs, especially since they gave up Sean Gallagher, a starting pitcher who was not far from contributing. But, the Cubs are looking to win this year, and GM Jim Hendry had to make the deal to get in Harden, a starting pitcher who can contribute now.
The Cardinals are probably in third place for good now, unless they can make their own huge move. And they probably can't. The Brewers and the Cubs play ten more times this season, including a three-game series in Milwaukee to close out the season. Assuming Harden and Sheets stay healthy, this could be really exciting. And, if you look around the league, at all six divisions, the NL Central divisional race has the best chance to stay exciting through the final week of the season.
-If Brett Favre wants to play Monday September 8th at Green Bay, he should have to do it for the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers' brass seems to be saying all the right things. Favre does not, I hope, have a place there. Aaron Rodgers has earned the starting job there. But, then again, Favre probably gives the Packers the best chance to compete for the Super Bowl this coming season. If Favre plays for the Pack this season, and they win the Super Bowl, in my book, it will be a black mark on his Hall of Fame career. He will have selfishly walked back into Green Bay, a place where he was already King, and will take back what is not his anymore in the starting quarterback job.
-The AL East has tightened over the last few days. The Yankees swept the Rays, and the Red Sox swept the Twins. The Yankees still need to demonstrate more consistency in order to get back into the discussion: 27-22 at home, 22-20 on the road, 19-17 against the AL East. The Red Sox and the Rays have demonstrated this season, time and time again, the ability to bounce back after losing a few games in a road. The Yankees seem to match every four-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak.
They just plugged the Reilly column on Sportscenter. I hate that fucking guy. I am tired anyway, but let's blame Reilly for me needing to wrap this up.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Don't Go in the No Zone
I passed Drivers Ed. I never got my license. We watched this video. It was really hip and funky. And I know better to drive near trucks.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Big Daddy Kane- Ain't No Half-Steppin'
Ken Tremendous of FireJoeMorgan.com put it pretty well, discussing another Reilly column, which was about athletes going bankrupt:
It's not just NBA players who have the fiscal sense of the Taco Bell Chihuahua.Reilly as a writer, as lauded as himself, never seems to offer any real insight. He just wants to make a cheap joke, or a cheap allusion, and be done with it. Let's compare this to Joe Posnanski, who also recently discussed the impending end of Yankee Stadium. Talking about time he had spent there during Game 4 of the 2001 World Series:
Some questions.
1. Why the Taco Bell Chihuahua? Did the Taco Bell Chihuahua famously live large? Did he make it rain in Chihuahua nightclubs? Are beagles famously more thrifty, or something?
2. The Taco Bell Chihuahua hasn't even been used in Taco Bell commercials since the year 2000. Why drag him out of reference retirement now...in the context of people who spend a lot of money?
3. How much are they paying Reilly, again?
I take something from that. I have been to Yankee Stadium once. It was a meaningless (by comparison) game midsummer against the Angels. And it is just an extraordinary place to watch a baseball game. The crowd really gets into it. The vantage points are spectacular, and even far away (I was in the bleachers), you can really see the game. I am sad to see Yankee Stadium, I understand it is time, but its a baseball landmark you just wish could stay up forever. I can understand why Posnanski is sad to see it go. I cannot under if Reilly is sad to see it go. Oh wait, he is sad to see it go, because the new Stadium is going to have a *GASP* HD video screen:
I looked around the stadium and noticed that no one was leaving. Instead, everyone in Yankee Stadium was standing, and they were all singing “New York, New York“ with Frank Sinatra. And when the record ended, it started up again, and still nobody left, still everyone stood at their seats and sang with Ol’ Blue Eyes, these little town blues, are melting away, and it was probably the most emotional thing I’ve ever been a part of as a sportswriter. It was all there — New York at midnight, Ground Zero still on our minds, a home run in the 10th inning, Sinatra singing, ”I want to be a part of it.“
He's going to play in the opener of that new Yankee Stadium next year, with its 50 soulless luxury boxes and its 416 "party suites" and all the quiet they'll bring, and he's going to see a Hard Rock Cafe and a pair of electronic hands on the new high-def scoreboard telling fans to "CLAP!!!" And he'll go home after that game, weep softly, and hug what he stole very, very tightly.Okay, Rick, so you have explained-well, you put words in Jeter's mouth- and told your readers why he is sad to see Yankee Stadium go. And you are sad to see Yankee Stadium go because its going to fancier, glitzier, in the 2000s. I am always put off by sportswriters and commentators who bemoan how the game will never be like it once was. Yeah, it won't be, it'll never be again. Let's celebrate the game as it now. And, if you can't do that, why are you a sportswriter? How can you be a sportswriter if you aren't a fan? Oh I missed it! Reilly, like Posnanski, explained why he'll be sad to see Yankee Stadium go. I cannot believe I missed it:
Where do you start in a place that has more history than Barbara Walters' closet? This is the joint that saw three popes serve Mass, heard the "Win one for the Gipper!" speech, watched the first sudden death NFL game ever played.Oh boy! You summed up why you'll miss Yankee Stadium by referencing Barbara Walters. And the other moments? Rick, you weren't fucking there! For the most part, none of us were! You didn't give me a single reason that makes Yankee Stadium that I couldn't find on Yankee Stadiums' wikipedia page! Joe Posnanski's column isn't better because he has a better story to tell. It is better because he is sharing his story. I doubt very much that Reilly is as good a writer as Poz anyway. But he could have at least given himself a fighting chance if he wasn't more concerned with recyclable quotes from Jeter and Barbara Walters and Giambi's thong jokes.
-The Sixers moved some contracts to clear the room to sign Elton Brand to a 5 year/82 million dollar deal. The Sixers' starting lineup now looks like this: Andre Miller, Andre Igoudala,
Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. Wow. They need to beef up the bench little bit, but this could be the third best team in the Eastern Conference if Detroit dismantles and Cleveland stands pat. Brand reneges on his word to the Clippers, which leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But, this is a dog-eat-dog world, and to me, its really just another day in the world of professional sports these days. Suddenly, the Baron Davis signing is a lot less significant.
The Warriors panicked after losing out on Davis and Brand, and offered an over-sized contract to Corey Maggette. I cannot blame Maggette for taking the money. It was not exactly a small difference in money: 10 bills from the Warriors, 5 and change from the Spurs and Celtics. I always thought in the back of my head that Maggette was too young (28) to take a discount to win a championship.
-The Cubs countered quickly after the Brewers' move for Sabathia, acquiring Rich Harden. Harden was the best starting pitcher available. Harden only has 26 starts in the past 3 seasons, and has only topped 30 once in his career. It is a mammoth risk for the Cubs, especially since they gave up Sean Gallagher, a starting pitcher who was not far from contributing. But, the Cubs are looking to win this year, and GM Jim Hendry had to make the deal to get in Harden, a starting pitcher who can contribute now.
The Cardinals are probably in third place for good now, unless they can make their own huge move. And they probably can't. The Brewers and the Cubs play ten more times this season, including a three-game series in Milwaukee to close out the season. Assuming Harden and Sheets stay healthy, this could be really exciting. And, if you look around the league, at all six divisions, the NL Central divisional race has the best chance to stay exciting through the final week of the season.
-If Brett Favre wants to play Monday September 8th at Green Bay, he should have to do it for the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers' brass seems to be saying all the right things. Favre does not, I hope, have a place there. Aaron Rodgers has earned the starting job there. But, then again, Favre probably gives the Packers the best chance to compete for the Super Bowl this coming season. If Favre plays for the Pack this season, and they win the Super Bowl, in my book, it will be a black mark on his Hall of Fame career. He will have selfishly walked back into Green Bay, a place where he was already King, and will take back what is not his anymore in the starting quarterback job.
-The AL East has tightened over the last few days. The Yankees swept the Rays, and the Red Sox swept the Twins. The Yankees still need to demonstrate more consistency in order to get back into the discussion: 27-22 at home, 22-20 on the road, 19-17 against the AL East. The Red Sox and the Rays have demonstrated this season, time and time again, the ability to bounce back after losing a few games in a road. The Yankees seem to match every four-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak.
They just plugged the Reilly column on Sportscenter. I hate that fucking guy. I am tired anyway, but let's blame Reilly for me needing to wrap this up.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Don't Go in the No Zone
I passed Drivers Ed. I never got my license. We watched this video. It was really hip and funky. And I know better to drive near trucks.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Big Daddy Kane- Ain't No Half-Steppin'
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Daily Grind
I thought today I would dive into some links and so forth. It is a lazy column, in the sense that I will not be on my soapbox as much as usual. That is mostly because, look at the papers, there isn't much to get into. I'll do what I have to, and get into the links/thoughts on other writers, because I am excited to do that.
-The Sox had a 3-7 road trip. But won tonight on their first game on a six-game homestand against their chief Wild Card rival, the Minnesota Twins. Their Wild Card lead is at 1.5 games, still fairly tenuous with two more games against the Twins. Blackburn vs. Lester and Hernandez vs. Beckett are the next two pitching match-ups. It is probably safe to give the Sox the edge in those next two games.
-I do not wish to bother commenting on the All-Star game selections. Keith Law wrote it so well, and really covered all the bases. So, just read his column here. NOTE: Its one of those free ESPN Insider dealies. So, if the page becomes locked. Let me know. I have the text saved.
-The more I think about it. The Indians seemed in an unnecessary hurry to deal C.C. Sabathia. They got a nice haul from the Brewers in Matt LaPorta, and some other pieces. Maybe they would have been able to get more for Sabathia. Maybe they would not have, because those are two top-shelf prospects. But, it is unlikely that that deal gets pulled off the table by the Brewers at any point between last Sunday night and the trade deadline.
-The Mets were up 8-0 tonight against the Phillies. It is now a 10-7 game in the Mets' favor. Only the Mets could do this. A freakshow of a major league team. UPDATE: The Mets won a squeaker 10-9. This team is pathetic.
-Onto the blogs and links. First up, I have pimped Joe Posnanski here before. I will do it again. View From the Press Box, Dr. Stat Attacks, and The Grady Chronicles are three of his latest columns. Each one highlights another strength of Posnanski's as a writer; one is funny (Stat), one is sentimental while being thoughtful and authentic (Press Box); and one is deeply analytical (read: stats, stats and more stats) without being boring and drawn out (Grady).
-Jeff of CelticsBlog.com is the head writer of the aforementioned site, and a solid writer overall. He writes rather eloquently and thoughtfully from the position of a die-hard fan. His latest column made me rather uncomfortable as a Celtics fan:
-Steve Weinman, also of CelticsBlog.com is another frequent read of mine. He covers the NBA as a whole for the site, and his inclusion on the site is certainly a reason the site stands out from other NBA team blogs around the 'Net. He has written two solid columns in the past days concerning Nenad Kristic and Jameer Nelson. He goes into great detail about the two, and how they have probably underachieved in the eyes of their teams, who probably did like them more than other teams' scouts and personnel departments.
-Neil Best's Watchdog blog out of New York City is probably my favorite Sports Media Blog. Best, since he does work for the New York Post, does favor the NYC scene. But he does do a strong job covering sports television and radio on the whole. He got an early jump, breaking the story about the possible breakup of Mike and the Mad Dog.
-I also read Boston Sports Media Watch, which is a mixed bag for me. I enjoy their coverage of Boston sports media personalities, especially their approval ratings pages. But, I am turned off by their attempts to analyze the sports themselves. I find it to be lackluster compared to some of the better offerings out there, some of which I have highlighted here.
-In time I will start discussing college football soon. The Wizard of Odds blog is the best college football blog I have found. It is updated fairly regularly during the off-season, which is important to me, for when I get the urge for some REAL football (I do hate the NFL, by comparison, that cannot go understated). A lot of the off-season post are concerning the massive amount of arrest piled up by members of Mark Richt (Georgia) and Nick Saban's (Alabama) crews respectively. I was particularly fond of this article from last fall, concerning former Miami Dolphins OT, a member of their undefeated 1972 team, and Notre Dame alum, Bob Kuechenberg. Kuechenberg feels that Charlie Weis, on top of all the losing he's been doing... Quick side note: Remember, Weis has not won a good game in his time at Notre Dame. I don't care about recruiting classes, which have been supposedly better than Ty Willingham's, his teams haven't been better than Willingham's. Back to point, Kuechenberg feels like, in addition to the losing, Weis has not been concilatory to the Notre Dame alum and the Notre Dame administration. Here's a taste:
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus Trailer
I recently watched this documentary for the second time. Its a very interesting movie. The alt-country and folk music interpersed in the film is fairly impressive. Jim White narrates the film, and guides its filmmakers through a journey of the deep South. The Deep South. I cannot emphasize that enough. Just watch the trailer. Its not about sports, so I am not smart enough to articulate what a breath of fresh air the film was, what a unique experience it was, how it exposed me to a world I have never known and probably never will.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Geto Boys- My Mind Playing Tricks on Me
-The Sox had a 3-7 road trip. But won tonight on their first game on a six-game homestand against their chief Wild Card rival, the Minnesota Twins. Their Wild Card lead is at 1.5 games, still fairly tenuous with two more games against the Twins. Blackburn vs. Lester and Hernandez vs. Beckett are the next two pitching match-ups. It is probably safe to give the Sox the edge in those next two games.
-I do not wish to bother commenting on the All-Star game selections. Keith Law wrote it so well, and really covered all the bases. So, just read his column here. NOTE: Its one of those free ESPN Insider dealies. So, if the page becomes locked. Let me know. I have the text saved.
-The more I think about it. The Indians seemed in an unnecessary hurry to deal C.C. Sabathia. They got a nice haul from the Brewers in Matt LaPorta, and some other pieces. Maybe they would have been able to get more for Sabathia. Maybe they would not have, because those are two top-shelf prospects. But, it is unlikely that that deal gets pulled off the table by the Brewers at any point between last Sunday night and the trade deadline.
-The Mets were up 8-0 tonight against the Phillies. It is now a 10-7 game in the Mets' favor. Only the Mets could do this. A freakshow of a major league team. UPDATE: The Mets won a squeaker 10-9. This team is pathetic.
-Onto the blogs and links. First up, I have pimped Joe Posnanski here before. I will do it again. View From the Press Box, Dr. Stat Attacks, and The Grady Chronicles are three of his latest columns. Each one highlights another strength of Posnanski's as a writer; one is funny (Stat), one is sentimental while being thoughtful and authentic (Press Box); and one is deeply analytical (read: stats, stats and more stats) without being boring and drawn out (Grady).
-Jeff of CelticsBlog.com is the head writer of the aforementioned site, and a solid writer overall. He writes rather eloquently and thoughtfully from the position of a die-hard fan. His latest column made me rather uncomfortable as a Celtics fan:
So, the Celtics are going to lose Posey, not sign Maggette, but they will sign Tyronn Lue and Michael Pietrus? He better be wrong... God, is that depressing. I will rant more about this on Wednesday, and the days that follow. When Posey and Maggette are definitely going elsewhere. Anyway, Jeff's always had good stuff. He always coveted Kevin Garnett. Man, was he right about that one.I hate losing Posey and there's still a chance that he'll accept less money to say in Beantown (or that the Celtics will up the ante and give him market value) but I'm not banking on it.
So moving on, here's some additions that could find their way to Boston.
I'll go ahead and predict that the Birdman will be signed. Then we''ll bring in someone to battle Gabe Pruitt for the backup PG spot - lets pencil in Tyronn Lue, though I'm not crazy about that pick. (If House can be convinced to come back, I'd prefer him)
So that's 9 players on the current roster, plus the 2 stateside rookies, plus the 2 additions above. To finish out the roster we'll need 2 more live bodies.
I think Danny will target Mickael Pietrus to sort-of replace the defense we lose with Posey.
For the last spot, I'm thinking Danny will take a flyer on a high risk, high reward type of guy. I'm thinking either Shawn Livingston or maybe even Darius Miles.
-Steve Weinman, also of CelticsBlog.com is another frequent read of mine. He covers the NBA as a whole for the site, and his inclusion on the site is certainly a reason the site stands out from other NBA team blogs around the 'Net. He has written two solid columns in the past days concerning Nenad Kristic and Jameer Nelson. He goes into great detail about the two, and how they have probably underachieved in the eyes of their teams, who probably did like them more than other teams' scouts and personnel departments.
-Neil Best's Watchdog blog out of New York City is probably my favorite Sports Media Blog. Best, since he does work for the New York Post, does favor the NYC scene. But he does do a strong job covering sports television and radio on the whole. He got an early jump, breaking the story about the possible breakup of Mike and the Mad Dog.
-I also read Boston Sports Media Watch, which is a mixed bag for me. I enjoy their coverage of Boston sports media personalities, especially their approval ratings pages. But, I am turned off by their attempts to analyze the sports themselves. I find it to be lackluster compared to some of the better offerings out there, some of which I have highlighted here.
-In time I will start discussing college football soon. The Wizard of Odds blog is the best college football blog I have found. It is updated fairly regularly during the off-season, which is important to me, for when I get the urge for some REAL football (I do hate the NFL, by comparison, that cannot go understated). A lot of the off-season post are concerning the massive amount of arrest piled up by members of Mark Richt (Georgia) and Nick Saban's (Alabama) crews respectively. I was particularly fond of this article from last fall, concerning former Miami Dolphins OT, a member of their undefeated 1972 team, and Notre Dame alum, Bob Kuechenberg. Kuechenberg feels that Charlie Weis, on top of all the losing he's been doing... Quick side note: Remember, Weis has not won a good game in his time at Notre Dame. I don't care about recruiting classes, which have been supposedly better than Ty Willingham's, his teams haven't been better than Willingham's. Back to point, Kuechenberg feels like, in addition to the losing, Weis has not been concilatory to the Notre Dame alum and the Notre Dame administration. Here's a taste:
“I want to start the movement — Charlie’s last name is four letters, and so is ogre, because that’s what he is. Look it up, and you’ll find some other adjectives that fit him to a tee.So, that's the stuff for today. I had a good time. I read a ton more blogs/sites on a fairly regular basis, so I will tap this well again. It may not be a full article again, but a blurb here and there. Just to plug a good site maybe not all my readers' know about. But, then again, if you're reading my blog, you should have already found all of the above sites. But, if you haven't: ESPN recently launched a site. They seem to have a lot going on over there. Check it out.
“This man has not been a good ... human being might be a little bit broad ... but this man has not been good to anybody who came to Notre Dame. Within the Notre Dame family, when former All-American players say to a man that this guy’s an [expletive], and for no reason, to me it’s karma that he’s getting his ass handed to him.”
Kuechenberg was just getting started. Weis came aboard three years ago when Notre Dame was in a vulnerable position, having lost George O'Leary to a resume flap and Urban Meyer to Florida. Weis was able to get the university to renegotiate his six-year deal into a 10-year deal after only seven games by getting his name involved with several expected NFL openings.
“In the face of all of those embarrassments, to then have Charlie Weis back out on you a couple of weeks into his career would have been really embarrassing, which is probably why they succumbed to that type of blackmail,” Kuechenberg said. “It’s the mark of the man. I can see after a couple of years to say let’s talk about an extension. But right away? It’s karmic justice that Charlie Weis is getting what he deserves for his actions.”
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus Trailer
I recently watched this documentary for the second time. Its a very interesting movie. The alt-country and folk music interpersed in the film is fairly impressive. Jim White narrates the film, and guides its filmmakers through a journey of the deep South. The Deep South. I cannot emphasize that enough. Just watch the trailer. Its not about sports, so I am not smart enough to articulate what a breath of fresh air the film was, what a unique experience it was, how it exposed me to a world I have never known and probably never will.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Geto Boys- My Mind Playing Tricks on Me
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The Daily Grind
And the title, "The Daily Grind" never looks more true than today. I am exhausted from a weekend on the Cape. I feel like I did an admirable job against the odds to keep up with the sports weekend, which was fairly busy.
-I watched more tennis this weekend than I have ever watched in my life, so I do not profess to be an expert. I watched most of Federer-Nadal and Federer-Safin. In both matches, I was constantly amazed by how much more energy Federer's opponents had to use. Federer was seemingly more graceful; panting, groaning and sweating less than his opponents. Nadal's win today was a thrilling one, and one he almost blew after being up two sets to none. It was his first time beating Federer on grass for a grand slam title. Look the rankings to flip-flop, with Nadal now the number one tennis player in the world. Federer failed in his bid to become the first male to win Wimbeldon six years in a row. The man Federer was looking to eclipse, Bjorn Borg, must have been shown on the NBC telecast at least once between every commercial break. Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani also got ample screen time.
-Terry Francona has made two brutal strategic moves in the last four games going into tonight's rubber match. In the final game of the Tampa series, Francona calls for a hit and run with Varitek at the plate and Lowell at first with no outs. The slowest bat on the team, and one of their slowest base-runners. The result was two very quick outs, and getting Wheeler out of tough situation.
And of course, the other situation was a non-move in Saturday's Yankee-Red Sox game. The Red Sox loaded the bases against Mariano Riviera with no outs. Crisp, Varitek and Lugo were due up in that order. Not exactly murderer's row. I thought Crisp should have been used to employ the suicide squeeze to bring Drew, a relatively adept base runner. It would have been a tie game, with one out. But, Francona just lets Crisp and Varitek swing away, hoping one of them could sky a deep flyball out. He certainly could not have thought either of them would get a hit.
-C.C. Sabathia has apparently been traded just now to the Milwaukee Brewers, according to ESPN.com. The Brewers only had to part with one major prospect in Matt LaPorta. And, if the Brewers let Sabathia walk after this season, they will receive a compensatory first round pick in the 2009 amateur draft. So, its not dump deal for the Brewers, they could draft a player of LaPorta's quality with that pick. Jacoby Ellsbury was picked with the compensatory pick Boston received for letting Martinez walk.
-Suddenly, Milwaukee is tied with St. Louis at 3.5 GB of the Cubs. The Cardinals will probably start to fade if they don't make a move to bolster their starting pitching. Kyle Lohse has been brilliant lately, but he is Kyle Lohse, he shouldn't be able to keep it up, but don't tell STL pitching coach Dave Duncan that. LaRussa, desperate for starting pitching, is throwing Mark Mulder out against Philadelphia on Wednesday. Probably not a great move, since Mulder was poor in his rehab stint in the minors, and has given up 2 runs and 4 hits in 1 1/3 innings in his bullpen appearances since being activated. All in all, St. Louis has been a good story this year, piecing together a competitive team without their top two pitchers in Mulder and Chris Carpenter.
-I do feel bad for the Philadelphia 76ers. They have been courting Josh Smith pretty agressively, but since he is a restricted free agent, their interest is probably just serving to drive up the price Atlanta will match. The Sixers Corey Maggette, who is entertaining full MLE offers (5.8 million a year) from championship contenders in San Antonio and Boston. I think Maggette will sign with either the Celtics or the Spurs, but if he chooses to go Philadelphia, they will have to pay him a ton more money than either of the two superior teams would have to.
-Elton Brand is apparently still mulling the five-year, 90 million dollar offer from the Warriors. Brand opted out of his current deal, but promised the Clippers he'd be back with a new contract. I am surprised he has been mulling for this long, especially since the money from the Clippers should still be good, though probably smaller per-year than 17.8 million he turned down. I remember when Kobe Bryant was a free agent, and he was entertaining maximum deals from both Los Angeles basketball clubs. The Clippers and GM Elgin Baylor have had far too many late nights. It cannot be easy to sleep when players of Bryant and Brand's caliber might sign with your team, or they might bolt for a crosstown (or cross-state) rival. If Brand does sign with Golden State, Baylor might look to bring Maggette back for big money. A Davis-Maggette backcourt could be pretty solid still.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Japanese Mass Transportation
And I thought my morning commute was tough. I mailed this in. I am focusing on the Braves/Astros (just ended) and Red Sox, not in the mood to watch silly videos. I mailed this in. Let's never speak of it again.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Kool Moe Dee- Wild Wild West
I actually hate this song. It is so old school it hurts. It's cheesy too... I totally mailed in the videos today. Go me.
-I watched more tennis this weekend than I have ever watched in my life, so I do not profess to be an expert. I watched most of Federer-Nadal and Federer-Safin. In both matches, I was constantly amazed by how much more energy Federer's opponents had to use. Federer was seemingly more graceful; panting, groaning and sweating less than his opponents. Nadal's win today was a thrilling one, and one he almost blew after being up two sets to none. It was his first time beating Federer on grass for a grand slam title. Look the rankings to flip-flop, with Nadal now the number one tennis player in the world. Federer failed in his bid to become the first male to win Wimbeldon six years in a row. The man Federer was looking to eclipse, Bjorn Borg, must have been shown on the NBC telecast at least once between every commercial break. Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani also got ample screen time.
-Terry Francona has made two brutal strategic moves in the last four games going into tonight's rubber match. In the final game of the Tampa series, Francona calls for a hit and run with Varitek at the plate and Lowell at first with no outs. The slowest bat on the team, and one of their slowest base-runners. The result was two very quick outs, and getting Wheeler out of tough situation.
And of course, the other situation was a non-move in Saturday's Yankee-Red Sox game. The Red Sox loaded the bases against Mariano Riviera with no outs. Crisp, Varitek and Lugo were due up in that order. Not exactly murderer's row. I thought Crisp should have been used to employ the suicide squeeze to bring Drew, a relatively adept base runner. It would have been a tie game, with one out. But, Francona just lets Crisp and Varitek swing away, hoping one of them could sky a deep flyball out. He certainly could not have thought either of them would get a hit.
-C.C. Sabathia has apparently been traded just now to the Milwaukee Brewers, according to ESPN.com. The Brewers only had to part with one major prospect in Matt LaPorta. And, if the Brewers let Sabathia walk after this season, they will receive a compensatory first round pick in the 2009 amateur draft. So, its not dump deal for the Brewers, they could draft a player of LaPorta's quality with that pick. Jacoby Ellsbury was picked with the compensatory pick Boston received for letting Martinez walk.
-Suddenly, Milwaukee is tied with St. Louis at 3.5 GB of the Cubs. The Cardinals will probably start to fade if they don't make a move to bolster their starting pitching. Kyle Lohse has been brilliant lately, but he is Kyle Lohse, he shouldn't be able to keep it up, but don't tell STL pitching coach Dave Duncan that. LaRussa, desperate for starting pitching, is throwing Mark Mulder out against Philadelphia on Wednesday. Probably not a great move, since Mulder was poor in his rehab stint in the minors, and has given up 2 runs and 4 hits in 1 1/3 innings in his bullpen appearances since being activated. All in all, St. Louis has been a good story this year, piecing together a competitive team without their top two pitchers in Mulder and Chris Carpenter.
-I do feel bad for the Philadelphia 76ers. They have been courting Josh Smith pretty agressively, but since he is a restricted free agent, their interest is probably just serving to drive up the price Atlanta will match. The Sixers Corey Maggette, who is entertaining full MLE offers (5.8 million a year) from championship contenders in San Antonio and Boston. I think Maggette will sign with either the Celtics or the Spurs, but if he chooses to go Philadelphia, they will have to pay him a ton more money than either of the two superior teams would have to.
-Elton Brand is apparently still mulling the five-year, 90 million dollar offer from the Warriors. Brand opted out of his current deal, but promised the Clippers he'd be back with a new contract. I am surprised he has been mulling for this long, especially since the money from the Clippers should still be good, though probably smaller per-year than 17.8 million he turned down. I remember when Kobe Bryant was a free agent, and he was entertaining maximum deals from both Los Angeles basketball clubs. The Clippers and GM Elgin Baylor have had far too many late nights. It cannot be easy to sleep when players of Bryant and Brand's caliber might sign with your team, or they might bolt for a crosstown (or cross-state) rival. If Brand does sign with Golden State, Baylor might look to bring Maggette back for big money. A Davis-Maggette backcourt could be pretty solid still.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Japanese Mass Transportation
And I thought my morning commute was tough. I mailed this in. I am focusing on the Braves/Astros (just ended) and Red Sox, not in the mood to watch silly videos. I mailed this in. Let's never speak of it again.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Kool Moe Dee- Wild Wild West
I actually hate this song. It is so old school it hurts. It's cheesy too... I totally mailed in the videos today. Go me.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Live Blog: Sox-Rays, 6-2-08
-11:07pm: After five minutes of searching. I located Wheeler BABIP, or a graph of an estimation of it. Right here. It's about .180, it was over .300 last year. The Sox have got their hits this inning, indicating that BABIP is too to come back to Earth as the season draws on for Wheeler.
Francona employs an awful hit and run with Varitek hitting and Lowell running. 2 outs, no one on, and the Sox need a run to tie, 6-7. Terribe idea by Tito. As Dirty Dave put it, "a hit and run with your slowest bat and slowest baserunner."
Varitek, in due form, strikes out to end the game. I didn't even see it. I was still lamenting the awful hit and run attempt. Tampa Bay sweeps the Red Sox to grab a 3.5 game lead in the AL East. Road teams still winless in the series.
I'm out now... Exhausted. Dissapointed by the Sox. Even if my fandom is wavering these days. What with all the Red Sox Nation stuff. Etc. A rant for another day. I am still upset to see the Sox lose a game in the manner they did tonight.
-10:55pm: Ramirez hits a groundout to Bartlett at short. Bartlett botches the throw to first. Tampa's awful defense in the last two games continues. The 5th error, I believe in the last two games. Lowell is batting, representing the tying run.
-10:54pm: Lopez pitches a solid 8th inning. A great job out of him 1.2 IP, really stopped the bleeding for the Sox. Ramirez, Lowell and Youkilis are due in the top of 9th. Against Dan Wheeler, who has been absolutely sensational with a 1.88 ERA and 20 holds.
WOW! These Division Collision promos are so fucking intense!! I want to drive my head through a wall...
-10:42pm: It'd be nice to see Pedroia collect a single here, and hit for the cycle. The first for the Sox since John Valentin in 1995.
In related news, it'd be nice to see Pedroia hit a homerun here, and make it a one-run game.
In related related news, well, actually-related story: A customer at the Red Sox Team Store approached my friend Joe on the sales floor. Asking if we had any "Petey jerseys." Joe responds appropriately enough, "Oh no, we don't have any Pedro Martinez jerseys on the sales floor. Maybe you could try our website." The customer wrinkles his forehead, and gives Joe an obvious look, "No, we called Pedroia, 'Petey...'" This isn't common, is it? Yeah, I know it's not common.
In related related related news, Pedroia is still a single short of the cycle after hitting a double to bring the Sox to within two, 5-7 with two outs in the 7th.
-10:36pm: That was a solid 25-minute half-inning as we enter the top of the 8th. The race begins for the Sox, they need at least 3 runs before they get six outs here. All of this against the Rays' bullpen which sports a 3.18 ERA good for 5th in the league. They are without Percival, who was placed on the DL today, but I am still not going to bet against them, the way the Sox are swinging the bat these days.
-10:29pm: The inning is finally over with Akinori Iwamura not holding back a checked swing. The Rays finish the seventh frame with 6 runs, not quite able to catch the Yankees' 9-run 7th.
-10:26pm: It is not time to laugh yet. Jason Bartlett registered his second hit of the inning. Two more in for the Rays, 7-4.
-10:25pm: Gabe Gross and Javier Lopez locked in a tight lefty-lefty battle here. Advantage: Lopez. One out left, and Red Sox and Rangers fans alike can laugh about their crazy seventh innings as if they're distant memories.
-10:20pm: Oh! I promised the final line for Warner Madrigal: .1 IP/5H/6ER/1BB/26 pitches... Scary... The Bombers now lead 15-7 after putting up 9 in the 7th inning.
David Aardsma records an out with runners on second and third. Intentionally walks Navarro to load up the bases. Javier Lopez is coming, the fourth pitcher of this interminable 7th inning for the Sox.
-10:13pm: Okay. I finally found the stat I was looking for. And yes, Texas's bullpen ERA is 29th in the league with a 4.75 ERA.
Also, Craig Hansen just walked in a run to make it a 4-3 game. No outs in the 7th, bases drunk of Rays. The mood in the room has deteriorated rapidly. With Longoria up at the plate, Dave chimes in "The stars are aligned for a grand slam here." A 2-run double is close enough to prophetic there. Point for Dave.
I cannot overstate the deteriorating mood in the room. I was going nuts trying to find sortable team stats on ESPN or MLB. When I calmed down, I finally found myself at the page. I have been there a million times before. All of this while Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen give away the game.
I will give others the link. So you won't suffer with me. Another NESN Comedy All-Stars promo. I am twitching like a mad man.
-10:06pm: Pratt wanted to watch the Yankee game just now. With Varitek up with two outs and runners on the corners, he tells me, "Just write 'Varitek struck out on three pitches and be done with it.'" Well, that's what happened. The man is a prophet, or Varitek just isn't very good... Or both.
Just an update on the Yankee game: Madrigal surprisingly did not pitch well making his major league debut trying to protect a one-run lead in Yankee Stadium. He has now given up 3 earned runs without recording an out. He is still pitching. This is a running line for now. I feel compelled to report back with his complete line. I don't know what Ron Washington is thinking. I know the Rangers' bullpen is not stellar by any means, but they must have been able to find someone to spell this kid sooner, he can't buy an out. A bad decision by Washington to test out a virgin arm at Yankee Stadium in a tight game. There are so many ways I can write how bad a decision this was. I tried looking up Texas' bullpen ERA. When I find it. I'll put it up here.
While I was tearing my hair out trying to figure this out Manny Delcarmen came in and gave up 3 hits, without recording an out, inching the Rays closer at 4-2. Craig Hansen in with two on and no outs. Sox fans are overrun with confidence now.
-9:49pm: Ramirez flies out to right field. He is now 0-4 in the game with an RBI. It is one of the worst Manny games I have seen in a while. His at bats look bad, he looks disinterested, or at least just out of the game. No one is going to have 162 great games. I cannot remember the last time I watched a Red Sox game this intently and was this unimpressed with Manny Ramirez.
-9:43pm: Over to the Yankees quickly: The Rangers, up a run, 7-6 in the bottom of the 7th, and Warner Madrigal is making his major league debut. At Yankee Stadium. Scheduled to bat in this inning: Abreu, Rodriguez and Giambi. Wow. Tough spot.
-9:39pm: Okajima works a solid 6th, allowing a baserunner, striking out two. Its outings like these that are going to get him back in the mix later in the game. Slowly, but surely, regaining his confidence and ability. I doubt he forgot how to pitch.
-9:34pm: Pedroia's first bid to complete the single results in a flyout to end the top of the 6th.
Checking out the Yankees' game in the bottom of the 6th. Jeter is up, first and second, one out. A career .316 hitter, Jeter is hitting under .300 for the first time since 2004, current at .278. If the season ended now, it would be his lowest average ever as a full-time player. His OBP has dropped an alarming 50 points off last year from .388 to .338. Jeter grounds into a double-play. Also, it seems fair to mention at this point, that in his worst season as a pro, Jeter is still only 10, 500 votes behind A-Rod for the most overall votes. Voting ends tonight. Although, in the AL, there isn't a ton of competition at shortstop, outside of Michael Young, and the game is at Yankee Stadium. Hard to complain too much. It's 7-6, Rangers going in the top of the 7th.
In other news, Okajima has been relegated to the sixth inning now. Quite a fall from grace for the automatic eighth inning guy a year earlier. The most telling stat about Okajima? Last year he allowed 4 of his inherited runners to score, out of a possible 28, this year the ratio is 12 of 15.
-9:22pm: After Ellsbury most recent abortion of a bunt. I am convinced that practicing bunting must be Ellsbury's number-one off-season priority. I hate using two hyphenated words in a row. Just felt like sharing that.
-9:15pm: Heidi Watney is so hot. The new NESN sideline reporter. My friend Shirley (a dude) promises she is not as good-looking in HD. I still like her just fine, though. Here's a pic.
Pratt and I wanted to pick out and debate the best starting pitcher in the league this year. I'd probably pick Cliff Lee (11-1, 2.26 ERA). Linecum, Marcum, Haren, and Halladay probably make up the rest of my top 5. Toronto, 11 GB of the Red Sox at 41-44, wasting another brilliant season from Roy Halladay (9-6, 2.90 ERA, 1.04 WHIP).
Matsuzaka gets out of the fifth, stranding B.J. Upton at 2nd. 100 pitches even through five. I swear, I've been paying attention, and not just looking up stats. It's hard to see D-Mat (I thought it was a catchy nickname) going past the sixth inning.
-9:03pm: With a runner on third (Drew) and no outs, Manny Ramirez strikes out. I cannot remember a time when I wouldn't at least expect Ramirez to sky a sacrifice fly in that situation. Lowell follows it up with a grounder to third. Now there are two outs with Drew still standing on third. Bad situation, a 3-1 game and the Sox are on the verge of wasting an opportunity to blow it wide open.
Kazmir throws a wild pitch, and Drew scores from third. "Hey, a free run," Pratt proclaims. Varitek predictably grounds out. 4-1. Quickly checking out the Mets game. It's sad for Pedro, 4 ER, 2 IP. Nearing the end of the road.
-8:51pm: Pedroia is a single shy of the cycle in the fifth inning after hitting his 24th double of the season. Worthy of tidy, quick update.
-8:50pm: Matsuzaka has quietly set down seven in a row since throwing about 60 of his 80 pitches (just a guess) to get through his first five outs.
-8:46pm: Lugo up with two men on and one out. Lugo bloops a single to left field. Varitek is so painfully slow that he didn't even entertain the idea of scoring from second.
Now, the bases are loaded for Jacoby, a tailor-made spot for him to break his slump. Ellsbury sends a double-play ball to the second baseman. Ellsbury beats out the throw to first, Varitek scores, 3-1 Red Sox and 2 outs, runners on first and third. Oh wait, Lugo, unaware that Ellsbury did not need his help, slides a mile to the right of the second base bag. The umpire calls a double play, 2-1 and the inning is over.
A decent quote from Dirty David, "Lugo finds new ways to suck." I try to support Lugo as much as possible, but he has been abysmal in a Red Sox uniform.
Remy does not believe the call would not have been made had warnings not been issued to both teams before the game (as they have in every game this series, because of the brawl at Fenway). I vehemently disagree. That was an in-game call, a call the umpire made on instinct. It, I do not think, was a result of any premonition (I know! A big word, I had to consult with the peanut gallery for that one) to call baserunning differently in this series. Then again, I live to disagree with Remy.
-8:27pm: I continue to be amazed with how often Pratt brags to me about this rotisserie league that he is in that is dominating. Its odd that he brags to me about it so much. Mostly because I am not even in this league.
-8:18pm: Pedroia has the two hardest elements of the cycle out of the way. A triple and a home run. Would not put it past this Red Sox offense to strand Pedroia at third with one out.
47 (RF), 128 (CF), 94 (LF), the number of at-bats for Ellsbury at the three different outfield positions, going into tonight's game. Ellsbury's efficiency at all three outfield positions continues to amaze me. Gotta talk up his defense, because he is mired in such an awful slump.
Manny Ramirez gets Pedroia in from third with a hard hit grounder to Longoria, that Longoria could not field cleanly. I do expect more from Manny. But, when the Sox have scored 3 runs in their previous two games, Pratt gets it right: "We'll take them anyway we can."
I do hate when fans include themselves in the team, referring to the team as "we." But we do like Pratt... Well, I do.
-8:07pm: I tried to look up Ellsbury's range factor stats online. He is not qualified for rankings at any outfield position, because he has played all three so much. Crawford, maybe the Rays best hitter, is hitting .272 this season, despite being a career .294 hitter, and hitting .315 last year. His home/road split this year is disturbing: .316 (home)/.235 (road). Last year it was not as jarring, but somewhat reversed .342 (road)/.287 (home).
Meanwhile the home plate umpire (Gerry Davis) has not given Matsuzaka the corners at all. With his lack of confidence, he needs the corners more than even most finesse pitchers. It really is alarming to see how little Matsuzaka confidence he has. It cannot be overstated. With his stuff and ability, I cannot understand how he can look so rattled up on the mound.
Red pill/Blue pill... In-game ads for Sox Appeal, or in-game ads for NESN Comedy All-Stars.
-7:56pm: A good grab in centerfield by Ellsbury for the first out in the second inning on a Jason Bartlett pop-up. I seem to read all the time quotes and testimonials from scouts that say that Ellsbury is an exceptional fielder at all three outfield positions.
-7:51pm: 4 errors for Tampa Bay in the last 11 innings of baseball. But errors are a product more of opportunity than of true defensive efficiency. Still, the Rays vaunted defense has not looked its best in this series. Although, Carlos Pena, probably their weakest defensive player (in the bottom tier of first basemen in terms of range factor at 8.87), made a great diving stop earlier in this inning (2nd).
Lugo strands two runners in scoring position, helping Kazmir and the Rays defense out of a major jam. The Red Sox, with 3 runs in the last two games, could see the 2nd inning as a golden opportunity missed.
-7:45pm: A 3-44 slump for Varitek as he bats in the second. At .220/.302/.370, Old Man Varitek, a nickname assigned to him by Pratt three years ago might finally be hard to reject. A strikeout, man, does that bat come through the zone slow these days. 131 games in 2007 at age 35 was a huge mistake by the Sox. I even think 69 games already this year just past the halfway mark is a bit excessive. Not that they haven't been trying to groom a replacement for him. George Kottaras being the most notable bust in AAA. The Sox certainly can't give Kevin Cash too many more at-bats, he of the .180 career average.
-7:35pm: I get very focused when I live-blog. Pratt and company have come in. Shirley (a member of the group) asked me, "I am going to start naming pitchers... and you just tell me what you think?" I respond with, "I'd really rather not."
He also asked me, "which current Yankee I like the most-personality wise?" All while thumbing through a Sports Illustrated. I don't read SI, but are these the types of questions/conversations inspired by the mag?
Meanwhile Dice-K has gotten off to a rough start. 2 walks, a hit and a run. 2 outs. Ah, a four-pitch walk, exciting. Proving again why he is the luckiest 9-1 in the league. He's got four very strong starts. April 1st, April 30th, May 10th, and May 17th. Basically, the only games where he gave the Sox at least six innings, and walked less than 3 batters, and had less than three earned runs. Pratt said he doesn't trust his stuff, and a ton of walks, .63 walks per 9 innings coming into tonight.
Alright, Dice-K gets out of a nightmarish first inning.
-7:20pm: Pedroia is now 11-19 against Kazmir in his career. He looked overmatched early in the count, swinging badly at two pitches, and just barely fighting off a third foul. I cannot possibly keep up this torrid posting pace. A small paragraph for each at-bat? Probably excessive. In 2007, Ellsbury had 11 extra-base hits in 33 games, effectively one month of baseball. This season, in three months of baseball, or 77 games, he has 17. That stat gives me a ton of pause concerning his ability.
This crowd at Tropicana is amazing. All the Rays bandwagoners are jumping on. I have never heard the crowd go in favor of the Rays in a BOS-TAM series ever. This is indicative of a lot of bandwagoners, but it is also demonstrative of how much the rest of the baseball fan world hates the Red Sox. Even more than the Yankees.
-7:10pm: Ellsbury gets things off to an encouraging start. Grounding out to first. He is batting under .270 now for the year. .210 in the last seven games. No good. I wonder if he has been figured out. Or if it is just a slump. I am banking on slump.
-7:07pm: I will try not to harp on this. None of the previews for NESN Comedy All-Stars look funny at all. Why does NESN need a comedy show? Does YES have comedy show? While we're at it, why do the Sox need to put their name on a dating show? Does SNY have a dating show?
-7:03pm: Watching a little Wedding Singer instead of NESN pre-game. I would probably watch color bars over the NESN pre-game. I am fairly certain that Jerry Remy, Don Orsillo, Dennis Eckersley, whoever else they trot out there for the studio show, pre-game stuff, has never told me anything I didn't already know about baseball. And that is not to say Jerry Remy doesn't know baseball better than me, he probably does, he's a former pro, he's been broadcasting for twenty years. He just chooses not to share any of that insight on air. It's incredible.
Pratt should be joining me to watch the game at some point. He's making his dinner on a hibachi him and his roommates bought for 10 bucks at Shaws. So, he'll be over around the seventh inning.
Also, I was advised by a reader to do the time-stamp in reverse, with the most recent posts up top. Definitely a better idea. So, we'll be checking that out.
I'm wrapping up the pre-game with the Rapping Ganny in Wedding Singer. It was never funny...
Francona employs an awful hit and run with Varitek hitting and Lowell running. 2 outs, no one on, and the Sox need a run to tie, 6-7. Terribe idea by Tito. As Dirty Dave put it, "a hit and run with your slowest bat and slowest baserunner."
Varitek, in due form, strikes out to end the game. I didn't even see it. I was still lamenting the awful hit and run attempt. Tampa Bay sweeps the Red Sox to grab a 3.5 game lead in the AL East. Road teams still winless in the series.
I'm out now... Exhausted. Dissapointed by the Sox. Even if my fandom is wavering these days. What with all the Red Sox Nation stuff. Etc. A rant for another day. I am still upset to see the Sox lose a game in the manner they did tonight.
-10:55pm: Ramirez hits a groundout to Bartlett at short. Bartlett botches the throw to first. Tampa's awful defense in the last two games continues. The 5th error, I believe in the last two games. Lowell is batting, representing the tying run.
-10:54pm: Lopez pitches a solid 8th inning. A great job out of him 1.2 IP, really stopped the bleeding for the Sox. Ramirez, Lowell and Youkilis are due in the top of 9th. Against Dan Wheeler, who has been absolutely sensational with a 1.88 ERA and 20 holds.
WOW! These Division Collision promos are so fucking intense!! I want to drive my head through a wall...
-10:42pm: It'd be nice to see Pedroia collect a single here, and hit for the cycle. The first for the Sox since John Valentin in 1995.
In related news, it'd be nice to see Pedroia hit a homerun here, and make it a one-run game.
In related related news, well, actually-related story: A customer at the Red Sox Team Store approached my friend Joe on the sales floor. Asking if we had any "Petey jerseys." Joe responds appropriately enough, "Oh no, we don't have any Pedro Martinez jerseys on the sales floor. Maybe you could try our website." The customer wrinkles his forehead, and gives Joe an obvious look, "No, we called Pedroia, 'Petey...'" This isn't common, is it? Yeah, I know it's not common.
In related related related news, Pedroia is still a single short of the cycle after hitting a double to bring the Sox to within two, 5-7 with two outs in the 7th.
-10:36pm: That was a solid 25-minute half-inning as we enter the top of the 8th. The race begins for the Sox, they need at least 3 runs before they get six outs here. All of this against the Rays' bullpen which sports a 3.18 ERA good for 5th in the league. They are without Percival, who was placed on the DL today, but I am still not going to bet against them, the way the Sox are swinging the bat these days.
-10:29pm: The inning is finally over with Akinori Iwamura not holding back a checked swing. The Rays finish the seventh frame with 6 runs, not quite able to catch the Yankees' 9-run 7th.
-10:26pm: It is not time to laugh yet. Jason Bartlett registered his second hit of the inning. Two more in for the Rays, 7-4.
-10:25pm: Gabe Gross and Javier Lopez locked in a tight lefty-lefty battle here. Advantage: Lopez. One out left, and Red Sox and Rangers fans alike can laugh about their crazy seventh innings as if they're distant memories.
-10:20pm: Oh! I promised the final line for Warner Madrigal: .1 IP/5H/6ER/1BB/26 pitches... Scary... The Bombers now lead 15-7 after putting up 9 in the 7th inning.
David Aardsma records an out with runners on second and third. Intentionally walks Navarro to load up the bases. Javier Lopez is coming, the fourth pitcher of this interminable 7th inning for the Sox.
-10:13pm: Okay. I finally found the stat I was looking for. And yes, Texas's bullpen ERA is 29th in the league with a 4.75 ERA.
Also, Craig Hansen just walked in a run to make it a 4-3 game. No outs in the 7th, bases drunk of Rays. The mood in the room has deteriorated rapidly. With Longoria up at the plate, Dave chimes in "The stars are aligned for a grand slam here." A 2-run double is close enough to prophetic there. Point for Dave.
I cannot overstate the deteriorating mood in the room. I was going nuts trying to find sortable team stats on ESPN or MLB. When I calmed down, I finally found myself at the page. I have been there a million times before. All of this while Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen give away the game.
I will give others the link. So you won't suffer with me. Another NESN Comedy All-Stars promo. I am twitching like a mad man.
-10:06pm: Pratt wanted to watch the Yankee game just now. With Varitek up with two outs and runners on the corners, he tells me, "Just write 'Varitek struck out on three pitches and be done with it.'" Well, that's what happened. The man is a prophet, or Varitek just isn't very good... Or both.
Just an update on the Yankee game: Madrigal surprisingly did not pitch well making his major league debut trying to protect a one-run lead in Yankee Stadium. He has now given up 3 earned runs without recording an out. He is still pitching. This is a running line for now. I feel compelled to report back with his complete line. I don't know what Ron Washington is thinking. I know the Rangers' bullpen is not stellar by any means, but they must have been able to find someone to spell this kid sooner, he can't buy an out. A bad decision by Washington to test out a virgin arm at Yankee Stadium in a tight game. There are so many ways I can write how bad a decision this was. I tried looking up Texas' bullpen ERA. When I find it. I'll put it up here.
While I was tearing my hair out trying to figure this out Manny Delcarmen came in and gave up 3 hits, without recording an out, inching the Rays closer at 4-2. Craig Hansen in with two on and no outs. Sox fans are overrun with confidence now.
-9:49pm: Ramirez flies out to right field. He is now 0-4 in the game with an RBI. It is one of the worst Manny games I have seen in a while. His at bats look bad, he looks disinterested, or at least just out of the game. No one is going to have 162 great games. I cannot remember the last time I watched a Red Sox game this intently and was this unimpressed with Manny Ramirez.
-9:43pm: Over to the Yankees quickly: The Rangers, up a run, 7-6 in the bottom of the 7th, and Warner Madrigal is making his major league debut. At Yankee Stadium. Scheduled to bat in this inning: Abreu, Rodriguez and Giambi. Wow. Tough spot.
-9:39pm: Okajima works a solid 6th, allowing a baserunner, striking out two. Its outings like these that are going to get him back in the mix later in the game. Slowly, but surely, regaining his confidence and ability. I doubt he forgot how to pitch.
-9:34pm: Pedroia's first bid to complete the single results in a flyout to end the top of the 6th.
Checking out the Yankees' game in the bottom of the 6th. Jeter is up, first and second, one out. A career .316 hitter, Jeter is hitting under .300 for the first time since 2004, current at .278. If the season ended now, it would be his lowest average ever as a full-time player. His OBP has dropped an alarming 50 points off last year from .388 to .338. Jeter grounds into a double-play. Also, it seems fair to mention at this point, that in his worst season as a pro, Jeter is still only 10, 500 votes behind A-Rod for the most overall votes. Voting ends tonight. Although, in the AL, there isn't a ton of competition at shortstop, outside of Michael Young, and the game is at Yankee Stadium. Hard to complain too much. It's 7-6, Rangers going in the top of the 7th.
In other news, Okajima has been relegated to the sixth inning now. Quite a fall from grace for the automatic eighth inning guy a year earlier. The most telling stat about Okajima? Last year he allowed 4 of his inherited runners to score, out of a possible 28, this year the ratio is 12 of 15.
-9:22pm: After Ellsbury most recent abortion of a bunt. I am convinced that practicing bunting must be Ellsbury's number-one off-season priority. I hate using two hyphenated words in a row. Just felt like sharing that.
-9:15pm: Heidi Watney is so hot. The new NESN sideline reporter. My friend Shirley (a dude) promises she is not as good-looking in HD. I still like her just fine, though. Here's a pic.
Pratt and I wanted to pick out and debate the best starting pitcher in the league this year. I'd probably pick Cliff Lee (11-1, 2.26 ERA). Linecum, Marcum, Haren, and Halladay probably make up the rest of my top 5. Toronto, 11 GB of the Red Sox at 41-44, wasting another brilliant season from Roy Halladay (9-6, 2.90 ERA, 1.04 WHIP).
Matsuzaka gets out of the fifth, stranding B.J. Upton at 2nd. 100 pitches even through five. I swear, I've been paying attention, and not just looking up stats. It's hard to see D-Mat (I thought it was a catchy nickname) going past the sixth inning.
-9:03pm: With a runner on third (Drew) and no outs, Manny Ramirez strikes out. I cannot remember a time when I wouldn't at least expect Ramirez to sky a sacrifice fly in that situation. Lowell follows it up with a grounder to third. Now there are two outs with Drew still standing on third. Bad situation, a 3-1 game and the Sox are on the verge of wasting an opportunity to blow it wide open.
Kazmir throws a wild pitch, and Drew scores from third. "Hey, a free run," Pratt proclaims. Varitek predictably grounds out. 4-1. Quickly checking out the Mets game. It's sad for Pedro, 4 ER, 2 IP. Nearing the end of the road.
-8:51pm: Pedroia is a single shy of the cycle in the fifth inning after hitting his 24th double of the season. Worthy of tidy, quick update.
-8:50pm: Matsuzaka has quietly set down seven in a row since throwing about 60 of his 80 pitches (just a guess) to get through his first five outs.
-8:46pm: Lugo up with two men on and one out. Lugo bloops a single to left field. Varitek is so painfully slow that he didn't even entertain the idea of scoring from second.
Now, the bases are loaded for Jacoby, a tailor-made spot for him to break his slump. Ellsbury sends a double-play ball to the second baseman. Ellsbury beats out the throw to first, Varitek scores, 3-1 Red Sox and 2 outs, runners on first and third. Oh wait, Lugo, unaware that Ellsbury did not need his help, slides a mile to the right of the second base bag. The umpire calls a double play, 2-1 and the inning is over.
A decent quote from Dirty David, "Lugo finds new ways to suck." I try to support Lugo as much as possible, but he has been abysmal in a Red Sox uniform.
Remy does not believe the call would not have been made had warnings not been issued to both teams before the game (as they have in every game this series, because of the brawl at Fenway). I vehemently disagree. That was an in-game call, a call the umpire made on instinct. It, I do not think, was a result of any premonition (I know! A big word, I had to consult with the peanut gallery for that one) to call baserunning differently in this series. Then again, I live to disagree with Remy.
-8:27pm: I continue to be amazed with how often Pratt brags to me about this rotisserie league that he is in that is dominating. Its odd that he brags to me about it so much. Mostly because I am not even in this league.
-8:18pm: Pedroia has the two hardest elements of the cycle out of the way. A triple and a home run. Would not put it past this Red Sox offense to strand Pedroia at third with one out.
47 (RF), 128 (CF), 94 (LF), the number of at-bats for Ellsbury at the three different outfield positions, going into tonight's game. Ellsbury's efficiency at all three outfield positions continues to amaze me. Gotta talk up his defense, because he is mired in such an awful slump.
Manny Ramirez gets Pedroia in from third with a hard hit grounder to Longoria, that Longoria could not field cleanly. I do expect more from Manny. But, when the Sox have scored 3 runs in their previous two games, Pratt gets it right: "We'll take them anyway we can."
I do hate when fans include themselves in the team, referring to the team as "we." But we do like Pratt... Well, I do.
-8:07pm: I tried to look up Ellsbury's range factor stats online. He is not qualified for rankings at any outfield position, because he has played all three so much. Crawford, maybe the Rays best hitter, is hitting .272 this season, despite being a career .294 hitter, and hitting .315 last year. His home/road split this year is disturbing: .316 (home)/.235 (road). Last year it was not as jarring, but somewhat reversed .342 (road)/.287 (home).
Meanwhile the home plate umpire (Gerry Davis) has not given Matsuzaka the corners at all. With his lack of confidence, he needs the corners more than even most finesse pitchers. It really is alarming to see how little Matsuzaka confidence he has. It cannot be overstated. With his stuff and ability, I cannot understand how he can look so rattled up on the mound.
Red pill/Blue pill... In-game ads for Sox Appeal, or in-game ads for NESN Comedy All-Stars.
-7:56pm: A good grab in centerfield by Ellsbury for the first out in the second inning on a Jason Bartlett pop-up. I seem to read all the time quotes and testimonials from scouts that say that Ellsbury is an exceptional fielder at all three outfield positions.
-7:51pm: 4 errors for Tampa Bay in the last 11 innings of baseball. But errors are a product more of opportunity than of true defensive efficiency. Still, the Rays vaunted defense has not looked its best in this series. Although, Carlos Pena, probably their weakest defensive player (in the bottom tier of first basemen in terms of range factor at 8.87), made a great diving stop earlier in this inning (2nd).
Lugo strands two runners in scoring position, helping Kazmir and the Rays defense out of a major jam. The Red Sox, with 3 runs in the last two games, could see the 2nd inning as a golden opportunity missed.
-7:45pm: A 3-44 slump for Varitek as he bats in the second. At .220/.302/.370, Old Man Varitek, a nickname assigned to him by Pratt three years ago might finally be hard to reject. A strikeout, man, does that bat come through the zone slow these days. 131 games in 2007 at age 35 was a huge mistake by the Sox. I even think 69 games already this year just past the halfway mark is a bit excessive. Not that they haven't been trying to groom a replacement for him. George Kottaras being the most notable bust in AAA. The Sox certainly can't give Kevin Cash too many more at-bats, he of the .180 career average.
-7:35pm: I get very focused when I live-blog. Pratt and company have come in. Shirley (a member of the group) asked me, "I am going to start naming pitchers... and you just tell me what you think?" I respond with, "I'd really rather not."
He also asked me, "which current Yankee I like the most-personality wise?" All while thumbing through a Sports Illustrated. I don't read SI, but are these the types of questions/conversations inspired by the mag?
Meanwhile Dice-K has gotten off to a rough start. 2 walks, a hit and a run. 2 outs. Ah, a four-pitch walk, exciting. Proving again why he is the luckiest 9-1 in the league. He's got four very strong starts. April 1st, April 30th, May 10th, and May 17th. Basically, the only games where he gave the Sox at least six innings, and walked less than 3 batters, and had less than three earned runs. Pratt said he doesn't trust his stuff, and a ton of walks, .63 walks per 9 innings coming into tonight.
Alright, Dice-K gets out of a nightmarish first inning.
-7:20pm: Pedroia is now 11-19 against Kazmir in his career. He looked overmatched early in the count, swinging badly at two pitches, and just barely fighting off a third foul. I cannot possibly keep up this torrid posting pace. A small paragraph for each at-bat? Probably excessive. In 2007, Ellsbury had 11 extra-base hits in 33 games, effectively one month of baseball. This season, in three months of baseball, or 77 games, he has 17. That stat gives me a ton of pause concerning his ability.
This crowd at Tropicana is amazing. All the Rays bandwagoners are jumping on. I have never heard the crowd go in favor of the Rays in a BOS-TAM series ever. This is indicative of a lot of bandwagoners, but it is also demonstrative of how much the rest of the baseball fan world hates the Red Sox. Even more than the Yankees.
-7:10pm: Ellsbury gets things off to an encouraging start. Grounding out to first. He is batting under .270 now for the year. .210 in the last seven games. No good. I wonder if he has been figured out. Or if it is just a slump. I am banking on slump.
-7:07pm: I will try not to harp on this. None of the previews for NESN Comedy All-Stars look funny at all. Why does NESN need a comedy show? Does YES have comedy show? While we're at it, why do the Sox need to put their name on a dating show? Does SNY have a dating show?
-7:03pm: Watching a little Wedding Singer instead of NESN pre-game. I would probably watch color bars over the NESN pre-game. I am fairly certain that Jerry Remy, Don Orsillo, Dennis Eckersley, whoever else they trot out there for the studio show, pre-game stuff, has never told me anything I didn't already know about baseball. And that is not to say Jerry Remy doesn't know baseball better than me, he probably does, he's a former pro, he's been broadcasting for twenty years. He just chooses not to share any of that insight on air. It's incredible.
Pratt should be joining me to watch the game at some point. He's making his dinner on a hibachi him and his roommates bought for 10 bucks at Shaws. So, he'll be over around the seventh inning.
Also, I was advised by a reader to do the time-stamp in reverse, with the most recent posts up top. Definitely a better idea. So, we'll be checking that out.
I'm wrapping up the pre-game with the Rapping Ganny in Wedding Singer. It was never funny...
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