The guy is slugging just .286 on the road and .267 against lefties – so why did Terry Francona start Kevin Millar last night against Nate Robertson at Comerica? I guess loyalty trumps sabremetrics in Tito’s version of Moneyball. So how did Millar reward Tito's loyalty last night? Well, he went hitless and made an error. Tito, loyalty is one thing but this is getting downright ridiculous.
Michael Kay had a classic Kayism last night at the end of the Yankee debacle down in Tampa. As Scott Proctor was walking in the winning run, Kay went out with this doozy: ”And that will bring in the winning run, giving Tampa a big win, FOR THEM . . . “ For them? How much more condescending can Kay get? Sure, it last night was a nice win for Lou’s losers, but beating the Yanks has been fairly routine for Tampa this year (eight up and only four down). Such talk has become the norm for Kay who never misses an opportunity to patronize the rest of the league. The next time Mike puts down Tampa, he should remember that he happens to host a talkshow on a station that is basically the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of sports radio in New York. In fact, I’ll take Tampa after the all-star break (16-8) over Michael’s putrid ratings at 1050 ESPN.
I listened to Mo Rivera’s post-game Q&A last night and it just confirmed that this is just about the most classy guy in baseball. I don’t make a habit of complimenting Yankees too often, but I’ll make a special exception for Mo. This is a humble and dignified guy who never makes excuses. NEVER! You hear that Randi – NEVER. He is a straight shooter who admits to his mistakes and rarely seeks the spotlight. Mo is the only Yankee who I truly wish played for the Sox, and that has nothing to do with the fact that the Sox bullpen has more holes in it than the Iraqi Constitution.
With Curt Schilling auditioning as a pitchman for Exxon’s new high-octane fuel, isn’t it about time the Sox consider taking a shot with one of the long lost Hansen brothers? Craig has been unhittable over a small sample at Portland, (another scoreless outing last night), and perhaps its time to take the first round pick out for a test drive. I realize the Sox don’t want to screw with his confidence and pitching in the AL EAST is a lot different than pitching in the Big East, but all reports indicate that this guy could help out this year. A friend of mine has scouted Hansen on several occasions and says he has a better slider then anyone who pitches for Boston at the big league level. If that is the case and Schilling continues to struggle, I think Hansen should get a chance. Who knows, he just may turn out to be the next Huston Street or Chad Cordero.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Monday, August 15, 2005
Aug 15 - Clemens and Gibson (Bob, not Debbie)
Here are some blasts to get things started:The White Sox should go out and get Ken Griffey, particularly if they feel Dustin Hermanson will be healthy when the playoffs come around. This club is close, particularly if Dusty is healthy, but they need a difference-maker like Griffey to make them legitimate contenders. One word of caution to White Sox fans – Jon Garland is not a big-time pitcher. He was brutal on Saturday night and if I am running that team, he is the fourth guy I go to in a playoff series.
Pedro pitched great yesterday but he looks like he is tiring. His velocity is way down and it looks like he could benefit fro a missed start. When you look at Pedro’s splits, it is pretty hard to believe that he is 12-5 with an ERA approaching three. His splits are more reflective of a resume that includes a record of 15-3 and an ERA under 2.50.
Congratulations to Phil Mickelson who won a battle of attrition out there at Baltrussol this weekend. I was out there on Friday and it was hotter than ass. Saturday was worse and Sunday was no better. Phil looked like he was going to collapse on Sunday, but he pulled it together just as the lug nuts were loosening and the wheels were poised to come off. I am not sure if he would have won had the tourney not been postponed but you have to give the guy credit for making that four on eighteen this morning. With two majors now on his resume, Phil is closing in on the day where he could retire without having to justify a unfulfilled career. However, a third major is still probably needed to ensure that Phil is not perceived as this generation's Johnny Miller.
I am already picking Phil to win the Open next June. The reason: for some reason. Phil is adored by New Yorkers and plays great in front of these fans. That will come in handy next June when the Open will be played at Winged Foot. Look at his recent record in the New York area. He got second at the 2002 Open at Bethpage, he was second at Shinecock last year and he won this week. Based on this record, it is clear that Phil plays better in this area than either the Knicks or the Giants.
While I have not been enamored with Roger Clemens since the 1990 ALCS, I think it is worth noting that he is having one of the more remarkable seasons in MLB history. The guy is 43 and sports on ERA of just 1.32 after blanking the Bucs through eight on Saturday. And just look at some of these splits. His batting average against is just .186, he is still fanning more than eight guys per nine innings and opponents are slugging less then .300 against him at the Juice Box in Houston. These are some of the sickest stats ever recorded in the National League and they rank right up there with the numbers Rocket amassed in Toronto and Pedro racked in Boston. I, for one, hope Rocket keeps it up because a complete year of this will hopefully knock Bob Gibson’s 1968 season off its over-hyped pedestal. When it comes to assessing great years in pitching, people are too quick to point out Gibson’s 1968 season as one of the best ever. The evidence appears compelling on its face as Gibson won 22 games that year while chalking up an ERA of 1.12. That is a miniscule number, but people tend to forget that 1968 was the year that offense went on strike. Nobody hit that year (Yaz led the AL with an average of .301) and as a result, the National League average ERA was a paltry 2.90. If you fast-forward thirty years, that league-AVERAGE would have challenged for the league’s ERA title. Everyone agrees that Gibson’s 1968 was fantastic, but lets get serious – it came during a deadball year and it came in a cavernous stadium. Clemens, on the other hand, is doing his thing during an offensive era and while playing half his games at a park whose dimensions resemble those of a ballpark in Williamsburg. Sorry Cardinal fans – your guy has to take a back seat on this one. Come to think of it, two of your guys have to take back seats on this because if the season ended today, I would take Clemens by a hair over Carpenter for league Cy Young.
Yankee propagandist Michael Kay had another tough afternoon on Sunday, as he spent a good ninety seconds on the subject of why free-agent-to-be Shawn Chacon stumbled into a great situation with the Yanks. According to Kay, and this really shouldn’t come as a surprise given the source, Chacon is now in an ideal situation with the Yanks because YINC is a phenomenal organization that lies at the nexus of the baseball world. In other words, playing for New York allows Chacon to pitch in front of all those scouts and front office types who never would have caught his act out in Denver. This thesis, if it were true, could be relevant to a free agent, but the problem here is Chacon is not eligible for free agency. He is still arbitration eligible meaning that if the Yankees tender him, he will be in Pinstripes next year. That sounds more like a prisoner of war then a free agent to this scribe. When Kay was informed that he had made a mistake, he murmured a half-hearted correction under his breathe. I guess this is just another instance of Michael being Michael.
Sox Box – You know you are hot when even the weather is cutting your way, as it did yesterday for the Red Sox. Boston pitcher Matt Clement was getting cracked in the 4th yesterday at Fenway and with the JV playing, it didn’t look like the Sox were going to be able to keep that impressive home winning streak alive. So what happens? Well, a massive storm moved in and clobbered the city for a period long enough for the Red Sox to secure a postponement. Sorry Boston haters – the game was scrubbed and when it resumes – if it ever resumes - it will be 0-0 in the top of the first and not 5-2 in the 4th. While Mother Nature succeeded in shutting the door on the White Sox, the same could not be said for Matt Clement. In many ways, this guy reminds me of Derrick Lowe. They are both fine when things are rolling along, but the second things go awry, each tends to crumble. Clement, in particular, seems particularly susceptible to the two-out rally and if he doesn’t cover home the next time he throws a 57 foot slider with a man on third, my television may need replacing. The Sox may have an interesting decision to make next week when John Olerud is due to come off the bench. The problem lies with the discovery that his replacement – Roberto Petagine – has a major league stick. Granted, Roberto can’t catch, but his bat has been impressive. If either Roberto or Olerud were right-handed, Kevin Millar would be busy packing, but since both are lefties, it will be impossible to keep both on the 25-man roster. My guess is Francona likes Olerud’s glove late in the game and therefore Petegine will head back down to Pawtucket until the rosters are expanded on September 1st. My boy Annibal Sanchez got clocked down in Portland on Friday, giving up four runs on four bombs over six innings. Somebody should tell him that it isn’t nice to mock Curt Schilling like that. While Sanchez finally got cracked, Jon Lester was solid in his last start out (Thursday) and Craig Hansen has pitched three scoreless since being called up to Portland. Word out of Portland is Craig tapes his glove hand up with tin foil just as his brothers did for the Chiefs in Slap Shot. I know Johnny Damon is having a great year at the plate, but lets get this straight: there may not be a centerfielder in baseball (outside the Bronx) who goes back on the ball worse than the Caveman. This guy needs to be tutored in geometry because he never charts the correct angle.
Pedro pitched great yesterday but he looks like he is tiring. His velocity is way down and it looks like he could benefit fro a missed start. When you look at Pedro’s splits, it is pretty hard to believe that he is 12-5 with an ERA approaching three. His splits are more reflective of a resume that includes a record of 15-3 and an ERA under 2.50.
Congratulations to Phil Mickelson who won a battle of attrition out there at Baltrussol this weekend. I was out there on Friday and it was hotter than ass. Saturday was worse and Sunday was no better. Phil looked like he was going to collapse on Sunday, but he pulled it together just as the lug nuts were loosening and the wheels were poised to come off. I am not sure if he would have won had the tourney not been postponed but you have to give the guy credit for making that four on eighteen this morning. With two majors now on his resume, Phil is closing in on the day where he could retire without having to justify a unfulfilled career. However, a third major is still probably needed to ensure that Phil is not perceived as this generation's Johnny Miller.
I am already picking Phil to win the Open next June. The reason: for some reason. Phil is adored by New Yorkers and plays great in front of these fans. That will come in handy next June when the Open will be played at Winged Foot. Look at his recent record in the New York area. He got second at the 2002 Open at Bethpage, he was second at Shinecock last year and he won this week. Based on this record, it is clear that Phil plays better in this area than either the Knicks or the Giants.
While I have not been enamored with Roger Clemens since the 1990 ALCS, I think it is worth noting that he is having one of the more remarkable seasons in MLB history. The guy is 43 and sports on ERA of just 1.32 after blanking the Bucs through eight on Saturday. And just look at some of these splits. His batting average against is just .186, he is still fanning more than eight guys per nine innings and opponents are slugging less then .300 against him at the Juice Box in Houston. These are some of the sickest stats ever recorded in the National League and they rank right up there with the numbers Rocket amassed in Toronto and Pedro racked in Boston. I, for one, hope Rocket keeps it up because a complete year of this will hopefully knock Bob Gibson’s 1968 season off its over-hyped pedestal. When it comes to assessing great years in pitching, people are too quick to point out Gibson’s 1968 season as one of the best ever. The evidence appears compelling on its face as Gibson won 22 games that year while chalking up an ERA of 1.12. That is a miniscule number, but people tend to forget that 1968 was the year that offense went on strike. Nobody hit that year (Yaz led the AL with an average of .301) and as a result, the National League average ERA was a paltry 2.90. If you fast-forward thirty years, that league-AVERAGE would have challenged for the league’s ERA title. Everyone agrees that Gibson’s 1968 was fantastic, but lets get serious – it came during a deadball year and it came in a cavernous stadium. Clemens, on the other hand, is doing his thing during an offensive era and while playing half his games at a park whose dimensions resemble those of a ballpark in Williamsburg. Sorry Cardinal fans – your guy has to take a back seat on this one. Come to think of it, two of your guys have to take back seats on this because if the season ended today, I would take Clemens by a hair over Carpenter for league Cy Young.
Yankee propagandist Michael Kay had another tough afternoon on Sunday, as he spent a good ninety seconds on the subject of why free-agent-to-be Shawn Chacon stumbled into a great situation with the Yanks. According to Kay, and this really shouldn’t come as a surprise given the source, Chacon is now in an ideal situation with the Yanks because YINC is a phenomenal organization that lies at the nexus of the baseball world. In other words, playing for New York allows Chacon to pitch in front of all those scouts and front office types who never would have caught his act out in Denver. This thesis, if it were true, could be relevant to a free agent, but the problem here is Chacon is not eligible for free agency. He is still arbitration eligible meaning that if the Yankees tender him, he will be in Pinstripes next year. That sounds more like a prisoner of war then a free agent to this scribe. When Kay was informed that he had made a mistake, he murmured a half-hearted correction under his breathe. I guess this is just another instance of Michael being Michael.
Sox Box – You know you are hot when even the weather is cutting your way, as it did yesterday for the Red Sox. Boston pitcher Matt Clement was getting cracked in the 4th yesterday at Fenway and with the JV playing, it didn’t look like the Sox were going to be able to keep that impressive home winning streak alive. So what happens? Well, a massive storm moved in and clobbered the city for a period long enough for the Red Sox to secure a postponement. Sorry Boston haters – the game was scrubbed and when it resumes – if it ever resumes - it will be 0-0 in the top of the first and not 5-2 in the 4th. While Mother Nature succeeded in shutting the door on the White Sox, the same could not be said for Matt Clement. In many ways, this guy reminds me of Derrick Lowe. They are both fine when things are rolling along, but the second things go awry, each tends to crumble. Clement, in particular, seems particularly susceptible to the two-out rally and if he doesn’t cover home the next time he throws a 57 foot slider with a man on third, my television may need replacing. The Sox may have an interesting decision to make next week when John Olerud is due to come off the bench. The problem lies with the discovery that his replacement – Roberto Petagine – has a major league stick. Granted, Roberto can’t catch, but his bat has been impressive. If either Roberto or Olerud were right-handed, Kevin Millar would be busy packing, but since both are lefties, it will be impossible to keep both on the 25-man roster. My guess is Francona likes Olerud’s glove late in the game and therefore Petegine will head back down to Pawtucket until the rosters are expanded on September 1st. My boy Annibal Sanchez got clocked down in Portland on Friday, giving up four runs on four bombs over six innings. Somebody should tell him that it isn’t nice to mock Curt Schilling like that. While Sanchez finally got cracked, Jon Lester was solid in his last start out (Thursday) and Craig Hansen has pitched three scoreless since being called up to Portland. Word out of Portland is Craig tapes his glove hand up with tin foil just as his brothers did for the Chiefs in Slap Shot. I know Johnny Damon is having a great year at the plate, but lets get this straight: there may not be a centerfielder in baseball (outside the Bronx) who goes back on the ball worse than the Caveman. This guy needs to be tutored in geometry because he never charts the correct angle.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Aug 9 - Morgan the Moron HIts New Lows.
Here a few blasts before we get started:
This Day in History: 1627 years ago today, the Roman Empire got routed by the Visigoths at Andriople. The casualties were staggering as the Roman’s had two-thirds of their army surrounded, captured and slaughtered by the younger and hungrier Visigoths. The Romans, who went into the battle laying four, were never the same. History will repeat itself tonight, as Jose Contreras will turn back the Yankee Empire in the Bronx.
Isn't it ironic that on the same day crude hits almost $64 a barrel, President Bush signs an energy bill that will do absolutely nothing to reduce this country's dependance on foreign oil. Mesaage to Congress - those subsidized wind farms marginally reduce our dependance on coal and gas, not oil. Message to Bush - Detroit is already dead so why not start digging the grave and move forward with higher fuel efficiency standards?
Sticking with our C-in-C for a moment: You got to give this guy credit - he stands by his guys (Palmeiro) even when they are confirmed ass clowns who lie to their fans and perjure themselves in front of Congress. There is a message here for those of you who want Bush to dump Karl Rove. Unless Rove gets caught on tape smoking crack and carjacking a pregnant women, his job is safe. Other then Paul O'Neil and Christie Todd, has this guy ever fired anyone? I suspect that if Bushie were the GM of the Sox, Alan Embree would still be giving up two run bombs at Fenway. Then again, if Bush were GM of the Sox, Boston would be looking to halve its revenue sharing outflows and Wade Miller would have had his foot blown off in Najaf.
Let me make this clear – I have always thought Joe Morgan was a rookie-ball analyst who sported a sub-standard IQ, poor verbal skills and an inability to criticize anything other then the weather and the speed of racial progress. As such, I have long thought Morgan had no business taking a spot in any broadcasting booth, let alone the one rented to ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. With that said, my taste for Morgan was further soured the other night when I saw his ridiculous performance on ESPN. In case you missed it, the offense occurred when Karl Ravetch quizzed Morgan on steroid use in baseball. Morgan took the opportunity to express plenty of outrage, much like he did the other day in an interview with the Philadelphia Enquirer. Specifically, Morgan took aim at major league baseball for letting this steroid problem simmer for a decade when everyone knew bad things were going down. Everyone? Where the hell was Joe during this decade of discontent? I'll tell you where he was - he was stroking his pud and worshipping at the alter. Thankfully, Ravetch didn’t budge and decided to press Morgan with pointed follow-ups the second baseman had no interest or ability to answer. Pointedly, he asked Morgan to say whether Rafael Palmeiro belonged in the Hall of Fame. In typical Morgan fashion, he clumsily danced around the question, refusing to take it to the hoop and sink the layup that would beat Palmeiro. Morgan’s recent performance just cements his position at the bottom of ESPN’s scrap heap. This is a guy who has refused to criticize any specific player for the past 15 years. More importantly, if Morgan felt this way, how come he didn’t make any references to steroid abuse during all those Bonds’ games he broadcast over the past five years? The simple reason Morgan stayed quiet is he has no stomach for critical analysis. Even in this latest outburst, Morgan has distanced himself from any player-specific references. Enough is enough. My fingers are crossed that Morgan will be torched by the national media on this. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.
I have never been a fan of Jets coach herm Edwards, but his stock fell to a new low today after I read one of his quotes in today’s New York Post. When asked about holdout John Abraham, Edwards barked, “We don’t play until September,” meaning he feels there is plenty of time remaining before this becomes an issue. Sorry Herm – wrong answer. That is not the answer of a coach – it is the answer of a fan. And it is the kind of response that I would expect from a guy at a bar wearing a green and white jersey with the name Klecko on the back. What Herm should have said is something like the following; “my attention and focus is on the players who are in camp and not those who are still at home.” Herm seems like a guy who always thinks things will just work. Accordingly, who cares if his biggest playmaker is holding out a month before the real shooting begins. Sorry Herm, preparation wins battles and having stars miss training campis nothing to dismiss. I’ll bet dollars to donuts that Edwards won’t be singing the same song if Abraham misses another ten days, comes in oout of shape and doesn’t register a sack until October.
The big series in baseball this week begins out in Oakland tonight where the A’s and Angles begin a three game set. Many are viewing this series as an opportunity to see whether this Oakland team is for real. Well, with Rich Harden going tonight and Barry Zito going tomorrow against a rookie, the A’s have great shot at sweeping this series and taking control of the West. The Angles luckily will miss Danny Haren, but Harden and Zito is enough punishment for one week. While the vaunted A’s staff has gotten most of the credit for Oakland’s turnaround, it should be noted that the offense has contributed as well. This is not the anemic team that some suggest. Just look at the numbers – the A’s are fourth in the AL in runs scored and sixth on OBP. Most think Bobby Crosby’s return sparked this offense, but if you ask me, the contributions of Jay Payton, Dan Johnson and Nick Swisher have been more unexpected and thus more important. Johnson, in particular, has been a force, slugging .550 with ten bombs in less then 200 at bats. He had a big rep coming through the A’s system, but did anyone in the organization really expect him to come in and make this kind of contribution so quickly? Eric Chavez, meanwhile, has recovered from a putrid April and is now on pace for a 100 RBI year. There are plenty of people, particularly on the East Coast, that still don’t believe in this team. Come Thursday night - this camp may be a lot smaller.
SOX BOX – Mark Belhorn’s days in Boston were already numbered but last night Tony Graffanino put a nail into Belly’s coffin. Graff slugged a three-run home run and went 3-3 with some nice base running. I would have taken 1-4 with a run scored over Belhorn, so last night was gravy city. So as the Belhorn cruise winds its way toward its concluding port, it is time for the Sox to turn their attention to another ship listing at sea. Of course I am talking about the USS Wade Miller, which got touched up again last night. Miller simply can’t get through a first inning without taking loads off the chin and last night was no exception. His fastball lacks any giddy-up and therefore he seems hesitant (or unable) to throw it for strikes. So that leaves him armed with just that “one o’clock -to-seven o’clock” hook and there is no telling when he is going to throw that over the plate. If I were the Sox, I would toss this guy on the DL and go with one of the kids. However, I would keep him around until the end of the season and perhaps tender him this winter. The reason: perhaps Miller just needs another off-season to get back to his 2002-3 form and how much can he command in arbitration coming off this year? On the flip side, the Sox may have surplus starters next year so having Miller around at 3-4M may not be such a smart thing to do. Last point on the Sox: Roberto Petegene has proven over the past five days why he has had trouble parlaying those gaudy AAA/Japan into a regular MLB job. Point of fact – Roberto has stone hands and brick feet. Bobby may have hit like Hideki over in Japan but he fields like that guy Kaz out at Shea. This is a guy who moves like Farley and scoops like an eighth grade band geek. He will not be around once John Olerud’s hammy heals.
I saw this stat published last night where Texas has already slugged 189 home runs this year. That puts them on pace to jack more then 270 bombs this year, a number that will surpass the record of 264 held by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. That is a lot of juice from one team and it begs the question of why this team didn’t off load some of that power for arms at the trade deadline. Do you really need 1.6 Dongs/gm to survive? Mark Texiera leads the club and is on pace to hit 45 round-trippers, but the scary thing about the Rangers is their depth. At this point in the season, it looks as if seven players will clock twenty balls out of play. On the other end of the spectrum, the Nationals will have just two guys hit twenty home run and the Giants may have only one. Home runs may be down this year, but you couldn’t tell that from watching the Rangers.
This Day in History: 1627 years ago today, the Roman Empire got routed by the Visigoths at Andriople. The casualties were staggering as the Roman’s had two-thirds of their army surrounded, captured and slaughtered by the younger and hungrier Visigoths. The Romans, who went into the battle laying four, were never the same. History will repeat itself tonight, as Jose Contreras will turn back the Yankee Empire in the Bronx.
Isn't it ironic that on the same day crude hits almost $64 a barrel, President Bush signs an energy bill that will do absolutely nothing to reduce this country's dependance on foreign oil. Mesaage to Congress - those subsidized wind farms marginally reduce our dependance on coal and gas, not oil. Message to Bush - Detroit is already dead so why not start digging the grave and move forward with higher fuel efficiency standards?
Sticking with our C-in-C for a moment: You got to give this guy credit - he stands by his guys (Palmeiro) even when they are confirmed ass clowns who lie to their fans and perjure themselves in front of Congress. There is a message here for those of you who want Bush to dump Karl Rove. Unless Rove gets caught on tape smoking crack and carjacking a pregnant women, his job is safe. Other then Paul O'Neil and Christie Todd, has this guy ever fired anyone? I suspect that if Bushie were the GM of the Sox, Alan Embree would still be giving up two run bombs at Fenway. Then again, if Bush were GM of the Sox, Boston would be looking to halve its revenue sharing outflows and Wade Miller would have had his foot blown off in Najaf.
Let me make this clear – I have always thought Joe Morgan was a rookie-ball analyst who sported a sub-standard IQ, poor verbal skills and an inability to criticize anything other then the weather and the speed of racial progress. As such, I have long thought Morgan had no business taking a spot in any broadcasting booth, let alone the one rented to ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. With that said, my taste for Morgan was further soured the other night when I saw his ridiculous performance on ESPN. In case you missed it, the offense occurred when Karl Ravetch quizzed Morgan on steroid use in baseball. Morgan took the opportunity to express plenty of outrage, much like he did the other day in an interview with the Philadelphia Enquirer. Specifically, Morgan took aim at major league baseball for letting this steroid problem simmer for a decade when everyone knew bad things were going down. Everyone? Where the hell was Joe during this decade of discontent? I'll tell you where he was - he was stroking his pud and worshipping at the alter. Thankfully, Ravetch didn’t budge and decided to press Morgan with pointed follow-ups the second baseman had no interest or ability to answer. Pointedly, he asked Morgan to say whether Rafael Palmeiro belonged in the Hall of Fame. In typical Morgan fashion, he clumsily danced around the question, refusing to take it to the hoop and sink the layup that would beat Palmeiro. Morgan’s recent performance just cements his position at the bottom of ESPN’s scrap heap. This is a guy who has refused to criticize any specific player for the past 15 years. More importantly, if Morgan felt this way, how come he didn’t make any references to steroid abuse during all those Bonds’ games he broadcast over the past five years? The simple reason Morgan stayed quiet is he has no stomach for critical analysis. Even in this latest outburst, Morgan has distanced himself from any player-specific references. Enough is enough. My fingers are crossed that Morgan will be torched by the national media on this. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.
I have never been a fan of Jets coach herm Edwards, but his stock fell to a new low today after I read one of his quotes in today’s New York Post. When asked about holdout John Abraham, Edwards barked, “We don’t play until September,” meaning he feels there is plenty of time remaining before this becomes an issue. Sorry Herm – wrong answer. That is not the answer of a coach – it is the answer of a fan. And it is the kind of response that I would expect from a guy at a bar wearing a green and white jersey with the name Klecko on the back. What Herm should have said is something like the following; “my attention and focus is on the players who are in camp and not those who are still at home.” Herm seems like a guy who always thinks things will just work. Accordingly, who cares if his biggest playmaker is holding out a month before the real shooting begins. Sorry Herm, preparation wins battles and having stars miss training campis nothing to dismiss. I’ll bet dollars to donuts that Edwards won’t be singing the same song if Abraham misses another ten days, comes in oout of shape and doesn’t register a sack until October.
The big series in baseball this week begins out in Oakland tonight where the A’s and Angles begin a three game set. Many are viewing this series as an opportunity to see whether this Oakland team is for real. Well, with Rich Harden going tonight and Barry Zito going tomorrow against a rookie, the A’s have great shot at sweeping this series and taking control of the West. The Angles luckily will miss Danny Haren, but Harden and Zito is enough punishment for one week. While the vaunted A’s staff has gotten most of the credit for Oakland’s turnaround, it should be noted that the offense has contributed as well. This is not the anemic team that some suggest. Just look at the numbers – the A’s are fourth in the AL in runs scored and sixth on OBP. Most think Bobby Crosby’s return sparked this offense, but if you ask me, the contributions of Jay Payton, Dan Johnson and Nick Swisher have been more unexpected and thus more important. Johnson, in particular, has been a force, slugging .550 with ten bombs in less then 200 at bats. He had a big rep coming through the A’s system, but did anyone in the organization really expect him to come in and make this kind of contribution so quickly? Eric Chavez, meanwhile, has recovered from a putrid April and is now on pace for a 100 RBI year. There are plenty of people, particularly on the East Coast, that still don’t believe in this team. Come Thursday night - this camp may be a lot smaller.
SOX BOX – Mark Belhorn’s days in Boston were already numbered but last night Tony Graffanino put a nail into Belly’s coffin. Graff slugged a three-run home run and went 3-3 with some nice base running. I would have taken 1-4 with a run scored over Belhorn, so last night was gravy city. So as the Belhorn cruise winds its way toward its concluding port, it is time for the Sox to turn their attention to another ship listing at sea. Of course I am talking about the USS Wade Miller, which got touched up again last night. Miller simply can’t get through a first inning without taking loads off the chin and last night was no exception. His fastball lacks any giddy-up and therefore he seems hesitant (or unable) to throw it for strikes. So that leaves him armed with just that “one o’clock -to-seven o’clock” hook and there is no telling when he is going to throw that over the plate. If I were the Sox, I would toss this guy on the DL and go with one of the kids. However, I would keep him around until the end of the season and perhaps tender him this winter. The reason: perhaps Miller just needs another off-season to get back to his 2002-3 form and how much can he command in arbitration coming off this year? On the flip side, the Sox may have surplus starters next year so having Miller around at 3-4M may not be such a smart thing to do. Last point on the Sox: Roberto Petegene has proven over the past five days why he has had trouble parlaying those gaudy AAA/Japan into a regular MLB job. Point of fact – Roberto has stone hands and brick feet. Bobby may have hit like Hideki over in Japan but he fields like that guy Kaz out at Shea. This is a guy who moves like Farley and scoops like an eighth grade band geek. He will not be around once John Olerud’s hammy heals.
I saw this stat published last night where Texas has already slugged 189 home runs this year. That puts them on pace to jack more then 270 bombs this year, a number that will surpass the record of 264 held by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. That is a lot of juice from one team and it begs the question of why this team didn’t off load some of that power for arms at the trade deadline. Do you really need 1.6 Dongs/gm to survive? Mark Texiera leads the club and is on pace to hit 45 round-trippers, but the scary thing about the Rangers is their depth. At this point in the season, it looks as if seven players will clock twenty balls out of play. On the other end of the spectrum, the Nationals will have just two guys hit twenty home run and the Giants may have only one. Home runs may be down this year, but you couldn’t tell that from watching the Rangers.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Aug 8/Part 2 Gretzky: The Next Magic or Dan Gable?
The word is Wayne Gretzky has decided to take a job as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes and while Mr. Janet Jones was obviously one of the greatest players to ever play the game, some question whether he will make it as a coach. After all, the relatively recent landscape is littered with guys who were great players in their respective sports but went on to have average or poor coaching careers. You want some failures? How bout these: Ted Willaims, Magic, Zeke, Pete Rose, and Bryan Trottier. Want some more? How about Ray Berry and Frank Robinson? On the positive side, Mike Ditka is a hall of famer who coached a Super Bowl champion, Bill Russell has titles as a player and coach, and both Lenny Wilkens and Larry Bird were competent on the sidelines. In baseball, Joe Torre won an MVP as a player, and Gil Hodges was a borderline hall of famer, but neither was a superstar. So that begs the question: who was the biggest double threat in coaching/playing history? Well, John Wooden is a good place to start. He was a two-time All-American at Purdue before he went on to build a dynasty at UCLA. But he played in the pre-Hoosier days so his basketball skills have to be discounted just a bit. What about Kim Mulkey, an All-American at La Tech who went on to coach Baylor to this year’s woman’s NCAA Basketball Championship? Not too shabby. These two, along with Torre and Ditka are nice candidates, but the guy I am nominating for the crown is Dan Gable, the legendary wrestling coach of the Iowa Hawks. Look at this resume: NCAA wrestling champ, 1972 Olympic Gold Medallist and coach of the 15-time NCAA champion Iowa Hawkeyes. Gable, pure and simple, is wrestling in this country. He was a legend on the mat and he built a college program that is amongst the strongest that any school has ever built in any sport. For that, he gets my double threat award. Gable may not be Gretzky's match as an athlete, but Wayne will have to blow past Scotty Bowman to match Dan as a coach. It ain't going to happen.
Congratulations go out this morning to Morgan Pressel who just wrapped up the best USGA year since the days of Bobby Jones. Check out this resume. The 17 year-old phenom won the U.S. Woman’s amateur yesterday and that comes on top of her second place finishes in the U.S. Woman’s Open and the U.S. Woman’s Jr. Amateur. That is the kind of year that even Jones would admire. Annika Sorenstam has had a remarkable year, but my vote for female golfer of the year goes to Pressel. By the way, am I a pervert because I watched twenty minutes of the tape-delayed U.S. Women’s Junior Amateur this weekend? For those of you who missed it, Tiger’s niece has game and so do Ivan Lendl’s two daughters.
So Ty Law is headed to the Meadowlands to play corner for the New York Jets. Wow, this is just what New York City needs - another pissed off black athlete who plays with a huge chip on his shoulder. Does this sound familiar? Well it should since it is basically a rehash of the Gary Sheffield Story starring John Amos as the Sheff. Don’t get me wrong – I am a fan of Law. Number twenty-four is a warrior who has always come up huge in big games and if you don’t believe me, you should go ahead and ask Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. Law simply owns Manning and his pick and run basically turned around Super Bowl XXXVI. Moreover, Law is no pussy. He will play hurt and he will lay it all out on the field. Whether it is in coverage or in run support, Law is simply one of the most physical corners in football. As such, Jets fans can be assured they are getting a good player, so long as Law’s foot is healed. But before Jets fans start engraving those AFC East Championship trophies, you should be warned that Law comes with some baggage. First of all, he is much like Sheff in that he has a huge ego and always feels like he is being overlooked. He thrives on the sleight and tends to play worse as his recognition grows. Be warned Jets fans - you don’t want this guy getting too many compliments before a big game. Second of all, Law is a penalty machine and that will surely drive Herm Edwards crazy. Third, Law may not prove too useful against New England since the Pats know his faults and will adjust accordingly. The bet here is we will see Deion Branch stop Law short and beat him deep at least once this year. The morale to this story is Law will help this team, but doesn’t it say something that Belicheck was quick to swap out Law for Duane Starks? Sure, there were some financial considerations, but BB letting go of defenders is a bit like Mazzone getting rid of pitchers. I am not sure you want to be on the other side of that trade.
Lets stick with the Jets for a second and discuss this fight that broke out the other day at a practice the Jets were having with the Giants. The guys are Pro Football Talk, who are usually pretty honest, absolutely tore into the Jets following the fight, running a story that quotes a league source who most likely works for the football Giants. According to this guy, "The Jets act like they just won the Super Bowl. All they are is a bunch of fucking thugs. [There's] no discipline on that team at all. . . . And [Edwards] acts like he is some sort of preacher. He is a fucking phony." Man, those are fighting words, although it’s probably 50/50 they were either made up or came from a pissed off Giants fan who owns seasons tickets and calls himself a “league source.” I never considered the Jets or their fans to be extraordinary talkers – certainly not on par with the Steelers or Eagles. But I guess after going out and winning a playoff game in San Diego and playing the Steelers to a draw a week later, the Jets feel like they have a seat at this year’s adult table. Careful guys, it was just last December that the Pats went into the Meadowlands and pushed the Jets all over the field. By the way, I don’t think Edwards is a phony. I just think he is a danger to himself and his team on game day.
Congratulations go out this morning to Morgan Pressel who just wrapped up the best USGA year since the days of Bobby Jones. Check out this resume. The 17 year-old phenom won the U.S. Woman’s amateur yesterday and that comes on top of her second place finishes in the U.S. Woman’s Open and the U.S. Woman’s Jr. Amateur. That is the kind of year that even Jones would admire. Annika Sorenstam has had a remarkable year, but my vote for female golfer of the year goes to Pressel. By the way, am I a pervert because I watched twenty minutes of the tape-delayed U.S. Women’s Junior Amateur this weekend? For those of you who missed it, Tiger’s niece has game and so do Ivan Lendl’s two daughters.
So Ty Law is headed to the Meadowlands to play corner for the New York Jets. Wow, this is just what New York City needs - another pissed off black athlete who plays with a huge chip on his shoulder. Does this sound familiar? Well it should since it is basically a rehash of the Gary Sheffield Story starring John Amos as the Sheff. Don’t get me wrong – I am a fan of Law. Number twenty-four is a warrior who has always come up huge in big games and if you don’t believe me, you should go ahead and ask Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. Law simply owns Manning and his pick and run basically turned around Super Bowl XXXVI. Moreover, Law is no pussy. He will play hurt and he will lay it all out on the field. Whether it is in coverage or in run support, Law is simply one of the most physical corners in football. As such, Jets fans can be assured they are getting a good player, so long as Law’s foot is healed. But before Jets fans start engraving those AFC East Championship trophies, you should be warned that Law comes with some baggage. First of all, he is much like Sheff in that he has a huge ego and always feels like he is being overlooked. He thrives on the sleight and tends to play worse as his recognition grows. Be warned Jets fans - you don’t want this guy getting too many compliments before a big game. Second of all, Law is a penalty machine and that will surely drive Herm Edwards crazy. Third, Law may not prove too useful against New England since the Pats know his faults and will adjust accordingly. The bet here is we will see Deion Branch stop Law short and beat him deep at least once this year. The morale to this story is Law will help this team, but doesn’t it say something that Belicheck was quick to swap out Law for Duane Starks? Sure, there were some financial considerations, but BB letting go of defenders is a bit like Mazzone getting rid of pitchers. I am not sure you want to be on the other side of that trade.
Lets stick with the Jets for a second and discuss this fight that broke out the other day at a practice the Jets were having with the Giants. The guys are Pro Football Talk, who are usually pretty honest, absolutely tore into the Jets following the fight, running a story that quotes a league source who most likely works for the football Giants. According to this guy, "The Jets act like they just won the Super Bowl. All they are is a bunch of fucking thugs. [There's] no discipline on that team at all. . . . And [Edwards] acts like he is some sort of preacher. He is a fucking phony." Man, those are fighting words, although it’s probably 50/50 they were either made up or came from a pissed off Giants fan who owns seasons tickets and calls himself a “league source.” I never considered the Jets or their fans to be extraordinary talkers – certainly not on par with the Steelers or Eagles. But I guess after going out and winning a playoff game in San Diego and playing the Steelers to a draw a week later, the Jets feel like they have a seat at this year’s adult table. Careful guys, it was just last December that the Pats went into the Meadowlands and pushed the Jets all over the field. By the way, I don’t think Edwards is a phony. I just think he is a danger to himself and his team on game day.
Aug 8/Part One - Brain Dead Caribbeans and Banged Up Yanks
Here are a few pop culture points to get things started:
Entourage was very solid last night after getting cracked the week before. Ari carried last night’s show, going 3-4 with a bomb and two doubles, while Turtle and Drama combined on a strong seven hit shutout. The only trouble spot was the storyline between Vincent and Mandy, which went 0-4 and remains mired in a bad slump. Unfortunately, it looks like the producers remain committed to this storyline and will continue to go with it through seasons’ end (kind of reminds me of the Red Sox and Kevin Millaaaaaaar). As the season winds down, keep an eye on this late season call-up who could be hooking up with Eric. She has plenty of potential.
I haven’t seen Must Love Dogs yet, but I am thinking about seeing it just to check out the Newfoundland that stars as Diane Lane’s borrowed pooch. God, a Newf and Lane in the same picture – that is heaven. The only thing that might beat that is a movie staring Jenny Connelly and a Bernese Mountain Dog (http://www.berner.org/). I have to think about this a while, but Lane and a Newf may be the greatest chick-dog combo in motion picture history. It certainly ranks ahead of Lane and that vermin chasing Jack Russell from My Dog Skip. Feel free to submit your favorites, but please – no references to Snow Dogs – that was just Cuba being Cuba with a bunch of Siberian Huskies. .
There is no doubt that ESPN played a big role in elevating this country’s interest in poker and my question now is whether the network is planning on doing the same thing for eating contests. In case you haven’t noticed, ESPN is now covering a bunch of this stuff after deciding that Americans really like watching people stuff their faces with hot dogs, chicken wings and cheesecake. Lest you think this is a joke, one recent eating contest airing had higher ratings then that Steven A. Smith travesty that ESPN now shows every night. I, for one, applaud the move since I would much rather watch Takeru Kobayashi (The Hot Dog King) eat pasta then watch Steven stroke Alan Iverson’s ego. By the way, there was a great critique of Smith’s show in Sunday’s New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/sports/26723.htm).
Thirty-one years ago today, Richard Milhouse Nixon decided to resign rather then face impeachment proceedings. Isn’t it time for history to repeat itself?
On to this morning’s masterpiece:
I think its time for Felipe Alou to tone it down a bit. In case you missed it, Felipe totally lost it this week when Larry Krueger, a Frisco sports talk show host, said that he was tired off seeing the Giants “brain dead Caribbean hitters hacking at slop nightly.” Krueger went on to say that Alou’s “mind has turned to Cream of Wheat.” Felipe responded with outrage, claiming Krueger’s remarks had offended “HUNDREDS of millions of people.” Further, Alou refused Kruger’s apology, arguing that there “is no way to apologize for such a sin.” Felipe, it is time for you to go to the bathroom and adjust your panties because its clear they are bunching up and making you a wee bit uncomfortable. I am not saying Krueger didn’t mess up here, but lets not go crazy and pretend he sodomized a whole community. The question I have for Felipe is whether he is angry that Krueger singled out the Hispanics on the Giants, including himself, or whether he is peeved that Krueger used the term “brain dead Caribbeans?” I hope it’s the former because I really don’t see what’s wrong with the latter.
On point one, all Krueger is guilty of is perhaps unfairly ascribing too much blame for the Giants dismal season to only Omar Vizquel, Edgardo Alfonzo, Moises Alou, Deivi Cruz and Pedro Feliz .As Krueger knows and should have mentioned, this team, which includes plenty of white and black guys, hasn’t pitched well and without Barry Bonds, the entire offense has struggled. As such, it doesn’t seem fair to single out guys like Feliz when guys like Michael Tucker and JT Snows haven’t exactly pulled their own weight. So Kruger is perhaps guilty of picking on the team’s Hispanics – is this a crime for which no apology is suitable? In my mind, Krueger is basically guilty of selective prosecution and according to sports radio sentencing guidelines; this crime is a fairly minor misdemeanor. Hell, I am sure this kind of stuff would happen all the time to black guys up in Boston if any actually played for the Red Sox.
So lets move on to point two. I suspect Alou is having a lot of trouble with Krueger’s use of the term “brain dead Caribbeans.” I am a bit puzzled by Alou’s outrage because I don’t see the line as being too offensive, except perhaps to Vizquel who is Venezuelan and therefore should probably not be lumped in with the Caribbeans. Granted, I am not from the Caribbean and I didn’t hear the comments directly, but based on a strict interpretation of the quote, Kruger wasn’t stereotyping all Caribbeans - he just was stating that those playing for the Giants are apparently brain dead. And looking at the stats – I am not sure Krueger is all that far off. The thin-skinned may disagree with me, but this was not John Rocker or even Al Campanis. Sure, Kruger’s word selection was probably a bit harsh, even in the “no-holds barred” world of talk radio, but Alou has blown this way out of proportion. To suggest that there is no way to apologize for such a “sin” is simply ludicrous. Lets save claims like that for violent crimes against children and not trivial claims like Pedro Feliz is a hack (which he is). The crux of this matter is Alou is pissed off that some guy got on the radio and took he and his team to task. But rather then direct all his fire at Krueger, perhaps Alou should look in the mirror and start holding his team more accountable for its shoddy play.
I am not taking credit for the following, but it is rich and deserves repeating. With regard to Rafael Palmeiro, I heard someone recently mention “between the steroids and the Viagra, Palmeiro must have the most confused cock in the world.” A little sophomoric but good stuff anyways.
Another great line that I am ripping off: “When Kevin Millar goes 0-4 with two lazy flys and two weak grounders, is that just Kevin being Kevin?”
Here is a quote from this column on July 27: “The Yanks are also reportedly trying to deal Carl Pavano for Joel Pniero and Randy Winn. Let me get this straight – the Ms are supposed to trade their crap for more expensive crap. What this purported deal says to me is the Yanks know Pavano’s injury is basically a season-ender.” Boy do those last words sound prescient today as Pavano remains on the shelf and is now headed to Alabama to have his shoulder examined by a leading orthopedist. Pavano did pitch in the low minors this week, but he got cracked and the next day, he developed a stiff wing. The bet here is Pavano will certainly not pitch in the majors before Labor Day and is no better then 50/50 to pitch down the stretch. My theory on Pavano is his game went to hell the moment Alyssa Milano dumped him. If I were the Yankees and had to pay this guy another $32 million dollars, I would get on the horn with my boy Doug Jones (key grip on the show) and have Jones set Pavano up with one of the other girls on Charmed. You get Pavs matched up with Holly Marie Combs or Rose McGowan. and he may just find his stuff again. And if the gals aren’t into Pavano, then the Yanks should just pay them off. Hell, that’s what they do with everyone on their roster and what’s another couple million if it means getting Pavano right.
Pavano is not the only pinstriper whose season is now in jeopardy. The word leaking out of Yankee Inc. is the little unit has now developed a sore back and may miss his next start. Sorry Yankee fans – there is no such thing as missing just one start with a balky back. That is like saying someone may miss just a single meal after having two root canals and a couple of gum graphs. It is a simple truth - once the back acts up, there is no telling how long a pitcher will be out. And if Randi can’t go on Friday, which sounds possible, the safe bet is he will be headed to the DL and at least a second missed start. But fear not Yankee fans; Jaret Wright is reportedly twirling in the high 80’s and may be ready to return by next April.
SOX BOX: Since the trade deadline expired last Sunday at 4:00, Manny Ramirez is 9-16 with three bombs and 11 RBI. The last guy to get this hot off a big pinch hit was The Natural - Roy Hobbs. The Red Sox should try to trade Manram every week if this is how he is going to respond. For those of you dying to know what is going on with Mark Belhorn since he sprained his thumb a few weeks ago, here is an update. The Wizard of Whiff is down at Pawtucket where he is hitting .115. (3-26) with four RBI and 9 strikeouts. It just goes to show that Belhorn can’t hit good pitching, bad pitching and everything in between. Meanwhile, Dustin Pedroia, the Sox second baseman of the present and future, has begun tearing it up down at AAA now that his wrist has healed. He hit a couple bombs this weekend and has his average back up near .300. But with Tony Graff playing steady above him, Pedroia may have to wait until next April to get his shot. Nonetheless, I think it is now clear that Bells – “the hero of game six” - will never play in Boston again. Thank God for small miracles. Elsewhere on the Boston farm, Kevin Youkalis is white hot, John Papelbon has thrown a couple scoreless outings out of the pen and Anibal Sanchez, the 21-year old phenom who almost went to Tampa last week, continues to flourish at AA Portland. He gave up two runs in 6.2 innings yesterday and took the loss v. the top prospect in the Mets organization, but he walked none while fanning nine. His ERA is 1.31 at AA where he has 41 K’s in just 33 innings. Elsewhere, first round pick Craig Hansen may make his AA debut for Portland this week. Some optimists this Hansen could make it to Boston this year, but I think the real interesting call for the Sox right now is what to do with Jon Lester, a hard throwing lefty who leads the Eastern League in EPA. The Sox clearly need a lefty in the big league pen and Lester is the top lefty in the organization. But he is a natural starter and with 125 innings in the bag, I doubt the Sox want to keep him active too much longer. I suspect the organization will soon cut Lester’s workload if they intend to give him the ball in September.
I know the fashionable thing to do right now is to pick the surging Assholes to win the NL Pennant, but check out what happened to this scantily clad emperor this weekend in San Francisco. The Holes had their big three going but came out of the windy city with just one victory in three chances. On Friday, Andy Pettite lost a duel to Jason Schmidt and on Saturday, Lee Harvey Oswalt came up short against Noah Lowry. On Sunday, the Rocket righted things as he went seven strong and the Holes got the Giants late, but the morale to this weekend’s story is the Holes offense scares no one. Sure, they have three front line starters, but come October, winners have to generate at least a marginal amount of offense. And at this point, it is no certainty that Houston is up to the task. Hell, Schmidt can still twirl the rawhide, but if the Holes can’t hit Lowry and Brian Cooper, what are they going to do against Carpenter, Morris and Mulder?
Is there any chance that Brian Giles will stay in San Diego once his contract expires after the season? Judging from how he has hit at home, the bet is Brian will fly off to greener pastures where his bombs can do some damage. Take a look at Brian’s numbers at home. He is hitting .240 at the Pet Store with just two measly Jacks. He hasn’t exactly demonstrated a lot more thunder on the road (8 HRs), but it sure beats what he has accomplished at home. While Giles is hardly a star, he will command plenty of attention this winter, as the free agent pickings are slim. Will he perhaps move to Atlanta and play with his brother? That would be an excellent fit for the Braves, although I am not sure they have the resources to swing such a deal. Another possibility is Toronto, which is in need of both left-handed bat and a right fielder. The Jays have some money to spend this winter and Giles could get a look up north. Another possibility for the Jays is Hideki Matsui, although "underbite’s" asking price – at least 12.5M for 4 years – may be a bit steep.
Speaking of the Padres, they seemed to have righted the ship with five wins on a six game trip to Pittsburgh and Washington. Jake Peavy won two starts on the trip, including yesterday’s shutout of the Nationals at RFK. The Padres have a tough 15 game stretch coming up against the NL East and Houston, but if they can somehow manage to hang around .500 until the 24th, they should be in pretty good shape. On second thought, this is a team whose rotation now includes both Chan Ho Park and Pedro Astacio. Having these two would have been a positive back in 1999, but in 2005 it is clearly a liability.
Its too bad world record holder Asafa Powell was hurt and couldn’t compete because no one else in the world could do anything yesterday against Justin Gaitlin in the 100 meters at the World Track & Field Championships in Helsinki. Gaitlin went out and bombed the field, recording a 9.88 while no one else ran under ten seconds. That is the kind of beating that Democrats now take in Texas and Oklahoma. Now, if Gaitlin wins two more events at this meet – as he is expected to do – he may have a shot of cracking the top-five of my sportsman of the year list. Currently, World Cup ski champion Bode Miller leads the competition, but Tiger is right there and would probably pull ahead with a win next week at the PGA. Gaitlin is in that second tier that currently includes Lance, the Rocket, and Aussie swimmer Grant Hackett. The big question for me is can Tiger be overtaken if he wins the PGA. My guess is it would take something absolutely heroic in the World Series, a second Heisman for Leinart or a third straight Super Bowl for Tom Brady to do the trick.
For those of you not familiar with Hackett – here is a thumbnail of his 2005 resume. At last week’s world swimming championships in Montreal, Hackett won the 400, 800 and 1500 meter freestyle, while setting a new world record in the 800. In the 1500, Hackett has now won the last four world championships to go along with his gold medals from both Sydney and Athens. In fact, he has not lost this event in eight years and there is a very good possibility that he will remain undefeated through Bejing. If he accomplishes that feat, it will amount to one of the greatest streaks in Olympic sports history, ranking right up there with Eddie Moses, Lance Armstrong and Alexander Karelin. Hackett is simply the greatest distance swimmer of all-time and even though American Larsen Jensen gave Hackett a scare in Athens, the Aussie remains one of the safest bets in swimming. In fact, he just may be the surest now that the world has begun creeping up on Michael Phelps.
Entourage was very solid last night after getting cracked the week before. Ari carried last night’s show, going 3-4 with a bomb and two doubles, while Turtle and Drama combined on a strong seven hit shutout. The only trouble spot was the storyline between Vincent and Mandy, which went 0-4 and remains mired in a bad slump. Unfortunately, it looks like the producers remain committed to this storyline and will continue to go with it through seasons’ end (kind of reminds me of the Red Sox and Kevin Millaaaaaaar). As the season winds down, keep an eye on this late season call-up who could be hooking up with Eric. She has plenty of potential.
I haven’t seen Must Love Dogs yet, but I am thinking about seeing it just to check out the Newfoundland that stars as Diane Lane’s borrowed pooch. God, a Newf and Lane in the same picture – that is heaven. The only thing that might beat that is a movie staring Jenny Connelly and a Bernese Mountain Dog (http://www.berner.org/). I have to think about this a while, but Lane and a Newf may be the greatest chick-dog combo in motion picture history. It certainly ranks ahead of Lane and that vermin chasing Jack Russell from My Dog Skip. Feel free to submit your favorites, but please – no references to Snow Dogs – that was just Cuba being Cuba with a bunch of Siberian Huskies. .
There is no doubt that ESPN played a big role in elevating this country’s interest in poker and my question now is whether the network is planning on doing the same thing for eating contests. In case you haven’t noticed, ESPN is now covering a bunch of this stuff after deciding that Americans really like watching people stuff their faces with hot dogs, chicken wings and cheesecake. Lest you think this is a joke, one recent eating contest airing had higher ratings then that Steven A. Smith travesty that ESPN now shows every night. I, for one, applaud the move since I would much rather watch Takeru Kobayashi (The Hot Dog King) eat pasta then watch Steven stroke Alan Iverson’s ego. By the way, there was a great critique of Smith’s show in Sunday’s New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/sports/26723.htm).
Thirty-one years ago today, Richard Milhouse Nixon decided to resign rather then face impeachment proceedings. Isn’t it time for history to repeat itself?
On to this morning’s masterpiece:
I think its time for Felipe Alou to tone it down a bit. In case you missed it, Felipe totally lost it this week when Larry Krueger, a Frisco sports talk show host, said that he was tired off seeing the Giants “brain dead Caribbean hitters hacking at slop nightly.” Krueger went on to say that Alou’s “mind has turned to Cream of Wheat.” Felipe responded with outrage, claiming Krueger’s remarks had offended “HUNDREDS of millions of people.” Further, Alou refused Kruger’s apology, arguing that there “is no way to apologize for such a sin.” Felipe, it is time for you to go to the bathroom and adjust your panties because its clear they are bunching up and making you a wee bit uncomfortable. I am not saying Krueger didn’t mess up here, but lets not go crazy and pretend he sodomized a whole community. The question I have for Felipe is whether he is angry that Krueger singled out the Hispanics on the Giants, including himself, or whether he is peeved that Krueger used the term “brain dead Caribbeans?” I hope it’s the former because I really don’t see what’s wrong with the latter.
On point one, all Krueger is guilty of is perhaps unfairly ascribing too much blame for the Giants dismal season to only Omar Vizquel, Edgardo Alfonzo, Moises Alou, Deivi Cruz and Pedro Feliz .As Krueger knows and should have mentioned, this team, which includes plenty of white and black guys, hasn’t pitched well and without Barry Bonds, the entire offense has struggled. As such, it doesn’t seem fair to single out guys like Feliz when guys like Michael Tucker and JT Snows haven’t exactly pulled their own weight. So Kruger is perhaps guilty of picking on the team’s Hispanics – is this a crime for which no apology is suitable? In my mind, Krueger is basically guilty of selective prosecution and according to sports radio sentencing guidelines; this crime is a fairly minor misdemeanor. Hell, I am sure this kind of stuff would happen all the time to black guys up in Boston if any actually played for the Red Sox.
So lets move on to point two. I suspect Alou is having a lot of trouble with Krueger’s use of the term “brain dead Caribbeans.” I am a bit puzzled by Alou’s outrage because I don’t see the line as being too offensive, except perhaps to Vizquel who is Venezuelan and therefore should probably not be lumped in with the Caribbeans. Granted, I am not from the Caribbean and I didn’t hear the comments directly, but based on a strict interpretation of the quote, Kruger wasn’t stereotyping all Caribbeans - he just was stating that those playing for the Giants are apparently brain dead. And looking at the stats – I am not sure Krueger is all that far off. The thin-skinned may disagree with me, but this was not John Rocker or even Al Campanis. Sure, Kruger’s word selection was probably a bit harsh, even in the “no-holds barred” world of talk radio, but Alou has blown this way out of proportion. To suggest that there is no way to apologize for such a “sin” is simply ludicrous. Lets save claims like that for violent crimes against children and not trivial claims like Pedro Feliz is a hack (which he is). The crux of this matter is Alou is pissed off that some guy got on the radio and took he and his team to task. But rather then direct all his fire at Krueger, perhaps Alou should look in the mirror and start holding his team more accountable for its shoddy play.
I am not taking credit for the following, but it is rich and deserves repeating. With regard to Rafael Palmeiro, I heard someone recently mention “between the steroids and the Viagra, Palmeiro must have the most confused cock in the world.” A little sophomoric but good stuff anyways.
Another great line that I am ripping off: “When Kevin Millar goes 0-4 with two lazy flys and two weak grounders, is that just Kevin being Kevin?”
Here is a quote from this column on July 27: “The Yanks are also reportedly trying to deal Carl Pavano for Joel Pniero and Randy Winn. Let me get this straight – the Ms are supposed to trade their crap for more expensive crap. What this purported deal says to me is the Yanks know Pavano’s injury is basically a season-ender.” Boy do those last words sound prescient today as Pavano remains on the shelf and is now headed to Alabama to have his shoulder examined by a leading orthopedist. Pavano did pitch in the low minors this week, but he got cracked and the next day, he developed a stiff wing. The bet here is Pavano will certainly not pitch in the majors before Labor Day and is no better then 50/50 to pitch down the stretch. My theory on Pavano is his game went to hell the moment Alyssa Milano dumped him. If I were the Yankees and had to pay this guy another $32 million dollars, I would get on the horn with my boy Doug Jones (key grip on the show) and have Jones set Pavano up with one of the other girls on Charmed. You get Pavs matched up with Holly Marie Combs or Rose McGowan. and he may just find his stuff again. And if the gals aren’t into Pavano, then the Yanks should just pay them off. Hell, that’s what they do with everyone on their roster and what’s another couple million if it means getting Pavano right.
Pavano is not the only pinstriper whose season is now in jeopardy. The word leaking out of Yankee Inc. is the little unit has now developed a sore back and may miss his next start. Sorry Yankee fans – there is no such thing as missing just one start with a balky back. That is like saying someone may miss just a single meal after having two root canals and a couple of gum graphs. It is a simple truth - once the back acts up, there is no telling how long a pitcher will be out. And if Randi can’t go on Friday, which sounds possible, the safe bet is he will be headed to the DL and at least a second missed start. But fear not Yankee fans; Jaret Wright is reportedly twirling in the high 80’s and may be ready to return by next April.
SOX BOX: Since the trade deadline expired last Sunday at 4:00, Manny Ramirez is 9-16 with three bombs and 11 RBI. The last guy to get this hot off a big pinch hit was The Natural - Roy Hobbs. The Red Sox should try to trade Manram every week if this is how he is going to respond. For those of you dying to know what is going on with Mark Belhorn since he sprained his thumb a few weeks ago, here is an update. The Wizard of Whiff is down at Pawtucket where he is hitting .115. (3-26) with four RBI and 9 strikeouts. It just goes to show that Belhorn can’t hit good pitching, bad pitching and everything in between. Meanwhile, Dustin Pedroia, the Sox second baseman of the present and future, has begun tearing it up down at AAA now that his wrist has healed. He hit a couple bombs this weekend and has his average back up near .300. But with Tony Graff playing steady above him, Pedroia may have to wait until next April to get his shot. Nonetheless, I think it is now clear that Bells – “the hero of game six” - will never play in Boston again. Thank God for small miracles. Elsewhere on the Boston farm, Kevin Youkalis is white hot, John Papelbon has thrown a couple scoreless outings out of the pen and Anibal Sanchez, the 21-year old phenom who almost went to Tampa last week, continues to flourish at AA Portland. He gave up two runs in 6.2 innings yesterday and took the loss v. the top prospect in the Mets organization, but he walked none while fanning nine. His ERA is 1.31 at AA where he has 41 K’s in just 33 innings. Elsewhere, first round pick Craig Hansen may make his AA debut for Portland this week. Some optimists this Hansen could make it to Boston this year, but I think the real interesting call for the Sox right now is what to do with Jon Lester, a hard throwing lefty who leads the Eastern League in EPA. The Sox clearly need a lefty in the big league pen and Lester is the top lefty in the organization. But he is a natural starter and with 125 innings in the bag, I doubt the Sox want to keep him active too much longer. I suspect the organization will soon cut Lester’s workload if they intend to give him the ball in September.
I know the fashionable thing to do right now is to pick the surging Assholes to win the NL Pennant, but check out what happened to this scantily clad emperor this weekend in San Francisco. The Holes had their big three going but came out of the windy city with just one victory in three chances. On Friday, Andy Pettite lost a duel to Jason Schmidt and on Saturday, Lee Harvey Oswalt came up short against Noah Lowry. On Sunday, the Rocket righted things as he went seven strong and the Holes got the Giants late, but the morale to this weekend’s story is the Holes offense scares no one. Sure, they have three front line starters, but come October, winners have to generate at least a marginal amount of offense. And at this point, it is no certainty that Houston is up to the task. Hell, Schmidt can still twirl the rawhide, but if the Holes can’t hit Lowry and Brian Cooper, what are they going to do against Carpenter, Morris and Mulder?
Is there any chance that Brian Giles will stay in San Diego once his contract expires after the season? Judging from how he has hit at home, the bet is Brian will fly off to greener pastures where his bombs can do some damage. Take a look at Brian’s numbers at home. He is hitting .240 at the Pet Store with just two measly Jacks. He hasn’t exactly demonstrated a lot more thunder on the road (8 HRs), but it sure beats what he has accomplished at home. While Giles is hardly a star, he will command plenty of attention this winter, as the free agent pickings are slim. Will he perhaps move to Atlanta and play with his brother? That would be an excellent fit for the Braves, although I am not sure they have the resources to swing such a deal. Another possibility is Toronto, which is in need of both left-handed bat and a right fielder. The Jays have some money to spend this winter and Giles could get a look up north. Another possibility for the Jays is Hideki Matsui, although "underbite’s" asking price – at least 12.5M for 4 years – may be a bit steep.
Speaking of the Padres, they seemed to have righted the ship with five wins on a six game trip to Pittsburgh and Washington. Jake Peavy won two starts on the trip, including yesterday’s shutout of the Nationals at RFK. The Padres have a tough 15 game stretch coming up against the NL East and Houston, but if they can somehow manage to hang around .500 until the 24th, they should be in pretty good shape. On second thought, this is a team whose rotation now includes both Chan Ho Park and Pedro Astacio. Having these two would have been a positive back in 1999, but in 2005 it is clearly a liability.
Its too bad world record holder Asafa Powell was hurt and couldn’t compete because no one else in the world could do anything yesterday against Justin Gaitlin in the 100 meters at the World Track & Field Championships in Helsinki. Gaitlin went out and bombed the field, recording a 9.88 while no one else ran under ten seconds. That is the kind of beating that Democrats now take in Texas and Oklahoma. Now, if Gaitlin wins two more events at this meet – as he is expected to do – he may have a shot of cracking the top-five of my sportsman of the year list. Currently, World Cup ski champion Bode Miller leads the competition, but Tiger is right there and would probably pull ahead with a win next week at the PGA. Gaitlin is in that second tier that currently includes Lance, the Rocket, and Aussie swimmer Grant Hackett. The big question for me is can Tiger be overtaken if he wins the PGA. My guess is it would take something absolutely heroic in the World Series, a second Heisman for Leinart or a third straight Super Bowl for Tom Brady to do the trick.
For those of you not familiar with Hackett – here is a thumbnail of his 2005 resume. At last week’s world swimming championships in Montreal, Hackett won the 400, 800 and 1500 meter freestyle, while setting a new world record in the 800. In the 1500, Hackett has now won the last four world championships to go along with his gold medals from both Sydney and Athens. In fact, he has not lost this event in eight years and there is a very good possibility that he will remain undefeated through Bejing. If he accomplishes that feat, it will amount to one of the greatest streaks in Olympic sports history, ranking right up there with Eddie Moses, Lance Armstrong and Alexander Karelin. Hackett is simply the greatest distance swimmer of all-time and even though American Larsen Jensen gave Hackett a scare in Athens, the Aussie remains one of the safest bets in swimming. In fact, he just may be the surest now that the world has begun creeping up on Michael Phelps.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Aug 4 - Maz Goes Down - What Took So Long?
It sure didn’t take long for the loggers to take a chunk out of that Joe Torre coaching tree. Today, Lee Mazzilli was canned down in Baltimore in a move that was probably 10 months overdue. I had my mind made up on Mazzilli on September 5th of last year when one of his “instant classics” cost the Birds a game against the Yanks. In that game, Mazzilli came down with amnesia and forgot that you never bring in wild right-hander when you have a lefty on the mound that is taking out Yanks like a confederate sniper. He’s had a few brain farts against the Sox as well, leading me to believe he is one of the worst bullpen handlers in recent baseball history. I guess he didn’t learn a whole lot from Joe making all those tough calls to bring in Mo. Ok, so one branch on Torre’s tree has been snapped and I am left wondering how long will it be before the Randolph branch is hit by lightening? Willie hasn’t been quite the moron Mazzilli was, but he has certainly not distinguished himself. The bet here is he will feel some heat next year if the Mets do not seriously challenge for a playoff berth.
Speaking of Randolph and the Mets – I think it pretty clear Roberto Hernandez is showing some signs of overuse. He gave up runs on both Tuesday and Wednesday and today he got absolutely rocked as he squandered a two-run ninth inning lead. Does Randolph think you can pitch this guy everyday? For god’s sake, Hernandez is an emergency tire that Randolph is using for a cross-country trip. Let’s be honest – Hernandez is 47 years old and at that age, he should be petting therapy dogs and not pitching in five nail-biters a week. The real problem is the Mets are basically going with a ten man staff and the bullpen is now totally burned out. I am not sure hwo serious this team could challenge for a playoff spot but it was criminal that GM Omar Minaya didn’t go out at the trade deadline and at least secure a capable reliever, regardless of whether that pitcher was a middle guy or closer.
Mets fans love to dump on Mike Piazza, but let me tell you something, The Slice, is quietly having a nice year. After hitting a bomb this afternoon, Piazza is projected to have a 20/80 year which isn’t too bad for a sub-500 at bat catcher. Hey, his defense is atrocious and has been for years, but I dare you to give me the names of five catchers who are having Mike’s year at the plate. And don’t give me the name of Engleberg who tore it up for the Bears this Spring. Meanwhile, Mike’s understudy – Ramon Castro - is quietly putting up nice numbers as well. This may shock you but Castro has now knocked in twenty-two runs in just 100 at bats. Granted, that is not a huge sample, but Castro has demonstrated that he can hit major league pitching with runners on base. And at the very least, Castro has proven that he is more than adequate enough to take over for Piazza next year.
It is shocking, but I live in a city where a fair amount of baseball fans will argue that Robinson Cano is the leading candidate to win the American League Rookie of the Year award. Nothing speaks to New York’s baseball myopia as this issue. Lets just forget for a second that Cano is mired in a horrible streak where he has 2 hits in his last 24 at bats. With the slump, Cano is hitting just a smidge under .300, but his OBP is just .317. His numbers are good, but they are certainly nothing special. And they are certainly nowhere those of Tiger Chris Shelton, who is slugging .560. Moreover, Toronto hurler Gustavo Chacin has eleven wins and an ERA of 3.30, while Oakland closer Huston Street is on fire closing games on the West Coast. The morale to the story New York fans: your boy Cano is at best the fourth best rookie in the American League, and that may be shortchanging guys like Aaron Hill and Tadahito Iguchi. I don’t want to hear YES man Michael Kay mention one more time that Cano is a ”contender” for the ROY award, as he did this afternoon. That is a pretty damn liberal definition of “contender.” Hey, I can eat a lot of hot dogs and I guess under Kay’s definition, I am a contender to take out Kobayashi at next year’s Nathan’s hot dog eating contest.
Speaking of Randolph and the Mets – I think it pretty clear Roberto Hernandez is showing some signs of overuse. He gave up runs on both Tuesday and Wednesday and today he got absolutely rocked as he squandered a two-run ninth inning lead. Does Randolph think you can pitch this guy everyday? For god’s sake, Hernandez is an emergency tire that Randolph is using for a cross-country trip. Let’s be honest – Hernandez is 47 years old and at that age, he should be petting therapy dogs and not pitching in five nail-biters a week. The real problem is the Mets are basically going with a ten man staff and the bullpen is now totally burned out. I am not sure hwo serious this team could challenge for a playoff spot but it was criminal that GM Omar Minaya didn’t go out at the trade deadline and at least secure a capable reliever, regardless of whether that pitcher was a middle guy or closer.
Mets fans love to dump on Mike Piazza, but let me tell you something, The Slice, is quietly having a nice year. After hitting a bomb this afternoon, Piazza is projected to have a 20/80 year which isn’t too bad for a sub-500 at bat catcher. Hey, his defense is atrocious and has been for years, but I dare you to give me the names of five catchers who are having Mike’s year at the plate. And don’t give me the name of Engleberg who tore it up for the Bears this Spring. Meanwhile, Mike’s understudy – Ramon Castro - is quietly putting up nice numbers as well. This may shock you but Castro has now knocked in twenty-two runs in just 100 at bats. Granted, that is not a huge sample, but Castro has demonstrated that he can hit major league pitching with runners on base. And at the very least, Castro has proven that he is more than adequate enough to take over for Piazza next year.
It is shocking, but I live in a city where a fair amount of baseball fans will argue that Robinson Cano is the leading candidate to win the American League Rookie of the Year award. Nothing speaks to New York’s baseball myopia as this issue. Lets just forget for a second that Cano is mired in a horrible streak where he has 2 hits in his last 24 at bats. With the slump, Cano is hitting just a smidge under .300, but his OBP is just .317. His numbers are good, but they are certainly nothing special. And they are certainly nowhere those of Tiger Chris Shelton, who is slugging .560. Moreover, Toronto hurler Gustavo Chacin has eleven wins and an ERA of 3.30, while Oakland closer Huston Street is on fire closing games on the West Coast. The morale to the story New York fans: your boy Cano is at best the fourth best rookie in the American League, and that may be shortchanging guys like Aaron Hill and Tadahito Iguchi. I don’t want to hear YES man Michael Kay mention one more time that Cano is a ”contender” for the ROY award, as he did this afternoon. That is a pretty damn liberal definition of “contender.” Hey, I can eat a lot of hot dogs and I guess under Kay’s definition, I am a contender to take out Kobayashi at next year’s Nathan’s hot dog eating contest.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Aug 2 - Palmeirogate
Just want to get this out of the way to begin – Its August, meaning its time to get it on! I have been a bit passive this baseball season, but Sunday’s game at Fenway got me jacked and ready for the stretch run. Cashorre’s punk ass bitches are going down!
There is now talk in the media that MLB has known about Rafael Palmeiro’s guilt for the past three months, but sat on the news while it was confirmed and Raf had an opportunity to present his side of the case. If this is true, baseball is in for a world of shit. I don’t recall MLB sitting on Juan Rincon’s result for three months. Alex Sanchez? They probably sent out that suspension with the daily mail on the day they got it came back from the lab. Why in god’s name was MLB protecting this clown? And more importantly, did they compromise the integrity of the testing program and the game itself by sitting on this information. You bet your ass they did. If a player can play for three months after testing positive, then the program’s enforcement regime is a certifiable joke. It’s tantamount to letting a runner compete in the Olympics after he tested positive at the Olympic Trials. There is no way the IOC would let that happen and it is stupefying that baseball finds it permissible. And what about Bud’s statement back in the spring that he would be announcing test failures the moment he had names in hand? Bud has some explaining to do if he had this particular name in hand back in April. If it ever comes out that the league sat on this while Palmeiro stalked 3000 hits, then I would recommend that Selig and everyone involved with the decision be terminated immediately. Now that I think about it, lets just get rid of Selig now. The tests are back and he failed so why let him serve another three months.
So now we have word that Ryan Franklin has been caught with his hand in the performance enhancing drug cookie jar. I wonder when the league received his test results. The bet here is they came in this morning and Franklin got a call from the mailroom shortly thereafter. Just imagine how shitty Franklin would have been without the juice. This guy is 6-11 with an ERA of 4.61 while sticking needles in his ass. You take the juice away and you may have Eric Milton. So who got Franklin mixed up in this? Well, my guess is Brett “Balco” Boone had something to do with it.
Who would you rather have on your team over the next five years: Shaq or Derrick Jeter? Well, both will now cost you $100 million over the next five after Shaq signed a disgustingly huge extension this afternoon. Actually, Jeter is going to cost a bit more than Shaq (5-6M) but when you get to nine figures - who’s counting. I guess the Heat must love their team as currently constituted because this extension will most likely hamstring this club as Shaq’s health and skills continue to erode. Its got to be now or never for the heat. Hey, don’t get me wrong. I love Shaq. He is still the most dominant player in the NBA when he is healthy. But his health has been slipping and the bet here is the final few years on that contract will not be too pretty. However, regardless of his health, I would still take Shaq over Jeter, who three years from now will probably be no better than the fifth or sixth best shortstop in the American League. In fact, three years from now, Jeter will probably still make more than Johnny Peralta, Bobby Crosby, Aaron Hill, Brandon Wood (Angels) and Hanley Ramirez (Red Sox) make combined.
Anyone catch Steven Smith’s new show on ESPN last night? What a surprise – Smith’s first guest was an angry black man named Alan Iverson. That is like Dave Duke getting a show and having his first guest be John Rocker. Hey Steve, what is the guest list going to look like after you have Iverson, Isiah and Kobe sit on the couch? The bet here is after those three appear; Smith will be relegated to guests like Stuart Scott, Steven A. Marbury and Steve A. Smith – the wide receiver for the Panthers. I am now taking bets on who will be the first white guest to appear with Smith. My money is on Lynn Swann.
Would you rather bang Kristin from MTV’s Laguna Beach or Brynn Cameron, point guard for the USC woman’s hoop team (http://usctrojans.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/cameron_brynn00.html)? That is the question that faced USC quarterback Matt Leinart earlier this year, although you couldn’t have gathered that from watching the show (Laguna Beach) because the Heisman Trophy winner has not been seen or mentioned during the new season. While there have been veiled references to a boyfriend at USC, Leinart apparently got MTV to agree to keep his mug and name out of the show. And why is this? Did Matt feel that some NFL team might think twice about making him the number one pick in next April’s NFL draft because he cheated on his girlfriend (Brynn) while he was at USC? Was he concerned that Brynn might find out about his relationship with Kristin? Was he hoping to keep it all quiet? And why does Kristin refer to Matt as her boyfriend when he was dating someone else? And how do I know he was dating someone else? Well, in a recent ESPN mag article, Matt said he and Brynn have been dating since early in the basketball season and this dates back to before the taping of the show. Hmmmmmm. I think it is clear that from the evidence I have seen that this past winter, Matt had at least two girls running deep for his post. If this doesn’t register with you, it is time for you start watching the fucking show, because the girls on the
program blow away those USC cheerleaders that everyone East of the Mississippi seem to love.
It took a few weeks, but we now have a winner in the NBA’s annual competition to determine its most pathetic and intellectually challenged franchise. The votes are in and it was close but Atlanta, by virtue of this move to acquire Joe Johnson for $70 million, is our 2005 winner. What in god’s name are the Atlanta Hawks doing giving Joe Johnson a $20 million dollar bonus and ten million per year over the next five years? Message to Atlanta – this is not Earvin, Marques or even Dennis. It is Joe Johnson – a glorified role player who greatly benefited from playing alongside the NBA’s most recent MVP award winner Steve Nash .I still cannot believe this move. The Hawks have been marshalling resources for two years to make a high priced acquisition and all they could come up with is Joe Johnson? This has got to be the worst decision made in Georgia since the introduction of New Coke in 1985. Check that, sending Newter to Washington trumps Coke’s decision by a whisker. The Hawks have now blown their wad on a roster where the four most talented players – Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Al Harrington – all basically play the same position. I guess one could argue that nobody in the league has more depth at small forward than the Hawks, but who in the world is going to pass and rebound on this team? But at the end of the day, should this come as a surprise. The Hawks have been a woeful franchise since Nique lost that playoff shootout to Bird in 88 and this is just another chapter in a real sad and tragic book. To illustrate just how bad this move is, one must consider that Milwaukee had two major brain seizures this Summer – signing Bobby Simmons for 50 mil and Dan Gadzuric for 30 plus – and they still couldn’t take this year’s incompetence award. It just goes to show, when you are going up against Atlanta in the area of incompetence, you got to bring your whole game.
There is now talk in the media that MLB has known about Rafael Palmeiro’s guilt for the past three months, but sat on the news while it was confirmed and Raf had an opportunity to present his side of the case. If this is true, baseball is in for a world of shit. I don’t recall MLB sitting on Juan Rincon’s result for three months. Alex Sanchez? They probably sent out that suspension with the daily mail on the day they got it came back from the lab. Why in god’s name was MLB protecting this clown? And more importantly, did they compromise the integrity of the testing program and the game itself by sitting on this information. You bet your ass they did. If a player can play for three months after testing positive, then the program’s enforcement regime is a certifiable joke. It’s tantamount to letting a runner compete in the Olympics after he tested positive at the Olympic Trials. There is no way the IOC would let that happen and it is stupefying that baseball finds it permissible. And what about Bud’s statement back in the spring that he would be announcing test failures the moment he had names in hand? Bud has some explaining to do if he had this particular name in hand back in April. If it ever comes out that the league sat on this while Palmeiro stalked 3000 hits, then I would recommend that Selig and everyone involved with the decision be terminated immediately. Now that I think about it, lets just get rid of Selig now. The tests are back and he failed so why let him serve another three months.
So now we have word that Ryan Franklin has been caught with his hand in the performance enhancing drug cookie jar. I wonder when the league received his test results. The bet here is they came in this morning and Franklin got a call from the mailroom shortly thereafter. Just imagine how shitty Franklin would have been without the juice. This guy is 6-11 with an ERA of 4.61 while sticking needles in his ass. You take the juice away and you may have Eric Milton. So who got Franklin mixed up in this? Well, my guess is Brett “Balco” Boone had something to do with it.
Who would you rather have on your team over the next five years: Shaq or Derrick Jeter? Well, both will now cost you $100 million over the next five after Shaq signed a disgustingly huge extension this afternoon. Actually, Jeter is going to cost a bit more than Shaq (5-6M) but when you get to nine figures - who’s counting. I guess the Heat must love their team as currently constituted because this extension will most likely hamstring this club as Shaq’s health and skills continue to erode. Its got to be now or never for the heat. Hey, don’t get me wrong. I love Shaq. He is still the most dominant player in the NBA when he is healthy. But his health has been slipping and the bet here is the final few years on that contract will not be too pretty. However, regardless of his health, I would still take Shaq over Jeter, who three years from now will probably be no better than the fifth or sixth best shortstop in the American League. In fact, three years from now, Jeter will probably still make more than Johnny Peralta, Bobby Crosby, Aaron Hill, Brandon Wood (Angels) and Hanley Ramirez (Red Sox) make combined.
Anyone catch Steven Smith’s new show on ESPN last night? What a surprise – Smith’s first guest was an angry black man named Alan Iverson. That is like Dave Duke getting a show and having his first guest be John Rocker. Hey Steve, what is the guest list going to look like after you have Iverson, Isiah and Kobe sit on the couch? The bet here is after those three appear; Smith will be relegated to guests like Stuart Scott, Steven A. Marbury and Steve A. Smith – the wide receiver for the Panthers. I am now taking bets on who will be the first white guest to appear with Smith. My money is on Lynn Swann.
Would you rather bang Kristin from MTV’s Laguna Beach or Brynn Cameron, point guard for the USC woman’s hoop team (http://usctrojans.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/cameron_brynn00.html)? That is the question that faced USC quarterback Matt Leinart earlier this year, although you couldn’t have gathered that from watching the show (Laguna Beach) because the Heisman Trophy winner has not been seen or mentioned during the new season. While there have been veiled references to a boyfriend at USC, Leinart apparently got MTV to agree to keep his mug and name out of the show. And why is this? Did Matt feel that some NFL team might think twice about making him the number one pick in next April’s NFL draft because he cheated on his girlfriend (Brynn) while he was at USC? Was he concerned that Brynn might find out about his relationship with Kristin? Was he hoping to keep it all quiet? And why does Kristin refer to Matt as her boyfriend when he was dating someone else? And how do I know he was dating someone else? Well, in a recent ESPN mag article, Matt said he and Brynn have been dating since early in the basketball season and this dates back to before the taping of the show. Hmmmmmm. I think it is clear that from the evidence I have seen that this past winter, Matt had at least two girls running deep for his post. If this doesn’t register with you, it is time for you start watching the fucking show, because the girls on the
program blow away those USC cheerleaders that everyone East of the Mississippi seem to love.
It took a few weeks, but we now have a winner in the NBA’s annual competition to determine its most pathetic and intellectually challenged franchise. The votes are in and it was close but Atlanta, by virtue of this move to acquire Joe Johnson for $70 million, is our 2005 winner. What in god’s name are the Atlanta Hawks doing giving Joe Johnson a $20 million dollar bonus and ten million per year over the next five years? Message to Atlanta – this is not Earvin, Marques or even Dennis. It is Joe Johnson – a glorified role player who greatly benefited from playing alongside the NBA’s most recent MVP award winner Steve Nash .I still cannot believe this move. The Hawks have been marshalling resources for two years to make a high priced acquisition and all they could come up with is Joe Johnson? This has got to be the worst decision made in Georgia since the introduction of New Coke in 1985. Check that, sending Newter to Washington trumps Coke’s decision by a whisker. The Hawks have now blown their wad on a roster where the four most talented players – Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Al Harrington – all basically play the same position. I guess one could argue that nobody in the league has more depth at small forward than the Hawks, but who in the world is going to pass and rebound on this team? But at the end of the day, should this come as a surprise. The Hawks have been a woeful franchise since Nique lost that playoff shootout to Bird in 88 and this is just another chapter in a real sad and tragic book. To illustrate just how bad this move is, one must consider that Milwaukee had two major brain seizures this Summer – signing Bobby Simmons for 50 mil and Dan Gadzuric for 30 plus – and they still couldn’t take this year’s incompetence award. It just goes to show, when you are going up against Atlanta in the area of incompetence, you got to bring your whole game.
Monday, August 01, 2005
August 1 - Palmeiro is Positively a Putz
These are now some of the most significant words ever spoken in the world of baseball: “I have never knowingly taken steroids.” That was the testimony of Rafael Palmeiro back in March when he testified in front of a congressional hearing. So here is Palmeiro’s new defense – he is now saying that he never “intentionally” took steroids and he has no idea how his test came back positive. Would someone please tell Mr. Amnesia that there is a strong correlation between positive tests and sticking juice filled needles into your ass. Now I am not sure whether Palmeiro faces a contempt or perjury charge, but his penalty in the court of opinion certainly will be severe. From this point forward, Palmeiro will forever be the guy known as a liar, an idiot and a chronic steroid abuser. Case Closed! I suspect some of his defenders will still give him their vote when his name is called for the Hall of Fame, but I am not so sure he remains a lock for induction. Not anymore. Not after this. Had he just been fingered through a test then perhaps the damage would not be so bad. But this guy went up in front of Congress and started waving his finger. Once you wave the finger, all bets are off. Case in point – the only reason why OJ didn't go to jail was he didn't wave that finger while he was trying on that glove. So while Palmeiro’s stock is in a free fall, the guy who benefits from all this is Jose Canseco since he was the one who fingered Palmeiro early in the year. There were legions of pundits who killed the messenger in this case, but this development certainly lends credibility to Jose’s original accusations. First he scored with his call on Palmeiro and now he is banging Janice Dickinson on the Surreal Life. That is two pretty big hits in one year for Jose. It may not be a 40-40 year, but it’s a better year than Raf ever had sans juice.
When I heard that the oldest living guy to have played major league basebal died at the age of 100 my first thought was: Bobby Cox is sure going to miss Julio Franco.
The kid who played Kumar in the movie Harold and Kumar go to White Castle should have won an oscar last year. It is a joke that comedies written for late teens (and myself) don't get more attention at oscar time. For my money, you can't go wrong watching an Indian slacker get high, but Kumar took it to another level in White Castle. I am giving H&K an A minus and perhaps even an A for those of you who aren't subject to drug testing.
The only thing more overated than Steve Finley is the movie Wedding Crashers, a movie that some are throwing into rareified air. Like Finley, Wedding Crashers is presentable, but also like Finley, it flails far too much to be considered elite. There are some solid scenes in WC, but on balance, far too many laughs come up short. Neither Vince Vaughan or Owen Wilson had great games, and while Will Ferrell came in and threw one solid inning out of the pen, he folded late. I'll be generous and give it a B minus.
Yesterday, we had a surreal and perhaps historic moment at Fenway Park when Manny Ramirez came off the bench to deliver a game winning hit just days after he had hit new lows with the population of Red Sox nation. Manram was absolutely excoriated on Thursday and Friday, but that was all forgotten the moment he climbed out of that dugout at 4:45 yesterday afternoon. For those of you who didn’t see it, the Fenway faithful went absolutely crazy when Manny emerged and the noise kept building right up to the time he knocked out a game winner. The Stones are playing Fenway this month and it is unlikely that the place will be as loud during Start Me Up as it was yesterday when Ramirez rounded first and pointed to his teamates in the dugout. Most importantly for the Sox and Manny is the fact that yesterday served as an opportunity for Ramirez to get right with the fans. Had he not come up to bat and not got that hit, it is very likely that some residual animosity between Manram and Red Sox nation would have lingered. Just think, if the Sox had lost 5-2 yesterday and Kevin Millar had stranded seven, WEEI would be fielding anti-Manram calls until the mid-term congressional elections. But judging from the immediate post-hit reaction and a survey of the Boston message boards and airwaves, Manny is back in good standing. So not only did the Sox keep Manny’s irreplaceable bat this weekend, but they probably also avoided their worst fear – a Ramirez who feels unloved and unwanted.
I can’t comment on the entire history of Fenway Park, but I am ready to go “Knee Jerk” and label Manram’s hit yesterday as one of the top-10 moments in Fenway history since I became a fan in 1975. Here are my top-10 in chronological order: 1) Fisk’s Home Run in Game Six of the 1975 World Series 2) Yaz’s retirement day in 1983 3) Rocket strikes out 20th Mariner 4) Brunansky’s catch to clinch 1990 American League East flag 5) Trot’s walkoff to win Game Three of the 2003 ALDS 6) Ortiz doubles off Foulke to win Game Four of 2003 ALDS 7) Ortiz walk-off bomb to win Game Four of 2004 ALCS 8) Ortiz game ender to win Game Five of 2004 ALCS, 9) World Championship Ring Ceremony and 10) Manny repairs the burnt bridge. Narrow misses: Dave Roberts steal, Pedro throws some old man to the turf, Carl Everett goes psychotic, Billy Mueller launches a game winner off Rivera last Summer and Mike Mussina losses a perfect game with two outs in the ninth a few seasons back. Come to think of it, that may be number one.
When I heard that the oldest living guy to have played major league basebal died at the age of 100 my first thought was: Bobby Cox is sure going to miss Julio Franco.
The kid who played Kumar in the movie Harold and Kumar go to White Castle should have won an oscar last year. It is a joke that comedies written for late teens (and myself) don't get more attention at oscar time. For my money, you can't go wrong watching an Indian slacker get high, but Kumar took it to another level in White Castle. I am giving H&K an A minus and perhaps even an A for those of you who aren't subject to drug testing.
The only thing more overated than Steve Finley is the movie Wedding Crashers, a movie that some are throwing into rareified air. Like Finley, Wedding Crashers is presentable, but also like Finley, it flails far too much to be considered elite. There are some solid scenes in WC, but on balance, far too many laughs come up short. Neither Vince Vaughan or Owen Wilson had great games, and while Will Ferrell came in and threw one solid inning out of the pen, he folded late. I'll be generous and give it a B minus.
Yesterday, we had a surreal and perhaps historic moment at Fenway Park when Manny Ramirez came off the bench to deliver a game winning hit just days after he had hit new lows with the population of Red Sox nation. Manram was absolutely excoriated on Thursday and Friday, but that was all forgotten the moment he climbed out of that dugout at 4:45 yesterday afternoon. For those of you who didn’t see it, the Fenway faithful went absolutely crazy when Manny emerged and the noise kept building right up to the time he knocked out a game winner. The Stones are playing Fenway this month and it is unlikely that the place will be as loud during Start Me Up as it was yesterday when Ramirez rounded first and pointed to his teamates in the dugout. Most importantly for the Sox and Manny is the fact that yesterday served as an opportunity for Ramirez to get right with the fans. Had he not come up to bat and not got that hit, it is very likely that some residual animosity between Manram and Red Sox nation would have lingered. Just think, if the Sox had lost 5-2 yesterday and Kevin Millar had stranded seven, WEEI would be fielding anti-Manram calls until the mid-term congressional elections. But judging from the immediate post-hit reaction and a survey of the Boston message boards and airwaves, Manny is back in good standing. So not only did the Sox keep Manny’s irreplaceable bat this weekend, but they probably also avoided their worst fear – a Ramirez who feels unloved and unwanted.
I can’t comment on the entire history of Fenway Park, but I am ready to go “Knee Jerk” and label Manram’s hit yesterday as one of the top-10 moments in Fenway history since I became a fan in 1975. Here are my top-10 in chronological order: 1) Fisk’s Home Run in Game Six of the 1975 World Series 2) Yaz’s retirement day in 1983 3) Rocket strikes out 20th Mariner 4) Brunansky’s catch to clinch 1990 American League East flag 5) Trot’s walkoff to win Game Three of the 2003 ALDS 6) Ortiz doubles off Foulke to win Game Four of 2003 ALDS 7) Ortiz walk-off bomb to win Game Four of 2004 ALCS 8) Ortiz game ender to win Game Five of 2004 ALCS, 9) World Championship Ring Ceremony and 10) Manny repairs the burnt bridge. Narrow misses: Dave Roberts steal, Pedro throws some old man to the turf, Carl Everett goes psychotic, Billy Mueller launches a game winner off Rivera last Summer and Mike Mussina losses a perfect game with two outs in the ninth a few seasons back. Come to think of it, that may be number one.
Friday, July 29, 2005
July 29 - The Sledgehammer Calls it Quits
So the Sledgehammer – Teddy Johnson – has decided finally to call it quits. Number 52 will be sorely missed by this fan who always felt Johnson was one of the more underrated inside guys in all of football. The former Colorado Buff may not have been the most fleet afoot, and he certainly was not a great cover guy, but he was an absolute hammer against the run, particularly in short yardage. Unlike Zach Thomas, who often gets carried three yards on each of his tackles, Johnson was a “stand-up” guy who could stuff the NFL’s biggest and toughest. If you don’t believe me, just ask Jerome Bettis, who has been Johnson’s personnel bitch ever since the 1996 playoffs. For ten years, the Pats have owned the Bus and the guy holding the pink slip has always been Teddy Johnson. So most in the NFL world are now predicting gloom for the Pats now that they have lost their inside backers - Johnson and Teddy Bruschi. Are such predictions warranted? I am not going to sit here and argue that I am not slightly concerned by this development since Johnson was being counted on for at least another year of stability. But I am not raising the white flag either. The Pats perhaps saw this coming and have brought in Chad Brown and Monty Beisel to plug the inside holes. Moreover, I suspect Roman Pfeiffer will be talked out of retirement to give it a final go and there is talk that Mike Vrabel will play some inside backer this fall, leaving the outside to Willie and Rosie. With that said, I am pretty confident the Pats will find a way to replace numbers 52 and 54 on the field. But I must concede that with Johnson and Bruschi now retired, Sunday’s at Gillette will not quite be the same.
Maybe it is time for the Colorado Rockies to simply fold up shop and ride off into the sunset. I say this because just yesterday, the Rockies did a “salary dump” that netted the organization just $800,000. That is the amount the Rockies will save by sending Shawn Chacon to New York for a couple of minor league jokers. How can an organization this focused on the bottom line ever succeed in baseball? Listen, I know the Rockies were not going anywhere with Chacon, but where does it end? Is it going to be common practice for this team to sign guys for a couple million and then trade them off at the deadline every year? Is that any way to run a franchise? At this rate, why don’t the Rockies just field a team made up of players making the major league minimum. If they aren’t willing to stick with guys making a couple million dollars a year, then there is simply no way they will ever compete.
Most of you have probably never heard of Kaitlin Sandeno unless you at least casually follow women’s swimming. And that is a shame because Sandeno is simply one of the toughest “competitors” in sports today. For those not familiar with her resume, last Summer in Athens, Sandeno hooked up in the Olympic 400 IM final with Yana Klotchkova in what was an epic struggle to the wall. In that race, Sandeno came out of nowhere to lower her best time by about five seconds and give Klotchkova - one of the ten greatest female swimmers of all time - all she could handle in an event Klotchova had dominated for years. Last night, Sandeno was at it again as she anchored the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay at the World Swimming Championships in Montreal. Heading into the final leg, Sandeno trailed Australia by about a half second. The Aussies had a competent anchor so the U.S. chances looked a bit uncertain. So what did Sandeno do? Well, she ended up swimming the third fastest 200 freestyle spilt in history and rallied to beat the Aussies by three tenths of a second. It was a big-time swim from a big time competitor who always seems to perform well in the big spot. She may not be the most talented swimmer in the World, but she is undeniably one its best “racers” If I had to compare Sandeno to anyone in sport, it would be Robert Horry. Like Horry, Sandeno may not have a gaudy resume, but when it comes to performing on the big stage, both Sandeno and Horry usually rise to the occasion.
Maybe it is time for the Colorado Rockies to simply fold up shop and ride off into the sunset. I say this because just yesterday, the Rockies did a “salary dump” that netted the organization just $800,000. That is the amount the Rockies will save by sending Shawn Chacon to New York for a couple of minor league jokers. How can an organization this focused on the bottom line ever succeed in baseball? Listen, I know the Rockies were not going anywhere with Chacon, but where does it end? Is it going to be common practice for this team to sign guys for a couple million and then trade them off at the deadline every year? Is that any way to run a franchise? At this rate, why don’t the Rockies just field a team made up of players making the major league minimum. If they aren’t willing to stick with guys making a couple million dollars a year, then there is simply no way they will ever compete.
Most of you have probably never heard of Kaitlin Sandeno unless you at least casually follow women’s swimming. And that is a shame because Sandeno is simply one of the toughest “competitors” in sports today. For those not familiar with her resume, last Summer in Athens, Sandeno hooked up in the Olympic 400 IM final with Yana Klotchkova in what was an epic struggle to the wall. In that race, Sandeno came out of nowhere to lower her best time by about five seconds and give Klotchkova - one of the ten greatest female swimmers of all time - all she could handle in an event Klotchova had dominated for years. Last night, Sandeno was at it again as she anchored the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay at the World Swimming Championships in Montreal. Heading into the final leg, Sandeno trailed Australia by about a half second. The Aussies had a competent anchor so the U.S. chances looked a bit uncertain. So what did Sandeno do? Well, she ended up swimming the third fastest 200 freestyle spilt in history and rallied to beat the Aussies by three tenths of a second. It was a big-time swim from a big time competitor who always seems to perform well in the big spot. She may not be the most talented swimmer in the World, but she is undeniably one its best “racers” If I had to compare Sandeno to anyone in sport, it would be Robert Horry. Like Horry, Sandeno may not have a gaudy resume, but when it comes to performing on the big stage, both Sandeno and Horry usually rise to the occasion.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
July 27 - Baseball Rumblings and Boilermaker Musings
Big Unit has been pitching better of late and was real tough yesterday, but the Twins offense isn’t exactly Grey Goose or Kettle One. It is more like Blue Ox Vodka, made and bottled in Fargo. I thought Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau were supposed to provide this club with the power it has lacked in recent seasons. Well, Mauer has just seven bombs and 23 total extras (virtually none against lefties) while Morneau looks about ten home runs short of the 35-bomb guy he was advertised to be. These kids are still young and they may someday blossom into bigger power guys, but as of right now, they are not supplying the electricity that Minnesota expected. Here is a telling stat for Minnesota – Mauer is the only .800 OPS guy on the team.
Are the Yankees really considering signing Hideo Nomo? That is like lunging for that last piece of sushi that no one else at the table will dare eat. The Yanks are also reportedly trying to deal Carl Pavano for Joel Pniero and Randy Winn. Let me get this straight – the Ms are supposed to trade their crap for more expensive crap. What this purported deal says to me is the Yanks know Pavano’s injury is basically a season-ender.
The O’s finally won a game last night but it probably came against the coldest team in baseball Am I the only one who finds it disgraceful that Sammy Sosa is being mentioned in the same sentence as Frank Robinson this morning as a result of them now being tied on the all-time home run list? Borrowing a line from Scott Hastings, the only sentence that should contain these two names is as follows: “That Sammy Sosa – he’s no Frank Robinson.”
I have been waiting a couple months to see Paul Byrd get cracked and it finally happened at Toronto last night. Anyone notice that Steve Finley got shoved down to the eight hole against a tough lefty? Boy has he been a waste of money.
The Manny watch is on in Boston where Manram is reportedly unhappy and wants to be traded - again. Perhaps hoping to affect a trade, Manny refused to run out a ground ball last night and it almost cost the Sox a run. The absurdity continued today when Manny approached Terry Francona and begged out of today's game. According to Manny, he was promised a day off last week and was intent to cash in even though the Sox have an off day tomorrow. Is this just Ramirez being Ramirez or are we seeing a new and more lazy Manny? I suspect it is the former but am concerned it is the latter. And lets be clear - this has explosive potential since Manny can't be traded without the Sox agreeing to eat at least $15 over the next thee years. With that established, Boston is basically stuck with Manram (for at least another year) and you have to wonder what will happen if the dominican bomber suddenly starts sulking. Peer presure seemed to be enough to difuse a similar situation back in 2003 but there is no telliing whether the same tactics will work again in 2005.
Look at that – it took eleven tries, but the Royals finally beat the White Sox. Amazingly enough, the win came against Mark Buerhle who has been struggling ever since Cracker Jax started giving away those Mark Buerhle de-coder rings a couple weeks ago. In all fairness to Mark, even when he gets cracked, he does it quickly.
Hey Theo, the guy you traded for Tony Graffinino is 6-13 in Kansas City Oh, and another thing, the guy you threw into the OC-Nomar trade is hitting over .400 for the Cubs. Before you trade any more prospects, could you make sure they suck. I can feel it now – Annabel Sanchez will go to Florida for AJ Burnett and will end up beating Burnett to sixty career wins (AJ already has 44). Someone actually showed up and beat the A’s last night although it should be mentioned that the A’s got another great start. With five days to go, are the Indians buyers or sellers? Unfortunately for the Red Sox, I don’t see them selling Wickman.
The Assholes kept it going last night as Lee Harvey threw a gem. Lieber threw well for Philly, but he got caught up in Oswalt’s drive for the NL Cy Young. Craig Biggio hit his 250th bomb last year and even I am beginning to concede that this guy has a pretty worthy HOF resume. This guy is going to finish the year with 2800 hits and 1700 runs. It is not inconceivable that Bigs cracks 3000 if he can stay healthy and find someone who will let him play in 2007.
How in the world can San Diego still be leading the West after going 17-31? Los Madres have now lost eight straight and if Peavy losses tonight, that streak will hit double figures. During this losing streak, the Mads have scored just 14 runs in eight games. Unless you have Koufax and Pedro, you aren’t going to win many games with that kind of offense. How do you punish guys who turn down trades? In the case of Phil Nevin, San Diego has decided to make him catch.
It seems everyone in the world is assuming that the winner of the Big-10 this year will be determined in November when Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor. This is the assumption every year but in 2005 I would caution that Purdue may have something to say before it is all said and done. I say this because the scheduling gods have decided this is the year Purdue gets a pass against both Michigan and Ohio State this year. Talk about good fortune. That is like a Democrat running for president without having to play in either Texas or Ohio. The Boilermaker case is further strengthened by the fact that Purdue gets Iowa at home and all eleven starters are returning on defense. I guess that is a good news/bad news story since Purdue’s defense wasn’t exactly stout last year, but experience should count for something. Listen, Purdue still needs to prove it can replace Kyle Orton at quarterback, but the ingredients seem to be in place for a big year in West Lafayette. If a couple of things break right, it may not matter who wins that game at Ann Arbor since Purdue will have already sewn up the conference’s BCS invite.
Are the Yankees really considering signing Hideo Nomo? That is like lunging for that last piece of sushi that no one else at the table will dare eat. The Yanks are also reportedly trying to deal Carl Pavano for Joel Pniero and Randy Winn. Let me get this straight – the Ms are supposed to trade their crap for more expensive crap. What this purported deal says to me is the Yanks know Pavano’s injury is basically a season-ender.
The O’s finally won a game last night but it probably came against the coldest team in baseball Am I the only one who finds it disgraceful that Sammy Sosa is being mentioned in the same sentence as Frank Robinson this morning as a result of them now being tied on the all-time home run list? Borrowing a line from Scott Hastings, the only sentence that should contain these two names is as follows: “That Sammy Sosa – he’s no Frank Robinson.”
I have been waiting a couple months to see Paul Byrd get cracked and it finally happened at Toronto last night. Anyone notice that Steve Finley got shoved down to the eight hole against a tough lefty? Boy has he been a waste of money.
The Manny watch is on in Boston where Manram is reportedly unhappy and wants to be traded - again. Perhaps hoping to affect a trade, Manny refused to run out a ground ball last night and it almost cost the Sox a run. The absurdity continued today when Manny approached Terry Francona and begged out of today's game. According to Manny, he was promised a day off last week and was intent to cash in even though the Sox have an off day tomorrow. Is this just Ramirez being Ramirez or are we seeing a new and more lazy Manny? I suspect it is the former but am concerned it is the latter. And lets be clear - this has explosive potential since Manny can't be traded without the Sox agreeing to eat at least $15 over the next thee years. With that established, Boston is basically stuck with Manram (for at least another year) and you have to wonder what will happen if the dominican bomber suddenly starts sulking. Peer presure seemed to be enough to difuse a similar situation back in 2003 but there is no telliing whether the same tactics will work again in 2005.
Look at that – it took eleven tries, but the Royals finally beat the White Sox. Amazingly enough, the win came against Mark Buerhle who has been struggling ever since Cracker Jax started giving away those Mark Buerhle de-coder rings a couple weeks ago. In all fairness to Mark, even when he gets cracked, he does it quickly.
Hey Theo, the guy you traded for Tony Graffinino is 6-13 in Kansas City Oh, and another thing, the guy you threw into the OC-Nomar trade is hitting over .400 for the Cubs. Before you trade any more prospects, could you make sure they suck. I can feel it now – Annabel Sanchez will go to Florida for AJ Burnett and will end up beating Burnett to sixty career wins (AJ already has 44). Someone actually showed up and beat the A’s last night although it should be mentioned that the A’s got another great start. With five days to go, are the Indians buyers or sellers? Unfortunately for the Red Sox, I don’t see them selling Wickman.
The Assholes kept it going last night as Lee Harvey threw a gem. Lieber threw well for Philly, but he got caught up in Oswalt’s drive for the NL Cy Young. Craig Biggio hit his 250th bomb last year and even I am beginning to concede that this guy has a pretty worthy HOF resume. This guy is going to finish the year with 2800 hits and 1700 runs. It is not inconceivable that Bigs cracks 3000 if he can stay healthy and find someone who will let him play in 2007.
How in the world can San Diego still be leading the West after going 17-31? Los Madres have now lost eight straight and if Peavy losses tonight, that streak will hit double figures. During this losing streak, the Mads have scored just 14 runs in eight games. Unless you have Koufax and Pedro, you aren’t going to win many games with that kind of offense. How do you punish guys who turn down trades? In the case of Phil Nevin, San Diego has decided to make him catch.
It seems everyone in the world is assuming that the winner of the Big-10 this year will be determined in November when Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor. This is the assumption every year but in 2005 I would caution that Purdue may have something to say before it is all said and done. I say this because the scheduling gods have decided this is the year Purdue gets a pass against both Michigan and Ohio State this year. Talk about good fortune. That is like a Democrat running for president without having to play in either Texas or Ohio. The Boilermaker case is further strengthened by the fact that Purdue gets Iowa at home and all eleven starters are returning on defense. I guess that is a good news/bad news story since Purdue’s defense wasn’t exactly stout last year, but experience should count for something. Listen, Purdue still needs to prove it can replace Kyle Orton at quarterback, but the ingredients seem to be in place for a big year in West Lafayette. If a couple of things break right, it may not matter who wins that game at Ann Arbor since Purdue will have already sewn up the conference’s BCS invite.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
July 26 - Young Americans Shine in Montreal
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Monday, July 25, 2005
July 25 - Phelps Washes Out in Montreal
I had to take a sabbatical because I was getting compulsive but I am back with some thoughts this morning.
What the hell happened yesterday morning in Montreal where Michael Phelps failed to make it out of the prelims in the 400 free at the World Swimming Championships? Phelps probably hasn’t missed a final since he was seven and swimming against ten year olds at Pimlico in North Baltimore. The bet here is Phelps will have a disappointing meet (in Phelpsian terms) and many in the mainstream media will come to view his Olympic year as a fluke. Don’t let them fool you – Phelps is still the most versatile and dominant swimmer ever and he will come back next near with added motivation.
Thank god the Lance Armstrong era has finally come to a close. I grew tired of this story four years ago and am glad that I won’t have to hear any more mention of Lance until he makes his inevitable comeback in 2008. I am not entirely sure why I am so luke warm on this guy, but there is something about Lance and his minions that put me off. Perhaps it’s the doping and perhaps it’s the fact that Lance’s army is comprised of thousands of jingoistic sycophants, but either way, I am not a fan. Don’t get me wrong - I like his ESPN Sportscenter spot and appreciate his accomplishments as difficult and perhaps even extraordinary, but I feel they are a bit overstated. After all, plenty of people have won multiple tours and when you get right down to it – tour racing is just one facet of cycling. If Lance truly wants my respect, he will win the Race Across America next year without Team Discovery backing him every step of the way.
It is becoming more and more clear to this scribe every day that the Boston Red Sox won last year despite the stupidity of manager Terry Francona. Here is the most recent travesty. During yesterday’s game at Comiskey, Boston trails 6-3 in the 8th with runners on first and second and one out. Facing a right-hander and with John Olerud and Edgar Renteria on the bench, Francona decides to go with Alex Cora and Tony Graffinino. Listen, I know Renteria was given the day off, but shouldn’t he be forced to attend sixth period if the game is on the line? Letting Cora hit in that spot was treasonous, but I guess Francona loves this .200 hitter in big spots because he let him hit in a similar spot last week against Big Mo. I can just see it now – sixth game of the ALCS and the following is heard: Now hitting for Ortiz: Alex Cora.
What the hell happened to Baltimore this weekend down in Tampa? Yesterday, the Birds got their ace back (Eric Beddard) but he got worked over by the Blade. In case you haven’t noticed, Casey Fossum has quietly had a nice year by shutting down lefties and challenging right-handers inside (13 hbp). But back to the Birds. In the throes of a pennant race, how do you go down to Tampa and get swept by the hapless Rays? It sure didn’t help that Brian Roberts went 1-12 with four whiffs. Roberts has had a real quiet month and the O’s need to turn him around quickly if they are going to stay in the hunt.
How bout this comment from Scott Boras this morning? Speaking of Bernice Willaims, Boras said: “He wants to play beyond this year, A lot of people in baseball want Bernie Williams to play beyond this year.” This doesn’t pass the laugh test and its time that Scott reveal his sources. I got to know who in the baseball world thinks Bernice Williams is still a major league baseball player? Obviously, this man has no business wearing leather, but is his bat any better? The answer is yes but only by default. This is a guy who is hitting .240 and slugging just .350. Those are Mark Belhorn numbers .To make matters worse, he has just one home run at the stadium in 150 at bats. And lest you think this is a recent development – think again. Bernice has been a sub .800 OPS woman for three years now and she needs to get on her horse to make sure 2005 is not a sub .700 year. Williams is currently projected to drive in just 60 runs this year and there is almost no shot that anyone other then New York will pay decent money for such services. So that begs the question: will Bernice agree to play next year for what he is worth? Will he swallow a $2 million dollar contract to be a part time DH in Seattle or Cleveland? Hell, why not - $2 million is a lot more then he can make playing that dopey guitar.
Why in the world is everyone so fascinated with A.J. Burnett? Sure, he has some gas and he was impressive yesterday, but this guy has an ERA of 3.5 in the best pitcher’s park in the National League. Is there a guy more set up to fail once he arrives in the American League? A curious thing about Burnett is that right-handers hit him much harder then lefties, casting serious doubt over whether he would be a good fit for Fenway Park. This is a guy who has a 3.85 ERA on the road and that basically translates into an ERA of 4.2 in the AL. So why would anyone give up a serviceable player and a top prospect to acquire what amounts to be a middle of the rotation guy? I don’t get it and I will not be happy if the Sox give up Annabel Sanchez in order to bring this guy to Boston. Sanchez is a 21 year-old strike out machine that hits 95 with a plus change and a nice curve. That sounds a bit like 1994 Pedro to me and I’ll take a poor man’s Pedro over AJ any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
I hate to admit it, but it seems to me as if the Assholes are going to walk away with the National League Wildcard. This team is just scorching right now and they can do plenty of damage this week as the Phils and Mets come to the little Juice Box. Most people are aware of the year Roger Clemens is having, but there are other guys on that staff, like Dan Wheeler, who have been brilliant as well. In case you don’t believe me, check out Dan’s numbers: 46 Ks in 44 innings and an ERA of 1.61. That is good stuff, especially when it comes as the bridge from Clemens and Oswalt to Lidge.
What the hell happened yesterday morning in Montreal where Michael Phelps failed to make it out of the prelims in the 400 free at the World Swimming Championships? Phelps probably hasn’t missed a final since he was seven and swimming against ten year olds at Pimlico in North Baltimore. The bet here is Phelps will have a disappointing meet (in Phelpsian terms) and many in the mainstream media will come to view his Olympic year as a fluke. Don’t let them fool you – Phelps is still the most versatile and dominant swimmer ever and he will come back next near with added motivation.
Thank god the Lance Armstrong era has finally come to a close. I grew tired of this story four years ago and am glad that I won’t have to hear any more mention of Lance until he makes his inevitable comeback in 2008. I am not entirely sure why I am so luke warm on this guy, but there is something about Lance and his minions that put me off. Perhaps it’s the doping and perhaps it’s the fact that Lance’s army is comprised of thousands of jingoistic sycophants, but either way, I am not a fan. Don’t get me wrong - I like his ESPN Sportscenter spot and appreciate his accomplishments as difficult and perhaps even extraordinary, but I feel they are a bit overstated. After all, plenty of people have won multiple tours and when you get right down to it – tour racing is just one facet of cycling. If Lance truly wants my respect, he will win the Race Across America next year without Team Discovery backing him every step of the way.
It is becoming more and more clear to this scribe every day that the Boston Red Sox won last year despite the stupidity of manager Terry Francona. Here is the most recent travesty. During yesterday’s game at Comiskey, Boston trails 6-3 in the 8th with runners on first and second and one out. Facing a right-hander and with John Olerud and Edgar Renteria on the bench, Francona decides to go with Alex Cora and Tony Graffinino. Listen, I know Renteria was given the day off, but shouldn’t he be forced to attend sixth period if the game is on the line? Letting Cora hit in that spot was treasonous, but I guess Francona loves this .200 hitter in big spots because he let him hit in a similar spot last week against Big Mo. I can just see it now – sixth game of the ALCS and the following is heard: Now hitting for Ortiz: Alex Cora.
What the hell happened to Baltimore this weekend down in Tampa? Yesterday, the Birds got their ace back (Eric Beddard) but he got worked over by the Blade. In case you haven’t noticed, Casey Fossum has quietly had a nice year by shutting down lefties and challenging right-handers inside (13 hbp). But back to the Birds. In the throes of a pennant race, how do you go down to Tampa and get swept by the hapless Rays? It sure didn’t help that Brian Roberts went 1-12 with four whiffs. Roberts has had a real quiet month and the O’s need to turn him around quickly if they are going to stay in the hunt.
How bout this comment from Scott Boras this morning? Speaking of Bernice Willaims, Boras said: “He wants to play beyond this year, A lot of people in baseball want Bernie Williams to play beyond this year.” This doesn’t pass the laugh test and its time that Scott reveal his sources. I got to know who in the baseball world thinks Bernice Williams is still a major league baseball player? Obviously, this man has no business wearing leather, but is his bat any better? The answer is yes but only by default. This is a guy who is hitting .240 and slugging just .350. Those are Mark Belhorn numbers .To make matters worse, he has just one home run at the stadium in 150 at bats. And lest you think this is a recent development – think again. Bernice has been a sub .800 OPS woman for three years now and she needs to get on her horse to make sure 2005 is not a sub .700 year. Williams is currently projected to drive in just 60 runs this year and there is almost no shot that anyone other then New York will pay decent money for such services. So that begs the question: will Bernice agree to play next year for what he is worth? Will he swallow a $2 million dollar contract to be a part time DH in Seattle or Cleveland? Hell, why not - $2 million is a lot more then he can make playing that dopey guitar.
Why in the world is everyone so fascinated with A.J. Burnett? Sure, he has some gas and he was impressive yesterday, but this guy has an ERA of 3.5 in the best pitcher’s park in the National League. Is there a guy more set up to fail once he arrives in the American League? A curious thing about Burnett is that right-handers hit him much harder then lefties, casting serious doubt over whether he would be a good fit for Fenway Park. This is a guy who has a 3.85 ERA on the road and that basically translates into an ERA of 4.2 in the AL. So why would anyone give up a serviceable player and a top prospect to acquire what amounts to be a middle of the rotation guy? I don’t get it and I will not be happy if the Sox give up Annabel Sanchez in order to bring this guy to Boston. Sanchez is a 21 year-old strike out machine that hits 95 with a plus change and a nice curve. That sounds a bit like 1994 Pedro to me and I’ll take a poor man’s Pedro over AJ any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
I hate to admit it, but it seems to me as if the Assholes are going to walk away with the National League Wildcard. This team is just scorching right now and they can do plenty of damage this week as the Phils and Mets come to the little Juice Box. Most people are aware of the year Roger Clemens is having, but there are other guys on that staff, like Dan Wheeler, who have been brilliant as well. In case you don’t believe me, check out Dan’s numbers: 46 Ks in 44 innings and an ERA of 1.61. That is good stuff, especially when it comes as the bridge from Clemens and Oswalt to Lidge.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
July 12 - Grading out the National League
Mid Season Grades – National League
MVP – Derrick Lee – His late injury almost cost him this award but he recovered by clubbing a couple of bombs when he returned. Pujols and Jones finish with the place and show.
Cy Young – It has to go to Willis, but the competition was fierce. There are a handful of starters in the NL who are having terrific seasons. This one will be undecided with two weeks to go. Keep an eye on Oswalt - his stuff has been filthy of late.
Rookie of the Year – Willy Taveras leads but Richie Weeks will be heard from.
Manager of the Year – I am not sure he has been awake, but this award always goes to the guy whose team outperforms and nobody has outperformed like Washington. Plus, Robby gets some points for that pine tar incident out in California.
Bust of the Year – Eric Milton – that one is a slam dunk. Other under-performers include Beltran, Lieber, Nomie, and Kolb.
Injury of the Year – Bonds in a landslide, but others worth mentioning include Loretta, Gagne, and Chipper. And yes, I know he started slow, but Nomie’s groin may have cost the Cubs dearly.
Rolaids Man – No contest – Mr. Cordero is a save machine at RFK
Anti-Rolaids Award - Danny Kolb narrowly over Braden Looper.
Super Sub – Tony Clark has been a microwave off the bench in Arizona.
Best UCLA Bruin – no contest – Chase Utley has emerged as a force in Philly.
Washington Nationals – (A+) - It is hard to dispute those pundits who claim the Nationals are the story of the season in the NL at the half-mile point. Nobody in baseball had these guys leading the NL EAST with 75 games to play, yet that is where they sit less then three months to go. The Nats have been fueled by ridiculous bullpen work that has allowed them to win more close games in recent months then anyone else in Washington, including Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) who narrowly escaped defeat last November. Nick Johnson has been terrific, Jose Guillen is making people wonder what happened back in Anaheim and can anyone get to Chad Cordero with the game on the line. Cordero is such a tough closer that if he worked up on the Hill, Congress would never adjourn late. The Nats and Frank Robinson may not hold up and win the division, but they have probably done enough to secure a wild card spot so long as things don’t completely melt down in Washington this summer. Who would have thought back in April that the Nets would be doing better in July then President Bush’s private savings accounts?
Atlanta Braves – (A) - The Atlanta Braves remind me of that old Samonnite Luggage commercial where the gorilla throws around the suit cases all after noon but at the end of the day, the luggage looks good as new. You can do whatever you want to this team but it is pretty clear to me that at the end of the day, Bobby Cox and his crew will survive and make it to October. Can somebody please tell me how this team is eleven games over .500 without Chipper, a closer and three top-line starters? The cupboard to this kitchen is barer than bare, yet the Braves still chug along, grinding out wins with guys like Kelly Johnson, Wilson Betemit, and Jorge Sosa picking up the slack. Andruw Jones is having just a sick year and Smoltz has been a rock, but that shouldn’t have been enough to keep this team alive. But alive they are and with Tim Hudson and Mike Hampton poised to return, things are looking peachy in the Peach State. So peachy, in fact, that this guy thinks the Braves will once again win their division. With that said, another bat would sure help, particularly one who can play first base.
Florida (D+) - The Florida Marlins are just about the most disappointing team in baseball at this juncture, sitting just two games over .500. The big problem – they just can’t score runs. While the D-Train has been stellar, Mike Lowell has been a created less damage at the plate then a stage II hurricane does when it comes ashore on the panhandle. If you put Mike Lowell and Kevin Millar at the corners of an infield, you may not have enough power to light a small building. If Lowell’s problems weren’t enough, Juan Pierre has been thoroughly mediocre all year (heating up a bit of late) and Josh Beckett has had trouble both staying healthy and pitching on the road. Aside from Willis, the bright spot for Florida has once again been Miguel Cabrerra who might some day have a shot to compete for the triple crown if he didn’t have to play his home games at that National Park down in South Florida. You put him in Philly or Cincy and he would be talked about like his last name was Pujols. This team has about two weeks to turn it around – if they are middling around .500 with sixty to go, the bet here is AJ Burnett will find himself in the AL and Jack McKeown will find himself out of a job.
The New York Mets – (C) – What else would you give a team that has bounced around .500 all year, never straying more then four games in one direction or the other? While Pedro has been terrific and Cliff Floyd has been a monster during two big spurts, the rest of the team has been pretty meek. The FTC is investigating whether Carlos Beltran was falsely advertised and even Golden Boy Dave Wright is on pace for not much more then a 20-85 season. The Mets do have some stars, but they have little at second, nothing at first and a finisher in the bullpen that couldn’t find a finish line with a map and a guide-dog. This is a team that needs to think about next year and that means sitting Glavine before his contract vests and determining where Aaron Heilmann fits in on this staff. Can you imagine the stink the players union will make if Glavine is idled or sent to the pen. Mets fans rejoice - just another 75 games with Mike Piazza. Even after he's long gone, I am sure Mets fans will still call into WFAN to bitch about Mr. P.
Philladelphia – (C-) - The Phillies are teetering on the abyss and even that success is only due to an anomalous burst around Memorial Day. This team is much further away from competing then anyone in Philly or the national media would care to admit, as it is stuck with an absolute albatross at first, and a black hole at third. Jim Thome should really think about giving the Phils a discount because if he keeps this up, the DA down there might try to indict Thome for stealing with a non-lethal weapon. David Bell’s offense is not quite as obscene, but if I were the DA, I would hit him with a misdemeanor petty theft charge. Meanwhile, the staff was thin to begin with and it has been absolutely torn to shreds at home. On the bright side, Chase Utley is developing into an offensive force and everyone now knows Bobby A can smack the ball. Nonetheless, at this juncture, the Phils should be active sellers in the coming weeks. They have a jewel in farmhand Ryan Howard, but with Jim Thome ahead of him, they need to find a way to play him or trade him. Further, they should also consider dumping Billy Wagner who is heading into a walk year and is unlikely to be of much service to a fifth place club down the stretch.
St. Louis – (A-) - It is a bit hard to score St. Louis since they have played very well but expectations were very high. On the one hand, its hard to dock the kid who got the highest grade on the test, but what if that kid is widely known to be the smartest kid on the class and the score was a bit below perfect? That is the problem facing St. Louis – a team that clearly excelled, but has had some lapses, especially of late (split @ home with Colorado and losing a series at Cincy). The front of the Cards staff has been great as Chris Carpenter has been an ace and Matt Morris has proven to be one of the best bargains in the league. And while Mark Mulder has been a bit ordinary and Jeff Suppan continues to struggle at home, this staff had as good a first half as any in the major leagues. Albert Pujols has been his usual amazing self, but the big surprise has come from Reggie Sanders, whose bombs have helped offset some of the offense that was lost when Scott Rolen went down. I really think one of the keys to this team staying in the hunt is whether Larry Walker can stay healthy for one last go around. With his bat in the lineup, the Cards have the requisite balance they need, but when he is out, the Cards are a bit too right-handed. As such, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cards go out and get some left-handed insurance to help them down the stretch.
Houston (B-) - Houston is like one of those smart kids who goofed off early in the semester and suddenly realized that it wanted to go to college and needed to get off its ass. They have surged of late behind some excellent pitching and an offense that has shown signs of life, but can they overcome such a huge deficit? My guess is they will not be able to secure that wildcard and when it’s all said and done, the Assholes will be a bit of a disappointment. Cleary, the Astros have had some bright spots, and it all starts with Roger Clemens and the incredible year he is having. But don’t shortchange either Lee Harvey Oswalt or Morgan Ensberg – two guys who are quietly putting together superb years. I know Clemens is having a tremendous year, but check out Lee Harvey’s numbers at Minute Maid – guys are only hitting .211 off him at that little ginger bread stadium. As far as the offense goes, this has been an important year for Houston as they learned Ensberg is a legitimate middle of the order guy and Willy Taveras has a shot of being a decent leadoff guy (.296 with 22 steals). The problem is there isn’t too much behind them. Lance Berkman’s power is down slightly, Jason Lane has been spotty and Chris Burke has shown he isn’t quite ready to take over from Craig Biggio just yet. Speaking of Biggio – the second baseman, who will turn 40 in December, is slugging near .500. Not too bad for a broken down old man.
Chicago: (B-) - This was a solid B ten days ago but the Cubs really limped into the break and therefore they get a late inning deduction. Nonetheless, I have to give them some credit here for not folding when incoming artillery shells began exploding and bodies started dropping. This club basically has Derrick Lee, Aramis Ramirez and a bunch of conscripts. There is no denying that Lee and Ramirez have been huge, and Burnitz has been helpful at times, but Neifi Perez is coming in hard and Carlee Paterson (.202 on the road) has dropped off the face of Michigan Avenue. Meanwhile, the staff has been ordinary at best and that statement accounts for all the injuries. After all, just because Prior missed some starts doesn’t mean Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux should have pitched as poorly as they have. Zambrano is a real strange case because for some strange reason he walks a ton of lefties and gets hit real hard away from Wrigley. Questions for the second half include: Does Mr. Hamm get back out there and prove April was a fluke? After all, if he doesn’t pull it together, he will be playing for just a couple million bucks next year. Secondly, will Derrick Lee keep this magical season going and up being the first national league triple crown winner since Ducky Medwick? Last, and most importantly, will Kerry Wood be able to warm up in August without tearing up his shoulder once again? If this guy were a window washer, he would spend half his year collecting workman’s compensation.
Milwaukee (B) - How can I give such a grade to a team that is four under .500 at this point in the season? Well, in my humble estimation, the Brewers are doing everything right while laying a solid foundation to compete in 2006 and 2007. They are getting their kids ready and those kids are showing they will be a load come next April. It starts up in the infield where Bill Hall and Richie Weeks both look like they will be potent offensive players. JJ Hardy is not the offensive player that these two are – at least not yet – but his emergence could force Hall to third or Weeks to center. I wouldn’t go so far as to say these three represent an embarrassment of riches, but they are a pretty solid group. Elsewhere, Carlos Lee is having a terrific year and although Brady Clark is almost my age, he is also doing a great job in center for the Brew Crew. And before you jump on this club for having spotty pitching, you should be warned that they are fifth in the NL in ERA. Capuano and Santos are both having solid years and if Sheets can return to his 2004 form and become an ace, this staff is fairly deep. By the way, take a look at Capuano’s splits – he is basically the grim reaper against lefties. If he could somehow figure out a way to keep right-handers in check, he could develop into a big winner. From here on out, the Brewers need to determine what role Prince Fielder will play for the big club come next April. If Fielder proves himself, Lyle Overbay becomes expendable and he will surely bring back value in a trade. The Brewers are a team on the rise and a nice second half could be the springboard they need in order to compete in 2006.
Pittsburgh – (C+) - What you see is what you get. The Bucs have basically traded in line all year. They were a cheap stock to begin the year and they are still pretty cheap. Sure, they had a little run to keep Pirates fan interested, but inter-league play hurt and now they are back on pace for their customary 73 win season. But there is hope and there have been some positive signs over the first half. First Jose Castillo has emerged and he looks like a fixture at second for years to come. Second, Zach Duke looks like the real deal. Unfortunately, that basically covers the positives. Sure, Mark Redman was a nice pickup and Dave Williams has thrown fairly well, but lets not go crazy. Sure, Jason Bay looks like a player, but the rest of that outfield is simply harmless. Can someone please explain to me what Teke Redman’s role on this team is? This guy has an OPS of .720 with only two steals. If you gave Mark Redman all of Teke’s at bats, I think there is a shot he would put up better numbers.
Cincy – (D) - The Reds are just putrid and don’t say they are merely playing down to expectations because nobody expected them to be this bad. That staff, headlined by Eric Milton and Ramon Ortiz is an absolute disgrace and the offense seems destined to take out the major league record for strikeouts in a single season. The worst offender in that lineup is Willy Mo Pena who has 58 Ks in 172 plate appearances. With numbers like that, the fans in Cincy should start calling him Willie Mo Belhorn. Adam Dunn isn’t much better with 94 whiffs in 290 at bats but at least Dunn uncorks a three run bomb every so often. Are there teams, other then the Pep Boys, really standing in line to acquire Willie Mo’s services? For that matter, who wants Austin Kearns or Sean Casey? Teams looking at Casey should be warned since he has been just a .400 slugger for three of the past four years. And while he sports a high OBP, he also leads the majors in Double Plays. I’ll pass.
San Diego – (B) Now I expected San Diego to win this division and they have played well considering all their injuries, but truth be told, this lead should be more comfortable. Yes, Peavy and Eaton have thrown well this year, but neither has dominated like they are capable. Peavy, in particular, went into the break with two poor outings and he really hasn’t shown much consistency since Memorial Day. The big upside for San Diego thus far has been the bullpen where guys like Scott Linebrink, Chris Hammond and Rudy Seanz have done a splendid job. While Peavy could have been better, the problems for Los Madres have been on offense where injuries have really taken hold. Losing Mark Loretta early was a killer and there is no one on that bench who could fill Phil nevin’s shoes this month. Brian Giles has quietly pulled his year together, but at the end of the day, this team just doesn’t score many runs. Part of that is the fault of Sean Burroughs, who for some reason has not shown much power since the 1992 Little League World Series. If this squad can get Loretta back and swinging and find a third baseman to take Burroughs slot, they should be able to pull away fairly easily. This may not be a great team, but they should be able to piece together at least 88 wins and that should win the West with a week to go.
Arizona – (B) - The D Backs have begun to slide of late but after last year, anything at this point is gravy. Although they find themselves four under .500, that is well beyond where the D Backs were a year ago and probably a handful of games ahead of where I expected them to be. Had Brandon Lyon not gotten hurt, this team probably would be playing .500 baseball, and that isn’t bad for a team that won just fifty-one games last year. As I have been saying for weeks, the big surprise in Phoenix has been the play of Tony Clark who should get some kind of award for best guy off the bench. This guy is just murdering right-handed pitching, and at the BOB, Clark is money in the bank. Another guy worth noting is Craig Counsell who is quietly having a real solid year, particularly against right-handers. I know Theo reads my stuff and that is why I stuck that in there. Message to Theo – Get Craig Counsell. Meanwhile, Chad Tracy has shown flashes for Arizona while Troy Glaus is proving that the Dbacks probably stretched a bit to bring him to the desert. He’s not a stiff and his power was needed, but Jeff Moorad overpaid for this throwback slugger.
Los Angeles – C – Nothing has gone right for this club since they started off on that ten-day roll. It seems like someone new got hurt everyday.. First it was Jose Valentin. Then it was Bradley. Then Gagne went down and now Drew is hurt. Even Mr. Sunshine – Jeff Kent – tweaked himself last week, proving that even jerks sometimes get hurt. The cruel thing about the Drew injury is JD had actually recovered from a horrible early slump and was playing well of late. As for the staff, Brad Penny has been steady, but Derrick Lowe and Jeff Weaver have done little to earn their huge salaries. The same can be said of Odalis Perez who would be much better off if he never had to throw on the road (His WHIP is twice as high on the road as it is at home). But whom are we kidding? Even if Lowe, Weaver and Perez had outperformed, this offense doesn’t scare anybody and now with Drew out, the drought will continue. After remembering that this team got swept in KC, I am lowering its grade to a C minus.
San Francisco – D – Like the Dodgers, San Francisco has just been decimated by injuries, but what do you expect when your team is the oldest in baseball. I am not going to give Brian Sabean a break on this one. He has been shunning youth for years and it finally caught up to him. This club was put together to win this year and it has crapped out. Sure, you can argue that no team could afford to lose a player like Bonds and losing Benitez was freakish. But these excuses don’t explain everything. That sure doesn’t explain Jason Schmidt’s year. And they sure don’t explain what is going on with guys like Rueter, Lowry, Tomko, Snow and Grissolm. Take a look at Snow’s numbers in particular – Frosty has just 19 RBI and 13 extras in 215 plate appearances. That guy has been as cold as his last name suggests. And if you want to know just how bad things are in SF, all you need to know is Jeff Fassero has the lowest ERA of any pitcher who has started at least three games. For those not familiar with Fassero, it should be noted that he was born ten months before Kennedy was shot and I am talking about John and not Bobby. Pure and simple – this club stinks. There are a ton of old broken down guys with huge contracts and Giants fan should not expect this patient to heal anytime soon.
Colorado – C- I give the Rockies a C because they are no worse then I thought they would be. Hey, how can you say that Colorado disappointed when there were no expectations to begin with. Sure, there have been a couple of bright spots. Jeff Francis is a nice looking kid and Clint Barmes showed he could play before he hurt himself lifting some deer meat. But does it really matter? At the end of the day, this is a horrible organization that plays in a city that has lost interest in this franchise.
MVP – Derrick Lee – His late injury almost cost him this award but he recovered by clubbing a couple of bombs when he returned. Pujols and Jones finish with the place and show.
Cy Young – It has to go to Willis, but the competition was fierce. There are a handful of starters in the NL who are having terrific seasons. This one will be undecided with two weeks to go. Keep an eye on Oswalt - his stuff has been filthy of late.
Rookie of the Year – Willy Taveras leads but Richie Weeks will be heard from.
Manager of the Year – I am not sure he has been awake, but this award always goes to the guy whose team outperforms and nobody has outperformed like Washington. Plus, Robby gets some points for that pine tar incident out in California.
Bust of the Year – Eric Milton – that one is a slam dunk. Other under-performers include Beltran, Lieber, Nomie, and Kolb.
Injury of the Year – Bonds in a landslide, but others worth mentioning include Loretta, Gagne, and Chipper. And yes, I know he started slow, but Nomie’s groin may have cost the Cubs dearly.
Rolaids Man – No contest – Mr. Cordero is a save machine at RFK
Anti-Rolaids Award - Danny Kolb narrowly over Braden Looper.
Super Sub – Tony Clark has been a microwave off the bench in Arizona.
Best UCLA Bruin – no contest – Chase Utley has emerged as a force in Philly.
Washington Nationals – (A+) - It is hard to dispute those pundits who claim the Nationals are the story of the season in the NL at the half-mile point. Nobody in baseball had these guys leading the NL EAST with 75 games to play, yet that is where they sit less then three months to go. The Nats have been fueled by ridiculous bullpen work that has allowed them to win more close games in recent months then anyone else in Washington, including Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) who narrowly escaped defeat last November. Nick Johnson has been terrific, Jose Guillen is making people wonder what happened back in Anaheim and can anyone get to Chad Cordero with the game on the line. Cordero is such a tough closer that if he worked up on the Hill, Congress would never adjourn late. The Nats and Frank Robinson may not hold up and win the division, but they have probably done enough to secure a wild card spot so long as things don’t completely melt down in Washington this summer. Who would have thought back in April that the Nets would be doing better in July then President Bush’s private savings accounts?
Atlanta Braves – (A) - The Atlanta Braves remind me of that old Samonnite Luggage commercial where the gorilla throws around the suit cases all after noon but at the end of the day, the luggage looks good as new. You can do whatever you want to this team but it is pretty clear to me that at the end of the day, Bobby Cox and his crew will survive and make it to October. Can somebody please tell me how this team is eleven games over .500 without Chipper, a closer and three top-line starters? The cupboard to this kitchen is barer than bare, yet the Braves still chug along, grinding out wins with guys like Kelly Johnson, Wilson Betemit, and Jorge Sosa picking up the slack. Andruw Jones is having just a sick year and Smoltz has been a rock, but that shouldn’t have been enough to keep this team alive. But alive they are and with Tim Hudson and Mike Hampton poised to return, things are looking peachy in the Peach State. So peachy, in fact, that this guy thinks the Braves will once again win their division. With that said, another bat would sure help, particularly one who can play first base.
Florida (D+) - The Florida Marlins are just about the most disappointing team in baseball at this juncture, sitting just two games over .500. The big problem – they just can’t score runs. While the D-Train has been stellar, Mike Lowell has been a created less damage at the plate then a stage II hurricane does when it comes ashore on the panhandle. If you put Mike Lowell and Kevin Millar at the corners of an infield, you may not have enough power to light a small building. If Lowell’s problems weren’t enough, Juan Pierre has been thoroughly mediocre all year (heating up a bit of late) and Josh Beckett has had trouble both staying healthy and pitching on the road. Aside from Willis, the bright spot for Florida has once again been Miguel Cabrerra who might some day have a shot to compete for the triple crown if he didn’t have to play his home games at that National Park down in South Florida. You put him in Philly or Cincy and he would be talked about like his last name was Pujols. This team has about two weeks to turn it around – if they are middling around .500 with sixty to go, the bet here is AJ Burnett will find himself in the AL and Jack McKeown will find himself out of a job.
The New York Mets – (C) – What else would you give a team that has bounced around .500 all year, never straying more then four games in one direction or the other? While Pedro has been terrific and Cliff Floyd has been a monster during two big spurts, the rest of the team has been pretty meek. The FTC is investigating whether Carlos Beltran was falsely advertised and even Golden Boy Dave Wright is on pace for not much more then a 20-85 season. The Mets do have some stars, but they have little at second, nothing at first and a finisher in the bullpen that couldn’t find a finish line with a map and a guide-dog. This is a team that needs to think about next year and that means sitting Glavine before his contract vests and determining where Aaron Heilmann fits in on this staff. Can you imagine the stink the players union will make if Glavine is idled or sent to the pen. Mets fans rejoice - just another 75 games with Mike Piazza. Even after he's long gone, I am sure Mets fans will still call into WFAN to bitch about Mr. P.
Philladelphia – (C-) - The Phillies are teetering on the abyss and even that success is only due to an anomalous burst around Memorial Day. This team is much further away from competing then anyone in Philly or the national media would care to admit, as it is stuck with an absolute albatross at first, and a black hole at third. Jim Thome should really think about giving the Phils a discount because if he keeps this up, the DA down there might try to indict Thome for stealing with a non-lethal weapon. David Bell’s offense is not quite as obscene, but if I were the DA, I would hit him with a misdemeanor petty theft charge. Meanwhile, the staff was thin to begin with and it has been absolutely torn to shreds at home. On the bright side, Chase Utley is developing into an offensive force and everyone now knows Bobby A can smack the ball. Nonetheless, at this juncture, the Phils should be active sellers in the coming weeks. They have a jewel in farmhand Ryan Howard, but with Jim Thome ahead of him, they need to find a way to play him or trade him. Further, they should also consider dumping Billy Wagner who is heading into a walk year and is unlikely to be of much service to a fifth place club down the stretch.
St. Louis – (A-) - It is a bit hard to score St. Louis since they have played very well but expectations were very high. On the one hand, its hard to dock the kid who got the highest grade on the test, but what if that kid is widely known to be the smartest kid on the class and the score was a bit below perfect? That is the problem facing St. Louis – a team that clearly excelled, but has had some lapses, especially of late (split @ home with Colorado and losing a series at Cincy). The front of the Cards staff has been great as Chris Carpenter has been an ace and Matt Morris has proven to be one of the best bargains in the league. And while Mark Mulder has been a bit ordinary and Jeff Suppan continues to struggle at home, this staff had as good a first half as any in the major leagues. Albert Pujols has been his usual amazing self, but the big surprise has come from Reggie Sanders, whose bombs have helped offset some of the offense that was lost when Scott Rolen went down. I really think one of the keys to this team staying in the hunt is whether Larry Walker can stay healthy for one last go around. With his bat in the lineup, the Cards have the requisite balance they need, but when he is out, the Cards are a bit too right-handed. As such, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cards go out and get some left-handed insurance to help them down the stretch.
Houston (B-) - Houston is like one of those smart kids who goofed off early in the semester and suddenly realized that it wanted to go to college and needed to get off its ass. They have surged of late behind some excellent pitching and an offense that has shown signs of life, but can they overcome such a huge deficit? My guess is they will not be able to secure that wildcard and when it’s all said and done, the Assholes will be a bit of a disappointment. Cleary, the Astros have had some bright spots, and it all starts with Roger Clemens and the incredible year he is having. But don’t shortchange either Lee Harvey Oswalt or Morgan Ensberg – two guys who are quietly putting together superb years. I know Clemens is having a tremendous year, but check out Lee Harvey’s numbers at Minute Maid – guys are only hitting .211 off him at that little ginger bread stadium. As far as the offense goes, this has been an important year for Houston as they learned Ensberg is a legitimate middle of the order guy and Willy Taveras has a shot of being a decent leadoff guy (.296 with 22 steals). The problem is there isn’t too much behind them. Lance Berkman’s power is down slightly, Jason Lane has been spotty and Chris Burke has shown he isn’t quite ready to take over from Craig Biggio just yet. Speaking of Biggio – the second baseman, who will turn 40 in December, is slugging near .500. Not too bad for a broken down old man.
Chicago: (B-) - This was a solid B ten days ago but the Cubs really limped into the break and therefore they get a late inning deduction. Nonetheless, I have to give them some credit here for not folding when incoming artillery shells began exploding and bodies started dropping. This club basically has Derrick Lee, Aramis Ramirez and a bunch of conscripts. There is no denying that Lee and Ramirez have been huge, and Burnitz has been helpful at times, but Neifi Perez is coming in hard and Carlee Paterson (.202 on the road) has dropped off the face of Michigan Avenue. Meanwhile, the staff has been ordinary at best and that statement accounts for all the injuries. After all, just because Prior missed some starts doesn’t mean Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux should have pitched as poorly as they have. Zambrano is a real strange case because for some strange reason he walks a ton of lefties and gets hit real hard away from Wrigley. Questions for the second half include: Does Mr. Hamm get back out there and prove April was a fluke? After all, if he doesn’t pull it together, he will be playing for just a couple million bucks next year. Secondly, will Derrick Lee keep this magical season going and up being the first national league triple crown winner since Ducky Medwick? Last, and most importantly, will Kerry Wood be able to warm up in August without tearing up his shoulder once again? If this guy were a window washer, he would spend half his year collecting workman’s compensation.
Milwaukee (B) - How can I give such a grade to a team that is four under .500 at this point in the season? Well, in my humble estimation, the Brewers are doing everything right while laying a solid foundation to compete in 2006 and 2007. They are getting their kids ready and those kids are showing they will be a load come next April. It starts up in the infield where Bill Hall and Richie Weeks both look like they will be potent offensive players. JJ Hardy is not the offensive player that these two are – at least not yet – but his emergence could force Hall to third or Weeks to center. I wouldn’t go so far as to say these three represent an embarrassment of riches, but they are a pretty solid group. Elsewhere, Carlos Lee is having a terrific year and although Brady Clark is almost my age, he is also doing a great job in center for the Brew Crew. And before you jump on this club for having spotty pitching, you should be warned that they are fifth in the NL in ERA. Capuano and Santos are both having solid years and if Sheets can return to his 2004 form and become an ace, this staff is fairly deep. By the way, take a look at Capuano’s splits – he is basically the grim reaper against lefties. If he could somehow figure out a way to keep right-handers in check, he could develop into a big winner. From here on out, the Brewers need to determine what role Prince Fielder will play for the big club come next April. If Fielder proves himself, Lyle Overbay becomes expendable and he will surely bring back value in a trade. The Brewers are a team on the rise and a nice second half could be the springboard they need in order to compete in 2006.
Pittsburgh – (C+) - What you see is what you get. The Bucs have basically traded in line all year. They were a cheap stock to begin the year and they are still pretty cheap. Sure, they had a little run to keep Pirates fan interested, but inter-league play hurt and now they are back on pace for their customary 73 win season. But there is hope and there have been some positive signs over the first half. First Jose Castillo has emerged and he looks like a fixture at second for years to come. Second, Zach Duke looks like the real deal. Unfortunately, that basically covers the positives. Sure, Mark Redman was a nice pickup and Dave Williams has thrown fairly well, but lets not go crazy. Sure, Jason Bay looks like a player, but the rest of that outfield is simply harmless. Can someone please explain to me what Teke Redman’s role on this team is? This guy has an OPS of .720 with only two steals. If you gave Mark Redman all of Teke’s at bats, I think there is a shot he would put up better numbers.
Cincy – (D) - The Reds are just putrid and don’t say they are merely playing down to expectations because nobody expected them to be this bad. That staff, headlined by Eric Milton and Ramon Ortiz is an absolute disgrace and the offense seems destined to take out the major league record for strikeouts in a single season. The worst offender in that lineup is Willy Mo Pena who has 58 Ks in 172 plate appearances. With numbers like that, the fans in Cincy should start calling him Willie Mo Belhorn. Adam Dunn isn’t much better with 94 whiffs in 290 at bats but at least Dunn uncorks a three run bomb every so often. Are there teams, other then the Pep Boys, really standing in line to acquire Willie Mo’s services? For that matter, who wants Austin Kearns or Sean Casey? Teams looking at Casey should be warned since he has been just a .400 slugger for three of the past four years. And while he sports a high OBP, he also leads the majors in Double Plays. I’ll pass.
San Diego – (B) Now I expected San Diego to win this division and they have played well considering all their injuries, but truth be told, this lead should be more comfortable. Yes, Peavy and Eaton have thrown well this year, but neither has dominated like they are capable. Peavy, in particular, went into the break with two poor outings and he really hasn’t shown much consistency since Memorial Day. The big upside for San Diego thus far has been the bullpen where guys like Scott Linebrink, Chris Hammond and Rudy Seanz have done a splendid job. While Peavy could have been better, the problems for Los Madres have been on offense where injuries have really taken hold. Losing Mark Loretta early was a killer and there is no one on that bench who could fill Phil nevin’s shoes this month. Brian Giles has quietly pulled his year together, but at the end of the day, this team just doesn’t score many runs. Part of that is the fault of Sean Burroughs, who for some reason has not shown much power since the 1992 Little League World Series. If this squad can get Loretta back and swinging and find a third baseman to take Burroughs slot, they should be able to pull away fairly easily. This may not be a great team, but they should be able to piece together at least 88 wins and that should win the West with a week to go.
Arizona – (B) - The D Backs have begun to slide of late but after last year, anything at this point is gravy. Although they find themselves four under .500, that is well beyond where the D Backs were a year ago and probably a handful of games ahead of where I expected them to be. Had Brandon Lyon not gotten hurt, this team probably would be playing .500 baseball, and that isn’t bad for a team that won just fifty-one games last year. As I have been saying for weeks, the big surprise in Phoenix has been the play of Tony Clark who should get some kind of award for best guy off the bench. This guy is just murdering right-handed pitching, and at the BOB, Clark is money in the bank. Another guy worth noting is Craig Counsell who is quietly having a real solid year, particularly against right-handers. I know Theo reads my stuff and that is why I stuck that in there. Message to Theo – Get Craig Counsell. Meanwhile, Chad Tracy has shown flashes for Arizona while Troy Glaus is proving that the Dbacks probably stretched a bit to bring him to the desert. He’s not a stiff and his power was needed, but Jeff Moorad overpaid for this throwback slugger.
Los Angeles – C – Nothing has gone right for this club since they started off on that ten-day roll. It seems like someone new got hurt everyday.. First it was Jose Valentin. Then it was Bradley. Then Gagne went down and now Drew is hurt. Even Mr. Sunshine – Jeff Kent – tweaked himself last week, proving that even jerks sometimes get hurt. The cruel thing about the Drew injury is JD had actually recovered from a horrible early slump and was playing well of late. As for the staff, Brad Penny has been steady, but Derrick Lowe and Jeff Weaver have done little to earn their huge salaries. The same can be said of Odalis Perez who would be much better off if he never had to throw on the road (His WHIP is twice as high on the road as it is at home). But whom are we kidding? Even if Lowe, Weaver and Perez had outperformed, this offense doesn’t scare anybody and now with Drew out, the drought will continue. After remembering that this team got swept in KC, I am lowering its grade to a C minus.
San Francisco – D – Like the Dodgers, San Francisco has just been decimated by injuries, but what do you expect when your team is the oldest in baseball. I am not going to give Brian Sabean a break on this one. He has been shunning youth for years and it finally caught up to him. This club was put together to win this year and it has crapped out. Sure, you can argue that no team could afford to lose a player like Bonds and losing Benitez was freakish. But these excuses don’t explain everything. That sure doesn’t explain Jason Schmidt’s year. And they sure don’t explain what is going on with guys like Rueter, Lowry, Tomko, Snow and Grissolm. Take a look at Snow’s numbers in particular – Frosty has just 19 RBI and 13 extras in 215 plate appearances. That guy has been as cold as his last name suggests. And if you want to know just how bad things are in SF, all you need to know is Jeff Fassero has the lowest ERA of any pitcher who has started at least three games. For those not familiar with Fassero, it should be noted that he was born ten months before Kennedy was shot and I am talking about John and not Bobby. Pure and simple – this club stinks. There are a ton of old broken down guys with huge contracts and Giants fan should not expect this patient to heal anytime soon.
Colorado – C- I give the Rockies a C because they are no worse then I thought they would be. Hey, how can you say that Colorado disappointed when there were no expectations to begin with. Sure, there have been a couple of bright spots. Jeff Francis is a nice looking kid and Clint Barmes showed he could play before he hurt himself lifting some deer meat. But does it really matter? At the end of the day, this is a horrible organization that plays in a city that has lost interest in this franchise.
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