Cardinals Dig In; MLB Losing It’s Sanity?
On the cusp of spring training, the Cardinals have less than 24 hours from this Tuesday night writing to make Albert Pujols happy. That’s the deadline he set for ceasing all contract extension negotiations. Seeing that the talks were stalled, outfielder Matt Holliday, due to make more than Pujols this year, agreed to place more […]
ARE THE RAYS SERIOUS?!?
Just when you think you have the Rays’ figured out, they go and have an off-season that defies all logic and seeming desire to win. How else can you explain replacing Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford with Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez? It’s obvious that these two were thrown into the off-season recycle bin by […]
Prince Fields a Whopper
It is 11° as I write this so to get in the mood I am listening to Baseball’s Greatest Hits – mostly cheesy tributes to former New York players – Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle as well as one of the best baseball songs ever written “Willie, Mickey and the Duke” […]
GETTING IN; GETTING OUT; GETTING TRADED
1. It’s About Time Apparently it took a massive effort by fellow baseball bloggers to finally convince voters that Bert Blyleven was worthy of the Hall of Fame, something this blogger has endorsed for at least five years. It’s a shame that it took so long. Congratulations also goes out to Roberto Alomar who was […]
The Other Side of Free Agency
Ever since a federal arbitrator ruled that baseball’s reserve clause was too restrictive in a 1975 ruling the players have seen their average salary soar higher than a launched projectile. As late as 1986 the average salary was $413,000. Today it is $3 million and climbing. There’s no doubt that this historic ruling has made […]
Things I Hope For in The New Year
1. Bert Blyleven is finally elected to the Hall of Fame. 2. The Brewers surge ahead late in the season for a change before coming up short again. 3. The Red Sox choke on their money and finish behind both the Rays and Yankees. 4. The Phillies now an occupant of the big spenders suite […]
HELP FOUND!
It is incredible how one off-season move by a big league club can change the emotions of their loyal followers. This weekend Zach Greinke answered the Help Wanted Ad that appeared on last week’s post and transformed the Brewers starting staff from incompetence to corporeal. A season opening rotation of Gallardo, Wolf, Marcum and now […]
HELP WANTED!
With the winter meetings over, and only one meaningful acquisition to address the gaping hole in the rotation, I came across the following on Munster.com, Thanklessjobs.com and Overpriced.com. “We have an urgent need for a strong and durable team player to become a vital part of our staff. Your tenacious attitude, desire to win at […]
What an Honor
Oh what rapture it is to second-guess. For years I have stayed behind my shield of maladroit opinion feeling free to blast away at those “experts” for their incomprehensible votes and stultifying opinions. Ah, but those days of being the dilettante of the keyboard may soon be ending. One of the great advantages of being […]
Who’s Side Are YOU On?
It was shocking and frankly disappointing that the Yankees have decided to turn into an obdurate adversary with Derek Jeter. Is this any way to treat an All-Time Yankee great? He is going to have a plaque on both the Monument Wall in Yankee Stadium and in the Hall of Fame. He is the all-time […]
The Activity Begins
The best part of the hot stove season is anticipating player moves. This first real week of movement was no exception. It’s like playing those silly scoreboard games to guess which hat the ball is under, although anyone with a good set of eyes or a good seatmate can guess this. Not so with player […]
Warm Up the Stove
The Hot Stove is starting to heat up and here are 10 questions that will be answered soon. 1. Where will Cliff Lee go? Lee is in the enviable position of being the most sought after free agent this year. He will be able to choose his team and his pay. It’s obvious that one […]
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CIVILITY?
In the wake of the surprising but deserving San Francisco Giants winning the World Series came word that numerous riots broke out on the city streets. Is there any plausible reason for this adolescent behavior? What have fans become? Why, after a big victory in sports do fans have to act like idiots (Here’s a […]
THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!
It was 59 years ago that Russ Hodges called “The Shot Heard Around the World”. His impromptu and repeated cry of “The Giants Win the Pennant!” has become legendary in broadcasting lore. It was selected as the second best sports casting moment of all time by a Sports Illustrated columnist. (Can you guess which call […]
The Playoffs and Questions Nobody Is Asking.
When the NLDS ended early for both teams, why wait for five days to start the LCS? Scheduling flexibility should be no problem. Sooner or later baseball needs to dictate to the networks its desires rather than vice versa. This is another example of how the greedy grab for money dilutes the excitement of the […]
A PITCHING RENAISSANCE and FAREWELL MR. COX
Pitching has taken over. Who can dispute this after watching pitchers dominate in the playoffs so far? There may be some sort of record set for fewest runs scored after the Giants/Phillies series. Some fans, those who want to see the ball being bashed around like a Superball, will denounce this as boring. Others, like […]
Don’t Blink
Like the title of the popular Kenny Chesney song of a few years ago, this baseball season hardly seems to be over already. Many things happened, including the four no—hiiters (actually 5) before July but that’s a topic for a future post. On the home front, the Brewers once again failed to meet expectations never […]
Plenty of Blame to Pass Around
As another disenchanting season for the Milwaukee Brewers is about to an end, there surely is plenty of blame for the team’s sub-.500 record to go around. Mark Attanassio It starts with Mark Attanassio the majors’ only absentee owner who has put too much authority into the hands of his staff. While most would agree […]
THE DEMISE OF ‘DA BUMS
The recent resignation of Joe Torre as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers prompted me to wonder what has happened to this notable franchise. I vaguely remember the Brooklyn Dodgers. Yes, that’s how old I am. In Brooklyn the team was affectionately known as the “bums”. The name stems from the fact that from […]
September Baseball and Buehrle’s Balks
If you are in any city without a chance to win the division baseball in September brings mixed emotions. On the one hand it reminds one that the season is drawing to a close and will create that void a true baseball fan feels. On the other hand, it reminds any team fan outside the […]
SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS
With so much going on this post is dedicated to a few stories that need worthy comment. Here we go: THE PIRATES OUTDO EVEN THEMSELVES! As if it isn’t bad enough that this woeful team is on pace to lose 100 games for the 8th time in franchise history, and post a record 19th straight […]
Clemens’ Costanza Impression and Strasburg’s Strike Out
Two major off field episodes occurred this week that merits comment. The first is Roger Clemens’ continued denial even in the face of overwhelming evidence that he did not use steroids. When reports surfaced that proved he did indeed use enhancements, he was indicted for perjury before a Congressional committee. There are two ways to […]
HEY CHICAGO WHAT DO YOU SAY….
The Cubs are trading their team away. What in the name of Harry Carey is going on in Wrigleyville? The shocking descent of the Cubs this year has opened up questions about the club’s leadership and decision-making. Surely the Ricketts family did not expect this when they bought the club last winter. With a payroll […]
K-Rod’s Stupid Actions and Players Who Would Be Stars
Francisco Rodriguez or as the haughty New York press refers to him, K-Rod, has just won the award for this season’s MSA – Most Stupid Act. Apparently when he went off and socked his kids’ grandfather last week he broke his thumb. Thumb rhymes with dumb! The brainless act has him out for the season […]
THE BREWERS ARE TREADING WATER
Going into tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks, our local heroes find themselves 10 ½ behind the surprising Cincinnati Reds. On August 10, this seems to be insurmountable. Like last year, the team is treading water with little hope of surviving. No major moves were made at the trading deadline and yesterday they shipped Jim Edmonds […]
WHAT A MESS!
Today the bankrupt Texas Rangers are to be auctioned off in court. The two remaining bidders are the team of Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg and Rangers’ President Nolan Ryan and the team of Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane. So which group should the team go to? Without a doubt the Ryan/Greenberg team. Even […]
Was Dawson Hall Worthy?
The induction this Sunday of Andre Dawson led to my annual evaluation of whether the chosen player(s) are worthy of such a lifetime achievement honor. With Dawson the answer is yes and no. What, you say? Let me explain. By strict statistical standards, Dawson should not have been inducted. In nearly every important analytic metric […]
Come On Down!
It’s that time of year again — time to play “The Price Is Right”. Let’s meet our contestants (records are at beginning of play on 7/21): 59-34 This contestant is a regular each year. They like to bid high and will aggressively pursue anyone their heated rival from Boston does. This year they need some […]
The Boss Has Left the Office
Here is my eulogy to George Steinbrenner He parlayed a $167,000 investment into a business now worth over $1 billion. That was the business side of George Steinbrenner. In 1973, when he became Managing General Partner, he vowed to take a once glorious team mired in a long stretch of mediocrity and make it a […]
All-Star Shame; Prospects Flame
Image by Evan Wohrman via Flickr I’m going to go on my annual rant about the All-Star Game albeit somewhat less harsh. This game is at a crossroads. What is it really and what has it become? Historically the All-Star Game was created to offer some excitement during the Great Depression. No fewer than 19 […]
