Sports Then and Now

Jim Thome is the fifth player to reach 600 home runs in the last decade and eighth all-time.

In baseball the number of career home runs needed to reach baseball immortality used to be 500. Thanks to baseball’s “Steroid Era” and the sudden rise of sluggers eclipsing that mark, that magic number now appears to be 600 career homers. That club just got a little larger on Monday night as Jim Thome became the eighth player in baseball history to reach 600 career home runs.

Since becoming a full-time starter for the Cleveland Indians in 1994, Jim Thome has been one of the most prolific and consistent sluggers in baseball while leaving the headlines and accolades to others.

He eclipsed the 40 home run plateau six times and hit 52 in 2002, but never finished higher than fourth in the MVP balloting and earned only five trips to the All-Star game.

Because his greatest talent was hitting home runs during a time when that skill was no longer unique, Thome has often been pushed aside as a product of his time.

However, unlike many of the other sluggers of his era, even though his career started right about the time that performance enhancing drugs began to engulf baseball, there has never been any evidence or accusations linking Thome’s home run proficiency to use of a synthetic product.

Yet, it has taken him nearing the 600 home run plateau for many baseball fans to even acknowledge that Thome belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Read the rest of this entry →

After a strong start, the Pittsburgh Pirates have wilted in the heat of summer.

It has been 18 long, dreadful years since the city of Pittsburgh shared a playoff experience for the Pirates. Trust me, it will be  19 very shortly.

In a competitive NL Central, there’s no margin for error. The Brewers lead the division by 3 games, with the St.Louis Cardinals on their back, and the Cincinnati Reds are being quietly diminished as a division contender. It’s one thing if you go 3-7, or 4-6, but 0-10? Really? Here’s how the Pirates’ ship sank, and how it happened: 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 →

Erik Bedard was 15-14 for the Mariners after being acquired from Baltimore in 2008.

After losing Rich Harden hours after seemingly trading for him, the Boston Red Sox did indeed make a deal for an arm. They acquired Seattle Mariners right hander Erik Bedard in a very confusing three team deal. Boston surrendered minor leaguers Chih-Hsien Chiang, Tim Federowicz, Juan Rodriguez and Stephen Fife to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Federowicz goes to the Seattle Mariners and  minor league outfielder Trayvon Robinson goes to Seattle.

Bedard allowed six runs to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, a key start for his trade value. The Red Sox were in on Bedard along with the the New York Yankees it was reported. Bedard has a career ERA of 3.69 in Seattle and Baltimore. He was traded from the Orioles in 2008 for Adam Jones and George Sherrill. Bedard’s strikeout average per nine innings is also at 8.35.

The prospects that Boston gave up are not devastating or really big impact players. Federowicz has the best defense of any catcher in the Boston system and he is a marginal hitter. He probably has the best future of three players. He is hitting .275 this season with 7 home runs. They also trade away Stephen Fife, who lacks some fastball command and tends to let his pitches fall flat. With Portland last season he had an ERA of 4.75 but this season he has improved to 3.66. Likely a high end bullpen pitcher at best. Read the rest of this entry →

Mike Cuellar

We recognize as the Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month for August one of the key pitchers for the Baltimore Orioles during their championship run of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Sometimes timing is everything. After toiling away in the minors and on primarily losing teams for a decade, a seemingly insignificant trade following the 1968 season proved to be all that Mike Cuellar needed to become one of the top pitchers in baseball. Read the rest of this entry →

Ubaldo Jiminez has struggled at times in 2011, but is still capable of being a staff ace.

Ubaldo Jimenez is a very good pitcher. I am of the opinion that the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox should not trade for him, but I will never deny that he is a good pitcher. That’s what gets me worried.

The Colorado Rockies are a pretty decent team with a good core. Troy Tulowitszki and Ubaldo Jimenez are the core of that team. So, uh… why do they want to trade Ubaldo? I understand if they were just listening to offers but why did they just throw him into the market?

He has a career ERA of 3.62, yes. But since his terrific start last season he is 12-15 and his ERA jumped dramatically, including a 6.04 in July. So far this season it is 4.20, and that is against offenses like the Diamondbacks, Giants and Padres. Coming to the AL East, could he handle the offensive forces of New York, Boston, or even Toronto?

But it all leads to the same thing… If the price is so high, why is he even available? His numbers are not great the past year and a half and based on that he is not worth a Will Middlebrooks or Jesus Montero. Plus, they want even more for the young stud. His velocity has gone down too, according to scouts.

I just have a funny feeling with him. Why is the price so high for an NL West pitcher with decent stats over a year in a half? And if they think so highly of him, why is Colorado willing to trade a corner stone piece away?