Sports Then and Now

The Baltimore Orioles are in the post season for the FIRST time since 1997. They won their first playoff game since the 90’s by defeating the Texas Rangers in the inaugural A.L. one game Wildcard game.

So has O’s MANIA taken over Baltimore yet? If not, their anthem “Black & Orange” will get you excited.

The AMAZING thing is Jay-Luv & D-Boi made this video in 2011. They knew BETTER days were in store for Baltimore’s Black & Orange!

Beat The Yankees Boys!

H/T To Reddit!

Junichi Tazawa deserves a spot in the Red Sox bullpen in 2013.

Today the Red Sox fired manager Bobby Valentine. That was a surprise to no one as the team has it’s worst season since 1966. Valentine may have been brought in as just a flashy name and pose as damage control. Well more drama happened this season than an episode of Jersey Shore. Between the players not liking Valentine, the coaches not acknowledging Valentine, and everything in between. Some of the stories that came out, you just could not make up. Between Gary Tuck not answering the phone in the bullpen to Bob McClure not telling Valentine what he said to the pitchers on the mound. Pedroia saying “that’s not how we do it around here.” Alfredo Aceves slamming the office door after not closing a game, in which the night before he gave up five runs. All of these were problems this season the team has to be happy it is finally over.

The Red Sox need to work faster this off season. Last off season they were in recovery mode after the collapse and took their time. With Valentine already fired they need to start interviewing candidates for the managerial position. All this talk about John Farrell I believe is ludicrous but the team seems to be going after him. First off he was here before. I believe the team needs some new blood in there. Get rid of the whole coaching staff and let the manager and Ben Cherrington decide on a staff instead of having Valentine and Francona leftovers. Second, I understand the AL East is not the easiest division to play in but the Blue Jays have not won under Farrell’s lead. Why will the Red Sox win under his lead? I believe the Red Sox need a culture change and that starts with a manager that may not be too familiar with the players in that clubhouse, but knows how to communicate.

Tim Bogar was passed on by the Houston Astros, there must have been a reason. DeMarlo Hale has to be a little upset he was passed on again but maybe he will come in for an interview as well. Terry Francona is projected to get the job with Cleveland so that may lead to an opening for Sandy Alomar Jr. This manager will be hired by Ben Cherrington this time around and not Larry Lucchino. Cherrington needs a manager in place by November 1st, which leaves him plenty of time. This manager will not be a one year stop gap like Valentine, so Cherrington needs to be allowed to make the right choice by ownership.

Now that the manager is gone from the 2012 team, which players will be back for the 2013 season? I break it down by position:

Starting Pitchers

Jon Lester, Clay Buccholz, Felix Doubront, and John Lackey will almost certainly be back next season. Gone will be Aaron Cook and Daisuke Matsuzaka and it won’t be a sad goodbye. To address the need for pitching the Red Sox will need an innings eater who is a number two starter at worst. Lester did not have a good year and Lackey will be an end of the rotation pitcher the rest of his career.

Infielders

Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks are the only locks are their positions for next season. Shortstop has been the question since the trade of Nomar Garciaparra and it will be no different this off season. Mike Aviles saw almost no playing time this September, as he watched Jose Iglesias make great defensive plays and have some horrible at bats. Iglesias’ bat can be tolerated if the Red Sox acquire a power hitter in the middle of the lineup. Aviles was disrespected by the team so he may want to play elsewhere and maybe they could get a relief pitcher for him. James Loney was in the Dodgers trade as fill in and maybe will be brought back on a short term deal. He wasn’t hitting all that great with the Dodgers and that continued in Boston. I think the Red Sox should look elsewhere. Pedro Ciriaco is not an everyday player but should be on this team next year as utility player who has plus speed.

Read the rest of this entry →

Even the best team in baseball can make mistakes.

At 83-45 and seven games ahead on the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies are looking to make a long run and win the World Series. Here’s what they can’t afford to do if they plan on winning it all:

1. Being Overconfident: Winning 100 games and annihilating your division doesn’t get you anything. The Phillies need to play like a Wild Card team, and get the job done. It’s still ways to go, and Atlanta is not a terrible team. Here in Philadelphia, fans laugh when the Detroit Tigers or Cleveland Indians come up in baseball arguments or discussions. “Well, if Detroit makes it to the World Series, their going to get destroyed!”. Philly fans have always been too confident in their teams when they are on a roll, and this season is no different. I hope the players are less confident than the fans, or the Phillies’ run to a title may end in a letdown.

2. Not having a consistent bullpen: The Bullpen for the Phillies has been extraordinary this season. But, with Ryan Madson and Michael Stutes struggling, the ‘Pen could be in jeopardy. The Phils’ have enjoyed their young rookies including Bastardo, and Stutes for the time being. The real question is, will they need veteran bullpen pitchers to win a title? As for now, there aren’t alot on the roster…

3. Injury Plagued: This goes to every team, in every sport, but with Polanco, Victorino, Hamels, Ruiz, Ibanez, Contreras and Utley all having recent injuries, it may be a huge block in their path to winning it all. Contreras is out for the year, which goes along with not having veteran relief pitchers, and Hamels is out for at least 15 days. However, the Phillies are one of the deepest teams in the league, so rookie Vance Worley (9-1) can always take Hamels’ place. Read the rest of this entry →

With Strasburg, Nationals may contend in 2012.

Nearly a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Stephen Strasburg threw 31 pitches (25 strikes) and allowed 1 run on 3 hits in his first rehab outing for the Hagerstown Suns. He looked sharp and the Nationals are praising his recovery, but are also hurrying it along with the goal of having him back in the majors before the end of the season.

The Nationals have yet to make the playoffs in Washington, as the drought of 29 seasons go back to the 1981 NLCS as the Montreal Expos fell to the L.A Dodgers. Understandable, the Nationals want to build up and rise as a Major League Baseball team. But hurrying an injury like Tommy John on your future of the team, is not understandable.

At 55-59 and in an impossible NL East, the Nationals are back to their familiar state. Last place. Therefore, there should be no reason to get Strasburg back to Washington healthy and take the risk. It’s not the Nationals have any chance of making the postseason, I don’t think a team who’s 20 games behind the Phillies can win the division, but somehow, someway, the organization believes so.

Although I don’t agree with the rush, Strasburg does indeed to be back as soon as possible. I believe Washington can make the postseason with Strasburg in the rotation. Here’s why:

Only four games under .500, Washington has a fairly decent ball club. There has been plenty of bright spots for the Nationals, with slugger Michael Morse boasting a .327 average and 19 Home Runs with 67 RBI’s tearing  up pitching and becoming a go to guy for the capital’s team. Along with Morse, the Pitching Rotation has had it’s fair share of blemishes, but this year has been a little different. SP Jordan Zimmerman is a questionable 7-9, but a 3.12 ERA has shown that the lineup has not driven in runs for him. John Lannan has had an acceptable season, at 8-7 he has given Nationals fans a couple wins to cheer about. Read the rest of this entry →

B.J. Upton has yet to live up to being the second pick in the 2002 MLB draft.

Trivia Question- Who was the #2 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2002? I was looking at the marvelous draft that was ’02, and was surprised to see it was B.J. Upton who was the pick in the second slot. This was a draft with Cole Hamels, Jon Lester and Zack Greinke.

Upton was a member of the 2001 USA Junior National Team, and in 2002 he won the Baseball America First Team All American. He hit over .600 with 11 home runs in his senior year, and in return for his terrific season he was drafted number #2 overall in the MLB Draft.

Upton has been viewed as a disappointment over the years, Hitting .273/.383/.401, .241/.313/.373 and .237/.322/.424 in his last three seasons. His numbers have declined in every year, and so have his power stats. After a 24 home run season in 2007 he hit only nine and then eleven bombs.

Bossman Junior was viewed as a five tool player when he was drafted. He could run, hit for power and average, field and throw. His problem is not his skill, but it may be his head. Upton has been pulled by his manager, Joe Maddon, several times in his four full years in the majors. Is his attitude holding him back from his full potential?

In 2003, Upton made 56 errors to lead the minor leagues, and a lack of focus has been cited as a possible problem. But his biggest problem actually came in 2008, the Rays AL Championship season. He was benched twice for lack of hustle in that season. He has also been known to admire his home runs, particularly an incident in 2008 that prevented him from reaching second base on a double because he thought it was gone.

Then in 2010, he found himself in the midst of more controversy. He and Evan Longoria got into it in a game vs the Diamondbacks after Upton did not hustle for a ball hit into the outfield. After this, there have been no more incidents with BJ, so it was thought he may have figured it out. However, he is still hitting just .229 with a .310 OBP and .318 wOBA.

I don’t think we will ever see the super star that we all hoped for all those years ago. Maybe he can build an MLB career for himself. But he will never be the five tool player we thought he was.

Jeter, the Yankee captain, is asking for more than he's worth, while the Yankees are offering far less than Jeter deserves.

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, so the only thing on most minds is Christmas shopping and antacid tablets.  This probably doesn’t apply to baseball GM’s, especially Brian Cashman of the Yankees.

While the Yankees have feelers out to Cliff Lee, and despite the fact that the roster, as is, would make them a sure 2011 contender, Cashman is on the radar of many a Yankee fan.  He has developed the reputation of doing things that any GM would do if he had the Yankee bankroll behind him, but overall, many see it as a situation where Cashman only need to avoid screwing things up and the powerhouse team will prevail.

Of course, the main item in Yankee headlines right now is the ongoing negotiation with Derek Jeter, the iconic Yankee short-stop who is a free agent this year.  Unnamed sources from the Jeter side of things claim that this year’s AL gold-glover for the position is looking for a six year deal worth $150 million.  Cashman and the Yankees, on the other hand, had offered a much lower $45 million for three years.

While Jeter’s request seems insanely high, the Yankees are offering what most feel is just short of an insult to the 11 time all-star.  The majority of talking heads believe that the two sides will eventually come to an agreement.

For the sake of common perspective, here are the five most important factors that everyone should be keeping in mind about the Yankee/Jeter saga.

5. Jeter is the Yankees

Like it or not, the Yankees are a team that has a ton of fans, but roughly ten times as many people who root against them.  While the reasons for both are better left to another article, the relevant point here is that Jeter is an exception to the love’em or hate’em mentality regarding the franchise.

While Jeter’s talent level is debated, and while most are sure that his best years are past, Jeter has been the dictionary definition of class.  He has had zero scandals or controversy associated with his time in pinstripes.  He has been noted for his hard work and leadership skills pretty much from the get go.

Jeter is the team captain and his leadership position is not only important, but just about irreplaceable.  If Jeter is not a Yankee next season, who would be the locker room (positive) presence?  Posada is due to be relegated to DH-ing due to physical limitations.  If Pettitte even returns next season, it’s hard to be a leader in a once a week role.  Perhaps Cano is a possibility, but the bottom line is that Jeter would be sorely missed. Read the rest of this entry →