NL West Recap: First Two Weeks Of 2015
We’re officially two weeks into the 2015 MLB season, and while it’s still way too early to award any divisions titles, it’s definitely not too early to break down what we’ve seen so far. The NL West is a division that could easily turn out to be the most competitive in baseball and judging by […]
The Beginning of the 2015 Giants Season
The beginning of a new baseball season always starts with great anticipation, and excitement. Of course, a lot of this also depends on how the past season ended. If it ended with your team on top by winning the whole enchilada, the World Series then, there is nothing left to ask for. The offseason may […]
Can the Cardinals Make the Playoffs for the 5th Straight Year?
St Louis Cardinals have made the playoffs four times in a row—can they extend this impressive run into a fifth year? There have been some long periods in St Louis Cardinals’ history where they have contrived to miss the playoffs, season-after-season. Eighteen years stood between their World Series from 1946-1964 and the Seventies […]
Despite your opinion on @MetsGM, there is no defending his lack of creativity
Judging the performance of any GM looking for his first winning season in his five years at the helm would leave a lot to be desired anywhere. I am not big on the fact that “this is New York,” but I am sure there is some credence to that statement- though I can go without […]
Nationals go big, sign Max Scherzer to $210 million contract
The Washington Nationals aren’t fooling around. The Nats have reportedly handed Max Scherzer a $210 million contract that will lock him up for 14 years, and comes with a whopping $50 million signing bonus. The contract is almost as impressive as Washington’s opening day rotation now looks, with the Nationals rolling out a murderer’s row […]
Dae Sung Koo has played professional baseball every year since leaving the Mets in 2005
Dae Sung Koos’ trip around the bases One time New York Mets reliever Dae Sung Koo never returned to Major League Baseball after pitching for the Mets in 2005. Koo was known more for what he did with the bat, when he doubled off New York Yankees LHP and expected 2015 Hall of Famer Randy […]
I Love A (World Series) Parade
Wow!! I still cannot believe that my team, the San Francisco Giants, have won their third World Series Championship in five years. This is the first time it’s been done in the National League since the 1940’s. The word “Dynasty” had been mentioned…and I never thought that the Giants would become associated with that word. […]
The S.F. Giants in the 2014 MLB Playoffs
I find it so hard to believe that I am living in one of the Golden Ages of Giants baseball. Two World Series Championships in three years, and now, the opportunity for a third World Series Championship. What is it about the even years in the second decade of the 2000’s? I think of all […]
2014 Giants At the All-Star Break
When you live and die with your sports team, if your team is on top and playing well, you’re euphoric and happy. However, when they go through a bad stretch, you just want it to over it, or past it. The Giants had a horrible stretch in June, at one point going 4-15. It truly […]
SF Giants Opening Day 2014
There is nothing quite like the beginning of a new baseball season. You see players, both pitchers and hitters, as well as teams who start off doing surprisingly well. The hitters will end up where they usually do, around their lifetime batting average, and the pitchers around to their lifetime ERA. For the most part, […]
The 1984 Mets: three important groups of players not part of 1986 Championship
Whether we are talking about leaks in the New York Mets front office or the dirty New York media, Sandy Alderson’s declaration to the Mets ownership of 90 wins was not intended to be shared to the press. I have mentioned several times about the parallels between the 1981 and 2011 changes in the front […]
Reds Baseball is back!
Baseball is back! A new season is upon us, and with that the Reds begin the season at home with a series against their division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. Both the Reds and the Cards made the playoffs last season, so this first series will certainly be a competitive one. To recap, during the […]
A SABR Tour of Candlestick Park
Recently, I had the great pleasure of taking a tour of Candlestick Park, one of the ‘homes’ of my youth. It was done through my SABR group, the Lefty O’Doul chapter. SABR is Society for American Baseball Research, a group devoted to baseball—both to baseball’s history and to its statistics. I happen to enjoy both […]
The Phillies Only Bright Spot in the 1930s
Hey baseball fans! Fun fact: all of the players who won the batting Triple Crown in the 20th century have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, before I knew this fun fact, there was one person who won the Triple Crown who I had never heard of. I researched this player and it turns […]
The Ruben Tejada approach and how it can be a detriment to Juan Lagares
The Mets have had few “can’t miss” position players come out of their system in recent years. David Wright, and prior to him, Jose Reyes were the last players that were expected to be able to perform at an All Star level. We all about the labeling players as “prospects” and know that a players […]
The Jason Bay roller coaster has finally idled to a complete stop
It looks as if the career of OF Jason Bay is finally coming to an end. As many would say (particularly fans of the New York Mets), it will probably be three years too late. It is self explanatory to describe the drop in Bay’s production; which saw a six year run with the Pittsburgh […]
What if Jordany Valdespin was Gregg Jefferies?
Jordany Valdespin gained a minor cult like following after he had some success during the 2012 season. I got to see Valdespin for a couple spring trainings before he made his MLB debut. I also watched him play a couple seasons in AA Binghamton. A line drive hitter with some speed, he never seemed like […]
Remembering San Francisco’s Candlestick Park & thoughts on the 2014 Giants
Within a few short months, Candlestick Park will no longer be there, and will be demolished. I’m still not sure what will replace it. Nothing can replace it in my heart. The baseball Giants played there from 1960 to 1999 and the football 49ers played there from 1971 to 2013. The 49ers are moving down […]
Reds send Hanigan to the Rays in another three team trade
For a second offseason in a row the Reds are involved in a three team trade. Remember last year the Reds got Sin-Soo Choo in a three team trade with the Indians and Diamondbacks. This week’s news was released that the Reds, D-Backs, and Rays completed a three team trade. The trade was reported by […]
Mets Cyber Monday value list for 2013
This is the 3rd consecutive year I have put together a list of some players that will likely command little money and could over perform over what they will get paid. With the continuous uncertainty over whether the Mets will be willing and or able to pay a player “market value”, there is a possibility […]
Can a GM’s bad reputation effect relations with current free agent MLB players?
Every season, a series of MLB players test the free agent market in search of a long term contract. Agents that represent these players are obligated to get the player the best deal, both financially and for security purposes. Of course, I am referring mostly to players who are testing free agency for the first […]
Recapping the Mets ML free agent signings over past three seasons
Money and payroll flexibility has had all to do with the Mets small presence in the free agent market over the past three seasons. With several payroll dollars coming off via expiring contracts, the Mets could be considered a team that will spend significant money this offseason through free agency. Of course, trades are a […]
The End of the SF Giants 2013 Season
As difficult as it is for me to admit, the 2013 baseball season is over for the Giants, and it’s been over for quite a while. The Giants were just recently mathematically eliminated. The Giants’ 2013 season has been over for a while due to too many critical injuries, inconsistent pitching, poor defense (at critical […]
A rant on season tickets from a REAL Giants fan
A guest post by Becky Wilcox As a San Francisco Giants fan located in the East Bay Area, (Hayward, Calif. to be exact) I’d like to say that I’m proud of the two-time world champions – even if their record is 50 wins and 63 losses. Things happen. Teams don’t always win. But real fans […]
Reflections on the Reds second half hopes
Heading into the second half of the season the Reds are sitting five games back of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Around this time last season the Reds were the best team in baseball, now they are fighting just to make it to the playoffs. Going forward there are some key points that fans […]
Giants After the 2013 All-Star Game Break
It is now the half-way point of the 2013 Baseball season. It can either be a very long season or a very short season, depending on how your team is playing, who they’re playing, and where your team sits in the standings. The last five weeks of the Giants’ season have been filled with […]
Mets should not let Marlon Byrd fly away
“Outfield? What outfield?,” New York Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson famously wise-cracked in November. Well, the Mets have at least one solid outfielder, and that’s no joke. And if they are smart, they will not let Marlon Byrd get away. Byrd is having a terrific season, with 15 homers and a personal-best .498 slugging […]
To bunt, or not to bunt?
An excellent topic for baseball fans to discuss is the importance of the bunt. One may be in favor of it completely, while another may only prefer the bunt in certain cases such as a pitcher batting with a runner on base. Some are completely against it, stating it gives away outs- something at the […]
Most July veteran “dumps” net little to nothing in return
After every Mets loss, as I am sure it now applies to Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Chicago and of course in Miami and Houston, the talk always heats up about what veteran players could be traded before the July 31st trading deadline. The ones leading the conversation, usually a beat writer or outspoken fans on […]
Analyzing the shortstops in the New York Mets system
The New York Mets have quietly tried to draft shortstops over the past several seasons. Most other teams do the same, as shortstops on high school and college teams tend to be the best athletes. While solid athletes like Wilmer Flores, Reese Havens and Robbie Shields were drafted as shortstops, Flores is in AAA Las […]
