Happy Valentine's Day everyone. It's the most wonderful time of the year, MLB Spring Training begins today. Major League Baseball is a fantastic thing and is reserved for the select few who have respect for it.
One thing that teams deal with before the season and during spring training is re-signing players whose contracts expire at the end of the year. Albert Pujols, arguably the best player in baseball, is set to be a free agent at the conclusion of this coming season.
Pujols gave the Cardinals a deadline of Wednesday the 16 by noon to come up with a contract offer. Pujols also stated that if he doesn't agree to the deal he is ceasing all negotiations and declaring free agency after the season.
In a kind of related act, Cards OF Matt Holliday came out and said he would be interested in deferring money if it would help keep Big Al in St. Louis. Something every coach, GM and owner wants to hear, but no agent wants to hear (per usatoday.com):
"I [Holliday] deferred $2 million a year for the whole contract. I would be willing, if they [Cardinals management] came to me and said, 'Hey, this is what it's going to take to get Albert done, would you do it again or do more?' Scott (Boras) probably wouldn't like me to say that, but if that's what it took, I would be willing to do that."
I don't know about you but Holliday should be praised for this. I professional athlete who is making millions upon millions of dollars said he would give some back if it would help the team sign their best player. That is the ultimate team act and something I would look for in a player: putting the team before yourself.
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.
A weekly feature on the good, the bad, and the ugly happening around the diamond.
Single: A nice little win streak, mostly the sweep of the Rays, have the Red Sox dreaming of a turnaround.Yes, they’re better than .500.But no, they’re not good enough to sweep the Rays all year round.Look for a regress to the norm, but way to stave off selling the farm boys!
Double: The Cincinnati Reds are in sole possession of first place.This is not a misprint.The loveable losers (sorry, not you Cubs fans), are atop the NL Central podium for what feels like the first time in years, and they’re celebrating.And why not?It’s been 20 years since a World Series ring and they haven’t made the playoffs since ’95.With Phat Albert doing his best disappearing act (and still hitting over .300), the big boy at first has torn things up.The Central is going to be won on sheer power, and with Pujols struggling, there’s no power outage for the Reds.
Triple: Even though he can’t leg ‘em out anymore, and he was considered a wash-up and the odd man out in a very crowded outfield, Vlad The Impaler is back and doing what he does best for the not surprisingly AL West front running Rangers: raking.Leading baseball in RBI’s and amongst the leaders in homers, Vlad is taking a nice little victory lap in Arlington, giving the league a friendly reminder of why he’s so, so good.
Home Run: Ozzie Guillen, no matter what you do in your career as a manager (now that you have that ring, of course), you will always be quotable and entertaining.This little tirade following your ejection just goes to show your passion, drive, and really, just how funny it is to watch you blow up.No matter how relevant the state of your team, you, Mr. Guillen, will always hold a place in our hearts.
Strikin’ them out: Josh Johnson, the unheralded pitcher on the we-only-win-every-7-years Florida Marlins, is trying to bring some peace to the OTHER team from the sunshine state.Sitting pretty at 5-1 with an ERA under 2.50, Johnson is reminding us all of why the Marlins are able to go on the little tears that they do.With the Phillies recent struggles, the NL East is more open then ever (the Marlins are in LAST and still above .500 and down in the standings by under 5 games).If the fish are going to make a swim for the division title, look for JJ to be reelin’ um in (ok, I get it, too many fish jokes).
Popping Up: It’s not shocking that the Toronto Blue Jays are having trouble keeping pace in the 3-legged race that is the AL East.They’re still clobbering the ball like nobody’s business, leading the league in team homers, but the average is tinkering near the bottom.It was a nice little run from our Canadian friends, but without a truly stable pitching rotation and so many free swingers at the plate, it’ll take a bat and another arm for them to stay within striking distance as summer rolls in.
Caught Looking: If you missed baseball’s night games this week, you’re hardly at fault.With series finales of great shows like Lost and 24, there was plenty going on to excuse yourself.I mean, that’s what the Cubs did.Just a few days after celebrating the anniversary of the night time baseball game, the folks at Wrigley reminded us of why we couldn’t do so in the first place, treating us to a lovely blackout on the ivy.Of course, Wrigley wasn’t at fault, but this may be the most exciting thing to happen to the Cubs all year.
Today, April 17, happened to be a very special day in baseball.
Colorado Rockies @ Atlanta Braves
Colorado Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history, recording a 4-0 win in Atlanta against the Braves. Jimenez walked six batters in the no-no, all of which happened in the first five innings. He also struck out seven in the historic outing.
Troy Tulowitzki sacrificed in a run in the first. Jimenez then helped his own cause by singling in a run in the fourth. This was followed by a two-run double by lead-off man Carlos Gonzalez. From then on, the game was just smooth sailing.
News York Mets @ St. Louis Cardinals
However, another incredible game on this day, was a 20-inning game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals. This is easily the longest game I have ever seen before in person or on television.
The scoring didn't get started until inning number 19. Jeff Francoeur hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the inning, and that is all the Mets could manage with the bases loaded and only one out. In the bottom of the inning, Ryan Ludwick walked, but was caught stealing on what looked to be a hit-and-run with Albert Pujols at the plate. Then, with a 1-2 count, Pujols doubled to left. Kyle Lohse, a pitcher playing left field, grounded out to short stop advancing Big Al to third. Yadier Molina hit a line drive just over the glove of Luis Castillo to tie the game.
Unfortunately for the Cards, in inning 20 Angel Pagan singled and then Mike Jacobs singled to send Pagan to third. Jose Reyes hit a sac-fly to give the Mets the lead. In the bottom of the inning, after two consecutive outs, the Cards made it interesting with a single and a walk. However, then Ludwick grounded out to end the game. Unbelievably crazy game in which: Mets closer K-Rod got the win, starter Mike Pelfry got the save, and Cards back-up center fielder Joe Mather got the loss.
In this game:
Cards utility-man Felipe Lopez pitched a scoreless inning
First time since 2002, a no-hitter and a 20 inning game in the same night (I'd bet it won't happen again for a really long time)
Met 3-4-5 hitters went 1-20
Six Mets and five Cards played the whole game
19 pitchers were used
Over 650 pitches were thrown
Well, let me tell you that it is only April and baseball is already treating us to some special moments...gotta love it, enjoy the rest of the season
So, I know it's bad that I haven't written in a while. Just a heads up, this is going to be me venting about the fantasy baseball league I am about to take part in.
The league is through Yahoo, which is just about normal and how I did it when I was younger. The reason I prefer other sports, fantasy football, instead of baseball is because most sites require you to change your lineup everyday. That can get very irritating and annoying, but it has to be done if you want to win.
The league I am in also has a waiver wire. Personally, I think that there might be nothing stupider in sports than waivers. But, I didn't make the league so it's not up to me.
Okay, down to the draft: The last time I participated in fantasy baseball I drafted Jose Reyes number won overall and I won the championship. Clearly, he is not going to be drafted in the same spot. Most people are looking at Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramierez and Chase Utley. Those four players are pretty much the top four in every draft. Let's just do a review of each player and then I would appreciate your opinion on players to take, sleepers, etc.
Pujols: Pending injury ~.330 avg 30+ homers 100+ RBI ~100 runs how could it get any better?
A-Rod: ~.300 avg 30+ homers 100+ RBI ~100 runs...like Big Albert minus the avg?
Hanley: ~.325 avg 20+ homers ~85 RBI <100 runs 25-50 stolen bases...great all around player
Utley: ~.300 avg 25+ homers ~100 RBI <100 runs...another good all around player?
Let me know what you think, and any other players you might recommend taking...I'll come back with an update that will include my team on Sunday night...
Philadelphia has the best team in the league, hands down.And it’s not even that close.An absolutely lethal head of the rotation with Doc Halladay and Cole Hamels, backed up by a stud lineup.It’s almost unfair.Yet despite this, the division will probably still produce the wild card team, speaking to the strength of…
The Braves starting pitching.A top four in the rotation of Timmy Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, and Derek Lowe is enough to keep them competitive in every game.That, and the fact that Bobby Cox is in the last year of his contract makes them a sympathetic playoff team.Sadly, sympathy won’t get them past the Phillies, and they’re still less pathetic than…
Your New York Mets.This team has everything on paper.Again.But the injury bug hasn’t looked too kindly on this team in awhile.Will David Wright return to David Wright of old?Will Carlos Beltran live up to his potential/ contract?Will Jeff Francoeur remember how to check a swing?Will Johan Santana be able to start 160+ games?The pieces are there, but the results will be puzzling.
The fish look to be in a very similar spot to their same state AL East pals.Decent starting pitching, good young talent, and a division that is nearly impossible to win based on the level of competition surrounding them.Any other division and they compete for the title.Here, they’ll be lucky to finish outside of the basement.
Well, maybe not that lucky.The Nationals aren’t a good team.Young players to build around like Stephen Strasburg make this a fun team to watch, but they won’t contend for a playoff spot.
NL Central
This division is loaded with power hitters to the point where it’s almost not fair.So ranking them based on pure slugging seems the right way to go.And if we’re going to do that, can anyone bet against Albert Pujols?Me thinks not.
Derek Lee comes sliding into second as far as pop at first goes.Last season he put up arguably his best stats since the 2005 year when he threatened for a triple crown until August.The Cubbies aren’t particularly strong, but they’re not lacking much.Which should be enough to finish just above .500 and place in second, just ahead of…
Cincinnati.A healthy Scott Rolen makes this a solid team in the infield.And that Joey Votto kid is an all-star in the making.But there’s not enough on both sides of the ball yet.
Milwaukee will be an entertaining team to watch so long as Prince and Ryan Braun keep the ball moving, but you know your pitching is week when the number one on your roster is Yovani Gallardo.
Houston and Pittsburgh tie here as teams going in opposite directions.Houston is bottoming out, with the careers of Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman fading away.Meanwhile, Pitt looks to the future with Andrew McCutchen, but that future is at least two or three years out.
NL West
This entire division is up for grabs, with four teams legitimately talented enough to make noise come playoff time.But the one team that would be the most threatening in October baseball?The Giants.Does anyone want to see Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain?That’s what I thought.
The Dodgers offer the most serious threat to the Giants hopes of a division crown, with a very different approach to victory.As good as San Fran is at pitching, the cluster of Andre Ethier, Manny, and this soon to be perennial all-star Matt Kemp are just as good at hitting, if not better.
Colorado has Ubaldo Jiminez, who could quickly become a dark horse Cy Young candidate by the summer.If this lineup stays healthy, they could threaten the division too.
Just as Arizona can.Standing toe to toe with Timmay and Cain in San Fran are Dan Haren and Brandon Webb in the desert.A healthy return for Webb suddenly makes this lackluster team a force.
Sadly, San Diego has no such magic.Apart from Adrian Gonzalez, this team is Triple A with very little hope.
So here’s to another fantastic season of baseball, of sinking line drives, sliders in the dirt, and dominating closers.Cheers.
NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson was named the 2009 AP Male Athlete of the Year.
Johnson received 42 votes. Tennis star Roger Federer came in second place with 30 votes and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt came in third with 29. They were the only three to receive double digit votes.
The biggest problem I have with this is that race car driving is A) not a sport and B) you don't have to be athletic or an athlete to compete in NASCAR. Take Tony Stewart for example, this guy is a fat slob and is a beast race car driver. Now, you might look at David Ortiz and say he is not an athlete. I agree, but at least he has to have hand-eye cordination and such and not just turn left all day long. Besides, he would never win the award. At least R-Fed is an athlete. Usain Bolt is a monster but sprinting isn't anything special.
Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Albert Pujols tied for fourth with nine votes each.
So this was just me venting a little bit because I have a problem with the race car driver winning an award dealing with being an ATHLETE.
