Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Opening Day (Night)

As previously mentioned, I’m more of a traditionalist than not with the understanding that some things have to change to remain relevant and not get passed by.  And, as with everything else in the world, I realize that money drives everything.  However, is moving the greatest day in Spring, that being opening day of course, that can be shared by baseball fans throughout the country to a single ‘opening game’ on Sunday night really necessary?  ESPN already runs the sports world, would it hurt for them to carry games on Monday and get the buzz that is happening all around the sport in stadiums everywhere and to miss out on one Sunday night game?  Baseball should start in Cincinnati like it did for years.  The parade, all the pomp and circumstance to kick off the new season.  Instead, the baseball world has to watch one game the night before and not get to enjoy the experience of actually being at opening day.  Sure the teams have their own ceremonies the following day and everyone has a great time but now it is the second day of the season.  The Yankees and Red Sox are going to draw plenty attention throughout the rest of the season, let’s let the other 28 teams enjoy one of the few things some teams have to celebrate for the entire season.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Opening Day Excitement

Opening day has finally come and gone.  The weather could not have been better and the games likewise.  Sunday night the Red Sox come from behind on the strength of Kevin Youkilis’ three extra base hits and a solo shot from Dustin Pedroia to beat the hated Yankees.  Yesterday, Jason Heyward hits a long homerun on his first swing ever as a major league player and the Braves spanked the Cubs who tied an opening day record by allowing 16 runs.  Sir Albert Pujols hit not one but two opening day homeruns which puts him on pace for 324.  It could be a good season.  Roy Halladay pitched a gem in Philly as the reigning NL champs look to repeat.  Tim lincecum struck out 7 and gave up only 4 hits through 7 innings in a Giants 5-2 win over Houston.  Perhaps the play of the entire season has already occurred.  Mark Buerhle kicked a ball that was hit back at him, then chased it down as it careened toward the first base line between the pitcher’s mound and first.  He crosses the base path right in front of the baserunner and in one motion, scoops the ball with his glove and flicks it between his legs underhand to first to get the runner by about a half step.  WOW!  What does day two have in store?

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Is OPS the Best Measure of a Players Offensive Worth?

OPS is the sum of a player’s on-base percentage and slugging percentage which calculate a player’s ability to get on base and to hit for power.  This seems like a very useful statistic for determining a player’s worth with the theory being that a player that is on base more would therefore score more by the law of averages.  Also, the same would be true that a player that hits for power more would score more as well.

 

The best way for me to grasp things like this is to put the numbers to the test and look at the results.  The top ten players in OPS for their career are Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, Rogers Hornsby, Manny Ramirez and Todd Helton*.  The only one I would possibly have a problem with is Todd Helton.  How did he get in there?  Looks like a pretty good list of the best ever to me.

 

The Adjusted OPS (OPS+) takes into account the ballpark and the league the player played in.  The top ten in OPS+ for their career are Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Mickey Mantle, Albert Pujols, Dan Brouthers, Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb and Jimmie Foxx*.  Again, a very impressive list.

 

Just for fun, I looked at last season’s (2009) OPS leaders.  They are Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Prince Fielder, Joey Votto, Derrek Lee, Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, and Ben Zobrist (Manny Ramirez was omitted due to lack of plate appearances).  Once again, what a list.  I would start a team with any of these guys.  I bet you didn’t expect to see Joey Votto in the top ten (unless of course, you are a Reds fan).

 

I think OPS and OPS+ are two of the best stats for finding great hitters.  All that being said, I would not determine a player’s worth solely on OPS or OPS+.  If you have a player that has great plate discipline and therefore has a high on-base percentage but rarely ever hits for power, their OPS would be affected.  However, I would love to have that player hit just ahead of a guy high on this list (like Albert Pujols), so that one run has a much better chance of becoming two.  Also, this is solely an offensive category that does not take into account fielding or intangibles such as leadership.  So unless you are just looking for a DH or a fantasy player, I would look at the OPS and OPS+ but not make a decision solely from those numbers.

 

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-base_plus_slugging

Friday, March 5, 2010

Zito Plunks Fielder in Retaliation

Barry Zito decided that hitting Prince Fielder with a fastball in the back yesterday would teach him a lesson.  Fielder hit a walk-off homerun against the Giants in the playoffs last season and the team celebrated by falling like bowling pins when Fielder reached home plate.  There was no taunting or jestering in the direction of the mound or the Giants dugout.  But apparently celebrating a walk-off homerun in the playoffs is just unacceptable to the Giants.  This is one of the few opportunities when a professional ball player can enjoy the game.  This isn't tee-ball where everyone gets a trophy.  Let them enjoy the moment.  It was huge for him and his team.  Zito did all but cry na-na na-na na-na after drilling Fielder in the back on the first pitch of his first plate appearance.  In my opinion, there is a time for pitchers to ‘police’ the sport, but this definitely was not one of them.  Apparently, hitting a walk-off homerun in the playoffs is not a big event for the Giants.  Fielder handled the situation very well by tossing his bat back toward the dugout and even picking up and tossing the ball back toward Zito.  Given the choice of hitting a walk-off homerun in the playoffs and getting drilled the next year in Spring Training or losing the playoff game, I think I’ll take the walk-off every time.  The Brewers and Fielder obviously got the best of this deal but at least the Giants feelings aren’t still hurt.  My question:  Did Fielder even feel it?

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100304&content_id=8676528&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

2010 Predictions: AL East

First in the East this year should be a battle.  I went with the Red Sox due to their off-season activities.  After being swept in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Sox made some improvements.  Although Jason Bay departed for the Mets (and the money), the Sox signed Mike Cameron to take over in Center and moved Jacoby Ellsbury (my guy) to Left.  Cameron may be a slight downgrade from Bay, but the Sox also added Adrian Beltre at third and Marco Scutaro to fill the void that has been at short for awhile now.  With the trade of Lowell to Texas falling through, the Sox benefit with his services as a pinch hitter.  As long as Ortiz continues like he left off last season and Youkilis, Pedroia and Martinez stay on course, the Sox will put up good to great offensive numbers.  I didn’t mention JD Drew because 1)I’ve never been a big fan and 2)he can’t seem to stay of the DL but anything he can contribute will be a bonus.  The pitching staff easily rivals there New York counterparts.  Lester, Beckett, Lackey, Dice-K and Bucholtz is a dream rotation.  Wakefield can easily step into that 5th spot if Bucholtz struggles.  And Papelbon and Rivera might be 1 and 1a in the AL.

 

The Yankees slide back to second (maybe).  The loss of Damon and Matsui was not offset with the signing of Curtis Granderson.  Granderson should replace Damon well enough but there is still the hole left by World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.  Jeter is still putting up great numbers and plays a great shortstop but Posado is starting to show his age.  Cano should come back down to Earth a little since he showed some career numbers last season.  Arod and Teixeira will put up big numbers, of course, and Nick Swisher has the ability to although he strikes out a lot.  CC, AJ, Pettite, Vasquez, and Joba are sure to cause headaches for a lot of teams this year.  The jury is still out on Joba, but this is one of the premiere rotations in the league.  Rivera has shown no signs of slowing down at 40, but I’ve got to think he has to drop of a little.  Not to worry Yankee fans, the AL Wildcard will once again come out of the East so there is still post season play in your future.

 

The Tampa Bay Rays are unfortunately in the East with the big boys.  Stick them in the Central and they win the division every year.  The clock is ticking in Tampa and the pressure will actually make it harder for the Rays to contend this season.  The offense has a nice mix of power and speed.  Longoria, Pena, Upton and Crawford are going to put up numbers but Shields, Garza, Niemann, Price, and Davis can not compete in the AL East.  Look for Kelly Shoppach to take over at catcher to add some power to the lineup but the Rays are destined to finish 3rd again.

 

The Orioles are young but should make a bit of a splash this season.  The birds signed Kevin Millwood to anchor the rotation and give some leadership to their young pitching staff.  The O’s have a decent offense with Markakis, Roberts, Jones and Reimold.  I would expect Weiters to improve over last season and Tejada is still serviceable but his better days are behind him.  This team could stir up the pot in the East in the next couple of years but this is still a growing year.

 

The Blue Jays lost Alex Rios and Roy Halladay this offseason.  I could stop here and no one would question why.  Adam Lind, Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells will give Jays fans something to be excited about although Vernon Wells best days are in the past.  Kevin Gregg should be a nice addition in the bullpen to hold those late inning leads (assuming they have some).  Ricky Romero looks to be the bluebirds ace this season which won’t bode well for him.  Although Romero is a good pitcher, I would look for his numbers to drop off a little this season.

Monday, March 1, 2010

2010 Predictions: AL Central

I look for the Twins to remain atop the Central once again.  I could mention that they won the division last year with Mauer, Morneau and Nathan and leave it at that but the Twins didn’t rest on last year’s accomplishment.  Due to a short post-season, Minnesota went out and got JJ Hardy and Orlando Hudson to fill the gap in the middle.  Althoug, they don’t have a real ace on the staff, with the M&M boys (part 2) and maybe the best closer in the AL, the Twins look to take home the pennant again.

 

The White Sox only added Juan Pierre but that should be enough to jump last year’s second place team, the Tigers, to take the second spot this season.  With a pitching staff that includes Peavy, Buerhle, Danks and Floyd, you have to pick them to be in contention. 

 

That moves the Tigers down to third this season.  The addition of Johnny Damon only offsets the loss of Curtis Granderson.  So I look for the Tigers to remain about the same.  Magglio Ordonez, Brandon Inge and Miguel Cabrera could have great seasons and help the Tigers challenge the Sox, but with only Justin Verlander to strike fear into their opponents, I don’t believe their pitching is going to do them any favors this year.

 

The Cleveland Indians should be thankful that the Royals are in their division to keep them from finishing last (again).  The Tribe’s big move this off-season was the acquisition of a re-tread in Russel Branyan.  If he was the answer, why did they get rid of him in the first place?  Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo should add some offensive excitement for tribe fans but that will be about it.  Jake Westbrook is no ace, yet he is first in the rotation.  Indians fans should home for the return of the Fausto from a couple of years ago.

 

The Royals will once again bring up the rear in the division.  While Zack Greinke might be the best pitcher in the AL Central, a division with names like Peavy, Buerhle and Verlander, he alone can’t save the lowly Royals.  Joakim Soria is another highlight of a dismal team.

Friday, February 26, 2010

2010 Predictions: AL West

The Angels should win the division again this year, but not without a fight from the newly revived Mariners.  Even with the departure of Vlad Guerrero, John Lackey and Chone Figgins, this team will still put up numbers.  The arrival of Hideki Matsui should wash out the loss of Vlad’s numbers and even without Lackey the starting rotation is still stacked.  Jared Weaver should move into the ace spot without much trouble and his supporting cast (Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Scott Kazmir and Joel Piniero) are very good.  Figgins will be missed, but the Angels won the division last year by 10 games so they have some room to slip a little.

The Mariners made a lot of off-season moves, possibly to get Griffey a ring before he retires.  The addition of Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins should be enough to move the M’s into second in the division.  The starting pitching is solid with Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee and Erik Bedard however the bullpen leaves something to be desired.  If Milton Bradley can get his head straight out West, look for good numbers from Figgins, Bradley, Griffey and Ichiro.

The Rangers should struggle this season due to questionable starting pitching.  The bullpen is strong and and Kinsler, Hamilton and Young should add some excitement for the fans but don’t expect too much in 2010.

The A’s are in bad shape.  This will not be a good season for them.  There pitching is young and they have next to zero offense.  It’s time to make some wholesale changes.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

2010 Predictions: NL East

The NL East has a clear winner and a clear bottom dweller.  However, the middle is tough to pick.  Obviously, the three-time defending NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who added Roy Halladay to an already stacked rotation, are not only my favorite to win the East again but also my pick for the National League representative in the World Series. 

At the bottom, once again, are the lowly Nationals that have a young pitching staff and added an aging (old) Pudge Rodriguez.  Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham should offer the fans some excitement and although I’m not a big fan, I suppose Adam Dunn does provide some power.  The big event this year for the Nats should be when rookie Stephen Strasburg gets the call to throw some for the big club.

The middle three were essentially a toss-up for me.  I made the safe bet and chose the Mets to finish second almost exclusively off of name recognition.  With guys like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright and the addition of Jason Bay, you have to expect good things to happen.  The starting rotation brings the expectations back to Earth.  After Johan Santana, there are a lot of questions.  Francisco Rodriguez needs the game to be close to even have a chance of helping.  If the Mets can avoid the injury and the offense can put up some numbers, they have a chance to finish high in the standings but probably won’t have enough to earn the NL Wild Card.

The young talent in Florida could help the Marlins have a decent season.  Somehow they manage to hang around for most of the year, so with guys like Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco coming back with another year’s experience, perhaps they can make a viable run at that second spot.

The Braves outfield production was well below what was expected last year.  If Nate McLouth can bounce back and Melky Cabrera can bring New York-esque numbers with him, the Braves have a legitimate shot at second as well.  The addition of Billy Wagner could help shutdown the opposition late in the game to give the Braves the edge they need.  And of course there is always the Bobby Cox factor.  I’m sure this team wants to send him out on top, but the question is, can they?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

2010 Predictions: NL Central

This one isn’t hard to pick.  The Cardinals look to stay atop the division in 2010.  Pujols still amazes and the addition of Matt Holiday last season adds another bat to the lineup, showing that the Cards are content with just winning the division.  As long as Wainswright and Carpenter are at the top of the rotation, this team will continue to win.  Brad Penny was added in the fourth spot but I don’t know if this helps or not.  I’m looking forward to see how their young stud shortstop Brendan Ryan betters his performance of a year ago.  As long as Big Mac doesn’t cause too much of a distraction, 2010 promises to be another good season for the Cards.

I look for the Reds to move up to second in the division this year after picking up Orlando Cabrera to help plug the hole up the middle.  There is too much talent (Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips) to think that this team shouldn’t do better.  With a starting rotation of Harang/Arroyo/Cueto and now the addition of Aroldis Chapman, the Reds should have what it takes to make a run this season.  As long as the can stay competitive until June, hopefully Edison Volquez will return from Tommy John surgery and give this team the boost they need for the stretch run.

Sliding to third then, is the Chicago Cubs.  Everyone says their window of opportunity is closing with guys like Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly getting older but I think their window has already starting closing.  Although the Cubs will run out Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster and Wells, I think their age will hold them back.

The Brewers have possibly the best 3-4 hitters in the game with Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, but with the departing of JJ Hardy and Mike Cameron, they should struggle to score runs.  Still manageable for teams with good pitching, but the Brew Crew struggled last year from the mound and the addition of Randy Wolf doesn’t appear to be enough.

Hanging around in the fifth spot is the Astros for another season.  Essentially, the ‘stros are playing with 4 guys (Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman and Michael Bourn) and 2 pitchers (Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt).  I don’t look for the Astros to make much of an impact in 2010.

Bringing up the rear as usual are the Pirates.  This year, however, there is hope.  The bucs bring a lot of young talent to spring training this year.  2010 should be a learning season for Pittsburg, but look for a climb in the standings in years to come.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

2010 Predictions: NL West

I look for Arizona to shake things up a little bit this year in the NL West.  After a disappointing 2009, winning only 70 games, the Diamondbacks traded for Ian Kennedy to help out their better than average starting three of Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson.  Also, the addition of Adam Laroche at first base gives the snakes a regular contributor to go along with go to guys Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton and Miguel Montero.  While these changes should bolster the Diamondbacks up the standings ahead of cellar-dwelling San Diego, fourth place San Francisco and the slightly older not any better Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers still look to finish atop the standings.  While the Dodgers didn’t seem to get any better this off-season, I can’t see them dropping off too much from their 95 wins of last season.  Sure, I think it will be a struggle to get to 90 this year, but I think it will be just enough to hold off the Diamondbacks who may just win the wild card.  While the Dodgers did send Juan Pierre to the White Sox, they still may have the best outfield in the majors with Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.  Although the Dodgers and Manny have announced that this will be his finally season in LA, Joe Torre and the boys in blue should be looking at another post season.

Monday, February 15, 2010

‘Big Hurt’ Calls it Quits; Awaits the Hall

Frank Thomas announced his retirement on Thursday in Chicago where he spent most of his amazing career.  Opposing pitcher feared Thomas throughout the 90s.  Frank put up some amazing numbers from 1991 through 1998.  Every year he had over 100 hits, 100 RBI, and 100 walks, all while hitting over .300 (except for 1998).  In the same time period he hit 32, 24, 41, 38, 40, 40, 35, and 29 home runs respectively.  Thomas ends his career with 521 homeruns which ties him for 18th all-time.  He is one of only three guys to be named MVP in back-to-back seasons which he did in 1993-1994 (Jimmie Foxx and Albert Pujols).  He hold 12 different records for the White Sox organization, including home runs (448), walks (1,466), runs scored (1,327) and RBI (1,465).  The White Sox have announced they will retire Frank Thomas’ number 35.  There is no doubt Thomas will be a HOFer, the only question is ‘will the writers play games or elect him on the first ballot which he deserves?’

Friday, February 12, 2010

Glavine Retires; Headed for Hall

Tom Glavine officially announced his retirement yesterday after 22 seasons as a major league pitcher.  Glavine was instrumental in the Braves unprecedented 14 consecutive NL East pennants.  He began his career with the lowly Braves of the late 80s before helping turn the team around going from worst to first in 1991.  The trio of Glavine/Smoltz/Maddux is still one of the best starting rotation in the history of the game.  Glavine won two NL Cy Young awards (1991, 1998) and is fourth on the all-time wins list for left-handed pitchers with 305, behind guys like Warren Spahn, Steve Carlton and Eddie Plank and just ahead of recently retired Randy Johnson.  He pitched his last game in 2008, which makes him eligible for the Hall of Fame induction in 2014, the same year that former teammate and friend Greg Maddux will be eligible.  Glavine went to the New York Mets in 2002 where he eventually won his 300th game before returning to the Braves at the end of 2007.  Glavine will be remembered as one of the good guys both on and off the field.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Over-Exposure of the Good Guys

Peyton Manning is taking a beating for his interception in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl to seal the win for the Saints.  So I got to thinking, 'Why is a guy that seems to be a great role model on and off the field, taking such a pounding from fans and the media?'  I think the problem is the media itself.  With so many outlets to get information today, we have become overwhelmed.  In the days of radio broadcasts, you eager awaited for the game coverage to begin to hear all about your favorite (and usually local) sports hero.  After the game, your options for more information was usually limited to your local newspaper where maybe there would be a column that day and maybe there wouldn't.  Today, guys like Derek Jeter, Tim Teabow and Peyton Manning are everywhere; commercials, billboards, video games, etc.  Now before a game, the average fan has just heard hours, days or even weeks about how this guy is the greatest to ever play the postion/game.  They have somehow become super-human.  After hearing all your media outlets flood you with their greatness, you can't help but start to believe everything they are saying.  So, naturally when something does go wrong (like an interception to lose the game), we fans feel like we have been duped and betrayed.  We can't believe that we have been lied to or that your 'hero' isn't perfect.
There is no changing the media.  If anything, it looks to get worse.  Sensationalism sells the story.  We as fans, need to keep things in perspective.  We are seeing some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, but they are still human.  Enjoy them for what they are and be gld you got the chance to see them play.  And most importantly, think before you over react.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Reds Acquire Cabrera, Miles; Damon in their Sites?

After remaining silent thus far in the off-season, the Reds have waited out all the Hot Stove action and landed a few new guys looking for teams in 2010.  In a 4 way trade, Cincy acquires infielder Aaron Miles from the A’s who signed him from the Cubs in December.  Along with Miles, the Redlegs have signed veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Twins.  Cabrera is sure to fill a hole on the left side.  The Reds infield is shaping up with Rolen, Cabrera, Phillips and Votto.  Perhaps the Reds can hold out long enough to actually ink a deal with former Red Sox and Yankee, Johnny Damon.  For a team that has historically refused to open the check book, this could end up being a decent off-season.  Anything to make the NL Central more exciting is good with me.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Griffey, Mariners Ready to Compete in 2010

Ken Griffey Jr. has put his arthroscopic knee surgery from three months ago behind him and is getting ready for Spring Training.  Griffey, no DH for the Seattle Mariners, spent much of last season in pain due to bone spurs but says he feels much better now that the surgery is over.  "The Kid" tells the general manager that he'll be "ripped" for the season.   Is Griffey's renewed interest due to concerns that old age is catching up and he may only have a few seasons left or perhaps it is due to the Mariners added key guys this off-season to help Griffey get that elusive ring.  Whatever the reason, the Mariners look to be a force in the AL West this season.  Whether they are or not, I for one and happy that Grif will be back and perhaps we could see glimmers of the past.

This off season, the Mariners have added guys like Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins, and Milton Bradley.  Think what you will of Bradley, in the right situation he can still be a great addition to the team.  Of course, with Ichiro and Griffey returning, the Mariners could once again be relevant. 

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Corruption in Baseball Affects Dawson's Hall Induction


The Hall of Fame announced yesterday that Andre Dawson will be wearing an Expo hat in the Hall.  Although Dawson himself claimed to prefer to be inducted as a Cub but that won't be the case.  Since rumors spead that players that played for multiple teams were being offered "incentives" to wear their teams hat in the Hall, the HOF decided to change its policy regarding hat selection.  Before 2001, a player could choose the hat they prefered to wear in the Hall.  The new rule has already affected players like Gary Carter who would have chose to wear a Mets hat but instead is inducted as an Expo and Wade Boggs who won a championship with the Yankees in 1996 and therefore would have liked to be inducted as a Yankee.  Boggs however, played eleven years in Boston where he put up some of his best numbers and as a result, the Hall chose the Red Sox for him.  Andre Dawson is now the next victim of the rule change.  Dawson spent eleven seasons with the Montreal Expo and posted alot of great numbers there.  However, I think we all remember Dawson as a Chicago Cub where he had his best season (1987) and played with guys like Ryne Sandberg, Shawon Dunston, Mark Grace and even pre-PEDs Sammy Sosa.  Maybe the guys at the HOF need to revisit the issue and use some common sense before making such a rule change.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Damon Return Unlikely (Red Sox perspective)

Benedict Arnold, I mean, Johnny Damon is unlikely to return to the Yankees according to Brian Cashman.  Cashman states that Damon's asking price is not within the salary range that the Yankees are willing to offer the one-time beloved Red Sox turned traitor.  For more about this story check out MLB.com at http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100126&content_id=7972524&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Fisk Condemns McGwire and Clemens

Carlton Fisk spoke out about Mark McGwire’s comments that steroids did not help him hit home runs. Fisk points out that they are called ‘performance enhancers’ for a reason. Although Fisk claims that this isn’t new news to him, the forum is now available for him to speak out. Carlton claims that Catching ‘took a toll on me’ and that steroids would have made his daily life easier but he chose not to because of the integrity of the game.
Fisk also blasts former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens for his use of steroids saying “The reason he got let go from the Red Sox was because he was starting to breakdown. Then all of a sudden he goes to Toronto and gets two consecutive Cy Young Awards.”
This is where the Hall of Fame will have to do some serious thinking. Fisk’s comments point out that while PEDs may not help you hit per se, it does. PEDs get you back on the field and help you physically as well as mentally.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Thank You Junior

In an era where all the numbers appear to be tainted, one man has done it the right way. One man has held on to the integrity of the game. One man played clean even though many of his opponents did not. For that, I say “Thank You Ken Griffey Jr.”

How quickly we forget that before Big Mac and Sammy brought us the thrill of the 98 season and before Barry Bonds’ head doubled in size, ‘the kid’ was already hitting homeruns with the most beautiful swing you have ever seen. Before the infamous 98 season, Junior had already hit 40 or more homeruns in a season 4 times. This got me to thinking, “what could have been?”

Griffey missed most of the 95, 01, 02, 03 and 04 seasons due to injuries. Obviously, injuries are part of the game and there is nothing you can do about it, but I wanted to know where he would stand had he not been injured. I removed his stats from those 5 seasons and then took an average of the rest of his career. Then I projected those numbers over 5 more seasons to see where he would be today. Through 21 seasons, Grif would have scored 1964 Runs (9th), 3276 Hits (12th), 613 Doubles (11th), 743 Home Runs (3rd), 2178 RBIs (3rd) and have a .291 average. Sure, he wouldn’t be first on any of the lists. However, the guys ahead of him all played more than 21 seasons (except for the Babe who played 21) and all have many more ABs. Hank Aaron played 23 seasons and had over 4200 more at-bats. Babe Ruth had 370 more at-bats and Barry Bonds played 22 seasons (although he missed most of the 2005 season) and had over 1850 more at-bats. So, since we still aren’t comparing apples to apples, I decided to take it one step farther and figure out, on average, how many at-bats between homeruns. There was no comparison. Griffey hits a home run ever 10.8 at-bats. The next closest was the Babe at one every 11.7 at-bats followed by Bonds (12.9 at-bats) and Aaron (16.3 at-bats). I decided to check today’s stars against these numbers as well. The closest is Albert Pujols with a home run every 14 at-bats followed by Alex Rodriguez (14.2) and Manny Ramirez (14.6).

Ultimately, Griffey was/is the greatest player of my generation and arguably ever. But, we’ll never know. Many people would never have know it either because Griffey did it with class and little fan fare. We all missed out on one of the greatest the game has ever seen. So once again, I say “Thank You Griffey, Jr.”

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

McGwire Admits Steroid Use

Nearly five years after not speaking at the congressional hearings, Mark McGwire has come clean about his use of steroids during his playing career including the 1998 season in which he broke the single season homerun record. My first thought, after disappointment, was ‘why now?’ Why after all these years would he now come clean? Is it because of the bad results he has seen regarding his Hall of Fame voting? Is it because he has been hired as a hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals and doesn’t want the distraction all season for the team? Is it because of the rumors that he wants to suit up as a pinch hitter for the Cardinals this season and knows that he will be constantly hounded by media and fans?

My personal opinion is that he sees how everyone seems to have given Andy Pettit a free pass because he came clean and did not deny using steroids to help him recover more quickly. McGwire is the first of the ‘Steroid Era’ players to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. I think that he believes that if he comes clean now, suits up as a pinch hitter for the Cardinals which would then delay his Hall eligibility for another 5 years, that time will heal the wounds he has created and better his chance of getting in.

Whatever his reasoning is, I have mixed feelings. The 1998 season may have been the greatest season of baseball in my life. I look back fondly on that season. McGwire I had the opportunity to see Big Mac in Cincinnati when he was sitting on 60 homeruns and could have tied or gone ahead of Maris’ record. My seats were not good. I sat in the red seats behind home plate. I felt like I was 1000 feet above the field but I was there. McGwire only played part of the game as it was the last game of the series and the Cardinals were heading back to St. Louis the next day. The whole stadium cheered, Cardinal fans and Reds fans alike. Mark hit a line drive down the left field line that stayed in the park by only a few feet. McGwire would leave Cincy still on 60 but broke the record in the next couple of days in front of his home field fans. Everyone loved Mark McGwire. He was this likeable, wholesome guy that really seemed to enjoy playing the game of baseball.

Now I’m stuck here thinking about the greatest season that I have ever witnessed and my morals and thoughts on the game I love. I despise Barry Bonds and in no way would ever want him to get elected to the Hall of Fame. Is that to say then that no steroid user should ever be elected? that list stopped at Roger Clemens or Rafael Palmeiro or even Sammy Sosa then I’d be all for it. But, when you look at the career that Alex Rodriguez is having, how could you possibly not vote him into the Hall of Fame? Also, does this mean you keep the guys out that have tested positive but every guy the ‘got away’ with it can get in? How can you say that one guys record doesn’t count but another guys does even though he played in the same era but never failed a test? The only solution I know, is that you have to let them in, perhaps under higher standards, and note that they played during a period know as the “Steroid Era.”

8MS78H4XPTDU

Friday, January 8, 2010

Japan-MLB Series; World Baseball Classic

Bud Selig tells his Japanese counterpart, Ryozo Kato, that he would be interested in talking about a series that would match the World Series Champions against the champions of the Japanese Baseball League. I’m all for deciding who a ‘World’ champion is, but isn’t that the reason for the World Baseball Classic? Is it still a ‘world’ champion if you are only including the US and Japan? What about Korea and the Caribbean countries? Instead of adding another level when you already have guys complaining about the length of the season, why not just tweak the WBC to determine a true champion. Every four years the world gets together and determines a ‘world’ champion in soccer in the World Cup, let’s figure out a way to do this for baseball.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

‘Hawk” Heads to Hall; Voting Problems

Andrew Dawson aka “the Hawk” finally has earned his bid to the Hall of Fame. While listening to Mike and Mike this morning, Greenberg brought up a good point. What changed from last year to this year? Why is it that Dawson wasn’t good enough last year but now he is? I suppose I understand the whole first year ballot thing, but this was Dawson’s ninth attempt. Are the voters basing their votes on whether the guy deserves to be in or are they basing it on who else is eligible that year? Last year the voters voted in Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice, Andre couldn’t go in with these guys?

Since I’m on the topic of voting, are we voting for the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Mediocrity? Of course Dawson deserves to get in but guys like David Segui, Pat Hentgen and Kevin Appier received a vote and Eric Karros and Ellis Burks received 2 votes. Now these guys were good players, but they’re no hall of famers. Karros, Burks and Segui all had a hall of fame type season but one season does not make a HOFer. Perhaps we need to reevaluate who is voting and how they are voting.

Back to the cream of this year’s crop. In my opinion, Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar should have both been inducted and I’m sure they will be eventually. What a Mark McGwire? Sure his name has been linked to steroids but he has never tested positive. When he was taking Andro, it was not illegal in MLB and he and Sammy Sosa single handedly revived baseball after the lockout. How about Barry Larking? I’ve heard him referred to as Derek Jeter before Derek Jeter. Larkin’s only problem was injuries. He was a fixture in Cincinnati in the 80s and 90s and was a 12-time all-star. How about Tim Raines? Raines was feared as a leadoff hitter and a terror on the base path. He is 5th all-time in stolen bases and was a 7-time all-star.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Beltre Signs With Boston

After a long courtship, the Red Sox have signed free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre to a one year deal with a player option for a second year. Beltre spent last season in Seattle but had a down year statistically. Adrian improves the defense on a team that was near the bottom defensively last season. With the acquisition, Kevin Youkilis can remain at first where he has become accustomed. It’s early still but the Sox lineup is shaping up something like this: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Martinez, Youkilis, Ortiz, Drew followed by Cameron, Scutaro and Beltre in some order. That sounds pretty nice to me. Let me know when it is March!