The worst problem facing baseball is not PEDs, player/owner greed, competitive balance or ticket prices. It is the fans themselves. Specifically, I'm talking about the exhausted ritual known in sports as 'the wave'. I was in Fenway Park on Thursday to see the Red Sox take on the California Angels. The Sox were going for a sweep over the team they will in all likely-hood be matched up against in the ALDS next month. Josh Beckett has just tossed eight strong but given up the tying run on a wild-pitch strikeout that should have ended the inning had Jason Varitek done what he usually does. Now in the ninth inning, Billy Wagner was on to preserve the tie. It was a sellout crowd, no one had left, but I think I was the only one watching the game. The fools sitting next to me in the centerfield bleachers insisted on starting the wave. I screamed at them to sit down but to no avail. One wave circled the entire park not once, but two times, to a loud roar of self-approval from the many participating jackasses. Howie Kendrick hit a bloop single over second base to push ahead the winning run, I wonder how many people actually saw it. If I were in charge of a baseball team, I would eject anyone who dared start a wave. They would be tarred and feathered, sent out into the streets and given a one-year ban from the stadium. To me, wave-starters are worse than people who run on the field. In fact, I think running on the field actually can have its place at the right time in a blowout. So please, next time you are at the ballpark and a wave comes by your seat, just stay seated. Don't feel obligated to jump up and flap your hands like a seventh grade girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. Be loud, be obnoxious, support your team but have some dignity and watch the damn game.
While Manny Ramirez' positive test was a blow to Boston fans, it didn't hurt nearly as much as the latest news on David Ortiz. Manny had become a Boston villain already. While Manny was clearly was the anchor of the offensive force that brought two world series titles, Big Papi was the heart and soul of it. Big Papi is still such an icon that he even avoided boos in Fenway Park while being the worst offensive player in baseball over the first two months of the season. Think Manny could have managed that? While watching Manny Ramirez hit it is clear one is watching a superb baseball talent. No drugs could craft such a perfect swing. Ortiz on the other hand, with his not-so-pretty left-handed power-stroke emerged as an offensive force out of nowhere in 2003 after an early career as a modest 20 home run, part-time guy for the Twins. Manny was going to the Hall of Fame anyway, Ortiz may be a case, like many other 90s sluggers, of a player created by steroids David Ortiz has been outspoken on the issue of steroids, which has brought him increased criticism the last couple days. He has stated that players who test positive should be banned for a full season. He has asked that Manny Ramirez, after testing positive, come out with the full truth. Now he claims to be "looking for answers" when it seems obvious that he was indeed notified of his positive '03 test. However before we all call Big Papi a Big Liar, lets give him a chance to come clean. If one reads between the lines of his off season comments which have recently received much attention, what he says is that we should forget the past. He was saying that now baseball has strict rules and they must be followed. Lets give him a chance to give details and an explanation as he has promised.
Tainting of Red Sox Championships: Negative Nancy Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy is quick to proclaim that this ruins the Red Sox great run. I don't care if the whole 2004 team was on steroids, it doesn't taint anything to me. When I look back on the '04 team and see Papi smashing clutch bombs, maybe I'll frown a little at him, roll my eyes, but I won't call him a fraud. I won't allow it to ruin what the team accomplished and what it meant to me then and still means to me now. Manny and Ortiz were using steroids to help beat A-Rod and Giambi, who used steroids. Big whoop.
The Latin Problem: The latest chapters in baseball's steroid debacle are infused with Latin superstars. Is it fair that they are increasingly being tarnished for using drugs that are easily accessible and often-times legal in their own home country? I don't really know the answer, but its a fair question.
The List: I've said it before, the names on this list should be released. If not legally, then someone should leak them all. Not because it is fair to A-Rod and Papi to do so, but because otherwise we are going to get one or two names trickling out for the next ten years. The situation is a mess. Getting them all now is the only way to put this disaster to rest.
Bad Timing: David Ortiz has recently launched a new website, a new blog and on July 24 opened a new restaurant in Framingham, Mass. called Big Papi's Grill.
Rem Dawg?!?!?!?!?: Jerry Remy's son Jared was fired by the team last year for using steroids. It is possible he was supplying steroids, though he denies it. He has admitted to discussing steroid use with Ortiz' personal assistant, though says he has no knowledge of any player usage.
Bronson Arroyo: Arroyo came out and admitted he used Mark McGwire's beloved "andro" and some other stuff in 2003. He said it made him feel like a "monster". He also spoke openly about using amphetamines. "Oh yeah, of course I took a greenie for a 12:35 p.m. game," Arroyo said. "Pitching against Johan Santana, you don't think I'm going to take a greenie if I could? C'mon." Give Arroyo credit, is he the first active player to admit steroid use without first being caught? I can't think of another...
Some last words from Manny: Manny Ramirez tells ESPN's Bob Holzman that 50 game suspension was embarrassing but release of his name "isn't that big of a deal" Ramirez: "Me and David (Ortiz) are mountains: This isn't going to have any impact on either of us. We're both going to keep hitting."
Roy Halladay tossed a complete game to shut down the scuffling Red Sox offense and out-duel Jon Lester to lead his Jays to a 3-1 win yesterday at Skydome. No surprise there. I don't care what anyone says, Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball. Depending on the hour, rumors will have him going, or not going, to any variety of teams by the trade deadline. I am sure of this- no price is too high to acquire the ace. Halladay increases the championship odds of any contender that grabs him by so much, GMs should consider it a necessity to surrender whatever chips they have.
Trade him within the A.L. East?: J.P. Ricciardi is one of those GMs, like Minaya and Sabbean, who have received a lot of praise for no reason at all. Finally his stock is starting to sour. There are various reports as to whether or not he would be willing to trade Halladay within the A.L. East. If he does give him up to the Yankees or Red Sox, it will be one of the dumbest things ever done in the history of sports and Bud Selig should ban him from the game for life. How anyone could support such a trade is beyond me. "Alright, we got a bunch of prospects that might be good one day, now the top team in our division with an unlimited payroll has the best pitcher in baseball and we get to try to beat them!" The (Devil) Rays are another story however. I wouldn't quip with trading Halladay to Tampa, mainly because they would never be able to re-sign him.
"It's better to destroy than to create what's unnecessary" -Critic to Guido in Fellini's "8 1/2": Theo Epstein's great failure as Red Sox GM has been finding a shortstop. When they could have kept Orlando Cabrera for $27 million, Theo had to go out and get "Rent-a-wreck" for $40 million. Lugo was an even more disastrous signing. I have never seen any major league shortstop play the position worse than Lugo did this year. The best move the Red Sox could possibly had made this year was to finally give up on him, long overdue. Now it is time to get rid of Brad Penny. The guy has had some "quality" starts, but that is the best he is going to give. Clay Buchholz made it clear that he's ready to start in the Big Leagues. Penny was a worthy risk to take in the off-season, but the Red Sox don't need him now. Eat the cash and cut ties. I am personally so sick of watching this overweight fireballer go out there every fifth day and labor through 100 straight fastballs and show-me curveballs in five innings of work. Even if Buchholz does no better, he will at least add some excitement and interest to that fifth starter spot.
R.I.P. Walter Cronkite, The Most Trusted Man in America
It seems that ever since my previous post declaring the Red Sox the supreme team in the American League, they have hit into somewhat of a slump while the Yankees are playing like a team with a $200 million payroll. Am I concerned? Well, no. It's a long season and slumps happen. The Sox are still in first and still should be a heavy favorite. That's not to say that the division isn't an extremely tough one, and it will not be a cakewalk. The Yanks are indeed very good, probably the second best team in baseball. Their once beleaguered bullpen is now very solid, especially if they are smart enough to leave Phil Hughes in it. Their lineup is a force that feasts on bad pitching.
Meanwhile John Smoltz has not looked too sharp. Give him time, the guy had major surgery. The Sox offense has also been slumping, especially Kevin Youkilis. Despite these struggles, the team still shows the grit of a champion. After blowing a historically bad 9-1 lead to Baltimore, the Sox found themselves trailing 5-1 in the ninth the next day. They rallied with two outs to tie it and won in extra innings. This is the kind of back-against-the-wall victory that only champions pull off. For many teams such a harsh defeat may have crippled an entire season. The Odd Season of Jonathan Papelbon: 2009 has seen Jonathan Papelbon struggle like he never has in his entire career, which is strange to say because he has still been one of the best closers in the game. He is 22 of 24 in save opportunities with a 1.89 era and has struck out over a batter per inning. At the same time, he seems to find himself in a jam every time he comes in. This is not the Papelbon of old, who gained cult figure status in Boston by dominating with 1-2-3 ten-pitch ninth innings. Just how strange has his season been? Well just look at his career walk totals. In 2006, his first full season, he walked 13 batters in 68.1 innings pitched. 2007; 15 walks in 58.1 innings pitched. Last year he walked an amazing eight batters in 69.1 innings. Like Mariano before him, the guy just didn't walk anybody, one of the most important factors in a great closers. This year? 18 walks, a career high, in 38 innings so far. Fortunately for Papelbon, his overpowering fastball and ability to get big strikeouts has kept him an elite closer despite the inexplicable control loss. However he has been looking more like K-Rod than Mariano and if he doesn't fix his control issues, this is cause for serious concern. In spring training Papelbon adjusted his delivery in order to put more stress on his legs and less on his arm so he could be more fresh at the end of the year. Could this be the explanation for his control loss? If so it seems to be negating its purpose. He already has a dozen 20+ pitch outings and if it continues, his workload by the end of the season will be greater than ever before. For a pitcher that has always complained of feeling tired at the end of the year, one must worry if Red Sox fans will see the same closer in the post-season that has thrown 25 scoreless playoff innings to start his career.
The Return of Nomar: The way Nomar Garciaparra departed Boston, it is easy to forget how much he meant to the city at one time. In his first four seasons, the guy was as good as anyone in the game. In 1999 the Red Sox went to the ALCS literally because of two players. One was Pedro Martinez, who was the pitching staff, the other was "Nomah", who likewise was the offense. It was very nice to see the ovation he got in his return, the biggest I've ever see at Fenway. Nomar was clearly choked up, and I'm not going to lie, so was I.
Wakefield: "I was telling George (Red Sox catcher Kottaras) behind the plate, 'How do you even catch that ball?' He was like, `I just close my eyes.' And I said, 'OK, I'm going to try that one, I'm going to close my eyes and swing.' And nothing." -- Orlando Cabrera on Tim Wakefield (courtesy of Boston Dirt Dogs) The word 'unique' is used too often. There is really only one unique player in baseball, his name is Tim Wakefield, and he has started more games than anyone in the 108 year history of the Boston Red Sox. He has done so without ever throwing a pitch above 80 miles per hour. He was won 14 or more games five times in his career, and with 11 wins this year already, is on good pace to perhaps reach or top his career high in victories, which was 17 in 2007 (no coincidence the Red Sox won that year). The first time all-star will be 43 on August 2 and with the knuckleball dancing as much as ever, looks like he could pitch another ten years. Wakefield is not only unique, but is one of the most unappreciated players in the game. When he finally retires, his number deserves to be hung up on the roof in right field just as much as anyone who has played in this golden age of Red Sox baseball.
With the half way point of the 2009 season approaching, the American League is nearly decided. The Red Sox are bullet-proof. Despite spending almost half-a-billion dollars in the off-season the New York Yankees have failed to catch up, and will not catch up in the A.L. East Race. The Red Sox now sit on a 44-27 record, 5 games up, and yet they are only beginning to fire on all cylinders. Starting Pitching: The Sox have gotten where they are now with what for the majority of the season so far has been inconsistent starting pitching. Beckett and Lester looked somewhat lost with plus-5 ERAs in April and May, Matsusaka was a train wreck and the most reliable starter was Tim Wakefield. Now they are starting to click. The early season woes of Josh Beckett, who last year was never himself due to injury, have passed. He is now clearly the dominant ace the team expects him to be, the one who's Gibson-esque postseason effort brought them their second championship in four years in 2007. In fact, he looks even better than that pitcher. Beckett has been mixing in his two-seem fastball much more regularly than ever before and has been putting it wherever he wants. When he throws to lefties it starts inside and moves away to hit the inside corner, at 96 miles per hour, a pitch that is un-hittable. If this was the Josh Beckett that had shown up up in last years postseason, as opposed to the one with a 90 mph fastball (the speed his changeup has been clocked at this season), the Red Sox would have celebrated their third title of the Theo Epstein/Terry Francona era. Beckett is not all this incredibly deep rotation has to offer though. Tonight in Washington they will be joined by another all-time great postseason performer in John Smoltz, who looked strong and healthy in his minor league rehab stint. Expect the move into Red Sox Nation to re-energize one of baseball's greatest competitors, much like it did to Curt Schilling in 2004. The Red Sox rotation is so good that, as Bob Ryan points out, losing a pitcher who went 18-3 last year with a .210 opponents batting average may actually be a blessing. If Dice-K never throws another pitch this season the Red Sox won't miss a beat. At the back of the rotation, Brad Penny has been clocked at 96 and is looking more and more like the pitcher that finished fourth in the Cy Young voting two years ago. If they want, the Red Sox could trade him to a desperate National League team, build for the future, and possibly make their rotation now even better by calling up Clay Buchholz, whose been nearly unhittable in triple-A and has consistently looked that way since the start of spring training. At the front of the Rotation Jon Lester is once again looking like the ace that he was much of last year. I don't see a team in baseball that could beat a playoff rotation featuring him, Josh Beckett and if healthy, John Smoltz. The Offense: Not only did the Red Sox get to the best record in the A.L. so far with inconsistent starting pitching, they did it with a gaping hole in the DH spot. It appeared to all watching, including myself, that David Ortiz was done. Strikeout by strikeout, pop-up by pop-up, weak ground ball by weak ground ball, it had become painful to watch Ortiz' decline. Well it may be to early to say for sure, but now it appears Big Papi is back. That means the best team in the league are only now adding one of the most fearsome left handed bats of the decade to hit behind Kevin Youkilis and MVP candidate Jason Bay. Since June 6, Ortiz is batting .357 with a .480 on-base percentage and an .833 slugging percentage. If anything encapsulated his return, it was his bomb off a 96 mph fastball from A.J. Burnett. The YES Network booth played it off as a mistake down the middle from Burnett and argued it was no sign that Ortiz is back. However he had been seeing many lesser fastballs down the middle of the plate all season that he could do nothing with, now he is destroying such pitches. Last night he hit a three-run shot about 440 feet to center field in the Nation's capital. He stood at home plate, tossed his bat into the air and slowly began to walk into his home run trot. The old Big Papi was back. Defense: The Red Sox defense has been impeccable this season with the exception of shortstop (although Nick Green has been decent of late). This is about to change with the addition of Jed Lowrie. Hopefully the absolutely terrible Julio Lugo will be released despite a large salary. Right now Lugo is one of the worst players in baseball both offensively and defensively. Getting him off the team no matter what Lowrie does at the plate, will be a great boost and deepen the bench. The Bullpen: It has been much spoken-of that the Red Sox bullpen has been their strength thus far. It seems Francona can pick any reliever out of a hat and throw them in as a reliable eighth inning setup man. The only relief dilemma for the Sox perhaps is figuring out just who is the best guy to setup Papelbon. Clearly that man is still Okajima. Francona seems to put a lot of trust in Delcarman, who I don't like in a big spot. I'd like to see Masterson as the go-to guy after Okajima, with Saito and Ramirez behind him. Daniel Bard has struggled in moments and shown his potential at other times. If grows throughout the season, it is possible with his 98 mph+ stuff, he could anchor the eighth inning making the bullpen even deeper. What did I mean when I said earlier the Red Sox are bulletproof? The could sustain almost any injury to any player. Even if Jonathan Papelbon were to go down, the Sox could simply plug John Smoltz in as the closer and the bullpen would hardly take a hit.
So the Red Sox will get better in all these categories, but their biggest advantage over the Yankees comes from the Manager. Terry Francona is amazing in his ability to do everything right. His incredible patience with Ortiz is now paying off. Recently he moved Ellsbury down in the lineup from leadoff to seventh despite the fact that he was coming off a 22 game hit-streak. The result? Ellsbury has caught fire. He's been able to be more agressive on the base paths. He has even been walking much more. The other day against Washington, Ellsbury was 4-4 with two triples, three RBIs and a stolen base. Now that's nice box score. Pedroia on the other hand is the perfect lead-off guy. He sees a ton of pitches and never strikes out. This season he has swung the bat 469 times. He has failed to make contact on only 33 of those swings. The Yankees used to have a great manager, but they decided to let him go for the dim-witted Joe Girardi. By the way, the Joe who will be in Cooperstown is now managing a team that has the best record in baseball and will be getting Manny Ramirez back in about a week. Oops.
I liked inter-league play when it began in 1997. Maybe that's because I was 12 years old and I thought it was cool. I am now 24 and it is far from cool. Unfortunately the powers that be still think it's the bee's knees. The reasons they cite in support this are trite, misguided and to an extent, flat out myths which are based on money and fan excitement. On the other hand, aside from the fact that the World Series match ups were much more exciting when the teams never saw each other, there are practical reasons of detraction which actually affect baseball pennant races.
The wrongdoings of interleague Attendence: The main reason interleague is unfortunately here to stay. Major League Baseball will tell you that thanks to interleague play, attendance is way up. If there is money to be made, interleague games will be played. How true is this really though? The biggest series, the subway series, features two teams that will sell between three and four million tickets during the season regardless of if they play each other six times. The places where attendance really skyrockets where it is way down. No one draws bigger crowds than the Yankees and Red Sox, so those two teams visiting National League cities will bring in sellout crowds, thus being very good for those less prosperous National League teams. But doesn't this hurt a team like the Royals? If they only get one visit each from the Sox and Yanks, don't they lose out big time financially? I don't think that having the Brewers and Reds come in instead is going to replace the Yankee/Red Sox crowds.
Wild Card: Fact A- It is possible that the Red Sox and the Twins will be competing for the AL wild card spot. Fact B- After their current series in the Metrodome, they will not see each other again this season having played only six games. Fact C- It is May. Instead they get to play their respected NL "geographic rivals" and other nonsense games against teams that they in no way are competing with. Hell, the Yankees play the Mets six times! Who benefits the most? Ticket scalpers and sports radio banter.
National League ball is different from American League ball- The rules are different because the teams are not meant to play each other. They are especially not meant to play 18 games against each other each season. Every time a pitcher hits in an NL park, they are at risk of injury. Exhibit A- Chien-Ming Wang. The ex-Yankee ace, current Yankee circus act, may have ended his career thanks to interleague play. Last year he hurt his foot running the bases in Houston. Since returning, his ERA is 25.00. It is yet to be seen if he will ever regain the form that won him 19 games in back to back years.
"Fans get to see stars they wouldn't normally see"- This is one of the biggest arguments made in favor of interleague. It is also one of the dumbest. The year is not 1960. In fact, it is 2009. Baseball fans can watch every single game on television and on the internet. There are 30 ballparks around the country too. If someone in Cleveland wants to see Albert Pujols play that badly, take a vacation and go Cincinnati when they play the Cards. Or hell, go to St. Louis, see Busch Stadium, check out the Budweiser brewery and have deep fried macaroni, or whatever it is they eat there. Make a weekend out of it!
Ok so I understand that as badly as I'd love to see interleague go, it ain't gonna happen anytime soon. I can meet in the middle somewhere. How about having it once every other year? This would keep the concept fresh at least. Also cut down the amount of games played, 18 is way too many. Cut it in half so teams could play each other in their own league more. Please, do anything, it's time for change.
Last night I attended the Boston Red Sox first trip to the new Yankee Stadium and sat through the two-hour delay. My seats were $90 to be 20 rows back in fair territory right next to the left-field foul pole. Ok, 90 bucks for a seat to a ball-game should put you right behind the plate, but the ticket price issue has been beaten to death so I won't bitch any further about that. Here are some observations from the game and the new park. -As a whole the stadium is beautiful. It's really an architectural marvel. The frieze that crowns the upper-deck as in the original, post renovation park, looks great. The open concourse that wraps around the park is awesome, you can always see the field when strolling to the bathroom and concessions. The bathroom access is superbly convenient, I never missed a pitch taking three trips to the bathroom in between innings throughout the game. -The upper-deck is pulled back, not as steep and much less imposing than in the old park. Unfortunately I guess I'm in the minority with the opinion that the old way of being on right on top of the field was far better. Its hard to say for sure, but it seems the less-enclosed feel will damage the intensity of the atmosphere in big games to come. -The obstructed view seats in the centerfield bleachers are as bad as advertised. It's easy to see from any point in the stadium that those seats are flat out awful. I'd rather watch the game from my couch. -The Daily News reported hundreds of fans were told by stadium staff during the delay that the game was canceled, left, and were not allowed back in. I can verify this to the extent that the staff did tell us the game was canceled and we should leave. However I was not so foolish to believe them and waited for an official report. -There seems to be a lot of good (and highly priced of course) food at the park. I ordered three sliders from the regular concession however, and they were the worst burgers I've ever ate in my life. They tasted like rubber, I spit them up. I later ordered a hot dog once the game started which was quite satisfying, as stadium dogs always are. -By start time at 9:20 on a cold and wet night, there were probably only 10,000 fans left in the park. With Lester dominating and Hughes struggling in the early innings, the energy was completely zapped. The place felt completely asleep. However when Damon and Teixeira went back-to-back in the fifth, the place woke up and the stadium pretty hard rocked despite being one-quarter full. A small crowd can be a good one if everyone is a good fan. -A couple years ago Mike Francesa said that Lester is a nice pitcher, but he's not Hughes, putting great emphasis on Hughes to make it sound like he is truly a God sent from the heavens to take the mound. He was wrong. -The scoreboard is overwhelming and quite a piece of technology. It almost draws too much attention. You get what you pay for. -The fat guy dancing guy who looked like David Wells is gone. Now there is a fat dancing guy who looks like Brian Knobs of the wrestling tag team The Nasty Boys. It's not the real Brian Knobs, he is a Rays fan.
I often wonder if any knowledgeable baseball fan could be a successful general manager. The best current example of this is Omar Minaya and the New York Mets, a team that was expected to compete for the World Series but, with the exception of about once every five games when the best pitcher in baseball is on the mound, have looked flat out awful thus far. Minaya has always been considered one of the more respected GMs since his days in Montreal, but has been garnering increasing criticism lately for his tenure with New York's second team. Since Omar has been with the Mets he has simply addressed obvious needs, needs that anyone could have recognized. First he spent money to get Pedro Martinez, a move that ultimately failed but immediately returned the Mets to a level of respectability. Last year the obvious need was an ace starting pitcher so he traded for Santana and threw a ton of money at him. It's a move he should be commended for, but still an obvious one to make. He failed to address the team's lack of bullpen depth and lack of clutch hitting, which ultimately burned them down the stretch once again. This year Minaya once again addressed the obvious, patching up last years awful relief squad by throwing cash at K-Rod and getting J.J. Putz. The necessary move to make, but he stopped there. If they didn't have the money to sign Manny Ramirez fine, but adding him would have made the lineup exponentially better. It would immediately go from a tight, soft, anti-clutch group of talented hitters to the most fearsome lineup in the game. Fine, maybe Bernie Madoff and the economy really hurt the Mets to the point where they couldn't spend for Manny, that better be the reason they ignored him. Instead they are running a kid in Daniel Murphy out into left field who can't catch fly balls, literally. He looks like I did as a 10 year old Little Leaguer in the outfield. He makes Manny look like a young Barry Bonds, and he may be able to handle a bat but he sure doesn't hit like those two aforementioned sluggers. Bobby Abreu was out there for cheap and would have been a nice fit instead, like so many other discount free agents that were out there, Minaya didn't even talk to him. Another major blunder was ignoring Orlando Hudson, who the Dodgers signed for literally nothing (one year, under $5 million). Hudson is the gritty kind of number-two hitter that the Mets could really use, but to the disgust of Mets fans everywhere, they didn't want to let go of Luis Castillo and the money they owe him (sure he's played well so far, but lets see how long that lasts). The offense isn't the Mets only defect. After Johan Santana their rotation has three question marks and one certainty in Livan Hernandez who must be approaching 50 years old and is guaranteed to be nothing more than an average fifth starter. It would have been easy for Minaya to bring in other options to start games. They let Pedro walk, who hasn't done much since 2005, but he's still Pedro and has much more potential than Livan. I don't understand why teams are terrified to take a chance and give Pedro $5 million for one year when at the same time the Royals gave Kyle Farnsworth $9 million for two. What the Mets did do is bring back Oliver Perez for $36 million and they acted like they were making a major move for the team in doing so. All they did was overpay a bad pitcher who occasionally gets hot because he has good stuff. Have fun with that for the next three years Mets fans. I understand not giving Derek Lowe $60 million dollars, I wouldn't do that either. However, to sign Perez for that deal instead is typical Mets. Lowe would have cost them only a little more than Oli, and he would have made the team, at least for this season, a lot better than what they are. The Mets remind me of the Dan Duquette Red Sox of the late 90s and early 2000s that felt that because they showcased Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez they could run out guys like Brian Daughbach and Mike Lansing and boast a rotation with Jeff Fassero, Frank Castillo, and Rolando Arrojo. It doesn't work. Because the Phillies' rotation is awful and the National League is weak, they could squeak into the playoffs and with Santana, anything could happen once there, but don't count on these choke artists winning a ring, it would take a minor miracle. If this Mets team was the Yankees and not the Mets, after blowing their season two years in a row in hideously embarrassing fashion I can assure you the squad would have now have Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe or A.J. Burnett, and Orlando Huson. Castillo would be gone and they would easily be the favorite in the National League. But they are the Mets and they are second rate. If they miss the playoffs this year, Omar Minaya will look like a moron and will deserve to be fired.
Here are some highlights from Sunday nights Yankee-Red Sox which I happened to be watching as I wrote this post.
-Jacoby Ellsbury stole home, Fenway went wild. Pettitte nor Posada ever saw it coming, most exciting play of the season. -Steve Phillips said that a young pitcher coming up wants to throw strikes early in the count and get ahead because the hitter will try to figure them out as the at bat goes on. Steve, tell me the pitcher that doesn't want to get ahead early in the count -Steve Phillips chuckled at a sign that says "Jacoby, marry my daughter." Steve then commented, "he's got good speed, he's going to be tough to catch." Thanks Steve. -Joe Morgan already gave up on the Yankees in the 8th inning, "they are going to need to get some more players, they don't have enough", eh maybe he's right, maybe its April. But that's ok, Joe probably doesn't know what month it is. -John Miller talked without even stopping to catch his breath for the entire broadcast, I didn't pay attention to anything he said so I can't comment on it.
Mark Fidrych burst onto the scene in 1976, going 19-9 for the Detroit Tigers. Though he only won 29 games in his entire career, the Massachusetts kid's quirky personality and mound histrionics in his dazzling rookie season made him one of the most memorable and beloved figures in Detroit sports history and earned him the nickname "The Bird." As WFAN host Richard Neer brought up last night, "The Bird" was one of baseballs last great nicknamed players. Nicknames used to be synonymous with the game, and while there will be an occasional a good one, they seem to be a mostly thing of the past. Dice-K and A-Rod are not good nicknames, they are abbreviations. On June 28, 1976 when the fifth place Detroit Tigers faced the New York Yankees on nationally televised Monday Night Baseball, 47,855 fans crammed into the old Tiger Stadium to watch "The Bird" pitch. Not one of those 47,855 people paid $2,500 for a seat. The average ticket price was $3.45. There were no four-star restaurants in the ballpark, swimming pools or replica Wiffleball stadiums for children to play in during the game. The 47,855 people did not come for these amenities, they came to sit and watch baseball and perhaps enjoy a hot dog and a beer, and they were rewarded. "The Bird" defeated the Yankees 5-1. Time of game was one hour and 51 minutes. No reliever closed out the game, he finished it, as he did 23 other games that season. After getting the 27th out, he was called back onto the field because none of the 47,855 would leave without him coming out to tip his cap. When Fidrych came out beaming, he oozed a genuine and humble youthfulness that can't exist today.
Finally the never ending spring training is over. No more WBC or steroids talk or gossip page A-Rod drama (for now), its time for real baseball. One game into the season and Yankees fans are panicking, Red Sox Nation is more confident than ever, and Kyle Farnsworth is giving up big home runs. Yep, things are back to normal. Here are some highlights and observations from the first couple days of baseball.
Junior and the Mariners: In his return to the Seattle lineup, the greatest player of his generation looked like the Griffey Jr. of old, smacking a home run off Twins lefty Francisco Liriano in the final opening day at the Metrodome (thank heavens for that). It was Junior's eighth opening day home run, tying Frank Robinson for the most all-time. King Felix pitched a dominant 8 innings and the M's rolled to a 6-1 victory. The team was so excited about the win after being the laughing stock of baseball last year that they doused manager Don Wakamatsu in beer after the game. There could not be a better story in the game this season than if Ken Griffey Jr. played one last healthy, productive season and helped the Mariners to a division title. They certainly have the talent to get it done, don't count them out.
The Yankees: Yep, one game, one loss, one bad start from Sabathia and one 0-4 from Teixeira and there are already Yankee fans calling WFAN and demanding Joe Girardi's firing. Calm down New York. Sure, Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Sabathia, as the great Steve Somers calls him, pitched awful in New York's 10-5 loss. In fact it was the first start in his career in which he did not record a strikeout, but give the man a break, it was a cold day in Baltimore and its early April. Remember, he did get off to a slow start last year as well, before single-handedly pitching the Brewers to the N.L. Wild Card title. One thing I would be slightly concerned about though is that if he gets off to a similarly slow start, he will be absolutely hammered in New York, and it will be interesting to see how the big guy handles that. As for Teixeira going hitless, um, yeah it's one freaking game.
The Red Sox: Opening day could not have been sweeter for the Sox with their 5-3 victory over their division nemesis from last year. From the very first inning it was clear that Josh Beckett was back to his old form. He went on to pitch 7 innings, give up 2 hits, one run, while striking out 10. He blew 96 mph heat by Rays hitters, caught them off balance with his change-up, and froze them with his curve ball. It was his first game with double-digit Ks since May of last year. A healthy Beckett is something the Red Sox lacked last year, and they still came within one game of the World Series. MVP Dustin Pedroia smacked one over the Green Monster on the second pitch he saw of the season from James Shields. Even Varitek, who was a black hole in the Red Sox lineup last season, looked good. He had a couple hard line drives before hitting a home run in the 6th inning. Jonathan Papelbon came in looking like he hasn't lost a beat, retiring the side in the 9th in order on 15 pitches while striking out two. The Red Sox should be the favorite over the Yankees (and Rays) this year because they have the deepest pitching staff 1-12, with the additions of Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez and with Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard lurking in the minor leagues. When John Smoltz joins the team they will have two of the best post-season pitchers in the history of the game.
Kyle Farnsworth: The Royals signed Kyle Farnsworth in the off-season to a 2-year, $9.25 million contract. That a team would still fall for Farnsworth is shocking. That on opening day Farnsworth gave up an 8th inning go ahead three-run homer to Jim Thome is predictable. Farnsworth fell behind 2-0, threw a fat fastball up in the zone, and Thome did what he has done his entire career to such pitches. A lot of people are picking the Royals to actually win the A.L. Central. This will not happen with a manager who trusts Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th inning with a one-run lead against Jim Thome with two guys on. Kyle Farnsworth is making only $1 million less this season than Jonathan Papelbon. Amazing.
The Odds!: No player in the history of the game had homered from both sides of the plate on opening day. On April 6, not one, but two players did it. They did it in the same game and they are teammates. Felipe Lopez and "Mr. Nice Guy" Tony Clark each went deep from both sides to help the D-Backs to a victory in a 9-8 slug-fest with the Rockies in Arizona. I'm not going to take the time to add up all the opening day games in history with a switch hitter in the starting lineup, but I'll say that it's a whole lot. This is the kind of whacked out coincidence that seems to only happen in baseball.
"It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening. Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It sucked, but that was the only scenario that was going to work." -Jonathan Papelbon
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon recently caused a stir when he said this in an interview for Esquire Magazine. The article is worth reading beyond the small part about Manny. It gives a good look into the mind and lifestyle of one of the games premier closers (in my mind, easily the second best behind the great Mariano). What hasn't been been reported is that when Papelbon was speaking about Manny, he got so upset and riled up that he began slamming his fist on his kitchen table while making these comments. Also noteworthy in the interview is Papelbon's theory on the importance of post-season performance, "nobody cares who was great during the regular season. Nobody remembers a loser," as well as his goal to be greater than the Yankees' closer, whom he has a photo of in his game room. Read the article for yourself. What has perturbed me about this Esquire interview is the coverage it has received in the media, specifically by ESPN. Being the sports gossip network that it is, ESPN naturally jumped all over the opportunity to use someone else' reporting to market a 'feud' between superstars and thus get people to watch Sportscenter. Of course this should come as no surprise. What really made me cringe was when I watched Steven "Screamin" A. Smith comment on the article. ESPN always takes the side of the superstar. They don't want to report on superstar athletes, they want to be friends with them. If you paid attention to the coverage of the A-Rod steroid scandal, it was clear that Sports Illustrated was anti-A-Rod while ESPN was overwhelmingly in his favor. Here, Steven. A. takes sides with Manny. He calls Papelbon a "punk" for calling him out now after Manny has left the team. "In that locker room, I don't recall anybody stepping to Manny face-to-face," he says. In this video, we learn from Steven A. that... A) He is basing this statement on absolutely nothing. He does not claim to have any sources. He even says moments earlier that he has no idea what happened in the clubhouse. So unless he actually spent the entire season in the Red Sox locker room and knows that no one stepped up to Manny "face-to-face," or unless he has a source (if he heard it from Manny, trust me he'd tell us), how in hell would he know this? Oh wait, that's right, he doesn't. He has absolutely no way of knowing this. He is talking out of his ass. B) He did not read the article. If Steven. A. read the article he would know that Papelbon also said, "even a guy like me, just heading into my fourth year in the big leagues — if David Ortiz gets a little, you know — I’ll tell him what’s up! I’m not afraid to do that. I’m not afraid to put him in his place, because I think everybody needs that. And if somebody does it to me, I understand that. I most certainly understand that. Varitek tells me all the time, 'Just shut up. Do what you’re supposed to do.'" Now let's just say that Papelbon never did confront Manny while he was with the team. Does that even matter? He is simply speaking what he feels. It is not like Manny simply left for another team, he was voted out of Boston by his teammates (either 24-1 or unanimously, depending on which report you go by). It's not like he was saying anything that isn't already known. So I say this to Steven A. Smith and the rest of the Entertainment and Sports Network, just shut up and do what you're supposed to do. Analyze games and report on real sports stories, not gossip.
Believe it or not there are places in the world right now that are riveted by the WBC. Last year's championship between Japan and Cuba was as big in those respected nations as a Red Sox vs. Yankees playoff series is in Boston and New York. The players on those teams care just as much as well. However this kind of competition isn't without problems. How can it be taken seriously when pitchers are held to pitch counts and many of the best players aren't partaking. Certainly team USA would be better with Roy Halladay, Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels, and C.C. Sabbathia on the pitching staff. Venezuela would be a far better team with Johan Santana and Carlos Zambrano as well. And imagine the already potent Dominican Republic lineup if it added Manny Ramirez and Albert Pujols? These roster issues come from both the players themselves not caring (see Manny), and concern on part of the Major League teams (see Pujols). Most the players, especially non-USA players, will say that they take great pride in representing their country. Jose Reyes recently told WFAN's Mike Francesa (who says the WBC is not real competition) that to him the WBC is the same as playing in October. It's hard to believe that this is really the case, that MLB players with eight-digit salaries really take this March tournament in which they participate for free that seriously. Whether or not the players care for the WBC, GMs and Managers certainly disdain it. Managers role their eyes when talking about the lack of time they get to spend with their entire team during spring training. This could be especially detrimental to developing pitcher-catcher relations or infield chemistry. Upper management cringes at the thought of a high priced player getting hurt, which in short is why Pujols isn't taking part. Venezuela manager Luis Sojo complained that he was given specific guidelines on how to use Felix Hernandez, which is why he had to throw him in relief against the pathetic Italian team because it was his day to pitch instead of using him in a 15-6 loss to USA. On his blog, Curt Schilling trashed the WBC, "Without a season of conditioning you are tasked with ‘ramping it up’ at a time when slow methodical preparation is the norm," he said. The bottom line is that the WBC is really an exhibition. The Major League pitchers are not at the top of their game and its hard to really take a game with a pitch count limit as seriously as Major League competition. However it is more fun to watch than spring training and for that I am a fan of it. Clearly for teams made up of non-Major League talent it means a lot more than for teams like the Dominican Republic and the USA. It offers a chance for unknown foreign talent to strut what they have. Before the fervor caused by the secret bidding for the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka a couple years ago, he came out as an international figure in leading Japan to its WBC title. This year look for Japan's 22-year-old ace Yu Darvish to cause a stir. Tickets are on sale for the final in L.A. on March 23 and I'd bet the house that Japan will be there. Prices start at $55. There is no way I'd throw down the cash to be there, but I'll certainly watch it on T.V.
Without question, the great American pastime has been polluted over the last decade or so by steroid use. Alex Rodriquez is only the latest legend to fall, joining Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens as the best players of the steroid era to be tarnished. Each are superb, natural talents that would have taken an easy walk to Cooperstown without steroids, with them they became Gods. There are two extremes in the argument of what should be done about these players and their place in history. One is to argue that anyone linked to steroids should be banned for life with their numbers erased and awards returned. Those who lean towards this side are usually former players whose numbers now look diminished or purist historians peeved to see cherished records fall. The other side would ignore the problem completely and reward all these players, whom they would argue, were merely victims of the time. These folks tend to be current players and fans that learn their sports history from ESPN top ten lists and aren't bothered that Barry Bonds defied the aging process by morphing in his late thirties into the greatest hitter ever seen. Any number of arguments are used to justify this stance: The pitchers were doping too! How do we know steroids help that much anyway? Players have always been cheating in baseball! Of course both sides are wrong. The numbers and awards cannot be taken back. The blemish the drug problem has left on the game is also something that will never go away. Barry Bonds, despite what his numbers say, will never be considered a better hitter than Ted Williams. That alone should be his punishment. Historians will have to judge the steroid era based on what they saw and what they know, not what the numbers are in comparison to the past. Statistics have always made baseball unique. They tell more than statistics from other sports and allow us to compare generation to generation. To be a baseball fan is to be a lover of statistics. However, with or without steroids, it is time to realize that all stats must be looked at relatively. Actually, they have always been looked at relatively. When looking at Ted Williams 521 career homers, one must point out that he missed five years in his prime to serve his country. Joe DiMaggio hit 40 home runs once in his career when he hit 46 in his second big league season, but he did it in a massive Yankee Stadium where a 450 foot drive to left-center could be a fly out. Like DiMaggio, Jim Rice's 46 long-balls in 1978 was his only foray to the 40-homer plateau, but he lead the league in home runs three times and finished in the top 10 seven times. Rafael Palmeiro, with his 600 home runs, never lead the league in any power category (well doubles, once). The days of 500 home runs and 3,000 hits being an absolute, automatic pass to the hall-of-fame are over, and that is a good thing. Baseball statistics are still a unique measure of sports performance, but they must be looked at in the context of the circumstances in which they were accumulated. In reality, this was the case long before Jose Canseco ever injected any needles into anyone's rear end. Now steroid use is just another criteria to look at when evaluating these numbers. Where the steroid era hurts the game the most is not in the numbers that have been put up, but in our understanding of what we have witnessed over the last 15 years or so. It is easy to look at Mark McGwire's power compared to Mickey Mantle's and say that McGwire's performance was enhanced and Mantle's obviously was not. It gets more difficult when comparing known cheaters to supposedly "clean" stars of the 1990s. It would be nice if decades from now, parents could tell their children that the greatest players they ever saw were not named Bonds, Clemens, and Rodriquez, but Pedro Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Greg Maddux. Of course while it seems obvious that the latter three of those players never juiced, it is really impossible to ever know for sure. No player of the steroid-era escapes suspicion. The more facts that come out, the easier it will be to define baseball at the end of the 20th century, but we will never know everything. Surely there will be some star players, probably even hall of famers who used just as many performance enhancing drugs as the next guy, and yet will never be outed. However it is impossible to bunch all the players from the steroid era together into one group and judge them equally. That would punish those who have done nothing wrong, and thus reward the cheaters. This is why the more names we know the better. As is the case with all crime, some villains will always get away. Speaking of crime, steroids are nowhere near the worst crime ever committed in baseball. Of course the 1919 'Black Sox' scandal is commonly known amongst baseball fans. These players actually threw a World Series, imagine if that happened today! Still that isn't even the worst crime. For a large chunk of its history, Major League Baseball was a racist institution. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, but by no means was the league fully integrated. It wasn't until years after Robinson and the Dodgers bravery that baseball really opened the doors to all the great black talent (the Red Sox were without a black player until 1959). This means that Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Cy Young never played against many of the best players in the world. It also means that many of history's best baseball players never got a chance in the big leagues, and have thus been ignored by history. Josh Gibson by all accounts may have been one of the best power hitter of all time, but we have no way to quantify that beyond mythology. Go ahead and ask any average baseball fan to name great baseball players prior to 1950 and they will have no problem listing off enough names to complete a full roster. Next ask them to name as many Negro League stars as they can. There's a good chance they'll be able to count them on one hand, if they can count them at all. At least the players of the steroid era play in an equal opportunity league and without question play with the best talent in the world. What is worse, Roger Clemens' 354 wins with an assist from an illegal drug, or Satchel Paige's mere 28 career wins after not being allowed to join the Major Leagues until he was 42 because he was black? Clemens made a questionable moral decision. There is nothing to question in categorical racism. In the end steroids will prove to be just another ethical blunder in the game. Baseball will survive not because of its history, but because of its beauty. The beauty of baseball is not found in the numbers 714 and 755. It is not even found in hall of fame speeches or in plagues hanging on a wall. What makes baseball beautiful is a hard slide into second base to break up a double-play. It is a play at the plate in a close game. It is Sandy Koufax in a pitchers duel with Bob Gibson and Mariano Rivera facing David Ortiz with the game on the line and 55,000 fans on their feet. Major League Baseball and the Players Association clearly mishandled the steroid era, but they are finally taking things in the right direction. We can look forward to a cleaner future. Baseball may face bumps in the road again, but it will also see countless moments of pure beauty, beauty that can only be found in one place, the ballpark.
