Our first look at Kansas City starter: Zack Greinke, whose career nearly got derailed by an anxiety disorder last season. That's really the difference between the Sox and Royals in a nutshell: When the Sox need a No. 3 starter, they can just say "screw it" and spend $103 million on the best Japanese pitcher alive. When the Royals need a No. 3 starter, they roll the dice with a guy battling an anxiety disorder. These are the things that happen when a professional sports league decides against a salary cap.
Quote from Bill Simmons in his diary about Dice-K.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Level Playing Field?
What is so different about Major League Baseball than the other three (if you count the NHL) major sports? Your first answer is probably its history. It is affectionately referred to as America’s National Pastime. It has been around for over 100 years and many of the most recognizable American athletes/icons from the 20th Century played baseball. Names such as Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, and Sandy Koufax are obvious examples of these. The other sports meanwhile did not fully establish themselves until the later part of the 20th Century. While many feel that the NFL has since passed MLB by in popularity, baseball is currently considered by many to be as strong as ever.
At this point in baseballs’ history a more relevant difference than the other sports stands out though. While each of the other three sports have instituted a salary cap, baseball has thus far refused to do so. I am not concerned with the politics of why baseball has not followed the same approach as these other sports. What I am concerned with though is the direction that baseball is headed without having a stronger form of payroll regulation.
In the year 2001, baseball was at a unique time in its history. The game appeared from the outside to be prospering as well as it ever had, catapulted by both Cal Ripkin breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak in 1995 and the Summer of 1998, where Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa battled for the all-time single season home run record. Owners though were crying broke and there were rumblings that they would try to institute a salary cap at the middle of that season (when the collective bargaining agreement expired). Never in the history of labor negotiations between the owners and the players in MLB did the owners "win" when it came down to it. It was clear that at this point they were going to stand as firm as ever. At the same time though, the nation was still recovering from the events of 9/11 which had happened not even a year prior. As a result the players had to give in much more than in the past, but in addition the owners could not stand as firm as they would have liked to ideally because the fans did not have patience for petty fighting between multi-millionaires. The outcome was significant financial changes (increased revenue sharing, luxury tax, etc) but not a salary cap.
In the years that have followed since then, baseball has found the proverbial money pit. Due to some shrewd business moves concerning both national television contracts and the Internet (MLB.com) baseball is richer than it has ever been. In addition, while the luxury tax has not taxed many teams, the ones that it did tax supplied some extra income to the teams that were in need. This sudden fortune has made many franchises forget of their crying broke in 2001 and encouraged them to look towards the future. I do not see this fortune as being around forever though, and I view the current collective bargaining agreement as a band-aid over a wound that needs stitches.
Look, I am not going to sit here and tell you that I am an expert on the numbers and the legal facts of the collective bargaining agreement. What I am going to use is my common sense derived from my understanding of the MLB situation and the situation of the other major sports leagues. The fact remains that the luxury tax in MLB has only been inflicted on three franchises (New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Anaheim Angels) since its inception. In addition, prior to 2007 only one franchise had been penalized more than once (New York Yankees). When you look at the numbers of the money paid out as a result of the luxury tax, only one team (New York Yankees) have paid a significant amount. Now this is by no means a knock on the Yankees. All this is saying is that this tax is set at such a high level that the high majority of the teams are not even close to reaching it. The luxury tax threshold is set at $148 million for 2007, $155m for 2008, $162m for 2009, $170m for 2010 and $178m for 2011. To put that in perspective, the highest team payroll for 2006 was $194m (Yankees), second was $120m (Red Sox), third was $103m (Angels) and so on. While the 2007 figures are not out yet, it is clear that based on last years numbers only one team would pay the tax, and the rest of the league is nowhere close.
This is not to say that the Yankees are alone in this financial imbalance. There are a group of teams in major markets that can dwarf the income of smaller market franchises. How can you expect a Milwaukee Brewers to financially compete with a Los Angeles Dodgers or a New York Mets without some extreme help? When you look at these other leagues, they all go about it in somewhat different ways, but they all have the same basic concept. They are capping the amount that the highest payrolls can be. While the NBA has a "soft cap", which means you can technically go over it. Once you are over it you cannot increase your payroll by much by acquiring a player from another team. The NBA basically allows flexibility to resign a teams players. I am not an expert, so I am not saying what kind of cap the MLB should have, all I am saying is that they need something.
I do not really care about the supposed parody of the past eight seasons in MLB. What I am concerned with is the future. This influx of money from new stadiums, the upcoming MLB Network and MLB.com will be old in five years. While the Royals were able to pay a pitcher $11m a year to come pitch for them, how many teams were able to realistically bid for pitcher on the open market from Japan? Smaller market teams have more money than they used to, but so do large market teams. The gap is still very large, it is just shifting to higher numbers.
Opponents of a salary cap point to teams like the Twins and the A's. These are two small market teams that have shown the ability to compete consistently in this generation without a high payroll. When you look at these teams, they have proven to have very consistent and prodigious minor league systems. While they have different philosophies, one thing is consistent in both and that is that they rely on production from their young players. Well, look at a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are forced to go by that same model as the Twins and A's. The thing with the Pirates though is that in their past seven drafts they have picked a pitcher in the first round. Six of those pitchers has suffered a major arm injury. They do not have the luxury of signing a Dice-K or Pedro Martinez to soften this blow. They endure bad luck and have to live with it. Teams like the Anaheim Angels or New York Mets can overcome this bad luck through spending from their seeming less endless pile of money.
The other type of way to compete as a small market is the "yo-yo" plan. This has been used by teams such as the Texas Rangers, Arizona D'Backs and most famously the Florida Marlins. They spend a ton of money for a year or two, win as much as possible while most likely losing money and then sell all your players, most likely lose games and make your money back. While this may make sense for an owner, it has got to be hell on a fan. Especially in the Rangers case because they did not even win as a result of it.
As you can tell I feel very passionately about this subject. Luckily I am a fan of a team that has money. While money has never guaranteed my team wins, it promises me as a fan that my team has the opportunity to use any avenue to improve the team, whether its posting highest for an international player, spending more on scouting, signing a high priced free agent, or trading for an overpaid star. While the other sports leagues provide this to each of their fans, MLB does not.
Lastly I want to make two points. One counter argument by (selfish) fans of high priced teams is that if their owner or team is making money then why should he give it up to other teams. If those owners wanted to buy the Cubs or the Yankees then they could have. My answer to that is this...baseball is a sport above all else. While Target may try to put Walmart out of business to make more money, the Mets can't try to put the Pirates out of business. Without teams like the Pirates, Royals and so on, these big market teams would have no one to play, and there would be no league for them to play and make money through.
When people look at the NFL they see the epitome of revenue sharing and a salary cap where every team can compete. Most experts point to one man as the driving force behind this development. That man was Wellington Mara. He was was the late owner of the New York Giants. As the oldest franchise in the largest market in the League, Mara could have held out to get his team the most money possible. Not only did he not do that, he pushed to get the revenues shared throughout the league. He saw that without the other teams, there was no league and there was no Giants. Can any of you see a George Steinbrenner or a Fred Wilpon doing this? It is time that these big market owners stopped thinking strictly about dollars for a moment and realized that the game needs fairness to exist.
This is a situation that is so complicated and so intricate that it could take years to figure out (it has and will) and take hundreds of pages to write about (I wish I could). There are so many more details and arguments that can be made on this subject. The bottom line though is that the way baseball is financially structured now is not fair. I don't care if you are a Mets fan, a Marlins fan, a Giants fan or whomever, but you have to realize this. I know that they are wasting time now, but I hope that someday they get it right. Until then, I will root for my team and continue to be lucky I did not grow up in a Pittsburgh or a Tampa Bay.
STKAFI
At this point in baseballs’ history a more relevant difference than the other sports stands out though. While each of the other three sports have instituted a salary cap, baseball has thus far refused to do so. I am not concerned with the politics of why baseball has not followed the same approach as these other sports. What I am concerned with though is the direction that baseball is headed without having a stronger form of payroll regulation.
In the year 2001, baseball was at a unique time in its history. The game appeared from the outside to be prospering as well as it ever had, catapulted by both Cal Ripkin breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak in 1995 and the Summer of 1998, where Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa battled for the all-time single season home run record. Owners though were crying broke and there were rumblings that they would try to institute a salary cap at the middle of that season (when the collective bargaining agreement expired). Never in the history of labor negotiations between the owners and the players in MLB did the owners "win" when it came down to it. It was clear that at this point they were going to stand as firm as ever. At the same time though, the nation was still recovering from the events of 9/11 which had happened not even a year prior. As a result the players had to give in much more than in the past, but in addition the owners could not stand as firm as they would have liked to ideally because the fans did not have patience for petty fighting between multi-millionaires. The outcome was significant financial changes (increased revenue sharing, luxury tax, etc) but not a salary cap.
In the years that have followed since then, baseball has found the proverbial money pit. Due to some shrewd business moves concerning both national television contracts and the Internet (MLB.com) baseball is richer than it has ever been. In addition, while the luxury tax has not taxed many teams, the ones that it did tax supplied some extra income to the teams that were in need. This sudden fortune has made many franchises forget of their crying broke in 2001 and encouraged them to look towards the future. I do not see this fortune as being around forever though, and I view the current collective bargaining agreement as a band-aid over a wound that needs stitches.
Look, I am not going to sit here and tell you that I am an expert on the numbers and the legal facts of the collective bargaining agreement. What I am going to use is my common sense derived from my understanding of the MLB situation and the situation of the other major sports leagues. The fact remains that the luxury tax in MLB has only been inflicted on three franchises (New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Anaheim Angels) since its inception. In addition, prior to 2007 only one franchise had been penalized more than once (New York Yankees). When you look at the numbers of the money paid out as a result of the luxury tax, only one team (New York Yankees) have paid a significant amount. Now this is by no means a knock on the Yankees. All this is saying is that this tax is set at such a high level that the high majority of the teams are not even close to reaching it. The luxury tax threshold is set at $148 million for 2007, $155m for 2008, $162m for 2009, $170m for 2010 and $178m for 2011. To put that in perspective, the highest team payroll for 2006 was $194m (Yankees), second was $120m (Red Sox), third was $103m (Angels) and so on. While the 2007 figures are not out yet, it is clear that based on last years numbers only one team would pay the tax, and the rest of the league is nowhere close.
This is not to say that the Yankees are alone in this financial imbalance. There are a group of teams in major markets that can dwarf the income of smaller market franchises. How can you expect a Milwaukee Brewers to financially compete with a Los Angeles Dodgers or a New York Mets without some extreme help? When you look at these other leagues, they all go about it in somewhat different ways, but they all have the same basic concept. They are capping the amount that the highest payrolls can be. While the NBA has a "soft cap", which means you can technically go over it. Once you are over it you cannot increase your payroll by much by acquiring a player from another team. The NBA basically allows flexibility to resign a teams players. I am not an expert, so I am not saying what kind of cap the MLB should have, all I am saying is that they need something.
I do not really care about the supposed parody of the past eight seasons in MLB. What I am concerned with is the future. This influx of money from new stadiums, the upcoming MLB Network and MLB.com will be old in five years. While the Royals were able to pay a pitcher $11m a year to come pitch for them, how many teams were able to realistically bid for pitcher on the open market from Japan? Smaller market teams have more money than they used to, but so do large market teams. The gap is still very large, it is just shifting to higher numbers.
Opponents of a salary cap point to teams like the Twins and the A's. These are two small market teams that have shown the ability to compete consistently in this generation without a high payroll. When you look at these teams, they have proven to have very consistent and prodigious minor league systems. While they have different philosophies, one thing is consistent in both and that is that they rely on production from their young players. Well, look at a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are forced to go by that same model as the Twins and A's. The thing with the Pirates though is that in their past seven drafts they have picked a pitcher in the first round. Six of those pitchers has suffered a major arm injury. They do not have the luxury of signing a Dice-K or Pedro Martinez to soften this blow. They endure bad luck and have to live with it. Teams like the Anaheim Angels or New York Mets can overcome this bad luck through spending from their seeming less endless pile of money.
The other type of way to compete as a small market is the "yo-yo" plan. This has been used by teams such as the Texas Rangers, Arizona D'Backs and most famously the Florida Marlins. They spend a ton of money for a year or two, win as much as possible while most likely losing money and then sell all your players, most likely lose games and make your money back. While this may make sense for an owner, it has got to be hell on a fan. Especially in the Rangers case because they did not even win as a result of it.
As you can tell I feel very passionately about this subject. Luckily I am a fan of a team that has money. While money has never guaranteed my team wins, it promises me as a fan that my team has the opportunity to use any avenue to improve the team, whether its posting highest for an international player, spending more on scouting, signing a high priced free agent, or trading for an overpaid star. While the other sports leagues provide this to each of their fans, MLB does not.
Lastly I want to make two points. One counter argument by (selfish) fans of high priced teams is that if their owner or team is making money then why should he give it up to other teams. If those owners wanted to buy the Cubs or the Yankees then they could have. My answer to that is this...baseball is a sport above all else. While Target may try to put Walmart out of business to make more money, the Mets can't try to put the Pirates out of business. Without teams like the Pirates, Royals and so on, these big market teams would have no one to play, and there would be no league for them to play and make money through.
When people look at the NFL they see the epitome of revenue sharing and a salary cap where every team can compete. Most experts point to one man as the driving force behind this development. That man was Wellington Mara. He was was the late owner of the New York Giants. As the oldest franchise in the largest market in the League, Mara could have held out to get his team the most money possible. Not only did he not do that, he pushed to get the revenues shared throughout the league. He saw that without the other teams, there was no league and there was no Giants. Can any of you see a George Steinbrenner or a Fred Wilpon doing this? It is time that these big market owners stopped thinking strictly about dollars for a moment and realized that the game needs fairness to exist.
This is a situation that is so complicated and so intricate that it could take years to figure out (it has and will) and take hundreds of pages to write about (I wish I could). There are so many more details and arguments that can be made on this subject. The bottom line though is that the way baseball is financially structured now is not fair. I don't care if you are a Mets fan, a Marlins fan, a Giants fan or whomever, but you have to realize this. I know that they are wasting time now, but I hope that someday they get it right. Until then, I will root for my team and continue to be lucky I did not grow up in a Pittsburgh or a Tampa Bay.
STKAFI
I Can Relate...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/steve_hofstetter/04/10/standup.guy/index.html
Being a Knicks fan has probably been the toughest of all my teams. That is definitely saying something when you consider I root for the Mets (Bobby Bonilla and Mo Vaughn anyone?) and the Giants (Vikings in 1997 and 49ers in 2002). In my mind our best shot for a title was in 1993 (Charles Smith I hate you) or 1997 (can you stay on the bench Ewing/Starks/everyone and their moms). In any event, I hate you Isiah.
STKAFI
Being a Knicks fan has probably been the toughest of all my teams. That is definitely saying something when you consider I root for the Mets (Bobby Bonilla and Mo Vaughn anyone?) and the Giants (Vikings in 1997 and 49ers in 2002). In my mind our best shot for a title was in 1993 (Charles Smith I hate you) or 1997 (can you stay on the bench Ewing/Starks/everyone and their moms). In any event, I hate you Isiah.
STKAFI
Week in Review
One week is in the books (well for most teams, I would not want to be a Cleveland Indians fan right now) for the MLB regular season. We have seen some surprises, some disappointments, and even some dramatics, in what has been a wild and crazy opening week.
Lets start with the Cleveland/Seattle series, which was completely wiped out because of snow. Now the Indians next series with the Angles has been moved to Milwaukee's Miller Park. This essentially has taken three home games away for the Indians, and at the very least postponed three more. This has brought up a debate that hasn't really come into play, at least taken this seriously, for the history of Major League Baseball: Should cold weather teams host early April home games? Frankly, I'm not sure which side of the fence I am on. The fact that this has not really been that big of an issue in the past say, 100 years leads me to believe that it should not be changed or addressed. However, I do realize this does cause a problem for fans, and can lead to early season injuries for players.
If I had to choose, I believe the players, fans, coaches, umpires, and executives should suck it up, and play as long as the weather permits. Obviously, this weekend's snow was unplayable, but for the most part this is very rare. Weather effects outdoor sports all the time, why should the MLB be any different?
I find it amazing how one swing of the bat can change a players game and mental state. The same can be said for the fans and the media. On Saturday afternoon, Alex Rodriguez did just that by CRUSHING a walk off grand slam, down one, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a 1-2 count. You could feel for him, you knew he was going to choke. Against Tampa Bay less than two days before Arod was in an almost identical situation and in "typical" form failed to come through. He had even swung straight through a fastball the pitch before, the anticipation of boos and angered fans was palpable. Then with one pitch, one stroke of the bat all of that disappeared.
Of course, that being said, it's a week into the season, and obviously Arod will not be able to keep up this pace. However, with that one moment, he avoided the usual criticism, at least for now, and it looks like he could have a monster year and help lead the struggling Yankees to the playoffs.
Overpaid pitchers market: Dice-K (6 years, $52 million, + the $51.1 million posting fee) looked great, no real surprise there. Barry Zito (7 years, $126 million), not so much.
Dice-K (1-0): 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1BB, 10K, 1.29 ERA
Zito (0-2): 11.0 IP, 13 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 8.18 ERA...(Giants 1-6), yikes
Top 10 Power Rankings (through week 1):
1. LAA Angels (5-2): Strong pitching staff is only going to get stronger with the additions of Colon and Weaver down the road.
2. NY Mets (5-2): This line-up is very, very scary and Reyes is a special player. Starting pitching has been a nice surprise though, not sure if they can keep it up, let's hope they're aren't many Bingo games floating around Shea.
3. Atlanta Braves (5-1): Very impressive start, sweep of the Phils and taking 2 of three from the Mets. Starting pitching still a concern (what a surprise Hampton is out for the year). Bullpen is phenomenal, and if Kelly Johnson can start to get on base they will score a lot of runs.
4. NY Yankees (3-3): Starters have been horrendous, yet the Yanks still managed to squeak out 3 wins. The pitching will come around and this line-up is the best in the majors.
5. Boston Red Sox (3-3): If Dice-K can continue his strong start, they will make a push for the AL East Title.
6. Florida Marlins (5-2): Miguel Cabrera is the very early NL MVP and putting up fantastic numbers (he will be getting Pujols and Bonds treatment by the All-Star break). Still very young. Hanley Ramirez needs to stay healthy, he is exciting to watch.
7 Arizona Diamondbacks (6-2): Strong pitching (Randy Johnson to still to come), clutch hitting, but they play in the NL West.
8. Minnesota Twins (4-2): Mauer, Cuddyer, and Morneau are one of the better 3-4-5 combo's in the game. And they have the best starter (Santana) and closer (Nathan) in the MLB today.
9. Detroit Tigers (3-3): The defending AL champs are off to a somewhat slow start, but still have the line-up and the young fireballers to still be one of the favorites to come out of the AL.
10. Toronto Blue Jays (4-2): I liked this team at the beginning of the year, but playing in the AL East its impossible to pick them to finish anything above third. Pitching has been inconsistent, but could make a serious run if Burnett can pitch consistently like he did last night. Haven't played anyone yet or I would have put them higher.
Teams to watch for: San Diego Padres (5-2): Strong pitching, but again, NL West. Cleveland Indians (2-1): Like the squad as a whole, bullpen questions plus they literally haven't played anybody. Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3): In a wide open division, and I like their young line-up.
Disappointments: SF Giants (1-6): Zito signing is looking worse and worse every game. Philadelphia Phillies (1-6): Jimmy Rollins might want to think about taking the foot out of his mouth. The offense is no where to be found. Charlie Manuel may be looking for a new job sooner than later if this keeps up. St. Louis Cardinals (3-4): Defending World Champs were swept by the Mets at home, and now their star pitcher has landed on the DL. I can see myself taking shots with Tony LaRussa in the near future.
One comment on the Masters:
Ballsy performance by Zach Johnson by holding off Tiger. It was half Johnson playing well enough to win and not falling apart. Half Tiger not being on his game and unable to make a serious run at the green jacket.
And I didn't see this shot until after the tournament, but are you kidding me??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfDk1Oxj_A
How did he not break his wrist? How did he even come up with a shot like that? And how did the result of the shot end up as good as it was? He knew the risks of the shot, he knew he wouldn't be able to replace the club for the rest of the round, and he KNEW what he was doing. This is why you love to root for Tiger.
Lets start with the Cleveland/Seattle series, which was completely wiped out because of snow. Now the Indians next series with the Angles has been moved to Milwaukee's Miller Park. This essentially has taken three home games away for the Indians, and at the very least postponed three more. This has brought up a debate that hasn't really come into play, at least taken this seriously, for the history of Major League Baseball: Should cold weather teams host early April home games? Frankly, I'm not sure which side of the fence I am on. The fact that this has not really been that big of an issue in the past say, 100 years leads me to believe that it should not be changed or addressed. However, I do realize this does cause a problem for fans, and can lead to early season injuries for players.
If I had to choose, I believe the players, fans, coaches, umpires, and executives should suck it up, and play as long as the weather permits. Obviously, this weekend's snow was unplayable, but for the most part this is very rare. Weather effects outdoor sports all the time, why should the MLB be any different?
I find it amazing how one swing of the bat can change a players game and mental state. The same can be said for the fans and the media. On Saturday afternoon, Alex Rodriguez did just that by CRUSHING a walk off grand slam, down one, with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a 1-2 count. You could feel for him, you knew he was going to choke. Against Tampa Bay less than two days before Arod was in an almost identical situation and in "typical" form failed to come through. He had even swung straight through a fastball the pitch before, the anticipation of boos and angered fans was palpable. Then with one pitch, one stroke of the bat all of that disappeared.
Of course, that being said, it's a week into the season, and obviously Arod will not be able to keep up this pace. However, with that one moment, he avoided the usual criticism, at least for now, and it looks like he could have a monster year and help lead the struggling Yankees to the playoffs.
Overpaid pitchers market: Dice-K (6 years, $52 million, + the $51.1 million posting fee) looked great, no real surprise there. Barry Zito (7 years, $126 million), not so much.
Dice-K (1-0): 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1BB, 10K, 1.29 ERA
Zito (0-2): 11.0 IP, 13 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 8.18 ERA...(Giants 1-6), yikes
Top 10 Power Rankings (through week 1):
1. LAA Angels (5-2): Strong pitching staff is only going to get stronger with the additions of Colon and Weaver down the road.
2. NY Mets (5-2): This line-up is very, very scary and Reyes is a special player. Starting pitching has been a nice surprise though, not sure if they can keep it up, let's hope they're aren't many Bingo games floating around Shea.
3. Atlanta Braves (5-1): Very impressive start, sweep of the Phils and taking 2 of three from the Mets. Starting pitching still a concern (what a surprise Hampton is out for the year). Bullpen is phenomenal, and if Kelly Johnson can start to get on base they will score a lot of runs.
4. NY Yankees (3-3): Starters have been horrendous, yet the Yanks still managed to squeak out 3 wins. The pitching will come around and this line-up is the best in the majors.
5. Boston Red Sox (3-3): If Dice-K can continue his strong start, they will make a push for the AL East Title.
6. Florida Marlins (5-2): Miguel Cabrera is the very early NL MVP and putting up fantastic numbers (he will be getting Pujols and Bonds treatment by the All-Star break). Still very young. Hanley Ramirez needs to stay healthy, he is exciting to watch.
7 Arizona Diamondbacks (6-2): Strong pitching (Randy Johnson to still to come), clutch hitting, but they play in the NL West.
8. Minnesota Twins (4-2): Mauer, Cuddyer, and Morneau are one of the better 3-4-5 combo's in the game. And they have the best starter (Santana) and closer (Nathan) in the MLB today.
9. Detroit Tigers (3-3): The defending AL champs are off to a somewhat slow start, but still have the line-up and the young fireballers to still be one of the favorites to come out of the AL.
10. Toronto Blue Jays (4-2): I liked this team at the beginning of the year, but playing in the AL East its impossible to pick them to finish anything above third. Pitching has been inconsistent, but could make a serious run if Burnett can pitch consistently like he did last night. Haven't played anyone yet or I would have put them higher.
Teams to watch for: San Diego Padres (5-2): Strong pitching, but again, NL West. Cleveland Indians (2-1): Like the squad as a whole, bullpen questions plus they literally haven't played anybody. Pittsburgh Pirates (4-3): In a wide open division, and I like their young line-up.
Disappointments: SF Giants (1-6): Zito signing is looking worse and worse every game. Philadelphia Phillies (1-6): Jimmy Rollins might want to think about taking the foot out of his mouth. The offense is no where to be found. Charlie Manuel may be looking for a new job sooner than later if this keeps up. St. Louis Cardinals (3-4): Defending World Champs were swept by the Mets at home, and now their star pitcher has landed on the DL. I can see myself taking shots with Tony LaRussa in the near future.
One comment on the Masters:
Ballsy performance by Zach Johnson by holding off Tiger. It was half Johnson playing well enough to win and not falling apart. Half Tiger not being on his game and unable to make a serious run at the green jacket.
And I didn't see this shot until after the tournament, but are you kidding me??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfDk1Oxj_A
How did he not break his wrist? How did he even come up with a shot like that? And how did the result of the shot end up as good as it was? He knew the risks of the shot, he knew he wouldn't be able to replace the club for the rest of the round, and he KNEW what he was doing. This is why you love to root for Tiger.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Grouch (Grump) Wear
Since Smurph Baggins has fallen off the face of the earth and doesn't post when he is supposed to. Plus the fact that it is Good Friday and I am stuck at work with the other Jews (I'm only half) feeding off the free pizza they are going to get us for being stuck here today. Which is extra special because I am not keeping Kosher but everyone else is...suckers. I thought I would pass along this heart warming story about a minor league mascot who is just a squirrel trying to find a nut. Sorry.
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20070403_03grump_arrest_ed.html
This story coincides with my usual mood (as my friends will attest to), particularly today, "I'm stuck at work all day, gruumppp ummp umm ummmp".
Fortunately for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, from what I saw at Foxwoods last week, Curtin will be first in line to interview for this job to complete his wardrobe.
Masters update for anyone who cares:
Tiger: +1 on the day thru 3, +2 overall, T-18th
Tits Magee: +4 overall, T-41st, Tees off at 2:03pm
Current leader: Brett Wretterich, -1 on the day thru 9, -4 overall (both he and Justin Rose shot 69, hehe, yesterday).
Apparently Jay Buhner has been hanging out with Choppers lately:
http://withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=2536
Look more closelier...Happy Easter everybody.
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20070403_03grump_arrest_ed.html
This story coincides with my usual mood (as my friends will attest to), particularly today, "I'm stuck at work all day, gruumppp ummp umm ummmp".
Fortunately for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, from what I saw at Foxwoods last week, Curtin will be first in line to interview for this job to complete his wardrobe.
Masters update for anyone who cares:
Tiger: +1 on the day thru 3, +2 overall, T-18th
Tits Magee: +4 overall, T-41st, Tees off at 2:03pm
Current leader: Brett Wretterich, -1 on the day thru 9, -4 overall (both he and Justin Rose shot 69, hehe, yesterday).
Apparently Jay Buhner has been hanging out with Choppers lately:
http://withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=2536
Look more closelier...Happy Easter everybody.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Play the Lotto
Now that One Shining Moment has played we can address our next stop for basketball, the NBA Draft.
I have watched a lot of college bball this season, and my feelings on guys have gone up and down all year. I will rate my players for this draft, but since we do not know the draft order this is not a prediction of their draft position Also, i will talk about any guy even remotely considering the draft, not just those who have declared.
Oden- Not too much to say about him that everyone hasn't already. He delivered his best in the season's biggest moment. He protects that rim like nobody I have ever seen on the college level. I've even been impressed with his righty jump hook, which at his height is virtually unblockable. Also that step through to the middle where he reaches out with his left hand. I mean look at how raw a guy like Dwight Howard is and the success he is having. Oden is not raw, but impressively polished. Still got to wonder if he cares enough about winning each and every night, but I think all the great things we expect from him will be realized.
Durant- His level of play was so consistently high this season it's scary. The only subpar game I remember off the top of my head was following that Ok St. thriller, the Villanova game a few days later was a poor performance from him. He is talented, marketable.... and in love with school??? He rebounds, he blocks shots, and he has a great stroke from 3. This is a guy that you draft no matter who you have on your team, players like this find ways on the court no matter who is in front of them.
Brewer- No Florida player made a bigger jump from last year to this year. Usually the knock on perimeter players leaving college is that they don't know how to play D. This is not the case with Brewer. He effects shorter players shots, and he plays the passing lane as well as anyone. Although he shot lights out in the Final Four, I'm not sold on his as a deadly shooter. On PTI the other day one of the two compared him to a young Pippen. I love the comparison. The way he runs the floor and can do a bit of everything reminds me of the way Pippen was as well.
Conley- I am a big point guard guy. Teams with true point guards are usually better off then those that don't have them. There is a very short list in the NBA of pg's I want. Kidd, Paul, Nash, Deron Williams, and maybe one day Marcus Williams. I may have left someone out, but the point being... Mike Conley is a point guard! He will make others better. He is so quick that Georgetown could not even let Wallace bring it up, instead they turned to their shooting guard Sapp. He forced Taurean Green of Florida into 6 turnovers on Monday night. His jump shot does not appear to be the most reliable, but what he does with his penetration, finishing and defense is more then enough to sell me.
Horford- Anyone who was not sold on the real Big Al before the second half Monday should be now. Until then, I only thought of him as a back to the basket, overpower you over his left shoulder type of guy (think Devon Bruce). That second half though, he was knocking down jump shots, he ever hit one memorable off the dribble jumper. Combine that with Billy Donovan saying Horford as the highest basketball IQ of any player he has ever coached. His dad was a Dominican born NBA player. He reminds me of an Elton Brand type. Neal had mentioned Karl Malone, either will work.
Wright & Wright- I don't know what to say about these guys. They are both long, good finishers and both have bright futures. They were both surrounded by such talent that they were never really relied on to be big time, crunch time, go to guys. Combine that with dissapointing tournament finishes and I have question marks for both. However, they each also have this feel of Chris Bosh to me. I don't know... I think they will both be successful, I think Brandon will eave, and I think Julian will stay.
Byars- I never saw this kid play until the tournament. He was player of the year in the SEC and I fell in love with his game. He is a true 2 guard and athletic as hell. He takes the big shots and makes big athletic defensive plays. I'm not sure of who he reminds me of, because I don't think he has the height of a T-Mac or Vince, but he's athletic like that. He scored 19 in the second half when they upset Washington St. Wow, i just looked him up, he's 6'7 230. Now I love him even more. Draft this man.
Noah- Love the energy, love the attitude, don't love the game. I mean David Lee averaged about 12 and 12, and is generally considered a high energy, rebounding type of guy. Is Noah better then David Lee? He definitely will block more shots, but Lee does have a jump shot that Noah lacks. I wouldn't jump too high on this guy, even with what he brings.
Hibbert and Gray- I think the NBA is too fast for guys like this now. Look at the big men coming in. Amare and Howard are the recent two successful ones, and they are athletic, powerful, agile, etc. Gray and Hibbert are not. Guy's are too fast these days to be a plodding 7 foot center. 7 footers are Garnett, Dirk, Bargani, etc... how many "plodders" we still got left??? Curry I guess is a plodder, but his agility and athleticsim on offense far surpass that of these two. Don't get me wrong they do have value, but I can't see either one being an all star.
Jeff Green- I don't think he is quite on the level of deference of Rudy Gay, but really 5 shots in the national semifinal??? I mean this is one game after hitting that ridiculous shot the game before. He plays D, he passes (reminds me of Luke Walton for his size with that passing ability). I think he can score, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I like him in the 8-10 range. I think he'll be a Battier type, or better.
I have watched a lot of college bball this season, and my feelings on guys have gone up and down all year. I will rate my players for this draft, but since we do not know the draft order this is not a prediction of their draft position Also, i will talk about any guy even remotely considering the draft, not just those who have declared.
Oden- Not too much to say about him that everyone hasn't already. He delivered his best in the season's biggest moment. He protects that rim like nobody I have ever seen on the college level. I've even been impressed with his righty jump hook, which at his height is virtually unblockable. Also that step through to the middle where he reaches out with his left hand. I mean look at how raw a guy like Dwight Howard is and the success he is having. Oden is not raw, but impressively polished. Still got to wonder if he cares enough about winning each and every night, but I think all the great things we expect from him will be realized.
Durant- His level of play was so consistently high this season it's scary. The only subpar game I remember off the top of my head was following that Ok St. thriller, the Villanova game a few days later was a poor performance from him. He is talented, marketable.... and in love with school??? He rebounds, he blocks shots, and he has a great stroke from 3. This is a guy that you draft no matter who you have on your team, players like this find ways on the court no matter who is in front of them.
Brewer- No Florida player made a bigger jump from last year to this year. Usually the knock on perimeter players leaving college is that they don't know how to play D. This is not the case with Brewer. He effects shorter players shots, and he plays the passing lane as well as anyone. Although he shot lights out in the Final Four, I'm not sold on his as a deadly shooter. On PTI the other day one of the two compared him to a young Pippen. I love the comparison. The way he runs the floor and can do a bit of everything reminds me of the way Pippen was as well.
Conley- I am a big point guard guy. Teams with true point guards are usually better off then those that don't have them. There is a very short list in the NBA of pg's I want. Kidd, Paul, Nash, Deron Williams, and maybe one day Marcus Williams. I may have left someone out, but the point being... Mike Conley is a point guard! He will make others better. He is so quick that Georgetown could not even let Wallace bring it up, instead they turned to their shooting guard Sapp. He forced Taurean Green of Florida into 6 turnovers on Monday night. His jump shot does not appear to be the most reliable, but what he does with his penetration, finishing and defense is more then enough to sell me.
Horford- Anyone who was not sold on the real Big Al before the second half Monday should be now. Until then, I only thought of him as a back to the basket, overpower you over his left shoulder type of guy (think Devon Bruce). That second half though, he was knocking down jump shots, he ever hit one memorable off the dribble jumper. Combine that with Billy Donovan saying Horford as the highest basketball IQ of any player he has ever coached. His dad was a Dominican born NBA player. He reminds me of an Elton Brand type. Neal had mentioned Karl Malone, either will work.
Wright & Wright- I don't know what to say about these guys. They are both long, good finishers and both have bright futures. They were both surrounded by such talent that they were never really relied on to be big time, crunch time, go to guys. Combine that with dissapointing tournament finishes and I have question marks for both. However, they each also have this feel of Chris Bosh to me. I don't know... I think they will both be successful, I think Brandon will eave, and I think Julian will stay.
Byars- I never saw this kid play until the tournament. He was player of the year in the SEC and I fell in love with his game. He is a true 2 guard and athletic as hell. He takes the big shots and makes big athletic defensive plays. I'm not sure of who he reminds me of, because I don't think he has the height of a T-Mac or Vince, but he's athletic like that. He scored 19 in the second half when they upset Washington St. Wow, i just looked him up, he's 6'7 230. Now I love him even more. Draft this man.
Noah- Love the energy, love the attitude, don't love the game. I mean David Lee averaged about 12 and 12, and is generally considered a high energy, rebounding type of guy. Is Noah better then David Lee? He definitely will block more shots, but Lee does have a jump shot that Noah lacks. I wouldn't jump too high on this guy, even with what he brings.
Hibbert and Gray- I think the NBA is too fast for guys like this now. Look at the big men coming in. Amare and Howard are the recent two successful ones, and they are athletic, powerful, agile, etc. Gray and Hibbert are not. Guy's are too fast these days to be a plodding 7 foot center. 7 footers are Garnett, Dirk, Bargani, etc... how many "plodders" we still got left??? Curry I guess is a plodder, but his agility and athleticsim on offense far surpass that of these two. Don't get me wrong they do have value, but I can't see either one being an all star.
Jeff Green- I don't think he is quite on the level of deference of Rudy Gay, but really 5 shots in the national semifinal??? I mean this is one game after hitting that ridiculous shot the game before. He plays D, he passes (reminds me of Luke Walton for his size with that passing ability). I think he can score, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I like him in the 8-10 range. I think he'll be a Battier type, or better.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Just Because
Look, I would love to go on and on about how I hate the Yankees. The bottom line though is that it would take way too long to write and no one would read it. I understand my audience. At least fifty percent of you are Yankee fans. In any event, I might as well just write about the 2007 edition of this storied franchise (in a negative light).
For the past six or seven seasons, the Yankees have had the highest payroll in baseball. This year is no different. They not only have the highest payroll, but they are ahead of the second place Boston Red Sox by about $30 million. I know that all the Yankees are doing is playing by the rules that are agreed upon by the owners and the player union, but I would remissed not to mention their extremely high payroll when discussing this team. It is just a fact in Major League Baseball today that payroll disparity is everywhere. The Yankees though are in at a level of their own when it comes to payroll. While they have lowered it by about $20 million from a couple years ago, they are still far and away the highest paid team in the sport.
When you look at this Yankee roster there are big names all over the place. You have Derek Jeter at shortstop, Alex Rodriguez at third, Johnny Damon in center field, Mariano Rivera in the bullpen, and so on. Their offensive firepower is tremendous and their pitching staff is filled with high paid veterans, while they have hard throwing youngsters waiting in the minors. If you had to pick one real baseball team to be you fantasy baseball team, the Yankees would without a doubt be the number one pick.
As we all know though, baseball is not played on paper (it's played on on grass, stupid). When I look at this ballclub, they have a couple of glaring weaknesses. While I understand that every team in baseball has its weaknesses, I believe that the Yankee weaknesses are going to be most apparent in later in the season and more specifically in October. In addition, these are the same weaknesses that the Yankees have had the past few years and have failed to address.
1. Defense. The Yankees are not a good defensive team. Their outfielders have worst arms of any outfield in baseball. Matsui is a below average left fielder at this point in his career. Johnny Damon still can cover some ground in center, but his arm is probably the worst in all of baseball. Abreu is an average right fielder, with an above average arm and is known to have mental lapses in the field. In the infield, as I have stated in a prior post, Jeter is a good defensive shortstop. His range leaves much to be desired, but he makes all the routine plays and has possibly the best arm of any shortstop in the AL. AROD at third has all the ability, but over the last couple of seasons has had a propensity to botch the routine grounder. Cano is similar at second, but has exceptional range. The Yankees will play a few different guys at first, with Meintkevitz being the best by far. The problem is though that the Yankees continue to try to play Giambi at first, which is a major mistake. Hopefully they will keep him atDH for the year (if so it only took them six years to figure this out).
Why does this mean so much? Well, the Yankee pitchng staff (especially starters) are guys that have the ball put in play (Wang, Mussina, Pavano, etc). They do not have one starter who is known as a strikeout pitcher/hardthrower. The more balls that are put in play, the more this defense has a chance to be exposed. At least the bullpen has some power arms.
2. Age. The Yanks have worked on improving on this. The fact remains though that their everyday line-up though is filled with guys over 30 with the exception of Robbie Cano. While over the course of the season they will still hit, injuries will be a factor. This was very evident last season when Matsui and Sheffield were out much of the year.
What is possibly more troubling though is their inability over the past few postseasons to hit power pitching. The stereotype in many older players is that they need to cheat a bit on the fastball. They can get away with hitting off of softer throwers, but the hard throwers will give them trouble (the Yanks have done nothing to disprove this in the past six postseasons). This would be especially evident at the end of a season when players are more worn down. Dispute this if you want but look at the pitchers that have shut them down over the past few postseasons...Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Ervin Santana, Joel Zumaya, and Jeremy Bonderman. There is a clear pattern there.
3. AROD. The guy is possibly the most talented player in all of baseball. He is also may be the most mentally fragile. I honestly can not tell you how he will perform this season, but I can tell you that he will be the center of a media circus. With AROD on the Yankees it is like a cloud hanging over them on a day to day basis. I think it effects the team in a negative way and guys like Torre and Jeter hate dealing with it. Everyday, the players and coaches have to answer questions not only about the team or their personal performance but about AROD as well. He doesn't help matters by continuing to say dumb things to reporters. I would be shocked if he did not opt out of his contract at the end of the season.
I want to kill the Yankees for keeping him, but I understand the catch 22 that they were in. He is the only power righthanded hitter in this lineup. After getting rid of Sheffield (who was a major distraction in his own right), they could not afford to be without at least one bigtime righthanded power hitter. I still think that they will not win with him, and so far he has shown nothing to disprove that to me. I am not saying he has to perform in October change his reputation with the fans and media, but if he is not a distraction in August and is an MVP candidate then that is enough for me. Look at Carlos Beltran last year with the Mets. He was horrible in 2005, booed the first week of the season in 2006 and then became a fan favorite by just playing and performing. AROD has performed in the regular season for the Yanks in the past, but has also always been a distraction in various ways.
I honestly feel that with their money and the trading pieces they had last year, the Yankees could have fixed these problems. The bottom line though is that any team is going to have weaknesses. My problem is that the Yankees have the same ones that they have had for the past few seasons. I do not see a change. The only difference this year is the young arms that they have in the minors. By trading Randy Johnson and Gary Sheffield, the Yankees acquired young, power arms to go with the phenom they already had (Phil Hughes). This bodes well for their future, but I see this season ending the same way the past six have ended, as long as the team is similar to the way it is constructed now (Roger Clemens, Phil Hughes, acquire a quick bat).
What I would have done top change the Yanks...
1. Trade Carl Pavano in a package for Todd Helton. I have heard rumor about the Rockies being interested in Pavano, and they also would love to get Heltons' contract off of their books.
2. Trade AROD. Pick your team and you could get a monster package for him.
3. Keep Sheffield or sign Soriano.
4. Trade Matsui. I am sorry about I think he is a DH at this point in his career and the Yanks already have one in Giambi. By doing this, Sheff or Abreu would move to left and the arms/defense would be upgraded.
5. Continue to keep your top prospects. THey are already doing this and it is going to help them a ton in the next few years.
Remember that with these trades they would have filled a few holes and any not filled they could have taken care of in free agency.
Remember, I hate the Yankees, so I am gunna view them as negative. Bring the Ice Cold hate comments on! Who will be first, Bocker or Relaxo........I got Relaxo at -4.
STKAFI
For the past six or seven seasons, the Yankees have had the highest payroll in baseball. This year is no different. They not only have the highest payroll, but they are ahead of the second place Boston Red Sox by about $30 million. I know that all the Yankees are doing is playing by the rules that are agreed upon by the owners and the player union, but I would remissed not to mention their extremely high payroll when discussing this team. It is just a fact in Major League Baseball today that payroll disparity is everywhere. The Yankees though are in at a level of their own when it comes to payroll. While they have lowered it by about $20 million from a couple years ago, they are still far and away the highest paid team in the sport.
When you look at this Yankee roster there are big names all over the place. You have Derek Jeter at shortstop, Alex Rodriguez at third, Johnny Damon in center field, Mariano Rivera in the bullpen, and so on. Their offensive firepower is tremendous and their pitching staff is filled with high paid veterans, while they have hard throwing youngsters waiting in the minors. If you had to pick one real baseball team to be you fantasy baseball team, the Yankees would without a doubt be the number one pick.
As we all know though, baseball is not played on paper (it's played on on grass, stupid). When I look at this ballclub, they have a couple of glaring weaknesses. While I understand that every team in baseball has its weaknesses, I believe that the Yankee weaknesses are going to be most apparent in later in the season and more specifically in October. In addition, these are the same weaknesses that the Yankees have had the past few years and have failed to address.
1. Defense. The Yankees are not a good defensive team. Their outfielders have worst arms of any outfield in baseball. Matsui is a below average left fielder at this point in his career. Johnny Damon still can cover some ground in center, but his arm is probably the worst in all of baseball. Abreu is an average right fielder, with an above average arm and is known to have mental lapses in the field. In the infield, as I have stated in a prior post, Jeter is a good defensive shortstop. His range leaves much to be desired, but he makes all the routine plays and has possibly the best arm of any shortstop in the AL. AROD at third has all the ability, but over the last couple of seasons has had a propensity to botch the routine grounder. Cano is similar at second, but has exceptional range. The Yankees will play a few different guys at first, with Meintkevitz being the best by far. The problem is though that the Yankees continue to try to play Giambi at first, which is a major mistake. Hopefully they will keep him atDH for the year (if so it only took them six years to figure this out).
Why does this mean so much? Well, the Yankee pitchng staff (especially starters) are guys that have the ball put in play (Wang, Mussina, Pavano, etc). They do not have one starter who is known as a strikeout pitcher/hardthrower. The more balls that are put in play, the more this defense has a chance to be exposed. At least the bullpen has some power arms.
2. Age. The Yanks have worked on improving on this. The fact remains though that their everyday line-up though is filled with guys over 30 with the exception of Robbie Cano. While over the course of the season they will still hit, injuries will be a factor. This was very evident last season when Matsui and Sheffield were out much of the year.
What is possibly more troubling though is their inability over the past few postseasons to hit power pitching. The stereotype in many older players is that they need to cheat a bit on the fastball. They can get away with hitting off of softer throwers, but the hard throwers will give them trouble (the Yanks have done nothing to disprove this in the past six postseasons). This would be especially evident at the end of a season when players are more worn down. Dispute this if you want but look at the pitchers that have shut them down over the past few postseasons...Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Ervin Santana, Joel Zumaya, and Jeremy Bonderman. There is a clear pattern there.
3. AROD. The guy is possibly the most talented player in all of baseball. He is also may be the most mentally fragile. I honestly can not tell you how he will perform this season, but I can tell you that he will be the center of a media circus. With AROD on the Yankees it is like a cloud hanging over them on a day to day basis. I think it effects the team in a negative way and guys like Torre and Jeter hate dealing with it. Everyday, the players and coaches have to answer questions not only about the team or their personal performance but about AROD as well. He doesn't help matters by continuing to say dumb things to reporters. I would be shocked if he did not opt out of his contract at the end of the season.
I want to kill the Yankees for keeping him, but I understand the catch 22 that they were in. He is the only power righthanded hitter in this lineup. After getting rid of Sheffield (who was a major distraction in his own right), they could not afford to be without at least one bigtime righthanded power hitter. I still think that they will not win with him, and so far he has shown nothing to disprove that to me. I am not saying he has to perform in October change his reputation with the fans and media, but if he is not a distraction in August and is an MVP candidate then that is enough for me. Look at Carlos Beltran last year with the Mets. He was horrible in 2005, booed the first week of the season in 2006 and then became a fan favorite by just playing and performing. AROD has performed in the regular season for the Yanks in the past, but has also always been a distraction in various ways.
I honestly feel that with their money and the trading pieces they had last year, the Yankees could have fixed these problems. The bottom line though is that any team is going to have weaknesses. My problem is that the Yankees have the same ones that they have had for the past few seasons. I do not see a change. The only difference this year is the young arms that they have in the minors. By trading Randy Johnson and Gary Sheffield, the Yankees acquired young, power arms to go with the phenom they already had (Phil Hughes). This bodes well for their future, but I see this season ending the same way the past six have ended, as long as the team is similar to the way it is constructed now (Roger Clemens, Phil Hughes, acquire a quick bat).
What I would have done top change the Yanks...
1. Trade Carl Pavano in a package for Todd Helton. I have heard rumor about the Rockies being interested in Pavano, and they also would love to get Heltons' contract off of their books.
2. Trade AROD. Pick your team and you could get a monster package for him.
3. Keep Sheffield or sign Soriano.
4. Trade Matsui. I am sorry about I think he is a DH at this point in his career and the Yanks already have one in Giambi. By doing this, Sheff or Abreu would move to left and the arms/defense would be upgraded.
5. Continue to keep your top prospects. THey are already doing this and it is going to help them a ton in the next few years.
Remember that with these trades they would have filled a few holes and any not filled they could have taken care of in free agency.
Remember, I hate the Yankees, so I am gunna view them as negative. Bring the Ice Cold hate comments on! Who will be first, Bocker or Relaxo........I got Relaxo at -4.
STKAFI
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