END OF THE UNIVERSE AS WE’VE KNOWN IT 08/06/13
The scene was semi-rowdy last night on the Southside of Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field as the crowd of over 25,000 awaited the post-suspension and 2013 debut of Alex Rodriguez. There were plenty of fans dressed in road gray Yankee attire, but there were few, if any, Number 13 jerseys in support of the infamous A-Rod. The air was wringing with a sense of ‘we’re about to witness something significant’. To the fans’ credit, no one had ever before watched a player with an announced suspension of 211 games play. Fittingly, the boos were hearty, if not continuous, as A-Rod led off the 2nd inning from the clean-up spot. Every pitch was another reason to begin the serenade again. He plopped a duck snort of a hit into shallow left field. Excellent placement you could say. For a moment, his season was perfect, batting 1.000.
However, the stature of both his own and his organization’s long term competing health, ironically seemed doomed and far from perfect. It would be his only hit of the game and he looked at strike three in his fourth and final at-bat. Prior, fifteen year mainstay legend Andy Pettite was rocked for seven runs as he failed to complete three innings. A day earlier, Derek Jeter went on the disabled list for the third time this year and has seen action in just five contests in ’13. Plus, the tributes have already begun for save master extraordinaire, Mariano Rivera, as his retirement is now just two months away.
The Yanks have had multiple runs within the dynasty that included Jeter, Pettite, Mo, and Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams and Paul O’Niell, who are now long gone. From 1996 to 2009, they all had a huge hand in exactly a handful, 5, championships. There does not yet seem to be another cast of legends and bring-your-lunch-pal role players lined up for even one such title run, and usage of the words ‘repeat’ or ‘dynasty’ are comparable to plans of winning the lottery. It just doesn’t happen. And that is no knock on the talent on the field and in the lineup. The team is competitive and in transition. Understood. Rather, it’s just reflection, of a sort, on the timing of the demise of A-Rod, a man who desperately craved to be cherished in the Yankee Universe, and how his downfall accents much more to the club as we’ve known it for parts of the last three decades.
2013: PITCH(ER) SELECTIONS 02/26/13
It’s interesting how the Seatle Mariners finally awarded Felix Hernandez in his $175 million contract extension. I like to see clubs commit to a talent such as King Felix and keep him in the only organization he’s ever known. He’s one of the best pitchers, young or old, in the game for sure, and some say he has the best chance at 300 W’s. Let’s take a look at his numbers along with some other noteworthy Aces.
This is the year Roy ‘Doc’ Halladay and C.C. Sabathia join the 200 W-Club. There are just 24 300-game winners and only 108 guys in the 200 club. Doc turns 36 this season and is 199-100 with a 3.31 ERA and 2,066 K’s over 2,687 innings. C.C. will be 33 this season and is 191-102 with a 3.38 ERA and 2,214 K’s in 2,564 IP. Sabathia is only eight wins behind Doc and three years younger. In their current situations, I have to like C.C.’s chances better as his team has a big offense and Halladay’s Phills struggle to score and could be headed for a rebuild. Longshot WARNINGS: With 49 wins in the last 3 years, Tim Hudson will also join the 200 game-winners as he is at 197 W’s and turns 38 this season. Andy Pettite (245 W’s) turns 41 and will join the 250 Win club this year, good for 45th all-time.
The ‘young’ Felix turns 27 this season and is 98-76 with a 3.22 ERA and 1,487 K’s in 1,620 IP. His innings total is older than he is, but for a shot at 300, one has to arrive in the Bigs early. Justin Verlander turns 30, and is 124-65 with a 3.40 and 1,454 K’s in 1553 IP. He has led the league in IP three of the last four years, which is how you get those ‘extra’ wins each year. J. V. could be right near the half way point to 300 by this October. They both have a good chance, but if they quit at 42 years old, they will still need to AVERAGE about 13 wins per year. Wow.
We better find an even younger dominant arm just in case these six guys fall short for whatever reasons. How about a line like this–turning 25, is 61-37 with a 2.79 ERA and has 974 K’s in just 944 IP. That’s a heckuva start. Plus, he plays in a pitcher’s park, Dodger Stadium, which can’t hurt. Clayton Kershaw looks to have an early track at a crack at 300 W’s.
2012 WORLD SERIES PREDICTIONS 10/18/12
Well fans the prediction ‘business’ is a tough one. After going just 1 for 4 in correctly picking the Division Series winners, the view from the dish appears to be partly cloudy. Actually, make that dark and fully cloudy when you consider the oh-for-two in the League Championship Series picks (Oakland & Washington). Uh, you gotta be in it to win it! That’s what can happen when you put it out there–you either look like a genius or a fool. To be optimistic, if you consider that the Yanks did win in the said full five games over the O’s, that first round average is 2 for 8. And maintaining a .250 average will keep you in the lineup. Just ask Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, and Alex Rodriguez.
2012 L.C.S. SERIES PREDICTIONS 10/7/12
Game 1 is now complete between Detroit and Oakland and also Cincinnati and San Francisco, here’s the way I see the LCS match-ups taking shape. The Yankees will host Oakland in a ‘rematch’ of the 2000 and ’01 ALDS match-ups that both went the distance at five games. Derek Jeter and Andy Pettite maybe the only two guys to be in both, but hey, that was eleven years ago already. How many of us have the same workplace as then? Anyways…..I think Oakland’s pitching and youth will outlast New York’s power and age. NY’s age, after a long grind of a battle in the AL East, will be magnified in the big ballpark out in Oakland. NY’s lefties won’t have the traditional short porch next to the rightfield pole in addition to the wind tunnel that seems to exist in the RF of New Yankee Stadium. Somehow, Oakland just wins games, barring yesterday of course, when they ran right into a Justin Verlander 98 mile-a-nower heater. Actually, they ran into 60 or 70 of them throughout seven innings. The A’s do have to prove themselves as most of them haven’t been on this stage before with several rookies in the lineup (Derek Norris, Yoenis Cespedes, Jarrod Parker, and Josh Donaldson). However, Coco Crisp, Grant Balfour, and Stephen Drew have LCS experience to pass along to a team that seems to be tightly knit. That’s a credit to the players and manager Bob Melvin. Billy Beane is finally going to the World Series after ousting the Yankees in Game 6 at the quote, unquote ‘Stadium’…..Cincy will be ready to take on Washington, perhaps the closest knit team in this year’s tourney. This series should be action packed with all-around talents like Brandon Phillips, Bryce Harper, Jay Bruce, and Ryan Zimmerman displaying their skills at the plate and with the leather. Then, throw in Johnny Cueto (he’ll be back in this series), Gio Gonzalez, Bronson Arroyo, Jordan Zimmermann, Aroldis Chapman, and Drew Storen on the hill and watch the mitts POPPPP! This should be a classic back and forth dogfight that goes the distance to determine who represents the Senior Circuit with the home field advantage in a West Coast vs. East Coast World Series.
2012 DIVISION SERIES PREDICTIONS 10/6/12
The first ever MLB Wild Card games have been decided. Now, we’re on to the Division Series. The Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals advanced to actual playoff series with wins over the deflated Texas Rangers (2 World Series hangovers perhaps?) and disappointing Atlanta Braves (Chipper’s last ever AB was officially a hit) as both home teams lost in the start of a new era…..I, like most everyone, love Oakland’s momentum and will to just have fun. I’ll take them over Detroit in four games despite Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera’s power and Prince Fielder’s bat in the lineup and that arm of Verlander too as bullpen depth wins it with names like Grant Balfour, Pat Neshek, and Ryan Cook…..I’d love to see the Baltimore story continue, but there’s only room for one Cinderella and the O’s are playing the Bronx Bombers who are hot with the sticks right now and, despite being spotty with the rotation, will outlast the Birds in 5 if they hit homers…..I’d also like to see the Cardinals go out early and they will to arguably the best man-for-man team in Washington. The pick is the Zimmerman(n)s help get it done in three. Cincinnati is well rounded with Johnny Cueto heading up the rotation and Joey Votto and company at the plate. San Francisco can still pitch and Buster Posey can still catch and slug like a champion. Dusty Baker’s Reds have something special cooking though and they’ll serve up a Giant disappointment in four games.
STILL LEARNING 10/4/12
I may have known at one time that a player needs 502 Plate Appearances to be eligible for a batting title. Now, I know it again well and for all time thanks to the Giants’ Buster Posey and mostly the suspended Melky Cabrera. It’s going to stick in the ole memory bank this time. This number arrives from an average of 3.1 P.A.s per 162 games. Cabrera batted .346 this year and Posey .336. Posey won the N.L. batting title, which is impressive for any catcher, and especially for one coming off of a broken leg while also hitting 24 dingers and 103 RBI. Not even Miguel Cabrera (.330 ave.) could out hit Buster. Posey won it because Cabrera got suspended and did not have the required 502 as a result (but who’s to say he would have maintained that lofty average, for the record). His season ended with 501 appearances. What I have just learned from this crowning of Posey is that Melky Cabrera had the option to add an oh-for-one to his total to win the title, since he would still have a .345-ish average, well ahead of Posey. This rule has existed for some time now as Tony Gwynn added an oh-for-three (or so) sometime in the late 90s to win one of his eight batting titles. Cabrera declined his option and without him doing so, MLB declared Posey the outright winner. That’s a novel move by Melky, and a strange rule in my mind to say the least. A player having personal statistic options? That’s weird even on a strange day. However, I see no need for the proverbial asterisk. Everything was done by the book. Plus, batting title or not, congrats to Buster Posey on a remarkable offensive year as the Comeback Catcher.
WRONG CALL, WORSE PLAY 9/9/12
The Baltimore Orioles have been playing real good baseball in recent weeks. Today, however, they came up short in trying to take 3 of 4 games against the N.Y. Yankees. 13 to 3 was the score. Ouch. They had a chance to take sole possession of first after taking 2 of the first 3 games vs. the famed Bronx Bombers at cozy Camden Yards. Now, the Yanks are up a game again. The O’s have been making the right plays at the right time. However, they had that opportunity today after Saturday night’s hard fought 6-5 win, which included a controversial call by first base umpire Jerry Meals. Meals called Mark Texiera out at first, which completed a game-ending double play in which the tying run would have scored had Tex been called safe. It was the wrong call at a bad time on a very close play. The Yanks were understandably upset. Tex even said in the post-game interview that “They (the umps) just wanted to get outta there.” I seriously doubt that was the case Mark. Afterall, Baltimore’s steak houses are open just as late at New York’s. You know that, you’re a local. As a result, people are talking about more replay and umpire evauations and blah, blah, blah. It’s part of the game, accept it. What is overlooked at studio highlights time, and during the broadcast too, is the fact that Tex was diving into first in a critical situation where he hit a double play type grounder to the second baseman and it was obvious, as a lefty hitter and then baserunner, that he did not need to get low to avoid a tag or the body of Mark Reynolds, the first-sacker. That, by far, is a much worse play than Meals’ split-second ruling. Tex should be more upset at himself for slowing himself down at a crucial moment and giving the umpire the opportunity to make a potential unfavorable out-safe call. The dive gives an ump an enhanced display of desperation by a ‘late’ baserunner. This is baserunning basics we’re talking about. Run THROUGH the bag. He would have been ruled safe if he did. The call would’ve been a no-brainer for a major league ump then. Tie game, who knows what would have happened?! (Although Baltimore is ridiculously good in tight games, but that’s another story.) Stay upright running to first. It’s faster and safer too. AND, it doesn’t make it harder on the ump, which can only hurt your team. Just ask Tex.
BABY BEARS 9/7/12
You know your club is way out of contention and also ridiculously frustrated when a bench coach, the Cubs’ Jamie Quirk, a former big-leaguer himself, starts yelling at the other team, Washington, about giving a slugger, Jayson Werth, to swing on a 3 and oh pitch in the fifth with a ‘monsterous’ 7 to 2 lead. Quirk was so over the top from the 3rd base dugout that Nats Third Base coach Bo Porter walked to the top of the Cubs’ dugout to tell Quirk to shut it and that he will call the shots as necessary for his hitters. I have no problem with that. If you’re going to run your mouth, make sure you’re correct, and otherwise be ready to hear back from the other club. I’m all for respecting the game and the opponent by not stealing bases and calling for hit and runs and the like when games are truly out of hand in the deeper innings. A five run lead in th 5th is NOT even CLOSE to qualifying for those conditions. And it doesn’t matter that the Nats pounded the Cubs earlier in the series. Those games are over. Play the game in front of you Cubs. Play a hard nine innings, and see what happens. That’s doing it right.
I agree with Porter for standing up for his player, Werth, and his decision to give the green light to swing away on 3-oh. Good for him. However, the Cubs were so upset that they ordered Lendy Castillo to hit Bryce Harper the next inning. Either Castillo knew it was bad baseball to hit Harper, as he missed his upper legs with an inside pitch, or he couldn’t get that HBP right. It was intentional too because catcher Steve Clevenger didn’t even flinch, let alone try to snag the ptich gone ‘awry’. That’s a bad ‘poker tell’ Steve. Harper was smart and just stared at the mound. The benches and bullpens cleared for a tame or lame, if you prefer, ‘shoving’ match as Quirk and a few players were ejected. It appears no suspensions are pending, which is good for the Nats as they are in a pennant race. Nice job Quirk. Coach better and tell your guys to throw more strikes. The sport is gracious enough to show mercy at times so don’t look for handouts out there too. Take your medicine like a man next time. And by the way, 7 to 2 in the fifth isn’t even that bitter of a pill to swallow. Otherwise, pack up and go golfing a month ealier than normal this year.