Sports Then and Now

Last season the closest race in the Major Leagues was the American League Central.  Aside from in April when Kansas City (no, that is not a mistake) led the division, the Tigers held the reins up until the very end. They blew a three game lead in the last four days of the season and ended up in a one game playoff with the Twins.  Detroit lost that game in Minnesota in extra innings on a walk-off single by Alexi Casilla.

They just don’t get any closer than that.

1.  Chicago White Sox

The Chi-Sox have put together (almost under the radar) a very interesting pitching rotation.

Mark Buehrle, who threw a perfect game in '09, will lead a very interesting White Sox rotation in 2010.

1. Mark Buehrle (LHP)
2. Jake Peavy (RHP)
3. John Danks (LHP)
4. Gavin Floyd (RHP)
5. Freddy Garcia (RHP)

While most fantasy players are still thinking harder about the Yankees and Red Sox rotations, this one-through-five is nothing to scoff at.  White Sox GM Ken Williams agrees, has this to say to MLB.com:

“[The White Sox] are as good as you can possibly be, one through five.  Actually, one through six.”

While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, a season of health for the five men listed above could mean great things for the South Siders.

At least on defense.

On the run-scoring side of the coin, things are not as obviously sparkling.  There’s Carlos Quentin, the injury prone left fielder who has yet to play a full season in Chi-town.  Last year, plantar fasciitis limited him to jut 99 games.  The good news might be that in those games he managed 21 home runs (34 prorated to a full season).  Not out of this world, but not bad.  His batting average needs to come up (.236 in ’09) to make the fans happy.

Of bigger concern is Alex Rios, acquired from Toronto mid-season ’09.  Traded from the Blue Jay’s  because of a large salary (remainder of a seven year, $68 million dollars) and lackluster performance (.264 average, 14 home runs, .427 slugging). When he landed in Chicago things got worse.  In 41 games he batted .199, hit only 3 home runs, struck out 29 times to only 6 walks over 154 plate appearances.  There is reasonable probability that he’ll experience some resurgence on 2010 (he just turned 29).  The White Sox, on the hook for at least 59.7 million through 2015, certainly hope so.

Chicago picked up Juan Pierre who was a huge asset to the Dodgers last season when Manny Ramirez was suspended.  It’s entirely possible that Pierre will start in left and Quentin will begin the season as the regular DH.  There question mark there deals with the idea that Ozzie Guillen wants to use the DH as a rotating spot for keeping people fresh, a change in philosophy after years with standard DH’s like Jim Thome and Frank Thomas.

The White Sox are certainly not styled to be a juggernaut, but if the Twins DL contains the name we’ve been hearing that it may, the Chi-Sox are in like Flynn. Read the rest of this entry →

To begin the 2010 Major League Baseball previews on Sports Then and Now let’s look at the American League East. The most dominant league in baseball over the last decade, the AL east has put a team in last three World Series and seven out of the last ten. It doesn’t get anymore impressive than that.

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1. New York Yankees

Will Andy Pettitte give the Yankees his usual dependable starts in 2010?

While most talking heads no longer rank the Yankees pitching staff as the best of the division, they are still pretty darn impressive, at least at the top of the rotation. CC Sabathia promises to have an even better year than last now that he’s had a full year to get used to his new surroundings. Being that last year was not too shabby (19-8 records, 3.37 ERA, 4th in AL Cy Young votes), Sabathia looks to be a real terror on the mound for New York.  Even though A.J. Burnett was a bit shakier than Sabathia, he still managed to win 13 games. He, too, will see improvement this season.

With the top two in excellent shape, a big question mark hangs over Andy Pettitte. While this is a guy who has been the meter stick of consistency (Pettitte has won between 14 and 18 games in 9 of his fifteen seasons, which leaves out a 19 win and two 21 win seasons) he will turn 38 during this upcoming season. The Yankees gave him a one year deal because they have come concerns about his durability (read: no more “healing” aides).

The real mysteries are the four and five spots in the Yankee rotation. Javier Vasquez is a big deal gain for New York as he offers a very, very solid middle of the rotation guy. The club seems intent on leaving Chamberlain as a starter despite overwhelming evidence that he should be a reliever, but now that Vasquez is in town, perhaps logic will prevail and put Phil Hughes in that fifth spot. If that’s done, the Yankees will win 100 games again this year. Read the rest of this entry →

With Opening Day only four weeks away, it doesn’t get any better than hearing Jason Grilli talk about the ticket that got him here. Grilli sits down with Cleveland Indians beat writer, Nick Camino, on WTAM 1100 AM Cleveland Indians Radio, aka The Big One in this up close and personal talk about Spring Training 2010.

Listening to Grill Cheese talk about topics including, his chances of making the 2010 version of the Cleveland Indians, his off-season preparation and pitching for Team Italia in the World Baseball Classic makes it nearly impossible to think of anything, but Opening Day.

Grilli and fellow Italian, Camino, share some good ol’ Pisan humor during this candid and entertaining interview at the Indians Spring Training facility in Goodyear, AZ.  Grill and Camino even break away from baseball for a bit and discuss Grilli’s business, Perfect Pitch Marketing and the new CU3000 Globalinx Video Phone. Read the rest of this entry →

Elwin Charles “Preacher” Roe was born on this day in 1916 in the town of Ash Flat, Arkansas.  Around the age of three, a relative asked him his name.  Roe, who had been spending a lot of time with the family’s pastor who took the local kids for horse-and-buggy rides, answered with the name “Preacher”.  It stuck and lent an air of the eccentric to one of the premier pitchers of the 1940’s and 50’s.

"Why anyone would think it was a good idea to get a photo of me with a bat is beyond me."

Roe was a minor leaguer in the Cardinals organization before ending up with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1943.  His talent developed quickly and Roe found himself as the opening day hurler in 1944 and lead the National League in strikeouts in 1945.  After a few more seasons in the steel city, Roe was picked up in a trade by the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Branch Rickey had remembered Roe from his days with the Cardinals organization ad decided to get him for the Dodgers.

Roe excelled while in Brooklyn, becoming one of their most solid starters.  In 1951, though the Dodgers lost the pennant to the Giants with “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” Roe had a carreer season, posting a 22-3 record in 33 starts.

Roe was known for his excellent control that he utilized to make up for not having an amazingly powerful arm.

“My three pitches are my change, my change off my change, and my change off my change off my change,” Roe was quoted as saying.  Which wasn’t exactly true as Roe reportedly made use of the “spitter” on occasion, as well.

He played in three World Series with the Dodgers (’49, ’52, 53) while posting a 2-1 record in starts and logging a 2.54 ERA.

After retiring from the game after the 1954 season and bought a small store in Missouri.  He stayed active in youth baseball and his community throughout his life. Read the rest of this entry →

As February winds to a close, baseball enthusiasts across the country perk up.  Spring is in the air, even if the temperatures deny it, because there are signs of the baseball to come.  Pitchers and catchers report.  Lists of spring training invitees and late free agent signings pepper the sports pages.  And don’t forget the first prima donna move of the spring, this year provided by non other that Manny Ramirez when he stated upon showing up at Dodgers camp that he won’t be there next year.

Ramirez announced yesterday (more or less unprompted) that he will not be with the Dodgers in 2011.

“I already accomplished all the things I wanted to accomplish… for me, all this is just extra. I know I’m not going to be here next year, so I just want to enjoy myself.”

Aside from the timing being odd, one must wonder what might be in the mind of Ramirez with comments such as these.  Do the fans of the Dodgers, fans who have not had a World Series win since 1988, think that Ramirez has accomplished everything?  What of the Dodgers organization? While they pay him his $20 million for 2010, are they thinking that this is all just gravy?

Ramizez showed his usual "layed back" priorities and set the tone for 2010 when in a press conference he stated "I already accomplished all the things I wanted to accomplish..."

The reality is that Ramirez time in Dodger blue has put “butts in the seats”.  He helped them get to the post season two years running.  But if Manny has accomplished everything he wanted to, what does that say about his priorities?

While sports opine about athletes who give stock, canned responses like, “All I’m concerned about is winning,” some might be temped to say that Ramirez’s honesty is refreshing.  Certainly being honest is a great virtue, but so is being professional.  The latter is a virtue that, once again, Manny has proven to be very short on.

over the years, Ramirez has turned himself into persona non grata, particularly in seasons where his contract is about to expire.  After coming to the Dodgers in a trade from Boston – a trade precipitated in part by Ramirez intentional (and unprofessional) lackluster performance – he exceeded expectations in the late summer of 2008.  The Dodgers technically held and option for 2009 that was being waived, so Manny was being a good boy.

Where as this year the free agent news has been dominated by Johnny Damon, this time last year the over-covered gun for hire was Ramirez.  He haggled with the Dodgers for months, rejecting offer after offer before finally signing a two year, $45 million deal at the eleventh hour.  Many speculated that the issue for Ramirez was he wanted not just more money, but more years.  After his behavior in Boston, as well as the in consideration of his age (37 last season), two years was all that L.A. was willing to do. Read the rest of this entry →

John McCain (seen here with Rob Manfred (L) executive vice president of labor for Major League Baseball, during a news conference on dietary supplements, on Capitol Hill, February 3, 2010) has the support of MLB. Should he?

Just days before the Super Bowl, Senator John McCain (R – Arizona) officially announced the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 (DSSA10). The bill, which he is co-sponsoring with Senator Byron Dorgan (D – North Dakota) proposes to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) control over the dietary supplement industry.

Inspired in part by the questionable make-up of certain non-prescription supplements, some of which have been blamed by athletes for their positive drug tests, has many supporters (including Bud Selig) that believe that, if signed into law, this bill would be beneficial for both sports and the public at large.

On the surface the bill seems likable enough. The profit margin on dietary supplements and vitamin sales topped $2.25 billion in 2007. Many of the items are marketed so as to lead consumers to the notion that they had true medicinal value while they are supposedly made up of ingredients heretofore not regulated.

McCain’s speech specifically mentioned the concept of certain manufacturers who are less than honest about ingredients, including substances that they should not be. This is the argument that the jocks use, as in, “I was only taking supplements. I had no idea they contained a banned substance!” According to McCain, they may not be lying after all. The issue gets a little bit cloudier, though, when one stops and thinks about that very issue. If the supplement manufacturers are adding substances that they should not be, they are already subject to scrutiny by the FDA. This from DailyPaul.com (as in Ron Paul): Read the rest of this entry →