I’ve had my differences with ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith, which is to say that I disagree with pretty much everything he has to say, and I was delighted to find this gem of a youtube video over at deadspin.com the other day. It seems that people with more imagination than I have are already fighting the good fight against Mr. Smith. This may be my favorite youtube clip of all time and it really explains itself, please enjoy. Mondays are all about surviving, and videos like this are what get me to Tuesdays. How do I survive Tuesdays you ask? You’ll have to come back tomorrow to find out!
Chad: Do you want to know how much third place can cost in Major League Baseball right now?
Justin: Wow, you’re going with the digs right off the back. I don’t know, but I’m sure you are talking about the Yankees…. so enlighten me?
Chad: Ohhhh, ’bout 208 million bucks I believe. And that doesn’t even get you first place in the wild card either. Your Yanks are in third place in that race as well.
Justin: Yeah, things haven’t been that great for Yankees fans this year. I’m going to blame the new management. If baseball is all about pitching we are in trouble. Joba has that innings limit, so he can’t carry our team, and with Wang out into September… it’s not looking good. On the bright side, Jason Giambi is rocking one of the best mustaches since they were being rocked by 70’s porn stars!
Chad: And the coolest thing is that he actually subscribed to hair color for men and went darker! I thought the Yankees had a facial hair ban? Do they think by lifting it that Johnny Damon will go all Jesus again like he did in ‘04?
Justin: I’m not sure, but Damon was turning into a Jesus like figure in New York recently. He’s had a .370 batting average over the last 30 days, but of course he had to go and hurt his foot. Some Savior he is. At this point it looks like Tampa Bay is for real, and I can’t believe I’m saying that, but they have some great pitching with Kazmir, Shields and Garza and their young hitters are just freakish athletes (but we have known that for the last couple of years). I swear to God if I have to watch a Cubs/Rays World Series I’m banning baseball from my life.
Chad: Banning baseball for life? That’s some pretty serious talk, my friend. Maybe you should just give in and put on that Cubs hat you’ve been itching to wear for years. Speaking of that… I believe you have yet to pay up our March Madness bet, and I’m going to be home for the 4th of July – you best be buying that hat this week
Justin: Oh man, I forgot all about that. No, I’m not going to become a lifelong Cubs fan, but I will live up to my end of the bet. I am becoming a lifelong fan of Cubs and White Sox fans fighting at their interleague games. What’s your take on this rivalry?
Chad: I think we are seeing the peak years of it for numerous reasons. No. 1 – We’ve had interleague play for 10 years now, so there is no excuses for not knowing pitchers in the opposing league, and no reason why managers should make rookie mistakes. No. 2 – We’ve got two of the best quotable managers in the history of baseball! Does it get any better than Ozzie vs. Sweet Lou. And my God, have you seen the Comcast commercial where the two of them rap (see video below)? It’s demolishes the unintentional comedy scale.
Justin: Oh I love Sweet Lou and the Ozz both managing in the same town. Ozzy has been my favorite manager since he started with Sox, and Lou is just Lou, you have to love him. Chicago fans are some of the most passionate fans in sports, but they can also be some of the dumbest and drunkest fans in sports. Not taking anything away from Phili fans ofcourse. This Cubs team intrigues me because they don’t seem to play with that giant (we haven’t won a world series in a century) monkey on their back. It will be interesting to see if that changes as we start the second half of the season. As for the White Sox, you never know what you are going to get out of them. They have the power in their line-up to score 10 or more against any pitcher in the league, but they can also go 10 games without scoring more than 10 runs. They are just as perplexing as their manager, which is all-to-perfect.
Chad: I made a bet with a couple buddies of mine that the White Sox would not make the playoffs, and that they would finish worse than the Cubs in the standings. I’m sticking to my guns on both those bets. If you’ve read everything I’ve wrote about baseball this year, I still believe that the Tigers will take that division. The Sox young pitchers can’t keep up this torrid pace, and their big hitters are well past peak in their careers. As for the Cubs, I’ve been shocked by their play this year. Where in the hell did they all learn to take pitches?? I know Kosuke Fukudome is a guy that takes good at-bats, but did that spread like a virus? That’s why I believe the Cubs success could be long-term.
Justin: I agree on both counts. I’m still waiting for the White Sox bloody collapse which hopefully will lead to Ozzy calling multiple White Sox players pieces of shit and threatening to kill someone. That should be fantastic. I don’t know how the Cubs started taking pitches, but it probably just came down to their players realizing that they could trust the guys behind them in the line-up. And LOOK at that line-up it’s crazy good. They are playing the way that people thought the Yankees line-ups should have performed over the last few years. Unfortunately it’s starting to look like that Yankees window is closing. What has happened to this league?
Chad: Well, the league haven’t changed a whole lot, just the names within them. The AL is still the class of baseball because it has a division where two teams have the ability to spend $150 million – driving the price up for all the other teams in the league. The Cubs and the Phillies appear to be the only National League teams that could compete against the AL’s best right now, and both teams are struggling a bit.
Justin: Well until their is a salary cap in baseball (ha ha) you can’t blame the Yankees and Red Sox for spending money in order to win. It’s not as if the MLB is hurting for money, even with all of the recent steroids in baseball news we are still seeing record high profits for baseball. If teams like Kansas City and the Marlins can’t get people to show up then I have two suggestions, move or be get out of the business. I don’t think we’ll ever see a salary cap in baseball however, so don’t look their for the answer.
Chad: Well I think it’s safe to say that the Yankees will let Carl Pavano go, as he hasn’t payed for them since… well forever really. But I really don’t know what their plan is outside of getting some new starters and hopefully a new first basemen. I think the Yankees put a lot of faith in the arms of Phillip Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain. So we’ll have to see how that pans out, but your guess is as good as mine as to what they are planning to do in free-agency. Oh by the way, the White Sox/Cubs game is just starting over on the WWL, and you favorite analyst is calling the game. Why don’t you expound upon how great Joe Morgan is?
Justin: Well in the last 15 days he has 12 runs, 7 RBIs, a steal and a .327 BA, so I thik he may still have a little left in his tank. I don’t know what was going on with him getting dropped, but if I hadn’t been in my sickened state the over the last week I would have picked him up. But I’m not sure I want to talk about our fantasy league, I’m floating around .500 and in seventh place wheras you are in first place. But go ahead, I’ll give you this oppurtunity to gloat a little.
Chad: You have been gone for awhile, because I’ve sunk to second place by a game, and will be in third by the end of the night. I have some awful pitching, and that has really held me back this year. My offense is dominating, but I have a couple of guys that are injury threats everyday. Unfortunately, those guys are also the best hitters in baseball right now – I’m speaking about Chipper Jones and Josh Hamilton. Speaking of fantasy baseball…you and I haven’t discussed any trades – wanna make a deal?
Justin: Chad, we agreed when making this site to never talk about our deals in fantasy baseball. And you are using the term deal very loosely.
Chad: I never agreed to not talk about deals. You don’t wanna talk about them because I’ve damn near gutted you in the last three seasons. And I’m waiting for you to call me in a panic again. When am I gonna get my damn phone call!! Oh, and I have good news. With Mark Buehrle and Sean Marshall pitching, the game will go really fast – drastically reducing the amount of speaking Joe Morgan will be doing tonight.
Justin: The sad thing is I like my team. I just feel like they are underperforming right now. Perhaps I will try to deal some guys to get a good OF, but I’m going to hold pat until around the deadline. Sorry.
Chad: That phone call will come, I know. I’m just biding my time. Let’s get back to the real thing, though. Will the Yankees make the playoffs? And don’t give me a BS “I don’t know” answer. I want something definitive. Yes..or no?
Justin: No. They just don’t have the pitching, and their bats can be very sparatic. I don’t think the Rays are going to collapse all of a sudden and the Red Sox have become so good they are boring. Actually that’s how all of the Boston teams are these days. Alright buddy, your turn. The Cubs make the World Series this year, yes or no?
Chad: Before I answer that question, here’s my Joe Morgan update. Oh my God…is he watching the game??? Buehrle makes a kick save with two out and a runner on second, and he says, “if he doesn’t get a foot on that ball, it’s an RBI single up the middle.” Did he not see Orlando Cabrera playing 3 feet off the second base bag?? It would’ve been an easy groundout to end the inning!! Is Joe even in Chicago??
Will the Cubs make the World Series? Damn, you’re comin’ with it the heat here. All I asked of you is whether or not the Yanks would make the playoffs, but you’re going all World Series on me. If you put a gun to my head right now, I’m going to say no. The starting pitching just isn’t strong enough at the top to win a series. Carlos Zambrano is an ace, but one that can either be dominating, or head scratching – there is no middle ground with him. Ryan Dempster won’t keep up his torrid pace the entire season, either. I think you’ll hear the Cubs being highly involved in trade talks for C.C. Sabathia and Erik Bedard, but they just don’t have the bait to reel them in. None of the other “available” starters would be an upgrade over the rest of the rotation.
Justin: That is sure pesimistic for a Cubs fan? If you aren’t going to say it, I will. The Cubs will be in, and WIN, the World Series this year. That’s right, I said it. And if my Lakers prediction is any indication, you are in for the Jacobs Jinx! Muah ha ha!
Chad: You know what reverses that curse, though? It’s wearing the Cubs hat for a full day. Don’t forget about that. And I’m not pessimistic – I’m realistic. Oh my God, what an awful call. The umps have rung EVERYONE up this year when a check swing has been close. If Crede didn’t strike out later in that AB, it could’ve been a game-changing moment. Don’t worry Cub fans, he’s still managing – it’s just from his office in the clubhouse now.
Justin: Could’ve. Should’ve. Would’ve. Lou knew better than to go out and argue that call. Well, let’s wrap things up here so we can watch this game. What are your thoughts on this years All-Star game?
Chad: I HATE that it counts. It’s the sickest disrespect to the teams that play in World Series as you can get. Yes, I want Nate McLouth, and Christian Guzman being a part of the decision to whether or not the National League representative in the World Series gets homefield advantage or not. Do you want some schmuck from Seattle playing for home field on your team (although Ichiro will be the default representative – despite the fact of him not playing at an All-Star level this year). It’s despicable!
Justin: I couldn’t agree more. The team with the best record should have Home Field in the World Series. Of course this is the same game that allows the DH and allows multible different makes of bat to be used. I love this game, but sometimes I hate it.
Chad: Exactly. I know best record is a bit skewed as well – with more teams and weaker teams in the NL, but it’s a helluva lot better than letting the All-Star game deciding it. The DH sucks too, and the Players Association along with the owners are going to put a minimum on how thin the bat handles can be for maple (probably all) bats. And home run replay, here we come! The Cubs just hit into a double play – God I love this game. JJ and Chad – out!
(Before I proceed with the subject of the post, I’d like to point you to a new blog I’ve linked on the blogroll on the right side of this page (Holly Dee’s Runner’s Ramblings). My friend/co-worker Holly DeYoung has begun training for the Honolulu Marathon that is scheduled for December 14, 2008 {by the way, what’s the length of time you must wait before dropping the co-worker bit? Six months? A year? I’ll discuss this with my co-workers…errr…friends!}. Now, some of you may scoff at the notion of running a marathon – in HAWAII no less! But I assure you, this is a pretty selfless act Holly’s engaging in. First, it’s NOT a vacation. She flies down the day before the race – runs – then flies out the morning after. PLUS, she’s doing all this in support of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. So take a moment to read her weekly commentary, and please donate if you have some spare cash!)
There’s more than just one reason it’s a relief as a Bulls fan that we own the No. 1 pick in tomorrow night’s NBA Draft. We’re not only assured of the player the organization ranks above everyone else, we don’t have to sit around and cringe at the thought of a team sitting above us stealing a guy we have our eyes on. What’s even worse, is having your eye on a guy in a relatively weak draft class, only to see him scooped up by a team in front of you, leaving a panicky reaction that usually leads to bad decision-making.
Decision-making is something that has long been questioned in NBA drafts. A coach and general manager see a hole on their team, and think by drafting the best player available at that position with their pick in the draft, that they’ve grabbed the world by the throat. Instead of taking the best player available, a team passes up the chance to take a difference maker in an effort to patch a hole just to make the playoffs. But honestly, what good does it do to make the playoffs if you’re going to get eliminated in the first round? Zilch, baby! The answer is zilch. You get a few more games worth of ticket revenue and beer sales, and no chance at hitting it big in the lottery (see: 2008 Atlanta Hawks).
The Bulls have a clear need on their team. Actually, they have a needs that stack up as high as the Sears Tower, but that’s beside the point. Ever since the trade of Elton Brand to the L.A. Clippers, critics across the nation, and voices thundering over the airwaves bellyache about the fact that the Bulls lack an inside scoring presence. Someone taller than 6′2″ that can go out and score 20 points on a nightly basis. You would think a deficiency that glaring would point Chicago in the direction of Michael Beasley, the beast from Kansas State that blew people away with record-setting performances during his one season in college; topping unthinkably high numbers of the ‘06-’07 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant.
The only other player in the draft worthy of the No. 1 pick is Derrick Rose. The silky smooth natural point guard that led national runners-up Memphis to the brink of a championship just a few months ago. He can penetrate into the lane without hesitation, and plays relentless defense, pestering his opponent into countless mistakes that he can easily turn into points. But the Bulls have a point guard in Kirk Hinrich that is signed to a long-term contract. He was billed as one of the top up-and-coming point guards in the NBA just a year and a half ago, but a dreadful year of shooting, passing, and defending has left the Bulls and its fans wondering if he’s the guy to lead this team to a championship.
The gut answer in past years is to take the guy that fills the need. The Bulls have a serviceable point guard in Hinrich and should pick the player that plugs the gap. Cue the voice of David Stern: “With the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select…Derrick Rose, guard, from Memphis University!”
2008 is a different game. The Celtics won the title, the Lakers are reigning supreme again, and NBA teams are going to draft the best player available a majority of the time. And Derrick Rose will be the next point guard for the Chicago Bulls.
So you may be wondering where Part 4 of my 33% Report series is at. Well, to be truthful, I think I’m going to get away from it. It was taking me on average 2 1/2 hours to write each one of those, and as I started the AL West post, I found myself dreading it because the posts were so monstrous. Instead, I’m going to throw a bunch of quick hitters at everyone (to catch up on what I’ve been missing) and in the future, I’ll avoid mini-series with mammoth posts so that I don’t bog others (and myself) down to much.
Big Brown Can’t Deliver- It didn’t surprise me that Big Brown couldn’t pull off the illustrious Triple Crown. I put a bet on him (with a friend who picked another horse because they liked the name) and fully expected not to collect, but figured since the other horse was 28-1 I might as well play the odds. When I heard about the cracked hoof, I all but counted out Big Brown because to win the Belmont Stakes after sweeping the first two legs of the Triple Crown, everything has to be perfect. The draw has to be good, the horse has to be in tip-top shape, and you have to run a flawless race. Big Brown was 0-3 in those categories, and finished dead last (yikes – bad choice of words there) after Kent Desormeaux pulled up in the final turn.
{Big Brown failed to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978}
NBA Finals – Game 2 Preview- I’ve got the Lakers pulling out the win in Beantown tonight. There is no way that Kobe (errrr Black Mamba) will shoot as poorly as he did in Game 1, and the Lake Show won’t miss as many wide open jumpers as they did late in the first game. The key to tonights game will be what Kobe does when he gets the basketball in his hands (Oh yea Chad, great call on that one. Way to go out on a limb. You’re freaking Nostradamus with that bold prediction). He has to attack the basket at every opportunity, and now pull up for jumpers 12-18 feet from the basket. When he gets within a few feet of the bucket, the shooting lanes open up for his 3-point sharpshooters, and he also allows Lamar Odom an opportunity to crash the weak side boards. If your Phil Jackson, my gameplan is to let Kevin Garnett get his, and shut down the rest of the team.
(Kobe will score at least 35 and lead the Lakers to victory in Game 2)
Fantasy Baseball Update- After sitting in fifth place for a couple of weeks in Terry’s Tire World IV, I dominated the team in the first place (owned by Alicia Glendenning), and jumped right back to the top of the league. This week I’m playing Luke Glendenning, my arch nemesis in every league we’ve competed in, and after a 10-0 lead early in the week, he’s taken a Sunday afternoon 6-3-1 lead over me (having one of his best offensive weeks all season – figures). As for Justin, I’ll let him tell everyone where he’s at in our league.
Cubs Update- Can we find a starter that will pitch 7 innings on a consistent basis? Maybe we should go out and get Livan Hernandez at the trade deadline if the Twinkies are looking to deal. The bullpen as getting taxed big time, and I’m just afraid that it will come back to bite us later on in the season. In other news, Ryan Theriot is having a breakout season that I didn’t see coming. He’s getting on-base at a .400+ clip, and has been making contact in nearly every at-bat. Here’s a shakeup in the lineup that I wouldn’t mind seeing (and stop the presses – it still doesn’t involve Soriano leading off). Why not try Theriot leading off, Fukudome second, Ramirez third, Lee fourth, and Soriano fifth. Ramirez is getting on-base over 40% of the time, and this would allow Lee more RBI opportunities than he already has. The offense has struggled a bit in the last week, and maybe a switch to a lineup like this could spark the offense once again.
}”The Riot” is one of the many reasons the Cubs have been as good as they’ve been in 2008}
U.S. Open- While the masses will tell you that The Masters is their favorite golf tournament to watch, I’ll take the U.S. Open any day of the week over Augusta. I love seeing how the players manage the shaggy five-inch rough, the lightning fast greens, and the fairways so narrow most people would struggle to throw the ball and keep it in the short stuff. I love that the PGA has paired the Top-12 players in the world into four groups for the first two days of the tournament. We rarely get to see Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson paired with one another because it’s always a crap shoot on where they will be on the leaderboard come Saturday and Sunday. Now, we get to see them both in the same pairing to kick things off on Thursday and Friday. The question on everyone’s mind is whether or not Tiger is going to be playing at 100% following left knee surgery he underwent more than five weeks ago. He’s playing on a course he thoroughly dominates on (Torrey Pines) which gives him yet another psychological advantage over the field. He’ll answer that question in the first 18 holes.
(Will Tiger’s knee hold up in the most physically demanding tournament pro golf offers?)
One final note that has nothing to do with sports. I was forced to go see the move The Strangers on Saturday, and it has taken the top spot as worst movie I’ve ever seen in my life. It wasn’t overly scary, had little dialog, featured two main characters that made idiotic decisions throughout the movie and had arguable the worst ending to a horror film. On a scale of 1-10, it received a -48. DON’T SEE IT!!!
So I was going to write-up a big NBA finals preview where I talked about how great the Lakers/Celtics rivalry is and how players like Pau Gasol and Kendrick Perkins will have a huge effect on the seires. I was going to talk about all these things, but ESPN beat me to the bunch. I mean seriously, this is the second major sporting event that I actually had to turn OFF the television in order to keep from being completely burnout on the event before it even starts. This last Super Bowl was the first time this happened, and it really made the game itself a lot more enjoyable.
Between all of the 80’s basketball was better than todays basketball discussion, and how MJ is infinitely better than Kobe discussion, I just decided to turn my television off. Well maybe not off, but perhaps to Bravo so I could watch Top Chef. Can you believe that red head chick is still in? Unbelievable…
but I digress.
We were going to do a TOUTS Podcast Finals preview, but both of Chad’s laptops are acting up on him. I’m starting to worry that Chad is going to go postal in a best buy one of these days. Maybe it was for the best that we never got that podcast up though, I’d probably just sound bitter and angry about life in general.
Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely excited about the actual games that are coming up. I find the Celtics to be a likable team, at least I find Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce likable enough. And, as if you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a huge Lakers fan. On paper this should be the most enjoyable sporting event of my life, but the media just wouldn’t let that happen. They had to find every possible angle to dissect the series, and they even brought Stephen A Smith back from whatever insane asylum that he goes to when he’s not on national television. Needless to say… I’ve had enough.
So here it is, my cliff notes version of my NBA Finals Preview.
Lakers in six, and here’s why:
The Lakers have the best player in the NBA in Kobe.
The Lakers have the better head coach, by far.
The Lakers have a deeper and younger bench.
For all of the other moronic dissection of this series, it really comes down to these three facts. The Lakers should win this series, and it shouldn’t go seven. Of course that’s what everyone said about the Super Bowl and look how that turned out.
So that’s it, I like the lakers in six. If you want to know anything else about the history/importance/magicalness (Yes, I’m aware this isn’t a real word) of this series, feel free to go to any other sports website/newspaper/magazine/podcast/television channel on this planet. If not, just sit back and enjoy would should be a very entertaining series, that’s what I’m doing.
(Editor’s Note: This is Part three of a six part series breaking down where all the MLB teams stand 1/3 of the way through the season)
Well folks, we’re briskly moving to the time of year when you start hearing scouts and experts use the phrase “small sample size” less and less, and begin to believe that the slump your star hitter is going through is no longer just a slump or that hot start for a guy may turn into season-long success. How are the stars and the no-namers doing so far in 2008? Let’s just see…
We wrap things up in the American League to check on AL East – where the current landscape is as follows:
Tampa Bay Rays 35-22
Boston Red Sox 35-25
Toronto Blue Jays 31-28
New York Yankees 28-29
Baltimore Orioles 27-29
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Biggest Suprises-
1st Place- Isn’t it obvious? The clear-cut reason why this team is in first place is because they fined people $1 every time someone mistakenly referred to them as the Devil Rays. Now they’ve taken that revenue, and put it back into the team for once! OK, so the real reason they’re in first place is because they finally have some pitching depth at the Major League level that is backing up the young talent that has been showcased at nearly every other position.
Troy Percival (CL)- A year ago at this time, Percival wasn’t even on a Major League roster. Now, he’s the closer and clubhouse leader of the team sitting atop the AL East. He’s striking out nearly a hitter every inning, and has led this bullpen back from the depths of hell (sorry, had to work that Devil reference in somwhere – you understand, right?). Having a guy at the end of that bullpen that will finish off a close game more than 80% of the time spurs confidence through the entire team, and it’s showing so far in 2008.
Biggest Disappointments-
Carlos Pena (1B)- He came out of nowhere to hit 40+ homers last year, and could very well do it again this year with 10 already on this campaign. But a .221 batting average with 71K’s in 57 games just isn’t going to cut it. Pena needs to scale back the strikeouts and start making more contact if the Rays plan on seeing continued success.
Jason Bartlett (SS)- I had trouble finding another guy that really hasn’t been up-to-snuff so far this season, and I have to admit it was pretty tough. Bartlett is a guy that is known almost solely for his defensive ability, being able to track down most everything hit to the left side of the infield and still record an out. But is his defense making up for the fact that he’s a black hole when it comes to batting? His numbers so far in 2008 cry no: .246, 0 HR, 9RBI with a .575 OBP – worst out of any everyday player in the the majors.
BOSTON RED SOX
Biggest Suprises-
Jacoby Ellsbury(CF)- There was a reason why the Red Sox were adamant about not parting with Ellsbury and the other guy that is a surprise on this team (see No. 2) in the same trade for Johan Santana. Ellsbury has played phenomenal defense along with batting .287 with a .385 OBP and 27 steals. Those numbers are ridiculous for a guy that hasn’t been in the majors for a full year! And now with David Ortiz gone, Ellsbury’s speed is going to become a necessity for team success.
Jon Lester(SP)- What more can you say about this guy. He’s fully recovered from cancer in 2007, and has already thrown a no-hitter so far this season. Lester possesses the rare combination of great stuff along with the mental makeup that could take him to ace status in the future. It’s amazing to think what this man has fought through in such a short amount of time, and he’s proving to the franchise it was a great choice NOT to trade him for Johan Santana.
Biggest Disappointments-
David Ortiz (DH)- It’s difficult to call one of the best hitters of the last half-decade a disappointment, especially when the guy has 13 homers thus far. But a near career-low .247 batting average that coincides with a recent wrist injury that will disable him for a month at least makes him a casualty on this team. The Red Sox have become so much more balanced in the past two years that they can last for a little while without Ortiz, but a full month or maybe more is stretching that hypothesis.
Mike Timlin (RP)- I’m really reaching here I tell ya. I have to search through rosters just to find guys that are struggling on some of these top teams. Timlin is obviously at the tail end of his career, and was due for a dropoff here in 2008. I’m not to sure a 6.48 ERA qualifies as the downhill slide of your career, however (more like jumping off a cliff). Timlin will either bounce back, or the Red Sox will find someone in the minors that can pitch better.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Biggest Surprises-
The Starters- Everyone knew the Jays had a deep rotation that could be a difference-maker in the this division. But I don’t know that anyone could’ve dreamed of them being this good. The starters have picked up 27 of the teams 31 wins so far this season. I know, you need a good bullpen for the starters to get wins, but these starters are not only pitching well, but they are pitching deep into ballgames, giving the bullpen fewer chances to blow the wins they’ve established. It’s good to see Roy (Doc) Halladay bounce back this year too. He’s easily my favorite pitcher in the majors.
BJ Ryan (CL)- Already back from Tommy John surgery last year, Ryan picked up right where he left off after he signed that big free agent contract with Toronto. He averages more than a strikeout per inning, and has just a 1.53 ERA in 18 appearances. It looks like the Jays made a wise buy when they yanked this difference-maker from division foe Baltimore a couple years ago.
Biggest Disappointments-
Alex Rios (OF)- The Jays showed Rios the money in the off-season, and Rios has done nothing but prove he was a good long-term investment. He’s hitting just .262 and has 54 K’s in 57 games played so far. He’s currently on pace for nearly 150 strikeouts in 2008, and that would shatter his career-high in that category by nearly 50 punch outs. If the Jays plan on making the next step toward contention in the AL East, they’re going to need premium performances from Rios.
The Power Numbers- They dumped Frank Thomas so his option year for 2009 didn’t vest after a specified number of plate appearances, and they’re paying for it through statistics. Toronto has mustered just 39 homers so far this season, and have nobody on their roster with 7+ homers. If you don’t have the plate discipline like the Yankees or Red Sox, than you better be knocking some baseball over the fence to hang with them, that’s why their current position of third place will probably be higher than where they finish.
NEW YORK YANKEES
(Note: I allowed my co-worker Derek, a depressed Yankee fan, to choose these as a way to let out his sorrow.)
Biggest Surprises-
Mike Mussina (SP)- His velocity keeps dropping, and he continues to re-invent himself as a pitcher to continue recording outs. He may only have a pedestrian 4.26 ERA, but he has kept the Yanks in nearly every ballgame he’s pitched, and has done exactly what they wanted from him in the final year of his contract (don’t kill the team). Now you wonder if the Yanks will bring him back on a one-year deal in 2009 just to keep some sense of stability in that sporadic rotation.
That Yankees Share A Thong- Derek originally had “Joba’s Bullpen Stay” penciled in for this spot, but i made a change after the pinch hitter was announced. Gentlemen of this world: If you wear a thong – more power to ya. But I sure as shit don’t wanna see it, or hear about it, let alone find out you’ve shared that thong with struggling teammates!!! I knew being a member of the Yankees was special, but i was mis-informed (or mis-remember) of the definition of the word in this case.
(Imagine Jason Giambi wearing this – then hurl yourself off a cliff.)
Biggest Disappointments-
The Young Guns- Don’t fret Yankee fans, I’m still a firm believer that it was a good move not to overpay for Johan Santana, despite the struggles of the young fireballers that were rumored to be headed west in the potential deal. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, who were both in the opening day rotation, have begun the season 0-7 with an above 8.00 ERA in 14 starts. Both of them are fiddling with injuries right now, and with the emergence of Darrell Rasner and the promotion of Joba Chamberlain to the rotation, I think these guys will return to Yankee stadium in a bullpen capacity when they’re healthy.
The Offense- This team was built to wear out starting pitchers and then gut the underbelly of nearly every Major League team (the long relievers). Instead they are just a tick above the .331 on-base percentage average, and have struggled to score runs in particular stretches of the season. Part of the paradigm can be blamed on the loss of slugger Alex Rodriguez to a quad injury. But some of the Yankee stalwarts (Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, and Robinson Cano) have played well below their career averages.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Biggest Suprises-
Their Record- I figured there was little chance of this team winning 60 games this year. They traded their best hitter and ace pitcher during the offseason, and didn’t appear to receive a ton of short-term help from either of those trades. Boy was I mistaken. Adam Jones is going to be an above-average outfielder when he fills out in the next couple of years, Luke Scott has played better than anyone thought he could, and George Sherrill, despite his age (31) has been a Godsend for that bullpen. There’s no doubt this team will finish last in this division, but if they continue this pace it won’t be by much.
Daniel Cabrera (SP)- Another one of those guys that has ace stuff, but minor league control and feel, Cabrera seems to have figured things out (somewhat) in 2008. His strikeouts are way down, but his walk numbers are down just as much. He’s the Carlos Zambrano of the American League in that regard – learning that strikeouts are important, but only when you really need them. Otherwise, just go after the hitter and throw strikes. Keep those innings short, and you’ll see success.
Biggest Disappointments-
Lack of Hits- They have no guys in their everyday lineup hitting over .267 and that tends to be a big problem when you have sub-par pitching staff. They will more than likely part with Brian Roberts if they can get enough in return for him (since the biggest Roberts suitor – the Cubs – don’t appear interested anymore), and will also try to purge the salary of Melvin Mora if they can just dump his contract on somebody with a B- prospect in return. Don’t expect these numbers to improve greatly.
Ramon Hernandez- A .218 average just isn’t going to cut it for a guy $7.5 million this season. He’s supposed to be the rock steady hitter in that lineup, but he hasn’t hit well enough to protect a free swinging pitcher these days. It’s official – he’s washed up.
(Chamberlain looks to jump-start the Yankees pitching staff)
Tomorrow Joba Chamberlain will be making his debut for the Yankees as a starting pitcher, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Chamberlain has been absolutely fantastic as a set-up man, in 23 innings of work this year he has stuck out 30 batters and has an incredible 2.28 ERA. The one-two punch of Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera has proven to be a potent one. Rivera has 15 saves so far this season and Chamberlain has 12 holds in the set-up role. When Joba enters the starting rotation the Yankees will struggle to fill the void left by the young fire baller in the bullpen.
So why move Chamberlain to the starting rotation?
I give you the current state of the Yankees rotation…
1. Chien-Ming Wang: 12 Games Started, 6-2 Record, 4.14 ERA, 45 K’s
2. Mike Mussina: 12 Games Started, 8-4 Record, 4.26 ERA, 33 K’s
3. Andy Pettitte: 11 Games Started, 5-5 Record, 4.11 ERA, 50 K’s
4. Darrell Rassner: 5 Games Started, 3-2 Record, 2.67 ERA, 19 K’s
Here’s where things get really ugly…
5. Phil Hughes: 6 Games Started, 0-4 Record, 9 ERA, 13 K’s (Out until Early July)
6. Ian Kennedy: 8 Games Started, 0-3 Record, 7.41 ERA, 26 K’s (15 Day DL)
…and I’m not even going to mention the Brian Bruney and Kei Igawa starts!
If you do a little math you’ll notice that these six Yankees’ starters have started 54 games and have a 22-20 record with 12 no decisions. These are not exactly the numbers you would expect out of a championship caliber team.
So the Yankees have made the big move and tomorrow Chamberlain will be pitching against the Toronto Blue Jays, and their ace, Roy Halladay. Yankees manager Joe Girardi is going to keep Joba to around 70 pitches to start with, and will slowly up the cap as the season moves forward. Moving Chamberlain into the starting rotation was always part of the plan, and with Kennedy and Hughes on the DL, now is as good a time as any to stretch Joba’s arm a little before the all-star break.
Still, I have a couple of doubts about moving Chamberlain away from the set-up role. First, what is this rotation going to look like in late July/early August? For now it’s safe to say that Darrell Rassner is going to have a spot in the rotation as long as he pitches well, and Joba will fill out the rotation as either the four or five guy after the All-Star break. When Hughes and Kennedy get off the DL they are probably going to be sent to the minors until one of the following happens: Rassner or Chamberlain foul up as starters, Mussina or Pettitte get hurt, and/or struggle down the stretch (I would bet heavily on this), or the Yankees bullpen struggles so mightily that Chamberlain goes back into his set-up role.
Do I really think that there could be a situation where Chamberlain could return to setting up Mo? Absolutely. While Phil Hughes struggled to start off the year, but I still have faith that he can be a quality starting pitcher for New York. He pitched brilliantly at times last year and he has great “stuff” in all of his starts, it’s just a matter of throwing strikes with him. I am less certain about Kennedy being a viable candidate as a starter later in the year, but we’ll see what happens. What worries me with having Joba throwing limited pitches as a starter is that you are adding more strain to an already depleted Yankees bullpen. LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth just aren’t good enough to carry that bullpen into the ninth inning for Rivera. This means you are going to see more leads blown late and more multi-inning saves for Mariano, which isn’t really something you want to see as a Yankees fan considering Rivera’s age.
This is one of those situations where I wouldn’t want to be a manager in the Major Leagues, let alone New York. I guess now is as good a time as any to plug Joba into the rotation, as long as Chamberlains arm can hold up. There’s no question that Joba has some of the most electric stuff in the bigs, and he could give the Bronx Bombers the lift they need to start the second half of the season.
