MLBNetwork Should Hire Me

In other news, Man Lands on Moon...

2010-01-11T15:56:00.002-05:00

It had to have been the worst kept secret in all of Major League Baseball. Mark McGwire admitted today that he took steriods the year he hit 70 home runs, breaking the record of 61 homers previously held by Roger Maris. According to reports that are quickly popping up on the internet, Big Mac came clean in a phone interview with the Associated Press this afternoon. He said that he had called Tony LaRussa and Commissioner Bud Selig to personally apologize for his trangressions.

Why did he decide to come clean now? I think there are a whole host of reasons. McGwire wants back into baseball and knows that this was going to be an issue hanging over his head from the start. He also wants to make the Hall of Fame, something he is assuredly not going to do any time soon. But our country tends to be pretty forgiving and if you drag yourself out on the carpet, say you were a bad boy, and a really, really sorry, people tend to forget.

McGwire is a different story though. He is part of a brash and unrepentent part of baseball history that now wants to rewrite what happened. (see also Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds) He sat before Congress and said he only wanted to talk about the future. Now, in search of a future in the sport, he is the one dragging the past back into focus. As some time passes, I am sure we all have a chance to look at McGwire's numbers and wonder what he would have been without the Andro and Steriods. My gut reaction is he would have been a pretty exciting, skinny player. He always had fast hands. There are going to be those who think differently though. My good friend Joe fired off an email within five minutes of the news breaking, "He had so many injuries in his career, if he never took them he would have been out of baseball ten years earlier than he was."

Maybe Joe is right. Without steriods, do we sit watching Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire going toe to toe as the summer slipped into September? Do we let baseball slowly gain our trust back after that awful player strife of 1994-95? Would Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig's record been enough to bring us back? I doubt it highly. Baseball is a great sport, but a lot of fans felt extremely wronged by the strike.

One of my favorite quotes explains it best, "Chicks dig the long ball." So do middle aged men, ten year olds, and corporate stiffs who pay the highest ticket prices. Only history knows how this one will play out. You have hope that baseball has the worst of this behind it now and can move forward with a new crop of stars who excite the kid in all of us.

Vazquez to the Yankees

2009-12-22T10:18:00.004-05:00

As I am sure you have heard by now, the New York Yankees have made a deal to bring Javy Vazquez to the Bronx for his second tour of duty. In return, Atlanta will receive Bombers outfielder Melky Cabrera and a couple of young arms.

So, what in the world is going on here? New York clearly felt they had fallen behind the Red Sox in the "arms race". Adding Vazquez allows New York to have almost as deep a rotation as their bitter rival. It also allows them to leave either Phil Huges or Joba Chamberlain in the pen. (This was made even more necessary by shipping Brian Bruney to the Nats and Phil Coke to the Tigers in the Curtis Granderson trade. More on that later.)

While it definitely helps out the rotation, what does it do to the outfield depth? Cabrera seemed like the starting left fielder next season. They trade for Curtis Granderson made the Bombers younger in the outfield and allowed them to move on from Johnny Damon. Did the door just open back up to bringing the great hitting, soft throwing outfielder back? I think where there was seemingly a closed door, there may now be a slightly open window... but don't count on seeing Damon back in pinstripes just yet.

Jason Bay and Matt Holliday remain on the free agent market. How unlikely is it to think that Brian Cashman is eyeing the Mets troubles in offering Bay a fifth year? Or that Holliday has yet to pull the trigger with the Cardinals? I think the probability is high.

If the Bombers add either of these two players, it will be an embarassment of riches and the MLB should strongly reconsider pushing for a salary cap. Either or of the above players would provide New York with possibly their deepest line up ever and would see them getting incremently younger while still putting out the best team (on paper) in baseball. You would have a line up that sees Nick Swisher batting eighth.

Keep an eye on the two big name free agents now that left field is open for New York. Don't be surprised if Scott Boras is sitting on River Avenue right now, trying to wrap up a gift for the Steinbrenner's family Christmas.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

2009-12-15T08:33:00.002-05:00

Turn and face the change people. The Major League hot stove has been red hot and some of the major power players in the game got richer.

The biggest news so far has to be the Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays coming to an agreement (yet to be finalized) sending Roy Halladay to the Phils, Cliff Lee to the Mariners, and prospects to the Blue Jays. The word on the internet is the defending National League Champions knew they wouldn't be able to re-sign Lee and desparately wanted in on Halladay. Former Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi had tied Toronto's hands last season, so this move was inevitable.

The move obviously keeps the Phillies as the team to beat, swapping one dominant pitcher for possibly the second best arm in the game. Halladay should have no problem adjusting to life in the senior circuit, I would imagine his ERA (already microscopic) will drop into the high ones next year. Amazing.

Another pitcher on the move will land in the AL East. John Lackey has agreed to a five year deal with the Boston Red Sox. Rumor has it the Sox are looking to retool their team with pitching and defense this offseason. Lackey joins a pitching rich ball club, boasting Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Tim Wakefield. That list doesn't even include the hard throwers they have in the bullpen.

While the Angels lost out on bringing Lackey back, and on bringing Halladay in, they seemed to have moved on nicely in the offensive category. Multiple newspapers and blogs are reporting Hideki Matsui, the reigning World Series MVP, has all but signed on the dotted line with the Halos. It seemed Matsui's at bats might be severly diminished this year with Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez both needing time at DH. Also, the Yankees seemed determined to have a DH that could also play the field, something Matsui did not do at all last season.

Who is firing up the hot stove?

2009-11-06T08:44:00.002-05:00

Just a day after the Yankees won their 27th World Series Championship, some interesting story lines are cropping up around Major League Baseball.

For the Bombers themselves, the story surrounds their pending free agents and the overall age of the team. World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and World Series catalyst Johnny Damon are both now free agents and their are major questions on whom New York should bring back. Can you let a World Series MVP walk? Does Damon's speed and fractional ability in the outfield make him a better fit?

The Red Sox didn't waste any time making a deal. They picked up Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins. It seems many in Red Sox nation think this could be a bargain deal for the former first rounder. The Sox gave up two second-tier pitchers for the 25 year old outfielder. It doesn't seem this is indicative of what the BoSox plan on doing with Jason Bay, but it could be a move that helps soften the blow of Bay leaves.

Tim Lincecum had another great year for the San Francisco Giants. The diminutive righty has been known for smoking major league hitters with his high 90's heat. Now, he'll be know for smoking something else. Lincecum faces misdemeanor marijuana possession charges after being pulled over for speeding near the Washington/Oregon border.

And Bobby Abreu resigned with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with a two year deal for 19 million dollars. Abreu was once again his consistent self this year and decided to stay put. The question now isl; did Abreu set the market for outfielders?

Baseball Fundamentals

2009-11-02T09:25:00.003-05:00

It was the top of the ninth inning and Johnny Damon had just had a great at bat against Brad Lidge. He had fought off fastballs on the outside corner, seemingly reacting a split second before the pitch would cross the plate. He got a pitch out over the plate and seemingly placed it into left field.

This game was a strange one. New York seemed to be losing the momentum as the game wore on. Joba Chamberlain had served up a mammoth homerun to Pedro Feliz in the bottom of the eighth to even the score at 4-4 and Citizens Bank Park was absolutely electric.

Brad Lidge looked great through two batters. He had Damon in a hole and the Phillies were ready to charge into the dugout for the bottom of the ninth.

Damon battled. He fouled off pitch after pitch until he got one he can handle. The game of baseball is full of cliches and adages. One that always comes to mind in this situation is that the batter's probability of getting a pitch to hit increases as the at-bat is prolonged. So as Damon fouled off the good fastballs from Lidge, you could feel the at-bat swinging into his favor. Lidge didn't want to walk Damon, so he grooved one, and the Yankees left fielder dropped it into left.

That's when things got just plain nutty. Damon took off for second early in the at-bat by Mark Teixeira. He would say after the game that he wanted to give Teixeira the best opportunity in the at-bat, so he broke for second early. The pitch was low and the throw from Carlos Ruiz skipped towards second base. Pedro Feliz was covering (the shift was on to combat Tex batting lefty). The throw pulled him only slightly towards the first base side of the bag.

What happened next just doesn't happen. Damon popped up from his slide, looked at third and took off running. I thought I was watching the Twins or Angels run the bases. I thought that Johnny Damon had been fooled by the player covering the base into thinking the ball got a way and would be easily caught in a run down to end the inning. I thought even more momentum was going to swing to the Phillies. But there was no one at third base. Lidge had ducked on the mound when the throw went through, Ruiz hadn't hustled down to cover, and the bag was there for his taking. Two stolen bases, one play. Johnny Damon changed the entire complexion of the inning, game, and the series. Teixeira was hit by a pitch and then Alex Rodriguez followed with a clutch hit.

It's not often I suggest taking professional players and using them as examples for kids learning the game. Sometimes they are just too good of athletes to use as examples and other time they just don't try hard enough. But what Johnny Damon did should be replayed over and over again for Little Leaguers. His at-bat was a thing of beauty and his hustle and quick thinking were amazing.

That will be second guessed...

2009-10-19T20:39:00.001-04:00

Joe Girardi brought in Alfredo Aceves to replace David Robertson with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the 11th when Robertson seemed to be throwing well. Aceves then proceeded to give up a single to Howie Kendrick and a game winning RBI double to Jeff Mathis.

Why in the world did Girardi take out Robertson?

Is he a "true" Yankee now?

2009-10-10T11:42:00.002-04:00

Alex Rodriguez has been absolutely haunted by his shortcomings in the post-season in New York. He has been raked over the coals on both sports talk stations in NYC (1050 ESPN Radio and 660 WFAN) for his lack of "clutch" play. And he never quite helped himself, always pushing to hard and saying what just seemed like the wrong thing.

Then, as all of you know, this season put everything on its ear. A-Rod was outed for having done steroids. Whether you take him at his word that he only did them in Texas or not, he no longer had to carry that secret with him. He was a cheater, right up there with Barry and Manny. Then came the hip injury that might sideline him the entire season and the surgery that followed.

When Rodriguez returned to the Yankee lineup, Mark Teixeira started to hit and the Bombers line up finally started to click. Since rejoining the club back in early May, they have been one of the best records in the majors, as evidenced by their run to the playoffs. But last night, A-Rod put so many demons to rest. Rodriguez hadn't driven in a runner since the 2004 series against the Red Sox. In game one, he picked up two RBI, which most certainly helped to set up last night.

And last night was some of that old school Yankee magic. I am not one who really compares teams over the years. I think each team is different and when you compare you are doing yourself and the team you are talking about a disservice. But last night, listening to the game, it was hard to not get that warm and fuzzy feeling (or that sick to your stomach feeling if you are not a Yankee fan) when Teixeira lined the ball to right. Then walked up arguably one of, if not the, best player I have ever seen play, even if he is a cheat.

Last night, A-Rod was able to help the Yanks win a playoff game and continue a journey that still has some very large steps to it. But it was a culmination for Rodriguez. It was a moment in time where a very proud and talented man could pump his fist and realize it was "about time".

Will A-Rod ever be a "True Yankee"? I really have no idea. But for one night, and maybe one post season, A-Rod doesn't have to worry about the boos. The fans were chanting his name in the bottom of the ninth, and I am sure there is no sweeter sound in the world for him.

Hate to do this...

2009-10-03T14:00:00.003-04:00

I always hate to tell you I told you so...

But... check out this link.

And I told you so.

Random ...

2009-09-29T12:43:00.002-04:00

So, I am sure many of you have seen this somewhere on the web over the past two days. But Mike Blowers made the prediction of his life time on Sunday. The Mariners radio broadcast crew has a segment in the pregame show where they discuss which players they think will have a big day. Blowers stated that he thought Matt Tuiasosopo would have a big game. He predicted that Tuiasosopo would go deep in his second at-bat, on a three-one pitch, and drive the ball to left center.

Check out the audio in the link. It is pretty amazing.

Hot Or Not...

2009-09-22T09:15:00.002-04:00

As the calendar officially recognizes Fall this afternoon (5:18 PM here on the East Coast), it looks like we have a few more playoff/division races than we expected two weeks ago.

The Boston Red Sox have pulled within four games in the loss column of the Yankees. New York is currently playing in Anaheim against the Angels. And, as you know, that place has been anything but heavenly for the Bombers over the past few years. Last night, they lost to 5-2, wasting a decent start from Andy Pettitte (6 IP, 3 ER).

Luckily for them, the Red Sox blew two big leads in Kansas City, eventually losing to the Royals 12-9. Boston has been on a tear of late, winning ten out of its last twelve games to cut into the Yankees lead in the AL East. And Red Sox Nation has a reason to be pretty excited too. Though they lost to the Royals last night, they do have two more games against the hapless AL Central squad while New York has to play two more games against the Angels. Then, there is the big three game set between the two in the Bronx this weekend. Conceivably, Boston could be two games back in the loss column by the time the first pitch is thrown on Friday night.

While Boston is winning ten out of twelve, New York has gone five and seven. That opens the door ever so slightly...

Can the Yankees win at least one game in Anaheim? Can Boston continue to win at the pace they set over the past two weeks? Are we watching another collapse like the Mets the past two seasons?

Anaheim really has been a "House of Horrors" for New York ever since Mike Scioscia took over as manager of the Angels. Chad Gaudin is on the hill tonight for the Yanks, not really a major boost of confidence there. Gaudin has proven to have a more effective slider since coming over from San Diego, but is he a stopper? You have to hope the Bronx Bombers show up tonight and provide Gaudin with plenty of support. A big crooked number on the scoreboard could go along way in quieting any unrest.

Boston is playing great baseball, that clearly cannot be denied. They have gotten some great pitching of late from their rotation and their bullpen. There is no reason to think they are going to slow down at any point. I would love to say that no team can win like they are over a longer period of time, but the Colorado Rockies of years past have proven that to be wrong a couple of times now.

I don't think the Yankees are going to lose the AL East. It might end up being a little closer than they would have liked, but I think they'll have enough to get by. Being up four games in the loss column gives them plenty of wriggle room and you have to assume CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte will step up over the final two weeks. Boston has done a great job of separating themselves from the Wild Card pack, so watch out ALCS, we could have yet another Beantown v. Big Apple matchup.

The AL Central is an even closer race with Minnesota closing the gap over this past weekend, taking two of three from the Tigers in the Metrodome. Detroit has gone six and nine over their last 15 games, opening the door for the Twins to step right back into the pennant hunt. Jim Leyland's squad narrowly avoided disaster with a Sunday win. Over that same period of time, the Twins have gone ten and five. The math here isn't at all hard to do. But does Minnesota have the pitchers in the starting rotation to get them past the lead horse as they turn for home? Or will the Tigers right this problem and crawl past Ron Gardenhire's bunch into an open round series with the Yankees?

You have to like the Tigers rotation right now over the Twins. Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson have proven they can step up when needed. And though there is little factual basis to it, I don't trust any rotation that is even slightly dependant on Carl Pavano. I think the Tigers will hold on and face New York in round one. I think we've seen this setup somewhere before. At least Kenny Rogers isn't pitching for Detroit anymore.

And the last race of interest is the National League Wild Card, which has essentially boiled down to a race for second place in the NL West. San Francisco continues to chase the Rockies for the fourth and final spot in the playoff shootout in the NL. San Francisco simply does not have enough offense to pull them through to the playoffs. And you have to take notice when Tim Lincecum, in a big game, can't give his team a chance to win. San Fran has had a great run and can really build on their pitching staff next year. But Colorado is going to hold on to the Wild Card spot and may pose a real danger in the first round.

Just my two cents (or 15 cents as it were!). What are your thoughts about the three most contentious playoff races?

Fight Night

2009-09-16T09:09:00.004-04:00

It is amazing how baseball works when you really get down to it. When all was said and done after the Yankees and Blue Jays came to blows last night (mainly Bombers catcher Jorge Posada and Toronto reliever Jesse Carlson), my wife turned to me and asked, "How do they go home and explain that to their kids?"

I didn't know how to answer it. On Baseball Tonight on ESPN and and the MLB Network's MLB Tonight, various talking heads discussed the need to "protect" teammates and this just simply being the way baseball is. I am someone who tends to agree. Baseball has this sort of small way of policing itself. Pitchers try to claim the inside part of the plate from batters lunging out over it. A pitch gets high and tight, a batter gets mad, and the cycle begins. Sometimes it ends with a couple of hit batters, and sometimes it ends with Graeme Lloyd and Jeff Nelson flying after Armando Benitez (video) or Posada and Carlson (photos).

But does it make any sense at all? I kept on trying to answer my wife with something that had some sort of substance. And I couldn't really come up with anything. My only answer was that this was just how baseball worked. The only way I could explain it to my kid (some day) would be the great saying "do as I say, not as I do"!

Any one of the Yankees who ran out to help Posada's cause could have been injured, which would have greatly derailed New York's desire to win the World Series this year. While Posada's anger can be understood (having a baseball thrown behind you at 90+ cannot be a fun experience), you have to wonder if this veteran should have known better than to go after Carlson after their exchange. What would people be talking about this morning, if Sabathia had wrenched his shoulder pulling the Yankee backstop from the pile? Just a thought...

What do you think? Do baseball brawls make even the slightest sense?

Jeter Passes Gehrig

2009-09-12T19:16:00.004-04:00

I got into the car what seems like just two minutes after Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter broke the all time Yankees hit record. The crowd was still giving him a standing ovation and chanting his name.

AL MVP

2009-09-11T09:01:00.026-04:00

Only ten or so days left in the Major League Baseball regular season and I am still undecided on who should win the Most Valuable Player. As discussed before, I guess it makes the most sense to try and define what you think the MVP is for the MLB. Is it the player who had the best offensive season (evidenced with Alex Rodriguez's MVP win when playing for a last place Texas team) or is it the player on a good/great team that if you took him away, the team would fall apart.

I think more often than not, the MVP becomes the Offensive Player of the Year award. Voters look across all offensive categories and give the award to the person with the most gaudy numbers. In 2003, A-Rod batted .298 with 47 HR and 118 RBI on one of the worst teams in the American League, but he took home the hardware. His win that year may have been a product of the lack of a better candidate (Shannon Stewart finished in the top five) as much as his numbers, but still he played for a terrible team. If A-Rod had been taken away from the Rangers, they still would have been in last place.

So, in my eyes, the MVP should be the player who is most valuable to a team that has a chance to make the playoffs during the final stretch of the season. So this season, that would allow for players from the Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Tigers, Rangers, and Angels to be eligible. Also, just to put a little bit more of a spin on this, I will submit that the MVP of any baseball league should have offensive statistics to support his worth. The MVP should have an On-base percentage of at least .375. Finally, I think the MVP in the modern era of baseball needs at least 60 RBI and 60 runs scored. These are completely arbitrary numbers, but they help to remove any player who was injured for a lengthy period of time or someone who switched leagues via trade winning the award that simply should be a player of the month plaque at best.

Above are the top 30 hitters in the American League (sorted by batting average). This is before applying any of my criteria. I have removed the player names and teams just to build anticipation a little bit. I am sure you know who each is, once we get to the top AL MVP candidates. So, now I will eliminate any player who is not on one of our eligible teams and does not have an OBP of .375 or above and 60 or more RBI and runs scored.

Some of the players removed include Eric Aybar, who has had a wonderful season for the Angels, Robinson Cano, who one day may win an MVP, and Nick Markakis, who, though a great player, plays for an awful team. Also removed by using my random criteria above is my darkhorse to win the MVP, Kendry Morales. The Angels first baseman has had a breakout season batting .304 with 31 HR and 99 RBI. He misses out because of his .350 OBP. He has only 40 BBs to 110 Ks. Dustin Pedroia is also removed, holding an OBP of .371. Last year's MVP would have been an even longer shot to win this year's award.

Above is the top nine players after our criteria is applied. The "RK" colum has been updated simply by sorting by batting average. It is not hard at all to figure out who number one is.

Now, how do you get to number one?

This is where it either becomes subjective or you have to delve even deeper into the numbers. What say you and me dive deeper into some important numbers for a player to be considered valuable (at least in my world). Why don't we take a look at what their numbers are with runners in scoring position and runners in scoring position with two outs?

Here are the top five remaining candidates (out of our ten from above) sorted by top batting average first. Clearly, our top candidate sticks out against these opponents. His batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage jump way up when it is most. Over 1/4 of his RBI have come this season with two outs and runners in scoring position. On to numbers six through nine.

Players number six and nine seem to step up the most in important offensive instances. Player six sees a steady increase in batting average, OBP, and SLG much like player number one listed above. Player nine sees a nice jump with two outs and runners in scoring position. Player number seven is consisten across all three facets of the game. Consistency has to count for something right? And number eight shows a ton of plate discipline in these arbitrary selected situations. He has more walks than strike outs, and his average, OBP, SLG, and OPS are all higher than his overall numbers. So these bottom four are bottom no more. I am going to take these bottom four along with our number one overall hitter and move them into our final five.

So, we have a top five... do you think it was the top five you see most places? Before doing this excercise I would have guessed the top five would consist of Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera, and Kendry Morales/Bobby Abreu. And we have...

For me, three out of five isn't bad. And of course, this has been a completely abritrary and random idea of what initially goes into selecting an MVP. I think statistics are relevant to get us to this point, but from this point we need to be subjective. You have to take this opportunity to take each players worth to their team, how good they are on defense, and the legitimacy of their candidacy (as in would you surprise a casual baseball fan by saying they should win). The reason I think the latter matters is simply the nature of the "popular vote". Whenever individuals are asked to vote, by closed or open ballot, personal feelings get involved.

So, we start with the least likely to win, Bobby Abreu. Abreu is as consistent as they come. If he can pick up three more RBI over the next ten or so days, he will have 100 RBI for yet another season. He bats just around .300 and improves with runners in scoring position. Is he the MVP of the American League? No. The Angels have an excellent team and have gotten amazing years from a number of areas, making them extremely balanced. Macier Izturis, Eric Aybar, Chone Figgins, and Kendry Morales ahve all had wonderful years. There isn't a single player who would be the Angels MVP, so they cannot be the MVP of the league.

Up next is Kevin Youkilis. Youk is, for my money, the clear cut MVP of the Boston Red Sox. The man plays gold golve caliber defense at both third base and first base. He is willing to play left field or right if needed and he just straight out rakes. Many thought Youkilis was the BoSox MVP last year while his diminutive teammate walked away with the AL MVP. He has great numbers again this year, but he has been slowed by an injury or two. The Red Sox will once again make the playoffs this season, but does Youk have enough to make him the AL MVP. No. His defensive player really makes up for his numbers in the RBI category. But his strike out total is pretty high and his supporting cast is pretty darn good as well.

The reason I can say that is because of our next candidate, Victor Martinez. V-Mart was one of two core players on the Cleveland Indians dealt away at the deadline this year. Martinez is versatile and talented. He catches and plays first base and does both well enough to get by. His biggest asset of course is his bat. When a player stays within his league and joins a new team, you look to the teams record and position in the standings since he joined to find out their impact. At the trade deadline the Sox were 60-42 overall. Now they stand at 89-61. So they are 29 and 19 since Martinez joined the squad. Is that enough to win him the MVP? You guessed it... nope! V-Mart is a great player, but he has not impacted the Red Sox enough to make him worthy of the team's, let alone the AL's, MVP award.

Down to our final two... boy the excitment is building.

There is no surprise that I saved Mark Teixeira and Joe Mauer as my final two for this award. I think their numbers show that they both have had huge impacts on the league and on their teams. Both play excellent defense at key positions and both do a great job of leading by example.

Teixiera has been a consistent threat ever since May, elevating his game to help bring the Yankees into first place in the AL East. He has made the Yankees infield ten times better with his play at first base and has made Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez appear to be gold glovers with his handy work around the bag. He has hit in the big spots as evidenced by his numbers with runners in scoring position and runners in scoring position with two outs. Is he the AL MVP? Any other year, I think Mark runs away with this award being the player with the best offensive numbers (and playing great defense) on the best team in the majors. But he didn't carry the Bombers until A-Rod returned to the lineup, and Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon make his job a whole lot easier getting on base as consistently as they do. Teixeira is not the AL MVP.

That leaves one player standing. Joe Mauer is this year's American League MVP. I don't say that without reservations though. Mauer missed a month of the season, so his batting average, gaudy as it may be, can be questioned slightly. He would have amassed another 60 to 80 at bats over that time span. Would he have hit as well as he has over those extra ABs? We will never know. And a week ago, I would have said that his team failed to make a run at the playoffs, but look at them now. Mauer has helped the Twins make a big surge in trying to catch the Detroit Tigers. If Detroit falters, and Minnesota makes its way into the playoffs to play New York, Mauer is an absolute shoe-in to win the title. If the Twins falter over the next week and a half of baseball, the vote may be closer, but Mauer will come out on top in the end.

Jeter ties Gehrig

2009-09-10T12:50:00.002-04:00

After a gigantic goose egg on Monday and Tuesday, Derek Jeter rattled off three hits in four at-bats last night to tie Lou Gehrig on the Yankees all-time hit list. One more hit for the current Yankee captain will put him in sole possession of first place. The shortstop had been mired in an 0-12 slump before bunting for a base hit in the first inning. He will try to move past Gehrig when the Bombers face the Orioles at the Stadium tomorrow night.

No Laboring for Carpenter

2009-09-08T09:12:00.003-04:00

Chris Carpenter twirls an impressive nine against the Brewers, winning 3 to 0. The right hander struck out ten, giving up just one hit while throwing just 99 pitches for the complete game shutout of Milwaukee. Albert Pujols homered for the National League Central leading Cards.

Carpenter is making a late run at Tim Lincecum for the NL Cy Young award. He sits at 16 and 3 with 129 K's to 30 BB. He has a 2.16 ERA and a WHIP of .97. Lincecum is 13 and 5 with a 2.34 ERA and WHIP of 1.02. He has a clear advantage over Carpenter in K's with 233 on the season.

September Call Ups Revisted

2009-09-06T10:45:00.002-04:00

So, it has happened again. September call-ups have made for a major headache in the world of fantasy baseball. I had discussed earlier that the Giants handling of Pablo Sandoval would have been quite different if the injury had occurred in August or before. He would have been quickly put on the DL and allowed to heal. Instead, in September, he has been kept on the roster because of the expanded rosters. There is no need for the Giants to move him just for his roster spot.

Now, I face the same issue. Grady Sizemore has been shut down for the year. The Indians have determined that Sizemore should be shut down for the season for both elbow and left groin surgery over the next two weeks. But Cleveland has not put him on the disabled list, instead just shutting him down and using the expanded roster to replace him day to day.

I waited for Sizemore to be DLed so I could use my league's DL Substitution rule to place Carlos Guillen in my lineup. It didn't happen. I texted my league's commish on Friday around dinner time asking about the rule. I texted him again on Saturday. Finally I sent an email to himself and my opponent asking for a specific ruling on the subject. Now, of course, this is going to cause an issue on one side of the decision or the other.

It just goes to show that September rosters are not my friend.

Podcast Number 4

2009-09-02T23:27:00.000-04:00

The Son of Zim and I discuss AL and NL MVP candidates, surprises on the season, and September call ups. We once again play Who am I? and answer four more questions from our mail bag. This episode is jam packed as we try to stretch out from 30 minutes to an hour. Kind of like the Joba Rules, only we are funny.

Got a question for our mailbag? Shoot me an email at Dan_Strafford@hotmail.com

Podcast # 4

September Call Ups

2009-09-02T08:52:00.002-04:00

There has always been something about September call-ups that made me feel uneasy. I have never liked the fact that rosters expand right when playoff races are being decided. I understand the beauty of getting to see "the future" play now is a great asset for teams out of contention, but what about those teams playing those teams out of contention. Don't they then get an unfair advantage? They get to play against a team of Triple A/Quadruple A players (no, I am not referring to the Mets) rather than have to go up against the best their opponent has to offer.

But now, I have a whole new reason to be POed at this process. Pablo Sandoval has been suffering from a calf injury and is currently day to day. He has been replaced in the line up by Ryan Rohlinger (who was actually on the Y-D Red Sox in 2004, the team I did play by play for in the Cape Cod League that summer). In my head to head points league, we are allowed to sub in a player from our bench for a player on the DL twice in the regular season and once in the playoffs. Currently Sandoval has yielded one point for me. Carlos Guillen, who is eligible at 3B and could replace Kung-Fu Panda in my lineup, has 31 points on my bench. And it is only Wednesday morning.

Now here is the problem. If this were early August, the Giants might think long and hard about putting Sandoval on the DL and giving him the 15 days to full heal while also getting a roster spot for Rohlinger. But now that rosters are expanded, they don't need the roster spot and can allow Sandoval to be a high powered pinch hitter for the rest of the week. If I lose by the difference between Sandoval and Guillen's points, I will be forever mad at September call-ups.

Dodgers Make a Push, even with a loss

2009-09-01T08:11:00.002-04:00

The LA Dodgers are looking to distance themselves from the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants for good, both on the field and in their lineup. Last night, the National League West leaders acquired Jon Garland from the Arizona Diamondbacks and Jim Thome from the Chicago White Sox.

The Dodgers clearly are not waiting for anyone to catch them. Garland helps solidify the back end of their rotation, which has struggled at times this year. Thome is an interesting pick up with James Loney entrenched at first base for LA. Thome gives them a lot of pop off the bench and allows Joe Torre the opportunity to mix and match against his opponent's bullpen late in the game.

This will dimish Thome's fantasy baseball value. He is no longer a full time DH and most likely will see his at bats drop drastically. For any team in a playoff push or already in the playoffs in his/her league, this could be a death blow to your chances.

As Cold as the Rockies?

2009-08-30T09:43:00.002-04:00

No this isn't an entry about Coors Light. After cutting the Dodgers lead in the National League West to two games last week, the Colorado Rockies have lost four in a row and are now hearing the footsteps of the Giants for the Wild Card. A resurgent Barry Zito shut down the Rockies offense en route to a 5 to 3 win.

The Rockies had looked like they were set to run to the NL West lead, but have cooled off over the last four. So who is going to win the West and the Wild Card? All I can tell you is don't look for the Braves or Marlins to make a run. They just don't have enough to catch up, in their lineup or in their rotation. You have to love both the Giants and Rockies pitching staffs. The Rocks have a little bit more offense than the Giants and that may just give them enough to stay out in front.

And honestly, how about Barry Zito? Nothing he can do this season or next can make up for the contract he signed and how awful he has been for the Giants. But since the All-Star break, the lefty has a 4 and 2 record with an astonishing 1.92 ERA in nine starts. Zito could, and I say could, be a major factor in pushing the Giants towards the playoffs.

Kazmir to the Angels

2009-08-29T18:36:00.002-04:00

Just saw that Scott Kazmir was dealt from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I really don't know what to think of the deal. Kazmir has had a rough year, and has often been injured throughout his stay with Tampa, but he is a lefty with good stuff who is only 25. The Rays get out from under the 25 million dollars they owed Kazmir and the Angels get an insurance policy on John Lackey, if he chooses to leave via free agency. Also, Kazmir has pitched well against the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers, three potential playoff opponents.

Brad Penny is garnering interest from the Marlins, the Giants, and the Yankees. I think it's time for the righty to return to the National League. He would be a solid addition to the back of a great Giants rotation.

Another One Bites The Dust

2009-08-27T08:53:00.002-04:00

Mets lefty Oliver Perez will have season ending knee surgery. The ship is no longer sinking, New York hit the iceberg, the band started to play, and now are playersicles in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Amazing Mets for sure.

The Dodgers push their lead in the National League West back to three games with a 6 to 1 win over the Rockies in Colorado. Andre Either hit his 26th and 27th home run of the season.

The Yankees stayed six games up on the Boston Red Sox with a 9 to 2 win over the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte pitched a solid seven innings winning his third straight decision. As Joba Chamberlain struggles with his new schedule, is there any question that

Boston gets a big boost from Big Papi with a walkoff homerun to beat the Chicago Whitesox 3 to 2. Ortiz hit his second home run of the night to the corner in right field and set off a raucous celebration Red Sox fans might think came from 2004.

Rocky Mountain High...

2009-08-26T08:25:00.002-04:00

On June 3rd, the Colorado Rockies trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers by 151/2 games for first place in the National League West. The deficit is now two. The Rockies had another walk-off win, beating the Dodgers 5 to 4 in extra innings. Troy Tulowitzki had the game winning single to make a winner of Matt Herges. The Rockies are a major league-best 52-22 since June 3, when they were a season-worst 12 games under .500.

When it is all said and done, a lot of so-called experts owe the National League West an apology. Last season, the West was putrid, save the Dodgers. This year, the Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies have all proven to be for real. With all the upward movement by the Rockies, it is easy to forget that the Giants are just four games out of the Wild Card with an almost completely absent offense. They are a corner outfielder away from being scary good next year.

Zack Grienke's amazing season has been lost in the less than stellar season the Royals are having. But last night, the Kansas City right hander reminded America how good he is. Grienke struck out 15 over eight innings in a 6 to 2 Royals win over the Cleveland Indians. The Kansas City Star had this analysis of Grienke's start. The 15 K's are new record for a Royals starter.

You have to wonder if the Mets should have shut down Johan Santana earlier. The lefty ace is now having bone chips scoped from his pitching elbow. You can just lump this on top of what has been an entire season of injuries and mishaps. Below is the current Mets disabled list. (Note: Omar Minaya is not listed, he is day to day with brain cramps) Only the Cincinnatti Reds come close to rivaling the Mets in vital parts hitting the DL with Aaron Harang, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, Jay Bruce, and Joey Votto all seeing significant time on the mend this year.

New York Mets
Updated
Player
Pos
Injury
Expected Return
08/24/09
Ramon E. Martinez
SS
Finger
60-day DL. Might be out for the season
08/23/09
Jose B. Reyes
SS
Hamstring
15-day DL. Might be out for the season
08/24/09
Carlos Beltran
CF
Knee
15-day DL. Out until at least early September
08/19/09
Alex Cora
SS
Hand
15-day DL. Out for the season
08/12/09
Carlos Delgado
1B
Hip, oblique
15-day DL. Might be out for the season
08/06/09
Jonathon Niese
SP
Hamstring
60-day DL. Out for the season
08/25/09
Oliver Perez
SP
Knee
Questionable for Aug. 28 start at Chicago Cubs
08/25/09
J.J. Putz
RP
Elbow
60-day DL. Out for the season
08/25/09
Johan Santana
SP
Elbow
Out for the season
08/26/09
Gary Sheffield
LF
Back
Questionable for Aug. 26-27 at Florida
08/24/09
David Wright
3B
Concussion
15-day DL. Eligible to return for Sept. 1-3 series vs. Colorado
07/24/09
John Maine
SP
Shoulder
15-day DL. Might be out for the season
07/16/09
Fernando Martinez
RF
Knee
15-day DL. Out until at least early September
07/21/09
Fernando Nieve
RP
Leg
15-day DL. Out until at least early September

-From CBSSports.com

Something you don't see everyday

2009-08-24T08:32:00.002-04:00

Many random baseball oddities in the Mets-Phillies game Sunday. Pedro Martinez's first return to Queens since signing with Philadelphia was certainly a memorable one. Martinez struggled but worked his way out of jams just enough to escape with a win. Ollie Perez was nowhere near as lucky. Perez gave up six runs in the first inning and was pulled after going to a 3-0 count against Pedro. Even down big, the Mets battled back, showing some great resiliency. Then, as if the baseball gods strung them along, the entirety of the Mets season was summed up in one play. With two on and no one out in the ninth, and the Mets trailing 9 to 7, little used utility infielder Eric Bruntlett caught a line drive from Jeff Franceour and picked up the unassisted triple play to end the game. Now that is a punch in the gut.

Saturday, in the park,

2009-08-22T10:54:00.002-04:00

Jim Rice has some interesting view points on today's players. Surprisingly, Mr. Rice talks about two Yankees (Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez) and persona non grata in Beantown (Manny Ramirez) when discussing how today's players are all about individual achievements.

The Yankees and Red Sox combined for 31 runs in the Bombers 20 to 11 win in Boston last night. New York's lead in the American League East is now 7.5 games. Hideki Matsui hit two home runs and drove in seven.

The Florida Marlins picked up a rain soaked 5 to 3 win over the Atlanta Braves. Anabil Sanchez came off the 60 day DL to no hit the Braves through five and a third. He struck out seven to keep the Braves at bay. The win, coupled with the Phillies 4 to 2 loss to the Mets, moved the Marlins back within 5.5 games of the National League East leaders.

The San Francisco Giants picked up a big win in their wrap around series with the Colorado Rockies. Jonathan Sanchez got his team off on the right foot, pitching San Fran to a 6 to 3 win and a pulling them within a game of the Wild Card leading Rockies.

Signed and Sealed. Can he deliver?

2009-08-18T09:04:00.003-04:00

The top overall pick in this year's MLB Amateur draft agreed to terms with the Washington Nationals last night. Stephen Strasburg, a Scott Boras client, signed a record setting $15.67 million contract for four years. The previous record of $10 million had been given to former USC pitcher Mark Prior. Prior burst onto the major league scene with Kerry Wood, but flamed out quickly with a rash of injuries.

Hopes are high for Stasburg as he now becomes the best pitching prospect the Nationals have ever had. Can he help the Nats dig their way out of the basement next year? Will the Nationals baby him the way the Yanks have handled Joba Chamberlain? It will very interesting to follow Stasburg for the rest of the year and into the off-season.

He seems to have all the makings of being major league ready right now. He hits 100 mph on the radar gun and has a nasty breaking pitch. So it will be fun to watch how fantasy owners treat him in their drafts next year.

Is it worth picking up Mr. Strasburg in a keeper league at this point? Will he make an impact next year? I doubt he will give you more than any of the top pitchers going this season. Is he worth more than keeping a Ricky Nolasco? I don't think so. But if you keep more than three players or you have no pitching on your roster for next year, it might be worth the gamble. You just have to be ready for Stasburg to have his ups and downs throughout next season. I mean, you have to remember, he is now a National.

Dog Days of Summer...

2009-08-17T12:29:00.002-04:00

I apologize for my absence. I had one of my best friends wedding over the weekend and all of my attention was focused on that and the Jersey Shore.

The Yankees moved 7.5 games up on the Red Sox over the weekend. (Even with losing Sunday)

Derek Jeter set the all time mark for hits for a shortstop. He picked up career hits 2673, 2674, and 2675 to tie and pass Luis Aparicio. Next up on DJ's "hit list" is the all-time Yankees record, held by a gentleman you may have heard of, Lou Gehrig at 2,721.

The Texas Rangers moved up a half game on the Red Sox for the Wild-Card.

The Angels put up nine runs in a half frame in extra innings!

Washington Nationals top pick Stephen Strasburg remains unsigned heading into the deadline tonight. Strasburg is one of 14 first round picks that remains unsigned heading into the deadline tonight and speaks to a much larger issue in Majore League Baseball. The agents for these prospects hold way too much power. I do not begrudge anyone getting paid the most possible. Strasburg is a true talent at the college level and looks like it will work out for him the majors some day. But he has yet to prove a thing. Major League Baseball needs to get a rookie salary cap in place and make these players in their keep. There has to be a happy medium between the current MLB way of doing things and the National Football League's non-guaranteed contracts.

I hope Strasburg signs with the Nats. It would let dominoes fall behind him and also would helpe energize a very down franchise. There is some decent talent in Washington that could come together with a top of the rotation type.

2009-08-13T08:55:00.002-04:00

New York wins. Again. In extra innings. Again. This time around Robbie Cano played the part of hero, hitting a RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh inning to give the Yanks a 4 to 3 win over the Blue Jays. Luckily for Robbie, AJ Burnett was a lot more on target with this shaving cream pie than he was any of his three wild pitches on the day.

The Red Sox kept pace, staying 5.5 games back of New York, beating the Tigers 8 to 2 for their third straight win against Detroit. Kevin Youkilis started serving his five game suspension. Rick Porcello is appealing.

Pedro Martinez returned to a major league mound and picked up a win in his Phillies debut. Martinez went five innings, giving up three runs while striking out five. Philadelphia beat the Cubs 12 to 5 to get Pedro his first win of the season. He wasn't great, but he was effective.

The Angels scored eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10 to 5 in California. Gary Matthews and Howie Kendrick both hit three run homers to help the Halos to the win. Do the Rays have enough left to make a run at the Wild Card? According to CBSSports.com columnist Scott Miller, their chances start and end with BJ Upton.

Boys will be boys...

2009-08-12T09:01:00.003-04:00

A big brawl broke out in Boston, when Tigers starter Rick Porcello plunked Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis said he was tired of getting hit and sometimes you just have to defend yourself. You wonder if that is a not so subtle shot at his pitching staff not backing him up. The Red Sox pitching staff used to be one (with Pedro Martinez) to answer if their hitters were plunked. I wonder if things are getting to business-like for the Sox.

All was well though for Boston. Mike Lowell replaced the ejected Youkilis at third base and hit two homers to help power the Red Sox to a 7 to 5 win over Detroit.

The Yankees kept their 5.5 game lead over their AL East rival with a 7 to 5 win over the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. The Bombers used back-to-back homers by Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada to tie the game then take the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Phillies got a big lift from Ben Francisco and his 12th inning homerun. Francisco's bomb gave Philadelphia a 4-3 win over the Cubs. The win stopped a mini-skid for the Fightin' Phils and kept the charging Marlins at bay.

Florida won again, beating the Astros 9-8 in eleven innings to win their fifth straight game. Hal Bodley had these thoughts on the 2009 Marlins and their chances towards October.

After The Fall...

2009-08-11T08:46:00.002-04:00

Boston ended their recent skid with a 6 to 5 win over the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. The win, coupled with a New York loss, brought the Red Sox back with 5.5 games of the Yankees.

The Chicago White Sox picked up Blue Jays Outfielder Alex Rios in a trade finalized yesterday. Rios is a good pickup for the Sox as they try to compete in the AL Central this year and the years to follow. He may be beyond the point of reaching his full potential (read: five tool player), but he is a fine player with good skills. Rios has fooled me a couple of times in fantasy baseball. He is a solid outfielder, but had so much promise. To tab him a disappointment might be a bit much, but he surely hasn't lived up to everything he could have been in a roto or points league.

Sergio Mitre spoiled the Yankees win streak, putting up a decent but still losing effort in a 5 to 4 loss to the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mitre will hold onto the fifth spot in the rotation for now, even with Chad Gaudin on the roster. The right hander is still be a major risk in AL only fantasy leagues, but you have to figure he'll get it together enough to start getting some wins. And if not, keep an eye on Gaudin who should be readily available in 10 or 12 team mixed leagues.

Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle in a 11 to 5 Rockies win over the Chicago Cubs. Tulo is the fifth Colorado player to accomplish the feat. In the link, there is a great recap of the Rockies shortstop and teammate Brad Hawpe discussing the possibility of hitting for the cycle. Tulowitzki is obviously a must start a short stop in all fantasy leagues. He always hits better in the second half then the first and this year is no different. After the All-Star Break, the diminutive Rockie is batting .349 with five home runs and 23 RBI. He has a slugging percentage of .663 and an OBP of .436. And remember, he is still only 24 years old. Plenty of great baseball ahead of him.

The New York Daily News has a report that Mets ownership has a plan to replace General Manager Omar Minaya. It's been a tough year to judge for New York, but Minaya has brought a lot of focus onto himself with his handling of a couple of key situations. If Minaya were to go, this team's roster could be decidedly different when the 2010 season opens up. This story appears in this morning's paper, after a dreadful showing by the Mets in a 7 to 4 loss to the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

The Marlins picked up another half game on the Phillies with a 8 to 6 win over the Astros. The fish sit just 3.5 back of the NL East leading Phillies, who are just three and eight since Cliff Lee joined the team.

Sweep Success for the Bombers

2009-08-10T09:00:00.003-04:00

Sunday night's game may have been the best for New York. In a game where they could have easily said three out of four is good enough and folded the tents when Victor Martinez hit his eighth inning home run, they stormed back with four in the bottom frame. They got an excellent start from "crafty" lefty Andy Pettitte and a big home run from Alex Rodriguez. When down 2 to 1, Johnny Damon haunted his former team with a drive to right center to even the score. Mark Teixiera followed with a majestic home run to the second deck in right. Then, for good measure, Nick Swisher drove in two for some wiggle room.

The Bombers beat the Red Sox 5 to 2 to sweep the four game series and push their American League East lead to 6.5 games.

John Harper of the New York Daily News has this take on the four game swing.

David Brown's Yahoo! column has a great quote from Nick Swisher. ""Listen, the Red Sox had our number," Swisher said, "but we changed cell-phone providers." Niiiice.

Google News has over 4900 articles linked up about this series. Amazing.

So where do these two teams go from here? It is way to early to call this race for the Yankees. But it sure does seem like they could run and hide as August comes to a close. That would be a be lift for New York, where they could rest Joba Chamberlain and possibly use him in the playoffs. Andy Pettitte has shown signs of being a solid number three in the playoffs, and you always like having a veteran such as Pettitte to throw out there.

Is it the Phillies year to blow a big lead? After chasing down the Mets the past two seasons, Philadelphia has the target squarely on its back this year. The Marlins and Braves are doing their best to keep pace as the summer swelter sets in.

The Marlins finished off the Phils yesterday, completing the sweep with a 12 to 3 win in Philly. The game included one of the stranger ejections you will ever see. Shane Victorino was tossed for his reaction to ball and strikes... from center field! Victorino came charging in to argue being tossed but was held off by his teammates. If you get a chance, visit MLB.com and watch the clip. It is strange to say the least.

The Braves picked up a game in the standings as well, dropping five runs in the ninth on the Dodgers to run away with an 8 to 2 win. Florida now sits just four games back of Philadelphia, while the Braves are just four and a half games back.

Mass Approval

2009-08-09T13:08:00.002-04:00

This lazy Sunday, the Yankees are looking like the team to beat in the American League East. The Bombers beat the Red Sox for a third straight game in the Bronx. CC Sabathia paced New York to a 5 to 0 win over Boston. The Yanks are now up 4.5 games on the Sox. Andy Pettitte goes up against Jon Lester in the series finale tonight.

John Harper of the New York Daily News has this take on the Boston-New York rivalry.

The Mets season has all but hit rock bottom. They lost to the Padres 3 to 1 in San Diego. Bobby Parnell lasted just 2 1/3 innings. The Mets fell eight games below .500 with the loss.

The Braves and Dodgers went to extra innings with not a single run on the board. The Bravos put two in the top frame of the inning, and LA could only post a single run. Atlanta improved 57 and 54 on the season and hung 5 1/2 games back of the Phillies in the National League East Division race.

Jason Marquis took the mound on Saturday looking to become the National League's first 13 game winner. It looked great through four innings, but Marquis couldn't hold off the Cubs, giving up five earned over six innings. Kosuke Fukudome's home run in the seventh proved to be the game winner, as Chicago won six to five.

David Ortiz continues to deny he ever knowingly took steriods. It is a shame that with the steriod era in baseball, you are guilty until proven innocent. If the NY Times or Washington Post said tomorrow that Albert Pujols was on the list, would anyone be able to question it? But with Ortiz, it sounds very similar to Barry Bonds "clear" and "cream" discussions a few years back. For these athletes, the best of the best in the game of baseball to not know what they are putting into their bodies just seems absolutely absurd to me. Why take that risk? Even if there is no penalty, wouldn't you want to make sure you what you were taking was good for you?

Walk off Friday

2009-08-08T09:43:00.002-04:00

What a Friday night...

Alex Rodriguez... you know him the one who isn't at all clutch... went deep in the 15th inning to win two to nothing over the Red Sox. AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett matched zeroes on the scoreboard for seven innings and then each teams' bullpen did the same. It looked like the Yankees had it won in the 14th, but JD Drew made a fantastic play in right field.

The San Diego Padres put up five runs in the ninth to beat Frankie Rodriguez and the New York Mets, 6 to 2. Evereth Cabrera hit a walk-off grand slam off of the Mets closer, his second career Major League homerun. For Rodriguez, it was his second straight blown save.

Ryan Langerhans hit a two homerun to push the Mariners to a six to five win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The M's trailed 5 to 1 in this one. Ken Griffey, Jr. went deep as well, on Ken Griffey, Jr. Bobblehead Night.

Dodgers closer Jonathan Braxton can't hold the lead against the Braves, giving up a run in the top of the ninth. In the 11th, the Braves put the game away with four runs. Atlanta won 9 to 5.

The Florida Marlins picked up a game on the National League East, beating the Phillies three to two.

Third Podcast is up

2009-08-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

Click Here

John Smoltz DFA

2009-08-07T23:10:00.001-04:00

The John Smoltz experiment is over in Boston. The sure fire Hall of Famer was designated for assignment today by the Red Sox.

The Yankees and the Sox are tied 0-0 in the top of the 12th. Hell of a game going on.

American Idle on the Move

2009-08-07T12:50:00.001-04:00

I guess you can't be traded and deemed idle huh? Carl Pavano was dealt from the Indians to the Twins.

One out of nine ain't bad...

2009-08-07T08:24:00.002-04:00

The New York Yankees pick up their first win over the Boston Red Sox. The Yanks jumped all over John Smoltz, making the veteran righty look mightly old. Final score was 13 to 6. Joba Chamberlain got the win, but clearly was not at his best. He walked seven over five very long innings. The Bombers onslaught in the fourth helped to overshadow Chamberlain's struggles and Jorge Posada's brain malfunction. Posada decided (it seemed) that it was a bad idea to slide into home early in the game. The base running gaffe stifled some early momentum for New York. Posada made up for it in spades though, with a big three run home run to center in the 34 minute bottom of the fourth inning.

Tonight should provide a better pitching matchup, as Josh Beckett goes for the Sox and AJ Burnett pitches for New York.

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News has a good recap of what the game meant.

Newly acquired Phillies lefty Cliff Lee did not dissapoint in his Citizen's Bank Ballpark debut. Lee went seven innings giving up just one run to the Rockies en route to a three to one Philadelphia win.

The Dodgers get a big lift from outfielder Andre Either. Either hit a three run, walk off home run off of Braves closer Rafael Soriano, lifting LA over the Braves 5 to 4.

Yankes Get Gaudin

2009-08-06T22:17:00.003-04:00

The Yankees traded for San Diego pitcher Chad Gaudin tonight. They gave up a player who has made a lot of stops over the years, the player to be named later.

Even in a win, the Mets Lose

2009-08-06T08:50:00.002-04:00

I don't think I have ever seen anything like this. The Mets continue their cursed season with a 9 to 0 win over the Cardinals at Citi Field. But even in a blowout win, New York lost another player to injury. Rookie Jon Niese was helped off the field in the second inning with a hamstring injury. Tests showed he had torn his upper hamstrung tendon clean off of the bone. Either Bobby Parnell or Elmer Dessens will replace Niese in the Mets rotation.

You have to wonder about being on the Mets 25-man roster right now. Wouldn't you be slightly afraid of sneezing to hard and tearing a hamstring?

It looks like the Phillies made the right call, but will this latest outing be enough. JA Happ dominated the Rockies last night, after enduring trade rumors for a few weeks. Philadelphia beat Colorado 7 to nothing at Citizens Bank Ballpark. Now Happ has to worry about another former Cy Young Award winner taking his spot in the Phils' rotation. Pedro Martinez had a great outing for Reading Phillies, striking out a total of eleven batters in seven innings.

Edwin Jackson went eight innings in a 4 to 2 Tigers win over the Orioles. He struck out eight while giving up two runs on three hits.

It took all my willpower to not lead with the Yankees-Red Sox series. Somehow or another, New York is winless in eight tries against the Sox this year, but hold a two and a half game lead on their rival in the American League East. New York comes in as winners of three in a row and Boston comes in having lost two to the surging Tampa Bay Rays.

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News doesn't think the Yanks need to sweep. He simply wants to see some of the old stadium swagger from this year's Bombers.

Mike Vacarro of the New York Post also wants to see the boys from the Bronx stand up for themselves against their rival.

Ken Davidoff of Newsday stacks the two teams up.

It will be interesting to see how New York fans treat David Ortiz. There are a few columns floating around saying they don't have a leg to stand on. If they didn't boo Alex Rodriguez, how can they boo David Ortiz. Well, he plays for the Red Sox that's how. While accepting A-Rod's transgressions shouldn't be overlooked, there is no reason for a New York fan to take it easy on Big Papi. He wears the opposing team's uniform, and he wears that team's opposing uniform. On top of all that, when the story on Rodriguez broke, Ortiz was one of the first to comment on it. I say let him have it in his first at-bat. Then let the vitriol of the Yankees-Sox series take over from there.

Phillies Fans Should be Proud

2009-08-05T12:40:00.002-04:00

Baseball Fantasy Camp with Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins - watch more funny videos

This is utterly brilliant.

The Cure for the Common Slump...

2009-08-05T09:01:00.004-04:00

The New York Mets...

Albert Pujols had been majorly slumping following the All-Star Break. Last night at Citi Field, Pujols got back on track, helping the Cardinals to a twelve to seven win in ten over the hapless Mets. The Cardinals first baseman hit two homers, including a grand slam in the top of the tenth inning to blow the game open. Frankie Rodriguez blew his fourth save of the year, giving up two runs in the ninth. Johan Santana struggled, but was in line for the win after going eight innings.

From the category "It could ALWAYS be worse", the Mets may lose their hottest hitter of late, Luis Castillo, to a sprained ankle. Castillo was injured when he slipped on the dugout steps. And... word is coming out that Jose Reyes is still experiencing pain in his hamstring and may be shut down for the year. When does the Jets season start again?

The Yankees moved back to a game and a half up on the Red Sox, as they bested Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays five to three, while the Red Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays four to two in the 13th inning of the game. New York got homers from Johnny Damon, Mark Teixiera, and Hideki Matsui. Tampa Bay got a one BIG homer from all world third baseman Evan Longoria, a walk off in the bottom of the 13th.

Prince Fielder is not a man I would want to piss off. Fielder charged the Dodgers clubhouse after being plunked by former teammate Guillermo Mota with two outs in the top of the ninth of a 17 to four LA rout. Fielder was restrained before he could do any damage.

Hank Aaron spoke with the Associated Press on Tuesday night. In a very wide ranging discussion, Aaron discusses Pete Rose's possible reinstatement as well as the need for all the names on the 2003 PED list to come out.

I have to admit, I completely agree with the "former" homerun king. Let's all get over this steriod thing by putting the names out there and being done with it. The longer these court cases go on and the lists exist, it is just going to bring the story back up again. If I were MLB, I would release the names on the Friday before Labor Day.

Spin Cycle

2009-08-03T08:59:00.002-04:00

Yankees outfield Melky Cabrera picked up a triple in his last at bat, becoming the first Yankee since Tony Fernandez to hit for the cycle. He helped the Bombers snap a three game skid, as New York beat the White Sox eight to five.

Red Sox pitchers gave up ten runs on Sunday. Lucky for them their offense put up 18. Boston beat the Orioles in an absolute slugfest.

David Ortiz is taking a wait and see approach in talking about his failed PED test in 2003. According to the New York Daily News, it is possible that Ortiz is one of eight players to test positive for a legal, over the counter (at the time) supplement.

The Florida Marlins picked up a game on the NL East leading with an improbable walk-off win over the Chicago Cubs. Dan Uggla and Cody Ross hit back to back homers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Kevin Gregg. Final score was three to two.

VMart to the Sox?

2009-07-31T14:01:00.002-04:00

Attention VMart Shoppers... we have a Red Light special on Yawkey Way.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on his twitter account) The Sawx are about to get Victor Martinez from the Indians.

Hey Brian Cashman,

Why not find out if Grady Sizemore is available?

Regards,
MLB Network Should Hire Me

Washburn to the Tiggers...

2009-07-31T12:33:00.001-04:00

A good staff got better today... interesting.

Deadline Dealing?

2009-07-31T08:21:00.002-04:00

Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News have a good run down of things leading up to four p.m. today. The Red Sox are supposedly in "full pursuit" of Adrian Gonzalez, and may get Heath Bell in the deal too (if it happens). Sean McAdam discusses Theo Epstein's want to make a deal, any deal, that can help his team right themselves.

According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Mets are interestd in Victor Martinez but not for their top prospects.

Dear Mr. Minaya,

They are PROSPECTS. Get Victor Martinez.

Sincerely,
MLB Network Should Hire Me

The latest team to try and pull off a deal for Roy Halladay is Texas. I am sure Nolan Ryan would love to see his team finally have an ace again.

The Yankees are still pursuing Jarrod Washburn, but have given the Mariners a shortened list of prospect that does NOT include Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Jesus Montero, or Austin Jackson. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times pulls some of the details together.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got Orioles left-hander George Sherrill for two minor leaguers.

The next seven hours or so should be fun. I wouldn't be surprised to see some smaller names move around.

The Dominoes will continue to fall

2009-07-30T12:45:00.001-04:00

Seems like we won't be done with that steriod list from 2003 until all the big names are leaked. According to a New York Times article, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz both failed drug tests in 2003 for PEDs.

I wonder how many big names are left...

Can the Red Sox get a Haul today, with Halladay?

2009-07-30T08:46:00.002-04:00

The Red Sox are apparently busy on many fronts. In May, I would not have thought Boston would have so many holes to fill, but they could use a starting pitcher, a catcher, and first baseman/designated hitter now. David Ortiz, though turning it up a little of late, has really struggled this year. Jason Varitek has been nicked up of late and is not the offensive force he once was.

The Boston Globe reports the Sox are still pursuing Indians catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez. They are also seeing what it would take to get San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Nick Cafardo also believes now is the perfect time for the beantowners to swoop in and "steal" Halladay, as no team seems to be stepping forward with the package the Jays want.

Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal seems to think the Sox should make a deal, any deal in fact. I am sure the Sox losing again to the A's, this time eight to six, helps his argument. Even more so with Brad Penny pitching like, well, Brad Penny.

In my opinion, there is no way the Padres deal Gonzalez unless they get a boatload of can't miss prospects back. The Padres are in bad shape right now, and AGonz is there ONLY respectable piece they have going right now. Victor Martinez would be a great fit in Fenway, helping Varitek out at catcher and filling in at first baseman from time to time. And I still stand by the belief that JP Ricciardi has screwed up so much in this process, Halladay will not be dealt.

Joba Chamberlain seems to be finding his form as a starter. The right hander went eight innings, shutting down the powerful Tampa Bay line up to help New York to a six to two win. John Harper of the NY Daily News thinks the "Joba Rules" are the exact reason why the Yanks SHOULD go after Halladay.

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times thinks Ian Snell being involved in the Jack Wilson trade may free up Jarrod Washburn to be dealt from Seattle. The Mariners celebrated their move with a come from behind win over the Blue Jays (who had this guy named Roy Halladay start ... heard of him?) three to two.

Jonathan Broxton blows a save, giving Albert Pujols the chance to play hero. Broxton wasted a great effort by Clayton Kershaw, leading to the Cards three to two win in 15 innings. The Dodgers are rumored to be sitting out of the Halladay sweepstakes and focusing much more on George Sherrill to help sure up their bullpen. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has this story on the Dodgers trade prospects.

Plenty of other rumors flying around the internet. Check out MLB Trade Rumors for updates. I love that site.

And oh yeah, I forgot in an earlier post... the Pirates also traded Adam LaRoche. Yikes!

Sanchez to the Giants

2009-07-29T19:30:00.003-04:00

So the Giants continue to make some roster moves. They picked up Freddy Sanchez from the Pittsburgh Pirates. San Francisco gives up former first rounder Tim Alderson, who had most recently been pitching at Double-A.

So now the Pirates have dealt Nate McLouth, Eric Hinske, Nyjer Morgan, Sean Burnett, Freddy Sanchez, and Jack Wilson, more than one-fifth of their 25 man roster. I know a couple of Pirates fans. They tend not to have the best outlook on life.

Next to be moved is...

2009-07-29T15:52:00.004-04:00

George Sherrill, Victor Martinez, and Freddy Sanchez are the next contestants on Lets Make a Deal.

The Dodgers seem to be looking at Sherrill with Cliff Lee off the board. Victor Martinez would be a great pick up for anyone, but especially the Red Sox. And Freddy Sanchez seems destined to head to the Giants, if his knees check out.

Phils don't throw Halladay Party

2009-07-29T14:03:00.002-04:00

Looks like the Phils are about to deal for Indians ace Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco, according to FoxSports Ken Rosenthal. Some great talent is going back to Cleveland.

Mariners Going For It

2009-07-29T13:58:00.004-04:00

I did not see this coming. The Mariners add Jack Wilson and Ian Snell for shortstop Ronny Cedeno and four prospects, one of which being C/1B Jeff Clement. Does this mean the Mariners believe they can win the Wild Card? Or was this just a deal that made sense for their future?

Friday Looms

2009-07-29T09:00:00.002-04:00

So the trade rumors continu to swirl with the four p.m. deadline this Friday. Roy Halladay is still a Blue Jay. Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez are still Indians. And Jarrod Washburn is still a Mariner.

Ryan Garko was dealt to the San Francisco Giants yesterday. Good to see the Giants are trying to solidify their line up for a run at the Wild Card.

Check out MLB Trade Rumors for the latest. If I hear anything not on there, or think it is worth a direct link I will do so, but they are working their tails off so I want to give them their due.

The Yankees heard that Chien Ming Wang is now out for the season, as he now requires shoulder surgery. That obviously throws them further into the mix for a starting pitcher. They have been most closely linked to Washburn, but don't count them out for Lee or Halladay. No one thought they would get Teixiera, and we see how that turned out.

The Mets have now beaten the Colorado Rockies two in a row and have moved five and a half games back in the Wild Card. While five and a half is a lot to make up, with half of the National League in your way, it isn't impossible. Just ask fans of the Phillies. This, along with a ton of other reasons (Omar Minaya hoping to make a splash to cover up the awful news conference he has the other day, needing to convince a fan base you will put a decent team on the field, and so on) now makes the Mets players in the trade market.

Mark Buerhle really enjoys being perfect. Though he ended up taking the loss in the ChiSox game against the Twins, the lefty went through five and one third without letting a runner reach base. His overall total of perfection reached 45 innings a new major league record.

As the Son of Zim and I discussed on our podcast last week, Buerhle is one of the sure bets each year in Major League baseball. He has never had less than 10 wins in a season and takes the ball every time he is up in the rotation. He is a fun guy to watch pitch and someone who is easy to root for at a time when some major leaguers really turn me off. Buerhle has even talked about retiring after his current contract is up, just because he doesn't wang to hang on too long. I am definitely a fan of his.

Late to the Party

2009-07-27T18:34:00.002-04:00

What in the world was Omar Minaya thinking? Firing Tony Bernazard was one thing, but calling out Adam Rubin of the Daily News. I don't even know where to begin with this one. Even if Rubin wanted into the Mets front office, his story was accurate and help Minaya accelerate firing Bernazard. Minaya threw Rubin under the bus and it will be very interesting to see how the News combats the accusations from the Mets GM. Rubin tried to get answers at the press conference, but Minaya tried to downplay his comments.

Either way, the Mets are coming undone. This end to the season will not be pretty.

Around the Majors

2009-07-27T08:15:00.003-04:00

The Yankees finished off their post All-Star break home stand nine and one, beating the Oakland A's seven to five. The win moved New York back up to two and a half games over Boston. Mariano Rivera saved his 25th straight game.

The Boston Red Sox lost to the Orioles six to two at Fenway. David Hernandez pitched well for the O's, going seven innings giving up one run on five hits. John Smoltz was anything but good for the Sox. He lasted just five innings giving up all six Baltimore runs. Smoltz has an ERA over 7 so far this year and really doesn't look right on the mound. Boston may need to make a run at a starter with Penny and Smoltz struggling at the back end of their rotation and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL.

The Phillies beat up on the Cardinals for the second day in a row, winning nine to two. Ryan Howard came up big for Philadelphia, going three for three with two runs scored and three RBI. The Phillies have the second biggest lead in any of the division races, sitting six and a half games up on Atlanta and Florida in the National League East.

Both Atlanta and Florida won to keep pace in the NL East yesterday. The Marlins will be a fun team to watch down the stretch to see if they stay involved in the race. They don't need to move any big salaries this year, so they should keep the team in tact. Definitely do not look for them to pick anyone up though. They are still a year away from making one of their every six to seven year runs towards the World Series.

Aaron Cook went seven strong innings to help the Rockies to a four to two win over the Giants. Cook picked up his tenth victory of the year "scattering" nine hits and giving up just two runs.

The names you read the most are most likely the players not to be dealt. It just seems to be the rumors that swirl this time of year are the players more likely to be dealt in the off-season. I don't think the Indians will deal Victor Martinez or Cliff Lee as they should contend next year. As I have said a ton of times, I don't see Roy Halladay being dealt. I think it's the names you hear a little less that might be on the move. Don't be surprised if Adam Dunn gets moved by the Nationals. He has some value to a few teams in division races, though with the Mets falling out of it the bidding might be down. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Giants make a move for a back end of the rotation pitcher, trying to make a real run at the Rockies and the Wild Card.

Blue Jays GM says deal unlikely

2009-07-26T21:20:00.002-04:00

Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com has a story on Roy Hallady and his ever slimming chances of being dealt. JP Ricciardi will be fired in the off-season. That part isn't from Rosenthal, but I have to believe he will be out for this utter debacle.

Tick Tock on Doc

2009-07-26T08:39:00.003-04:00

The clock is ticking down towards the trade deadline and the rumors are starting to get fun. The Blue Jays are truly reaching for the stars when it comes to Roy Halladay deals. The Jays apparently told the Yankees it would take both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain plus two prospects. Jon Heyman of SI "tweeted" that Bombers might consider dealing Chamberlain, but not both. According to the Foxsports.com team of Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, the Blue Jays General Manager told the Angels it would take Joe Saunders, Brandon Wood, Eric Aybar, and at least one other prospect. Three of those players are on the current Angels major league roster.

It seems as though the Red Sox have remained pretty quiet thus far. You have to wonder if they will end up being the team to beat. As I have stated over and over again (sorry about that), Ricciardi has painted himself into a corner here. He has already rejected some good packages for Halladay (Are they good enough? I am not sure) and has countered with packages that would make what the Mets gave up for Santana look like a bunch of little leaguers. The next couple of days should be interesting as Ricciardi put a deadline of the 28th to deal Halladay out there. We shall see. I still believe he doesn't get dealt.

Look for some teams to pull off of Halladay and hope to pick up a back end of the rotation piece like Jarrod Washburn or Doug Davis.

Today Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice join the Hall of Fame. Rice had spent many years as Mr. Borderline... just missing out on making it to the hall before being elected this year. Henderson was a sure fire first ballot entry, but didn't retire until 2004. Amazing ain't it? Hank Aaron was asked about steroids and baseball immortality. Scott Miller of CBSSports.com has that story.

I am still not sure where I stand on the asterisk. Should the entire steroid era be penalized? Should only the individuals who failed a drug test have a note on their record? Or should they not even be let into the hall? Their are tons of good arguments on both sides of the story. When Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, and the rest of the early greats played, they didn't have to play against African Americans or Hispanics. They played all their games on the east coast and had to travel less. From the sixties on you here all the time of how players took amphetamines and kept their bodies going by using the uppers.

I have a distinct feeling this will be a harsh debate when Barry Bonds comes up for voting. He was a hall of famer befor hitting all those homers, but clearly tainted himself and the game with all that went on. But will all that fade with a new generation? In 1961, Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's record and baseball fans at the time were up in arms about the extra games he played in. Now, fans my age could care less he had the extra game to play in. Will fans forty years from now look back and say "Who cares what drugs they did?" I think they just might.

Some games from last night...

The Tampa Bay Rays came back from down nine to one in the sixth to beat the Blue Jays ten to nine in the twelfth.

The Phillies got back at the Cardinals for the thumping they took on Friday. They won 14 to six in Philadelphia. Be sure to check out the video of two amazing Rick Ankiel losses. With the addition of Matt Holliday, it will be interesting to see what outfield Tony LaRussa trots out there on a nightly basis. LaRussa tends to be pretty loyal, so I suspect Ankiel will continue to get some time in center field. Remember... he was a PITCHER.

The Red Sox won their second straight, beating the Orioles seven to two in Boston. Jon Lester went seven and a third giving up two runs on eight hits while striking out nine. David Ortiz continued hitting well, connecting on a three run home run in the first inning.

The Yankees eight game winning streak came to a close yesterday afternoon, as a ninth inning rally fell short against the A's in the Bronx. Jorge Posada grounded into a double play with runners on first and second and no one out in the ninth to take any possible bite out of a come back attempt, final score was six to four. The Sox are now just a game and a half in back of the Bombers.

Casey Blake sent the Dodger faithful home happy yesterday with a bases loaded bloop single to win it four to three over the Marlins in LA.

And just because I rarely talk about a single decent thing they do, the Nationals and the Mets both won yesterday. The Nats beat the Paders thirteen to one. The Mets beat the Astros ten to three.

Friday Night Lights

2009-07-25T14:59:00.002-04:00

Matt Holliday makes a great first impression on his new team. Holliday helped the Cardinals to an eight to one win over the National League East leading Philadelphia Phillies. The newly acquired outfielder went four for five with an RBI. Joel Piniero continued his renaissance year for the victory.

The Yankees ran their win streak to eight games in a row with a win over the Oakland A's at Yankee Stadium. Bombers starter Joba Chamberlain went seven innings giving up just one run on two hits. New York remained two and a half up on the Red Sox for first place in the AL East. (It looks like NY's win streak is about to come to an end as Oakland is up six to one in the seventh inning)

Boston got a much needed qualty start from Brad Penny in a three to one win over Baltimore. The win stopped the Red Sox's five game losing streak. Penny went six and a third giving up five hits and an unearned run.

News from MLB.com about the Roy Halladay saga. Apparently JP Ricciardi is reaching for the stars, asking Philadelphia for JA Happ AND Kyle Drabek along with outfield prospect Dominic Brown. As I have said from the beginning, I really think Ricciardi has made this into a much bigger circus than it ever needed to be. If he holds onto Halladay through the trade deadline, he will severly diminish his trade value in the off season. I, for one, still believe Toronto could make a solid run next year if their starting rotation is healthy. If I were Ricciardi, I would be concentrating on trying to convince someone to take Vernon Wells or Alex Rios off my hands.

Speaking of Halladay, he made a brilliant start last night against the Tampa Bay Rays only to come up with a no decision. Halladay went nine innings giving up two runs on four hits while striking out ten. The Blue Jays ace was matched by Tampa Bay started Matt Garza who also went nine innings giving up two runs on five hits while striking out nine. The Rays sit six and a half games back of New York for first place in the AL East.

Apparently the Tigers are interested in disgruntled Cub outfield Milton Bradley. I caught this link on MLBTRADERUMORS. David Kaplan of ChicagoNow.com says this rumor has some legs. I wonder if the Tigers just miss Gary Sheffield so much that they want to go get the most cantankerous player in baseball. The Tigers are playing some good baseball and just got Jose Guillien back from the DL to help out Marcus Thames at DH. According to Kaplan, the deal would depend on how much of the contract the Cubs were willing to eat. This would be "addition by subtraction" for Lou Pinella and Chicago. (Always love using that phrase)

We are less than a week out from the deadline so it will be fun to keep track of all the rumors that start sprouting up. Look for the Mets to put their entire roster out there... not that anyone wants any of the active players.

Mike Hampton homered off of Johan Santana last night as the Astros beat the Mets five to four in Houston. Can it get any worse for New York that to have Mr. Hampton be the one to kick you while you are down? Bill Madden of the New York Daily News believes its time to complete overhaul the Mets roster. That starts with Omar Minaya according to Mr. Madden.

Holliday Season in St Louis

2009-07-24T12:22:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the headline, the best I could do as Buster Olney tells the ESPN community this is a done deal. Matt Holliday goes to the Cards for third baseman Brett Wallace, outfielder Shane Peterson, and right-handed pitcher Clayton Morenson.

I think its a great pick up for the Cards, who now have picked up Julio Lugo, Mark DeRosa, and Holliday to try and get back to the big dance in October. Time will tell if these prospects become quality major leaguers that Billy Beane can trade away at the deadline in 2014.

From the numbers I was able to gather, Holliday is a career .385 hitter in St. Louis with five homers. Last season he was only one for ten but in 2006 he was eleven of 22 with four dingers.

TGIF

2009-07-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

No really. Thank goodness it's Friday. This work week has been absolutely abysmal.

New podcast is up and linked in the post below. The Son of Zim and myself discuss some interesting roller coaster rides so far this season as well as play a little game of who to and who not to play.

The Yankees and A's sat through a lengthy rain delay before the first pitch was thrown. The Bombers bats kept clicking, beat Oakland six to three to move two and a half games up on Boston in the American League East. Mark Teixiera had another big night for New York.

Adam Wainwright leads the Cardinals over the Nationals in a rain shortened four to one victory. The rain was great news for Wainwright owners, as they picked up a complete game for his troubles.

ESPN sources say the on again-off again rumor of Matt Holliday to the Cards may be back on again. Holliday would be a good fit with King Albert.

Jon Heyman has this update on the trade market on Sports Illustrated dot com.

In the above article, Indians GM Mark Shapiro discusses the evaluation of minor league prospects that might be used in deals. He feels that clubs might be over valuing their players. Zim and I talked about it last night (not in the podcast but before). A prospect is an unproven commodity. Sure, someone can zip through the minor leagues and SEEM to be prepared to take on the majors, but until they do just that you don't know what you have at all. For all the David Prices of the world, you have just as many Brien Taylors. An established major leaguer is worth far more than any prospect that might be involved in a trade. The problem now persists though that no GM wants to deal away that can't miss prospect, have them make it to the majors, and be Evan Longoria. So, more and more GM's hold onto their "top tier" talent. They block up the trade market and more stars wait out their contracts with their old teams and find free agency.

I, for one, am a big fan of the summer blockerbuster deal. I love watching players switch cities and re-ignite fan bases, push teams over the top, or even crash and burn when the situation isn't right. I hope some general managers loosen the purse strings just a bit, and take a bit of a gamble by moving their top minor leaguers for say... hmmmmm... who's on the market... Roy Halladay.

Fantasy Baseball Podcast - Episode 2

2009-07-23T23:21:00.002-04:00

Here is the second installment of the Fantasy Baseball Podcast from FantasyBaseballGeeks.com and MLBNetworkHire.blogspot.com. We discuss Mark Buerhle’s no hitter, players that will take you on a roller coaster ride throughout the rest of the season, Ricky Nolasco, play or not to play, and tons more.

If you have a question for the mailbag, email me at Dan_Strafford@hotmail.com.

Episode 2

Mark Buerhle Throws a Perfect Game

2009-07-23T16:16:00.003-04:00

We just got to watch the end of the White Sox - Rays game here at work as Mark Buerhle throw a perfect game. DeWayne Wise made a great catch in center to perserve the perfect bid, going over the wall bringing the ball back, bobbling it and securing it with his non glove hand. Congrats to Mr. Buerhle. And congrats to anyone who owns him in a points league.

Heck of a night in baseball

2009-07-23T08:21:00.002-04:00

Interesting stories abound this morning...

Manny Ramirez comes off the bench to hit a grand slam that's the difference in a six to two Dodgers win.

Houston gets a walk-off single from Miguel Tejada, beating the Cards four to three, pulling them within one game of the National League Central leader (and also ruining a good start by Chris Carpenter that would have gotten me a few more points in my fantasy league) The Cards picked up shortstop Julio Lugo in exchange for outfielder Chris Duncan.

The A's put up a BIG crooked number against the Twins, winning 16 to one.

Ricky Nolasco struck out ten in the Marlins five to nothing shutout of the Padres.

The Red Sox lost to the Texas Rangers, again. This time three to one. They have now lost five in a row. As listed below, they did make a couple of trades to try and bolster their bench.

The Yankees beat the Orioles six to four in the Bronx yesterday. It was New York's sixth win in a row, moving them a full two games up on Boston. Bill Madden of the NY Daily News discussed the mood of the Yankees clubhouse. Also, my alma mater's head football coach stopped by to talk Rutgers football and their game in 2011 with Army at the Stadium. Go RU!

Oh... and a report I heard on 660 AM WFAN in New York this morning has Gary Sheffield to the DL and Alex Cora day to day. Sorry Mets fans... maybe you can challenge Tony Bernazard to a fight?

BoSox pick up Duncan

2009-07-22T19:50:00.000-04:00

Another first base/outfielder option goes to the Sox

Adam LaRoche to the Red Sox

2009-07-22T12:23:00.001-04:00

Dejan Kovacevic has the story.

A top 100?

2009-07-22T12:02:00.004-04:00

CNNSI.com's Joe Posnanski put together his top 100 CURRENT players. He does a great job explaining his thinking in setting up the list. But immediately in the top ten I am confused. I cannot see anyone picking Zack Grienke over Tim Lincecum. "The Freak" is down right nasty, and while Grienke is a great story, he has not been the best pitcher in the league this year.

More to follow...

If you can't beat them...

2009-07-22T08:18:00.003-04:00

Attempt to beat up your players. The Mets are just an out right mess these days. According to a report in the New York Daily News, Vice President of Player Development Tony Bernazard challenged the Binghamton Mets clubhouse to a fight. I think its time for the Mets to at least make a change in the front office. Even if not true, to me, this sort of story leaking out shows this team is becoming a farse both on and off the field.

Adding insult to injury. The Mets lost to the Nationals. I don't even have the words.

The New York Yankees stand alone in first place. The Bombers beat the Orioles six to four at the Stadium in the Bronx. That win, coupled with the four to two Red Sox loss to the Rangers, New York moves into sole possession of the top spot in the AL East for the first time since June 8th. One would think Sergio Mitre's outing was good enough to earn him at least a couple more, if not take over the number five spot in the Yanks rotation. But, maybe the Yankees can put him in the bullpen too and call of Kei Igawa!

The Phillies continue to distance themselves from the pack in the National League East. With the Mets free falling, and the rest of the division looking like .500 clubs, the Phillies have used a ten game winning streak to extend their lead to six and a half games over the Marlins. Last night Philadelphia won in 13 innings, four to one over the Cubs, on a Jayson Werth walk off homer. If the City of Brotherly Love's team can pick up a SP (even if they are not named Halladay), you have to like their chances to make a serious run at back to back championships. Jimmy Rollins is finally playing like ... well... himself.

Cliff Lee dazzles in his latest start for the Indians. Lee went the distance in a two to one win over the the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto starter Brett Cecil impressed over seven innings, giving up seven hits while striking out nine.

It will be interesting to see what minor deals are made over the next week or so. Everyone will keep an eye on Roy Halladay, Matt Holliday, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez and the like, but I wonder what the contenders really need. Look for most contending teams to be really interested in any serviceable lefties that might be pitching some what well as the deadline rolls in.

You don't have to admit I was right...

2009-07-21T20:10:00.002-04:00

Just never ever doubt me again.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the newest act to sweep the nation, the disappearing general manager.

About Schmidt...

2009-07-21T08:45:00.004-04:00

Jason Schmidt has a happy return to the Dodgers rotation. Los Angeles beat the Reds seven to five to give Schmidt his first win of the season. Schmidt is due back on the disabled list in... about... three weeks. Good luck to him.

Not that being Jason Schmidt is all bad... he has made just seven starts since signing his three year deal with the Dodgers. If he were to sit out the rest of that contract, with let's say ... an injury... he would have made almost seven million dollars a start. Good work if you can get it.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (and of a certain TV network I might want to work for) is reporting the Mets were approached by the Blue Jays on Roy Halladay. The report says that Toronto asked for Bobby Parnell, Jon Neise, Fernando Martinez, and shortstop prospect Ruben Tejada and the Mets responded "with a resounding no." I don't buy for one minute this was an actual trade discussion. I have a feeling that there may have been a preliminary talk between the two clubs during the All Star break, but when hearing what it MIGHT take to get Halladay the Mets said "thanks, but no thanks" and stepped away from the table. I still believe JP Riccardi has backed himself into a corner with this Halladay fiasco and will ultimately lose his job over it.

I still don't know how to handle Twitter as a source of information, but Keith Law of ESPN.com used his Twitter account to refute Jon Heyman's above report. Does anyone write articles anymore?

And though he supposedly heard otherwise, the NY Daily News is reporting that Omar Minaya may be on the hotseat.

The Yanks get a Thriller by Godzilla to beat the Orioles in the Bronx. For the third game in a row, the Bombers won two to one. This time they got a Hideki Matsui walk off home run off of a Jim Johnson offering in the bottom of the ninth for the margin of victory. Andy Pettitte bounced back after a poor outing before the All-Star break but took a no-decision. Phil Coke, Jose Molina, and Mark Teixiera combined for some nifty defense to keep the O's from surging ahead.

Since joining the Boston rotation, John Smoltz has struggled. The right hander looked good through five against the Texas Rangers last night, but faltered in the sixth. Smoltz gave up three home runs in the bottom frame, the last one ending his night. Texas used the five run inning to surge to a six to three win. The loss drops the Sox into a tie for first place with the surging Yankees.

Maybe Matt Holliday has some trade value after all. After a fairly ho-hum season in Oakland, Holliday turned on the offense last night, keying a major come back by the Athletics. Trailing twelve to two in the third inning, the A's came all the way back and then some, beating the Twins 14 to 13. Holliday put together a heck of a week last night, going four for five with two home runs (one a grand slam) and six RBI. The Twins got the rough end of a bad call at home.

Trivia

2009-07-20T09:40:00.002-04:00

There are five players who have had over 100 RBI a season for the past five seasons. Name them.

Was that an Iceberg we just hit?

2009-07-20T08:17:00.002-04:00

The Mets season continues to spiral WAY downward. I wonder how Jerry Manuel feels about captaining this White Star Liner. The Braves beat up on the Mets again, seven to one. Javy Vasquez shut down the Mets line up over seven innings, giving up just six hits and one run. Mets starter Fernando Nieve left the game in the second, straining his quad running to first base.

What does six and two-thirds of perfect baseball get you? Apparently a loss for the Oakland A's. Young lefty Brett Anderson carried the no-hitter into the seventh, when pitch hitter Bobby Abreu grounded a base hit to the left side. Anderson left the game after eight strong innings, with no score for either team on the board. In the tenth, Bobby Abreu homered for the games only run.

The doctor is in, yet again for the Blue Jays. Roy Halladay twirled a gem against the Red Sox in Toronto. Halladay went the distance, giving up just one run on six hits while striking out seven. The Blue Jays won two of three from the Sox over the weekend.

That loss allowed the New York Yankees to creep a little closer, to just a game behind the AL East leaders. The Bombers beat the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers two to one behind a strong performance from Joba Chamerblain. The right hander went six and two-thirds, giving up one run on three hits while striking out eight.

JA Happs continues to impress for the Phillies. Happ earned his seventh win over the year, shutting out the Florida Marlins over seven innings. Final score was five to nothing.

I am getting to a point where I think the Blue Jays will hold onto Halladay. I think Toronto GM JP Riccardi has painted himself into a corner by being so public about listening to offers. If he does make the trade, he has to bring back some ELITE prospects and a major league ready arm. And no matter what he brings back, I think his days in Canada would be numbered. But with all the rumors swirling, I think Riccardi may be more inclined to take a gambler's approach. The Jays should have a very good pitching staff next year. If they can put together a better bullpen and stay healthy, they could, repeat could, make a run at the wild card. Then Riccardi is a hero. He held onto his ace and allowed the team to compete. If they don't make the playoffs, then he is out of a job anyway.

Saturday, in the park,

2009-07-18T07:25:00.002-04:00

Before I head out to "the Stadium", I have to go to the dentist. It doesn't seem fair really. And then I realize that I was the one who made the appointment.

New York beat the Tigers five to three in the Bronx. The New York Daily News questions where or not Phil Hughes is being stretched BACK out to join the rotation. The Yanks really need to figure out where their young pitching is going to be.

The Atlanta Braves retire Greg Maddux's 31. Then his former team went out and crushed the Mets, eleven to nothing at Turner Field.

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you will realize that I believe that Albert Pujols is a pretty good baseball player. Two more homers last night for King Albert, couple that with a strong start with Chris Carpenter, and you have yourself a Cards win. Final score six to one St. Louis.

Roy Oswalt helps the Astros continue their surge, firing a complete game four hitter in a eight to one win over the Dodgers.. He yielded just one run. The Astros moved into a three way tie for second place in the National League Central Division.

Boston starter Clay Bulcholz proves he is a ready for prime-time (again). Bulcholz pitched the Red Sox towards a four to one win over the Blue Jays.

No commentary today as I have to go face the dentist. Wish me luck and I will have more later.

Yankee Game Today

2009-07-18T00:35:00.002-04:00

Hitting up the Yankee - Tigers game at the Stadium today. I will have a full report by Monday morning.

Dan Haren v Roy Halladay

2009-07-16T13:56:00.003-04:00

At my day job, (yes, I do have one of those) I had a guy I work with say the Phillies should forget Roy Halladay and make a major push for Dan Haren of Arizona. While I don't think the D'Backs are going to deal the righty, it was an interesting argument. Who is the better pitcher?

I will throw out the window their age. I don't care about their age or their cost right now. I am about winning baseball games. General Managers have to worry about their investment and the possibility of said investment breaking down. Right now, I want to look at who would bring back better value to my team to make a push towards the playoffs.

Currently Roy Halladay has a win/loss record of ten and three with an ERA of 2.85 on a team that currently stands at 44 and 46. Halladay accounts for a little less than one-quarter of his team's victories. He's started 17 games and thrown 123 innings, averaging out to about seven and two-thirds per start. He has given up less than a hit per inning (118). He has struck out 106 and walked 17, a cool six to one ratio. He has three complete games, one being a shutout.

The level of competition he pitches against is tougher, that is easy to see. He is arguably in the best division in baseball. The American League averages 4.82 runs per game as compared to the National League's 4.44 runs per game. The AL East, averages 5.22 runs per game, while the NL West, Mr. Haren's division, averages 4.51 rpg. So off the bat, you would have to conclude the Halladay faces a tougher task. Against the AL East, Halladay is two and two with an ERA of 3.48.

Next you would have to take into account his last three years of pitching ( in an effor to prove this season is no an anamoly.) He averaged 32 or so starts a season with 230 innings pitched. He allowed, again on average, 220 hits per season while striking out an average of 159 per season and walking 40. His ERA over the three year span of 2006 through 2008 is 3.23. It does not take a genius to recognize Halladay as a legit number one for any team, but the numbers certainly do back it up.

Dan Haren currently sits at nine and five and an ERA of 2.01. He has allowed ONLY 89 hits over 130 innings pitched. Arizona currently holds a record of 38 and 51 in the weaker National League, though they do play the best in baseball Dodgers 18 times. Haren's victories also account for just slightly less than one-quarter of his teams wins. The righty has struck out 129 and walked just 16, an astounding eight to one K/BB ratio. He, like Halladay, has three complete games with one shutout.

As stated above, the National League does not stack up against the AL when it comes to run production. The designated hitter versus the pitcher batting debate has raged for a while and this is why. The Dodgers and Rockies do sit at seven and eight respectively in runs scored on the season, but that doesn't measure up to the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox being one, two, and three in the same rankings. With all that said, in eight games against division teams, Haren has a two and three record, but an ERA of 1.81.

Now onto Haren's stats over the past three seasons. From 2006 to 2008, he has averaged 34 starts per season. He has averaged 15 wins and a 3.51 ERA (one year in Oakland and two in Arizona) while pitching 220 or so innings. He has struck out an average of 191 batters per season while walking just 47, a K/BB ratio of about five to one. Haren too has the numbers to be the number one on most teams throughout the Major Leagues.

So, how do you choose between these two for the rest of the year? Last year, Dan Haren posted an eight and three post All-Star game record, but a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts. He gave up 106 hits in 90.1 innings pitched. On the other hand, Roy Halladay went nine and five in the second half with a 2.89 ERA, striking out 85 in 14 starts. Halladay, post All Star break, has never posted a losing record or an ERA over four. Haren has posted one below .500 record after the break (over the same three years) as well as always having an ERA over four.

So, Halladay pitches in a tougher division, gets similar, if not equal, results to Haren, and turns it on in the second half. If he were to move to the NL, you could assume his K's and ERA would increase and decrease respectively due to facing the pitcher's spot in the order. Directly comparing the two, Halladay has a couple more wins and a comparable ERA (when taking into effect the difference in offensive production in the division and leagues). Haren has a better K/BB ratio, but their numbers aren't far off at all.

As much as I like Dan Haren and would welcome him on my major league staff, Roy Halladay is the better pitcher.

Now, going back to one of my original statements. If I am taking one pitcher for the rest of the year, I want Roy Halladay. If I was advising any general manager in the league and was asked who I would rather trade for, I would most likely lean towards Haren. His contract is friendlier, he is younger and has proven to be a work horse. With that said though, Haren's second half numbers doesn't make this a slam dunk. The lean towards Haren is only a slight one, mainly because of age, contract flexibility, and less chance of being ABSOLUTELY fleeced to get him.

What do you think? Do you think Halladay is better than Haren? Do you think my stats accurately portray the two pitchers? Is the AL v NL debate overrated?

The Most Boring Day in Sports

2009-07-16T08:33:00.002-04:00

Well we made it through the most boring day in pro sports in America. We get back into the swing of thinks tonight with eight games kicking off the second half of the season.

Yesterday was not without its baseball news. The Phillies introduced Pedro Martinez and promptly placed him on the 15-day DL. Pedro says he "brings with him his legacy,". For the Phillies sake, I hope he brings a little bit more than that. Martinez was a great pitcher, but really fell off the map his last two seasons with the Mets. His numbers with Montreal and Boston are astounding and almost unbelievable. He is credited with being one of the best pitchers during an obvious offensive era in baseball. I think the Phillies made a low risk, high reward move here, but I don't expect Pedro to bring them too much.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.COM previews the second half stories...

Manny Acta was fired a couple of days back. It just doesn't seem right to me to fire someone for not winning enough, when you give him nothing to win with. The Nats introduced Jim Riggleman as the interim manager. He talked about a "winning culture" in DC. That's a joke right? Washington has a chance to build with some youth. If they can sign Stephen Strasburg and get the number one pick again this year... they could be in line to compete... one day.

This has to be the worst week for fantasy baseball as well. A ton of leagues only use the four days to calculate their games and that could have a profound effect on the overall standings. If you have a chance to modify your lineup still try to get as many starters in as possible. Do NOT rely on closers in such a short week, they may not get enough opportunities.

I've been asked to talk about who is a better pitcher: Roy Halladay or Dan Haren? I've compiled some intereting stats thus far and hope to have an analysis up later today. Check back often!

American League Wins Again

2009-07-15T08:06:00.004-04:00

So once again, we see Mariano Rivera on the mound closing out an AL victory in the All-Star game.

Roy Halladay didn't seem all that comfortable with all the attention, giving up three runs, two of them earned, in the second inning. Halladay reiterated that playing for a contender does intrigue him.

The Phillies may be in the hunt for Halladay, but have also tried to solidify the back end of their rotation as well. They inked future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to a one year deal for one million dollars. He can make up to one and a half million in incentives.

Apparently Bud Selig reads my blog...

Jason Bay and the Red Sox are set to begin negotiations.

The second half of baseball begins on Thursday, leaving Wednesday as one of the most boring sports days of the year. Hopefully you can find a local minor league game to listen to at some point. Otherwise you might actually have to talk to your family, friends, loved ones, or pets.

It will be interesting to see how the second half shakes out. There are a lot of teams still in the division and wild card races, leaving the trade market mired in uncertainty. You would think the Diamondbacks, Padres, Nationals, A's, Indians, and Orioles would be the teams most likely to shed payroll at some point before July 31st. But (not to beat a dead horse, and it certainly is dead) the economy is still in the dumps and some teams you wouldn't expect may look to unload some high priced "talent".

Keep an eye on a team like the Cubs who are just a mess right now. You could see them try to move Alfonso Soriano (though his trade value is down right now) or see if any American League team is willing to take a chance on Milton Bradley (highly unlikely with the length of his contract). You have already heard about the Blue Jays moving Halladay, but they would love to move Vernon Wells contract or the almost always underachieving Alex Rios.

In the AL Central, you will probably hear whispers of the Indians moving Cliff Lee. I just don't see that happening. His contract is a very managable one and they are still built to win next year. If they give up Lee, they give up their ace and don't have one lined up to take his place.

Seattle could quickly fall out of things in the AL West and could look to move Jarod Washburn or Erik Bedard if they get the right offer.

In the National League, the NL East should see the Nationals trying to move some pieces around, but who wants ANYONE they have. Adam Dunn is the most expensive and attractive piece, but can the Nats (interim) front office take that sort of publica relations hit?

I mentioned the Cubs in the central already but maybe we can look forward to the Pirates making another absolutely absurd trade.

And then out in the NL West, look for the Diamondbacks to try and move some payroll. Doug Davis is the name heard most often, possibly heading back to the Brewers. Jake Peavy would have been on the move if he was healthy, but now the Padres will most likely have to showcase him in the early fall and hope to deal him over the winter.

The buyers... as normal... the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, and Phillies seem to be the most inclined to swing deals to try and bolster their playoff positions. I don't think the Mets can bring in a whole new roster, so Omar Minaya may play this trade deadline safe.

The NY Post is reporting that Citi Field will host the 2013 All Star game. Can you picture the WORST home run derby ever?

Derby Dish...

2009-07-14T08:27:00.002-04:00

Prince Fielder came up big (pun INTENDED) against Nelson Cruz in the finals of the Home Run Derby last night. Mr. Fielder was fun to watch, as he does NOT get cheated on any swing. I am sure headline writers across the country rejoiced when he won.

The National League will try to break through and actually win a game tonight.

Roy Halladay starts tonight for the AL all-star team, as questions continue to circulate on whether he will finish the season with the Blue Jays or not. MLB Trade Rumors, as always, has some great links about the topic. The NY Post has earth shattering news... Roy Halladay would help the Yankees win. They also have a good list of those relievers who could be on the move as the deadline approaches.

First Fantasy Baseball Podcast

2009-07-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

First Fantasy Baseball PodCast

Mr. Inge...

2009-07-13T20:02:00.000-04:00

Thanks for coming out. We appreciate your participation.

Home Run Derby

2009-07-13T19:33:00.002-04:00

What a disappointment for the AL in the home rub derby! Carlos Pena and Nelson Cruz are serviceable but Brandon Inge and Joe Mauer???? Wow. Mauer has shown some pop this year, but he is NOT a home run hitter. And Inge? Yikes...

Back Tomororw Morning...

2009-07-13T17:20:00.001-04:00

Hey guys...

Was away in Massachusetts this weekend and have yet to hire a back up! (ha!)

I'll be back with coverage of the home run derby tonight and tomorrow morning.

Sanchez Back from the Pen

2009-07-11T07:58:00.002-04:00

Stepping back into the rotation for the injured Randy Johnson, Giants lefty Jonathan Sanchez fired the 2009 season's first no hitter. San Francisco has moved Sanchez to the bullpen after the southpaw had struggled as a starter this season. He had amassed a record of two and eight with an ERA over five. But last night none of that seemed to matter.

The story lines really are spectacular in this one. Sanchez coming back from the pen. His father coming to see him start a game in the majors for the first time. The Giants pitcher carried a PERFECT game into the eighth, before Juan Uribe had trouble fielding a Chase Headly grounder. And what is a no-hitter without a great defensive play? Aaron Rowand goes back to the wall in this highlight to preserve the no-no in the ninth.

Congrats to Jonathan Sanchez.

Scott Pinawoski of Yahoo! Sports has an interesting take on Sanchez's no hitter in his Roto Arcade Closing Time article. He takes a look at how Sanchez, and Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo (pitched a four hit complete game shutout against the Mets at Citi Field), has killed your fantasy team all year and what to do now. Both Sanchez and Arroyo were thought to be solid pitching options to start the season, both have majorly disappointed. This week, I SAT Bronson Arroyo and now get to stare at his 45 points on my bench. I trail all three teams I am playing in that league and will most likely lose each one.

The Royals' Brian Bannister pitches a hell of a game against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park... and loses. Bannister went up against Boston lefty Jon Lester and came up short in the one to nothing Sox win. The Kansas City pitcher went seven and two-thirds, giving up just three hits. Lester gave up four hits and struk out eight for the win. The Red Sox moved back into sole possession of first place because...

The Yankees visited their own personal House of Horrors. Staked to a four to nothing lead early, Joba Chamberlain decided he didn't much like seeing the Angels lose. Anaheim came back from that deficit and then some, beating up the Yankes ten to six. Mr. Chamberlain didn't make it out of the fifth inning for his second consecutive start. This is becoming a very tired story as it seems he has lost all of mojo from 2007. The Bronx Bombers really screwed up this process and have now shattered his confidence (even if he won't discuss it). He is simply not the same pitcher. But New York chose him at their "fresh face" last year and will not back down. I wonder if the marketing people are running the company now. The best thing you can market is WINS, not Joba Chamberlain. They need to move him to the pen and find a way to stretch Hughes back out (though that probably won't happen this season)

Jorge Posado showed off the leather... er... his batting glove in the field.

Off to Massachusetts for a couple of days. Will try to update tonight and tomorrow but can't promise there will be wireless for me to stea... borrow.

Church for Francoeur

2009-07-10T18:47:00.002-04:00

Still trying to wrap my head around the deal between the Mets and Braves. Omar Minaya said in his press conference that Francoeur was better suited for the vast right and right centerfield of Citi Field than Church. He also believes that Mr. Not Patient at the Plate can grow with the Mets. Francoeur IS 25 and has a couple of years of club control on his contract. He MAY turn it around... but as the Mets' line up struggles, they don't need someone who has little to no patience at the plate and has majorly struggled the past year and a half.

Ryan Church at least gets out of New York, where he clearly was not well liked. Church was red hot to start last season before his concussion. Then the Mets put him on a plane to the West coast, with a concussion! Then they bungled his recovery. Then they screwed up his playing time this year. Now Church gets to go to Atlanta and play for a great manager in Bobby Cox.

It will be interesting to see how Jerry Manual will play this one for the Mets. Will he sit Francoeur after he goes three for five? The new right fielder for the Mets is a good long-term gamble, but I think I may see a white-flag falling out of Mr. Minaya's pocket.

TGIF

2009-07-10T08:26:00.003-04:00

Not going to lie, it has been a rough week at the old day job. Even more reason for the MLB Network to bring me into the fold over there. I'd appreciate each minute of it! On to the show...

Sorry Mets fans... it COULD get worse. Pedro may sign with the Phillies. Bob Ford of the Philly Inquirerer doesn't think the Phillies need Pedro.

I am sure you've seen it, but the Pirates are apparently "pushing hard" to trade Freddy Sanchez.

Some interesting story lines last night...

Timmy Lincecum took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. It ended there, as did his scoreless innings streak, but the Giants got the win, ten to three over the Padres. Lincecum struck out eight over six and a-third, giving up three runs on three hits and four walks.

Luke Hovechar gets the win over the Red Sox in Boston, eight to six. Hochevar wasn't great, but good enough over six for the victory. He went six innings, giving up nine hits and five runs. Kansas City scored four in the sixth to take the lead.

The Yankees beat the Twins in Minnesota six to four. Alfredo Aceves didn't last long in the spot start, but the bullpen stitched together five and two-thirds scoreless innings to secure the victory. New York's win, coupled with the Red Sox loss, moves the Yankees back into a tie for first in the AL East.

The Marlins scored 14 unanaswered runs to overtake a seven to nothing Arizona lead, scoring ten in the eighth. Final score was 14 to seven. The Marlins sit just two back of the NL East leading Phillies.

Back with more later...

Inge and Victorino Added to All Star Teams

2009-07-09T22:58:00.002-04:00

Tigers' third baseman Brandon Inge and Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino have been voted into the All-Star game by the fans in the "Final Vote". Apparently the two were dubbed "Bran-Torino" by Philadelphia and Detroit for the final push in their campaigns. Creative... still a bigger fan of Pablo Sandoval aka "Kung Fu Panda" over the "Flying Hawaiian" Mr. Victorino.

A great baseball quirk tonight. Joel Hanrahan earned a win for the Washington Nationals, while having the night off with his current team the Pirates. Hanrahan was the pitcher of record in the Houston and Washington game finished tonight after being suspended on May 5th. The Nats ended up winning the game AT Houston eleven to ten in eleven innings (the game had begun in DC back in May) giving Hanrahan the victory.

Look for our first attempt at a Fantasy Baseball Podcast this Sunday or Monday. Joe Pisapia and I have a go at the first half winners and losers and projections into the second half. I'll link it up once I finish editing it.

Thoughts, Links, and more...

2009-07-09T10:48:00.002-04:00

Good to see the Rangers host a turn back the clock night in Arlington. Andruw Jones hit three homers to pace Texas in a eight to one Rangers win over the Angels. Jones finished the night going three for five with four RBI and three runs scored.

The Mets welcome Ollie Perez back to their rotation and he celebrates by walking seven LA Dodgers. This time around he was able to wriggle out of trouble and help New York to a five to four win over the best in the National League. Check out the videos in that link... Daniel Murphy made a great defensive play.

AJ Burnett struggles with his control, but the Yankees hold on for a win. Burnett didn't have his best stuff, evident by his three wild pitches and four walks, but was able to gut his way to a win over Minnesota, five to four. New York is now six for six against the Twins this season.

David Ortiz helps knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to eleven wins, the first pitcher to do so in the American League. The Red Sox won five to four over the A's. Ortiz is still batting .223 on the season, but does have 10 home runs. He is as important to the Sox lineup as anyone, so will be interesting to see how he fairs in the second half.

MLB Trade Rumors has some great links and is a sound resource for hot stove insight. I check the site at least three times a day. As the trade deadline nears, they are most definitely the best site to link you to all the news on the web. (You can always start here for my analysis, or check back once you get the news.)

I am thinking more and more that Roy Halladay will NOT be traded. The Blue Jays are, rightfully so, as king for a boat load of prospects for him. Halladay would be THE difference maker in this year's trade market. You would think the Yankees and Red Sox would be out of consideration due to being in the same division (you think the Blue Jays, after all these years, would want to FACE Mr. Halladay four to six times a year.) The Phillies, Cardinals, and Angels all seem to be lining up to take their best (or best they are willing to part with) offers. We shall see how this plays out.

Fantasy Baseball Tidbit...

Middle infield always seems to be a tough position to predict, more specifically short stop. This year Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes have had tough years, Rollins slumping and Reyes with the injury. Keep a close eye on Rollins as the Phillies begin the second half. He seems to be coming along this past week and looking like the old JRoll. If you can make a conservative pitch for him, a middle tier OF and SP and get someone to bite, expect Rollins to play up to the back of his baseball card. As I am writing this I clicked over toe Fantasy Baseball Geeks and saw a great article was just posted about this exact topic! Check it out...

As for Reyes, good luck. I have no idea what to thinkf of the quirky Mets shortstop. Will he be back? Will he be fully healthy? Does he know how to play at 80%? I don't think Reyes will be at all worth while in the second half. This wreaks of a come back after the All-Star break only to play a couple of games, strain a muscle, and be shelved for the whole year. There isn't much out there on the waivers at SS, but maybe you can pull a Willie Bloomquist or Ronny Cedeno depending on how many teams you have in your league.

Feel like asking me a question? Email mailto:dan_strafford@hotmail.com

Top Ten Reasons for the MLB Network to Hire Me.

2009-07-08T15:29:00.001-04:00

(for some of these, tongue planted firmly in cheek)

10. I live in Westfield, NJ. No relocation costs!
9. My youthful energy and boyish good looks.
8. Do you really want to hear me complain about how I was never given a chance for the rest of my life?
7. Because I believe “candlesticks always make a nice gift”
6. My ability to write in a conversational way and easily engage a reader
5. This blog… You know you can’t resist it.
4. The hunger I have to succeed and make this dream a reality
3. I am a consistent and dedicated worker, ready to contribute on the highest level
2. I’m in touch and well-versed in new technology (podcasts, blogs, etc.)
1. I am extremely knowledgeable in the world of Fantasy Baseball, Roto and Points Leagues. I can be the sage for millions of potential audience members.

About last night...

2009-07-08T08:02:00.004-04:00

The Diamondbacks traded relief pitcher Tony Pena to the Chicago White Sox for first base prospect Brandon Allen. This puts the league on notice of at least one buyer and one seller. White Sox GM Kenny Williams reiterated his reluctance to add payroll too much payroll though.

MLBTradeRumors has some interesting links and tidbits. Love their site.

Cincinnati doesn't let the taste of a 22 to one drubbing linger long. Aaron Harang settled in after a shaky start to hep the Reds to a four to three win over the Phillies. Brandon Phillips had two homeruns.

Paul Konerko does his best to cram a good week into one night. The White Sox first baseman hit three home runs, including a grand slam for a total of seven RBI on the night. The Sox beat the Indians ten to six.

The Red Sox stayed one game up on the Yankees with a five to two win over the A's at Fenway. Jason Bay hit his 20th round-tripper of the year. New York beat up on Minnesota ten to two. CC Sabathia went seven innings giving up three hits and one run.

The Manny Ramirez side show came to Queens last night. The Dodgers won eight to nothing over the hapless Mets. Ramirez had three RBI before being ejected in the fifth. David Wright had some choice words for his team after the game.

The Blue Jays GM JP Riccardi has gone on record saying he will listen to offers for Roy Halladay. That does not mean they will deal him, but that he is smart enough to not shut down the process before it even starts. The normal suitors will line up, the Yankees, the Phillies, and maybe even the Mets.

Fantasy Fun

It's that time of year kids. The All-Star game is the time of the season when contenders and pretenders look themselves in the mirror and try to figure out what's next. The contenders will start calling those teams out of the race (not too many at this point, but think Diamondbacks, Nationals, and Pirates) and those who will take themselves out of the race (think Blue Jays) and see if they will unload anyone.

As we have discussed before, the trade deadline can heavily affect fantasy baseball. If a big player moves from AL to NL or vice versea it can wreak havoc on their stats. Also, it's time to start paying attention to the minor leagues. If these teams that are out of it start unloading bigger contract players, look for them to bring up some of their young talent. You may be able to catch some lightning in a bottle with a hot rookie. I posted a link yesterday to Baseball America's top ten minor leaguers to watch in the second half. It's a good read and it might be worth stashing one or more of those players on your bench for a second half run.

And then there is a Roy Halladay. He is already a dominate starter. If he goes to a team that is contending, his stock will only rise. You will have to pay a high premium to trade for him, but it might be worth it at this point as I see his stats only improving as the season goes on (if traded). If you are in a keeper league, you might be wary of a 32 year old pitcher, but he is a top five starter and should be for the next couple of years, even more so on one of the top teams in the majors.

Predict an injury, save a buck

2009-07-07T18:54:00.004-04:00

An interesting article in the New York Times today. Michael S. Schmidt (I got a good chuckle out of Mr. Schmidt here writing a baseball article. I wonder if he has a bitching mustache?) writes about LA Dodgers Head Trainer Stan Conte and his pursuit of a scientific formula that can predict what players are or will be injury prone. If such a formula can be realized, MLB clubs would end up saving a ton of money.

And Carl Pavano would never pitch again. And we would never EVER have to watch Nomar adjust his batting gloves again.

NY Times article

In theory I think it is a wonderful idea. One that could really revolutionize the free agent and draft markets in Major League Baseball (and in turn the NBA (watch out Grant Hill), NFL, and other sports). But in using Scott Proctor as an example, I feel they really degrade how ground breaking their formula is. EVERYONE knew Mr. Proctor was ready to break down. For one, that is what Joe Torre does to his relief pitchers. Secondly, anyone who watched the righty knew he put everything into every pitch. When you pitch in more than half of the games on your teams schedule, things are bound to go wrong.

What say you? You think science and math can tell you ahead of time player X is an injury risk ready to have Tommy John Surgery?

Thanks to my buddy Brian for the link to the article.

Interesting Links

2009-07-07T17:16:00.002-04:00

Tom Verducci runs down his first half thoughts.

Fellow SI scribe and MLB Network contributor (and hopefully a co-worker of mine some day) Jon Heyman has his take on the best and worst of the first half.

John Manual from Baseball America lists the top ten minor leaguers that could make an impact in the second half in the majors.

Matthew Pouliot of RotoWorld.com has his top 250 in all of baseball.

The Ball Beat You

2009-07-07T08:36:00.003-04:00

A couple of interesting debates over Derek Jeter's attempted steal of third in yesterday's seven to six Blue Jays win over the Yankees. The first isn't really a debate, but more of an observation. Jeter took off for third with Nick Swisher up, no one out, in the bottom of the first inning. It's a cliche, but for a reason, "You should never run yourself OUT of an inning." And that is exactly what Mr. Jeter did. He has a lot of good will to play with in New York City (four championships in five years and all). Listening to Boomer and Carton this morning (not proud about that), they made a good point that if any other player had attempted this steal, they would be lambasted in all the local media. Mr. Jeter is not. Nick Swisher followed the caught stealing with a single.

Bad play... if you are caught... now was he?

The replay shows Jeter was safe. He made an extremely athletic and nimble play, pulling back his left hand and getting his right hand on the bag. (Pretty good shot of it here.) Now, what makes an interesting debate here is what Jeter says the third base umpire, Jerry Foster, told him as to why he was called out. When Jeter slid in, he shouted "He didn't tag me." Jeter said in a post game interview that Foster replied, "He didn't have to tag you. The ball beat you."

Now, how much of this is Jeter's recollection of the events and what actually transpired can be debated, but if anything like that passed Mr. Foster's lips, you have to worry a little bit. There are plenty of rules that are stretched in baseball (or widdled down, as in the strike zone). The phantom tag and the "around the bag for a double play" play are two that happen in almost every Major League game, and I am absolutely fine with that. But to have an umpire actually acknowledge that being the case is absurd. Maybe that sounds counter intuitive, but if all umpires are going to call a steal attempt like a force out, why not change the rule to it being a force out?

Foster was not available for comment. Crew chief John Hirschbeck talked about the call after game. He stated that he was disappointed in the explanation his crew mate made and that while "It used to be if the ball beat you to the bag, your out. But it's not like that any more with all the cameras and replays." So much like Jeter, umps should make the call, and even if it isn't the right one, just make sure you don't get caught.

And the final thing that about this whole thing that interests me the most is Joe Girardi's reaction. Girardi made a point of calling out DJ. Jeter agreed that you have to make it to third if you go there, he just reiterated that he was safe. Interesting to watch how the dynamic between these two unfolds. This has been some chatter that Girardi doesn't get along with the vets that much.

I manage to not have a single Philadelphia Phillie on ANY of my four fantasy teams. Amazing. Even more so when they go off for 22 runs. I am surprised they went for two on their last touchdown pass.

Nomar Garciaparra returned to Fenway and helped the A's beat the Red Sox six to nothing. Great pitching effort from Oakland youngster Brett Anderson. He twirled a complete game shutout, giving up just two hits and two walks while striking out nine.

Jason Marquis pitched another masterful game at Coors Field. He worked eight innings of shutout baseball, striking out three, in the one to nothing Rockies win. Huston Street picked up the save. Marquis is now eleven and five on the year, matching his win total from all of last season.

We are still waiting to see who the American League will put up against the thumpers from the National League in the Home Run Derby. Are they having trouble getting AL players to commit? Is this like the Washington Generals going up against the Globetrotters?

Home Run Derby News

2009-07-06T19:48:00.002-04:00

Wow... look at the four players repping the senior circuit for the Home Run Derby. Hometown hear Albert Pujols, former champ Ryan Howard, Adrian Gonzalez, and Prince Fielder. Lets see who the AL can trot out there to even come close to that star power (at the All-Star game no less!)

Imagine if the NBA could get the equivalent to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest. Kobe, Lebron, and so on. You get the picture.

We await the American League's entry.

A Blast of a Weekend

2009-07-06T08:15:00.004-04:00

The All-Star teams have been announced. I used to get worked up about who started and who didn't, but have really settled into all starting lineups really being about who the fans want to see. I do think the fans got most of the starters right this time around, which is pretty darn impressive. I think both managers did a good job as well filling out the rosters. I wonder if Jonathan Papelbon still feels he should be closing for the AL team, or maybe he thinks he should start at first for the NL team instead of Albert Pujols. I would like to see Zack Grienkie get the start for the American League squad and Tim Lincecum get the nod for the senior circuit.

Now the fans get one last chance to vote someone in, with the "final roster spot" voting.

Ricky Nolasco struck out twelve in the Marlins five to nothing win over the Pirates yesterday. They stay just one game back of the Phillies in the NL East. Remember, this is a team that started out eleven and one, fell off the face of the earth, and has now resurrected their season. Pretty impressive.

The Padres and the A's made a trade over the weekend. Oakland picked up outfielder Scott Hairston. Hairston has had a good season thus far .299 with ten home runs and 29 RBI. In return, San Diego picks up three minor league pitchers.

The two New York teams are heading in opposite directions. The Mets were swept by the Phillies, bested on Sunday by Joe Blanton, two to nothing. New York scored just three runs over the weekend. They now sit four games back of Philadelphia. Worst of all for the Mets, they had to wear red hats in the Phillies park (can you tell I am still not a fan?) The Mets close out the nominal first half with three against the Reds and three against the Dodgers.

The Yankees are now one game back of the Boston Red Sox, winning the first three games of their weekend wrap around series with the Blue Jays. They took yesterday's game ten to eight, taking the lead on a Derek Jeter homer to right in the fifth. Joba Chamberlain had a rough start, going just three and two-thirds giving up nine hits and eight runs, three of them earned.

Have I mentioned that I wasn't a fan of the red hats? Just wanted to drive that point home.

Sunday Funday

2009-07-05T10:08:00.002-04:00

Fantasy baseball weeks are coming to a close. I need big starts from Chris Carpenter and Ubaldo Jimenez to win a big game in my head to head points league. I like my chances. Both Jimenez and Carpenter have pitched well this season. Carpenter has long been an "ace" but has had trouble staying healthy the last couple of years. This year he is five and three with a 2.42 ERA. Jimenez has long had "ace" stuff, but struggled to be consistent. This year he stands at six and seven but has an ERA under four and 85 K's in just over 103 innings pitched.

Carpenter goes up against Bronson Arroyo of the Reds. Carpenter has lost his last two decisions, though he hasn't pitched too poorly. Jimenez matchup is a tough one, facing off against possible NL All Star team starting pitcher Dan Haren of Arizona (even though I say possible, I don't think probable. If Tim Lincecum doesn't start, then it is a major mistake.) Wish me luck.

Chien Ming Wang's season took another terrible turn. This time Wang left with a shoulder strain. The Yankees went on to beat the Blue Jays six to five in twelve innings. You have to wonder now if this is just a lost season for Mr. Wang. Joe Girardi said in the post-game that Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves will most likely stay in the bullpen and Sergio Mitre is a possibility to get the start. Hughes and Aceves have pitched well out of the pen, but I still ask the quesiton why Hughes' future as a starter is less important than Joba Chamberlain's. Mitre is two and one in Triple-A after serving a 50-game suspension for a failed drug test.

Not really sure if you have noticed... but the Mets aren't very good. They lost to the Phillies four to one.

The Red Sox lost to the Mariners three to two. That cuts their lead in the AL East to one game.

The All-Star teams will be announced today. Remember folks "this one means something". We shall see.

I think I am slowly becoming a closet Giants fan. They have a STUD pitcher in Tim Lincecum and some good young talent that is fun to watch (Pablo Sandoval being my favorite at the moment.) Lincecum ran his scoreless streak to 23 innings in a nine to nothing win over Houston.

More soon...

July Fourth Blast Off!

2009-07-04T09:19:00.003-04:00

Every major league park today will commemorate the farewell speech of Lou Gehrig, made 70 years ago. It is simply amazing how good a ball player Gehrig was and how he had to walk away with plenty of good games left. The ceremonies will also focus on the disease that took Gehrig, ALS, or as it came to be known, Lou Gehrig's Disease.

MLB is also honoring veterans today, part of their support of the Welcome Back Veterans campaign.

Jake Fox had a true walk-off for the Cubs last night. He drew a free pass with the bases loaded in the tenth to plate the winning run. Mike DiFelice took the loss for the Brewers, Kevin Gregg got the win for the Cubs.

I am assuming you are aware of this by now, but Albert Pujols is REALLY good. Mr. Pujols went two for five with five RBI, including his fourth grand slam, which sets a new Cardinals record. The Cards beat the Reds seven to four.

The Giants put a major hurt on the Astros, shutting them out 13 to nothing. My main man Pablo Sandoval went two for five with three RBI and two runs scored. Sandoval is seventh in the majors in batting average, hitting .329 on the season in his rookie year. If the Giants can sneak into the wild card and Mr. Sandoval continues on this pace, he could get some serious consideration for not only Rookie of the Year, but also MVP.

Hope everyone enjoys the 4th.

Good for Jayson Stark

2009-07-03T18:34:00.003-04:00

Jayson Stark's front page story on ESPN.com is a good one. Those he interviewed have great points of how Manny is really getting away with this. Is it another episode of "Manny being Manny"?

The problem I have with Mr. Stark's article is who he works for right now. Mind you, no journalist should be tied to their employer. Jayson Stark is a very good writer and has always been up front with his opinion. But it is a shame that ESPN has fed into the Manny issue. They have celebrated his time in the minor leagues and really makes it easy for a fan to forget exactly why Manny hasn't been in the Dodgers lineup of late.

I root for the Yankees and hope Alex Rodriguez does well each time he puts on the uniform. Maybe it is hypocritical, but it is how I root. Root for the name on the front of the jersey. The thing is, I am VERY well aware of what Mr. Rodriguez did and what effect it had on the game. I hope all those who are shrugging over Manny's latest headline realize that ignoring how we got here, will just allow baseball to spirl further into a mockery of the great game it once was.

In the end, "chicks dig the long ball", so do the rest of baseball fans. Manny hits plenty of those. And if the Dodgers make a great run through October, don't be surprised when ESPN and the rest of the major sports new outlets forget all about his 50 game suspension.

The Third of July

2009-07-03T13:05:00.002-04:00

Something about teams that wear the color red and walk offs of late. Cincinnati won in their final at bat last night, beating Arizona three to two in the tenth inning. Joey Votto had the bases loaded RBI single.

Speaking of red in the uniform, the New York Yankees (and I assume with the rest of the majors) are wearing red hats today in honor of July 4th. Love this country, don't like the hats.

The Mets won a slugfest against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The day-game was a make-up from what should have been a four game series earlier in the year. Ryan Church went three for six with two RBI and two runs scored.

The Cubs jumped out to an early lead in the first en route to a nine to five win over the Brewers in Chi-Town. Ryan Dempster struck out nine over six and two thirds for the win.

Have I mentioned I don't dig the red hats? Isn't baseball America's past time? Do we really need a new hat to remind us that this weekend is the celebration of our nation's independence? Oh, wait, it's just another way for MLB and New Era to market a new product. And making money is, in the end, truly the American way.

Trivia

2009-07-02T09:35:00.004-04:00

So as you can tell by my post below, I don't know as much baseball as I thought. I couldn't get the trivia question: three other pitchers, besides Mo Rivera, have 100 saves with their current team. You can check out the results in the earlier post.

Now my buddy Brian sent me this trivia question today. I'll be back later to post the answer.

There are three pitchers 30 or younger with 100 + wins in the majors. Name them.

(as a clue, Josh Beckett has 98 wins)

**** Answer in the "comments" section*****

Thursday Throw Down

2009-07-02T09:09:00.003-04:00

Jonathan Papelbon has set the BoSox all time saves mark. He closed down the O's yesterday after Boston came back from a five to one deficit. The Sox won six to five in eleven innings.

The Yankees win streak reaches seven games, beating Seattle four to two at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte was solid, going seven, giving up two hits on six runs for the W. Ken Griffey Junior hit a home run to right. The only reason I mention this is because he STILL has one of the sweetest swings in baseball. And you have to wonder what numbers he'd have if he stayed healthy.

The Rangers had a walk off win, triumphing over the Angels on Hank Blalock's second homer of the game. Blalock has been a great story this year, coming back from injury.

The Cardinals also had a walk off win. Colby Rasmus came through for St. Louis in extras against the Giants. Adam Wainwright pitched 9 brilliant innings of baseball, and didn't factor in the decision.

Rumored Steriod List

2009-07-01T21:48:00.004-04:00

I finally got my hands on the supposed list of drug test failures from 2003 in Major League Baseball. This is the list that Selena Roberts was leaked Alex Rodriguez's name from.

I believe deeply in journalistic integrity and the necessity in verifying a story. With that said, I have no possibility of confirming these names (obviously). I am in no way saying the 103 players did or did not do PEDs. I am simply giving anyone the opportunity to see the names that are circulating and make their own decision.

If this list is true, there are some VERY interesting names that would be involved.

The List

*** Jon Heyman "tweeted" (what is this world coming to) that this list is clearly "baloney" because court documents show Palmiero and Bonds passed 2003 drug tests.

My question is... who came up with the list? and why add some of the names that are listed?

Wednesday Night Part 2

2009-07-01T20:46:00.003-04:00

John Franco believes the Mets don't have the leadership they need. Franco said in an interview on satellite radio that David Wright needs to be that guy, but still concedes to the veterans on the team.

David Wright shrugged off Franco's statements after the Mets one to nothing win over the Brewers, according to the Associated Press.

In tonight's Yankee games, Franklin Gutierrez was thrown out "attempting" to steal second base. The reason I put attempting in quotes is Mr. Gutierrez was jogging down to second after ball THREE was taken by Wladimir Balentein, which he thought was ball four. Jorge Posada came out of his crouch, fired the ball down to Robbie Cano, who applied the tag for the final out of the inning. Remember kids, it's always important to know how many outs there are in an inning. I am sure I will find a link to post tomorrow with video.