Baseball Teams Wasting No Time Prepping for 2011

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-Digger's Daily-

San Francisco Giants became World Series Champs last week. This week, teams and players set their sights on 2011.

Clubs have tough re-negotiation sessions coming up highlighted by New York's soon to be publicized discussions with captain Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The Steinbrenner kids fired the first shot warning it's business first time. It's unlikely either will have any difficulty re-signing. No one wants to rock the boat. However, it's doubtful multi-year deals will be offered.

Cliff Lee has been the most publicized of free agents. Texas is interested in resigning their star hurler. It remains to be seen how this team, recovering from bankruptcy, proceeds. Did New York fans ruin Yankees chances of signing Lee? Reports claim New Yorker's at their worst displayed pathetic behavior from beer tossing to name calling.

Starting pitchers will be the most coveted free agent prizes. To date, the list is thin. Lee is the top dog. Jon Garland, Carl Pavano, Hiroki Kuroda and Adam Harang represent the second tier.

Top of the class position players feature Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn, Vlad Guerrero, Paul Konerko, Derek Lee, Benji Molina, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Pena. Plenty of other big names and solid reserves awaiting suitors (Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, Johnny Peralta).

How quickly teams begin chasing free agents is anyone's guess. Remember last year's free agent class took a long time receiving offers largely due to U.S. economic concerns. Those concerns are greater these days. However, with such a thin crop of pitchers expect teams to get busy early. Lee can write his own ticket. Where he lands is the question. Texas? New York? Boston? Atlanta? Tampa Bay? Time will tell.

Sandy Alderson is in as New York Mets new GM. He has much work to do after Omar Minaya's turbulent leadership and notorious reputation for poor signings. Which direction will New York go? Job number one is signing a new manager. This club needs a leader in the dugout. Mets haven't had an effective decision maker in years. The Carl Crawfords of the baseball world represent the type of players New York needs to chase. Power hitters will fail in CitiField. Double and triple speedsters will shine. Reyes and Crawford? Go hard after Orlando Hudson and this team sets up a great top 3 for cleanup hitter Wright. Pitching and speed is the only formula for the Mets. Anything else is a waste of time and energy.

A serious synopsis soon to follow with team by team needs and player recommendations within the coming days.

R.I.P. One of baseball's top managers passed away this week. Sparky Anderson. My all time favorite manager guided one of the most celebrated teams nicknamed "The Big Red Machine." 1970's Cincinnati Reds baseball featured Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster and Pete Rose. 1975-76 teams were considered one of the best of all time. Anderson also won the World Series guiding the 1984 Detroit Tigers. Sparky completed his 26 year career having managed 4030 games, recording 2194 wins, 1834 losses (.545) and 3 World Series titles.

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Razzie's Award: Derek Jeter Hams It Up

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-Digger's Daily-

Derek Jeter put on quite a performance Wednesday night in St. Petersburg. One of baseball's true good guys is taking a beating in sports pages nationwide after faking being hit by a pitch during a crucial game against Tampa Bay for the AL East division lead.

Let's set the scene. Top of the 7th. Derek Jeter batting vs Chad Quails. Jeter turns to bunt. Quails throws a heater inside. Jeter twists to get out of the way. During the live telecast, viewers initially thought Jeter was hit by the pitch near his left wrist. Home plate umpire Lance Barksdale immediately signals Jeter was hit. This is when Jeter started faking it. He keeled over in pain (or so we thought). New York's trainer rushed out of the Yanks dugout to tend to Jeter. Girardi soon followed. After a minute or two Jeter jogged to first.

Give Jeter the Golden Raspberry Award (Razzie). There really wasn't any need to over act (fake) getting hit to the extent displayed by one of baseball's all time good guys. Sports pages nationwide went on a tirade belittling what happened as replays clearly showed the ball hit the handle of Jeter's bat. Everyone on the field except the umpires knew Quails pitch hit the bat. The ball ricocheted off the bat deep onto the infield.

Jeter's at bat quickly became a game changer. Next batter up was Curtis Granderson who promptly cracked a go ahead two run home run over the right field fence. Tampa came back to win on Dan Johnson's second two run homer but the talk of the town wasn't the Rays win or sole possession of first place... it was all about Jeter's razzie.

Comments ranging from "Jeter's a Cheater" to you name it were thrown around as if DJ was Jose Canseco. Not the case. Did he over act? Absolutely. He probably should have just jogged down to first instead of pretending to be hurt. How many times have we witnessed batters hit but umps missed the call? Plenty. How many times have we witnessed batters faking it who were never hit? Plenty. So when a baseball umpire says "Take your base"... take it.

Derek's only fault was over acting. NOT the fact he took first base. The state of professional media elites these days is to castigate anyone and everyone. The baffling part is why Derek Jeter? Here's a guy who plays by the rules. A humanitarian. One of the few players interacting with fans at home and on the road. Never a bad word spoken of him by players, coaches or umps during a storied career. A true professional who plays through pain. No boozing it up stories. No drug abuse. No groping stewardesses. No steroids. No arrests, gunshot wounds, rapes, reckless driving, DWI, foul mouthed tirades or disrespect of America's favorite pastime. Perhaps, this act gave reporters ammo they've long searched to "create".

Make fun of his performance if you wish. He deserves a ribbing in good fun. Lay off the personal attacks. Jeter did nothing to warrant condemnation from pencil scribblers who probably never played an inning in their lives. Instead of celebrating felonious thugs masquerading as athletes how about cutting a good guy a break?


(www.allworldallsports.com)

Baseball's All Star All Stars

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-Digger's Daily-

Have you taken time to vote for your favorite selections of baseball's All Star Game yet? If not, set aside a few minutes to visit MLB.com. As the Mid Summer Classic draws near, All World All Sports decided to have a little fun by assembling a list of All Star All Stars. The following list is comprised mostly of players selected to participate in at least 10 games. All listed had productive All Star Game results. DH selection is for entertainment purposes only since it didn't exist before 1973.

"All World All Sports All Star All Stars"
1B - Steve Garvey (LAD/SD) - 10 time All Star. .393 BA, 1.255 OPS, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR.
2B- Charlie Gehringer (DET) - 29 plate appearances (10-20), .500 BA, .655 OBA.
3B - George Brett (KC) - Perhaps the toughest selection based on lack of standout hot corner ASG performances. Batted .292
SS - Derek Jeter (NYY) - .429 BA, 1.074 OPS for Yankees captain.
OF - Willie Mays (NYG/SF) - The "Say Hey Kid" shined. 23-75 (.307), 2 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 20 Runs.
OF - Ted Williams (BOS) - Teddy Ballgame played in 18 ASG, 1.091 OPS, .304 BA, 4 HR (tied for 2nd most), 12 RBI ranks #1.
OF - Fred Lynn (BOS/LAA) - .308 BA, 1.204 OPS, 4 HR (tied for 2nd), 10 RBI (tied for 2nd), 1st ever ASG grand slam.
C - Gary Carter (MON/NYM) - 2 All Star MVP Awards.
DH - Stan Musial (STL) - .317 BA, 1.029 OPS & most HR in ASG history 6.
SP- Don Drysdale (LAD) - 2-1, 1.40, most ASG IP (19.3), most ASG strikeouts (19), 2nd most wins (2, tied), 2nd most games (8, tied).
CL - Mariano Rivera (NYY) Shines in prime time. All Star record 4 Saves (8 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.625 WHIP).

Yankee Legends Set Longevity Record

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-Digger's Daily-

Babe Ruth. Joe DiMaggio. Mickey Mantle. Whitey Ford. Ron Guidry. Thurman Munson. The New York Yankees are sports most storied and successful franchise. 2010 marks a new accomplishment for the record books.

For the first time in major professional sports history (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) a trio of teammates have now played together for 16 consecutive seasons. Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada & Mariano Rivera. In today's age of free agency and players changing teams at the drop of a hat, this is quite an accomplishment. Had the Yanks not let Andy Pettitte go play for Houston, this trio would have been a quartet.

Yankees baseball is full of tremendous records. Joe D's 56 game hitting streak. Babe's 60 home run season (he hit more than the rest of AL combined). Maris' 61. 27 Championships.
Love 'em or hate' em, there's never been anything on the scale of Yankees baseball.

Non-Roids All Stars

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-Digger's Daily-

Baseball's steroids issues aren't going away anytime soon. Mark McGwire's recent admission re-ignited the swirling controversy of one of baseball's biggest black eyes. Many steroid era players are now eligible for Hall of Fame consideration. They're going to have a tough time gaining admittance, rightfully so.

Who were some of the good guys during this deviant time? One by one, guilt by association seems to rule the day. Here's my Non-Roids All Stars based on players not mentioned in the nasty controversy. It wasn't an easy task since most are now under a cloud of suspicion. Here's what I came up with...

1B- Fred McGriff
2B- Roberto Alomar
3B- Cal Ripken, Jr.
SS- Derek Jeter
OF- Tony Gwynn
OF- Ken Griffey, Jr.
OF- Paul O'Neill
DH- Bernie Williams
C- Charles Johnson
SP- Greg Maddux
RP- Mariano Rivera

Let's hope this select group of baseball good guys names remain free and clear of PED suspicions.

MLB MVP Races Part II

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-Digger's Daily-

Pennant fever is in full swing. Each year a handful of players turn it on during baseball's final month. Determining MVP winners brings about many philosophical considerations and one never knows how a votes will be cast. What does MVP mean has been subject of many debates. Will the player with best statistics win? Will the award go to a player who helps his team win the most games? How will personal popularity (or negativity) figure into things? Ted Williams once lost out on MVP honors due to a sportswriter from his home town refusing to vote for him. Talk about being spiteful.

Here's my short list of American League candidates heading into baseball's final month. All have their merits.

Joe Mauer (MIN) - Mauer's one of the main reasons Minnesota still has a shot at qualifying for the playoffs. He's been on fire nearly all season long. Stunning stat line for a catcher - .367 BA, 25 HR, 79 RBI, 1.044 OPS. Not a single month batting below .300 and playing excellent defense. He's lived up to projected star status. MVP profile will increase with a strong September finish.

Miguel Cabrera (DET) - He's been Detroit's biggest offensive weapon all year long. .335, 30 2B, 27 HR, 82 RBI, .962 OPS. A pure hitter who fears no pitcher. Not even as a green rookie facing Roger Clemens in the 2003 World Series. He homered on the very next pitch after a high and tight Clemens brush back pitch. It's been all systems go since. He's a legit MVP candidate. Fate may rest on whether or not Detroit wins AL Central. As of now, Cabrera's my pick based on lack of a supporting cast. All other mentioned candidates have teammates enjoying big seasons at the dish. Not in Tigerland.

Derek Jeter (NYY) - Jeter has been the Yanks catalyst. As soon as he got hot in July, the Yankees started winning. Yanks now own baseball's best record and it coincides with Jeter's performance. He's about to become the Yanks all time leading hitter which speaks volumes of his historic career. .334, 94 R, 25 2B, 17 HR, 23 SB, career best .987 FP. Derek might get hurt in MVP selection by teammates receiving votes (Teixeira, Damon, Cano & Rivera).

Kendry Morales (LAA) - Morales is having a superb first full MLB season. LA has had multiple player injuries and Kendry has been the lineups mainstay. Stat line: .311, 34 2B, 30 HR, 94 RBI, .948 OPS. He's having a huge 2nd half helping LA maintain their AL West lead over Texas (.361, 15 HR, 39 games). He's red hot and if this keeps up in September play then don't be surprised if Morales walks away with MVP hardware.

As of this moment, these four represent my odds on favorites. If voting was held today, my pick for MVP goes to Miguel Cabrera or Derek Jeter (split). Keep an eye on these players too. All are deserving and could improve their chances with strong September results. Michael Young (TEX), Mark Teixeira (NYY), Robinson Cano (NYY), Johnny Damon (NYY), Kevin Youkilis (BOS), Justin Morneau (MIN) and Aaron Hill (TOR).

Stay tuned this week for my Cy Young candidates. Final MVP & Cy Young selections will be made once the 2009 season has completed.

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"The Yankee Years" - Joe Torre Swings Away!

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Sports Sections of the World

by Digger

Joe Torre comes out swinging in his new book about turmoil within the Yankees. Sunday's online edition of the New York Post (01/25/09) suggests Torre's "explosive" book gets a bit personal in attacks against Alex Rodriguez and GM Brian Cashman.

Leave it to the New York media types to create another controversy. NY reporting all state Torre's book is seems revenge filled. Interesting to then read ESPN excerpts stating:"... it's "inaccurate'' to suggest that Torre used it (book) as a forum to get even with the Yankees or settle old scores. The source said some of the controversial angles being reported in the New York tabloids have been taken out of context or "overblown."

According to ESPN, The Yankee Years, "... is a third-person narrative by Verducci (Sports Illustrated), who interviewed dozens of players and team personnel while researching for the book..."

As for the juicy tidbits, expect more and more as the book release date nears (February 3). Some of the highlights:-Alex "ARod" Rodriguez was called "A-Fraud" by teammates because of a "Single White female" obsession filled rivalry with team captain Derek Jeter. -GM Cashman criticized for not being supportive during contract negotiations just before Torre rejected a lame Yankees offer. -Team doctors informed owner George Steinbrenner of Torre's cancer diagnosis before telling Torre.

Anyone who remembers the Yankees-Torre relationship in the closing days knows it wasn't pretty. NY media hounded Torre and Yankees players. Often calling for Torre to be fired and replaced by Joe Girardi, Lou Piniella, Don Mattingly or Bobby Valentine. Yanks began 2007 slowly as the headlines roared before turning it on in mid-July. Their failure to win another World Series irked the Boss. They continued player shopping and handing out whopping contracts to players who turned to mud in October (ARod, Giambi, Randy Johnson). Outspoken Boss had publicly cut down coaches, most notably Don Zimmer and Mel Stottlemyre. The Yanks haven't been the same since their departure.

Before Joe took the helm, George Steinbrenner made 18 managerial changes since the Yanks last one a World Series (1978). In his first 5 seasons, Torre's Yankees won 4 Championships and were a perfect 12 for 12 qualifying for post-season play. Joe's best revenge, as the 2nd winningest manager in team history, was watching the 2008 Yankees fail to make the playoffs... and Torre's new team (LA Dodgers) won the National League West.

Torre had every legitimate reason to be disgruntled when regecting the Yankees lame one year incentive driven contract offer before agreeing to a multi-year deal to manage Los Angeles. 10 American League East Titles, 2 Wild Cards, 4 World Series Championships, 5 American League Championships. Results created Yankee Stadium attendance records, new television contracts and birth of YES Network, record mechandising sales, licensing fees, price increases etc. Guess what else his tutelage brought to NY? Millions of dollars in public financing for the "New" Yankee Stadium.

Torre's guidance resurrected a flailing Yankees Dynasty.

Until I get my hands on a copy of this book I'll choose to stay with my current impressions of Joe Torre no matter how the spin reads before release date. Don't forget, publishers are looking to sell books so don't get lost in the self created pre-release firestorm via juicy headlines. Joe deserves all the respect he's earned. He stayed relatively silent in public affording the Boss, fans, players and coaches all due respects. He guided a team surrounded by a media circus for over a decade. He was an inspiration during the aftermath of September 11. A cancer survivor. Philanthropist. Winner!

So, if Joe let off a little steam in a book... good for him. He lived through many New York storms. I'm certain "The Yankee Years" doesn't focus on negative chastising. At the same time, it'll be fun reading the behind the scenes stuff he never spoke of publicly while it was happening. A must read for Yankee fans. Intriguing read for millions of Yankees haters.