Today was a fun day at the station. We had a really interesting guest, Jonah Keri. He is the author of The Extra 2%, a book about the turnaround the Tampa Bay Rays made going from worst to first a few years ago. I plan on getting the book and so should you.
I overachieved again and completed all of the editing and posting during the show because I wanted to make sure I had time to record (which I did, look below).
Besides the usual posts and guests, there isn't much else to say about today...
Last night in the New York Yankees game Derek Jeter was "hit" by a pitch. This is in quotes because it appears that the ball hit Jeter's bat and then his leg. That would, by rule, be a foul ball and Jeter would have to finish his at-bat. However, the homeplate umpire ruled that it hit him and Jeter was awarded first base. Of course, Curtis Granderson then hits the go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning.
This would have become extremely controversial if the Yanks had held on for the win, but Phil Hughes gave up a two-run homer to Dan Johnson in the bottom of the inning. The Rays ended up holding for the 4-3 victory.
Given that Jeter's acting essentially didn't hurt the Rays, I don't think it's that serious. In fact, Jeter was just doing whatever it took to get on base. Without replay, we wouldn't have even known that he did it. Players could have been doing this for years and no one would know without replay. Players always look for the competitive edge in whatever sport they play, for example:
Steroids (all sports)
Corking bats (MLB)
Stick 'em on receivers hands (NFL)
Gloves for receivers, runningbacks (NFL)
Receivers diving a scooping balls but acting like they caught it (same goes for outfielders)
Those were the only things I could think of off the top of my head, but I think you understand where I'm coming from.
In the Ravens vs. Jets game this past Monday, Braylon Edwards landed right next to Baltimore's kicker. The kicker put his foot down on Edwards' hand, looked down and saw he was right there after missing the block, and then fell down. A running-into-the-kicker penalty was called, and the Ravens ended up scoring a touchdown. That one call changed the entire game.
The fact of the matter is, most players would do something like this if the opportunity presented itself, but Jeter is getting called out because of his reaction. A lot of people felt it was obvious that it his the bat first. I feel like if someone in a game that was Royals vs. Indians, no one would even think twice about it.
Regardless, it has once again sparked the instant replay talks. We'll see if this play among the others we've seen this year play any impact on the future of replay.
It's late, very late...and I sit here thinking what it's going to be like when I say to my kid..."Man, Lou Piniella was too funny when he argued a call..."
He will probably say, "Who is that?" I will sigh and explain to him who this guy is.
Lou Piniella was an OF for 18 years in the big leagues. He spent most of his career as a Yankee, lucky him. However, that is not even close to what he will be remembered for. "Sweet Lou" will be remembered for the 23 years he spent as a manager.
He got his start with...none other than the New York Yankees. He didn't last long, and left after his third season. Piniella was hired by the Reds and won the World Series in his first season as manager. He became well-known for the fits he had when arguing; primarily kicking dirt, throwing his hat, and throwing a base.
Piniella only lasted three seasons in Cincinnati as well. He was then hired by Seattle where he last for 10 seasons, including: two Manager of the Year awards, tied the record for most wins in a single season (116), only manager to take Seattle to the playoffs.
Piniella was traded to the Rays in 2003 and spent another three seasons in Tampa Bay before heading to the "Windy City". He spent approximately three and a half seasons there, retiring in the middle of the 2010 season.
"Sweet Lou" will undoubtedly be remembered for his temper, as well as the shows he put on when arguing a call. However, we will definitely miss him.
It’s been a long hiatus, but thankfully baseball is a long season. Looking back on the first part of the season has offered a lot of incredible story lines. There’s the incredible performances of Ubaldo Jimenez, the deaths of The Boss and The Voice, and a complete dominance of big league pitchers. There are potential triple crowns and pitchers throwing their brains out and more than likely not breaking ten wins on the year. So with that, let’s take a look at how each team stacks up at the half way point of the season.
AL East Let’s start things at the top, and by the top, I mean with three of the four best teams in baseball, who all happen to be playing in the same division.
New York Yankees: They lead the majors in runs. They’re deadly from top to bottom in the lineup. And as though that's not enough, they have a lot to play for. What better way for the Bombers to send off Steinbrenner than taking a championship home in his honor. Really, there’s no reason apart from injuries or their own division to keep the Yanks from putting up another banner come next season.
Tampa Bay Rays: Always the brides maid, never the bride. And this season looks to be playing out similarly. Behind a top 5 pitching staff and a very solid middle of the lineup the Rays are a dangerous team, and probably the best shot at knocking New York off their pre-made pedestal come postseason.
Boston Red Sox: Injuries, injuries, injuries. With an all-star lineup sitting on the DL, it’s impressive that the Sox have hung on as long as they have. As great as it is to have a gritty underdog, an August swoon looks inevitable for this club. The bullpen has been atrocious, and apart from surprising contributions from minor leaguers like Bill Hall, this season has turned into a feel-good wash.
Toronto Blue Jays: They’re leading baseball in homers, but that doesn’t do much when no one is on base for them. They’re probably the best .500 team in baseball, and in a weaker division may be making a playoff push. They’re starting to look like the Rays from a few years back when they showed flashes of promise but ultimately were left without a helpful result. Look for them to make a one and done attempt akin to what the Marlins do in the next year or two.
Baltimore Orioles: Anyone who saw this team going somewhere at the start of the season was either a season ticket holder or thought Matt Wieters could magically play every position. Neither happened, although the latter was probably for the best. Wieters is having a porous sophomore season after all the hype from tearing up the minors. This is a team that reeks of rebuilding, and probably should get used to their spot as division bottom feeders for the foreseeable future.
AL Central
Chicago White Sox: There is absolutely nothing special about this ball-club, and I’d be shocked to see them do anything come playoff time, assuming they’re still in position to even make the post season. Literally middle of the pack in every offensive and defensive category, this team is a testament to all that is good about Ozzie Guillen. Apart from being a great sound bite, he can coach a team. They make playoffs and this is a coach of the year candidate.
Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera is putting together an MVP season and willing this team to stay in the division. Currently he’s sitting either second or first in all three of the triple crown categories, and the Tigers need every bit of it if they’re going to hope to hang in there until the end. This is a three team race, and they’re probably on the short end of the stick when it comes to a supporting cast for their star players.
Minnesota Twins: Probably the best team in the Central to seize control of the division, Minnesota is only just out of first despite losing their closer to start the season and having Joe Mauer play through quite the slump this season. They’ve found a diamond in the rough in Carl Pavano, and Francisco Liriano is showing some of the flash that made him so great a few years back. Once they start clicking they’ll be repping the division come playoff time.
Kansas City Royals: They have the best batting average in baseball. They have a top of the line starting pitcher. They’re everything you’d want in a sleeper team, but they just haven’t clicked quite yet. Still a year or two off, this is a team on the rise in a winnable division, just not quite ready to break over the hump. Get Billy Butler another season under his belt, and get some run support for Zack Greinke (who may not break ten wins despite a great statistical season), and this team can make some noise at the top of this division. A second place spot next year isn’t out of the question by a long shot.
Cleveland Indians: The Cleveland Indians are a shell of the team they were just three seasons ago. Fausto Carmona is the only player on this team even worth mentioning by name. Like the Orioles, they are in clear rebuilding mode, but don’t seem to have the depth of talent to make that a quick transition. Get used to the basement fellas.
We have reached the midway point in the Major League Baseball season. The all-star break is approaching and every team has played about 80 or so games. The all-star lineups were listed today, but I will write another post on that closer to all-star weekend.
This post is for predictions the rest of the way.
AL EAST 1. New York (1 seed) 2. Boston / Tampa Bay (tiebreaker for 3 seed) 4. Toronto 5. Baltimore
AL CENTRAL 1. Minnesota (4 seed) 2. Detroit 3. Chicago 4. Kansas City 5. Cleveland
AL WEST 1. Texas (2 seed) 2. Los Angeles 3. Seattle 4. Oakland
NL EAST 1. New York (2 seed) 2. Atlanta (3 seed) 3. Philadelphia 4. Washington 5. Florida
NL CENTRAL 1. Cincinnati (4 seed) 2. St. Louis 3. Milwaukee 4. Chicago 5. Houston 6. Pittsburgh
NL WEST 1. Los Angeles (1 seed) 2. San Diego 3. San Francisco 4. Colorado 5. Arizona
Divisional Round New York (AL) over Minnesota Tampa Bay over Texas Los Angeles over Cincinnati New York (NL) over Atlanta
Championship Round New York (AL) over Tampa Bay Los Angeles over New York (NL)
World Series New York (AL) over Los Angeles ^Six game series in a rematch of the classic New York Yankee/Brooklyn Dodger series.
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.
A look at the good, the bad, and the ugly to this point in the season.
Single: The Athletics are off to a good start in the most up-for-grabs division in baseball.If Ben Sheets keeps his arm the rest of the season they may be able to hang in there for a bit.But that’s asking a lot.
Double: The Minnesota Twins are proving that they don’t need Nathan.But when he does come back around, they’ll be looking to shop a closer.Jon Rauch is a rock in the back of that bullpen right now, and he’ll be worth a hefty price when they go shopping next year.
Triple: The Tampa Bay Rays looked to be third fiddle behind big boys in Boston and New York this year.Apparently, no one told Tampa.Matt Garza looks legit, and this team is flying through a tough early schedule.
Home Run: Jason Heyward is all that and a bag of chips.The slick hitting rookie came into Tuesday tied for the league lead in RBI’s batting in the middle of the order for a team stocked in its rotation.Bobby Cox has to be loving the possibility of another division crown awaiting his sendoff at the end of the season.
Strikin’ them out: All reports of the demise of Tim Lincecum are incredibly premature.The quirky delivery is posting an ERA under 1 thus far in the season, as well as tying for the league lead in wins and leading the strikeouts category.So much for an off year.
Popping up:The Red Sox spent the offseason trying to improve on defense and run prevention.All that’s great, but without a feared middle of the order, there’s not much that’s going to happen.Victor Martinez needs to get his stroke back, and upper management needs to make up their minds on Big Papi.
Caught Looking: The New York Mets are used to being fine on paper and miserable on the field.Well, this year they don’t even have the added bonus of looking good on paper.This team is going nowhere until its roster hops off of the DL.JasonBay isn’t enjoying the big apple, and neither are the fans.
