I hope some of you caught Tom Caron's interview with Theo Epstein during the Red Sox pre-game report on NESN. The topic was Roger Clemens re-signing with the Houston Astros, and Caron asked Epstein, and I'm paraphrasing here, if he "sees the way Clemens sat out for 2 months before joining a team" as something that will catch on with other players.
Theo laughed and said that he did not see that ever catching on, that is was a unique situation involving Clemens, and that "if you or I tried to do that, we'd be told to take a hike".
Uh, you sure about that one, Theo?
I seem to recall a certain GM who walked away from his dream job last October, and the subsequent press conference where the team's owner appeared to be near tears over the whole situation...only to see that GM come back into the fold a few months later.
Hey, I'm never going to beat up on Theo Epstein. He's the architect of the team that delivered a World Series title to Boston for the first time in 86 years. It's just that it didn't appear to be a very well thought out response to the question.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Clemens Returns
Newsday.com jumped the gun by less than 24 hours, but the facts are that they were right on about Roger Clemens rejoining the Houston Astros.
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Clemens will sign a minor league contract (for now), which will allow him to make some minor league starts before joining the Astros at the end of the month.
Clemens' first start will be for the Lexington Legends, where his son Koby is assigned, on June 6th.
According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Clemens will sign a minor league contract (for now), which will allow him to make some minor league starts before joining the Astros at the end of the month.
Clemens' first start will be for the Lexington Legends, where his son Koby is assigned, on June 6th.
Baseball Notes - May 31st, 2006
Overall, it was a very interesting night. The big pitching duel I hyped turned out to be a dud, as both Buehrle and Sabathia were done in by poor defensive efforts and some bloops and squib hits. Oh, and the long ball, which was the theme of the night.
2-fer Tuesday
Troy Glaus, Corey Patterson, Lance Neikro and Jose Castillo all went deep twice. Glaus, you sort of expect, as his double dose of HRs give him 17 for the season. The other 3 entered the night with 12 HRs combined in the season's first 6 weeks. They increased their combined total by 50% last night.
Move Over, John Henry
Vernon Wells is laying an ownership claim on the Boston Red Sox. Or maybe Wells just owns Josh Beckett (lifetime, he's 6-12 with 4 HRs against Beckett). Titles aside, Wells has thoroughly demolished Boston pitching this season, hitting 8 HRs off them already this season. EIGHT! Where's Teddy Sarandis when you need him?
Chris Young Flirts With a No-Hitter
Chris Young of the Padres took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Colorado Rockies, which I believe is the first time this season a pitcher has officially "flirted" with a no-no. It's a good sign for the Padres, as Young has been shaky in his last two outings and the Rockies have a pretty good offense.
Let's Hear It For the Boy
Congrats to Lastings Milledge, the Mets top prospect who went 1-4 in his MLB debut. Milledge played RF last night in the 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks, but Milledge's double undoubtedly has Mets fans feeling pretty good this morning.
Tonight's Marquee Matchup
You'll need the Extra Innings package to see it, but Arizona has its ace Brandon Webb (8-0) on the hill tonight against the New York Mets ace Pedro Martinez (5-2).
Webb has been phenomenal all season long, aided by a vastly improved infield defense, which gobbles up all the groundballs Webb induces.
How good will the Diamondbacks be if they can tap into their deep farm system to acquire Dontrelle Willis? The more Willis' name appears on the rumor mill, the more it appears Arizona is the place he's going to land.
2-fer Tuesday
Troy Glaus, Corey Patterson, Lance Neikro and Jose Castillo all went deep twice. Glaus, you sort of expect, as his double dose of HRs give him 17 for the season. The other 3 entered the night with 12 HRs combined in the season's first 6 weeks. They increased their combined total by 50% last night.
Move Over, John Henry
Vernon Wells is laying an ownership claim on the Boston Red Sox. Or maybe Wells just owns Josh Beckett (lifetime, he's 6-12 with 4 HRs against Beckett). Titles aside, Wells has thoroughly demolished Boston pitching this season, hitting 8 HRs off them already this season. EIGHT! Where's Teddy Sarandis when you need him?
Chris Young Flirts With a No-Hitter
Chris Young of the Padres took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Colorado Rockies, which I believe is the first time this season a pitcher has officially "flirted" with a no-no. It's a good sign for the Padres, as Young has been shaky in his last two outings and the Rockies have a pretty good offense.
Let's Hear It For the Boy
Congrats to Lastings Milledge, the Mets top prospect who went 1-4 in his MLB debut. Milledge played RF last night in the 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks, but Milledge's double undoubtedly has Mets fans feeling pretty good this morning.
Tonight's Marquee Matchup
You'll need the Extra Innings package to see it, but Arizona has its ace Brandon Webb (8-0) on the hill tonight against the New York Mets ace Pedro Martinez (5-2).
Webb has been phenomenal all season long, aided by a vastly improved infield defense, which gobbles up all the groundballs Webb induces.
How good will the Diamondbacks be if they can tap into their deep farm system to acquire Dontrelle Willis? The more Willis' name appears on the rumor mill, the more it appears Arizona is the place he's going to land.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Or Maybe Clemens Hasn't Made a Decision
ESPN.com reports that there is no agreement between Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros, and that things are "status quo", which in this case means that a 43-year old brat hasn't made up his mind as to who will give him over $10M for 3 months work.
I knew there was a reason I put a question mark in the previous entry. When it comes to Roger Clemens, it's best to not do anything until the ink dries.
One of the loudest rumors regarding Clemens is that he'll sign with the Astros ($3.5M per month is about right) and that his son Koby, a 3B for the Lexington Legends, will be a September call-up so that father and son will play together.
As of right now, Koby Clemens is hitting .186 with 1 HR and 10 RBIs in 15 games for single-A Lexington. The kid has talent, but he's not ready for a September call-up. In fact, he's not even close.
I knew there was a reason I put a question mark in the previous entry. When it comes to Roger Clemens, it's best to not do anything until the ink dries.
One of the loudest rumors regarding Clemens is that he'll sign with the Astros ($3.5M per month is about right) and that his son Koby, a 3B for the Lexington Legends, will be a September call-up so that father and son will play together.
As of right now, Koby Clemens is hitting .186 with 1 HR and 10 RBIs in 15 games for single-A Lexington. The kid has talent, but he's not ready for a September call-up. In fact, he's not even close.
Clemens Makes a Decision?
According to Newsday.com, Roger Clemens has agreed to a 1-year, $3.5M per month contract with...the Houston Astros.
The article has Clemens receiving a total of $10.5M for the rest of the year, which isn't too bad considering that Clemens will get to pitch in his hometown, and won't have to travel.
With Clemens back on the roster, perhaps Andy Pettitte and Brad Lidge will snap out of their funks, and if so, Houston may be able to make a run. The 7.5 game lead that the Cardinals currently have appears safe, but the Cardinals have some injuries (Jim Edmonds, Chris Carpenter) and at some point, people are going to stop pitching to Albert Pujols.
Stranger things have happened.
If the division is out of reach, the Astros can absolutely play with Los Angeles, Arizona, San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and the Reds for the NL Wild Card.
The addition of Clemens just makes things that much more interesting.
For the other interested parties, the Red Sox, Rangers and Yankees, it's time to move onto Plan B.
The article has Clemens receiving a total of $10.5M for the rest of the year, which isn't too bad considering that Clemens will get to pitch in his hometown, and won't have to travel.
With Clemens back on the roster, perhaps Andy Pettitte and Brad Lidge will snap out of their funks, and if so, Houston may be able to make a run. The 7.5 game lead that the Cardinals currently have appears safe, but the Cardinals have some injuries (Jim Edmonds, Chris Carpenter) and at some point, people are going to stop pitching to Albert Pujols.
Stranger things have happened.
If the division is out of reach, the Astros can absolutely play with Los Angeles, Arizona, San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and the Reds for the NL Wild Card.
The addition of Clemens just makes things that much more interesting.
For the other interested parties, the Red Sox, Rangers and Yankees, it's time to move onto Plan B.
Baseball Notes - May 30th, 2006
Now that we've got Memorial Day in our rearview mirror, baseball will take center stage in this space until NFL teams start open their training camps in late July. The one NFL note I'll make today is that I saw that Peter King has predicted that the Patriots-Cowboys will meet in Super Bowl XLI, with the Cowboys winning. (I know, where are his Giants, or better yet, the Jacksonville Jaguars?)
This comes as no surprise to me, since national writers tend to base their predictions more on how many stories they'd be able to publish, and how easy it'll be to write them, during Super Bowl week than they do based on actual talent.
It's utterly absurd to make predictions at the end of May, but since King is always wrong in his pre-season predictions, why not get it out the way? Speaking of which, I'll have mine ready in about 3 months. You know, when rookies have actually signed their contracts, pre-season games have been played and the depth charts are where they'll be when the season starts. To do one beforehand is just wasting ink...and the reader's time.
Clement's Days Numbered?
Let me begin by saying that I loved the Matt Clement signing when it first happened. I didn't view him as a replacement for Pedro (or Derek Lowe), but I thought Clement would fit in nicely after Curt Schilling, and would complement Bronson Arroyo, David Wells and Tim Wakefield in the rotation.
Who could've foreseen him being beaned by a line drive and the subsequent mediocre outings he's had? Nobody.
After being pounded by the Blue Jays, who can hit with any team in baseball, is it time for the Red Sox to cut bait with Clement? He clearly isn't the same pitcher out there, and the problem doesn't appear to be physical. How many times has he had a batter at 1-2, or even 0-2, and issued a walk or grooved a slider that gets hit into the gap (or worse, over the fence)?
Theo Epstein & Co. made huge mistakes in the wake of the World Series championship, but the one thing they've appeared willing to do is swallow the mistakes (Rent-A-Wreck was a horrible signing, given how good Orlando Cabrera is). I say the best thing, for both sides, is to trade Clement back to the National League and try to get some value for him, even if it means paying a portion of his remaining salary.
Required Daily Reading
If you haven't bookmarked it already, I highly recommend adding Buster Olney's blog over at the Worldwide Leader to your list of favorites. It's a daily spin around the world of baseball, eliminating the need to search through all of the 60-75 major newspapers that cover the sport.
Today, Buster asks the question "Who Will Sign Barry?" when he hits free agency after this season. It's a great topic, as it's "clear" that Bonds has a desire to play beyond '06. With the condition of his knees, Bonds cannot play LF everyday, and being the AL would be the best fit for him.
Concerning Bonds' 715th HR on Sunday, I can't decide if it's unfortunate, or just plain hilarious, that the historic HR was not called by Jon Miller (who was in Texas calling the A's-Rangers Sunday night game on ESPN), and Miller's replacement, Dave Flemming, had his microphone cut out while the ball was in flight.
Tonight's Marquee Match-Up
It's no secret that I am smitten with the Extra Innings package for DirecTV. In fact, it might be my most prized possession. However, you won't need a subscription to see the feature game of the night, as ESPN will be showing the White Sox-Indians game at 7:05pm EST.
This is the second time this season that Buehrle and Sabathia have faced one another on ESPN. The two met on Opening Night in Chicago, where rain delayed the game in the 4th inning. By that time, Sabathia was already chased from the game and was placed on the DL the following morning. Buehrle didn't return when the game resumed.
Tonight's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies, with no rain in the forecast.
This comes as no surprise to me, since national writers tend to base their predictions more on how many stories they'd be able to publish, and how easy it'll be to write them, during Super Bowl week than they do based on actual talent.
It's utterly absurd to make predictions at the end of May, but since King is always wrong in his pre-season predictions, why not get it out the way? Speaking of which, I'll have mine ready in about 3 months. You know, when rookies have actually signed their contracts, pre-season games have been played and the depth charts are where they'll be when the season starts. To do one beforehand is just wasting ink...and the reader's time.
Clement's Days Numbered?
Let me begin by saying that I loved the Matt Clement signing when it first happened. I didn't view him as a replacement for Pedro (or Derek Lowe), but I thought Clement would fit in nicely after Curt Schilling, and would complement Bronson Arroyo, David Wells and Tim Wakefield in the rotation.
Who could've foreseen him being beaned by a line drive and the subsequent mediocre outings he's had? Nobody.
After being pounded by the Blue Jays, who can hit with any team in baseball, is it time for the Red Sox to cut bait with Clement? He clearly isn't the same pitcher out there, and the problem doesn't appear to be physical. How many times has he had a batter at 1-2, or even 0-2, and issued a walk or grooved a slider that gets hit into the gap (or worse, over the fence)?
Theo Epstein & Co. made huge mistakes in the wake of the World Series championship, but the one thing they've appeared willing to do is swallow the mistakes (Rent-A-Wreck was a horrible signing, given how good Orlando Cabrera is). I say the best thing, for both sides, is to trade Clement back to the National League and try to get some value for him, even if it means paying a portion of his remaining salary.
Required Daily Reading
If you haven't bookmarked it already, I highly recommend adding Buster Olney's blog over at the Worldwide Leader to your list of favorites. It's a daily spin around the world of baseball, eliminating the need to search through all of the 60-75 major newspapers that cover the sport.
Today, Buster asks the question "Who Will Sign Barry?" when he hits free agency after this season. It's a great topic, as it's "clear" that Bonds has a desire to play beyond '06. With the condition of his knees, Bonds cannot play LF everyday, and being the AL would be the best fit for him.
Concerning Bonds' 715th HR on Sunday, I can't decide if it's unfortunate, or just plain hilarious, that the historic HR was not called by Jon Miller (who was in Texas calling the A's-Rangers Sunday night game on ESPN), and Miller's replacement, Dave Flemming, had his microphone cut out while the ball was in flight.
Tonight's Marquee Match-Up
It's no secret that I am smitten with the Extra Innings package for DirecTV. In fact, it might be my most prized possession. However, you won't need a subscription to see the feature game of the night, as ESPN will be showing the White Sox-Indians game at 7:05pm EST.
This is the second time this season that Buehrle and Sabathia have faced one another on ESPN. The two met on Opening Night in Chicago, where rain delayed the game in the 4th inning. By that time, Sabathia was already chased from the game and was placed on the DL the following morning. Buehrle didn't return when the game resumed.
Tonight's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies, with no rain in the forecast.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
AROD Responds...Loudly
Just when I question how "clutch" AROD is, PTI discusses the way the fans and media in Gotham hate him (and love Jeter), he goes and hits a 3-run HR that turned out to the difference maker in a 7-5 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Granted, AROD's blast came with the Yankees already up 4-1, but we always strive to give credit where credit is due. His 3-run HR off Wakefield put the game out of reach and it's that kind of production people should expect out of him.
Beating the Shift
Defensive shifts are nothing new, but over the last few years you can't help but notice the increased frequency in which they are employed to stop left-handed sluggers. Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Jason Giambi, etc...all come to the plate facing 3 infielders on the right side, and the third baseman playing shortstop.
It's a smart strategy for the defense, but has it gone too far? I previously didn't believe so until Monday night, when I saw the Anaheim Angels put one of these shifts on for Rangers 3B Hank Blalock. Does a team really need to use this shift to get him out?
After last night, I don't think Blalock is going to see that shift again as he went 3-5 with 3 doubles, all hit to left field. Two of his doubles were balls that an average 3B could've made a play on, including a ball grounded down the third baseline in the bottom of the 9th, putting the tying run on 2nd with only one out.
Fortunately for Anaheim, nobody in baseball seems to know how to hit with runners in scoring position and less than 2 outs, as Kevin Mench looked ridiculous as K-Rod slipped three sliders by him, and Brad Wilkerson attempted to hit every pitch into Arkansas.
Speaking of the Rangers-Angels game, kudos to the fan in the roofbox seats on the third base side for giving the two foul balls he caught to a couple of youngsters in the same row. One play he made even drew a loud cheer from the crowd. In fact, that should be a rule. If you catch a foul ball, or a HR ball not destined to rake in 6 figures on eBay, you should be required to give the ball to the nearest kid under 13. And to reiterate a rule Bill Simmons advocates, no male over the age of 13 should bring a baseball glove to a game.
I'm looking at you, Doug Flutie.
Bush Denied #5
Switching gears back to the NFL for a minute, New Orleans Saints rookie RB Reggie Bush's bid to wear #5 in the NFL was rejected by the league. Bush immediately released a statement expressing his disappointment, citing that he was going to donate 25% of the proceeds from his jersey sales to Katrina relief funds in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Hey Reggie, you can still do that! Putting aside the issue that someone on the Saints already wears #5 (QB, Adrian McPherson), Bush's jerseys are going to sell like hotcakes, regardless of the number on it.
And to avoid the appearance that I'm mercilessly skewering him, Bush did reaffirm his pledge to donate 25% of his jersey sales this year to Katrina relief efforts. I just don't think he's going to be donating less money than he would if he wore #5. In fact, he'll gain more money, since he won't have to bribe McPherson to use that number.
I appluad the NFL's stance on this issue, as allowing players to wear whatever number they wish could cause confusion for the officials. For example, let's say that Jets LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson wants to wear #84 in the NFL. How could an official ever know if he was illegally downfield during a play? With the size of WRs and TEs increasing yearly, this would be an impossibility. Then again, Super Bowl XL proved that offensive lineman wearing #77 (Max Starks) can go as far downfield as they like without being flagged.
Granted, AROD's blast came with the Yankees already up 4-1, but we always strive to give credit where credit is due. His 3-run HR off Wakefield put the game out of reach and it's that kind of production people should expect out of him.
Beating the Shift
Defensive shifts are nothing new, but over the last few years you can't help but notice the increased frequency in which they are employed to stop left-handed sluggers. Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Jason Giambi, etc...all come to the plate facing 3 infielders on the right side, and the third baseman playing shortstop.
It's a smart strategy for the defense, but has it gone too far? I previously didn't believe so until Monday night, when I saw the Anaheim Angels put one of these shifts on for Rangers 3B Hank Blalock. Does a team really need to use this shift to get him out?
After last night, I don't think Blalock is going to see that shift again as he went 3-5 with 3 doubles, all hit to left field. Two of his doubles were balls that an average 3B could've made a play on, including a ball grounded down the third baseline in the bottom of the 9th, putting the tying run on 2nd with only one out.
Fortunately for Anaheim, nobody in baseball seems to know how to hit with runners in scoring position and less than 2 outs, as Kevin Mench looked ridiculous as K-Rod slipped three sliders by him, and Brad Wilkerson attempted to hit every pitch into Arkansas.
Speaking of the Rangers-Angels game, kudos to the fan in the roofbox seats on the third base side for giving the two foul balls he caught to a couple of youngsters in the same row. One play he made even drew a loud cheer from the crowd. In fact, that should be a rule. If you catch a foul ball, or a HR ball not destined to rake in 6 figures on eBay, you should be required to give the ball to the nearest kid under 13. And to reiterate a rule Bill Simmons advocates, no male over the age of 13 should bring a baseball glove to a game.
I'm looking at you, Doug Flutie.
Bush Denied #5
Switching gears back to the NFL for a minute, New Orleans Saints rookie RB Reggie Bush's bid to wear #5 in the NFL was rejected by the league. Bush immediately released a statement expressing his disappointment, citing that he was going to donate 25% of the proceeds from his jersey sales to Katrina relief funds in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Hey Reggie, you can still do that! Putting aside the issue that someone on the Saints already wears #5 (QB, Adrian McPherson), Bush's jerseys are going to sell like hotcakes, regardless of the number on it.
And to avoid the appearance that I'm mercilessly skewering him, Bush did reaffirm his pledge to donate 25% of his jersey sales this year to Katrina relief efforts. I just don't think he's going to be donating less money than he would if he wore #5. In fact, he'll gain more money, since he won't have to bribe McPherson to use that number.
I appluad the NFL's stance on this issue, as allowing players to wear whatever number they wish could cause confusion for the officials. For example, let's say that Jets LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson wants to wear #84 in the NFL. How could an official ever know if he was illegally downfield during a play? With the size of WRs and TEs increasing yearly, this would be an impossibility. Then again, Super Bowl XL proved that offensive lineman wearing #77 (Max Starks) can go as far downfield as they like without being flagged.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Vote for Lopez
With two outs in the 9th inning last night, Alex Rodriguez took the first pitch he saw from Keith Foulke and knocked it out the park. Rodriguez's blast helped the Yankees get within 6 of the Red Sox.
Is this the exception or the norm when it comes to baseball's highest paid player? Well, Stats, Inc. defines Close and late situations as "results in the 7th inning or later with the batting team either ahead by one run, tied or with the potential tying run on deck".
How has Alex Rodriguez performed in those situations this year? .091 batting average, no homeruns and 3 RBIs.
This isn't to take anything away from Rodriguez, and I would never argue against him being the most talented player in the game. At the end of the year, he'll still post numbers in the .320-40-130 range, which by itself is very impressive.
However, his salary (inflated since moving from SS to 3B, not that the Yankees can't absorb that) and lack of playoff production since joining the Yankees (.277-3-8 in 16 games, including a .133-0-0 last year) will always keep him in the "most overrated" debate.
Stupid Is As Stupid Does
I'll admit that I don't want to sit down and give Tim McCarver a rational explanation for why he's horrible at what does as much as I want to deliver a hatchet wound to his face. He's part of the reason why I don't believe FOX should broadcast anything other than NASCAR. His constant harping on all things Yankee drives me nuts, and then he uttered that "...if Brian Cashman assembled the Mets, they'd be considered the best team money can buy". Translation: Omar Minaya doesn't get the criticism of building through free agency that Brian Cashman gets.
Boo. Freakin'. Hoo.
Incredibly, the mouth at the base of Joe Buck's drive in movie theatre-sized melon stated the obvious:
New York Mets 2006 payroll: $100M
New York Yankees 2006 payroll: $198M
You could assemble two New York Mets with the amount of money that Brian Cashman has spent on the Yanks, Tim. Nice attempt, but you're wrong. Let's also mention that in the last 2 years, the Mets farm system has produced 3B David Wright, SS Jose Reyes and should-be-starting pitcher Aaron Heilman and SP Brian Bannister. The Yankees have produced 2B Robinson Cano and SP Chien-Ming Wang.
With Lastings Milledge and Tagg Bozied in Norfolk, Willie Collazo and Michael Abreu in Binghampton, the Mets will add 2-4 more before 2008.
As someone who likes the Boston Red Sox, whose payroll is over $100M, I can't whine about how much money the Yankees spend on payroll. But for McCarver to point the finger at Minaya and basically say "Look, he's spending a lot of money, too" just reeks of him being the Yankee-loving shill he is.
If you want to skewer Minaya, do so over him trading Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. That trade is going to haunt the Mets for a long, long time.
All-Star Balloting
If you're interested in voting for the 2006 All-Star game, you can do so here. They have links that allow you to vote in English, Spanish or Japanese.
It's at this point where I'm going to begin campaigning for a certain player. We all know that that with every All-Star ballot, there are guys who have been on the DL since mid-April who still win the fan vote, while a more deserving player gets shut out.
This year, I'm urging everyone to do the right thing, and vote for Seattle Mariners 2B Jose Lopez as the American League 2B. The 22-year old Lopez is in his 2nd season with the big club, is a slick fielder and currently leads all American League 2B in: hits, triples, homeruns, slugging % and OPS, and is tied for the lead in doubles.
He's clearly the best choice in the AL, but seeing how he's an unknown guy, which playing in Seattle doesn't help, he'll likely finish well behind Robinson Cano, Mark Loretta, Luis Castillo and Brian Roberts in the fan vote.
Don't let that happen, people.
Is this the exception or the norm when it comes to baseball's highest paid player? Well, Stats, Inc. defines Close and late situations as "results in the 7th inning or later with the batting team either ahead by one run, tied or with the potential tying run on deck".
How has Alex Rodriguez performed in those situations this year? .091 batting average, no homeruns and 3 RBIs.
This isn't to take anything away from Rodriguez, and I would never argue against him being the most talented player in the game. At the end of the year, he'll still post numbers in the .320-40-130 range, which by itself is very impressive.
However, his salary (inflated since moving from SS to 3B, not that the Yankees can't absorb that) and lack of playoff production since joining the Yankees (.277-3-8 in 16 games, including a .133-0-0 last year) will always keep him in the "most overrated" debate.
Stupid Is As Stupid Does
I'll admit that I don't want to sit down and give Tim McCarver a rational explanation for why he's horrible at what does as much as I want to deliver a hatchet wound to his face. He's part of the reason why I don't believe FOX should broadcast anything other than NASCAR. His constant harping on all things Yankee drives me nuts, and then he uttered that "...if Brian Cashman assembled the Mets, they'd be considered the best team money can buy". Translation: Omar Minaya doesn't get the criticism of building through free agency that Brian Cashman gets.
Boo. Freakin'. Hoo.
Incredibly, the mouth at the base of Joe Buck's drive in movie theatre-sized melon stated the obvious:
New York Mets 2006 payroll: $100M
New York Yankees 2006 payroll: $198M
You could assemble two New York Mets with the amount of money that Brian Cashman has spent on the Yanks, Tim. Nice attempt, but you're wrong. Let's also mention that in the last 2 years, the Mets farm system has produced 3B David Wright, SS Jose Reyes and should-be-starting pitcher Aaron Heilman and SP Brian Bannister. The Yankees have produced 2B Robinson Cano and SP Chien-Ming Wang.
With Lastings Milledge and Tagg Bozied in Norfolk, Willie Collazo and Michael Abreu in Binghampton, the Mets will add 2-4 more before 2008.
As someone who likes the Boston Red Sox, whose payroll is over $100M, I can't whine about how much money the Yankees spend on payroll. But for McCarver to point the finger at Minaya and basically say "Look, he's spending a lot of money, too" just reeks of him being the Yankee-loving shill he is.
If you want to skewer Minaya, do so over him trading Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. That trade is going to haunt the Mets for a long, long time.
All-Star Balloting
If you're interested in voting for the 2006 All-Star game, you can do so here. They have links that allow you to vote in English, Spanish or Japanese.
It's at this point where I'm going to begin campaigning for a certain player. We all know that that with every All-Star ballot, there are guys who have been on the DL since mid-April who still win the fan vote, while a more deserving player gets shut out.
This year, I'm urging everyone to do the right thing, and vote for Seattle Mariners 2B Jose Lopez as the American League 2B. The 22-year old Lopez is in his 2nd season with the big club, is a slick fielder and currently leads all American League 2B in: hits, triples, homeruns, slugging % and OPS, and is tied for the lead in doubles.
He's clearly the best choice in the AL, but seeing how he's an unknown guy, which playing in Seattle doesn't help, he'll likely finish well behind Robinson Cano, Mark Loretta, Luis Castillo and Brian Roberts in the fan vote.
Don't let that happen, people.
Friday, May 19, 2006
MLB - First Quarter Review
Kerry Wood's return wasn't a very successful one, as he yielded 3 HRs in the Cubs 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals. However, there are some positive signs. He reached 93mph on the gun, looking effortless in the process.
It's going to take some patience, but Wood took a pretty big step forward yesterday. Let's hope Dusty Baker is patient enough not to burn Wood out...again.
MLB First Quarter Review
Most teams will pass the 40-game mark this weekend, so it's a good time to break out the pre-season predictions I made back in March and see where we're at.
American League East
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
So far, the AL East has gone pretty much the way everyone has expected. Tampa Bay's youth and lack of pitching was going to extend their lease on last place for another season. Baltimore doesn't have the offense to keep up with Boston, New York or Toronto, and with a bullpen whose talent is on par with that of the Royals, the O's were not going anywhere (again) this year.
After an active off-season, the Blue Jays were expected to seriously challenge the Yankees and Red Sox for division supremacy. And even though they're currently in 3rd place in the division, they're only 1 game behind division-leading Boston. The big stories in New York have been the injuries in the outfield (Matsui, Sheffield, Damon and Crosby are all injured) and the end of the "Randy Johnson - Most Feared Left-Handed Starter in Baseball" era. Johnson has been getting hit, and hit hard. He's lost some heat from his fastball, and his age and long-time back ailments indicate that he won't be touching 98mph on the gun anytime soon. Boston sits atop the division, despite battling some inconsistencies on offense (particularly the early season woes of Mark Loretta and Manny Ramirez, as well as injuries to Coco Crisp, Trot Nixon and a limping Jason Varitek). The major question mark Boston had was who was going to close games, and when Keith Foulke was hit hard in his early outings, Terry Francona didn't hesist to hand the ball over to Jon Papelbon, who leads the AL in saves.
American League Central
Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
The Tigers have been the biggest surprise of the 2006 season thus far, and not to sound like Peter Gammons, but if Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez can remain healthy, there's no reason to think that they can't make a serious playoff run. Justin Verlander (My choice for AL Rookie of the Year) has been phenomenal thus far, and Joel Zumaya, a rookie reliever, has been touching 101mph on the radar gun, with excellent control.
I didn't think Chicago would repeat as Central champs. I didn't think that the leadership that Aaron Rowand, Carl Everett and Frank Thomas lost in the off-season was something the Sox could overcome. I was wrong. Ozzie Guillen more than makes up for the loss of those key veterans, and adding a guy like Jim Thome never hurts. Cleveland, on the other hand, has been a bit of a disappointment. Offensively, they're still capable of posting huge numbers every night. But I have serious concerns with the bullpen (though Wickman is an effective closer), and if CC Sabathia's early season injury (missed a month) comes back, I don't think Cleveland can replace him. Some people were very high on the Twins before the season started. With the addition of Luis Castillo at 2B, and the return of CF Torii Hunter, I'm sure many expected this team to play small-ball, and win with pitching and defense. Unfortunately, only Johan Santana has managed to keep his ERA under a touchdown, and the bullpen has failed miserably. Plus, this isn't an overly athletic team, in that they lack the speed to take the extra base or test the opposing defenses. To the 48 Kansas City Royals fans, all I can say is "I'm sorry". That team is so bad, and so old, it'll be years (at least 5) before they're ready to compete for a playoff spot.
American League West
Oakland A's
Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim)
Seattle Mariners
As much as I'd love to believe that Texas is ready to make a run at the division, there are still question marks about their pitching. John Koronka and Kevin Millwood have been good, but all you need to know about the state of their pitching is that they blew a 9-0 2nd inning lead, and a 1-run lead in the 9th inning, to the Yankees on Tuesday night. Teams that win divisions don't do that. Oakland is staying above .500, which is a good sign considering this is a team that is capable of getting hot very quickly. How long they let the rest of the division nip on their heels will be interesting to see. How disappointing are the Angels? When I saw Bartolo Colon on Opening Day, I couldn't believe my eyes. He looked like he ate a few rally monkeys. Francisco Rodriguez has looked very ordinary this year, which might add some legitimacy to the rumors that his elbow isn't 100%. And what I can say about the M's? They're only 5 back, but c'mon, this isn't a team that was expected to win many games. However, the top of that lineup is hitting very well, and you can't help but wonder how many more wins they'd have if Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre didn't have one more HR combined than Jose Lopez?
National League East
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
Florida Marlins
The Mets started hot, and have managed to stay there despite some injuries in their rotation. Victor Zambrano is out with a possibly career-ending injury, and Jose Lima can not be relied upon to be the #4 starter. And how good is David Wright? In Philadelphia, 2B Chase Utley and 1B Ryan Howard have more than replaced the whallop in the heart of the order, and CF Aaron Rowand has injected some life into that clubhouse. They got off to a slow start, but this is a team that can catch the Mets. Atlanta has turned it on lately, and it wouldn't be an NL East race without the Braves. Washington and Florida are right where we expected them. The biggest news in Washington is that the sale of the team has been approved, and perhaps some much needed stability within that franchise will occurr. As disheartening as seeing it's talented team blown up must be to Marlins fans, the future looks pretty bright (provided they can keep Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera). Hanley Ramirez is as good as advertised, and Dan Uggla has really impressed early on. Jeremy Hermida, once he returns from an injury, has an incredible arm in RF, and a good bat to match.
National League Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros
Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh Pirates
Why are people still pitching to Albert Pujols? 19 HRs in 41 games is just sick, and if teams are going to keep pitching to him, the single-season HR mark is going to wind up back in St. Louis this year. The Reds got off to a hot start, but have cooled considerably. The one sign I got of that happened was in a game against Arizona a few weeks ago, then the Reds played one of the worst defensive games I've seen all year. The amount of physical and mental errors they made, had me questioning whether or not this team was "ready" to challenge St. Louis for the division, or Philadelphia, Atlanta or NY for the wild card. Milwaukee is another young team, but unlike Cincinnati, they have better starting pitching, a better bullpen and play solid defense. They're probably not their yet, but they're close. Before the season, I thought that the keys to the Houston Astros season were a.) How quickly does Clemens take the mound after May 15th, and b.) Was Brad Lidge ok. I'll get to "a" later, but as for Brad Lidge, mentally, he appears alright. His problems have been with his mechanics, but Phil Garner had no choice but to let Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls close games for now. Hopefully for Houston, Lidge will get his delivery back on track. Aside from Greg Maddux, the Cubs are geting bad outings from their starters, and only Kansas City has scored fewer runs than Chicago has. With Derrek Lee a long ways away from coming back, you can pretty much stick a fork in Dusty Baker's crew. The Pirates would be well-served to bring in Bill Cowher for a motivational speech on winning on the road. The Bucs are just 3-17 away from PNC Park.
National League West
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers (of Los Angeles)
San Francisco Giants
The biggest story here is that every team in the NL West is over .500! Only 2 games separate San Francisco and San Diego, so unless someone breaks away from the pack (a feat any of these teams are capable of), this division likely won't be decided until the first week of October. San Diego has been red-hot lately, and its offense is finally starting to synch up with its good pitching. Arizona has been led by some solid hitting and amazing defense up the middle, the latter of which has allowed Brandon Webb to (finally) reach his potential as a true #1 guy at the top of the rotation. Webb's biggest problem was not trusting his defense enough, and because of that he tried to be too precise with his pitches, leading to a lot of free passes. In 9 starts this year, Webbh has only walked 7 batters. Colorado is getting solid starting pitching, and features relative unknowns like Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe and Garret Atkins. The return of Todd Helton from a nasty intestinal ailment can only make things better. The Dodgers problem thus far has been Danys Baez, whose 5 blown saves make the absence of Eric Gagne more pronounced. Nomar Garciaparra and JD Drew are raking at the plate this year, but when you put those two in the same sentence, it's usually to caution about injuries. And in San Francisco, I've heard a rumor that Barry Bonds is approaching some sort of historical milestone. Something about a career HR mark. I really can't be sure, because ESPN is barely mentioning it.
Where Does Roger Clemens Land?
This is the $20 million dollar (prorated over 4 months) question that everybody wants answered. Trouble is, Clemens isn't ready to give an answer yet, so we play the speculation game.
The rumored landing spots for Clemens are the Houston Astros, the Boston Red Sox, and because $20M is involved, the New York Yankees.
Clemens clearly has a history in all 3 cities, and Houston is likely the front-runner, since they will allow Clemens to a.) live close to home, b.) travel with the team only when he's pitching and c.) get to play with his son, Kody, who is a catcher in the Astros organization who will likely be called up in September to appease his old man.
At this point, and against my better judgement, I'm ready to declare that the Yankees role in this will be to merely drive the price up for Boston. The Yankees have serious problems in the starting rotation (Shawn Chacon is better suited for the bullpen), but with Hideki Matsui likely out for the year, Gary Sheffield on the DL (and with a team option for 2007, he might not hurry back to avoid re-injuring his wrist when he could be a free agent) and Johnny Damon and Bubba Crosby dinged up, the Yankees might want to use some funds to add a corner outfield with power (i.e., not Terrence Long, who they signed yesterday).
So it comes down to Boston and Houston. The Red Sox give him the best opportunity to play in the post-season. Sorry 'Stros fans, but it's true. Adding Clemens to a rotation of Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield and Matt Clement would give Boston the best rotation in the AL, and with an offense that should improve once Coco Crisp returns from injury, Boston would be poised to severely slash the time their fans will have to wait for another World Series title.
The problem is, Boston likely won't allow Clemens to come and go as he pleases, and if the money's the same, why wouldn't Clemens prefer to play this season on his terms? We are talking about the same guy who chose not to re-sign with the Red Sox, and went to Toronto because the city "reminded him of Houston".
Still, there is a possibility that Clemens will attempt to "mend fences" by returning to the Red Sox. Clemens was an immensely popular, but highly scrutinized, player when he was in Boston. There is an Opus Dei-like segment of Red Sox Nation that absolutely, positively wants nothing to do with Roger Clemens. The majority of fans, however, will likely welcome Roger back with open arms.
With Clemens, it's all about the money. To the fans, it's all about the laundry.
It's going to take some patience, but Wood took a pretty big step forward yesterday. Let's hope Dusty Baker is patient enough not to burn Wood out...again.
MLB First Quarter Review
Most teams will pass the 40-game mark this weekend, so it's a good time to break out the pre-season predictions I made back in March and see where we're at.
American League East
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
So far, the AL East has gone pretty much the way everyone has expected. Tampa Bay's youth and lack of pitching was going to extend their lease on last place for another season. Baltimore doesn't have the offense to keep up with Boston, New York or Toronto, and with a bullpen whose talent is on par with that of the Royals, the O's were not going anywhere (again) this year.
After an active off-season, the Blue Jays were expected to seriously challenge the Yankees and Red Sox for division supremacy. And even though they're currently in 3rd place in the division, they're only 1 game behind division-leading Boston. The big stories in New York have been the injuries in the outfield (Matsui, Sheffield, Damon and Crosby are all injured) and the end of the "Randy Johnson - Most Feared Left-Handed Starter in Baseball" era. Johnson has been getting hit, and hit hard. He's lost some heat from his fastball, and his age and long-time back ailments indicate that he won't be touching 98mph on the gun anytime soon. Boston sits atop the division, despite battling some inconsistencies on offense (particularly the early season woes of Mark Loretta and Manny Ramirez, as well as injuries to Coco Crisp, Trot Nixon and a limping Jason Varitek). The major question mark Boston had was who was going to close games, and when Keith Foulke was hit hard in his early outings, Terry Francona didn't hesist to hand the ball over to Jon Papelbon, who leads the AL in saves.
American League Central
Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
The Tigers have been the biggest surprise of the 2006 season thus far, and not to sound like Peter Gammons, but if Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez can remain healthy, there's no reason to think that they can't make a serious playoff run. Justin Verlander (My choice for AL Rookie of the Year) has been phenomenal thus far, and Joel Zumaya, a rookie reliever, has been touching 101mph on the radar gun, with excellent control.
I didn't think Chicago would repeat as Central champs. I didn't think that the leadership that Aaron Rowand, Carl Everett and Frank Thomas lost in the off-season was something the Sox could overcome. I was wrong. Ozzie Guillen more than makes up for the loss of those key veterans, and adding a guy like Jim Thome never hurts. Cleveland, on the other hand, has been a bit of a disappointment. Offensively, they're still capable of posting huge numbers every night. But I have serious concerns with the bullpen (though Wickman is an effective closer), and if CC Sabathia's early season injury (missed a month) comes back, I don't think Cleveland can replace him. Some people were very high on the Twins before the season started. With the addition of Luis Castillo at 2B, and the return of CF Torii Hunter, I'm sure many expected this team to play small-ball, and win with pitching and defense. Unfortunately, only Johan Santana has managed to keep his ERA under a touchdown, and the bullpen has failed miserably. Plus, this isn't an overly athletic team, in that they lack the speed to take the extra base or test the opposing defenses. To the 48 Kansas City Royals fans, all I can say is "I'm sorry". That team is so bad, and so old, it'll be years (at least 5) before they're ready to compete for a playoff spot.
American League West
Oakland A's
Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim)
Seattle Mariners
As much as I'd love to believe that Texas is ready to make a run at the division, there are still question marks about their pitching. John Koronka and Kevin Millwood have been good, but all you need to know about the state of their pitching is that they blew a 9-0 2nd inning lead, and a 1-run lead in the 9th inning, to the Yankees on Tuesday night. Teams that win divisions don't do that. Oakland is staying above .500, which is a good sign considering this is a team that is capable of getting hot very quickly. How long they let the rest of the division nip on their heels will be interesting to see. How disappointing are the Angels? When I saw Bartolo Colon on Opening Day, I couldn't believe my eyes. He looked like he ate a few rally monkeys. Francisco Rodriguez has looked very ordinary this year, which might add some legitimacy to the rumors that his elbow isn't 100%. And what I can say about the M's? They're only 5 back, but c'mon, this isn't a team that was expected to win many games. However, the top of that lineup is hitting very well, and you can't help but wonder how many more wins they'd have if Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre didn't have one more HR combined than Jose Lopez?
National League East
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
Florida Marlins
The Mets started hot, and have managed to stay there despite some injuries in their rotation. Victor Zambrano is out with a possibly career-ending injury, and Jose Lima can not be relied upon to be the #4 starter. And how good is David Wright? In Philadelphia, 2B Chase Utley and 1B Ryan Howard have more than replaced the whallop in the heart of the order, and CF Aaron Rowand has injected some life into that clubhouse. They got off to a slow start, but this is a team that can catch the Mets. Atlanta has turned it on lately, and it wouldn't be an NL East race without the Braves. Washington and Florida are right where we expected them. The biggest news in Washington is that the sale of the team has been approved, and perhaps some much needed stability within that franchise will occurr. As disheartening as seeing it's talented team blown up must be to Marlins fans, the future looks pretty bright (provided they can keep Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera). Hanley Ramirez is as good as advertised, and Dan Uggla has really impressed early on. Jeremy Hermida, once he returns from an injury, has an incredible arm in RF, and a good bat to match.
National League Central
St. Louis Cardinals
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Houston Astros
Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh Pirates
Why are people still pitching to Albert Pujols? 19 HRs in 41 games is just sick, and if teams are going to keep pitching to him, the single-season HR mark is going to wind up back in St. Louis this year. The Reds got off to a hot start, but have cooled considerably. The one sign I got of that happened was in a game against Arizona a few weeks ago, then the Reds played one of the worst defensive games I've seen all year. The amount of physical and mental errors they made, had me questioning whether or not this team was "ready" to challenge St. Louis for the division, or Philadelphia, Atlanta or NY for the wild card. Milwaukee is another young team, but unlike Cincinnati, they have better starting pitching, a better bullpen and play solid defense. They're probably not their yet, but they're close. Before the season, I thought that the keys to the Houston Astros season were a.) How quickly does Clemens take the mound after May 15th, and b.) Was Brad Lidge ok. I'll get to "a" later, but as for Brad Lidge, mentally, he appears alright. His problems have been with his mechanics, but Phil Garner had no choice but to let Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls close games for now. Hopefully for Houston, Lidge will get his delivery back on track. Aside from Greg Maddux, the Cubs are geting bad outings from their starters, and only Kansas City has scored fewer runs than Chicago has. With Derrek Lee a long ways away from coming back, you can pretty much stick a fork in Dusty Baker's crew. The Pirates would be well-served to bring in Bill Cowher for a motivational speech on winning on the road. The Bucs are just 3-17 away from PNC Park.
National League West
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers (of Los Angeles)
San Francisco Giants
The biggest story here is that every team in the NL West is over .500! Only 2 games separate San Francisco and San Diego, so unless someone breaks away from the pack (a feat any of these teams are capable of), this division likely won't be decided until the first week of October. San Diego has been red-hot lately, and its offense is finally starting to synch up with its good pitching. Arizona has been led by some solid hitting and amazing defense up the middle, the latter of which has allowed Brandon Webb to (finally) reach his potential as a true #1 guy at the top of the rotation. Webb's biggest problem was not trusting his defense enough, and because of that he tried to be too precise with his pitches, leading to a lot of free passes. In 9 starts this year, Webbh has only walked 7 batters. Colorado is getting solid starting pitching, and features relative unknowns like Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe and Garret Atkins. The return of Todd Helton from a nasty intestinal ailment can only make things better. The Dodgers problem thus far has been Danys Baez, whose 5 blown saves make the absence of Eric Gagne more pronounced. Nomar Garciaparra and JD Drew are raking at the plate this year, but when you put those two in the same sentence, it's usually to caution about injuries. And in San Francisco, I've heard a rumor that Barry Bonds is approaching some sort of historical milestone. Something about a career HR mark. I really can't be sure, because ESPN is barely mentioning it.
Where Does Roger Clemens Land?
This is the $20 million dollar (prorated over 4 months) question that everybody wants answered. Trouble is, Clemens isn't ready to give an answer yet, so we play the speculation game.
The rumored landing spots for Clemens are the Houston Astros, the Boston Red Sox, and because $20M is involved, the New York Yankees.
Clemens clearly has a history in all 3 cities, and Houston is likely the front-runner, since they will allow Clemens to a.) live close to home, b.) travel with the team only when he's pitching and c.) get to play with his son, Kody, who is a catcher in the Astros organization who will likely be called up in September to appease his old man.
At this point, and against my better judgement, I'm ready to declare that the Yankees role in this will be to merely drive the price up for Boston. The Yankees have serious problems in the starting rotation (Shawn Chacon is better suited for the bullpen), but with Hideki Matsui likely out for the year, Gary Sheffield on the DL (and with a team option for 2007, he might not hurry back to avoid re-injuring his wrist when he could be a free agent) and Johnny Damon and Bubba Crosby dinged up, the Yankees might want to use some funds to add a corner outfield with power (i.e., not Terrence Long, who they signed yesterday).
So it comes down to Boston and Houston. The Red Sox give him the best opportunity to play in the post-season. Sorry 'Stros fans, but it's true. Adding Clemens to a rotation of Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield and Matt Clement would give Boston the best rotation in the AL, and with an offense that should improve once Coco Crisp returns from injury, Boston would be poised to severely slash the time their fans will have to wait for another World Series title.
The problem is, Boston likely won't allow Clemens to come and go as he pleases, and if the money's the same, why wouldn't Clemens prefer to play this season on his terms? We are talking about the same guy who chose not to re-sign with the Red Sox, and went to Toronto because the city "reminded him of Houston".
Still, there is a possibility that Clemens will attempt to "mend fences" by returning to the Red Sox. Clemens was an immensely popular, but highly scrutinized, player when he was in Boston. There is an Opus Dei-like segment of Red Sox Nation that absolutely, positively wants nothing to do with Roger Clemens. The majority of fans, however, will likely welcome Roger back with open arms.
With Clemens, it's all about the money. To the fans, it's all about the laundry.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Wood Returns
Not a Banner Year for the Young Family
First you had Delmon Young, a top prospect for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, suspended for 50 games by the Internation League for his "Hey ump, think quick" bat incident after being stuck out by Pawtucket's Jon Lester. Now it's surfaced that his older brother, Dmitri, DH for the Detroit Tigers, has been charged with domestic violence.
This can be considered out of character for Dmitri, who is widely regarded as being one of baseball's "good guys", and has drawn praise for his criticism of his younger brother's transgressions.
Kerry Wood Returns...But For How Long?
Every baseball fan remembers the way Kerry Wood burst onto the scene in 1998. In just his 5th start, the 20-year old Wood fanned 20 Houston Astros, and the comparisons to another big right-handed starting pitcher from Texas were simply too obvious to ignore. In the 8 years that followed, Wood has made 9 trips to the disabled list. His arm never able to remain healthy enough to deliver on the Hall of Fame promise it showed.
Today, Wood returns to the mound for the first time in 10 months. There's been a lot of talk about how Wood was overused when he was young, which may or may not be true. It seems obvious considering how quickly his injuries came.
If overusage is really a concern regarding Wood, then perhaps the best thing for him would be to get far away from Dusty Baker, who has a history of burning out starting pitching. Just look at how Mark Prior, a pitcher with flawless mechanics when he was called up, has had his career derailed by injuries under Dusty's stewardship.
Coming tomorrow: A review of the first quarter of the MLB season.
First you had Delmon Young, a top prospect for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, suspended for 50 games by the Internation League for his "Hey ump, think quick" bat incident after being stuck out by Pawtucket's Jon Lester. Now it's surfaced that his older brother, Dmitri, DH for the Detroit Tigers, has been charged with domestic violence.
This can be considered out of character for Dmitri, who is widely regarded as being one of baseball's "good guys", and has drawn praise for his criticism of his younger brother's transgressions.
Kerry Wood Returns...But For How Long?
Every baseball fan remembers the way Kerry Wood burst onto the scene in 1998. In just his 5th start, the 20-year old Wood fanned 20 Houston Astros, and the comparisons to another big right-handed starting pitcher from Texas were simply too obvious to ignore. In the 8 years that followed, Wood has made 9 trips to the disabled list. His arm never able to remain healthy enough to deliver on the Hall of Fame promise it showed.
Today, Wood returns to the mound for the first time in 10 months. There's been a lot of talk about how Wood was overused when he was young, which may or may not be true. It seems obvious considering how quickly his injuries came.
If overusage is really a concern regarding Wood, then perhaps the best thing for him would be to get far away from Dusty Baker, who has a history of burning out starting pitching. Just look at how Mark Prior, a pitcher with flawless mechanics when he was called up, has had his career derailed by injuries under Dusty's stewardship.
Coming tomorrow: A review of the first quarter of the MLB season.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Holmgren Signs 2-Year Extension
According to Mike Sando of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seattle Seahawks and head coach Mike Holmgren have agreed on a 2-year contract extension.
Coach Holmgren had admitted in the period after Super Bowl XL that he still has the itch to be a GM in the NFL. While his tenure as GM has been criticized for its multiple flops (Lamar King, trading Ahman Green for Fred Vinson), the truth of the matter is Mike Holmgren added several quality players that have helped transform the Seattle Seahawks into the NFC powerhouse they currently are.
It was Mike Holmgren who traded disgruntled WR Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys for a pair of 1st round picks, one of which was used to draft 2006 NFL MVP Shaun Alexander. It was Mike Holmgren who dealt a 3rd round draft choice and a swap of 1st round picks with the Green Bay Packers for the now 2-time Pro Bowl QB Matt Hasselbeck and used the 1st round pick acquired from Green Bay on the recently departed Steve Hutchinson, who is recognized as being the best guard in the NFL.
Even after being stripped of the title of GM, Holmgren's fingerprints can be found all over the addition of 2003 and 2004 drafts, which has produced starters Sean Locklear, Marcus Trufant, Ken Hamlin and Michael Boulware.
During the recent post-draft mini-camp, Holmgren expressed a desire to remain in Seattle as the head coach. Given his age, and his many accomplishments, an extension of 2 years has been widely regarded as being a done deal.
Whether or not the contract contains language regarding Holmgren leaving to pursue a GM job remains unknown at this time.
Coach Holmgren had admitted in the period after Super Bowl XL that he still has the itch to be a GM in the NFL. While his tenure as GM has been criticized for its multiple flops (Lamar King, trading Ahman Green for Fred Vinson), the truth of the matter is Mike Holmgren added several quality players that have helped transform the Seattle Seahawks into the NFC powerhouse they currently are.
It was Mike Holmgren who traded disgruntled WR Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys for a pair of 1st round picks, one of which was used to draft 2006 NFL MVP Shaun Alexander. It was Mike Holmgren who dealt a 3rd round draft choice and a swap of 1st round picks with the Green Bay Packers for the now 2-time Pro Bowl QB Matt Hasselbeck and used the 1st round pick acquired from Green Bay on the recently departed Steve Hutchinson, who is recognized as being the best guard in the NFL.
Even after being stripped of the title of GM, Holmgren's fingerprints can be found all over the addition of 2003 and 2004 drafts, which has produced starters Sean Locklear, Marcus Trufant, Ken Hamlin and Michael Boulware.
During the recent post-draft mini-camp, Holmgren expressed a desire to remain in Seattle as the head coach. Given his age, and his many accomplishments, an extension of 2 years has been widely regarded as being a done deal.
Whether or not the contract contains language regarding Holmgren leaving to pursue a GM job remains unknown at this time.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Matsui's Consecutive Game Streak Comes to an End
Hideki Matsui, the star leftfielder for the New York Yankees, is primarily known for two things:
1. His streak of 1,768 consecutive games played (1250 in Japan, 518 with the Yankees) and,
2. His massive porn collection
After fracturing his left wrist in the 1st inning of tonight's game against the Red Sox, both of Matsui's passions will be on the shelf for awhile.
Tough break, Hideki. It'll feel like someone else for a little while.
1. His streak of 1,768 consecutive games played (1250 in Japan, 518 with the Yankees) and,
2. His massive porn collection
After fracturing his left wrist in the 1st inning of tonight's game against the Red Sox, both of Matsui's passions will be on the shelf for awhile.
Tough break, Hideki. It'll feel like someone else for a little while.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Thoughts on the NFL Draft
After doing a 7-round mock draft, it's safe to say that I pretty much stink at that. I only had 25 of the 32 1st round picks, as did Mike Mayock (NFL.com) and Mel Kiper (ESPN). However, I had only 4 direct hits (player to the team) and 1 instance where I predicted that Jay Cutler would be the 11th pick to St. Louis, but Denver traded up to that spot to nab him.
In rounds 2-6, I didn't have one direct hit. However, I did hit on 2 selections in the 7th round (C Will Montgomery to the Panthers and P Ryan Plackemeier to the Seahawks). In addition to that, I did have 4 guys going to the team eventually drafted him. By comparison, Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc. had a grand total of 9 players going to the right team.
My final conclusion is that as mediocre as I did, I'm still in the ballpark.
Seattle Seahawks 2006 Draft Class
#31- Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami
Seattle's biggest need was in the secondary, both CB and S. Jennings is not your typical "The U" player. He's already earned two academic degrees and plans on going for his master's while playing. He's not an overly physical CB, but he's got solid cover skills and is ready to start now. He'll compete with Kelly Herndon, Jimmy Williams and Jordan Babineaux for the starting LCB position opposite Marcus Trufant, but will see plenty of action in his rookie season regardless of how that turns out.
#63- Darryl Tapp, DE, Virginia Tech
Tapp is a high-motor, solid character player that Tim Ruskell covets. Put simply, he slipped out of the 1st round because of his measurables. He's short, not very big, but spent his entire Hokie career making play after play. He'll likely begin his career as a situation pass rusher on the right side, spelling Grant Wistrom.
#128- Rob Sims, OG, Ohio State
Despite the perception that Seattle has adequate depth on the offensive line, they are thin inside. With incumbent starters Chris Gray and Robbie Tobeck, and Floyd Womack (the expected starter at LG) all in the final years of their contracts, Seattle added some depth to guard against possible retirements after 2006 (Tobeck and Gray are both 36).
#163 - David Kirtman, FB, USC
For the last few years, Seattle has brought in fullback after fullback to try and outperform Pro Bowler Mack Strong, and all have failed. First there was Reggie Brown, and then Heath Evans. Neither lasted more than a few seasons patrolling special teams and the #2 spot on the FB depth chart. Well, Kirtman is the new heir apparent to the ageless Strong. An excellent receiver out of the backfield, he certainly fits the mold of what the FB in the WCO offense is supposed to do. Kirtman has also been the lead blocker for guys like LenDale White and Reggie Bush. It also helps that Kirtman's parents live right next door to Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren on Mercer Island.
#239 - Ryan Plackemeier, P, Wake Forest
To show how undersized 2nd round pick Darryl Tapp is, take Plackemeier. The 7th round draft pick is 6-3, 252 lbs, which is bigger than Tapp (6-1, 250). Plackemeier's nickname is "Gus the Mule", and he has a very, very strong leg. He also handled kickoff duties in college, and since depth on kickoffs has been a bugaboo of Josh Brown's, Plackemeier could unseat the recently re-signed vetern Tom Rouen for the punter gig as a rookie.
#249 - Ben Obomanu, WR, Auburn
Obomanu is a tall (6-2), athletic (4.4 40-yard) WR that Seattle can develop. The offense in Auburn has been in flux the last two years, so Obomanu hasn't caught many passes though he's regarded as being a sure-handed WR that can stretch the field and gain yards after the catch. My best guess is that Obomanu comes down with a mysterious ailment during training camp so Seattle can hide him on IR.
Most of the draft grades have Seattle at a B or C, which is fine. Seattle was skewered after last year's draft where they didn't get a pass-rushing DE and reached to take Lofa Tatupu and LeRoy Hill. All they ended up doing was leading the NFL in sacks, Tatupu went to the Pro Bowl (and was robbed of the DROY that went to Shawne Merriman), and Hill registered 7.5 sacks after not playing much the first month of the season.
To effectively grade Seattle's draft, one should not overlook that they used their 3rd round pick to acquire WR Nate Burleson, who is expected to start opposite Darrell Jackson this season. In a draft that lacked much talent at the WR position, getting an experienced guy like Burleson in the 3rd round was a plus.
Seattle also dealt their 6th round pick to the Bears for veteran S Mike Green, who is an accomplished special teams player and has valuable starting experience in the NFL, as well as the versatility to play either SS or FS, as needed.
Overall, I'm content to grade the Seahawks draft as a B. The more accurate grade, for all teams, is an incomplete, as you never know until these guys actually play some games.
Drafts I Liked
In no particular order:
New England Patriots
I loved the selections of Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson, and I expect the two draft choices to make considerable contributions in year 1. Chad Jackson is a guy many thought could go in the upper portion of the 1st round, and the Patriots smartly passed on a trade for the costly Javon Walker (coming off an injury, as well) to snag the former Florida WR. Corey Dillon has a lot of mileage on his legs, and with the way the Patriots struggled to run the ball when Dillon was injured in 2005, Maroney is a good guy to have waiting in the wings.
Houston Texans
Sure, they passed on Reggie Bush. But look at what they added! Mario Williams and Demeco Ryans are going to start immediately on defense, and they got Eric Winston and Charles Spencer to help protect David Carr. When you can get 4 instant starters on both sides of the ball, in key areas your team has struggled in, you've done well for yourself.
New York Jets
The new guys in the Jets front office clearly understand that when you're building a team, or improving a team, the quickest way to do that is up front. And it just so happens that the Jets got the two best offensive lineman in the whole draft. Using both 1st rounders on LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson (4th) and C Nick Mangold (29th), the Jets have instantly improved their offensive line and just might keep their QBs healthy. OLB Rocky McIntosh will start immediately, but I do not understand the selection of Anthony Schlegel. With Jon Alston of Stanford (who was picked next, by the way) still on the board, the Jets could've had McIntosh and Alston on the outside of Johnathan Vilma, and that would've made as solid a core at the LB position as there is in the league. Brad Smith is an intriguing WR/KR prospect, and Kellen Clemens is a highly rated QB prospect.
Drafts I Didn't Like
San Francisco 49ers
While it's hard to knock the selection of TE Vernon Davis, I don't think that San Francisco did much to improve themselves. He's a phenomenal player, a guy who could join Antonio Gates, Jeremy Shockey as the great TEs (along with Tony Gonzalez) who revolutionized the position. But he's a tight end, and you don't want your best receiver to ever be your tight end. If he's so good, why did the 49ers use 3 of their next 8 selections on WRs? They also added 3 DEs and 2 safeties, yet they completely ignored their offensive line, interior defensive line and the linebacker position.
Manny Lawson was a fantastic selection, and likely is a steal at #22, but I can't help but think that San Francisco made a few redundant selections that should've been used elsewhere.
Cincinnati Bengals
Johnathan Joseph was a good pick, as Andrew Whitworth in round 2 was a safe, if not sexy, selection. After that, they became a landing spot for utter turds. Frostee Rucker and AJ Nicholson have talent, but their character flags had them off many teams draft boards. And Reggie McNeal is the same guy who said a week ago that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are of a "dying breed", and that QBs shouldn't be statues. I guess I expect more out of Marvin Lewis.
Buffalo Bills
Here's why you don't hire an 85-year old guy to run your franchise.
S Donte Whitner of Ohio State is a fine football player. But you could've traded down 10 spots and he still would've been there. DT John McCargo is another solid football player, but you could've waited 2 ROUNDS, and he still would've been there. CB Ashton Youboty and S Ko Simpson feel much further than anyone expected. At some point, when 31 other NFL teams are drafting players who are not as talented as these guys, wouldn't that raise a red flag?
Marv Levy disagrees, and since he was around when the forward pass was a novelty, we shouldn't be too surprised that he botched another Bills draft.
In rounds 2-6, I didn't have one direct hit. However, I did hit on 2 selections in the 7th round (C Will Montgomery to the Panthers and P Ryan Plackemeier to the Seahawks). In addition to that, I did have 4 guys going to the team eventually drafted him. By comparison, Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc. had a grand total of 9 players going to the right team.
My final conclusion is that as mediocre as I did, I'm still in the ballpark.
Seattle Seahawks 2006 Draft Class
#31- Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami
Seattle's biggest need was in the secondary, both CB and S. Jennings is not your typical "The U" player. He's already earned two academic degrees and plans on going for his master's while playing. He's not an overly physical CB, but he's got solid cover skills and is ready to start now. He'll compete with Kelly Herndon, Jimmy Williams and Jordan Babineaux for the starting LCB position opposite Marcus Trufant, but will see plenty of action in his rookie season regardless of how that turns out.
#63- Darryl Tapp, DE, Virginia Tech
Tapp is a high-motor, solid character player that Tim Ruskell covets. Put simply, he slipped out of the 1st round because of his measurables. He's short, not very big, but spent his entire Hokie career making play after play. He'll likely begin his career as a situation pass rusher on the right side, spelling Grant Wistrom.
#128- Rob Sims, OG, Ohio State
Despite the perception that Seattle has adequate depth on the offensive line, they are thin inside. With incumbent starters Chris Gray and Robbie Tobeck, and Floyd Womack (the expected starter at LG) all in the final years of their contracts, Seattle added some depth to guard against possible retirements after 2006 (Tobeck and Gray are both 36).
#163 - David Kirtman, FB, USC
For the last few years, Seattle has brought in fullback after fullback to try and outperform Pro Bowler Mack Strong, and all have failed. First there was Reggie Brown, and then Heath Evans. Neither lasted more than a few seasons patrolling special teams and the #2 spot on the FB depth chart. Well, Kirtman is the new heir apparent to the ageless Strong. An excellent receiver out of the backfield, he certainly fits the mold of what the FB in the WCO offense is supposed to do. Kirtman has also been the lead blocker for guys like LenDale White and Reggie Bush. It also helps that Kirtman's parents live right next door to Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren on Mercer Island.
#239 - Ryan Plackemeier, P, Wake Forest
To show how undersized 2nd round pick Darryl Tapp is, take Plackemeier. The 7th round draft pick is 6-3, 252 lbs, which is bigger than Tapp (6-1, 250). Plackemeier's nickname is "Gus the Mule", and he has a very, very strong leg. He also handled kickoff duties in college, and since depth on kickoffs has been a bugaboo of Josh Brown's, Plackemeier could unseat the recently re-signed vetern Tom Rouen for the punter gig as a rookie.
#249 - Ben Obomanu, WR, Auburn
Obomanu is a tall (6-2), athletic (4.4 40-yard) WR that Seattle can develop. The offense in Auburn has been in flux the last two years, so Obomanu hasn't caught many passes though he's regarded as being a sure-handed WR that can stretch the field and gain yards after the catch. My best guess is that Obomanu comes down with a mysterious ailment during training camp so Seattle can hide him on IR.
Most of the draft grades have Seattle at a B or C, which is fine. Seattle was skewered after last year's draft where they didn't get a pass-rushing DE and reached to take Lofa Tatupu and LeRoy Hill. All they ended up doing was leading the NFL in sacks, Tatupu went to the Pro Bowl (and was robbed of the DROY that went to Shawne Merriman), and Hill registered 7.5 sacks after not playing much the first month of the season.
To effectively grade Seattle's draft, one should not overlook that they used their 3rd round pick to acquire WR Nate Burleson, who is expected to start opposite Darrell Jackson this season. In a draft that lacked much talent at the WR position, getting an experienced guy like Burleson in the 3rd round was a plus.
Seattle also dealt their 6th round pick to the Bears for veteran S Mike Green, who is an accomplished special teams player and has valuable starting experience in the NFL, as well as the versatility to play either SS or FS, as needed.
Overall, I'm content to grade the Seahawks draft as a B. The more accurate grade, for all teams, is an incomplete, as you never know until these guys actually play some games.
Drafts I Liked
In no particular order:
New England Patriots
I loved the selections of Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson, and I expect the two draft choices to make considerable contributions in year 1. Chad Jackson is a guy many thought could go in the upper portion of the 1st round, and the Patriots smartly passed on a trade for the costly Javon Walker (coming off an injury, as well) to snag the former Florida WR. Corey Dillon has a lot of mileage on his legs, and with the way the Patriots struggled to run the ball when Dillon was injured in 2005, Maroney is a good guy to have waiting in the wings.
Houston Texans
Sure, they passed on Reggie Bush. But look at what they added! Mario Williams and Demeco Ryans are going to start immediately on defense, and they got Eric Winston and Charles Spencer to help protect David Carr. When you can get 4 instant starters on both sides of the ball, in key areas your team has struggled in, you've done well for yourself.
New York Jets
The new guys in the Jets front office clearly understand that when you're building a team, or improving a team, the quickest way to do that is up front. And it just so happens that the Jets got the two best offensive lineman in the whole draft. Using both 1st rounders on LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson (4th) and C Nick Mangold (29th), the Jets have instantly improved their offensive line and just might keep their QBs healthy. OLB Rocky McIntosh will start immediately, but I do not understand the selection of Anthony Schlegel. With Jon Alston of Stanford (who was picked next, by the way) still on the board, the Jets could've had McIntosh and Alston on the outside of Johnathan Vilma, and that would've made as solid a core at the LB position as there is in the league. Brad Smith is an intriguing WR/KR prospect, and Kellen Clemens is a highly rated QB prospect.
Drafts I Didn't Like
San Francisco 49ers
While it's hard to knock the selection of TE Vernon Davis, I don't think that San Francisco did much to improve themselves. He's a phenomenal player, a guy who could join Antonio Gates, Jeremy Shockey as the great TEs (along with Tony Gonzalez) who revolutionized the position. But he's a tight end, and you don't want your best receiver to ever be your tight end. If he's so good, why did the 49ers use 3 of their next 8 selections on WRs? They also added 3 DEs and 2 safeties, yet they completely ignored their offensive line, interior defensive line and the linebacker position.
Manny Lawson was a fantastic selection, and likely is a steal at #22, but I can't help but think that San Francisco made a few redundant selections that should've been used elsewhere.
Cincinnati Bengals
Johnathan Joseph was a good pick, as Andrew Whitworth in round 2 was a safe, if not sexy, selection. After that, they became a landing spot for utter turds. Frostee Rucker and AJ Nicholson have talent, but their character flags had them off many teams draft boards. And Reggie McNeal is the same guy who said a week ago that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are of a "dying breed", and that QBs shouldn't be statues. I guess I expect more out of Marvin Lewis.
Buffalo Bills
Here's why you don't hire an 85-year old guy to run your franchise.
S Donte Whitner of Ohio State is a fine football player. But you could've traded down 10 spots and he still would've been there. DT John McCargo is another solid football player, but you could've waited 2 ROUNDS, and he still would've been there. CB Ashton Youboty and S Ko Simpson feel much further than anyone expected. At some point, when 31 other NFL teams are drafting players who are not as talented as these guys, wouldn't that raise a red flag?
Marv Levy disagrees, and since he was around when the forward pass was a novelty, we shouldn't be too surprised that he botched another Bills draft.
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