Earlier in the season, Bud Selig commissioned a panel to look at MLB and the present game of baseball to see what improvements could be made. According to Selig at the time, everything was open to scrutiny including replay, post season, the length of games and so on. While the immediate clamor has been for expanded replay to correct large lapses in umpiring, the first result seems to be a push for expanded playoffs according to this article.
The Fan's first reaction to all of this is, "Oh GEEZ!" The playoffs, as they stand now are overly long, drawn out affairs that take three weeks or more to accomplish. According to some, in order to accommodate more playoff games, there might have to be a shrinkage of the 162 game schedule. That's all we need, more confusion with statistics. First of all, shortening the regular season schedule would negatively affect the bottom line for all 30 teams, so that isn't going to happen. So if you want more playoff games, you'd have to start the season earlier and finished the playoffs later. That's all we need is to have Cleveland and Minnesota games in mid-March.
The greatest need in baseball, aside from replay, is to figure out how kids can watch playoff games and to realign the teams for fairness and common sense. Sports and the City, a blog from Toronto, ran a commentary a while back that kicked around some playoff and alignment possibilities. One commenter for that site ("Roberto" was the name he used) proposed going back to a two division set up with balanced schedules, two division winners and two wild cards. That makes perfect sense except that the balanced schedule would mean more travel for teams and the union wouldn't care for that very much.
Here is the only expanded playoff system the Fan would support. Add one more wild card to each league. Two days after the season, have the two wild cards play a three game series with no off days. The winner plays the top seeded team which begins the playoffs as we now know them. If you add one more wild card, you at least give the leagues each one more shot to have a good team have a chance for the gold. They would just have to win four series instead of three to get there. There should be no griping because those teams didn't win the division, why should they have the ability to set up their rotations like the division winners? Such an expansion would only increase the post season by four days. The division series would start two days after the end of the Wild Card Series. See, we even have a name for it!
The one problem this Fan has with the current set up is that the wild card team currently gets to set up its rotation and prepare the same way the winner of the division does. That doesn't seem right since that team didn't win its division. The extra wild card puts the two wild card winners at a disadvantage throughout the playoffs, which is how it should be. If that was the case, the Yankees couldn't coast into the playoffs resting all their players because the current wild card isn't a penalty except for home field advantage. They would have more incentive to win the division.
And there is no reason to hold up both series to finish up the Wild Card Series. You could have the division winners with the second and third best records to start their series concurrently with the Wild Card Series while the division winner with the best record awaits the outcome of the Wild Card Series. This is the only expansion of the playoffs this Fan would support...which is always a statement made by the guy who proposes a new idea, right? Guilty.
This Fan doesn't want to shorten the season of 162 games. This Fan doesn't want baseball games in mid-March or mid-November. This Fan DOES want some day games so kids can watch and still get to bed on time. Those that work, just record the dang game for crying out loud. The single worst thing that ever happened to the post season was allowing the networks to dictate a schedule. It has led to too many days off, too much delay and a long, drawn out playoff process (that still doesn't have replay...but still has Buck and McCarver).
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Now What For the Phillies?
The Philadelphia Phillies of 2010 were built to win this year and through luck or design, they didn't quite make it to the World Series for the third year in a row. The Roy Halladay trade worked out in spades, but it also cost them valuable prospects leaving little left behind. Of all the Phillies prospects, only one (Domenic Brown) is considered a five star prospect and he struggled in his debut in September. The average age of the team was 31.9 and of the starting line up, only Shane Victorino was under 30. So now that the Phillies didn't make it to their ultimate goal, where do they go from here?
At the moment, it doesn't appear that they are interested in signing Jayson Werth long term. They believe Dominic Brown is their new right fielder. But Werth is a proven commodity and you have to figure that Raul Ibanez, who will be 39 in 2011, won't continue to contribute the way he has been. Werth is only 31 and yeah, he is streaky and yeah, he strikes out a lot, but he led the team in OPS+ and is a proven winner. Why not sign him for three years and put him in left and give Brown the right field slot? Brown hasn't shown himself to be a great fielder though, so maybe you would keep Werth in right and move Brown to left where he can't be any worse than Ibanez.. But either way, the Fan thinks the Phillies should think long and hard before letting Werth walk away.
The other big questions are at short and third. Jimmy Rollins had his second straight off year. He's only 31, so you don't start to question his age like he was Derek Jeter or something. But Rollins has been a bit of a mess lately. He's still excellent in the field, still runs the bases well, still walks his fair share, but his overall numbers the last two years don't add up and his constant battles with injuries are troubling. But Rollins is their iconic player and he will be their shortstop in 2011. But what about third? Polanco played hurt almost the entire half, which didn't really do the Phillies any favors. Polanco became a shell of the player he has been and finished under 100 on his OPS+ and did not have a good year in the field. He will be 35 next year, so in this observer's mind, he shouldn't be counted on and other plans should be made. Beltre would be a good deal for them if they were interested.
The rest of the line up is set. Ryan Howard, for better or for worse, has that big contract and he will give you power and a good On Base Percentage. But he regressed in the field this year, which is hard for someone with his negative fielding stats to do, and his homer total was a mere 31. That's low for him. It didn't help things that Charlie Manuel said that Howard never found his swing in the post season and Howard responded by stating his swing never went away. Hmm... That can't be a good thing.
Chase Utley continues to be the best second baseman on the planet. At 32 in 2011, he can be counted on to have a few more good years. Victorino is solid, if not spectacular in center and Ruiz has really come into his own as a catcher.
The Phillies control the Big Three for 2011 and that's always a good thing. Cole Hamels will continue to get better. He's a young pup yet at 27 and has many more good years ahead of him. Oswalt will be 33 and Halladay, 32, but besides the increased risk of injuries, shouldn't have any problems pitching well over the next couple of years. All the Phillies would need then would be to figure out the fourth and fifth spots. It would be safe to say that Moyer is out of the equation. The Phillies need to decide what to do with Kyle Kendrick. At this point, it would seem best for all parties to trade him for whatever they can get. Blanton is okay as a fifth starter. So the Phillies need a number four starter. Vince Worley is interesting. He continued a successful Triple A season with success with the Phillies in September. Give him a shot during Spring Training and see what happens.
The Phillies bullpen is solid and under contract for another year. The only replacement should be Contreras who, at his age, can't be counted on for anything significant. Romero, Durbin, Madson and Lidge all had solid years, though Lidge has maintained some of his more adventurous ways. But except for the walks, he had a much better year in 2010.
The age of the Phillies isn't going to change much any time soon. But the talent of those aged ones should give Phillies phans just as much hope for continuing success next year. The age of the team means that peak seasons shouldn't be expected, but if they all come close to career norms, that should be enough. The big questions will be if Rollins and Howard continue to decline and how well Charlie Manuel can keep his team on his side. They should make a concerted effort to sign Werth though. Losing him will be a tough one, especially with his right handed bat. Regardless, the Phillies will be the team to beat next year at least one more time.
At the moment, it doesn't appear that they are interested in signing Jayson Werth long term. They believe Dominic Brown is their new right fielder. But Werth is a proven commodity and you have to figure that Raul Ibanez, who will be 39 in 2011, won't continue to contribute the way he has been. Werth is only 31 and yeah, he is streaky and yeah, he strikes out a lot, but he led the team in OPS+ and is a proven winner. Why not sign him for three years and put him in left and give Brown the right field slot? Brown hasn't shown himself to be a great fielder though, so maybe you would keep Werth in right and move Brown to left where he can't be any worse than Ibanez.. But either way, the Fan thinks the Phillies should think long and hard before letting Werth walk away.
The other big questions are at short and third. Jimmy Rollins had his second straight off year. He's only 31, so you don't start to question his age like he was Derek Jeter or something. But Rollins has been a bit of a mess lately. He's still excellent in the field, still runs the bases well, still walks his fair share, but his overall numbers the last two years don't add up and his constant battles with injuries are troubling. But Rollins is their iconic player and he will be their shortstop in 2011. But what about third? Polanco played hurt almost the entire half, which didn't really do the Phillies any favors. Polanco became a shell of the player he has been and finished under 100 on his OPS+ and did not have a good year in the field. He will be 35 next year, so in this observer's mind, he shouldn't be counted on and other plans should be made. Beltre would be a good deal for them if they were interested.
The rest of the line up is set. Ryan Howard, for better or for worse, has that big contract and he will give you power and a good On Base Percentage. But he regressed in the field this year, which is hard for someone with his negative fielding stats to do, and his homer total was a mere 31. That's low for him. It didn't help things that Charlie Manuel said that Howard never found his swing in the post season and Howard responded by stating his swing never went away. Hmm... That can't be a good thing.
Chase Utley continues to be the best second baseman on the planet. At 32 in 2011, he can be counted on to have a few more good years. Victorino is solid, if not spectacular in center and Ruiz has really come into his own as a catcher.
The Phillies control the Big Three for 2011 and that's always a good thing. Cole Hamels will continue to get better. He's a young pup yet at 27 and has many more good years ahead of him. Oswalt will be 33 and Halladay, 32, but besides the increased risk of injuries, shouldn't have any problems pitching well over the next couple of years. All the Phillies would need then would be to figure out the fourth and fifth spots. It would be safe to say that Moyer is out of the equation. The Phillies need to decide what to do with Kyle Kendrick. At this point, it would seem best for all parties to trade him for whatever they can get. Blanton is okay as a fifth starter. So the Phillies need a number four starter. Vince Worley is interesting. He continued a successful Triple A season with success with the Phillies in September. Give him a shot during Spring Training and see what happens.
The Phillies bullpen is solid and under contract for another year. The only replacement should be Contreras who, at his age, can't be counted on for anything significant. Romero, Durbin, Madson and Lidge all had solid years, though Lidge has maintained some of his more adventurous ways. But except for the walks, he had a much better year in 2010.
The age of the Phillies isn't going to change much any time soon. But the talent of those aged ones should give Phillies phans just as much hope for continuing success next year. The age of the team means that peak seasons shouldn't be expected, but if they all come close to career norms, that should be enough. The big questions will be if Rollins and Howard continue to decline and how well Charlie Manuel can keep his team on his side. They should make a concerted effort to sign Werth though. Losing him will be a tough one, especially with his right handed bat. Regardless, the Phillies will be the team to beat next year at least one more time.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Yankees Fire Dave Eiland
Maybe this site is becoming a Yankee blog after all. In a report by an ESPN writer, the Yankees have relieved Dave Eiland of his duties as the Yankees' pitching coach. According to the linked story, Yankees' general manager, Brian Cashman said that Eiland's dismissal had nothing to do with the recent playoff loss to the Texas Rangers.
While Cashman could be speaking what he thinks is the truth here, the Yankees have always needed a scapegoat and Eiland was probably the easiest target. Kevin Long is extremely popular with a large chunk of Yankee batters, so it wouldn't be him. And Joe Girardi won the World Series last year, so he wasn't going to be the scapegoat. But logically, other reasons could certainly be cited.
A. J. Burnett, of course, could be front and center of this discussion. His continuing confoundedness could not be rectified by Eiland. Sabathia regressed some this year (despite all those wins) and Phil Hughes often looked lost when he should be coming into his own. Part of Eiland's problems were exacerbated by the Yankees catching problems. After a promising start, Cervelli fell apart on defense and the slippage of Jorge Posada's defense has been staggering. When you can't hold runners from stealing and you can't catch a pitch sometimes, that would get your pitcher into trouble.
There is also the matter of Dave Eiland leaving the Yankees this year for "personal" reasons. Those reasons were never spelled out and probably never will be (unless there is a "tell all" book someday). The Fan doesn't ever remember any Yankee official coming out with a statement such as, "We support Dave during this difficult time and will support him." Do you remember such a statement? Looking back, that omission speaks volumes and probably is part of the reason for this story today.
So who will the Yankees get to replace Eiland? If they were smart, they would put off Girardi for a week and heavily pursue Curt Young, who is now available since Oakland wouldn't give him a two year contract. Young is given a lot of credit for the A's great young pitching and he will be scooped up by somebody quickly. There is already speculation that Young is heading to Arizona.
Maybe the Yankees will turn to Ron Guidry or entice Righetti away from the Giants. Whomever it might be, it is still somewhat of a shock that this move was made this quickly. Coming full circle, this Fan now doubts that this is a scapegoat issue but is rather something that has built up for a while and would have happened no matter how the Yankees' season turned out.
** Update: Best headline so far: "No Coach is Dave Eiland" by Baseball Musings. Comical, but would have better as, "No Coach is an Eiland."
While Cashman could be speaking what he thinks is the truth here, the Yankees have always needed a scapegoat and Eiland was probably the easiest target. Kevin Long is extremely popular with a large chunk of Yankee batters, so it wouldn't be him. And Joe Girardi won the World Series last year, so he wasn't going to be the scapegoat. But logically, other reasons could certainly be cited.
A. J. Burnett, of course, could be front and center of this discussion. His continuing confoundedness could not be rectified by Eiland. Sabathia regressed some this year (despite all those wins) and Phil Hughes often looked lost when he should be coming into his own. Part of Eiland's problems were exacerbated by the Yankees catching problems. After a promising start, Cervelli fell apart on defense and the slippage of Jorge Posada's defense has been staggering. When you can't hold runners from stealing and you can't catch a pitch sometimes, that would get your pitcher into trouble.
There is also the matter of Dave Eiland leaving the Yankees this year for "personal" reasons. Those reasons were never spelled out and probably never will be (unless there is a "tell all" book someday). The Fan doesn't ever remember any Yankee official coming out with a statement such as, "We support Dave during this difficult time and will support him." Do you remember such a statement? Looking back, that omission speaks volumes and probably is part of the reason for this story today.
So who will the Yankees get to replace Eiland? If they were smart, they would put off Girardi for a week and heavily pursue Curt Young, who is now available since Oakland wouldn't give him a two year contract. Young is given a lot of credit for the A's great young pitching and he will be scooped up by somebody quickly. There is already speculation that Young is heading to Arizona.
Maybe the Yankees will turn to Ron Guidry or entice Righetti away from the Giants. Whomever it might be, it is still somewhat of a shock that this move was made this quickly. Coming full circle, this Fan now doubts that this is a scapegoat issue but is rather something that has built up for a while and would have happened no matter how the Yankees' season turned out.
** Update: Best headline so far: "No Coach is Dave Eiland" by Baseball Musings. Comical, but would have better as, "No Coach is an Eiland."
Blue Jays Make a Great Choice
The Blue Jays have reportedly selected John Farrell, the Red Sox pitching coach and former player personnel man for the Indians, as their next manager. The Blue Jays certainly took their time making their selection to the point that their Due Diligence started making their fan base a little wacky. But as long as all that energy ends up with the correct results, all you can do in the end is praise it. Red Sox owner, John Henry, was effusive about Farrell and congratulated the Blue Jays for their selection.
Naturally, the selection could end up being a bust. But any selection can do just the same. That's the chance you take. But you can at least hedge your bets by selecting a guy that has universal respect in the game and seems like just the kind of guy the Blue Jays need. The Blue Jays will live and die by how good their young pitching is over the next few years. The Blue Jays seemed poised to be in the same position as the Padres were going into 2010 with their young pitching. The huge difference is that the Blue Jays have a much better offense than the Padres, especially if they can address their OBP issues.
And the comparison with the Padres is no accident. The Padres are also led by an ex-pitcher in Bud Black. Black infuses his pitchers with a sense of purpose, hard preparation and responsibility. Farrell will do no less with the Blue Jays' young pitching. Plus, Farrell has been part of a Red Sox organization that stresses working the count and getting a good pitch to hit. He should bring some of that to the Blue Jays, who could use a dose of better thought processes to their offense. As good as the Blue Jays offense was, imagine how good it could be if Jose Bautista wasn't the only Blue Jay with as impressive an OBP as a slugging percentage.
The Blue Jays have been incredibly smart the past year and the hiring of John Farrell as their next manager seems to be one of the smarter moves yet.
Naturally, the selection could end up being a bust. But any selection can do just the same. That's the chance you take. But you can at least hedge your bets by selecting a guy that has universal respect in the game and seems like just the kind of guy the Blue Jays need. The Blue Jays will live and die by how good their young pitching is over the next few years. The Blue Jays seemed poised to be in the same position as the Padres were going into 2010 with their young pitching. The huge difference is that the Blue Jays have a much better offense than the Padres, especially if they can address their OBP issues.
And the comparison with the Padres is no accident. The Padres are also led by an ex-pitcher in Bud Black. Black infuses his pitchers with a sense of purpose, hard preparation and responsibility. Farrell will do no less with the Blue Jays' young pitching. Plus, Farrell has been part of a Red Sox organization that stresses working the count and getting a good pitch to hit. He should bring some of that to the Blue Jays, who could use a dose of better thought processes to their offense. As good as the Blue Jays offense was, imagine how good it could be if Jose Bautista wasn't the only Blue Jay with as impressive an OBP as a slugging percentage.
The Blue Jays have been incredibly smart the past year and the hiring of John Farrell as their next manager seems to be one of the smarter moves yet.
A Way Out For Jeter and the Yankees
The Fan was loathe to write this post for fear of truly turning this general blog into a Yankee blog. But the Jeter situation is truly one of the biggest off-season stories of the year, so to ignore the story to stay true to this blog's purpose would be a bit stupid. And the story is an intriguing one. To read the best take on the stakes, see Joel Sherman's piece for the "New York Post." It is also obvious that the stakes are higher for Jeter coming off the season he did than it is for the Yankees.
The reality here is that if you split the difference between Baseball-reference.com and Fangraphs and how they calculate WAR (Wins Above Replacement), the 2010 version of Derek Jeter is worth about $7.5 million a year. And that takes into account the hope that he doesn't get worse than he was in 2010. Derek Jeter made $22 million in 2010. Obviously, the Yankees would be out of their minds to give him that kind of money. There is only one shortstop in baseball that is worth that kind of money and his name is Troy Tulowitzki. The only other one close is Stephen Drew. If you added on some value to Jeter getting his 3000th hit as a Yankee, or his fan base of Yankee fans and perhaps his leadership (how do you measure that?), that might bring you to about $10 million a year. But will Derek Jeter's pride let him accept $10 million to keep playing for the Yankees? That's the big question.
If the Fan was Derek Jeter, who is obviously set for life, and as Sherman points out in his Post piece, a lot of his Madison Avenue appeal is based on his status as a Yankee, the Fan would take the $10 million with as little fanfare as possible. But nobody is expecting Jeter to roll over that easily, even if logic were to dictate that he should. All the wheels would then be in place for an impasse. So what should the Yankees do?
Here is a way out of this mess for both parties. Give Jeter a long time contract as a Yankee employee and spread the money out. Give Jeter $100 million spread out over ten years. It doesn't matter how you break that down so long as Jeter doesn't get more than $10 million in a year. Even if you made the contract so it was worth $20 million a year for the next two years, defer half of that over the life of the contract. Jeter gets a guaranteed $100 million to pad his bankroll. But what would the Yankees get?
Well, they would get a least one or two more years of Jeter at short, which is not terrible as he was about the eighth best shortstop in baseball this year (according to WAR) and then eight years of Jeter as either a marginally contributing player and as a Yankee ambassador. There are all kinds of ways Jeter can aid the Yankees outside of baseball in the same way that Reggie Jackson and Yogi Berra do now. Since he is getting paid either way, the Yankees have all the leverage to tell Jeter exactly when he is done playing. The Yankees get intense media coverage as Jeter approaches 3000 hits. Maybe Jeter will end up as the Yankee manager. Who knows.
Jeter, to many people's minds, is going to seek $100 million over four years. He gets it, but spread out over ten years, thus saving face for Jeter. The Yankees get a shortstop for the next two years that could come close to earning that $10 million and they get the Jeter brand tied to the Yankee brand for many years to come. That seems like a rational outcome. But contract negotiations are rarely rational. So, this Fan, along with the rest of baseball will wait to see what happens.
The reality here is that if you split the difference between Baseball-reference.com and Fangraphs and how they calculate WAR (Wins Above Replacement), the 2010 version of Derek Jeter is worth about $7.5 million a year. And that takes into account the hope that he doesn't get worse than he was in 2010. Derek Jeter made $22 million in 2010. Obviously, the Yankees would be out of their minds to give him that kind of money. There is only one shortstop in baseball that is worth that kind of money and his name is Troy Tulowitzki. The only other one close is Stephen Drew. If you added on some value to Jeter getting his 3000th hit as a Yankee, or his fan base of Yankee fans and perhaps his leadership (how do you measure that?), that might bring you to about $10 million a year. But will Derek Jeter's pride let him accept $10 million to keep playing for the Yankees? That's the big question.
If the Fan was Derek Jeter, who is obviously set for life, and as Sherman points out in his Post piece, a lot of his Madison Avenue appeal is based on his status as a Yankee, the Fan would take the $10 million with as little fanfare as possible. But nobody is expecting Jeter to roll over that easily, even if logic were to dictate that he should. All the wheels would then be in place for an impasse. So what should the Yankees do?
Here is a way out of this mess for both parties. Give Jeter a long time contract as a Yankee employee and spread the money out. Give Jeter $100 million spread out over ten years. It doesn't matter how you break that down so long as Jeter doesn't get more than $10 million in a year. Even if you made the contract so it was worth $20 million a year for the next two years, defer half of that over the life of the contract. Jeter gets a guaranteed $100 million to pad his bankroll. But what would the Yankees get?
Well, they would get a least one or two more years of Jeter at short, which is not terrible as he was about the eighth best shortstop in baseball this year (according to WAR) and then eight years of Jeter as either a marginally contributing player and as a Yankee ambassador. There are all kinds of ways Jeter can aid the Yankees outside of baseball in the same way that Reggie Jackson and Yogi Berra do now. Since he is getting paid either way, the Yankees have all the leverage to tell Jeter exactly when he is done playing. The Yankees get intense media coverage as Jeter approaches 3000 hits. Maybe Jeter will end up as the Yankee manager. Who knows.
Jeter, to many people's minds, is going to seek $100 million over four years. He gets it, but spread out over ten years, thus saving face for Jeter. The Yankees get a shortstop for the next two years that could come close to earning that $10 million and they get the Jeter brand tied to the Yankee brand for many years to come. That seems like a rational outcome. But contract negotiations are rarely rational. So, this Fan, along with the rest of baseball will wait to see what happens.
The Big Picture Versus The Small
There are thousands of baseball blogs out there. If you didn't have to make a living, you could spend your entire day reading them. Literally. The majority of those blogs are team related and that makes perfect sense. Writers of those blogs are following their passions and writing about the team they care about the most. Plus, when you write about a particular team, you have a built in fan base of people who share your passion. All of that makes perfect sense. It also makes sense that there are more blogs concerning the Yankees than most other teams. What becomes unfortunate about this system created is that many of these sites have tunnel vision. Rational thought gets lost when your focus is only on what makes you most passionate.
Consider these words from one such Yankee site, which won't be mentioned by name: "The SF Giants beat the Phillies last night to set up what should be the least watched and cared about World Series in history." For those of you who follow this Flagrant Fan, you know that despite the "general" status of this blog, the Yankees have always been the favorite team. As such, it has often been a struggle to stay rational when discussing them and the outcome of their games and players. But, if the Fan had ever written the line mentioned above, it would be time to stop blogging.
Fortunately, there are Yankee blogs that remained a tad more rational about the outcome. Consider the blog, "It's About the Money" and their recent post (http://itsaboutthemoney.net/archives/2010/10/25/reacting-rationally-to-losing/). The difference between the two sites is the ability to look at the big picture and understanding that MLB is bigger than just one team and that the world doesn't live or die depending on whether your favorite team just won or lost.
Perhaps the series will be the least watched. The ratings do in many cases go up when the Yankees or the Red Sox are involved just like golf ratings improve if Tiger Woods is competing and basketball ratings improved when Michael Jordon was competing. That's a shame really. There are just as many great golf shots and basketball plays when other players play. And those who tune out of the World Series because their teams are not involved are going to miss some good theater.
It would be akin to a Chicago Bears fan to say that the "greatest football game ever" between the Colts and the Giants was uninteresting. Never mind the fact that that one game helped make the NFL the power that it became. Perhaps there were Bears fans that felt that way and tuned out. If they did, they missed a great game. No?
"It's About the Money" is dead on in that when you have to win three series to be the champion, the field is always the favorite. The writers of that site also pointed out that any other way of looking at it diminishes what the Yankees did accomplish and what the Rangers accomplished this season. Mostly on the road, the Yankees record for the playoffs this year was 5-4. That's not an embarrassment by any means.
Yes, the Fan's team lost and that is sad. But, this Fan has been a huge MLB fan for a lifetime and as a Fan, this writer is stoked about seeing Lincecum versus Lee and Josh Hamilton and the under-appreciated Vlad Guerrero and Buster Posey. The Rangers appear to be the better team. But the games haven't been played yet and that's the drama of it all, isn't it? And no matter who wins, the fan base of the two teams have an extraordinary moment in the sun. Shouldn't we all be thrilled for them? We should because we know (particularly Yankee fans who have had 27 years in the sun) how good that feels. It's always nice to share. Isn't that what we tell our kids?
Consider these words from one such Yankee site, which won't be mentioned by name: "The SF Giants beat the Phillies last night to set up what should be the least watched and cared about World Series in history." For those of you who follow this Flagrant Fan, you know that despite the "general" status of this blog, the Yankees have always been the favorite team. As such, it has often been a struggle to stay rational when discussing them and the outcome of their games and players. But, if the Fan had ever written the line mentioned above, it would be time to stop blogging.
Fortunately, there are Yankee blogs that remained a tad more rational about the outcome. Consider the blog, "It's About the Money" and their recent post (http://itsaboutthemoney.net/archives/2010/10/25/reacting-rationally-to-losing/). The difference between the two sites is the ability to look at the big picture and understanding that MLB is bigger than just one team and that the world doesn't live or die depending on whether your favorite team just won or lost.
Perhaps the series will be the least watched. The ratings do in many cases go up when the Yankees or the Red Sox are involved just like golf ratings improve if Tiger Woods is competing and basketball ratings improved when Michael Jordon was competing. That's a shame really. There are just as many great golf shots and basketball plays when other players play. And those who tune out of the World Series because their teams are not involved are going to miss some good theater.
It would be akin to a Chicago Bears fan to say that the "greatest football game ever" between the Colts and the Giants was uninteresting. Never mind the fact that that one game helped make the NFL the power that it became. Perhaps there were Bears fans that felt that way and tuned out. If they did, they missed a great game. No?
"It's About the Money" is dead on in that when you have to win three series to be the champion, the field is always the favorite. The writers of that site also pointed out that any other way of looking at it diminishes what the Yankees did accomplish and what the Rangers accomplished this season. Mostly on the road, the Yankees record for the playoffs this year was 5-4. That's not an embarrassment by any means.
Yes, the Fan's team lost and that is sad. But, this Fan has been a huge MLB fan for a lifetime and as a Fan, this writer is stoked about seeing Lincecum versus Lee and Josh Hamilton and the under-appreciated Vlad Guerrero and Buster Posey. The Rangers appear to be the better team. But the games haven't been played yet and that's the drama of it all, isn't it? And no matter who wins, the fan base of the two teams have an extraordinary moment in the sun. Shouldn't we all be thrilled for them? We should because we know (particularly Yankee fans who have had 27 years in the sun) how good that feels. It's always nice to share. Isn't that what we tell our kids?
Sunday, October 24, 2010
And Just One More Thing...
...if Girardi had handled his game six the way Bruce Bochy did with his pitchers, there might have been a second game today.
Just saying...
Just saying...
Saturday, October 23, 2010
A Fairy Tale World Series!
The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! With a 3-2 strikeout of Ryan Howard, Brian Wilson has written a new good vibration and the improbable has actually happened. The Davids beat the Goliaths. How many cliches can a Fan write in one paragraph! What a game. What an absolute gem of a game. And with one last pitch by the Giants' closer, the last of the behemoths has fallen to the ground. The Phillies will miss the World Series for the first time in three years.
In two days, we have seen two flawed teams take on two flawed champions and beat them. The Rangers overwhelmed the Yankees like some horde of Franks while the Giants set siege on the Phillies and stayed their ground until the Phillies' wall fell in. This is why baseball is the best sport on earth. This is why money doesn't buy titles. This is why a salary cap isn't needed. Because winning is a combination of talent, heart and pure unadulterated luck. Juan Uribe? Come on. That isn't a quirk of fate?
And so the Yankees and the Phillies will take their equipment home and ponder next year. Does Werth get signed? Do the Yankees get Lee? What happens with Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Girardi? None of that matters right now except to Reuben Amaro and Brian Cashman. All that matters right now is that we are getting the Rangers against the Giants in one of the quirkiest and oddest World Series in years. Already we can start pondering Lincecum versus Lee and Wilson versus Cain and on and on. Can the Giants do something nobody else has done in shutting down Josh Hamilton? We can ponder a Giant team that can't seem to hit and has few batters that scare anyone and yet have won two playoff series in convincing fashion.
These are all new story lines (except for Lee). Posey faces Molina, whose career in San Francisco was ended by the phenom. Can Feliz stay strong as the Rangers' closer? Is Brian Wilson the next Mariano Rivera? All the new story lines are astounding. This Fan is pumped!
And somewhere, some place, a voice is shouting, "The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant!" Unbelievable.
In two days, we have seen two flawed teams take on two flawed champions and beat them. The Rangers overwhelmed the Yankees like some horde of Franks while the Giants set siege on the Phillies and stayed their ground until the Phillies' wall fell in. This is why baseball is the best sport on earth. This is why money doesn't buy titles. This is why a salary cap isn't needed. Because winning is a combination of talent, heart and pure unadulterated luck. Juan Uribe? Come on. That isn't a quirk of fate?
And so the Yankees and the Phillies will take their equipment home and ponder next year. Does Werth get signed? Do the Yankees get Lee? What happens with Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Girardi? None of that matters right now except to Reuben Amaro and Brian Cashman. All that matters right now is that we are getting the Rangers against the Giants in one of the quirkiest and oddest World Series in years. Already we can start pondering Lincecum versus Lee and Wilson versus Cain and on and on. Can the Giants do something nobody else has done in shutting down Josh Hamilton? We can ponder a Giant team that can't seem to hit and has few batters that scare anyone and yet have won two playoff series in convincing fashion.
These are all new story lines (except for Lee). Posey faces Molina, whose career in San Francisco was ended by the phenom. Can Feliz stay strong as the Rangers' closer? Is Brian Wilson the next Mariano Rivera? All the new story lines are astounding. This Fan is pumped!
And somewhere, some place, a voice is shouting, "The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant!" Unbelievable.
Game Picks - Saturday: October 23, 2010
One Cinderella team is in. Can the other make it in too? To do so, the Giants certainly would make it easier for themselves to get the win tonight. Giving the Phillies a Game Seven is asking for trouble. This Fan is greatly concerned though that the ball is in the hands of Jonathan Sanchez. It is too similar to handing the ball to Phil Hughes. Sanchez has better pure stuff than Hughes, but he can't always locate and if he starts getting high pitch counts, he'll be in trouble. But of the Big Three in the Phillies rotation, Oswalt is the most vulnerable. His little relief outing the other day couldn't have helped. And so...
- The Giants over the Phillies: We need to complete this Cinderella storyline on a positive note.
Yesterday: 0-1 Congrats, Rangers
Season: 1366-1048
- The Giants over the Phillies: We need to complete this Cinderella storyline on a positive note.
Yesterday: 0-1 Congrats, Rangers
Season: 1366-1048
What Derek Jeter Needs to Do
Derek Jeter just suffered through his worst offensive season of his career. He wasn't much better in the playoffs (though he faced great pitching). As he enters the twilight of his career, of course, this is a major concern for what he means to the Yankees experience. After watching the Captain for many of his at bats this year, this Fan is bold enough to make a few suggestions.
At his age, reaction time slows. That is natural in the course of events. With diminished reaction time and a slowing of his ability to react to what is being thrown his way, Jeter needs to simplify his approach. It would be similar to what Nick Swisher did this year. Swisher was very "noisy" in his approach with a lot of movement before the pitch. But staying "quieter," he had a better ability to approach his swing.
Derek Jeter has a wild waggle with his bat when he is hitting. If you watch, you'll notice that he not only waggles his bat during his set up, he also waggled the bat forward over his head and toward the pitcher just as the pitcher is starting to throw the ball. This is something that Jeter has always done as a timing mechanism and it has worked for him. But he no longer has the quickness to get away with it. He has to get the bat all the way back to the hitting position from in front of his body and then swing forward even as he is reacting to the location of the speed and location of the pitch. It's just too much to accomplish when his motor receptors are slower.
What Jeter needs to do is get quiet like Swisher, like Paul Molitor did late in his career, like Carl Yaztremski did at the end of his career. Doing so would give Jeter a more even approach to the pitch, keep him more balanced and give him more time to react to what is coming toward him.
One knock against Jeter is that he's not very coachable. While the Yankees' batting coach has had great repore with A-Rod, Swisher and Granderson, you never see Jeter talking to him. It's time to change that and have a couple more good seasons before wandering off into the Hall of Fame.
At his age, reaction time slows. That is natural in the course of events. With diminished reaction time and a slowing of his ability to react to what is being thrown his way, Jeter needs to simplify his approach. It would be similar to what Nick Swisher did this year. Swisher was very "noisy" in his approach with a lot of movement before the pitch. But staying "quieter," he had a better ability to approach his swing.
Derek Jeter has a wild waggle with his bat when he is hitting. If you watch, you'll notice that he not only waggles his bat during his set up, he also waggled the bat forward over his head and toward the pitcher just as the pitcher is starting to throw the ball. This is something that Jeter has always done as a timing mechanism and it has worked for him. But he no longer has the quickness to get away with it. He has to get the bat all the way back to the hitting position from in front of his body and then swing forward even as he is reacting to the location of the speed and location of the pitch. It's just too much to accomplish when his motor receptors are slower.
What Jeter needs to do is get quiet like Swisher, like Paul Molitor did late in his career, like Carl Yaztremski did at the end of his career. Doing so would give Jeter a more even approach to the pitch, keep him more balanced and give him more time to react to what is coming toward him.
One knock against Jeter is that he's not very coachable. While the Yankees' batting coach has had great repore with A-Rod, Swisher and Granderson, you never see Jeter talking to him. It's time to change that and have a couple more good seasons before wandering off into the Hall of Fame.
What the Fan Would Have Done
Let's face it, any conjecture or second guessing concerning last night's game between the Yankees and Rangers is a moot point. The Rangers won and are going to the World Series. They deserve it and this Fan is very happy for them and their fans. But if the Fan had been Joe Girardi for a day, this is what would have been different:
Pitching:
Hughes - three innings
Sabathia - an inning
Burnett - an inning
Chamberlain - an inning
Wood - an inning or two
Rivera - an inning or two
Offense: Anybody in the world other than Thames at DH. Golson would have been a nice choice for some speed and a quick bat. He could have played right with Swisher at DH.
Asking Phil Hughes to get through that line up more than once was just too much for the youngster. He didn't match up well with their line up and the Yankees paid for it when it all broke down in the fifth. If Girardi had set up his game the way the Fan outlined it, he could have told Hughes to pretend it was a relief outing and to give it all he had for three innings and then take a shower. Sabathia could have come in for an inning when lefties were heavy and Burnett could have given you one solid inning. It just might have worked.
Against right handed pitching, Thames has no discipline on the breaking stuff outside. He looked like a heftier Soriano. He had no chance to contribute in that game against Lewis.
Again, it is all a moot point. The horses are out of the barn...and they are wearing Rangers uniforms.
Pitching:
Hughes - three innings
Sabathia - an inning
Burnett - an inning
Chamberlain - an inning
Wood - an inning or two
Rivera - an inning or two
Offense: Anybody in the world other than Thames at DH. Golson would have been a nice choice for some speed and a quick bat. He could have played right with Swisher at DH.
Asking Phil Hughes to get through that line up more than once was just too much for the youngster. He didn't match up well with their line up and the Yankees paid for it when it all broke down in the fifth. If Girardi had set up his game the way the Fan outlined it, he could have told Hughes to pretend it was a relief outing and to give it all he had for three innings and then take a shower. Sabathia could have come in for an inning when lefties were heavy and Burnett could have given you one solid inning. It just might have worked.
Against right handed pitching, Thames has no discipline on the breaking stuff outside. He looked like a heftier Soriano. He had no chance to contribute in that game against Lewis.
Again, it is all a moot point. The horses are out of the barn...and they are wearing Rangers uniforms.
The Rangers Win the Pennant
Congratulations to the Texas Rangers and their fans for beating the New York Yankees and advancing to the World Series. They out played the Yankees on every level, came back from a brutal Game One loss and showed the kind of heart and talent that deserves to represent the American League in the ultimate showdown called the World Series. One has to smile for the Rangers' fans. They have to be in heaven right now. Enjoy it. Enjoy every minute of it.
And how about Colby Lewis! The MVP of the series went to Josh Hamilton and you really can't quibble with that decision. He showed why he is the best player in baseball right now. But Colby Lewis won two games in convincing fashion, the only Rangers' starter that can make that claim. He pitched deep into two gems and totally shut down the Yankees lefty leaning lineup. He was fantastic. The Yankees managed only three hits in the clincher and that's how they became the ex-champs.
All credit is due to the Rangers, the players and Nolan Ryan and his staff. Cinderella is going to the ball and that is the kind of story that Major League Baseball can relish and share with the world.
And this weekend, we'll find out who they are going to play!
And how about Colby Lewis! The MVP of the series went to Josh Hamilton and you really can't quibble with that decision. He showed why he is the best player in baseball right now. But Colby Lewis won two games in convincing fashion, the only Rangers' starter that can make that claim. He pitched deep into two gems and totally shut down the Yankees lefty leaning lineup. He was fantastic. The Yankees managed only three hits in the clincher and that's how they became the ex-champs.
All credit is due to the Rangers, the players and Nolan Ryan and his staff. Cinderella is going to the ball and that is the kind of story that Major League Baseball can relish and share with the world.
And this weekend, we'll find out who they are going to play!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Game Picks - Friday: October 22, 2010
Is it just the Fan or does the playoffs this year seem just as long as the NHL playoffs? If you are a baseball fan, it probably doesn't matter because more baseball is always a good thing. But geez, it's 35 degrees here in northern Maine and it is October 22. Fortunately for us, the snow hasn't started flying yet and a few of our trees still have colored leaves hanging on for dear life. The Giants' defense left them out of a big celebration as they had a chance to bury the Phillies. But two big errors led to a three run inning and with Halladay versus the weak-hitting Giants, that was just something the Giants couldn't afford. While it is a bit hypocritical for this horizontally challenged writer to state, Mr. Panda really needs to address his issue in the off season or a terribly promising career could go right down the food blender. It's probably not kind to mention that his play in that three-run fiasco looked like a sumo wrestler trying to chase down a chicken.
This Fan has to admit that the last paragraph might be a result of sour grapes as the play led to a bad pick. And when you only have one pick to make, a bad one looks pretty ugly standing all by itself. Friday again features only one pick.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: There are really three scenarios that could happen in this game. The first is that Hughes is again terrible, the Rangers then feast on the underbelly of the Yankees' bullpen and win the game. The second is that Hughes is great and the Yankees score five runs on Lewis. The third is that Hughes has a bad start, Moseley again saves the day and the Yankees score five runs off of Lewis.
Yesterday: 0-1
Month: 39-32
Season: 1366-1047
This Fan has to admit that the last paragraph might be a result of sour grapes as the play led to a bad pick. And when you only have one pick to make, a bad one looks pretty ugly standing all by itself. Friday again features only one pick.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: There are really three scenarios that could happen in this game. The first is that Hughes is again terrible, the Rangers then feast on the underbelly of the Yankees' bullpen and win the game. The second is that Hughes is great and the Yankees score five runs on Lewis. The third is that Hughes has a bad start, Moseley again saves the day and the Yankees score five runs off of Lewis.
Yesterday: 0-1
Month: 39-32
Season: 1366-1047
It's Almost Midnight, Cinderella
In the minds of many baseball fans around the country, the thought of both the Yankees and Phillies not making it to the World Series is delicious. First, as a country, there is something about our make up that roots for the underdog. And both teams with 3-2 records in the championship seasons were certainly underdogs coming into this post season. The Phillies have been in the last two World Series. The Yankees are the Yankees and the reigning champs. The Rangers and the Giants both improbably took commanding 3-1 series leads. But these two Cinderella teams couldn't put the ugly stepsisters away in Game 5. The clock is getting towards midnight in a hurry.
If the Phillies and Yankees can manage to stay alive and win Game Six in their respective series, Game Seven will be a crap shoot where anything can happen. And let's face it, if only one of the Cinderella teams make it to the World Series, it won't nearly be as good a story. If the Yankees and Phillies can get to a Game Seven, they will have Hamels and Pettitte, two of the most experienced post season pitchers ever.
But the Cinderella teams are still in good shape at the moment. Colby Lewis versus Phil Hughes is pretty much a wash. Lewis allows the Yankees to field their best line up including Berkman batting from his good side. The Rangers love the fastball, which is Phil Hughes' best pitch and they certainly got to Hughes the first time around. The Giants get Oswalt in Game Six. Oswalt is very good, but he is not as good as Hamels or Halladay. Sanchez is the same as Hughes. If he is on, he is lights out. But he has to find the plate regularly to win.
Both the Rangers and the Giants have to win Game Six. Teams like the Phillies and the Yankees are too experienced and have too long a history to risk a Game Seven. All the pressure right now is on the old teams. A Game Seven erases that and puts the pressure on the two Cinderella teams not to blow what was once a promising scenario. Despite top dogs like Lee and Cain ready for that eventuality, again, anything can happen, especially if the teams can get beyond the starters and it becomes a bullpen game.
Just about everyone besides fans in Philly and New York will be thrilled at a World Series that features the Rangers and the Giants. That would truly be the glass slipper event of the season. But these ugly stepsisters aren't going to roll easily and unlike the movie, there is always a possibility for the bad guys to win in the end.
If the Phillies and Yankees can manage to stay alive and win Game Six in their respective series, Game Seven will be a crap shoot where anything can happen. And let's face it, if only one of the Cinderella teams make it to the World Series, it won't nearly be as good a story. If the Yankees and Phillies can get to a Game Seven, they will have Hamels and Pettitte, two of the most experienced post season pitchers ever.
But the Cinderella teams are still in good shape at the moment. Colby Lewis versus Phil Hughes is pretty much a wash. Lewis allows the Yankees to field their best line up including Berkman batting from his good side. The Rangers love the fastball, which is Phil Hughes' best pitch and they certainly got to Hughes the first time around. The Giants get Oswalt in Game Six. Oswalt is very good, but he is not as good as Hamels or Halladay. Sanchez is the same as Hughes. If he is on, he is lights out. But he has to find the plate regularly to win.
Both the Rangers and the Giants have to win Game Six. Teams like the Phillies and the Yankees are too experienced and have too long a history to risk a Game Seven. All the pressure right now is on the old teams. A Game Seven erases that and puts the pressure on the two Cinderella teams not to blow what was once a promising scenario. Despite top dogs like Lee and Cain ready for that eventuality, again, anything can happen, especially if the teams can get beyond the starters and it becomes a bullpen game.
Just about everyone besides fans in Philly and New York will be thrilled at a World Series that features the Rangers and the Giants. That would truly be the glass slipper event of the season. But these ugly stepsisters aren't going to roll easily and unlike the movie, there is always a possibility for the bad guys to win in the end.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A Fan Message to His Fans
Hi Folks, First, this Fan really appreciates your continued visits. And that appreciation necessitates an explanation of a few of the changes you may have noticed to the site. The Flagrant Fan is now a member of the Yardbarker.com family of blog sites. As such, their widget now appears on the site as well as a well placed link below the heading of this blog. Pretty soon, that network will start using this site for some of their ads. This decision was made for the following two reasons:
1. Yardbarker.com plays with the big boys and girls of the world when it comes to blog sites. This site has been around since 2003 and though some gains have been made in visit rates, the growth has been fairly static. Part of that is because the Fan hasn't had any affiliations in the past and part of it is that the site is about the MLB in general and not specific to one team. A few months ago, the Fan joined the BBA and that has helped. Joining with Yardbarker.com should help even more. They are now owned by FoxSports and this kind of exposure can be obvious.
2. Your Flagrant Fan puts a lot of time into this site. There have been almost 600 posts this year alone. Many of the posts are fairly long. That's a lot of work and it's always been done because of the passion the writer has for Major League Baseball. But after a while, a writer has to ask, "What's in this for me?" And that's the point exactly. Yardbarker will put a few bucks here and there into the Fan's pocket and that will certainly help.
The Fan hopes you understand. It is hoped that the ads don't get in your way or take away from your experience here. It is to share with friends that this site has always been about. If you get annoyed, feel free to let the Fan know. It may not change things, but at least you will be heard.
Thank you again for your support and the Fan hopes you will keep coming around for a long, long time.
1. Yardbarker.com plays with the big boys and girls of the world when it comes to blog sites. This site has been around since 2003 and though some gains have been made in visit rates, the growth has been fairly static. Part of that is because the Fan hasn't had any affiliations in the past and part of it is that the site is about the MLB in general and not specific to one team. A few months ago, the Fan joined the BBA and that has helped. Joining with Yardbarker.com should help even more. They are now owned by FoxSports and this kind of exposure can be obvious.
2. Your Flagrant Fan puts a lot of time into this site. There have been almost 600 posts this year alone. Many of the posts are fairly long. That's a lot of work and it's always been done because of the passion the writer has for Major League Baseball. But after a while, a writer has to ask, "What's in this for me?" And that's the point exactly. Yardbarker will put a few bucks here and there into the Fan's pocket and that will certainly help.
The Fan hopes you understand. It is hoped that the ads don't get in your way or take away from your experience here. It is to share with friends that this site has always been about. If you get annoyed, feel free to let the Fan know. It may not change things, but at least you will be heard.
Thank you again for your support and the Fan hopes you will keep coming around for a long, long time.
SORIANO, WILSON DOMINATE GOOSE GOSSAGE AWARD VOTING
Tampa Bay closer Rafael Soriano and San Francisco closer Brian Wilson handily won the Baseball Blogger Alliance’s first-ever Goose Gossage Award, handed out to the best reliever in each league. Soriano and Wilson, besides leading their teams to the postseason, posted numbers that well-distanced themselves from their competition in the minds of the voters.
Soriano, who captured fourteen first place votes in route to an overall total of 94 points, posted a 1.73 ERA and converted 45 saves in 48 chances. Soriano also had a 0.80 WHIP and struck out 57 in 62.1 innings pitched. He easily outdistanced Kansas City reliever Joakim Soria, who received 48 points.
In the National League, Wilson accumulated seventeen first place votes and 104 points overall after his season in which he piled up 48 saves (in 53 chances) with a 1.81 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Wilson also struck out 93 in just 74.2 innings. He outpaced San Diego closer Heath Bell, who lagged behind with 52 points.
While the BBA has named all of their post-season awards after greats of the game, Gossage gave his blessing to do so earlier in the year, inspiring the rest of the awards to be renamed as well.
The complete voting results are as follows (first place votes in parenthesis):
American League
Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay (14) 94
Joakim Soria, Kansas City (4) 48
Mariano Rivera, New York (1) 23
Joaquin Benoit, Tampa Bay (3) 19
Neftali Feliz, Texas 12
Matt Thornton, Chicago (1) 9
Daniel Bard, Boston 1
Jonathan Papelbon, Boston 1
National League
Brian Wilson, San Francisco (17) 104
Heath Bell, San Diego (2) 52
Carlos Marmol, Chicago (5) 41
Billy Wagner, Atlanta 19
Arthur Rhodes, Cincinnati (1) 5
Hong-Chih Kuo, Los Angeles 2
Matt Belisle, Colorado 1
Jonny Venters, Atlanta 1
The Baseball Bloggers Alliance was formed in the fall of 2009 to encourage cooperation and collaboration between baseball bloggers of all major league teams as well as those that follow baseball more generally. As of this writing, the organization consists of 234 blogs spanning all 30 major league squads as well as general baseball writing.
The BBA is organized under a similar structure as the Baseball Writers of America, where blogs that follow the same team are combined into “chapters” and only two votes from the chapter on an award are counted. The blog chapters that are focused on general baseball were allowed two votes as well, which they could use both on the same league or split between the two leagues.
Chapters generally followed one of two methods when casting their ballot. Either representatives of the chapter were given the ballots for voting or a “group ballot” was posted, accounting for both of their votes.
Ballots are posted on the respective blogs and tabulated on a 5-3-1 point scale for first, second and third. In the interest of transparency, links are given below for the ballots. Chapter affiliation is in parenthesis. Those chapters that decided on the group method are noted with an asterisk.
American League
Camden Crazies (Baltimore)*
Boston Red Thoughts (Boston)*
The Tribe Daily (Cleveland)*
Motor City Bengals (Detroit)
Detroit Tigers Scorecard Blog (Detroit)
One Royal Way (Kansas City)*
Twinkie Talk (Minnesota)
Over The Baggy (Minnesota)
Bronx Baseball Daily (New York)*
Contract Year (Oakland)
Jeff’s Mariners Fan Blog (Seattle)
Baseball Is My Boyfriend (Texas)*
The Blue Jay Hunter (Toronto)
Advanced Fantasy Baseball (Fantasy)*
Misc. Baseball (History)*
Victoria Seals Baseball Blog (Other)*
Blogging From The Bleachers (General)*
National League
Prose and Ivy (Chicago)*
Reds Fan Central (Cincinnati)
Marlins Diehards (Florida)
Marlin Maniac (Florida)
Feeling Dodger Blue (Los Angeles)
The Brewers Bar (Milwaukee)*
The Eddie Kranepool Society (New York)*
Dugger’s Corner (Philadelphia)
Raise The Jolly Roger (Pittsburgh)*
RetroSimba (St. Louis)
Fungoes (St. Louis)
Friar Forecast (San Diego)*
22gigantes (San Francisco)*
Advanced Fantasy Baseball (Fantasy)*
Misc. Baseball (History)*
Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf (Miscellaneous)*
Victoria Seals Baseball Blog (Other)*
Blogging From The Bleachers (General)*
The official website of the BBA is located at www.baseballbloggersalliance.com. The BBA can be found on Twitter by the handle @baseballblogs and by the hashmark #bbba. Members of the BBA may be heard at Blog Talk Radio every Tuesday night with their call-in show, BBA Baseball Talk, which may also be downloaded as a podcast from iTunes. For more information, contact Daniel Shoptaw at founder@baseballbloggersalliance.com.
Note from the Fan: Completely disagree with the NL vote. Should have been Marmol
Cubs Shouldn't Employ Sandberg
Yesterday in this space, it was written that the Cubs did the correct thing in giving Mike Quade the chance to show that the Cubs' record during his interim period was not a fluke. Now there are rumblings that Ryne Sandberg may be given a coaching assignment for the big league team. That would be a huge mistake and completely unfair to Quade. Naturally, Quade was lukewarm to the idea and who could blame him. The absolute last thing a new boss needs is to have the guy he beat out for the job sitting in his own dugout.
This is Business 101 folks. It's called the Glass Ceiling. When a prospect in your business organization rises to his highest possible ceiling and then tries and fails to go to the next level, the only option is to dismiss that candidate. If you don't, you have unhappiness all around.
Sandberg could be a saint about the whole thing and handle it with class and elan. That's been Sandberg's MO for most of his career. But why risk it? Why give Quade that level of discomfort? Why give the fans of Chicago a reason to chant if things don't go well? No, you can't do that to Quade. It would undo all the positives you created with the decision in the first place. And in Business 101, you don't re-employ Sandberg back in the minors either. There is no logical choice but to dismiss him and wish him well.
We all will wish Sandberg well and hope that he gets a chance to manage at the big league level. But we all wish for it in another organization.
This is Business 101 folks. It's called the Glass Ceiling. When a prospect in your business organization rises to his highest possible ceiling and then tries and fails to go to the next level, the only option is to dismiss that candidate. If you don't, you have unhappiness all around.
Sandberg could be a saint about the whole thing and handle it with class and elan. That's been Sandberg's MO for most of his career. But why risk it? Why give Quade that level of discomfort? Why give the fans of Chicago a reason to chant if things don't go well? No, you can't do that to Quade. It would undo all the positives you created with the decision in the first place. And in Business 101, you don't re-employ Sandberg back in the minors either. There is no logical choice but to dismiss him and wish him well.
We all will wish Sandberg well and hope that he gets a chance to manage at the big league level. But we all wish for it in another organization.
Game Picks - Thursday: October 21, 2010
Those of us fortunate enough to stay up late and are not cable customers in NYC got to see about as entertaining a baseball game as you are ever going to see. The game went back and forth all night as both teams gave it their best shot. In the end, the Giants outlasted their opponent and took a huge 3-1 lead in the NLCS. If Lincecum can duplicate his game against the Phillies in a rematch with Halladay, this series could be over without going back to Philadelphia.
And that is exactly what this Fan is going to pick:
- The Giants earned the NL title, ending both the Phillies reign and capping a most improbable season. Lincecum and Halladay are both great and perhaps this becomes a battle of the bullpens. But the Giants win.
Yesterday: 2-0
Month: 39-31
Season: 1366-1046
And that is exactly what this Fan is going to pick:
- The Giants earned the NL title, ending both the Phillies reign and capping a most improbable season. Lincecum and Halladay are both great and perhaps this becomes a battle of the bullpens. But the Giants win.
Yesterday: 2-0
Month: 39-31
Season: 1366-1046
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Still an Uphill Battle
The New York Yankees stayed alive in the American League Championship Series thanks to some timely hitting by the now-Teixeira-less Yankees and untimely hitting by the Texas Rangers. How untimely? The Rangers accumulated 13 hits, hit into two double plays, had two stolen bases and had another guy picked off. And they still managed to leave eight men on base as a team.
C. C. Sabathia got the win but once again, he has looked far from dominating. Sabathia gave up a homer to the weak hitting Treanor and somehow, despite giving up eleven hits in six innings, only allowed two runs. Yankee fans will call that a gutsy performance. Rangers fans and sabermetric folks will call it a lucky performance. This fan will split the difference and call it a darned lucky, gutsy performance. Series pest, Michael Young hit into a double play in the first inning, and Sabathia later induced Josh Hamilton to hit into another one to end another rally. Later in the game, Sabathia was on the ropes and the Rangers had the bases loaded and a big inning could have gotten the Rangers back in the game, but something strange happened. Well, nothing happened and that was strange.
Again the bases were loaded and it was the sixth inning (Sabathia's last) with one out. Curiously, Ron Washington let Treanor hit for himself. Treanor was only starting because he is C. J. Wilson's personal caddy and yes, Treanor had already hit a homer in the game. But all you have to do is look at Treanor's overall stats to know the homer was a fluke. Washington had to pinch hit for him there. Wilson was already KOed from the game, so there was no reason to keep him in there. Sure, there is an old saw about not pinch hitting for the catcher because if your backup gets hurt, you are stuck. But this is the playoffs! You can't worry about old saws, can you?
But Treanor did bat for himself and weakly tapped out to A-Rod, who gladly traded an out for a run. Moreland then struck out to end the inning. To this observer, that was a huge gaffe by Washington. Somebody had to pinch hit for Treanor in that situation. It was a big break for the Yankees.
They got another big break in the seventh inning which again involved Kerry Wood getting an improbable out due to poor Rangers base running. Andrus ricocheted a hit off of Wood for a lead off single. Wood did his best A. J. Barnett impression and threw a wild pitch (not that Posada is going to block anything) which sent Andrus to second. All Yankee-dom groaned. Not again with the bullpen. But inexplicably, Andrus got all loosey-goosey at second and Wood whirled and threw to Jeter. Andrus was a dead duck as Jeter ran him down. Wood then pitched a brilliant rest of the seventh and eighth to give the ball to Mo. That was huge too.
Rivera gave up another hit to Moreland who likes breaking his bat off of the great reliever because the ball always finds a hole somehow. But that was all as Rivera did his thing in a non-save situation.
And so the Yankees stayed alive. But it doesn't get any more fun from here. They have to face the Rangers in their home park and there is no guarantee in the next game as Hughes gets the ball. We all know what happened last time, so that isn't a pleasant possibility. And if Hughes does happen to win, they get Lee in Game Seven. It's a heck of a long shot, but as long as you aren't dead, you have hope.
It looks like Cruz hurt his hammy again, so it's possible that he could join Teixeira among the missing. This Fan liked seeing Berkman in the game. He gives you all those years of success to fall back on. The Fan can't think of a better guy up when you need a run than Berkman.
C. C. Sabathia got the win but once again, he has looked far from dominating. Sabathia gave up a homer to the weak hitting Treanor and somehow, despite giving up eleven hits in six innings, only allowed two runs. Yankee fans will call that a gutsy performance. Rangers fans and sabermetric folks will call it a lucky performance. This fan will split the difference and call it a darned lucky, gutsy performance. Series pest, Michael Young hit into a double play in the first inning, and Sabathia later induced Josh Hamilton to hit into another one to end another rally. Later in the game, Sabathia was on the ropes and the Rangers had the bases loaded and a big inning could have gotten the Rangers back in the game, but something strange happened. Well, nothing happened and that was strange.
Again the bases were loaded and it was the sixth inning (Sabathia's last) with one out. Curiously, Ron Washington let Treanor hit for himself. Treanor was only starting because he is C. J. Wilson's personal caddy and yes, Treanor had already hit a homer in the game. But all you have to do is look at Treanor's overall stats to know the homer was a fluke. Washington had to pinch hit for him there. Wilson was already KOed from the game, so there was no reason to keep him in there. Sure, there is an old saw about not pinch hitting for the catcher because if your backup gets hurt, you are stuck. But this is the playoffs! You can't worry about old saws, can you?
But Treanor did bat for himself and weakly tapped out to A-Rod, who gladly traded an out for a run. Moreland then struck out to end the inning. To this observer, that was a huge gaffe by Washington. Somebody had to pinch hit for Treanor in that situation. It was a big break for the Yankees.
They got another big break in the seventh inning which again involved Kerry Wood getting an improbable out due to poor Rangers base running. Andrus ricocheted a hit off of Wood for a lead off single. Wood did his best A. J. Barnett impression and threw a wild pitch (not that Posada is going to block anything) which sent Andrus to second. All Yankee-dom groaned. Not again with the bullpen. But inexplicably, Andrus got all loosey-goosey at second and Wood whirled and threw to Jeter. Andrus was a dead duck as Jeter ran him down. Wood then pitched a brilliant rest of the seventh and eighth to give the ball to Mo. That was huge too.
Rivera gave up another hit to Moreland who likes breaking his bat off of the great reliever because the ball always finds a hole somehow. But that was all as Rivera did his thing in a non-save situation.
And so the Yankees stayed alive. But it doesn't get any more fun from here. They have to face the Rangers in their home park and there is no guarantee in the next game as Hughes gets the ball. We all know what happened last time, so that isn't a pleasant possibility. And if Hughes does happen to win, they get Lee in Game Seven. It's a heck of a long shot, but as long as you aren't dead, you have hope.
It looks like Cruz hurt his hammy again, so it's possible that he could join Teixeira among the missing. This Fan liked seeing Berkman in the game. He gives you all those years of success to fall back on. The Fan can't think of a better guy up when you need a run than Berkman.
The Cubs Do The Right Thing
The heading of this post may come back to haunt this writer if the Cubs fall on their faces in 2011, but if they play like they did under Quade down the stretch, they could contend again for the first time in a while with Quade shedding his interim status. Quade certainly proved the Fan's near daily rants about Lou Piniella being the wrong guy for that team. As soon as they shed their fiery and cantankerous old manager, the team took off under Quade. All the players raved about him and several said he should get the job. The Cubs listened and signed him to a two year contract.
The move, of course, snubs their former Hall of Fame second baseman, Ryne Sandberg, who had paid his dues in the minors and seemed the heir apparent. The decision had to be a huge blow to Sandberg and it is not many teams that would have picked over him in that type of situation. He lost the job to a guy without his pedigree as a fan favorite and a favored son. This observer would bet money that Sandberg will leave the organization to get where he wants to go. And who would blame him?
In effect, the Cubs rewarded a loyal soldier who stepped up when his troops were under heavy fire and got the players to respond and thrive at the end of the season. The team believes that the Cubs at the end of the season were the true picture of the Cubs talent and wanted to go with the guy who started them in the right direction. It absolutely makes sense. The decision may or may not work out, but it was the right decision in a tough spot. That is not a sentence that usually is typed concerning the Cubs in their recent history.
The Cubs will need a lot to go right in 2011. They will need continuing improvement from their young players and their older players need to play to their career standards. That's not asking a lot though and Chicago could have something to root for which all Chicago fans have ever asked for. Good for the Cubs. Good for Quade. Well done.
The move, of course, snubs their former Hall of Fame second baseman, Ryne Sandberg, who had paid his dues in the minors and seemed the heir apparent. The decision had to be a huge blow to Sandberg and it is not many teams that would have picked over him in that type of situation. He lost the job to a guy without his pedigree as a fan favorite and a favored son. This observer would bet money that Sandberg will leave the organization to get where he wants to go. And who would blame him?
In effect, the Cubs rewarded a loyal soldier who stepped up when his troops were under heavy fire and got the players to respond and thrive at the end of the season. The team believes that the Cubs at the end of the season were the true picture of the Cubs talent and wanted to go with the guy who started them in the right direction. It absolutely makes sense. The decision may or may not work out, but it was the right decision in a tough spot. That is not a sentence that usually is typed concerning the Cubs in their recent history.
The Cubs will need a lot to go right in 2011. They will need continuing improvement from their young players and their older players need to play to their career standards. That's not asking a lot though and Chicago could have something to root for which all Chicago fans have ever asked for. Good for the Cubs. Good for Quade. Well done.
Game Picks - Wednesday: October 20, 2010
The Texas Rangers are in the cat seat and they deserve to be where they are. They have the world's best player, the world's hottest pitcher and a bunch of other very good players and they have out classed the Yankees at every level. They seem to be the team of destiny this year and good for them. They have the Yankees right where they had the Tampa Bay Rays. Even if the Yankees come back like the Bay Rays did, they still have Cliff Lee at the end. That's a pretty good situation for them.
On the other side of the coin, the surprising Giants have a match up in their favor with Bumgarner versus Blanton. Blanton has pitched well down the stretch, but he's just a middle-of-the-road pitcher. Bumgarner is an up and coming stud whose stuff could shut down the Phillies yet again. Young pitchers like Hughes and Sanchez haven't fared well in the championship series, but Bumgarner seems to be different.
And so...
- The Giants over the Phillies: Bumgarner gets the job done and the Giants score at least three off of Blanton.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: Sabathia gives the Yankees slight hope, but it won't be enough in the end.
Yesterday: 1-1
On the other side of the coin, the surprising Giants have a match up in their favor with Bumgarner versus Blanton. Blanton has pitched well down the stretch, but he's just a middle-of-the-road pitcher. Bumgarner is an up and coming stud whose stuff could shut down the Phillies yet again. Young pitchers like Hughes and Sanchez haven't fared well in the championship series, but Bumgarner seems to be different.
And so...
- The Giants over the Phillies: Bumgarner gets the job done and the Giants score at least three off of Blanton.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: Sabathia gives the Yankees slight hope, but it won't be enough in the end.
Yesterday: 1-1
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Game Picks - Tuesday: October 19, 2010
Another day, another bad pick. To think that the Fan started the playoffs on an 8-0 run. Now the results have gone the other way and bad picks have been the story five of the last six games. It's time to start a new run. The following is what the Fan thinks will happen today, not necessarily what the Fan hopes happens today:
Yesterday: 0-1
- The Rangers over the Yankees: The Rangers have out-moxied the Yankees at every turn for the last two days. There is no reason to think it won't happen for another day. Hunter over Burnett.
- The Phillies over the Giants: Cole Hamels is a big time pitcher. Matt Cain is a good pitcher. The Phillies are a big time offense. The Giants have an okay offense. Enough said.
Yankee Wipe Out
In a game that couldn't have gone any worse for the Yankees, Cliff Lee once again dominated the Yankees with an unbelievable display of bravura. He must have a voodoo doll hanging in his locker with the Yankees uniform displayed prominently. How else can you explain all those 90 to 91 MPH fastballs that went right down the heart of the plate that the Yankees either swung through or watched go by harmlessly for strikes? Jeter swung through at least five fastballs down the middle including the third strike of two of his strikeouts. Brent Gardner stood there as three straight hittable fastballs went over the plate without ever swinging. Granderson didn't swing at fastballs over the plate and then swung at curves in the dirt. If the Yankees had any kind of plan in this game against Lee, it was either a lousy plan or executed terribly. Thames was useless. Wouldn't you rather take a chance with Berkman, a proven run producer than Thames? Screw the split stats. Take the veteran. It was the worst game the Yankees have ever had at the plate. Give Lee the credit, but hang a gigantic goat over the entire New York dugout.
Pettitte was brilliant except for a short porch tennis serve by Josh Hamilton in the first inning. Pettitte pitched the kind of game that only the greatest starter in the history of the post season can pitch. But it was all for naught as the Yankees couldn't hit Lee if they had 100 innings. They better sign the guy next year because they certainly can't hit him. Kerry Wood was great in the eighth, but then the Yankee bullpen looked like some kind of slow pitch softball league in the ninth.
At least for the Yankees, they got blown out in a game they never had a chance to win. They face another lefty tomorrow in Wilson and it will be interesting to see if Girardi makes any kind of move. Berkman instead of Thames would be a good place to start. Even Posada at DH would make sense since Cervelli will probably catch Burnett. The Yankees sure don't seem to have much other hope this series. If they lose with Burnett, they are toast.
There was one turning point in the game. Gardner got on first and Lee obviously was bothered by him, so much so that he got in a 2-0 hole with Jeter. Then Lee hung a slider that Jeter should have mashed but didn't. With the count 2-1, Gardner took off and Jeter took a strike right down the middle to let him run. That was huge because Gardner on second didn't bother Lee as much as when he was on first. Lee knew that Gardner couldn't risk stealing third and just bore down and did his usual laser surgery on the helpless Yankees. A hit and run or something would have have had a better chance in that situation.
Again, you have to give Cliff Lee all the props for the game he pitched. But this writer has to think that any other pitcher in the league throws that game and the Yankee heads are in a different place and would have mashed. But the Yankees were helpless and now they are almost hopeless.
Late Edit: Hunter is starting for Texas and not Wilson
Pettitte was brilliant except for a short porch tennis serve by Josh Hamilton in the first inning. Pettitte pitched the kind of game that only the greatest starter in the history of the post season can pitch. But it was all for naught as the Yankees couldn't hit Lee if they had 100 innings. They better sign the guy next year because they certainly can't hit him. Kerry Wood was great in the eighth, but then the Yankee bullpen looked like some kind of slow pitch softball league in the ninth.
At least for the Yankees, they got blown out in a game they never had a chance to win. They face another lefty tomorrow in Wilson and it will be interesting to see if Girardi makes any kind of move. Berkman instead of Thames would be a good place to start. Even Posada at DH would make sense since Cervelli will probably catch Burnett. The Yankees sure don't seem to have much other hope this series. If they lose with Burnett, they are toast.
There was one turning point in the game. Gardner got on first and Lee obviously was bothered by him, so much so that he got in a 2-0 hole with Jeter. Then Lee hung a slider that Jeter should have mashed but didn't. With the count 2-1, Gardner took off and Jeter took a strike right down the middle to let him run. That was huge because Gardner on second didn't bother Lee as much as when he was on first. Lee knew that Gardner couldn't risk stealing third and just bore down and did his usual laser surgery on the helpless Yankees. A hit and run or something would have have had a better chance in that situation.
Again, you have to give Cliff Lee all the props for the game he pitched. But this writer has to think that any other pitcher in the league throws that game and the Yankee heads are in a different place and would have mashed. But the Yankees were helpless and now they are almost hopeless.
Late Edit: Hunter is starting for Texas and not Wilson
Monday, October 18, 2010
Neftali Feliz and Buster Posey Win BBA Rookie Award
The Baseball Bloggers Alliance has announced its annual awards for the best rookies in both leagues and this writer would be surprised if the baseball writers follow the same pattern. For the second year in a row, a closer is going to win the award in the American League. Buster Posey won in the NL, which is an understandable choice over Jason Heyward...understandable but not without controversy. But let's focus on the AL award for now. As the Fan was saying, this is the second year in a row that a closer won the award. And you can try to convince the Fan all you want that this is the correct choice. But it's not. It wasn't last year and it isn't this year. For the same reasons a closer should never win the Cy Young Award or the BBA equivalent, a closer should never beat out a position player or a starting pitcher for this kind of an award. The body of work just doesn't cut it. Here's how.
First, Feliz pitched a grand total of 69.1 innings. It doesn't matter how many guys he struck out or how many saves he recorded, he still only pitched 69.1 innings or roughly 4.8% of his team's total innings. His WAR or Wins Above Replacement came to 2.4. Compare that to Brian Matusz as just one example. Matusz pitched 175.2 innings or roughly 12% of his team's total. His WAR was 3.1. How about Danny Valencia? The Twins' third baseman only played half a season, but managed to get in 709 innings or 45% of his team's innings. He had a 2.5 WAR. And the Fan hasn't even gotten to the big guys yet. Austin Jackson, everyone's favorite before he cooled off a little, played in 1256 innings or 86% of his team's innings and he recorded a 2.5 WAR. His offensive WAR was 2.9 and he got dinged -0.4 points for his defense (which is questionable in this writer's mind). All of those guys had a higher Wins Above Replacement than Feliz.
Yes, Neftali Feliz had a wonderful rookie campaign just like Andrew Bailey did the year before. But those years weren't the most valuable among their rookie peers. They couldn't be. The difference between a closer and either a starting pitcher and an everyday player is the difference between a Hershey's Kiss and a bowl full of chocolate butter-frosting. That's just the way it is. But it isn't. Because people still get overly impressed with closers.
Here is the press release via BBA:
POSEY, FELIZ WIN TWO-MAN RACES FOR WILLIE MAYS AWARD
The battle for the Willie Mays Award, given by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance to the top rookie in each division, turned out to be a two-man affair in both leagues, with Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey finishing solidly ahead of their closest competition, Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Jackson and Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward, respectively.
Feliz posted a 2.73 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP while tallying 40 saves and helping Texas into the postseason for the first time since 1999. Feliz only blew three save opportunities while fashioning a 3.94 strikeout to walk ratio.
Feliz garnered eighteen first-place votes and 102 points overall, finishing 22 points ahead of Jackson, who received six nods at the top of the ballot.
Posey did not begin the season in the major leagues, but did so much with his time in San Francisco that voters selected him as the National League’s top rookie. Posey hit .305 and slugged .505 in just 108 games, tallying 18 home runs and 67 RBI after his callup at the end of May. Posey’s offense helped San Francisco make up ground and eventually pass San Diego for the divisional crown.
Posey received 103 total points, including fifteen first-place selections, to outpace Heyward by 17 points. Heyward received ten first-place votes for his work in helping Atlanta secure the National League Wild Card.
The complete voting results are as follows (first place votes in parenthesis):
American League
Neftali Feliz, Texas (18) 102
Austin Jackson, Detroit (6) 78
Danny Valencia, Minnesota 16
Brian Matusz, Baltimore (1) 12
Brennan Boesch, Detroit 11
Wade Davis, Tampa Bay 3
John Jaso, Tampa Bay 3
National League
Buster Posey, San Francisco (15) 103
Jason Heyward, Atlanta (10) 86
Jaime Garcia, St. Louis 20
Starlin Castro, Chicago 7
Ike Davis, New York 7
Gaby Sanchez, Florida (1) 6
Tyler Colvin, Chicago 2
Mike Stanton, Florida 2
Neil Walker, Pittsburgh 2
The Baseball Bloggers Alliance was formed in the fall of 2009 to encourage cooperation and collaboration between baseball bloggers of all major league teams as well as those that follow baseball more generally. As of this writing, the organization consists of 233blogs spanning all 30 major league squads as well as general baseball writing.
The BBA is organized under a similar structure as the Baseball Writers of America, where blogs that follow the same team are combined into “chapters” and only two votes from the chapter on an award are counted. The blog chapters that are focused on general baseball were allowed two votes as well, which they could use both on the same league or split between the two leagues.
Chapters generally followed one of two methods when casting their ballot. Either representatives of the chapter were given the ballots for voting or a “group ballot” was posted, accounting for both of their votes.
Ballots are posted on the respective blogs and tabulated on a 5-3-1 point scale for first, second and third. In the interest of transparency, links are given below for the ballots. Chapter affiliation is in parenthesis. Those chapters that decided on the group method are noted with an asterisk.
American League
Camden Crazies (Baltimore)*
Boston Red Thoughts (Boston)*
The Tribe Daily (Cleveland)*
Detroit Tigers Scorecard (Detroit)
Switch Hitting Pitchers (Detroit)
One Royal Way (Kansas City)
Seth Speaks (Minnesota)
Twins Target (Minnesota)
Bronx Baseball Daily (New York)*
Contract Year (Oakland)
Rise of the Rays (Tampa Bay)
Tampa Bay Rays News (Tampa Bay)
Baseball Is My Boyfriend (Texas)*
The Blue Jay Hunter (Toronto)
500 Level Fan (Toronto)
Advanced Fantasy Baseball (Fantasy)*
Misc. Baseball (History)*
Victoria Seals Baseball Blog (Other)*
Blogging From The Bleachers (General)*
National League
Prose and Ivy (Chicago)*
Cincinnati Reds Blog (Cincinnati)
Marlin Maniac (Florida)
Marlins Diehards (Florida)
Feeling Dodger Blue (Los Angeles)
Bernie’s Crew (Milwaukee)*
Brewers Bar (Milwaukee)*
The Eddie Kranepool Society (New York)*
Dugger’s Corner (Philadelphia)
Phighting On (Philadelphia)
Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? (Pittsburgh)*
i70 Baseball (St. Louis)
Pitchers Hit Eighth (St. Louis)
Friar Forecast (San Diego)*
22gigantes (San Francisco)*
Advanced Fantasy Baseball (Fantasy)*
Misc. Baseball (History)*
Victoria Seals Baseball Blog (Other)*
Blogging From The Bleachers (General)*
Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf (Miscellaneous)*
Ballots that were unofficial or helped make up their chapter ballot:
Bottom Line Sox (Boston)
Raise the Jolly Roger (Pittsburgh)
The Crazy Crabbers (San Francisco)
Stan Musial’s Stance (St. Louis--unofficial)
Prior Winners
2009: Andrew Bailey, Oakland; Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh
The official website of the BBA is located at www.baseballbloggersalliance.com. The BBA can be found on Twitter by the handle @baseballblogs and by the hashmark #bbba. Members of the BBA may be heard at Blog Talk Radio every Tuesday night with their call-in show, BBA Baseball Talk, which may also be downloaded as a podcast from iTunes. For more information, contact Daniel Shoptaw at founder@baseballbloggersalliance.com.
First, Feliz pitched a grand total of 69.1 innings. It doesn't matter how many guys he struck out or how many saves he recorded, he still only pitched 69.1 innings or roughly 4.8% of his team's total innings. His WAR or Wins Above Replacement came to 2.4. Compare that to Brian Matusz as just one example. Matusz pitched 175.2 innings or roughly 12% of his team's total. His WAR was 3.1. How about Danny Valencia? The Twins' third baseman only played half a season, but managed to get in 709 innings or 45% of his team's innings. He had a 2.5 WAR. And the Fan hasn't even gotten to the big guys yet. Austin Jackson, everyone's favorite before he cooled off a little, played in 1256 innings or 86% of his team's innings and he recorded a 2.5 WAR. His offensive WAR was 2.9 and he got dinged -0.4 points for his defense (which is questionable in this writer's mind). All of those guys had a higher Wins Above Replacement than Feliz.
Yes, Neftali Feliz had a wonderful rookie campaign just like Andrew Bailey did the year before. But those years weren't the most valuable among their rookie peers. They couldn't be. The difference between a closer and either a starting pitcher and an everyday player is the difference between a Hershey's Kiss and a bowl full of chocolate butter-frosting. That's just the way it is. But it isn't. Because people still get overly impressed with closers.
Here is the press release via BBA:
POSEY, FELIZ WIN TWO-MAN RACES FOR WILLIE MAYS AWARD
The battle for the Willie Mays Award, given by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance to the top rookie in each division, turned out to be a two-man affair in both leagues, with Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey finishing solidly ahead of their closest competition, Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Jackson and Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward, respectively.
Feliz posted a 2.73 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP while tallying 40 saves and helping Texas into the postseason for the first time since 1999. Feliz only blew three save opportunities while fashioning a 3.94 strikeout to walk ratio.
Feliz garnered eighteen first-place votes and 102 points overall, finishing 22 points ahead of Jackson, who received six nods at the top of the ballot.
Posey did not begin the season in the major leagues, but did so much with his time in San Francisco that voters selected him as the National League’s top rookie. Posey hit .305 and slugged .505 in just 108 games, tallying 18 home runs and 67 RBI after his callup at the end of May. Posey’s offense helped San Francisco make up ground and eventually pass San Diego for the divisional crown.
Posey received 103 total points, including fifteen first-place selections, to outpace Heyward by 17 points. Heyward received ten first-place votes for his work in helping Atlanta secure the National League Wild Card.
The complete voting results are as follows (first place votes in parenthesis):
American League
Neftali Feliz, Texas (18) 102
Austin Jackson, Detroit (6) 78
Danny Valencia, Minnesota 16
Brian Matusz, Baltimore (1) 12
Brennan Boesch, Detroit 11
Wade Davis, Tampa Bay 3
John Jaso, Tampa Bay 3
National League
Buster Posey, San Francisco (15) 103
Jason Heyward, Atlanta (10) 86
Jaime Garcia, St. Louis 20
Starlin Castro, Chicago 7
Ike Davis, New York 7
Gaby Sanchez, Florida (1) 6
Tyler Colvin, Chicago 2
Mike Stanton, Florida 2
Neil Walker, Pittsburgh 2
The Baseball Bloggers Alliance was formed in the fall of 2009 to encourage cooperation and collaboration between baseball bloggers of all major league teams as well as those that follow baseball more generally. As of this writing, the organization consists of 233blogs spanning all 30 major league squads as well as general baseball writing.
The BBA is organized under a similar structure as the Baseball Writers of America, where blogs that follow the same team are combined into “chapters” and only two votes from the chapter on an award are counted. The blog chapters that are focused on general baseball were allowed two votes as well, which they could use both on the same league or split between the two leagues.
Chapters generally followed one of two methods when casting their ballot. Either representatives of the chapter were given the ballots for voting or a “group ballot” was posted, accounting for both of their votes.
Ballots are posted on the respective blogs and tabulated on a 5-3-1 point scale for first, second and third. In the interest of transparency, links are given below for the ballots. Chapter affiliation is in parenthesis. Those chapters that decided on the group method are noted with an asterisk.
American League
Camden Crazies (Baltimore)*
Boston Red Thoughts (Boston)*
The Tribe Daily (Cleveland)*
Detroit Tigers Scorecard (Detroit)
Switch Hitting Pitchers (Detroit)
One Royal Way (Kansas City)
Seth Speaks (Minnesota)
Twins Target (Minnesota)
Bronx Baseball Daily (New York)*
Contract Year (Oakland)
Rise of the Rays (Tampa Bay)
Tampa Bay Rays News (Tampa Bay)
Baseball Is My Boyfriend (Texas)*
The Blue Jay Hunter (Toronto)
500 Level Fan (Toronto)
Advanced Fantasy Baseball (Fantasy)*
Misc. Baseball (History)*
Victoria Seals Baseball Blog (Other)*
Blogging From The Bleachers (General)*
National League
Prose and Ivy (Chicago)*
Cincinnati Reds Blog (Cincinnati)
Marlin Maniac (Florida)
Marlins Diehards (Florida)
Feeling Dodger Blue (Los Angeles)
Bernie’s Crew (Milwaukee)*
Brewers Bar (Milwaukee)*
The Eddie Kranepool Society (New York)*
Dugger’s Corner (Philadelphia)
Phighting On (Philadelphia)
Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? (Pittsburgh)*
i70 Baseball (St. Louis)
Pitchers Hit Eighth (St. Louis)
Friar Forecast (San Diego)*
22gigantes (San Francisco)*
Advanced Fantasy Baseball (Fantasy)*
Misc. Baseball (History)*
Victoria Seals Baseball Blog (Other)*
Blogging From The Bleachers (General)*
Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf (Miscellaneous)*
Ballots that were unofficial or helped make up their chapter ballot:
Bottom Line Sox (Boston)
Raise the Jolly Roger (Pittsburgh)
The Crazy Crabbers (San Francisco)
Stan Musial’s Stance (St. Louis--unofficial)
Prior Winners
2009: Andrew Bailey, Oakland; Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh
The official website of the BBA is located at www.baseballbloggersalliance.com. The BBA can be found on Twitter by the handle @baseballblogs and by the hashmark #bbba. Members of the BBA may be heard at Blog Talk Radio every Tuesday night with their call-in show, BBA Baseball Talk, which may also be downloaded as a podcast from iTunes. For more information, contact Daniel Shoptaw at founder@baseballbloggersalliance.com.
Game Picks - Monday: October 18, 2010
Picking the Phillies to lose two in a row at their home place was stupid. Expecting a young stud pitcher to shut them down was stupid. Picking against Roy Oswalt, who forced this move to a contender just so he could have a game like Sunday's was stupid. Guilty as charged. The Fan committed the cardinal sin of picking, and that is getting swept up in a moment. Baseball isn't like other sports where momentum matters much in the playoffs. Yeah, a team can get a big win, but tomorrow is another game and the score starts out 0-0. The Phillies have been to too many of these rodeos to cave to a game like Game 1. Stupid.
Now for Monday's game:
- The Yankees over the Rangers: Yes, Cliff Lee is pitching. Yes, he is perfect so far in post season play. But he is not going against Hughes or Burnett or even Sabathia. He is going against Andy Pettitte. Yes, Pettitte is 38 years old. Yes, Cliff Lee is better than Andy Pettitte. But Andy Pettitte will not panic. He will not get rattled. Andy Pettitte will hold base runners closer. Andy Pettite has won 19 post season games. If he can hold the Rangers to a run or two, he'll win his 20th tonight.
Yesterday: 0-1
Week: 0-1
Month: 36-29
Season: 1363-1044
Now for Monday's game:
- The Yankees over the Rangers: Yes, Cliff Lee is pitching. Yes, he is perfect so far in post season play. But he is not going against Hughes or Burnett or even Sabathia. He is going against Andy Pettitte. Yes, Pettitte is 38 years old. Yes, Cliff Lee is better than Andy Pettitte. But Andy Pettitte will not panic. He will not get rattled. Andy Pettitte will hold base runners closer. Andy Pettite has won 19 post season games. If he can hold the Rangers to a run or two, he'll win his 20th tonight.
Yesterday: 0-1
Week: 0-1
Month: 36-29
Season: 1363-1044
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Game Picks - Sunday: October 17, 2010
This picker took it on the chin yesterday and rightly so. The Texas Rangers told the world they should not be underestimated and the Giants' power arms might just cancel out the Phillies' big three. Now, unlike the easy to predict division series, the championship series could go either way. The ALCS is a 50/50 proposition right now and this Fan personally thinks that if the Phillies don't beat Sanchez today, they could be in a real bad position.
Today's one pick:
- The Giants over the Phillies: Sanchez should overpower the Phillies and the Giants get just enough offense on Oswalt to win the game.
Yesterday: 0-2
Last week: 4-4
Month: 36-28
Season: 1363-1043
Today's one pick:
- The Giants over the Phillies: Sanchez should overpower the Phillies and the Giants get just enough offense on Oswalt to win the game.
Yesterday: 0-2
Last week: 4-4
Month: 36-28
Season: 1363-1043
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Saturday's Results Surpising
When writing the game picks on Saturday morning, the Fan was troubled concerning the fate of each and every no-hit pitcher after performing the prodigious feat. Despite that inner voice, the Fan still figured the Phillies would find a way to win the game. During that same post, this Fan figured that it was not in the realm of possibility that the Rangers could bounce back from their crumbing loss on Friday. Both beliefs couldn't have been more wrong. The Phillies did not find a way to win the game. They only found a way to drag their bats back to the dugout whiff after whiff. Thirteen times between Lincecum, his set up guy and his closer struck out the veteran Phillies. And the Rangers scored often and early knocking out their second straight Yankee starter and this time the bullpen was perfect.
Now the Yankees head back to their home park to face Cliff Lee, a pitcher they cannot seem to beat and the Phillies have lost their home field advantage and suddenly look a bit old and slow compared to the Giants who don't know any better than to think they are outclassed by their NLCS rivals. Suddenly, both teams look like they are in trouble. Suddenly, the Yankees hopes will be on the old reliable Pettitte and if he fails against Lee, then the Yankees have to hope that Burnett can somehow win game four. Yeesh.
It won't get any easier for the Phillies as they have to face Sanchez, who suddenly is pitching deeper into games and attacking the zone more than ever before. He is just as capable of striking out Rollins three more times and Howard three more times. The Giants' bullpen looks dominant. Brian Wilson struck out four batters out of the four outs he recorded. This has really gotten interesting. Could the Giants and the Rangers actually take out the Phillies and the Yankees?
It certainly seems possible now, doesn't it?
Now the Yankees head back to their home park to face Cliff Lee, a pitcher they cannot seem to beat and the Phillies have lost their home field advantage and suddenly look a bit old and slow compared to the Giants who don't know any better than to think they are outclassed by their NLCS rivals. Suddenly, both teams look like they are in trouble. Suddenly, the Yankees hopes will be on the old reliable Pettitte and if he fails against Lee, then the Yankees have to hope that Burnett can somehow win game four. Yeesh.
It won't get any easier for the Phillies as they have to face Sanchez, who suddenly is pitching deeper into games and attacking the zone more than ever before. He is just as capable of striking out Rollins three more times and Howard three more times. The Giants' bullpen looks dominant. Brian Wilson struck out four batters out of the four outs he recorded. This has really gotten interesting. Could the Giants and the Rangers actually take out the Phillies and the Yankees?
It certainly seems possible now, doesn't it?
Game Picks - Saturday: October 16, 2010
Well, the Yankees pulled one out last night and the Rangers had their nutmegs grounded into powder. You had to feel for their fans as there were long faces all over that stadium. Can the Rangers rebound? Maybe they get a win in Game Three, or maybe not. But that was one tough loss.
One of the most anticipated match ups in post season history occurs tonight with Halladay versus Lincecum. Talk about marquee names! But this is how the games should go:
- The Phillies over the Giants: Halladay struggled after his first no-hitter (and perfect game) earlier in the season. It was his only rough patch of the season. Will he struggle after his most recent no-hitter. Don't think so. The Giants' line up should be even feebler against him than the Reds were. Lincecum has to be at his very best to win this game. That's a lot to ask.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: Hughes is flat out better than Lewis and with Lewis, the Yankees can field their regular line up and include Berkman. The Rangers bullpen is a mess. Can't see this going any other way.
Yesterday: 1-0
Week: 4-2
Month: 36-26
Season: 1363-1041
One of the most anticipated match ups in post season history occurs tonight with Halladay versus Lincecum. Talk about marquee names! But this is how the games should go:
- The Phillies over the Giants: Halladay struggled after his first no-hitter (and perfect game) earlier in the season. It was his only rough patch of the season. Will he struggle after his most recent no-hitter. Don't think so. The Giants' line up should be even feebler against him than the Reds were. Lincecum has to be at his very best to win this game. That's a lot to ask.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: Hughes is flat out better than Lewis and with Lewis, the Yankees can field their regular line up and include Berkman. The Rangers bullpen is a mess. Can't see this going any other way.
Yesterday: 1-0
Week: 4-2
Month: 36-26
Season: 1363-1041
Thoughts About Eric Wedge
It appears that the Seattle Mariners are going to hire Eric Wedge as their new manager. Forgive the Fan if he isn't impressed. From most accounts, Wedge is a nice guy. But his seven years in Cleveland were far from awe-inspiring. And it isn't just about performance. It's also about pizazz. Perhaps that isn't fair. A manager doesn't need commanding presence to get the job done. But for a city that has just gone through about the worst season a baseball town can go through, something with a little more pop might have gotten those poor fans a lot more excited. In football, a Wedge is those nameless and faceless guys that hold hands during kickoffs and try to John Deere anybody running up the field. It's an apt metaphor here.
Eric Wedge had one good year of managing the Indians (2007). That year was the only year that the Indians out performed their run differential. During the other six years, the Indians were a staggering 31 games under their Pythagorean win-loss projection. Even if you add in the five games over projection in 2007, Wedge went -26 in this category. This statistic isn't the be all and end all for how to rate a manager, but it's the best we have. Until Mike Sciocia's 2010, he was like +20 for the past four years. Putting this another way, according to this statistic, the Indians should have won 26 more games spread out over seven years than they did.
Simply put, the Indians should have had more than two winning seasons in those seven years. Travis Hafner was still good during the first five. They had Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore and Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Even in 2007 when they made it to the ALCS, they gassed Sabathia and Carmona so they had nothing left. They insisted on using Borowski as closer when they had two better options. They let Jeremy Sowers start seven too many games. As good as it was, it could have gone a whole lot better. And that characterizes Eric Wedge's entire run as manager.
Yeah, this all sounds really negative. Granted. There were the same kinds of articles written like this one when the Yankees hired Joe Torre in 1996. Look how that worked out. And perhaps it would have been of little matter who manages the current Seattle Mariners with their current roster problems. Perhaps it will all work out. For the Seattle fans, let's hope so. They have endured enough ridicule. They don't deserve another wedgie. Oops. Couldn't resist.
Eric Wedge had one good year of managing the Indians (2007). That year was the only year that the Indians out performed their run differential. During the other six years, the Indians were a staggering 31 games under their Pythagorean win-loss projection. Even if you add in the five games over projection in 2007, Wedge went -26 in this category. This statistic isn't the be all and end all for how to rate a manager, but it's the best we have. Until Mike Sciocia's 2010, he was like +20 for the past four years. Putting this another way, according to this statistic, the Indians should have won 26 more games spread out over seven years than they did.
Simply put, the Indians should have had more than two winning seasons in those seven years. Travis Hafner was still good during the first five. They had Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore and Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Even in 2007 when they made it to the ALCS, they gassed Sabathia and Carmona so they had nothing left. They insisted on using Borowski as closer when they had two better options. They let Jeremy Sowers start seven too many games. As good as it was, it could have gone a whole lot better. And that characterizes Eric Wedge's entire run as manager.
Yeah, this all sounds really negative. Granted. There were the same kinds of articles written like this one when the Yankees hired Joe Torre in 1996. Look how that worked out. And perhaps it would have been of little matter who manages the current Seattle Mariners with their current roster problems. Perhaps it will all work out. For the Seattle fans, let's hope so. They have endured enough ridicule. They don't deserve another wedgie. Oops. Couldn't resist.
Dustin Moseley?
The post season has a long history of bringing the unsung heroes out of the woodwork. Remember Gene Tenace? Rick Monday? Billy Martin? It just seems to happen on the big stage when two great teams face each other. All the stars seem to cancel each other out and some guy comes out of no where to be the star. In the first game of the League Championship Series between the Yankees and the Rangers, it was Dustin Moseley, easily the next to last guy in the Yankees bullpen depth chart who pitched two huge innings without allowing a base runner and struck out four of the six guys he faced.
To be sure, poor base running, spotty fielding and bad relief pitching didn't help the Rangers' cause, but they had this game tucked away with a 5-0 lead that chased stud Sabathia after four lackluster innings. Joba Chamberlain pitched an unspectacular inning and then it was up to Moseley, whose sole job was to not let the game get any worse. He didn't. He struck out Elvis Andrus, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz. So it wasn't the weak side of the batting order either. It was yeoman work and without it, the Yankees would never had the chance to win the game.
A real turning point in the game though came when Ian Kinsler, one of the best base runners in the game, made a colossal blunder and got picked off by Kerry Wood. Wood was doing his Lost in Space impression and couldn't find the strike zone. A little rally there after the Yankees took the lead could have changed the entire momentum of the game. But Kinsler was trying to time a steal attempt and got caught. Teixeira almost blew it by tossing the rundown throw to Jeter too early, but Jeter made a great play by deking Kinsler into thinking Jeter was going to throw to first. Kinsler bought it and allowed Jeter to run him down. Another heads up post season Jeter play. There. The Fan said it. Let the teeth gnash.
The play by Kinsler effectively allowed Wood to settle down and get the next two batters. Moreland made it interesting in the ninth with a pinch hit, broken bat base hit against Mariano Rivera, but a two-strike bunt by Andrews, a strikeout of Young and a weak grounder by Hamilton ended the game.
Many will point to the Rangers' relief staff as the goats of the game and that's probably accurate. Darren Oliver's two walks certainly didn't help. But Michael Young HAS to come up with A-Rod's rocket grounder or at least knock it down. He did neither and tried to ole it and the bull got away. When writing the Game Picks post, the Fan said that the Rangers' defense would be a problem in this series and that was example #1.
All in all, the Yankees dodged a bullet on a game that it looked like they were going to lose. The Rangers had much to feel good about for seven innings but the last two innings left them sucking wind.
To be sure, poor base running, spotty fielding and bad relief pitching didn't help the Rangers' cause, but they had this game tucked away with a 5-0 lead that chased stud Sabathia after four lackluster innings. Joba Chamberlain pitched an unspectacular inning and then it was up to Moseley, whose sole job was to not let the game get any worse. He didn't. He struck out Elvis Andrus, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz. So it wasn't the weak side of the batting order either. It was yeoman work and without it, the Yankees would never had the chance to win the game.
A real turning point in the game though came when Ian Kinsler, one of the best base runners in the game, made a colossal blunder and got picked off by Kerry Wood. Wood was doing his Lost in Space impression and couldn't find the strike zone. A little rally there after the Yankees took the lead could have changed the entire momentum of the game. But Kinsler was trying to time a steal attempt and got caught. Teixeira almost blew it by tossing the rundown throw to Jeter too early, but Jeter made a great play by deking Kinsler into thinking Jeter was going to throw to first. Kinsler bought it and allowed Jeter to run him down. Another heads up post season Jeter play. There. The Fan said it. Let the teeth gnash.
The play by Kinsler effectively allowed Wood to settle down and get the next two batters. Moreland made it interesting in the ninth with a pinch hit, broken bat base hit against Mariano Rivera, but a two-strike bunt by Andrews, a strikeout of Young and a weak grounder by Hamilton ended the game.
Many will point to the Rangers' relief staff as the goats of the game and that's probably accurate. Darren Oliver's two walks certainly didn't help. But Michael Young HAS to come up with A-Rod's rocket grounder or at least knock it down. He did neither and tried to ole it and the bull got away. When writing the Game Picks post, the Fan said that the Rangers' defense would be a problem in this series and that was example #1.
All in all, the Yankees dodged a bullet on a game that it looked like they were going to lose. The Rangers had much to feel good about for seven innings but the last two innings left them sucking wind.
Friday, October 15, 2010
On Being a Yankee Fan
The Fan's blog buddy, Navin (@eyebleaf), believes that being a fan of the New York Yankees is an easy thing. Yankee fans are spoiled he says. Yankee fans have it easy, he thinks. Yankee fans feel entitled he implies. Don't get the Fan wrong. Navin is the best of his generation when it comes to supporting his passion for sports and his writing profession. Love the guy. But he is dead wrong. Being a fan of the New York Yankees is one of the most conflicting passions of all. Here's why.
First, rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the Roman Empire or for America, for that fact. Most of the world hates you and is just hoping with their dying breaths that you will go belly up with a fork in your belly. If you are not a fan of the Texas Rangers or the Tampa Bay Rays, you still have a mild interest that both of those smart but cash strapped organizations win. But if you are not a fan of the New York Yankees, you hope that the Yankees are humiliated and paraded around the warning track in their scivvys.
Contrast the feelings about the Yankees to the Cubs. Cubs fans are lovable losers. They have hung in there despite disappointments year after year. Most baseball fans feel for Cubs fans. The Red Sox sure screwed this up in a big way. Before 2004, they were in the same boat as the Cubs, but they broke the curse and most of the world was happy for them. But they blew it. Their fans got bloated and obnoxious and that Red Sox Nation thing has turned them into pariahs second only to the Yankees.
But Yankee fans know there is no option but to win. If their team doesn't win, then they know there will be wholesale changes and heads will roll. Any contemplative joy in reflecting on a good season and good stories and nice surprises are trashed in their failure to win it all. If the Yankees win it all, then those nasty Romans rammed it down the world's throat just like the always do by having more resources than any other team. If they lose, then there is mockery at what all those resources brought you. There is no winning for the Yankees fan.
And there is no sympathy. Yankee fans understand that. Nevermind that the team went 0 for the 80s or had the worst team in baseball in the late sixties. It's only from 96 to now that everyone remembers. Most fans hope their teams win. Yankee fans hope their team doesn't lose.
And what if you like the Yankee players? Jeter is universally panned. His poor season in 2010 was glee to many. Nevermind that he still came in the middle of the pack for shortstops in value at his age. He just didn't put up Jeter numbers. He looked less than Jeter-like and people are happy about that. It isn't the Yankee fans' fault that the media has built him up like some kind of megalith. Fans of the Yankees didn't do that. But they bear the brunt of the consequences. Yankee fans when traveling to other parts of the country never say out loud that they love Derek Jeter despite the love and devotion felt to him. They can't.
And imagine if that is how it goes for Jeter fans, how about A-Rod fans? Now there is a guy that people hate. Try rooting for him! You can't go to a bar and say out loud, "Come on A-Rod, hit it out!" The bouncer would be breaking your head on the street corner, and that is after people throw beer in your face.
If the Phillies win, it will be accepted. If the Rangers win, people will be happy for them. If the Giants win, won't those pitchers be amazing. And how about that Buster Posey! But if the Yankees win, there will be no love, no congratulations and no credit. There will be antipathy. How good can that make a Yankee fan feel?
To be fair, Yankee fans have no choice but to fight those feelings and sometimes the defense mechanisms roll over toward smugness and arrogance. Often, those become hateful comments lashing out at Yankee haters on comment boards. That's regretful. And it doesn't help the overall perception. It all goes back to the perception people have of New Yorkers in general. If you ask someone in Kansas what the people of New York City are like and there will be a universal response. Those jerks. But, it would surprise many that a lot of people in New York are nice people. Imagine that.
The Cardinals have won a lot in the last 40 years. But people don't hate them. They may hate Tony LaRussa. But they don't hate the Cardinals. It was hard to hate Tommy Lasorda for very long because he had a charm about him (that hides a dark side). People all loved Bobby Cox despite his many years of success. But none of that applies to the Yankees. They are the hated empire. They are the bullies of the Bronx. They are megalomaniacs of baseball.
And yeah, it all goes back to Steinbrenner. His brashness, his in your face approach to owning the Yankees set the tone for Yankee haters for a generation. It doesn't matter that the TEAM of players for the Yankees (with the possible exception of A-Rod) are a classy bunch of humans that handle themselves with professionalism. Mariano Rivera never makes an Incredible Hulk pose after striking out the last guy of a game. Andy Pettitte (if you'll pardon the HGH flap) has always seemed like a class act. Jeter has the respect of his peers if not the world's baseball fans. But Steinbrenner's actions and stance colored everything. And the media's over-adulation doesn't help either.
No, being a fan of the New York Yankees isn't easy. It's a no win situation. The joy of winning is stolen by the hate thrown and the disappointment of losing is way worse because of the knowledge that there is almost universal joy at the development. This writer acknowledges that it is probably better than being a Pirates or a Royals fan. But it isn't what it's cracked up to be.
First, rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the Roman Empire or for America, for that fact. Most of the world hates you and is just hoping with their dying breaths that you will go belly up with a fork in your belly. If you are not a fan of the Texas Rangers or the Tampa Bay Rays, you still have a mild interest that both of those smart but cash strapped organizations win. But if you are not a fan of the New York Yankees, you hope that the Yankees are humiliated and paraded around the warning track in their scivvys.
Contrast the feelings about the Yankees to the Cubs. Cubs fans are lovable losers. They have hung in there despite disappointments year after year. Most baseball fans feel for Cubs fans. The Red Sox sure screwed this up in a big way. Before 2004, they were in the same boat as the Cubs, but they broke the curse and most of the world was happy for them. But they blew it. Their fans got bloated and obnoxious and that Red Sox Nation thing has turned them into pariahs second only to the Yankees.
But Yankee fans know there is no option but to win. If their team doesn't win, then they know there will be wholesale changes and heads will roll. Any contemplative joy in reflecting on a good season and good stories and nice surprises are trashed in their failure to win it all. If the Yankees win it all, then those nasty Romans rammed it down the world's throat just like the always do by having more resources than any other team. If they lose, then there is mockery at what all those resources brought you. There is no winning for the Yankees fan.
And there is no sympathy. Yankee fans understand that. Nevermind that the team went 0 for the 80s or had the worst team in baseball in the late sixties. It's only from 96 to now that everyone remembers. Most fans hope their teams win. Yankee fans hope their team doesn't lose.
And what if you like the Yankee players? Jeter is universally panned. His poor season in 2010 was glee to many. Nevermind that he still came in the middle of the pack for shortstops in value at his age. He just didn't put up Jeter numbers. He looked less than Jeter-like and people are happy about that. It isn't the Yankee fans' fault that the media has built him up like some kind of megalith. Fans of the Yankees didn't do that. But they bear the brunt of the consequences. Yankee fans when traveling to other parts of the country never say out loud that they love Derek Jeter despite the love and devotion felt to him. They can't.
And imagine if that is how it goes for Jeter fans, how about A-Rod fans? Now there is a guy that people hate. Try rooting for him! You can't go to a bar and say out loud, "Come on A-Rod, hit it out!" The bouncer would be breaking your head on the street corner, and that is after people throw beer in your face.
If the Phillies win, it will be accepted. If the Rangers win, people will be happy for them. If the Giants win, won't those pitchers be amazing. And how about that Buster Posey! But if the Yankees win, there will be no love, no congratulations and no credit. There will be antipathy. How good can that make a Yankee fan feel?
To be fair, Yankee fans have no choice but to fight those feelings and sometimes the defense mechanisms roll over toward smugness and arrogance. Often, those become hateful comments lashing out at Yankee haters on comment boards. That's regretful. And it doesn't help the overall perception. It all goes back to the perception people have of New Yorkers in general. If you ask someone in Kansas what the people of New York City are like and there will be a universal response. Those jerks. But, it would surprise many that a lot of people in New York are nice people. Imagine that.
The Cardinals have won a lot in the last 40 years. But people don't hate them. They may hate Tony LaRussa. But they don't hate the Cardinals. It was hard to hate Tommy Lasorda for very long because he had a charm about him (that hides a dark side). People all loved Bobby Cox despite his many years of success. But none of that applies to the Yankees. They are the hated empire. They are the bullies of the Bronx. They are megalomaniacs of baseball.
And yeah, it all goes back to Steinbrenner. His brashness, his in your face approach to owning the Yankees set the tone for Yankee haters for a generation. It doesn't matter that the TEAM of players for the Yankees (with the possible exception of A-Rod) are a classy bunch of humans that handle themselves with professionalism. Mariano Rivera never makes an Incredible Hulk pose after striking out the last guy of a game. Andy Pettitte (if you'll pardon the HGH flap) has always seemed like a class act. Jeter has the respect of his peers if not the world's baseball fans. But Steinbrenner's actions and stance colored everything. And the media's over-adulation doesn't help either.
No, being a fan of the New York Yankees isn't easy. It's a no win situation. The joy of winning is stolen by the hate thrown and the disappointment of losing is way worse because of the knowledge that there is almost universal joy at the development. This writer acknowledges that it is probably better than being a Pirates or a Royals fan. But it isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Game Picks - Friday: October 15, 2010
And so...finally...after an insane amount of off days...we get to the league championships. The American League starts off tonight. Why both leagues don't start on the same night is easy enough to answer: network money. But anyway, enough with the grousing about how the playoff schedule screws fans to favor the networks, let's just get to the pick.
- The Yankees over the Rangers: The Yankees will have trouble with Wilson. He's a tough son-of-a-gun. But so is Sabathia, the Yankees ace who sometimes bends but rarely breaks. The Yankees play better defense and have been here before. Forget about the Rangers recent success against the Yankees. They still have a long history of failure in Yankee Stadium to overcome. Advantage: Yankees.
Tuesday: 1-0
Week: 3-2
Month: 35-26
Season: 1362-1041
- The Yankees over the Rangers: The Yankees will have trouble with Wilson. He's a tough son-of-a-gun. But so is Sabathia, the Yankees ace who sometimes bends but rarely breaks. The Yankees play better defense and have been here before. Forget about the Rangers recent success against the Yankees. They still have a long history of failure in Yankee Stadium to overcome. Advantage: Yankees.
Tuesday: 1-0
Week: 3-2
Month: 35-26
Season: 1362-1041
Allergic to Bases
Only the Lord knows why this Fan is focusing so much on lousy play lately. Yesterday featured a post about the worst fielding players in MLB this season. Today, the Fan has the overwhelming urge to write a splurge about the eleven worst On Base Percentages in the majors for 2010. Why eleven? Because only eleven finished with an OBP under .300. Why only eleven? Oh, there were a lot more, but these particular eleven managed to get enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title despite the fact that they couldn't get on base. Look, without a homer, you can't score unless you have base runners. So the OBP is an extremely important number. That makes it all the more unfathomable that these guys got so many plate appearances. There were a few on this list that had good years in 2009 and 2010 might have been an outlier. For their career's sake, let's hope so.
Here are your bottom eleven players on the On Base Percentage totem pole:
There are several amazing things on this list. First, there are three players that played all or part of their seasons in Toronto. This shows that 18 year old boys are more patient in a whorehouse than the Blue Jays were at the plate. Second, Kouzmanoff, Lopez and Lee all hit into 20 double plays. So not only did they not get on base, they erased 20 others from the bases as well. So if you then take Jose Lopez and subtract twenty base runners from his On Base Percentage, then he would be down to .233!
Perhaps this Fan will get off this morbid negative stat kick. But for now, it's too much fun.
Here are your bottom eleven players on the On Base Percentage totem pole:
- Jose Lopez - Seattle Mariners: .270. 622 plate appearances, 23 walks, 142 hits. 71 OPS+ Fugly season.
- Aaron Hill - Toronto Blue Jays: .271, 580 plate appearances, 41 walks, 108 hits. 79 OPS+. Hill did hit 26 homers but this was a year to forget for Hill. It's hard to understand compared to the year he had in 2009.
- Cezar Izturis - Baltimore Orioles: .277 513 plate appearances, 25 walks, 109 hits, only 15 extra base hits. With his 51 OPS+ for a full season, Izturis was easily the most ineffective batter in all the majors this season.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff - Oakland Athletics: .283. 586 plate appearances, 24 walks, 136 hits. Should change his name to Kouzmanoffthebases.
- Adam Lind - Toronto Blue Jays: .287. 613 plate appearances, 34 walks, 135 hits. With 144 strikeouts, Lind had almost as many whiffs as times on base. He did have a much better second half.
- Yuniesky Betancourt - Kansas City Royals: .288. 588 plate appearances, 23 walks, 144 hits. And this was a good year for him.
- Alcedes Escobar - Milwaukee Brewers: .288. 552 plate appearances, 36 walks, 119 hits. The Brewers should have kept J. J. Hardy. 67 OPS+. Brutal.
- Carlos Lee - Houston Astros: .291. 649 plate appearances, 37 walks, 149 hits. A real down year for the slugger.
- Ronny Cedeno - Pittsburgh Pirates: .293. 502 plate appearances, 23 walks, 120 hits. The worst of the Pirates' hitters.
- Alex Gonzalez: - Combined Braves and Blue Jays: .294. 640 plate appearances, 31 walks, 149 hits. Had a good slugging year and is the only one on this list that came close to a league average OPS+.
- Aramis Ramirez - Chicago Cubs: .294. 507 plate appearances, 34 walks, 112 hits. Better in the second half, but still a real down year for this long-time slugger.
There are several amazing things on this list. First, there are three players that played all or part of their seasons in Toronto. This shows that 18 year old boys are more patient in a whorehouse than the Blue Jays were at the plate. Second, Kouzmanoff, Lopez and Lee all hit into 20 double plays. So not only did they not get on base, they erased 20 others from the bases as well. So if you then take Jose Lopez and subtract twenty base runners from his On Base Percentage, then he would be down to .233!
Perhaps this Fan will get off this morbid negative stat kick. But for now, it's too much fun.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Pros and Cons of Fredi Gonzalez
Heaven help Fredi Gonzolez. First, he had the no-win situation of managing the Marlins with the lowest payroll in baseball, a cheapskate owner and a temperamental superstar shortstop. After pulling off two winning seasons with the Marlins with THAT payroll, Gonzalez got blamed for a mediocre start by the Marlins this year. Now, after all those indignities, he gets to replace a legend for the Atlanta Braves. How can you ever fill those shoes? Joe Girardi has found a way in New York to follow Joe Torre. Girardi has done it with grace and with an affinity for caring about his players that they respond to. But even so, Torre wasn't as entrenched in the Yankees orbit as Bobby Cox was for the Braves. For many people, Bobby Cox WAS the Braves.
It would seem to be a bit unfair to rate Fredi Gonzalez's chances without really knowing the guy. And so the pros and cons that will follow are not just about Fredi Gonzalez, but also for him. In other words, this isn't a post about the pros and cons of Fredi Gonzalez, but also a post about the pros and cons for Gonzalez personally.
Let's start with the positive::
Okay, now the negatives:
Personally, this Fan thinks that Gonzalez will be just fine. Despite the money he had to work with in Florida, he kept them competitive and out performed his run differential. He has nearly twenty years experience including three and a half years in the big leagues. The Braves could have done a lot worse than to select Fredi Gonzalez as their manager.
It would seem to be a bit unfair to rate Fredi Gonzalez's chances without really knowing the guy. And so the pros and cons that will follow are not just about Fredi Gonzalez, but also for him. In other words, this isn't a post about the pros and cons of Fredi Gonzalez, but also a post about the pros and cons for Gonzalez personally.
Let's start with the positive::
- Was a combined +7 on his Pythagorean win/loss rating based on the Marlins' run differential. That's excellent.
- Was twelve games over .500 last year with a team that was last in payroll, couldn't field and had huge holes in its line up and bullpen.
- He is a minority manager, which is always good for the game in a political sense.
- Paid is dues big time in the minors and has been managing since 1991.
- Now leading a team with a warrior mentality with a group of players that really seem to like each other and play hard.
- Excellent young players in Heyward, Hanson and in the bullpen.
- Good group of starting pitchers with Hudson, Hanson and Lowe.
- Everybody seems to like him.
- Knows the Braves and they know him since he coached for them in the early aughts.
- Expectations are lowered because the Braves haven't been good of late except for this season.
- Probably works fairly cheaply compared to some other managerial talent out there.
- Very good general manager to work with.
- Was a catcher as a player. Those seem to make good managers.
Okay, now the negatives:
- Chipper Jones will probably come back one more season. He can no longer field adequately. That presents a headache for Gonzalez. And what if the legend doesn't hit?
- Never seemed able to get Hanley Ramirez to stay focused and give consistent effort. But then, maybe nobody could accomplish that.
- Gave Bonifacio 500 plate appearances. Unforgivable.
- Following a legend. Nothing can compare to that.
- Left Dan Uggla at second base when he had the chance to move him with Coghlan.
- Braves have some monetary constraints so they can't just go out and get studs. But, it will seem like glory days compared to Florida's payroll.
- Hudson and Lowe will be another year older. Neither are spring chickens.
- Never played in the major leagues. Only got as high as Double A ball. That is sometimes a problem when managing major league players.
Personally, this Fan thinks that Gonzalez will be just fine. Despite the money he had to work with in Florida, he kept them competitive and out performed his run differential. He has nearly twenty years experience including three and a half years in the big leagues. The Braves could have done a lot worse than to select Fredi Gonzalez as their manager.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The 2010 MLB All Clank Team - The Throneberry Awards?
As a card-carrying member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA if you want to sound cool), the organization has been abuzz with post season award voting. While it's always fun to look back on the great performances of the year, sometimes it's even more fun looking at those that weren't so good. And so the Flagrant Fan presents the 2010 All Clank Team. This "all star" team is made up with the players at each position that fumbled and bumbled their way around the diamond more often than any of their peers. Since you already know the Fan's stance on fielding metrics and how unreliable they can currently be, this team had to also look at other factors to get an overall feel for who really stunk the most in the field. It was a tough job but somebody had to do it. Without further ado, here are your All Clank all stars.
Catcher
National League: Ryan Doumit. It doesn't seem possible that a catcher could have a worse year behind the plate than Doumit did. He should probably change his name to Dumbmitt. Ooh...that was harsh. Sorry. But he only threw out 12% of attempted base steals, he made six errors, added nine passed balls and was rated the poorest fielding catcher by both B-R and Fangraphs. Wow! When those two sites agree on a fielder, that's something! Fangraphs rated him a -15.3 in the field. Woof.
American League: Jorge Posada. If you come to this site with any kind of regularity, could you have expected anything but? How about eight errors in only 83 games behind the plate plus 8 passed balls. He thew out a paltry 15% of base steal attempts. Doesn't receive well and calls a questionable game. Other than that, well....he's hip hip Jorge.
First base
National League: Ryan Howard. Howard really regressed this year in the field, and judging from his past, that's not a good thing. Fangraphs has him at a -12.6. The next closest to him was Troy Glaus of the Braves at -8.2. Howard made 14 errors, which is high for a first baseman.
American League: Michael Cuddyer. This really isn't Cuddyer's fault as Justin Morneau got hurt and somebody had to play over there. Cuddyer didn't make many errors (3) but B-R and Fangraphs both gave him whopping negative numbers in fielding ratings. Konerko was close, but his negative numbers were lower than Cuddyer and spread out over twice as many games.
Second base
National League: Skip Schumaker. Again, this isn't Schumaker's fault. Tony LaRussa insisted on putting this square peg in a round hole. Sixteen errors later, Schumaker scored low in metrics on both B-F and Fangraphs. And unfortunately, Schumaker didn't hit like in the past either.
American League: Chone Figgins: Why would you move an all star third baseman to second base? Dumb, dumb dumb. Nineteen errors were six times as many as Cano. B-R and Fangraphs both agree on the negativity of his fielding season. Plus, he stopped hitting. Awful season.
Shortstop
National League: Hanley Ramirez. Easily led B-R and Fangraphs in negativity at short. It's hard to figure. He never scored this badly before. Was it leg troubles? Head troubles? What? He's better than that.
American League: Jason Donald. This was a pretty tough feat to accomplish in only 46 games at short, but he pulled it off. Those 46 games led to a .954 fielding percentage and he racked up more negative fielding points in a short time faster than anyone else in baseball. If you insist on a full season, then it would be Jason Bartlett, which is a big surprise, but then again, he was just off this year in so many ways over the previous year, it really makes you wonder.
Third base
National League: It's a tie! For a short season, we go with Wilson Betemit, whose name is ironic because everyone in baseball has a betemit than he has. For the long haul, we go with David Wright. Yup. The superstar made a ton of errors and though he was slightly better than 2009, B-R and Fangraphs both give him terrible scores.
American League: Mark Teahan. Teahan might have been the worst player in baseball this year. It got so bad that Ozzie Guillen didn't even want to look at him. he made ten errors at third in just 52 games there. Just brutal.
Outifeld (just one award per league since it's so hard to untangle their positions)
National League: Ryan Spilborghs. Fangraphs had Matt Kemp as the worst, but B-F didn't agree. Both sites agreed that Spilborghs was second, so that works for the Fan. Jonny Gomes was close behind.
American League: Carlos Quentin. B-F and Fangraphs heartily agree on this one. Quentin's dismal play in the outfield more than replaced Jermaine Dye. In fact, if the White Sox signed Dye, they might have won more games.
There you have it folks, your 2010 MLB All Clank Team. Give them a hand.
Catcher
National League: Ryan Doumit. It doesn't seem possible that a catcher could have a worse year behind the plate than Doumit did. He should probably change his name to Dumbmitt. Ooh...that was harsh. Sorry. But he only threw out 12% of attempted base steals, he made six errors, added nine passed balls and was rated the poorest fielding catcher by both B-R and Fangraphs. Wow! When those two sites agree on a fielder, that's something! Fangraphs rated him a -15.3 in the field. Woof.
American League: Jorge Posada. If you come to this site with any kind of regularity, could you have expected anything but? How about eight errors in only 83 games behind the plate plus 8 passed balls. He thew out a paltry 15% of base steal attempts. Doesn't receive well and calls a questionable game. Other than that, well....he's hip hip Jorge.
First base
National League: Ryan Howard. Howard really regressed this year in the field, and judging from his past, that's not a good thing. Fangraphs has him at a -12.6. The next closest to him was Troy Glaus of the Braves at -8.2. Howard made 14 errors, which is high for a first baseman.
American League: Michael Cuddyer. This really isn't Cuddyer's fault as Justin Morneau got hurt and somebody had to play over there. Cuddyer didn't make many errors (3) but B-R and Fangraphs both gave him whopping negative numbers in fielding ratings. Konerko was close, but his negative numbers were lower than Cuddyer and spread out over twice as many games.
Second base
National League: Skip Schumaker. Again, this isn't Schumaker's fault. Tony LaRussa insisted on putting this square peg in a round hole. Sixteen errors later, Schumaker scored low in metrics on both B-F and Fangraphs. And unfortunately, Schumaker didn't hit like in the past either.
American League: Chone Figgins: Why would you move an all star third baseman to second base? Dumb, dumb dumb. Nineteen errors were six times as many as Cano. B-R and Fangraphs both agree on the negativity of his fielding season. Plus, he stopped hitting. Awful season.
Shortstop
National League: Hanley Ramirez. Easily led B-R and Fangraphs in negativity at short. It's hard to figure. He never scored this badly before. Was it leg troubles? Head troubles? What? He's better than that.
American League: Jason Donald. This was a pretty tough feat to accomplish in only 46 games at short, but he pulled it off. Those 46 games led to a .954 fielding percentage and he racked up more negative fielding points in a short time faster than anyone else in baseball. If you insist on a full season, then it would be Jason Bartlett, which is a big surprise, but then again, he was just off this year in so many ways over the previous year, it really makes you wonder.
Third base
National League: It's a tie! For a short season, we go with Wilson Betemit, whose name is ironic because everyone in baseball has a betemit than he has. For the long haul, we go with David Wright. Yup. The superstar made a ton of errors and though he was slightly better than 2009, B-R and Fangraphs both give him terrible scores.
American League: Mark Teahan. Teahan might have been the worst player in baseball this year. It got so bad that Ozzie Guillen didn't even want to look at him. he made ten errors at third in just 52 games there. Just brutal.
Outifeld (just one award per league since it's so hard to untangle their positions)
National League: Ryan Spilborghs. Fangraphs had Matt Kemp as the worst, but B-F didn't agree. Both sites agreed that Spilborghs was second, so that works for the Fan. Jonny Gomes was close behind.
American League: Carlos Quentin. B-F and Fangraphs heartily agree on this one. Quentin's dismal play in the outfield more than replaced Jermaine Dye. In fact, if the White Sox signed Dye, they might have won more games.
There you have it folks, your 2010 MLB All Clank Team. Give them a hand.
Cliff Lee-ds the Way
Was the ending of the series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers ever in doubt? Not as long as there was Cliff Lee standing on the mound at the end of it. Lee, who is turning into one of the best post-season pitchers in the history of baseball, pitched a complete game with (of course) no walks and eleven strikeouts. The 120 pitch masterpiece eliminated any problems that could have been caused by the bullpen and kept the lefty-hating line up of the Bay Rays on their heels.
Joe Maddon had no choice but to put his best power guys in the line up despite the lefty and the results were disastrous. Carlos Pena, likely playing his last game as a Bay Ray, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Dan Johnson couldn't do anything either. Carl Crawford took an ohfer in likely his last game in Florida too. Evan Longoria, whe despite batting right-handed, and despite being a superstar, has proven that a good lefty can shut him down (he can't hit Sabathia either). And so the Bay Rays only had three or four batters that had any chance at Lee and Lee made it all work to his advantage.
It was a good run by the Bay Rays. They almost parlayed their team speed and aggressiveness along with good pitching to post season glory despite a weak and poorly constructed line up. Maddon did a wonderful job of getting them as far as they went. It will be a miracle if this team can defend next year as they lower payroll. But if anyone can make it work, it will be Maddon.
As for the Rangers, they will have to start their series with the Yankees with their second and third best pitchers before they can get back to Lee. But that just may work out better for them. Lee is better on the road and away from the bandbox they play in Texas. Since the Rangers will have home field advantage, they play the first two in Arlington. Lee will start in Yankee Stadium.
This will be an excellent series. Though the Rangers haven't fared well against the Yankees in recent history, they have the weapons to win. The series keys will be if the Rangers 2-4 starters can keep the Yankees at bay long enough for their great offense to crank. Pettitte will have to be good and Hughes will have to be able to get his breaking stuff over. It appears to this observer that the odds are 50/50 on either team winning.
But for now, the Rangers, with the power and speed of Kinsler, great base running and Lee's masterful performance can savor a tough win over a gutsy team and its genius manager.
Joe Maddon had no choice but to put his best power guys in the line up despite the lefty and the results were disastrous. Carlos Pena, likely playing his last game as a Bay Ray, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Dan Johnson couldn't do anything either. Carl Crawford took an ohfer in likely his last game in Florida too. Evan Longoria, whe despite batting right-handed, and despite being a superstar, has proven that a good lefty can shut him down (he can't hit Sabathia either). And so the Bay Rays only had three or four batters that had any chance at Lee and Lee made it all work to his advantage.
It was a good run by the Bay Rays. They almost parlayed their team speed and aggressiveness along with good pitching to post season glory despite a weak and poorly constructed line up. Maddon did a wonderful job of getting them as far as they went. It will be a miracle if this team can defend next year as they lower payroll. But if anyone can make it work, it will be Maddon.
As for the Rangers, they will have to start their series with the Yankees with their second and third best pitchers before they can get back to Lee. But that just may work out better for them. Lee is better on the road and away from the bandbox they play in Texas. Since the Rangers will have home field advantage, they play the first two in Arlington. Lee will start in Yankee Stadium.
This will be an excellent series. Though the Rangers haven't fared well against the Yankees in recent history, they have the weapons to win. The series keys will be if the Rangers 2-4 starters can keep the Yankees at bay long enough for their great offense to crank. Pettitte will have to be good and Hughes will have to be able to get his breaking stuff over. It appears to this observer that the odds are 50/50 on either team winning.
But for now, the Rangers, with the power and speed of Kinsler, great base running and Lee's masterful performance can savor a tough win over a gutsy team and its genius manager.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Game Picks - Tuesday: October, 12, 2010
Well, that's it for the Braves. And now, the two last teams to be decided are like the last two teams in the television show, "The Amazing Race," performing the last challenge while every other contender has already greeted the host on that funny mat.
Here's how it will go:
- The Rangers over the Bay Rays: Cliff Lee was built for such a game. And the Rangers love their fastballs, thus, the match up against David Price suits them. Either way, this full series works for the Yankees.
Yesterday: 1-0
Week: 2-2
Month: 34-26
Season: 1361-1041
Here's how it will go:
- The Rangers over the Bay Rays: Cliff Lee was built for such a game. And the Rangers love their fastballs, thus, the match up against David Price suits them. Either way, this full series works for the Yankees.
Yesterday: 1-0
Week: 2-2
Month: 34-26
Season: 1361-1041
Tons of Irony in Bobby Cox's Last Game
That the Giants could only beat this version of the Braves by a single run in their last two games together doesn't say a whole lot about San Francisco's chances against the Phillies. The last game managed by Bobby Cox will go down as a second straight stinker and finish a brilliant managerial career that, except for the one World Series win, will go down as the MLB equivalent to Marv Levy. That is no knock on Cox. It was a miracle they got into the playoffs at all. But most of his horses were gone and all he had left was one gimpy thoroughbred and a bunch of ponies. And in the end, ironies were abound.
First, the final game was lost on an error by Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez was the shortstop the Braves received from the Blue Jays in a straight up deal because Bobby Cox and his staff couldn't take Yunel Escobar for another moment. Escobar played well for the Blue Jays and Gonzalez managed an 83 OPS+ with the Braves. But Gonzalez did provide the Braves with good shortstop play during the season. It's just ironic that this season should fall apart because the guy the Braves wanted made a critical error in exactly the wrong time.
Second, Bobby Cox's major league career ended exactly like it began back in 1968 and 1969 when he played his only two years in the big leagues for the Yankees. When he started, he couldn't hit and he was a pretty lousy fielder. At the end, he managed a team that couldn't hit and were lousy in the field. Talk about a full circle!
And last but not least, just like all those years when he had Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, he had all the pitching he needed. Hudson and Lowe were heroic in their efforts. But just like those magical three of the past, good pitching wasn't enough to get the prize.
But, though the final outcome is a bit sad, Bobby Cox won 55.6% of his games as manager in his career with just over 2500 wins. He'll long be remembered as one of the most beloved of all managers. It's just a shame that he had his last hurrah with such a beat up and terrible team. But on the bright side, we'll see you in five years Mr. Cox. Start writing that speech.
First, the final game was lost on an error by Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez was the shortstop the Braves received from the Blue Jays in a straight up deal because Bobby Cox and his staff couldn't take Yunel Escobar for another moment. Escobar played well for the Blue Jays and Gonzalez managed an 83 OPS+ with the Braves. But Gonzalez did provide the Braves with good shortstop play during the season. It's just ironic that this season should fall apart because the guy the Braves wanted made a critical error in exactly the wrong time.
Second, Bobby Cox's major league career ended exactly like it began back in 1968 and 1969 when he played his only two years in the big leagues for the Yankees. When he started, he couldn't hit and he was a pretty lousy fielder. At the end, he managed a team that couldn't hit and were lousy in the field. Talk about a full circle!
And last but not least, just like all those years when he had Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, he had all the pitching he needed. Hudson and Lowe were heroic in their efforts. But just like those magical three of the past, good pitching wasn't enough to get the prize.
But, though the final outcome is a bit sad, Bobby Cox won 55.6% of his games as manager in his career with just over 2500 wins. He'll long be remembered as one of the most beloved of all managers. It's just a shame that he had his last hurrah with such a beat up and terrible team. But on the bright side, we'll see you in five years Mr. Cox. Start writing that speech.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Game Picks - Monday: October 11, 2010
One too many errors by poor Brooks Conrad were all the difference for the Braves and for the results for this picker. Without the error, the Braves are 2-1. Instead, the Braves are 1-2. Without the error, this picker was 2-1. With the error, this picker was 1-2. Poor Brooks Conrad. And those plucky Tampa Bay Rays caused the other incorrect pick. They sent the series back to their home, which doesn't make a whole hill of beans difference as there will be as many Ranger fans there as Bay Rays fans. But even so, strange things can happen and they can beat Cliff Lee. It will be interesting.
Only one game today as the Phillies' script was perfectly executed as were the Reds and their season.
- The Giants over the Braves: The Braves had their chance and now it's simply Bumgarner versus Derek Lowe. Lowe's post season heroics notwithstanding, he's pitching on short rest. The Braves will get a long rest after this one.
Yesterday: 1-2
Week: 1-2
Month: 33-26
Season: 1360-1041
Only one game today as the Phillies' script was perfectly executed as were the Reds and their season.
- The Giants over the Braves: The Braves had their chance and now it's simply Bumgarner versus Derek Lowe. Lowe's post season heroics notwithstanding, he's pitching on short rest. The Braves will get a long rest after this one.
Yesterday: 1-2
Week: 1-2
Month: 33-26
Season: 1360-1041
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Game Picks - Sunday: October 10, 2010
A perfect record couldn't last forever. And thanks to a gritty and gutsy performance by the Tampa Bay Rays, it didn't. The Rays showed character to get a win in this big series and since Cliff Lee will not pitch on short rest, anything could happen today. Hunter is good, but he's not untouchable. In the other game, the Twins never had a chance against the Yankees. Forget all this talk about the Yankees getting in the Twins heads. It was simply a case of one team being much better than the other. Over and out.
Three more games on tap for Sunday:
- The Braves over the Giants: The Braves are great at home. Sanchez is the Giants' most unreliable starter and Hudson shouldn't have trouble with the Giants' line up.
- The Phillies over the Reds: Shouldn't be a contest here. Hamels over Cueto and the Phillies get the sweep.
- The Rangers over the Bay Rays: This game is so close to call. Wade Davis is the Bay Rays Phil Hughes. On any given night he could be lights out. But going with the Rangers' line up at home.
Yesterday: 1-1
Week: 16-8
Month: 32-24
Season: 1358-1039
Three more games on tap for Sunday:
- The Braves over the Giants: The Braves are great at home. Sanchez is the Giants' most unreliable starter and Hudson shouldn't have trouble with the Giants' line up.
- The Phillies over the Reds: Shouldn't be a contest here. Hamels over Cueto and the Phillies get the sweep.
- The Rangers over the Bay Rays: This game is so close to call. Wade Davis is the Bay Rays Phil Hughes. On any given night he could be lights out. But going with the Rangers' line up at home.
Yesterday: 1-1
Week: 16-8
Month: 32-24
Season: 1358-1039
A Sublime Moment
This post won't be a wrap up of the third game of a three game sweep by the New York Yankees over the Minnesota Twins. Even now, the stratosphere is lighting up about Cano's heroics or the Thames homer or the Phil Hughes performance. Perhaps there will be a dozen or more stories on the failure of the Twins to execute once more against the Yankees, their utter failure to hit with men on base. Why compete with all of that? This Fan wants to focus instead on one sublime moment that meant little to the overall game.
The game was really over before the moment occurred. It began in the Twins' dugout at the end of the eighth inning. The camera focused on Ron Gardenhire talking to Jim Thome, who would be the first batter in the top of the ninth against Mariano Rivera. Perhaps the Fan could be all wrong about this. For all this Fan knows, Gardenhire could have been talking to Thome about anything. But in the Fan's fertile mind, they were discussing Thome's upcoming at bat. Here's how it might have gone:
Gardenhire: "This guy has been in your kitchen all week. He's been breaking your bats. Either cheat inside to get the barrel on it or wait for a pitch you know you can drive."
Thome: Got it, Skip. Will do."
Gardenhire: "Right. Don't let him get you inside. Don't let him eat you up. Now go get him."
Thome: "I'll do my best."
So future Hall of Fame slugger, Jim Thome, went up to the plate and he was expecting Rivera to do what Rivera always does and bust him inside. Thome saw the first one was that same inside cutter and Thome stayed off of it. "Don't let him eat you up," Thome repeated like a mantra. That was strike one.
Thome dug back in there expecting another inside cutter. Instead Rivera painted the outside corner with a back-door cutter. It was a perfect pitch and Thome wasn't expecting it. Strike two. Then Thome was 0-2 and in a heap of trouble. "Don't let him eat you up," he repeated again, and he dug back in there.
The next pitch would be an inside cutter. Thome just knew it would be. "I hope if it's a good one, I at least foul it off." He waited, knowing it was coming. It didn't. Rivera threw another back door cutter but it was just off the plate. Thome took it for a ball. "He's coming inside this time," Thome told himself as he dug back in there.
Thome waited, sure the pitch would be inside. Rivera went into his wind up and threw another perfect back-door cutter, outside black. Paint. Thome took the pitch and the umpire rang him up. With his bat on his shoulder, Thome looked out at Rivera stunned. He started walking to the dugout all the while with his eyes on Rivera. A small half-smile appeared on his face. "That son of a gun," Thome said in his mind as he walked back to the dugout. Thome never had a chance.
After nine innings and a myriad of moments, that was the moment that caught this writer's attention. It was the sublimest of all moments. It was the essence of what makes baseball the best sport on earth.
The game was really over before the moment occurred. It began in the Twins' dugout at the end of the eighth inning. The camera focused on Ron Gardenhire talking to Jim Thome, who would be the first batter in the top of the ninth against Mariano Rivera. Perhaps the Fan could be all wrong about this. For all this Fan knows, Gardenhire could have been talking to Thome about anything. But in the Fan's fertile mind, they were discussing Thome's upcoming at bat. Here's how it might have gone:
Gardenhire: "This guy has been in your kitchen all week. He's been breaking your bats. Either cheat inside to get the barrel on it or wait for a pitch you know you can drive."
Thome: Got it, Skip. Will do."
Gardenhire: "Right. Don't let him get you inside. Don't let him eat you up. Now go get him."
Thome: "I'll do my best."
So future Hall of Fame slugger, Jim Thome, went up to the plate and he was expecting Rivera to do what Rivera always does and bust him inside. Thome saw the first one was that same inside cutter and Thome stayed off of it. "Don't let him eat you up," Thome repeated like a mantra. That was strike one.
Thome dug back in there expecting another inside cutter. Instead Rivera painted the outside corner with a back-door cutter. It was a perfect pitch and Thome wasn't expecting it. Strike two. Then Thome was 0-2 and in a heap of trouble. "Don't let him eat you up," he repeated again, and he dug back in there.
The next pitch would be an inside cutter. Thome just knew it would be. "I hope if it's a good one, I at least foul it off." He waited, knowing it was coming. It didn't. Rivera threw another back door cutter but it was just off the plate. Thome took it for a ball. "He's coming inside this time," Thome told himself as he dug back in there.
Thome waited, sure the pitch would be inside. Rivera went into his wind up and threw another perfect back-door cutter, outside black. Paint. Thome took the pitch and the umpire rang him up. With his bat on his shoulder, Thome looked out at Rivera stunned. He started walking to the dugout all the while with his eyes on Rivera. A small half-smile appeared on his face. "That son of a gun," Thome said in his mind as he walked back to the dugout. Thome never had a chance.
After nine innings and a myriad of moments, that was the moment that caught this writer's attention. It was the sublimest of all moments. It was the essence of what makes baseball the best sport on earth.
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