Got Cards?

Trade Your New & Used Cards for Smiles!

Do you have sports cardsjust sitting around collecting dust? Are you a mom who wants to get rid of your son’s cards, but doesn’t want to catch grief for throwing them out? Do you want to help put a smile on the face of a child in need? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have a great program for you!

Cards2Kids is a charitable organization that collects sports cards and donates them to child-focused charities, organizations and hospitals. New Jerseyteen Ben Schragger is the East Coast Ambassador for this national charity which started inChicago.  Ben has loved playing baseball since age 5, and currently plays for his high school and local Babe Ruth League. As an avid card collector, Ben enjoys sharing his love of sports with kids who are less fortunate.

Sincejoining Cards2Kids in January, Ben has distributed over 10,000 cards to the various child-focused charities.

Cards2Kids recently launched a revamped website www.Cards2Kids.org, and continues to acquire fans on Facebook and Twitter (@Cards2Kids). Local collection boxes can be found at BC Sports in the King of Prussia Mall and CG Sports, 15 N. Main Street, Pennington NJ.

For donation questions, or if you know of a charity whose children would enjoy receiving packs of sports cards, please contact us at cards2kids@gmail.com.

RIP Gary Carter: photo taken from Google Images

May he rest in Peace…

Gary Carter delivered a walk-off homer in his first-ever regular-season game for the Mets.  The Kid also started the Mets’ historic rally in the 10^th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Red Sox with a two-out single.

But Carter, who passed away at the young age of 57, really energized the team with his swagger.

Before Carter arrived, the Mets had Doc Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry and most of the parts they needed to be a contender. They won 90 games in 1984 and were getting close to making the playoffs for the first time since 1973.

The acquisition of Carter would put them over the top.  The Mets won 98 games in 1985 with Carter behind the plate, with only a great season by the Cardinals keeping them out of the postseason. The Kid had his best offensive season with the Mets, hitting .281 with 32 homers and 100 RBI.

The following year, of course, the Mets won it all by winning 108 games and finding mind-bending ways to win the NLCS and the World Series. Carter hit .255 with 24 homers in 1986, but delivered many clutch hits in the postseason.

It’s a World Series that Mets fans remember well, especially since the team has not won one since.

Image via Wikipedia

The Kid’s offensive numbers declined every year during his Shea tenure, but he contributed in so many different ways. He helped guide young pitchers such as Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez behind the plate. And his confidence, sometimes misconstrued by opponents as arrogance, fueled the Mets.

The Kid fought his cancer the same way he battled against Calvin Schiraldi in his 10^th-inning at-bat of the 1986 World Series – he never gave up.  That’s how I will always remember him.

Photo taken from Google Images

With the impending retirement announcement of Yankee veteran Jorge Posada, baseball fans are wondering, what will his legacy be? For the diehard fans of New York, Posada will go down among the greats. For those who analyze statistics, Jorge Posada was a quality player on both sides of the plate, but his lack of production in the playoffs and overall average seasons leave much to be desired.

A career .273 hitter, Posada racked up 275 home runs, a .374 on-base percentage, a .474 slugging percentage, and a respectable .848 OPS. Posada collected 936 walks which is good enough for 15^th place among active players and swatted 379 doubles. Yet, Posada also managed to strike out 1,453 times (58^th most all-time and 13^th most among active players). The 40-year-old catcher’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) stands at 44.7, which means he has consistently made himself an asset to the Yankee starting lineup. Among active players, Posada ranks 27^th in Runs Created (RC) with 1,100. Defensively, he provided a career 7.49 Range Factor per 9 innings (RF/9 is a statistic used to measure how many outs a player is involved with, thus allowing a more comprehensive evaluation of one’s defensive play), which ranks 24^th all-time among catchers. Also don’t forget Posada’s 2007 season, he remains the only catcher in history to hit at least .330 with 20 homers and 90 RBI.

Posada’s postseason shortcomings damaged what is otherwise an outstanding catching career. With the exception of last fall’s ALDS, Posada failed to impress during the crucial playoff games. What’s worse is that as the Yankees got deeper into postseason, Posada’s production fell further into the abyss. Posada’s postseason batting average is a measly .248. In six World Series, he hit just .219. His OPS in the playoffs is more than 100 points lower than his career average at just .745.

Image via Wikipedia

Still, Yankee fans will see far past those lackluster playoff numbers and remember the mighty catcher who won five World Series rings, caught a perfect game, collected five Silver Sluggers, was named to five All-Star games, and started 1,574 games behind the plate for the Yankees (trailing only Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey). Posada was an integral part of the latest Yankee dynasty, part of the legendary “Core Four” along with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte. What’s even more impressive about Posada is his durability, which until recently was unwavering.  The Bronx Bombers never placed Posada on the disabled list until the 2007 season.

Is Jorge Posada a Hall of Famer? No, probably not. Will he be remembered as a winner, an intense competitor, and a highly respected battery mate? Absolutely. Take a look back at the infamous 2003 ALCS brawl between the Red Sox and Yankees (Note: Pedro Martinez vs. Don Zimmer). Who was the first to stand up to the mouthy Martinez and defend his team? Captain Jeter? Joe Torre? No, it was Jorge Posada who took the first bullet for New York by exchanging verbal jabs with Pedro. He’s a fiercely loyal guy who didn’t mind taking a back seat to big name players in the name of winning championships. If there was a Hall of Fame for players with heart, Posada would be one of the first inducted.

Photo taken from Icon SMI

This is the time of year when the Baseball Writers of America (BBWA) submit their final ballots for the players they think are deserving of induction into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Among the eligible nominees this year, Barry Larkin and Jeff Bagwell may have the best chance of being elected.

But an equally deserving candidate for HOF enshrinement is Larry Walker.

Walker was overshadowed in his day (1989-05) by players like Ken Griffey, Jr., Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa.  But, with the tainted exception of Barry Bonds, Walker was arguably a more complete player than any of the others.

In fact, only Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell were truly comparable to Walker as complete Major League players.

One way to go about evaluating a potential Hall of Famer is to start with his weaknesses (or at least his perceived shortcomings).

Thus, one can argue that Edgar Martinez, for example, was “only” a DH, and therefore, because he seldom played in the field, his Hall credentials are penalized.

As for Sammy Sosa, (aside from the steroid issue), he was neither a great base-runner, nor was he a legendary defensive outfielder.  And in many seasons, his batting average wasn’t all that fantastic, either.

Barry Bonds, even before he ever (allegedly) used steroids, was nearly a complete player, but his throwing arm was just average.  If he could really throw, he would have played right field.

Jeff Bagwell was as close to being as complete a player as you could find during this era, but first basemen have to be exceptionally superior around the bag to win a reputation for defensive excellence.  Bagwell won just a single Gold Glove, and his throwing arm was considered average.

Ken Griffey was a sleek, graceful defensive outfielder and an excellent power hitter who won 10 Gold Gloves, had an average arm, and who never led his league in OBP, OPS, OPS+, hits, doubles, or walks.  His base-running skills were considered solid, but not fantastic.

Frank Thomas was a devastating hitter for both power and average, walked a lot, but was a poor defensive player and a below average base-runner.

I’m not arguing that the aforementioned players have questionable Hall of Fame credentials.  If any of them don’t make it into The Hall, it will be due to the taint of steroids.

But suppose you can find a truly flawless player?  Doesn’t it stand to reason that this player, given enough time on the baseball diamond to prove himself, would be a Hall of Fame quality player?

Image via Wikipedia

Enter Larry Walker.

Every player has at least one minor shortcoming, right?  I’ve listed the relative shortcomings of several Hall of Famers already.

But as I searched for Larry Walker’s hidden weakness, I kept coming up empty.

Let’s start with a couple of traditional stats: batting average, and its sexy younger sister, on-base percentage.

Batting average is overrated, I know.  But a player with a career .313 batting average, who happened to win three batting titles (as many as George Brett,) has certainly demonstrated at least one strength.   And for those of you who snicker at the very mention of batting average, Walker posted an On-Base Percentage in his entire career of exactly .400.

By way of comparison, Derek Jeter, whose specialty is getting on base, has posted an OBP of .400 or better in just four of 16 seasons.  Brett reached that magic number in just three of 21 seasons.  Walker topped .400 in eight consecutive seasons.

Fine, he got on base a lot.  But what about hitting for power?  Let’s look at homers and RBI‘s.  Acknowledging (again with a nod to the sabermetric crowd) that RBI’s are overrated, Walker drove in 1,311 runs, topping 100 RBI five times.  He drove in over 90 runs for the first time, while playing with the Montreal Expos, at the age of 25.  He drove in over 90 runs (104, actually) for the last time, playing for the Rockies, at age 35.  Thus, for a solid decade, he was a serious middle of the order masher.

As for home runs, he hit 383 in his career, topping 30 homers four times.  He topped the N.L. in homers with 49 in 1997, and he averaged 31 per 162 games in his career.  Albert Pujols, who, if he quit playing tomorrow, would be a definite inductee into The Hall, also reached 49 homers just once.

In addition to Walker’s 383 homers, he also produced 471 doubles and 62 triples.  His 916 extra base hits are 56th all-time, more than Hall of Famers Paul Waner, Joe DiMaggio, Harmon Killebrew and Duke Snider, and just four fewer than Willie McCovey.

Impressively, Walker’s career slugging percentage is a remarkable .565, good for 14th best all-time.  Virtually every single player ahead of him on this list is either in the Hall of Fame already, or will be elected eventually (Pujols) unless their alleged use of steroids keeps them out (A-Rod, Bonds, Manny Ramirez.)

Likewise, Walker’s OPS (on-base + slugging) of .965 ranks 16th best all-time, just below Stan Musial and just ahead of Johnny Mize.  He posted an OPS north of 1.000 six times in his career.  By contrast, Hank Aaron reached that level five times in his career.

Enough already, you say.  So he was basically just a big, slow-footed Canadian who could slug the ball.  There have been lots of sluggers.  What else does he bring to the table?

How about seven Gold Gloves?  And how about 150 outfield assists?  Walker led the N.L. in assists three times, and his career total of 150 assists ranks seventh best, just four behind Jesse Barfield, and only five behind the legendary Dwight Evans.

Clearly, Walker was an excellent defensive right fielder with a gun for an arm.

Base-running skills?  Check.  In poll after poll of managers and of his peers, Walker was consistently on the short-list of best base-runners in his league.  Only Jeff Bagwell and a couple of other players were considered comparable to Walker during the entire decade of the ’90′s.

Not only was Walker extremely adept at turning singles into doubles, and reading the ball off the bat so that he knew when to score from second base, but he was an underrated base-stealer, too.

Larry Walker stole a surprising 230 bases in his career, and was caught 76 times.  His career stolen base percentage of 75% was about the same as Lou Brock’s and better than Maury Wills’.  Walker set a career high with 33 stolen bases in 1997, and topped 20 steals in two other seasons.

In his base-running prime, over a seven-year period (1993-99), Walker’s stolen base percentage, in 153 attempts, was an even more impressive 81%.

So Larry Walker could hit for average and for power, he could field his position with the best of them, and he was an excellent base-runner.

Oh, and due to his great base-running and his excellent power, he scored 1,355 runs in his career, topping 100 runs scored four times, and 90+ runs scored in two other seasons.

But I’ll bet he hit into a ton of double-plays, right?  Sluggers like him, even if they are smart on the base-paths, are susceptible to the old 4-6-3 double-play. And hitting into double-plays is an underrated killer of a player’s total value.

Even here, however, Walker’s career numbers are fantastic.  He hit into just 153 double-plays in his career.  Cal Ripkin is the all-time leader, having hit into 350 double-plays.  Jim Rice and Eddie Murray each hit into 315.  Frank Robinson checks in at 270.  Willie Mays hit into 251.  Charlie Hustle himself grounded into 247 twin-killings.  Derek Jeter clocks in at 235.

Walker was about as difficult to double-up as Craig Biggio (150), and Biggio once went an entire season (1997) without grounding into a double-play.

Larry Walker was a five time All-Star.  He won the N.L. MVP award in 1997.  He won three Silver Slugger awards.  He had a 200 hit season.  He won three batting titles, a home run title, and he led his league in OPS twice.

Now this is where you pull out your trump card.  Walker played his home games for nine+ seasons in the most favorable hitters park ever constructed, Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.

There is no doubt his overall career numbers were given a boost by this ballpark.  But in the last of his five seasons with his first team, the Montreal Expos, (1994) Walker posted an OPS+ of 151, a number he surpassed just four times in nine full seasons in Colorado.

Walker’s career OPS+, which takes into account a players’ home ballpark as well as the era in which he played, sits at 140, the same as Hall of Famer Duke Snider. His career OPS+ is also better than Hall of Famers Paul Waner, Eddie Murray, Joe Morgan, Eddie Collins, Dave Winfield, and Roberto Clemente, among others.

Moreover, while in Montreal, he had already established himself as a fine defensive outfielder by winning two Gold Gloves.  He had also already demonstrated fine base-running skills by swiping 29 bases in 36 attempts in 1993, and he led the N.L. in doubles with 44 in ’94.

As for his home-road splits, consider the following.  In Walker’s finest season, 1997, he slugged .709 at home, and .733 on the road.  He belted 20 homers at home, and 29 on the road.  He drove in 68 runs at home; he drove in 62 runs on the road.  His home on-base percentage was .460; his road OBP was .443.  So his numbers, in some cases, were actually better on the road, and even the stats that were better at home were not vastly superior.

Other Hall of Fame ball players certainly benefited tremendously from their home ballparks.  Mel Ott, for example, hit 323 of his 511 career homers (63%) at the Polo Grounds.  If Jim Rice had played his entire career in Houston, there would have been little difference between him and Jimmy Wynn.

Finally, a few of you may even pull out the “whiff of steroids” excuse to besmirch his reputation.  But no credible evidence exists to suggest that Walker ever used steroids.  Frankly, as intelligent adults, we need to move beyond the perversely gratifying, sensationalist rumor-mongering on this issue.

Not everyone who hit 25 or more home runs in a season in the ’90′s and early 2000′s used PED’s.  Unless credible evidence has come to light regarding a particular player, we have no choice but to extend to them the benefit of the doubt on this issue.

According to baseball-reference.com, of the ten players whose careers were most similar to Walkers, four of them, (DiMaggio, Snider, Chuck Klein and Johnny Mize) are already in the Hall of Fame.  Another close comp., Vlad Guerrerro, will be once he becomes eligible.

Taken as a whole, then, Larry Walker clearly produced Hall of Fame numbers.  Whether or not the BBWA sees it this way, and I suspect many of them won’t agree with me, Larry Walker deserves enshrinement in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bill James: The Father of Sabermetrics photo found on Google Images

The standards by which the elite are chosen for election into Cooperstown are evolving. This transition can mostly be attributed to the growing popularity and acceptance of Sabermetrics. The decision to vote Ron Santo into the sacred Hall is a prime example of the shift from traditional thinking.

While greatness on the diamond has its conventional and established characteristics, future Hall of Famers may be relying more on Sabermetric measurements to punch their tickets. For position players, the Hall of Fame has been reserved for the great power hitters, those with batting averages over .300, and a high number of career RBI. For pitchers it’s all about the career strikeouts, ERA, as well as wins and losses.

Ron Santo unfortunately passed away in 2010 without ever hearing his name called by the HOF. The Baseball Writers Association of America decision to induct Santo in 2012 isn’t just posthumously honoring a Chicago icon, but is truly a testament to the level of acceptance Sabermetrics has achieved. Santo had a career .277 batting average. He hit only 342 home runs, and drove in a very respectable 1,331 base runners. Santo definitely compiled above average career statistics, but not “elite” numbers to the naked eye. This is where Sabermetrics influenced his worthiness to the voting writers.

Image via Wikipedia

For five seasons, 1963-1967, Santo had an OPS of .905 which would classify him in “Category A” according to Bill James’ “The 96 Families of Hitters.” Category A is reserved for batters with an OPS greater than .900, which is elite and, by all measures, great. He finished first in walks in the National League four times in his 15 year career. He led the NL in OBP three times. Santo was an even better fielder. A five time Gold Glove recipient, he finished in the top five in fielding percentage for third basemen eight times. Santo is currently ranked 105^th all-time in Wins Above Replacement, which is nothing to scoff at.

Ron Santo most likely wouldn’t have reached the Hall of Fame without the help of Sabermetrics. HOF voters are taking into consideration the statistics that are often undervalued and contribute to team wins. Ron Santo helped the Chicago Cubs win and by Sabermetric standards is an elite player deserving of Hall of Fame status.

Sabermetrics will continue to influence Hall of Fame voting. Particularly after an era of steroids and inflated power statistics, Sabermetrics provides a fresh perspective on players who may be on the “bubble” regarding their chance at being inducted. Position players and pitchers who come to mind include Tim Raines, Lee Smith, Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettite, Trevor Hoffman, and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to name a few. Many of those may be considered shoe-ins for the Hall, but these players are nothing short of Sabermetric superstars and shouldn’t (and probably won’t) be overlooked by voters in the coming years.

Photo taken from Google Images

• “If a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to? I always tried to stay around .190, with three or four RBI. And I tried to get them all in September. That way I always had something to talk about during the winter.” – Bob Uecker
• “I led the league in “Go get ‘em next time.” – Bob Uecker
• “The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh, I was proud.” – Bob Uecker, Sports Illustrated 1980

Some people are unaware that Uecker was involved with the WWF too. He made a special appearance at Wrestlemania and Wrestlemania III. One of the funniest moments I can remember seeing footage of was when he was interviewing Andre the Giant and after making a comment to him, Uecker was choked. In 2010 Uecker was inducted into the WWE (formerly known as the WWF) Hall of Fame. Uecker was on the show Mr. Belvedere and he hosted Bob Uecker’s Wacky World of Sports and Bob Uecker’s War of the Stars.



Uecker definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame—or I should say Halls of Fame—because after April he will in three different ones. It makes sense though because throughout his professional careers he has bounced around a bit and shown his talents in a number of different ways. In each role he was able to showcase his humor and over the years his love of baseball hasn’t declined in the slightest.

Editor’s Note: After a brief ad, here’s Mr. Baseball talking about his love for Wisconsin.

Photo taken from Google Images

This is a post written by Jeff Herbst. Jeff has had a passion for sports ever since he could first walk and enjoys writing in his spare time. He works with Phoenix Bats, a company that manufacturers wood bats and specialty composite wood bats for amateur and professional ball players around the globe.

Since 1936, the baseball Hall of Fame has inducted 296 players, managers and executives who have excelled on the field of play, behind the scenes as manager, coach or executive, or who played a part in advancing the game of baseball itself. In its induction criteria, players must have played a minimum of ten years, and have been retired for five years. A screening committee then ciphers through the list of eligible players after they have waited the mandatory five-year period after retirement. Once the screening committee clears the list of lesser-qualified players, members of the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) must then cast their votes for players on the ballot and players who receive a minimum of 75 percent of the votes cast is automatically inducted.

While the process itself may seem foolproof, there are flaws in the system and those flaws have certainly come into play during and after what has been termed as baseball’s Steroid Era.

The Steroid Era can be loosely defined as the era between the late 1980s until now, when many ballplayers were suspected to have used performance enhancing drugs to in order to increase offensive output. Many players during this time were alleged to have used PEDs, while others actually tested positive for banned PED substances after MLB implemented PED testing in 2003.

The voting bloc for baseball’s Hall of Fame, the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) has largely denied entry into the hallowed halls of baseball for players suspected of PED use, including those who have tested positive in recent years. Mark McGwire, the slugging first baseman who originally broke Roger Maris’ all-time single-season home run record in 1998, is one such player who has failed to gain enough votes for entry. In the five years that McGwire has been eligible for Hall of Fame induction, the highest number of votes he has achieved has been 23.7 percent in 2010, far short of the 75 percent required for automatic induction.

So too is the case with former designated hitter Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro famously declared at a Congressional hearing in 2005, “Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids, period. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.” However, just four months later, Palmeiro tested positive for a banned substance, rendering his very public statement useless. Despite the fact that Palmeiro is just one of four men in baseball history who have collected 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, he only received 11 percent of the votes in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.

Cheating is cheating, no matter what form it takes. That is exactly why Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose have been barred from entry into the Hall of Fame—they were both involved in gambling on their own teams in some way. Baseball writers in the BBWAA have taken a stand that anyone accused of, or who tested positive for PED use also cheated and also should not gain entry in baseball’s hallowed halls.

For this writer, were I eligible to vote, I too would absolutely not cast a vote for any player who willingly changed his body via unscrupulous means in order to pad his statistics. Are there players in the Hall of Fame who were not the nicest of people, or who were disliked for various reasons? Yes, but none of them were accused of cheating the game. The Hall of Fame should only be reserved for players who earned it the right and honest way.

2011 Winterballers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Young Bucks 6, Aging Stallions 5

Results

The 11^th annual Winterball was a huge success, drawing dozens of amateur adult baseball players from local baseball leagues across New England to play a game to benefit Toys for Tots. With a game-time temperature of 39 degrees, the Young Bucks (players aged 18-29) defeated the Aging Stallions (players aged 30+) in a 10-inning contest by a score of 6 to 5.

With the score 6-2 in the 10^th inning, the Aging Stalling rallied for 3 runs before the game-tying run was called out at the plated to end the contest.

Sgt. Major Rick Peterson of the United States Marines was on hand to collect the toy donations, and even through out the game’s first pitch.

What is Winterball Baseball?

Winterball is a 9-inning baseball game fundraiser played the first weekend of December each year. This is the 11^th straight year of the game, and the 8^th straight year this freeze-fest will be held to benefit Toys for Tots and the United States Marine Corps. The Boston Amateur Baseball Network is hosting.

Winterball participants were required to make a toy donation to Toys for Tots to get onto a roster. Since inception, the average game temperature has been 39 degrees.

Date/Time:     Saturday, December 3, 2011

Location:        Maplewood Park, 275 Maplewood Street, Malden, MA

About Toys for Tots:

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

Media Contact:

Brett Rudy, Boston Amateur Baseball Network

617-840-7981 or bostonbb@bostonbaseball.com

Photo taken from Google Images

The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for next year is so controversial that the conversations discussing whether two key names should be voted on has overshadowed this year’s entire class. If you didn’t guess already, the two players that will be eligible for entry are Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. They are two poster boys of baseball’s steroid era that have yet to come clean about using.

Here are my first thoughts about what it would take for Bonds and Clemens to get voted in after all of the negative publicity and legal battles that have taken place were pretty extreme.

Remember the good times?

They both would need their publicists and marketing teams to create an intense email marketing campaign designed to target all of the Hall of Fame voters starting as soon as possible. They need to send out stats, records and highlights from their careers that focus only on their skills on the field and none of the off-the-field issues. The voters and fans need to remember the milestones these guys were able to reach for them to have any shot at being voted in. The steroid scandal and their reactions have marred their legacies almost to the point of no return and people need to have fresh thoughts about them.

Other players (Alex Rodriguez, JasonGiambi and Andy Pettitte) were able to recover from their steroid controversy by coming out and admitting to using steroids at one point and apologizing. They went through a tough period of questioning and being bashed my players, fans and the media but both of them were able to continue on with their careers.  If Bonds and Clemens had come clean and worked on apologizing and salvaging their reputations initially instead of going through these ugly court cases and denials, things would look much different for this upcoming Hall of Fame ballot.

Tainted history

Let’s be honest here, the Mitchell Report named 89 players who took steroids or human growth hormones (HGH) but there is no way that only 89 players have taken steroids. These are just the ones who were caught. There are athletes in the Hall of Fame right now who took steroids at one point or maybe even throughout their entire careers. You may say there’s no proof but people know it’s true. From the media to employees in the front office, people understand that there was a period of time in professional baseball when steroid usage was taking place at an alarming rate. Those players won’t come out and admit it now but Bonds and Clemens are taking the fall that many other players avoided.

I’m not saying they should get a pass for taking steroids. They have been punished and they will continue to suffer the consequences of their actions but they have dedicated their lives to the game of baseball and they did work hard. Taking steroids doesn’t guarantee you to be a good hitter or locate spots with your pitches. You have to have natural skill and talent. The voters should consider that when it’s time to vote.

Until then, let the debates begin.

Photo taken from Google Images

In what can only be described as stunning, the Angels shook the baseball world today in a way normally reserved only for earthquakes on Southern California’s notorious San Andreas Fault by announcing they have reached an agreement on a 10 year contract with first baseman Albert Pujols and a 5 year agreement with starting pitcher CJ Wilson. While the final numbers won’t be known for a few days, the Pujols deal is reported to be in excess of $254 million andWilson’s deal is reported to be worth in the neighborhood of $77 million. For a franchise that was advising GM candidates in interviews 6 weeks ago that they weren’t going to be major free agent players this year, this is earth shattering news. As an ardent MLB follower in multiple media forums (XM/Sirius Radio, ESPN, MLB Network, Twitter) I can tell you the Angels were mentioned as interested in Pujols, but never mentioned as serious players. Watching the reactions on the faces of people around MLB this morning – it appears this has really shocked most of the baseball world. If you’re an Angels fan you can’t help but love the wall to wall coverage the team is receiving by landing the best hitter on the planet. Only this kind of shocking news could have overshadowed the Miami Marlins spending spree (except perhaps the Marlins hideous new uniforms) this week at MLB’s winter meetings.

Perhaps an even bigger side to this is the fact that the Angels are reported to have only entered onto the Team Pujols radar as late as Tuesday. That means the Angels managed to close a deal for the best professional baseball hitter in under 48 hours. The Angels in recent years have been rebuffed by big name stars such as CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Carl Crawford. This time the Angels offered up the cash and terms needed to close the deal and got the guy they wanted as the anchor to their lineup and face of their franchise. By all appearances it appears the Angels offered at least $30 million more in cash than the Cardinals offered and the no trade clause that the Marlins refused to include.

The Angels also got CJ Wilson to sign at below market value for a lower dollar amount and fewer years than other offersWilsonwas said to have received. Interestingly Wilson (who is from Southern California and has a beach condo, a home inBeverly Hillsand grew up in near byHuntington Beach) said in a radio interview today that his first choice was the Dodgers, (more on that to follow) but they never even made an offer.Wilsonjoins an outstanding starting rotation that includes Jared Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana giving the Angels 4 starting pitchers who all pitched over 200 innings with ERA’s under 4.00 last season and should give them a chance to win in most every game in 2012.

Of lesser note is the Angels signing of LaTroy Hawkins to stabilize the back end of their bullpen. His presence and experience brings some stability to the later innings for the Angels bullpen. All the Angels appear to need is a dependable closer to meet their existing needs to make a run at the NL West and Texas Rangers 2 year hold on that division and the American League Pennant.

The question is where does all this leave the Angels as a baseball team and a competitor in theLos Angelesarea media and entertainment market? As a baseball team it sets the Angels up very well offensively with speedy players like Erik Aybar and Peter Bourjos hitting in front of Pujols. Mike Trumbo hit 29 home runs as a rookie and the Angels hope Kendrys Morales will be healthy after missing most of the past 2 seasons recovering from a broken ankle. Those 2 players combined with the presence of Pujols hitting in the 3 hole potentially gives the Angels formidable home run and RBI production in the middle of their lineup. In solid if unspectacular players like Howie Kendrick, Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu and Vernon Wells the Angels now have a balanced lineup with people hitting in the correct lineup spots that maximize their talents and abilities. The only question mark today appears to be at closer where rookie Jordan Walden struggled with consistency in 2011. Hard to imagine the Angels would spend over $320 million for Pujols and Wilson and not address the need for a reliable closer. Then again they didn’t pursue Heath Bell before he signed with the Marlins either. They have interesting young pieces to offer in a trade (Trumbo, Mike Trout) for what they need and they have options via free agency in Ryan Madsen. Most experts place the addition ofWilsonat 5 wins above replacement (war) and Pujols war at 5 as well. That’s a composite of 10 games better than 2011 when the Angels won 86 games. 96 wins puts them in the playoffs, and with their outstanding rotation, solidified bullpen and diversified offense, the Angels become a very formidable team in the playoffs to be dealt with.

By all accounts the Angels have put together a dream team. In 2011 many thought the Boston Red Sox had done the same thing. I have a couple of thoughts to offer on that front. All of these players have excellent reputations as good clubhouse guys and hard workers. With Mike Scioscia as manager, don’t expect to hear things like Angels players running amuck eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse during games. The Angels appear to have invested in good, solid people as well as terrific players. LaTroy Hawkins was quoted today on Sirius/XM: “I’ll pitch whatever inning the team needs me to pitch to give us the chance to win ball games”. That’s heady stuff for a 35 year old veteran pitcher.

It appears the Angels positioned themselves for this spending spree and a serious run at the World Series after new revenues they received as a result of a new television deal with Fox. The Angels timing of these signings positions them perfectly to have several seasons of winning, competitive baseball and to take advantage of their main rival’s (Dodgers) current dreadful ownership situation. All this comes at a time when the Dodgers 2012 payroll is believed to not be above $90 million. This is notable as even the Minnesota Twins (yes the Twins in the 14^th-15^th largest media market) will have a payroll at or exceeding $100 million next season. As a lifelong resident ofSouthern California, the perception out here is that the Angels have always been the younger nagging sibling to the big brother bully Dodgers. These moves make it clear that Owner Arte Moreno is serious about establishing the Angels brand by winning now and the next several years. One look at the most recent moves made by the Dodgers are in stark contrast (Mark Ellis, Chris Capuano, Matt Treanor, Aaron Harang, Josh Bard, Jerry Hairston Jr, etc) to the moves the Angels have just completed. In the long term the Angels have positioned themselves to take over the greater LA media market and brand name recognition for quite some time. Signing a marquee, superstar player like Albert Pujols to be the face of their franchise secures that the Angels will be relevant for years into the future as he chases World Series titles and MLB records in his Hall of Fame career.

The downside ? Obviously the 10 year length of the offer will be measured at the middle to end of the 10 years as much as the first 3-4. For a player in his early 30’s, it is risky in the long term. But the potential upside rewards are also very high. One thing the Pujols and Wilson signings do is immediately change the MLB landscape and especially the AL West. One thing the Angels with Pujols won’t be is irrelevant for a long time.