The rain started pouring down in the top of the second in New York. Delmon Young hit a solo home run for Detroit off of CC Sabathia. Justin Verlander struck out Derek Jeter on the bottom half but he reached on a wild pitch as Alex Avila couldn't corral the curveball in time. That hurt, as he came home to score on Alex Rodriguez's groundout to third.
The game was 1-1 heading to the bottom of the second when play was halted. The rain's coming down hard with a larger band of heavier rain expected to arrive around midnight or so. It's questionable whether this game will resume. Obviously it hurts both teams but it hurts Detroit worse. Verlander threw 25 pitches. I doubt he comes back tomorrow obviously. Maybe Game 3 in Detroit but then he's out for game 5 if needed. Blah, possibly a terrible turn of events for Detroit. Even if this game resumes I doubt Verlander comes back out after a couple hour delay. Neither does Sabathia. Not good for either team but again maybe worse for Detroit. Fister may end up being the Game 5 starter, which isn't the worst thing, if the decision is made to get another guaranteed start for Verlander in the series.
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wild Card Wildness Indeed
In Baltimore Jonathan Papelbon gave up 2 runs with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning to blow a save and propel the Orioles to a 4-3 victory.
In Tampa Bay, the Rays came all the way back from a 7-0 deficit. They scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 8th, fueled by Evan Longoria's 3-run homer. The Rays tied it in the 9th on a 2-out, 2-strike pinch hit home run, to send things to extra innings. About two minutes after Boston lost Longoria lined his second home run of the night over the short spot in the left field corner for an 8-7 victory over the Yankees. The Rays are the A.L. Wild Card winners. They were 9 back on September 2nd. Boston went 9-17 in September.
In the N.L., Atlanta closer Greg Kimbrell blew a save in the 9th against Philadelphia to send it to extras. The Phillies won it in the 13th. The Cardinals had a non-drama game, cruising over Houston 8-0. Atlanta went 9-18 in September.
In Tampa Bay, the Rays came all the way back from a 7-0 deficit. They scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 8th, fueled by Evan Longoria's 3-run homer. The Rays tied it in the 9th on a 2-out, 2-strike pinch hit home run, to send things to extra innings. About two minutes after Boston lost Longoria lined his second home run of the night over the short spot in the left field corner for an 8-7 victory over the Yankees. The Rays are the A.L. Wild Card winners. They were 9 back on September 2nd. Boston went 9-17 in September.
In the N.L., Atlanta closer Greg Kimbrell blew a save in the 9th against Philadelphia to send it to extras. The Phillies won it in the 13th. The Cardinals had a non-drama game, cruising over Houston 8-0. Atlanta went 9-18 in September.
Wild Card Wildness
Coming down to the regular season's final day, both Wild Card races are tied. Boston paused its collapse for one night last night to edge the Orioles 8-7. Tampa Bay beat the Yankees 5-3.
In the NL the Braves have lost 4 straight. The Cardinals won yesterday so they are now tied with the Braves atop the NL Wild Card race.
Interesting stuff.
The Cards blew a big lead a few games ago after allowing 6 runs in the 9th. If they don't make the playoffs they'll lose sleep over that. So too will the Braves, losing 4 straight down the stretch.
In the AL you'd think the odds favor the Rays. The Yankees are resting some players, especially starting pitchers. Brian Cashman said that it would likely be a relief pitcher who gets the start today so they can get their rotation totally set for their first round playoff series.
Baltimore on the other hand is hungry to play spoiler. They played Detroit tough, splitting 4 in Detroit last series. They've played Boston tough. While the Yankees will probably take glee in screwing Boston, they're more interested in being playoff ready.
In the NL the Braves have lost 4 straight. The Cardinals won yesterday so they are now tied with the Braves atop the NL Wild Card race.
Interesting stuff.
The Cards blew a big lead a few games ago after allowing 6 runs in the 9th. If they don't make the playoffs they'll lose sleep over that. So too will the Braves, losing 4 straight down the stretch.
In the AL you'd think the odds favor the Rays. The Yankees are resting some players, especially starting pitchers. Brian Cashman said that it would likely be a relief pitcher who gets the start today so they can get their rotation totally set for their first round playoff series.
Baltimore on the other hand is hungry to play spoiler. They played Detroit tough, splitting 4 in Detroit last series. They've played Boston tough. While the Yankees will probably take glee in screwing Boston, they're more interested in being playoff ready.
Monday, September 26, 2011
some post season baseball thoughts
I'm torn right now as I watch the drama continue to unfold in the American League Wild Card race. Boston lost again, as their freefall continues. They lost to Baltimore tonight. Tampa beat the Yankees, so the Rays and Red Sox are now tied for the wild card. The Angels remain alive 2.5 games back. They're trailing Texas right now. If they don't come back to back to win they'd be eliminated I believe.
As for Boston and Tampa Bay I'm torn on who to root for. The Tigers will be taking on the Wild Card winner. Do I root for the battered and fading Red Sox instead of the hot Rays? My gut says yes? But the Red Sox also have a veteran team with alot of post-season experience. They have a bunch of clutch bats in that lineup. They have an offense that can explode at Fenway especially. Wounded, but they were the best team in baseball for a chunk of time so they're still dangerous. Boston is also good at taking pitches, fouling off pitches, and running up pitch counts. That's especially dangerous against Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello, who seem to get especially sloppy as their pitch counts go up. Justin Verlander is capable of digging deep for big pitches, and even 100 mile an hour fastballs after the 100 pitch mark. But Boston could potentially work him enough to get him out of the game after the 6th on a high pitch count then work over the Tigers bullpen in the 7th before Benoit and Valverde can get into the game.
The Rays are hotter. They still have post-season experience but a good number of guys from their World Series run are no longer with the team. Joaquin Benoit is a Tiger. On the other hand Matt Joyce has pounded the Tigers, as if proving a point for trading him away to get Edwin Jackson a couple years ago. The Rays also have Johnny Damon, another clutch hitter, who may just be extra motivated against the team that didn't want him back after last season.
So I 'm torn. There are pros and cons to each matchup for Detroit. In either case Detroit's pitching should be superior. My gut says avoiding Josh Becket, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and the October aura of Fenway Park may be better, even with Boston struggling with offense, pitching, and general health right now.
As for Boston and Tampa Bay I'm torn on who to root for. The Tigers will be taking on the Wild Card winner. Do I root for the battered and fading Red Sox instead of the hot Rays? My gut says yes? But the Red Sox also have a veteran team with alot of post-season experience. They have a bunch of clutch bats in that lineup. They have an offense that can explode at Fenway especially. Wounded, but they were the best team in baseball for a chunk of time so they're still dangerous. Boston is also good at taking pitches, fouling off pitches, and running up pitch counts. That's especially dangerous against Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello, who seem to get especially sloppy as their pitch counts go up. Justin Verlander is capable of digging deep for big pitches, and even 100 mile an hour fastballs after the 100 pitch mark. But Boston could potentially work him enough to get him out of the game after the 6th on a high pitch count then work over the Tigers bullpen in the 7th before Benoit and Valverde can get into the game.
The Rays are hotter. They still have post-season experience but a good number of guys from their World Series run are no longer with the team. Joaquin Benoit is a Tiger. On the other hand Matt Joyce has pounded the Tigers, as if proving a point for trading him away to get Edwin Jackson a couple years ago. The Rays also have Johnny Damon, another clutch hitter, who may just be extra motivated against the team that didn't want him back after last season.
So I 'm torn. There are pros and cons to each matchup for Detroit. In either case Detroit's pitching should be superior. My gut says avoiding Josh Becket, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and the October aura of Fenway Park may be better, even with Boston struggling with offense, pitching, and general health right now.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
congratulations go out to Mariano Rivera
Rivera closed out the Yankees win over Minnesota yesterday, for career save number 602. He now holds the all-time record.
The save was also his 40th. This is his 8th season of 40+ saves. Only Trevor Hoffman, with 9, has more. No other pitcher in history has more than 4.
One other footnote. It was noted that Brad Lidge is second to Rivera in all time post season saves. I'd wondered who was #2 to Rivera's 42, and how many. It's Lidge it turns out. With 18.
I'm not sure whether that record will be touched for a long time. Sure there are lots more playoff games for a team than there used to be. But you have to make alot of deep playoff runs. Rivera has won 5 World Series. He's played in a 6th that went 7 games. Most of their other long long string of playoff appearances, broken by only one season in his career when they didn't make the post-season, have ended in ALCS appearances at the very least.
Someone isn't going to approach that record (and Rivera will likely add to it this October) by playing in a World Series or two, then flaming out in a bunch of Divisional Series. You'd need alot of deep playoff runs. So either another era of dominance or a guy getting bounced around alot to many different playoff contenders.
The Phillies have won 5 straight NL Easts. They've won a World Series and lost another. Still Lidge isn't even close and it seems like he's already at or past his expiration date, in that short shelf life of a typical Major League closer. Usually the good ones are sharp for maybe 5 years then the wheels start falling off.
Eric Gagne is a prime example. He converted 84 straight save opportunities for the Dodgers from 2002-2004. He racked up season totals of 52, 55, and 45 over the 3 seasons. But he never saved more than 16 games in a season after that and was out of baseball after 2008 with 187 career saves.
So hats off to Rivera. And he does it with pretty much 1 pitch, his cut fastball, that nobody has ever solved in terms of hitting it consistently well. He more or less became the first pitcher to use that particular pitch.
The save was also his 40th. This is his 8th season of 40+ saves. Only Trevor Hoffman, with 9, has more. No other pitcher in history has more than 4.
One other footnote. It was noted that Brad Lidge is second to Rivera in all time post season saves. I'd wondered who was #2 to Rivera's 42, and how many. It's Lidge it turns out. With 18.
I'm not sure whether that record will be touched for a long time. Sure there are lots more playoff games for a team than there used to be. But you have to make alot of deep playoff runs. Rivera has won 5 World Series. He's played in a 6th that went 7 games. Most of their other long long string of playoff appearances, broken by only one season in his career when they didn't make the post-season, have ended in ALCS appearances at the very least.
Someone isn't going to approach that record (and Rivera will likely add to it this October) by playing in a World Series or two, then flaming out in a bunch of Divisional Series. You'd need alot of deep playoff runs. So either another era of dominance or a guy getting bounced around alot to many different playoff contenders.
The Phillies have won 5 straight NL Easts. They've won a World Series and lost another. Still Lidge isn't even close and it seems like he's already at or past his expiration date, in that short shelf life of a typical Major League closer. Usually the good ones are sharp for maybe 5 years then the wheels start falling off.
Eric Gagne is a prime example. He converted 84 straight save opportunities for the Dodgers from 2002-2004. He racked up season totals of 52, 55, and 45 over the 3 seasons. But he never saved more than 16 games in a season after that and was out of baseball after 2008 with 187 career saves.
So hats off to Rivera. And he does it with pretty much 1 pitch, his cut fastball, that nobody has ever solved in terms of hitting it consistently well. He more or less became the first pitcher to use that particular pitch.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Mariano Rivera has tied Trevor Hoffman atop the all-times saves list
Rivera closed out the Yankees win at Toronto yesterday to notch save 601 on his career. There's no reason to expect Rivera to not be an elite closer again next year. He'll tack on 30-40 more saved next season. By the time he retires he'll extend the save record quite a bit. He and Hoffman are already 150 saves beyond third place on the all-time list. His record will probably stand for a long time.
Friday, September 16, 2011
the White Sox have been mathematically eliminated
Kansas City beat Chicago 7-6, which eliminates the White Sox from the AL Central race. Cleveland squeaked by Minnesota 7-6 to stay alive, as Jim Thome hit his 603rd career home run in the 9th inning.
Cleveland is alive for now. Detroit is leading Oakland 3-1 heading to the bottom of the 7th. If the Tigers hold on to win, they clinch.
Cleveland is alive for now. Detroit is leading Oakland 3-1 heading to the bottom of the 7th. If the Tigers hold on to win, they clinch.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
another baseball milestone from last night
It happened in the wee hours Eastern Time, but Mariano Rivera closed out the Yankees 3-2 win at Seattle. It was save 600 for Rivera. He's the second member of the 600 save club and is now 1 save from tying Trevor Hoffman's all-time record of 601. Hoffman got a late run last year before he retired to take over the closer duties he lost to reach 600.
Trevor Hoffman was a great closer. In my mind though Rivera is the best closer of all-time, with pretty much no debate. The fact that he closed in a ton of post-season games and was even better than his regular season numbers puts him squarely on top. He's the best post-season closer of all-time, with 5 World Series rings and a bunch of deep playoff runs. In that time he's saved 42 games with a 0.76 ERA. I think he's only blown one World Series save, that being Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against the Diamondbacks. A lot of those saves have been of the 2 inning variety come play off time as well
Trevor Hoffman was a great closer. In my mind though Rivera is the best closer of all-time, with pretty much no debate. The fact that he closed in a ton of post-season games and was even better than his regular season numbers puts him squarely on top. He's the best post-season closer of all-time, with 5 World Series rings and a bunch of deep playoff runs. In that time he's saved 42 games with a 0.76 ERA. I think he's only blown one World Series save, that being Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against the Diamondbacks. A lot of those saves have been of the 2 inning variety come play off time as well
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A Milestone for Boston's Tim Wakefield
On his 8th try Tim Wakefield won his 200th game in the Major Leagues. He's the 108th pitcher in history to reach that milestone. The ol' knuckleballer just keeps plugging away and has put together a pretty fine career.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
another career milestone for Derek Jeter
Deter played in career game 2402 for the Yankees in a 2-0 loss against Baltimore in the first game of a doubleheader. He passed Mickey Mantle for most career appearances in a Yankees uniform.
Another franchise record, for baseball's most storied franchise, for Jeter. He was already the franchise career leader in hits and in stolen bases.
Another franchise record, for baseball's most storied franchise, for Jeter. He was already the franchise career leader in hits and in stolen bases.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
the Yankees busted out the lumber in epic fashion today
At one point the Yankees were down 7-1 to Oakland. Then they busted out the bats. They became the first team in history to hit 3 grand slams in a game. Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, and Curtis Granderson all connected. The Yankees beat up the Oakland bullpen to the tune of 16 runs in 3.2 innings. They routed the Athletics 22-9.
Russell Martin had 6 RBIs. Granderson had 5 to push him over 100. He's got 103 and could be the favorite for the AL MVP at this point.
Also, as a note since there were whispers that Derek Jeter was about washed up around May or June when he was hitting under .270. Jeter was 3-6 with an RBI and has his batting average at .299. Ever since he came off the DL a few games before reaching the 3000 hit landmark he's been on a tear.
Russell Martin had 6 RBIs. Granderson had 5 to push him over 100. He's got 103 and could be the favorite for the AL MVP at this point.
Also, as a note since there were whispers that Derek Jeter was about washed up around May or June when he was hitting under .270. Jeter was 3-6 with an RBI and has his batting average at .299. Ever since he came off the DL a few games before reaching the 3000 hit landmark he's been on a tear.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Dan Uggla's hitting streak ended at 33 yesterday
The Cubs managed to shut down Uggla, ending the Majors' longest hitting streak in 5 years. The Chicago second baseman made a tremendous running catch out in short right field to rob Uggla of a hit.
Uggla's streak raised his batting average from .173, lowest in the National League among qualified hitters, when it started to .231.
When his hitting streak hit 20 games, Uggla gained a pair of distinctions. He was both the hitter with the lowest batting average in history to ever start a 20 game hitting streak. He was still hitting .195 I think it was at that point, which gave him the lowest batting average in history for a batter with an active 20 game hitting streak.
Uggla's hitting streak though helped restore some luck to his season. The analysis of his power numbers, his walks to strikeouts ratio, his ground ball/fly ball ratio, etc., all indicate that he's hitting the ball pretty much the same as he always does in a normally productive year for him. The difference is that his batting average on balls put in play was a ridiculous .196 or something before the streak started. So that meant he was hitting the ball, he just had the dumb luck of not hitting it into empty space for a hit, ALOT. At some point when you hit the ball it's going to find holes and not gloves. That finally happened for Uggla, all at once it seems.
Sometimes batting average on balls in play goes the other way. Last season Detroit's Austin Jackson led the major leagues in BABIP with a .396. That offset the fact that he led the American League in strikeouts, and I think set the major league record for strikeouts by a guy who didn't hit 20 home runs (since most big strikeout guys hit a lot of home runs and swing for the fences alot). So he hit in the .280's and was over .300 until a late slump the last couple weeks of the season. This year Jackson's hitting a more normal .338 on balls put in play. He's again leading the league in strikeouts, thus his overall batting average sits at .245. He's the worst at not putting the ball in play but the fact that his BABIP was insane last year maintained his good batting average. With his skillset though he needs more balls in play.
Uggla's streak raised his batting average from .173, lowest in the National League among qualified hitters, when it started to .231.
When his hitting streak hit 20 games, Uggla gained a pair of distinctions. He was both the hitter with the lowest batting average in history to ever start a 20 game hitting streak. He was still hitting .195 I think it was at that point, which gave him the lowest batting average in history for a batter with an active 20 game hitting streak.
Uggla's hitting streak though helped restore some luck to his season. The analysis of his power numbers, his walks to strikeouts ratio, his ground ball/fly ball ratio, etc., all indicate that he's hitting the ball pretty much the same as he always does in a normally productive year for him. The difference is that his batting average on balls put in play was a ridiculous .196 or something before the streak started. So that meant he was hitting the ball, he just had the dumb luck of not hitting it into empty space for a hit, ALOT. At some point when you hit the ball it's going to find holes and not gloves. That finally happened for Uggla, all at once it seems.
Sometimes batting average on balls in play goes the other way. Last season Detroit's Austin Jackson led the major leagues in BABIP with a .396. That offset the fact that he led the American League in strikeouts, and I think set the major league record for strikeouts by a guy who didn't hit 20 home runs (since most big strikeout guys hit a lot of home runs and swing for the fences alot). So he hit in the .280's and was over .300 until a late slump the last couple weeks of the season. This year Jackson's hitting a more normal .338 on balls put in play. He's again leading the league in strikeouts, thus his overall batting average sits at .245. He's the worst at not putting the ball in play but the fact that his BABIP was insane last year maintained his good batting average. With his skillset though he needs more balls in play.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
the Mets and Brewers may have set off a trade deadline arms race
Thirty minutes after the All-Star Game ended the Mets and Brewers announced the first big trade of the season. The Mets sent closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers for cash and 2 players to be named later.
The NL Central co-leaders get a lockdown closer. The cash strapped Mets get some money and possibly some prospects to try to rebuild.
Since the Brewers struck early does this mean there will be a domino effect of other contenders moving to counter, and also to grab players before other teams do?
I'd say the Brewers aggressive move will certainly start a flurry of activity, especially in the tight NL Central.
I wonder if this means the Mets are going to try to hold a fire sale. David Wright and Jose Reyes on the block? Either of those guys would seem to fill a huge hole in the Tigers but I'm not sure that Detroit would pay the price needed, or the price needed to sign those guys. Sure Magglio Ordonez's $10 million 1 year contract is off the books after this season. But either of those guys will go for more. The Mets would probably demand Jacob Turner. Given that Detroit will still have at least 1 big question, if not two, in its starting rotation for next year I don't see them duplicating their trade of Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin for Miguel Cabrera in this case.
But Wright plays a good defensive third baseman and his bat would fill a gaping offensive hole at third. Jose Reyes would be an offensive catalyst and true leadoff man, bring a ton of speed to the lineup. He'd also fill a bit of a hole at second base.
In truth I expect Detroit will try to fill that void with Carlos Guillen when he turns. A David Wright trade would be the most likely of the two I think, but still probably not likely unless Detroit can either take Jacob Turner off the table or decide they can fill a 2012 rotation spot elsewhere, with the 5 starter still unstable, and Brad Penny likely gone after the season.
The NL Central co-leaders get a lockdown closer. The cash strapped Mets get some money and possibly some prospects to try to rebuild.
Since the Brewers struck early does this mean there will be a domino effect of other contenders moving to counter, and also to grab players before other teams do?
I'd say the Brewers aggressive move will certainly start a flurry of activity, especially in the tight NL Central.
I wonder if this means the Mets are going to try to hold a fire sale. David Wright and Jose Reyes on the block? Either of those guys would seem to fill a huge hole in the Tigers but I'm not sure that Detroit would pay the price needed, or the price needed to sign those guys. Sure Magglio Ordonez's $10 million 1 year contract is off the books after this season. But either of those guys will go for more. The Mets would probably demand Jacob Turner. Given that Detroit will still have at least 1 big question, if not two, in its starting rotation for next year I don't see them duplicating their trade of Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin for Miguel Cabrera in this case.
But Wright plays a good defensive third baseman and his bat would fill a gaping offensive hole at third. Jose Reyes would be an offensive catalyst and true leadoff man, bring a ton of speed to the lineup. He'd also fill a bit of a hole at second base.
In truth I expect Detroit will try to fill that void with Carlos Guillen when he turns. A David Wright trade would be the most likely of the two I think, but still probably not likely unless Detroit can either take Jacob Turner off the table or decide they can fill a 2012 rotation spot elsewhere, with the 5 starter still unstable, and Brad Penny likely gone after the season.
Having the balls to return a ball
Derek Jeter's 3000th hit home run ball was caught by 23 year old cell phone salesman Christian Diaz.
Rather than go straight to Ebay on his smart phone and opening the bidding, some people appraising the ball to be worth $250,000 in the open market, maybe more to Jeter or the Yankees, he offered it back to Jeter no strings attached.
Immediate outpouring calling him a moron or an idiot commenced. As if the guy was obligated to make Derek Jeter's historic moment about him and how much money he could bleed out of have seat that intersected with the Derek Jeter home run ball trajectory.
Maybe the guy is a lifelong Yankees fan (likely). Maybe he's a Derek Jeter fan (likely). So maybe he didn't want to hold a moment of New York Yankee history hostage. So he returned the ball to Jeter. Jeter's been a classy player throughout his career and he's certainly deserving of not having to go through major hoops to get a milestone ball back. The Yankees gave Diaz a bunch of autographed merchandise and box seats for the rest of the year, including the playoffs. That should have been a tax-free gift from the Yankees. It may dumbfound the money grabbers but sometimes the common man is deserving of a high priced gift.
As a baseball fan that's spectacular. Why the guy was obligated to cash in with a bank of money is beyond me. It's because the majority of people are self-absorbed "ME ME ME ME IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!" people.
I'm not going to say I wouldn't have had a "Mr. Jeter, I have these debts and I'm living paycheck to paycheck and if we could arrange "X" dollars to help out my situation, since I understand that a "gift for historical ball exchange" is pretty common" conversation with Jeter and the Yankees. But I totally wouldn't have started the Ebay bidding and sold the ball to some private collector.
Jeter deserved the ball back. The guy gave him back. What he felt was reasonable in return is totally his call.
The IRS though immediately started looking at the value of his box seats and figuring anywhere from a $5000-$14,000" tax bill, so the guy was looking at getting screwed because he accepted amazing seats far beyond anything that would normally happen to him in lieu of piles of cash. He got no cash but would have to pay a ton.
Ridiculous. But Miller beer and a couple other companies have offered to pay that tax bill and they're also donating some proceeds to pay for his college debt and some other things he opted to not cash in and sell out for. Awesome!
And amazing on the guy to resist all the temptation that came with a money ball landing in his hands and not thinking entirely about himself. He asked nothing. The Yankees and Derek Jeter are the ones who gave. It could be said even that they should have given more, so companies wouldn't have to step in to save him from the buzzards at the Internal Revenue Service. Christian Diaz deserved such a gift. It was good karma coming back around.
Rather than go straight to Ebay on his smart phone and opening the bidding, some people appraising the ball to be worth $250,000 in the open market, maybe more to Jeter or the Yankees, he offered it back to Jeter no strings attached.
Immediate outpouring calling him a moron or an idiot commenced. As if the guy was obligated to make Derek Jeter's historic moment about him and how much money he could bleed out of have seat that intersected with the Derek Jeter home run ball trajectory.
Maybe the guy is a lifelong Yankees fan (likely). Maybe he's a Derek Jeter fan (likely). So maybe he didn't want to hold a moment of New York Yankee history hostage. So he returned the ball to Jeter. Jeter's been a classy player throughout his career and he's certainly deserving of not having to go through major hoops to get a milestone ball back. The Yankees gave Diaz a bunch of autographed merchandise and box seats for the rest of the year, including the playoffs. That should have been a tax-free gift from the Yankees. It may dumbfound the money grabbers but sometimes the common man is deserving of a high priced gift.
As a baseball fan that's spectacular. Why the guy was obligated to cash in with a bank of money is beyond me. It's because the majority of people are self-absorbed "ME ME ME ME IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!" people.
I'm not going to say I wouldn't have had a "Mr. Jeter, I have these debts and I'm living paycheck to paycheck and if we could arrange "X" dollars to help out my situation, since I understand that a "gift for historical ball exchange" is pretty common" conversation with Jeter and the Yankees. But I totally wouldn't have started the Ebay bidding and sold the ball to some private collector.
Jeter deserved the ball back. The guy gave him back. What he felt was reasonable in return is totally his call.
The IRS though immediately started looking at the value of his box seats and figuring anywhere from a $5000-$14,000" tax bill, so the guy was looking at getting screwed because he accepted amazing seats far beyond anything that would normally happen to him in lieu of piles of cash. He got no cash but would have to pay a ton.
Ridiculous. But Miller beer and a couple other companies have offered to pay that tax bill and they're also donating some proceeds to pay for his college debt and some other things he opted to not cash in and sell out for. Awesome!
And amazing on the guy to resist all the temptation that came with a money ball landing in his hands and not thinking entirely about himself. He asked nothing. The Yankees and Derek Jeter are the ones who gave. It could be said even that they should have given more, so companies wouldn't have to step in to save him from the buzzards at the Internal Revenue Service. Christian Diaz deserved such a gift. It was good karma coming back around.
The All-Star Game
The National League beat the American League 5-1 last night. Milwaukee's Prince Fielder hit a 3-run home run and was the All-Star Game MVP. He became the first Brewer to ever hit a home run in an All-Star Game, and the first Brewer MVP. The former is pretty surprising given Milwaukee's length of time in the league and its number of sluggers over the years. Apparently Arizona is now the only team to never hit an All-Star Game home run, but they've only existed since 1998.
LA's Andre Eithier and San Francisco's Pablo Sandivol also had RBI singles.
Boston's Adrian Gonzalez homered off of Cliff Lee for the American League's lone run.
The Washington Nationals' Tyler Clippard earned the win. Brian "The Beard" Wilson of San Francisco earned the save. CJ Wilson of Texas took the loss.
On the Tiger front Alex Avila was the starting catcher. He was 0-2. He threw out a runner trying to steal but allowed 3 stolen bases, 2 by the Cubs Starlin Castro, as the NL ran aggressively against American League closers. Avila also made a putout on a play at the plate.
Jhonny Peralta was 0-1, as was Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera left the game with an injury. I don't find any more information so it's likely that it was just the case of taking no chances at all in an All-Star Game. It doesn't seem to be serious.
Justin Verlander was not eligible to pitch since he pitched Sunday. Jose Valverde also didn't appear. It is likely that he was going to be the closer if the AL had the lead in the bottom of the 9th.
I think the AL had roster disadvantages. Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, and Felix Hernandez were all unavailable to pitch due to the rule stating that Sunday pitchers can't pitch. Those are probably the three best starting pitchers in the league.
Josh Beckett of Boston felt a tweak in his knee while warming up to come in in the second inning and was scratched. Mariano Rivera didn't come to Phoenix to rest a forearm injury.
Miguel Cabrera also had to come out early due to injuries. Certainly that gave opportunities for more players to get into the game, but the NL got to play the players they wanted at the moments they wanted.
So for the second straight year, the National League team will have home field advantage in the World Series
LA's Andre Eithier and San Francisco's Pablo Sandivol also had RBI singles.
Boston's Adrian Gonzalez homered off of Cliff Lee for the American League's lone run.
The Washington Nationals' Tyler Clippard earned the win. Brian "The Beard" Wilson of San Francisco earned the save. CJ Wilson of Texas took the loss.
On the Tiger front Alex Avila was the starting catcher. He was 0-2. He threw out a runner trying to steal but allowed 3 stolen bases, 2 by the Cubs Starlin Castro, as the NL ran aggressively against American League closers. Avila also made a putout on a play at the plate.
Jhonny Peralta was 0-1, as was Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera left the game with an injury. I don't find any more information so it's likely that it was just the case of taking no chances at all in an All-Star Game. It doesn't seem to be serious.
Justin Verlander was not eligible to pitch since he pitched Sunday. Jose Valverde also didn't appear. It is likely that he was going to be the closer if the AL had the lead in the bottom of the 9th.
I think the AL had roster disadvantages. Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, and Felix Hernandez were all unavailable to pitch due to the rule stating that Sunday pitchers can't pitch. Those are probably the three best starting pitchers in the league.
Josh Beckett of Boston felt a tweak in his knee while warming up to come in in the second inning and was scratched. Mariano Rivera didn't come to Phoenix to rest a forearm injury.
Miguel Cabrera also had to come out early due to injuries. Certainly that gave opportunities for more players to get into the game, but the NL got to play the players they wanted at the moments they wanted.
So for the second straight year, the National League team will have home field advantage in the World Series
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Derek Jeter joins the 3000 hit club
Congratulations to Derek Jeter on his 3000th hit. First Yankee (or any member of a New York baseball franchise past or present) to reach 3000 hits in that uniform. And he did it with a home run at Yankee Stadium. Now that's the way to reach a milestone in style. He drove a 3-2 slider from Tampa's David Price into the second deck in left field at Yankee Stadium.
The game wasn't on live here, but I found the video at www.mlb.com. It was a truly goosebump raising moment in baseball history. Jeter joins Wade Boggs (who is a former Yankee who was a Tampa Bay Ray at the time) as the only two players to hit a home run for their 3000th hit.
The game wasn't on live here, but I found the video at www.mlb.com. It was a truly goosebump raising moment in baseball history. Jeter joins Wade Boggs (who is a former Yankee who was a Tampa Bay Ray at the time) as the only two players to hit a home run for their 3000th hit.
Friday, June 24, 2011
All-Star voting
I just cast my All-Star ballot. Man, a couple positions didn't make it easy. Not because there were so many guys having a great season, but because so many weren't.
I know my ballot is going to look like a big homer, since the ballot asks who your favorite team is, but I voted for Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, and Alex Avila. Two of my other 3 votes that weren't Yankees are former Tigers, Curtis Granderson and Matt Joyce. But it's an honestly non-biased ballot.
In fact my bias at shortstop was initially to give Derek Jeter one more starting nod in the season that he will collect his 3000th hit and officially cross into baseball immortality. But I had to go with Peralta who has had a great season and as far as I know has never been to an All-Star Game.
Plenty of other people will vote for Jeter though, so his start is pretty much ensured. I just hope the players pick Peralta when they choose the reserves.
I know my ballot is going to look like a big homer, since the ballot asks who your favorite team is, but I voted for Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, and Alex Avila. Two of my other 3 votes that weren't Yankees are former Tigers, Curtis Granderson and Matt Joyce. But it's an honestly non-biased ballot.
In fact my bias at shortstop was initially to give Derek Jeter one more starting nod in the season that he will collect his 3000th hit and officially cross into baseball immortality. But I had to go with Peralta who has had a great season and as far as I know has never been to an All-Star Game.
Plenty of other people will vote for Jeter though, so his start is pretty much ensured. I just hope the players pick Peralta when they choose the reserves.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
apparently MBL players recently engaged in their own snark
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1106/mlb-players-poll-most-overrated-player/content.1.html
According to a poll of 185 Major League players, the top 3 most overrated players are all Yankees. Alex Rodriguez, Joba Chamberlain, and Derek Jeter. Add in Nick Swisher and 4 of the top 6 are Yankees. Toss in AJ Burnett and 5 of the 16 players in the article are Yankees.
That says one of two things (or maybe both)
1) Yankees players get overhyped because they play for the largest media market in the country and the most legendary franchise in baseball, if not all of sports.
2) There were a lot of Boston Red Sox and/or AL East players polled.
But the top three are worth commenting on.
1) Alex Rodriguez. I don't know that he's overrated. The guy has had a huge career and is still putting up highly productive numbers. There are probably a dozen guys in the league putting up better numbers that you don't hear about every day, a couple of them on his own team. A-Rod has been tainted a bit by his steroid admission and has a reputation as a diva. Neither of those helped in the voting by his peers I'm sure.
2) Joba Chamberlain. This one I WHOLE HEARTEDLY agree with. I'd have put him at #1 on my list. I'm tired of hearing about him. He's supposed to be the second coming of whatever. But at this point he's a middle reliever with a 3.88 ERA. Average. Hitters hit .248 off of him. Average. He's blown more saves than he's earned in the limited opportunities he's received. He's only 26 so he has time. But he's not going to be replacing Mariano Rivera as Yankees closer for probably a couple years. I think Rivera comes back next season barring injury as he's still his productive self. He'll retire when Jeter does. Chamberlain is no better than either Jose Valverde or Joaquin Benoit for the Tigers. Probably not even as good. But he has a ton of hype and has for years. Some people whisper that the velocity on his fastball is already in decline. That is what he's been most known for.
3) Speaking of Derek Jeter, he's number 3. I agree with this placement just in the sense that Jeter generates the same hype that he did 4 or 5 years ago. He's not the same player that he was 4 or 5 years ago. Still decent. Still clutch. He's a great leader. He'll go down, quite legitimately, as one of the great shortstops in baseball history and one of the all-time great Yankees. He'll have 3000 hits. The first Yankee to ever reach 3000 hits while in their uniform, and he earned all of them while in their uniform. 5 World Series rings. Enough said. But he's not the superstar in terms of the day to day production that he once was. He earned the reputation from years of being that guy, much like Cal Ripken and some other guys who became more average late in their career then their "buzz" indicated. I can respect that. But I can also see how he earned #3 on this list.
Before Red Sox Nation snickers too loudly, Jonathon Papelbon, David Ortiz, and JD Drew are all on the 16 player list. Papelbon and Ortiz both suffer to a degree of not being the players they were in their prime, just like Jeter. Though neither was in the class that Jeter was in their prime.
According to a poll of 185 Major League players, the top 3 most overrated players are all Yankees. Alex Rodriguez, Joba Chamberlain, and Derek Jeter. Add in Nick Swisher and 4 of the top 6 are Yankees. Toss in AJ Burnett and 5 of the 16 players in the article are Yankees.
That says one of two things (or maybe both)
1) Yankees players get overhyped because they play for the largest media market in the country and the most legendary franchise in baseball, if not all of sports.
2) There were a lot of Boston Red Sox and/or AL East players polled.
But the top three are worth commenting on.
1) Alex Rodriguez. I don't know that he's overrated. The guy has had a huge career and is still putting up highly productive numbers. There are probably a dozen guys in the league putting up better numbers that you don't hear about every day, a couple of them on his own team. A-Rod has been tainted a bit by his steroid admission and has a reputation as a diva. Neither of those helped in the voting by his peers I'm sure.
2) Joba Chamberlain. This one I WHOLE HEARTEDLY agree with. I'd have put him at #1 on my list. I'm tired of hearing about him. He's supposed to be the second coming of whatever. But at this point he's a middle reliever with a 3.88 ERA. Average. Hitters hit .248 off of him. Average. He's blown more saves than he's earned in the limited opportunities he's received. He's only 26 so he has time. But he's not going to be replacing Mariano Rivera as Yankees closer for probably a couple years. I think Rivera comes back next season barring injury as he's still his productive self. He'll retire when Jeter does. Chamberlain is no better than either Jose Valverde or Joaquin Benoit for the Tigers. Probably not even as good. But he has a ton of hype and has for years. Some people whisper that the velocity on his fastball is already in decline. That is what he's been most known for.
3) Speaking of Derek Jeter, he's number 3. I agree with this placement just in the sense that Jeter generates the same hype that he did 4 or 5 years ago. He's not the same player that he was 4 or 5 years ago. Still decent. Still clutch. He's a great leader. He'll go down, quite legitimately, as one of the great shortstops in baseball history and one of the all-time great Yankees. He'll have 3000 hits. The first Yankee to ever reach 3000 hits while in their uniform, and he earned all of them while in their uniform. 5 World Series rings. Enough said. But he's not the superstar in terms of the day to day production that he once was. He earned the reputation from years of being that guy, much like Cal Ripken and some other guys who became more average late in their career then their "buzz" indicated. I can respect that. But I can also see how he earned #3 on this list.
Before Red Sox Nation snickers too loudly, Jonathon Papelbon, David Ortiz, and JD Drew are all on the 16 player list. Papelbon and Ortiz both suffer to a degree of not being the players they were in their prime, just like Jeter. Though neither was in the class that Jeter was in their prime.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Rest In Peace Harmon Killebrew
Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew passed away due to cancer at the age of 74. He is 11th on the all time home run list with 573. He was the 1969 American League MVP. There was no better power hitter in baseball during the 60's than Killebrew. He hit 40+ home runs 8 times. He was the first Minnesota Twin enshrined into the Hall of Fame, in 1984.
Worst. Pitching Line. Ever
I'll remember this the next time Detroit's bullpen explodes. This is positively Jason Grilli-esque, but worse. Kansas City's Vin Mazzano allowed 14 runs on 11 hits in 2.1 innings pitched last night during a 19-1 rout by Cleveland.
He dubiously becomes the first relief pitcher since 1942 to give up 14 runs in an appearance. Only 3 pitchers since 1947 have done it at all, and all were starters. You know...you generally get taken out when that happens. Mazzano gave up 10 runs in his 2nd inning of work (all with 2 out) but was inexplicably sent back out for a third inning of work, before he got the mercy-hook.
Mazzano also becomes the first pitcher in Major League history to ever give up that many runs in fewer than 3 innings pitched.
Not surprisingly Mazzano was sent to Triple A after the game.
He dubiously becomes the first relief pitcher since 1942 to give up 14 runs in an appearance. Only 3 pitchers since 1947 have done it at all, and all were starters. You know...you generally get taken out when that happens. Mazzano gave up 10 runs in his 2nd inning of work (all with 2 out) but was inexplicably sent back out for a third inning of work, before he got the mercy-hook.
Mazzano also becomes the first pitcher in Major League history to ever give up that many runs in fewer than 3 innings pitched.
Not surprisingly Mazzano was sent to Triple A after the game.
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