Today I was lucky enough to work another autograph signing for CBS Radio. My buddy Chris and I made our way out to Columbia for the event featuring Baltimore Orioles Catcher Matt Wieters.
Since I also worked the Joe Flacco signing, it was interesting to see the difference between the two. For one, it actually seemed as if Wieters drew a much larger crowd and people got back in line after getting one autograph. People definitely didn't do that for Flacco.
Personally, I was happy to see such a large crowd for Wieters; it kind of gave me renewed hope that baseball isn't dying off like many think so. There were a lot of kids there that seemed really excited to meet Matt so that bodes well for the Orioles fanbase. Of course, the old-time fans were there, wanting to finally meet what many think is the Orioles future.
The representatives from the Orioles seemed fairly adament at getting Wieters out of there as soon as possible and to the stadium for the game tonight. (White Sox 4 Orioles 2) However, Matt appeared to be a really nice guy, and was wearing a wedding ring. Many of the girls seemed fairly upset, but I don't know if he is actually married or just wears the ring to not get heckled by countless women.
Anyway, I've got to work in the morning, but once again another fun event for CBS Radio... hopefully they keep 'em coming...
I thought I was going to have a hard time finding interesting things to write with the NHL in the off-season, and my general lack of interest in baseball so far this year.Boy was I wrong.
The news is simple and complex in so many ways.The Chicago Blackhawk’s signed free agent goaltender Marty Turco to a one year, $1.3 deal.Ordinarily this wouldn’t be newsworthy but the way the Hawks got there is newsworthy. I’ll start back in June, when the Hawks won the Stanley Cup. The team was overloaded with players in the final year of their contracts, which is how they managed to get so good and stay under the salary cap. Goaltender Antti Niemi was in his first full year with the Hawks, and earned the starting job earlier in the year.Niemi was making a modest $825,000 which isn’t all that bad for a young goalie.Niemi went on to backstop the Hawks to the Cup and went looking for a substantial raise.
The Hawks had already dumped the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, and Andrew Ladd to make salary room.Neimi and the Hawks went all the way to salary arbitration, and the arbitrator sided with Neimi.He was awarded a one year $2.75 contract.The Hawks had a couple of days to decide to accept the ruling or allow their rookie goaltender to become an unrestricted free agent.The Blackhawk’s made the decision to let Niemi walk, and signed Turco to the $1.3 million deal. That’s how the Hawks go from winning the Cup, to signing a goalie whose reputation is built on playoff futility.I’m sure occurrences like this are normal in the NBA and the NFL, but the salary cap is still new to the NHL, so teams are still learning to adapt to it.I’m sure there will be more instances like this one in the future, but this one sets the precedence. Neimi is rumored to land in Philadelphia or San Jose. Both cities are in dire need of goaltending.
The arbitrator in the NHL v. Kovalchuk case should rule early this week, so this may be quite a historic week in the league.Stay tuned!
The most exciting division in baseball, as opposed to a few years back when they toiled in mediocrity, now all teams are equally viable as top tier clubs.Top to bottom this is a good division, with only the bottom team really missing any truly noticeable pieces.
San Diego Padres:If anyone you know says they had the Padres making the playoffs, they lied.Really, no one saw this coming.As I write this I’m waiting for them to fall out of the top spot.And I still think they will by the end of the year.But that’s how you get the “us against the world” mentality that breeds Cinderella stories like this.Adrian Gonzalez deserves this team.This rotation of journeymen and young guns deserves the success.But the feel good story can’t go on, right?
San Francisco Giants:Matt Cain.Tim Lincecum.Barry Zito being a respectable number three.Aubrey Huff turning it on back like he used to with the Rays.And all this success with Kung Fu Panda slumping.The Giants are doing all they can to keep in this race, and they’ll probably be able to grab a playoff spot, be it in a wildcard showdown with their own division and the folks out east or a final over the hump push to the division crown.
Los Angeles Dodgers:This was a power hitting lineup that short circuited.Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsly need to stay strong to make the necessary run at the playoffs.This powerful outfield has been struggling a tremendous amount, and injuries to Manny Ramirez certainly don’t help that cause.Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and James Loney are as solid a middle as anywhere in the league.If the pitching can stay strong til Manny gets back, they’ll make a nice playoff run.
ColoradoRockies:Ubaldo Jimenez was all-time good.Like, absolute incredible for-the-ages good.And then the all-star break happened.The early year Dark Horse Cy Young emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball.But that sort of dominance, with modern day players and scouting reports, isn’t going to last a season.The Rockies are a slightly above average team with a great foundation to remain competitive over many seasons.But with the Dodgers doing so well while struggling and the unbelievable year in San Diego, Colorado looks like tough luck losers.Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Stewart are both young foundation players who will be the envy of the league a few years from now, but just not this season.
Arizona Diamondbacks: This pitching staff has the worst ERA in the bigs, and nowhere near the offense to make up for that.Dontrelle Willis proved he’s still a bust after that one year in Florida, the bullpen blows leads like they’re paid by the earned run, and Dan Haren has had a year to forget.Apart from using for former member of Oakland's "big 3" as trade bait, the desert is out of good story lines until football season.
Atlanta Braves: Behind one of the best pitching staffs in the league and rookie phenom Jason Heyward, the Braves look darn good.The middle of the lineup still doesn’t have as much punch as you’d like to see in a possible world series team, but Bobby Cox’s rotation is top to bottom one of the three best in the league.Who would be looking forward to facing Derek Lowe, Tim Hudson, and Tommy Hanson in the playoffs?No one, that’s who.If the lineup can keep up its timely hitting, Cox will have to do his best to not be ejected from a World Series game.
Philadelphia Phillies:This was not supposed to happen.The Phillies are a much better team than their record, but with a rotation that can’t seem to just get it’s finger on the right spot and a lineup that’s struggles have gone on for too long, they’ll be pushing for the wild-card/division heading into the last week of the season.Roy Halladay was still a great pickup, but the Phils must be kicking themselves for not keeping Cliff around to put them in a far more secure position.This is an underperforming ball-club that just needs to get a few hitters hot to make a run at the postseason.The wild-card looks like a dogfight.
New York Mets:Speaking of underperforming ball-club’s, this one was at least expected.The Mets consistently have a competitive team on paper, but this year, much like the last two, looks to end in early disappointment.Apart from Johan, the rotation is an absolute mess.David Wright has absolutely no supporting cast this season. The Mets should really suck it in and just accept this as a lost season at .500 baseball, but they’ll probably make ill advised trade runs before the deadline.Short of an Atlanta-esque Troy Glaus style turnaround, the Mets are sunk.
Florida Marlins:If a team can feel good about playing awful baseball, it’s the Marlins.After all, they’re only supposed to make World Series runs every seven years anyways.The great young rotation, highlighted by soon to be Cy Young award winner Josh Johnson, will be well in its prime by the time they have that seven year run ready for them.Dan Uggla is a beast, and it’s only a matter of time until the pieces fit around him.Two more years til the right crew gets to bring their talents to South beach.
Washington Nationals:This is the kind of team local fans love to get behind.They’re not ready yet, but when you watch them get together you can see it all taking shape.Jordan Zimmermann is going to be an absolute stud in that rotation, as he readies to return from injury after what started last season as a stellar career.He’d be an excellent number one in most big league rotations, but apparently he’s taking a back seat to some Strasburg kid.It’d be great for them to keep Adam Dunn around, as a tutor of the long ball to whoever comes in after him, but this is a team that wasn’t expected to do much but is slowly shaping up to be great.
NL Central
This division was always going to be won and lost on the first basemen, it just didn’t shape up the way some of us, namely me, predicted.
Cincinnati Reds:Assuming he stays healthy, Joey Votto is the league MVP, and he’s needed every bit of this breakthrough season in order to keep the Reds fending off the Cardinals in this division.Scott Rolen has dipped into the fountain of youth just enough to give this team a shot at playoff glory, and Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake, and Johnny Cueto have put together a surprisingly stable top of the rotation.IF they can hold of Phat Albert and the gang, this team can do damage.
St. Louis Cardinals:Albert Pujols is having an off year.Which is saying a lot when you realize that he’s still hitting .301 with a .962 OPS.Yeah, off year.Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are pitching well, but this is just a really average team with one great player in a division with two of the worst clubs in baseball.If the Cards keep beating up on the little guys, they can keep making a push for the division.Look for this race to be decided with about four days to go in the season.
Milwaukee Brewers:Again, a very average team, much like the Cardinals (or really the Reds for that matter), but they can prey on the weak links in the division.Prince Fielder should be moved by the end of the trading deadline, and if not him than future all-star Corey Hart.This team has been meddling at .500 for what seems like an eternity.They should really take the opportunity to rebuild while they have meaningful pieces.
Chicago Cubs:Sweet Lou made the right decision in running away from this team.The Cubs have been backsliding for awhile now, and this season proves it.They have very few quality players, they’re just top to bottom not as awful as the Pirates or Astros.It’ll be some time until this team is a legitimate threat to do much in the division again, short of a lightning in a bottle season.
Houston Astros:Much like the Cubs, this team really has no talent on it.Roy Oswalt is a dish best served elsewhere, and would make a lot of sense in bolstering the Phillies rotation or maybe even the Nationals as a tutor for the young guns they have coming up.But more likely the Angels will make a gamble on Roy for a farm system that, in about three season, will make people pay attention to Houston.This club may not get a pitcher more than 11 wins all season, and even that would seem like a miracle with this lineup.Triple A club here, might as well build the farm.
Pittsburgh Pirates:I’m a big Zach Duke fan, but that doesn’t mean much.McCutchen is an animal and will continue to grow, but this club is, much like the previous two teams mentioned, just a triple A club at best.A team constantly in rebuild mode, they need a few good drafts to shape into a competitive team.
line after getting one autograph. People definitely didn't do that for Flacco.