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The time has come to crown a new World Series Champion. Two proud franchises will go head to head. St. Louis Cardinals vs Boston Red Sox. NL's best team of 2013 vs AL's best team of 2013.
Boston & St. Louis are perfectly matched teams. Both teams feature clutch hitting, aggressive base running, solid defense, strong bullpens and solid managers. Each game will be tight. Here's a break down of what to expect.
Starting pitching. If there's an edge to be had in this Series it belongs to the Cardinals rotation. Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94), Michael Wacha (4-1, 2.78) & Joe Kelly (10-5, 2.69) are projected starters in first three games. Wainwright is as clutch as they come. Devastating variety of pitchers figure to keep Red Sox hitters off balance all night long. Wacha has been lights out this post-season going 3-0 while surrendering just 1 run in 21 innings. They will be going head to head up in Boston vs Jon Lester (15-8, 3.75) and John Lackey (10-13, 3.52). There's no margin for error in World Series play. Lester & Lackey need their A games. Edge: Cardinals
Lineups: Clutch hitting Adam Craig returns to Cards lineup after a 7 week absence. He'll DH in Games 1 & 2 and relegated to PH duties when games shift to St. Louis. Top to bottom both lineups are as tough as they come. Nearly all Cards hitters get it done in clutch situations. Boston features significantly more power and have been pretty clutch themselves this post-season. The games will boil down to whichever team is successful with situational hitting vs tough starting pitching. Question for Boston is who plays 1B in St. Louis? Napoli or Ortiz. Remember, no DH in NL park. Edge: Even.
Bullpens. Very strong relievers fill both bullpens. Cards have overall edge for middle relief and setup men while Boston's closer has been lights out (Uehara).
Weather factor: A factor seldom discussed when addressing World Series games. A cold front moved into Fenway this afternoon. Cold blustery weather forecast for Games 1 & 2 in Boston could effect pitcher's ball grip. This is somewhat significant as breaking ball may not bite sharply or pitchers susceptible to hanging one from time to time. 30 degree weather has arrived. A cold front is also expected in St. Louis. 50's daytime, 30's nighttime. Edge: even.
Managers: Red Sox have been running this season. Cards hit and run. These teams love their skippers. Both experts in situational substitutions from the pen and off the bench. Edge: Even
Defense: Better infield D belongs to Boston. OF & C (Molina) to St. Louis. Edge: Errors are huge in World Series play. Edge: Boston
Outlook: It boils down to Cardinals rotation vs hot Red Sox hitters. Napoli, Victorino & Ortiz have been clutch. Beltran padding record book. World Series has potential for an epic 7 games. Red Sox prevail, 4 games to 3.
Showing posts with label Boston Red Sox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston Red Sox. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Bobby Valentine to Red Sox
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-Digger's Daily-
Bobby Valentine has enjoyed celebrity status. ESPN's former baseball commentator's name was often mentioned whenever a managerial vacancy existed. His popularity rose to championship quality praise. Not bad for a fellow never to manage an American team to a division title. High praise to a former manager out of MLB since 2002.
Enter the Boston Red Sox. One of baseball's top organizations committed to winning. A team coming off a rough 2011 season filled with in-fighting, clubhouse drinking during games and a manager who suddenly quit. Terry Francona was at the helm for Boston's two World Series championships. He was the man who beat the Yankees and broke Boston's curse. Somewhere during the '11 season, Francona lost control of the Red Sox. Various injuries and terrible front office decisions (especially with starting pitching) could be largely to blame. Francona's sudden departure stunned many. He took Boston's bad season to heart. Perhaps, he realized Red Sox players didn't play with any? Perhaps he just wanted out at any cost. End of chapter.
A new page in Boston history is about to be written. GM Theo Epstein is gone - off to Chicago Cubs for millions of dollars. Francona out. New GM Ben Cherington is betting Bobby Valentine is the right man for the job. Question is - what kind of job will it become? A championship opportunity or caretaker for a rebuilding club?
Boston isn't necessarily rebuilding. Or, will they be forced to rebuild? Mostly due to over-inflated salaries of underachieving players. Carl Crawford's first stint in Boston was a complete failure ($20M+/year thru 2017). Lackey pitched like a drunk lackey without any consistency ($15.25M/year thru 2014). Daisuke Matsuzaka ($10M in '12) bombed. As of this moment, Boston has only 12 players signed costing $126,000,000.00! What will Boston due? Rebuilding in the mighty AL East will not be easy or cheap.
Bobby V steps right into the thick of things. Is he just a colorful caretaker until Boston finds a way to reclaim glory days of the 2000's? Or, is this team getting set for some serious wheeling and dealing? This team is carrying expensive dead weight which could curtail aggressive free agent maneuvers. Boston fans will soon find out the direction their team will take once baseball's winter meetings conclude.
Free agency is off to a very slow beginning. Maybe due to economic uncertainties? Maybe owners are finally realizing their players are way over paid? (doubt it). The silence of active free agent signings is slowly becoming deafening. Jose Reyes name was tossed about early on. Pujols to Chicago could be in the works. However, to this observer, a game of chicken seems in play. No teams making big offers to the coveted free agent pitchers. Not much discussion beyond scuttlebutt when it comes to position players. Something will give. I'm guess Epstein's Cubs will be the first to make headlines.
Bobby Valentine in Boston to help discipline a clubhouse drinking team is a bit funny. After all, when managing the Mets Valentines players were caught playing poker in the clubhouse during playoff series vs rival Braves. Bobby V was never known - or respected - as a tough taskmaster. Boston is rolling the dice with Valentine's happy go lucky attitude. I don't see it paying off. Valentine proved many times he's no match for bloated ego's of overpriced ballplayers. Red Sox fans will keep their collective fingers crossed hoping and praying a new face at the helm is all that's needed to restore winning ways.
The only good news seems to be Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury & Kevin Youkilis. These players represent the heart and sole of Boston Red Sox baseball. Boston's pitching is in shambles and should be primary focus #1 from rotation to relievers.
Newcomer's Valentine and Cherington have much work to do. 2012 is filled with vital challenges. Decisions made during this off season will have a lasting effect. Hold on Boston fans - turbulence expected.
-Digger's Daily-
Bobby Valentine has enjoyed celebrity status. ESPN's former baseball commentator's name was often mentioned whenever a managerial vacancy existed. His popularity rose to championship quality praise. Not bad for a fellow never to manage an American team to a division title. High praise to a former manager out of MLB since 2002.
Enter the Boston Red Sox. One of baseball's top organizations committed to winning. A team coming off a rough 2011 season filled with in-fighting, clubhouse drinking during games and a manager who suddenly quit. Terry Francona was at the helm for Boston's two World Series championships. He was the man who beat the Yankees and broke Boston's curse. Somewhere during the '11 season, Francona lost control of the Red Sox. Various injuries and terrible front office decisions (especially with starting pitching) could be largely to blame. Francona's sudden departure stunned many. He took Boston's bad season to heart. Perhaps, he realized Red Sox players didn't play with any? Perhaps he just wanted out at any cost. End of chapter.
A new page in Boston history is about to be written. GM Theo Epstein is gone - off to Chicago Cubs for millions of dollars. Francona out. New GM Ben Cherington is betting Bobby Valentine is the right man for the job. Question is - what kind of job will it become? A championship opportunity or caretaker for a rebuilding club?
Boston isn't necessarily rebuilding. Or, will they be forced to rebuild? Mostly due to over-inflated salaries of underachieving players. Carl Crawford's first stint in Boston was a complete failure ($20M+/year thru 2017). Lackey pitched like a drunk lackey without any consistency ($15.25M/year thru 2014). Daisuke Matsuzaka ($10M in '12) bombed. As of this moment, Boston has only 12 players signed costing $126,000,000.00! What will Boston due? Rebuilding in the mighty AL East will not be easy or cheap.
Bobby V steps right into the thick of things. Is he just a colorful caretaker until Boston finds a way to reclaim glory days of the 2000's? Or, is this team getting set for some serious wheeling and dealing? This team is carrying expensive dead weight which could curtail aggressive free agent maneuvers. Boston fans will soon find out the direction their team will take once baseball's winter meetings conclude.
Free agency is off to a very slow beginning. Maybe due to economic uncertainties? Maybe owners are finally realizing their players are way over paid? (doubt it). The silence of active free agent signings is slowly becoming deafening. Jose Reyes name was tossed about early on. Pujols to Chicago could be in the works. However, to this observer, a game of chicken seems in play. No teams making big offers to the coveted free agent pitchers. Not much discussion beyond scuttlebutt when it comes to position players. Something will give. I'm guess Epstein's Cubs will be the first to make headlines.
Bobby Valentine in Boston to help discipline a clubhouse drinking team is a bit funny. After all, when managing the Mets Valentines players were caught playing poker in the clubhouse during playoff series vs rival Braves. Bobby V was never known - or respected - as a tough taskmaster. Boston is rolling the dice with Valentine's happy go lucky attitude. I don't see it paying off. Valentine proved many times he's no match for bloated ego's of overpriced ballplayers. Red Sox fans will keep their collective fingers crossed hoping and praying a new face at the helm is all that's needed to restore winning ways.
The only good news seems to be Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury & Kevin Youkilis. These players represent the heart and sole of Boston Red Sox baseball. Boston's pitching is in shambles and should be primary focus #1 from rotation to relievers.
Newcomer's Valentine and Cherington have much work to do. 2012 is filled with vital challenges. Decisions made during this off season will have a lasting effect. Hold on Boston fans - turbulence expected.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
In Case You Missed It...
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-Digger's Daily-
MLB
In case you missed it... you missed a crazy day of games 162 in Major League Baseball. Mind numbing chokes by Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves players. It's a safe bet all Sox and Braves players, coaches, owners and fans are still cringing.
Boston's well documented history is filled with disappointments of the highest degree. One out from winning a World Series, selling Babe Ruth, failure after failure against hated rival New York Yankees and the list goes on. Curses? Chokes? Call it what you will. The era of failure was supposed to have ended during the steroid/human growth hormone era when the Red Sox rallied back from a 3 games to 0 - 2 outs in the 9th inning deficit - against New York back in 2004 on their way to a World Series championship. Remember? Well, the steroid era is over... and so too is Boston's short lived magic.
2011 featured a retooled Red Sox roster built to win. A star studded lineup and pitching staff ready to take aim at World Series glory. Boston had a 9 game lead in wild card standings in late August. Then came September. Boston lost 20 or their final 27 games. Last night's Game 162 was most devastating. They entered the day tied with Tampa for the American League's final playoff spot. Halfway through the evening Boston found themselves leading Baltimore 3-2 while Tampa was getting mauled by the Yankees 7-0 after 7 innings. Red Sox season soon to be vindicated by arch rival Yankees beating the Rays. Then the rains came to Baltimore. Before action resumed, Tampa had tied the Yankees in their last at bat. Moments later, Tampa won in 12 on a walk off home run by star 3B Evan Longoria (his 2nd of the game). Seconds later, Boston star closer Jonathan Papelbon gave up 3 hits and the Red Sox lost 4-3. Just like that - poof - Boston's season ended on a familiar note - a tragic defeat.
September 28 was remembered as a big day in Boston Red Sox history. It's the day Ted Williams went 6 for 8 in a double header marking baseball's last .400 hitter. Teddy Ballgame finished with a .406 batting average. He could have taken the day off (see below) but didn't. This crafty war veteran refused to finish with a .400 average by default. He went out there like a man and went for it. Williams was determined to hit .400 by earning it - not by sitting on his keester.
Well - now Teddy Ballgame has to share September 28 with the 2011 choke artist Red Sox!!!
Be careful what you wish for! And, how you shoot off your mouth. Boston players and fans publicly voiced how they'd never root for the Yankees even if it cost their team a shot at post-season play. Should we offer them a little salt for words now eaten? Yankees dropped 3 straight to the Rays as Boston was humiliated by Baltimore!
One of baseball's most coveted free agents after last season was Carl Crawford who eventually signed a 7 year $142million contract with Boston. His defense during the final week of the season was horrendous including failing to catch Baltimore's game winning hit last night. His hitting this season was terrible too. Boston's loss wasn't all Carl's fault. It was a total team collapse - especially by their tired and over worked bullpen.
--
It isn't often a home town batting champion gets booed when leaving the field of play. That's exactly what happened to NL batting champ Jose Reyes. The Mets oft injured free agent to be star bunted for a single to raise his abbreviated season average to .337 before requesting to be taken out of the game to preserve the title. Reyes was showered with disbelieving New York jeers at CitiField. Not quite Ted Williams-esque style of playing. New York's entire organization was ridiculed all season long from front office/ownership woes to their 3rd consecutive losing season and fourth place finish. Reyes, instead of playing out the game like a man, walked off the field like a spoiled child no longer wanting to play. This may be his last season in a Mets uniform. Die-hard fans deserved better from a player spending as much time in a trainers room as he does at shortstop.
--
Atlanta Braves were eliminated from playoff contention losing 8 of 10 including their final five games. The Braves seemed like a lock to win the Wild Card before their season unraveled. Not often does a Braves team fall to pieces. This one did. Another team effort in a losing cause. 18 September losses will be hard to swallow for players and fans. Atlanta was swept away by the Phillies at home by failing to record 3 9th inning outs guarding a 3-2 lead. Perhaps the Braves vs Red Sox choker series is in order?
--
MVP's and Cy Young candidate break down & predictions coming soon. AL Cy Young is a lock for Justin Verlander of Detroit (24-5, 2.40 - 0.92 WHIP). NL Cy Young might be a lock to for Clayton Kershaw of Dodgers (21-5, 2.28 - 0.98 WHIP). Plenty of discussion surrounding AL & NL MVP's. Check back soon for complete synopsis.
-Digger's Daily-
MLB
In case you missed it... you missed a crazy day of games 162 in Major League Baseball. Mind numbing chokes by Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves players. It's a safe bet all Sox and Braves players, coaches, owners and fans are still cringing.
Boston's well documented history is filled with disappointments of the highest degree. One out from winning a World Series, selling Babe Ruth, failure after failure against hated rival New York Yankees and the list goes on. Curses? Chokes? Call it what you will. The era of failure was supposed to have ended during the steroid/human growth hormone era when the Red Sox rallied back from a 3 games to 0 - 2 outs in the 9th inning deficit - against New York back in 2004 on their way to a World Series championship. Remember? Well, the steroid era is over... and so too is Boston's short lived magic.
2011 featured a retooled Red Sox roster built to win. A star studded lineup and pitching staff ready to take aim at World Series glory. Boston had a 9 game lead in wild card standings in late August. Then came September. Boston lost 20 or their final 27 games. Last night's Game 162 was most devastating. They entered the day tied with Tampa for the American League's final playoff spot. Halfway through the evening Boston found themselves leading Baltimore 3-2 while Tampa was getting mauled by the Yankees 7-0 after 7 innings. Red Sox season soon to be vindicated by arch rival Yankees beating the Rays. Then the rains came to Baltimore. Before action resumed, Tampa had tied the Yankees in their last at bat. Moments later, Tampa won in 12 on a walk off home run by star 3B Evan Longoria (his 2nd of the game). Seconds later, Boston star closer Jonathan Papelbon gave up 3 hits and the Red Sox lost 4-3. Just like that - poof - Boston's season ended on a familiar note - a tragic defeat.
September 28 was remembered as a big day in Boston Red Sox history. It's the day Ted Williams went 6 for 8 in a double header marking baseball's last .400 hitter. Teddy Ballgame finished with a .406 batting average. He could have taken the day off (see below) but didn't. This crafty war veteran refused to finish with a .400 average by default. He went out there like a man and went for it. Williams was determined to hit .400 by earning it - not by sitting on his keester.
Well - now Teddy Ballgame has to share September 28 with the 2011 choke artist Red Sox!!!
Be careful what you wish for! And, how you shoot off your mouth. Boston players and fans publicly voiced how they'd never root for the Yankees even if it cost their team a shot at post-season play. Should we offer them a little salt for words now eaten? Yankees dropped 3 straight to the Rays as Boston was humiliated by Baltimore!
One of baseball's most coveted free agents after last season was Carl Crawford who eventually signed a 7 year $142million contract with Boston. His defense during the final week of the season was horrendous including failing to catch Baltimore's game winning hit last night. His hitting this season was terrible too. Boston's loss wasn't all Carl's fault. It was a total team collapse - especially by their tired and over worked bullpen.
--
It isn't often a home town batting champion gets booed when leaving the field of play. That's exactly what happened to NL batting champ Jose Reyes. The Mets oft injured free agent to be star bunted for a single to raise his abbreviated season average to .337 before requesting to be taken out of the game to preserve the title. Reyes was showered with disbelieving New York jeers at CitiField. Not quite Ted Williams-esque style of playing. New York's entire organization was ridiculed all season long from front office/ownership woes to their 3rd consecutive losing season and fourth place finish. Reyes, instead of playing out the game like a man, walked off the field like a spoiled child no longer wanting to play. This may be his last season in a Mets uniform. Die-hard fans deserved better from a player spending as much time in a trainers room as he does at shortstop.
--
Atlanta Braves were eliminated from playoff contention losing 8 of 10 including their final five games. The Braves seemed like a lock to win the Wild Card before their season unraveled. Not often does a Braves team fall to pieces. This one did. Another team effort in a losing cause. 18 September losses will be hard to swallow for players and fans. Atlanta was swept away by the Phillies at home by failing to record 3 9th inning outs guarding a 3-2 lead. Perhaps the Braves vs Red Sox choker series is in order?
--
MVP's and Cy Young candidate break down & predictions coming soon. AL Cy Young is a lock for Justin Verlander of Detroit (24-5, 2.40 - 0.92 WHIP). NL Cy Young might be a lock to for Clayton Kershaw of Dodgers (21-5, 2.28 - 0.98 WHIP). Plenty of discussion surrounding AL & NL MVP's. Check back soon for complete synopsis.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Yanks Fake out Red Sox in Crawford Sweepstakes!
Catch up on sports headlines, links to your favorite sports, teams & recreational activities - Visit - "All World All Sports"
-Digger's Daily-
Chalk one up in New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman's win column. ESPN reports Cashman intentionally attempted driving up the price of coveted free agent Carl Crawford.
When it comes to Yankees vs Red Sox rivalry - the war goes far beyond game results. Remember Babe Ruth being sold by Boston to New York? Curse of the Bambino covered generations of players and fans. Only during the steroid era did the curse end. Not even the immortal Babe Ruth's ghost was strong enough to overpower steroids/HGH. No, I'm not suggesting Boston won because their players used HGH. Only stating coincidences - nearly the entire league was juicing.
If Cashman's story rings true then the ploy worked to perfection. When it comes to signing the top players New York and Boston often start bidding wars. I'm sure Boston takes credit for driving up a few prices too. In the win now generation - Cashman's move is looking sweeter due to Boston's late season failures and a sub-par season from their star free agent.
Crawford was one of the biggest free agent names heading into 2011. Nearly every team wanted his services. One of baseball's top outfielders. A true five tool player. Everyone thought - probably Crawford too - adding his bat to an already monster lineup would provide huge dividends. Crawford's talent is a welcomed addition to any team. It hasn't worked out as expected. Perhaps Carl was trying to prove his worth - $141,000,000 7 year contract? We've witnessed many players struggling to adjust in new surroundings.
Cashman recently let the cat out of the bag...
This weekend's series figures to be an all out war between two intense rivals filled with plenty of hatred and bench clearing brawl experiences.
-Digger's Daily-
Chalk one up in New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman's win column. ESPN reports Cashman intentionally attempted driving up the price of coveted free agent Carl Crawford.
When it comes to Yankees vs Red Sox rivalry - the war goes far beyond game results. Remember Babe Ruth being sold by Boston to New York? Curse of the Bambino covered generations of players and fans. Only during the steroid era did the curse end. Not even the immortal Babe Ruth's ghost was strong enough to overpower steroids/HGH. No, I'm not suggesting Boston won because their players used HGH. Only stating coincidences - nearly the entire league was juicing.
If Cashman's story rings true then the ploy worked to perfection. When it comes to signing the top players New York and Boston often start bidding wars. I'm sure Boston takes credit for driving up a few prices too. In the win now generation - Cashman's move is looking sweeter due to Boston's late season failures and a sub-par season from their star free agent.
Crawford was one of the biggest free agent names heading into 2011. Nearly every team wanted his services. One of baseball's top outfielders. A true five tool player. Everyone thought - probably Crawford too - adding his bat to an already monster lineup would provide huge dividends. Crawford's talent is a welcomed addition to any team. It hasn't worked out as expected. Perhaps Carl was trying to prove his worth - $141,000,000 7 year contract? We've witnessed many players struggling to adjust in new surroundings.
Cashman recently let the cat out of the bag...
"I actually had dinner with the agent to pretend that we were actually involved and drive the price up," Cashman said. "The outfield wasn't an area of need, but everybody kept writing Crawford, Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. And I was like, 'I feel like we've got Carl Crawford in Brett Gardner, except he costs more than $100 million less, with less experience.' "Perfect timing as Boston - one time AL East division leaders - are free falling. Their one time 9 game wild card lead now stands at 2. Crawford's former team Tampa Bay and Los Angeles Angels are coming on strong. Boston plays a 3 game set beginning tonight in rain soaked New York. Yanks have a chance to knock out the Sox. Yankees are 2011 AL East Champions. Boston is clinging onto a slim two game Wild Card lead. Maybe Cashman's words rejuvenate an under performing arch rival setting the stage for another epic post-season battle?
This weekend's series figures to be an all out war between two intense rivals filled with plenty of hatred and bench clearing brawl experiences.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Red Sox Nation Loyal to a Fault?
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A proud Boston Red Sox Nation is in a state of disbelief. On August 31, Boston beat their most hated rivals (New York Yankees) 9-5 to close out the month leading the AL East. Boston's 83-52 record was best in American League baseball. They held a 1.5 game lead over 2nd place Yankees - and 9 games ahead of Tampa Bay. August success quickly transformed into September misery. Fan cheers slowly became thundering boo's as the Red Sox lost 15 of 20 September games heading into tonight's action vs Baltimore.
Boston had a shot at redeeming their season when they went head to head against Tampa Bay for 7 games in an 9 game stretch. It wasn't to be as Tampa bested Boston in 6 of 7. Red Sox schedule still looked promising when all else was bleak. Baltimore was coming to Fenway for four while Tampa Bay traveled to New York. A couple of Red Sox victories coupled with Rays losses could help widen their slim Wild Card lead.
Could it be Boston fans would be scoreboard watching and cheering Yankees victories over Tampa Bay?
Not a chance!
Red Sox Nation wants nothing to do with rooting for the Yankees even if it helps their beloved Boston team. Not now. Not ever. No chance. No how. It doesn't matter Tampa plays New York 7 times over the season's final 9 days. Sox fans want absolutely nothing to do with rooting for Yankees victories to help out their team. Does this qualify as fan loyalty or fan foolishness? It's loyalty - perhaps to a fault.
Boston needs all the help they can get. It isn't coming from winning. Boston's bullpen no longer gets out hitters in key situations. Fielding is iffy at best. Batters producing runs. Just not enough to offset weakening pitching. Baltimore's won 2 of 3 so far (last game of 4 game series tonight). Yanks just took their 2nd game over Tampa this afternoon. There's still no love for the hated Yankees - even when Yankees victories help Boston maintain a slim Wild Card lead.
It gets worse for Boston fans. Red Sox take their losing ways a few miles south to the Big Apple for a three game set beginning Friday night. Yankees just clinched a playoff birth today. Yanks manager Girardi would love to rest tired starters. Don't bet on it happening against Boston when playoff baseball is on the line for two division rivals. Yanks will throw the kitchen sink at a chance to knock Boston out of post-season action.
This is baseball. End of season pennant fever. It doesn't get any better than this - unless you reside in Boston.
I have to tip my hat to Red Sox fans for not wanting to root for New York under any circumstances. It's all about Boston Red Sox players winning without help. I get it - never root for your arch rivals. Simply put - either Boston wins & they're in - or lose and go home. It really doesn't matter if hated New York wins or loses.
Boston controls their own destiny. Nobody knows this better than Red Sox players. Get ready for a fantastic final week of MLB 2011.
-Digger's Daily-
A proud Boston Red Sox Nation is in a state of disbelief. On August 31, Boston beat their most hated rivals (New York Yankees) 9-5 to close out the month leading the AL East. Boston's 83-52 record was best in American League baseball. They held a 1.5 game lead over 2nd place Yankees - and 9 games ahead of Tampa Bay. August success quickly transformed into September misery. Fan cheers slowly became thundering boo's as the Red Sox lost 15 of 20 September games heading into tonight's action vs Baltimore.
Boston had a shot at redeeming their season when they went head to head against Tampa Bay for 7 games in an 9 game stretch. It wasn't to be as Tampa bested Boston in 6 of 7. Red Sox schedule still looked promising when all else was bleak. Baltimore was coming to Fenway for four while Tampa Bay traveled to New York. A couple of Red Sox victories coupled with Rays losses could help widen their slim Wild Card lead.
Could it be Boston fans would be scoreboard watching and cheering Yankees victories over Tampa Bay?
Not a chance!
Red Sox Nation wants nothing to do with rooting for the Yankees even if it helps their beloved Boston team. Not now. Not ever. No chance. No how. It doesn't matter Tampa plays New York 7 times over the season's final 9 days. Sox fans want absolutely nothing to do with rooting for Yankees victories to help out their team. Does this qualify as fan loyalty or fan foolishness? It's loyalty - perhaps to a fault.
Boston needs all the help they can get. It isn't coming from winning. Boston's bullpen no longer gets out hitters in key situations. Fielding is iffy at best. Batters producing runs. Just not enough to offset weakening pitching. Baltimore's won 2 of 3 so far (last game of 4 game series tonight). Yanks just took their 2nd game over Tampa this afternoon. There's still no love for the hated Yankees - even when Yankees victories help Boston maintain a slim Wild Card lead.
It gets worse for Boston fans. Red Sox take their losing ways a few miles south to the Big Apple for a three game set beginning Friday night. Yankees just clinched a playoff birth today. Yanks manager Girardi would love to rest tired starters. Don't bet on it happening against Boston when playoff baseball is on the line for two division rivals. Yanks will throw the kitchen sink at a chance to knock Boston out of post-season action.
This is baseball. End of season pennant fever. It doesn't get any better than this - unless you reside in Boston.
I have to tip my hat to Red Sox fans for not wanting to root for New York under any circumstances. It's all about Boston Red Sox players winning without help. I get it - never root for your arch rivals. Simply put - either Boston wins & they're in - or lose and go home. It really doesn't matter if hated New York wins or loses.
Boston controls their own destiny. Nobody knows this better than Red Sox players. Get ready for a fantastic final week of MLB 2011.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Rays, Red Sox Winless
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-Digger's Daily-
Early season blues biting AL East favorites Tampa Bay and Boston. General managers from both clubs kept busy during the off-season re-arranging their rosters. The pieces are slow to gel.
AL East is on it's head from a year ago. Boston and Tampa dead last (0-5). Baltimore and Toronto tied for first (4-1) as Yanks (3-2) stay close behind. Hometown newspapers buzzing loudly as poor play rules the day.
No need for panic. It's only the first week of a new season. Tell it to the fans. Manny Ramirez already hearing boo-birds. Sox papers calling their heroes woeful. Offenses for both clubs sputtering. Tampa's notched 7 runs in 5 games. B.J. Upton (.333) represents the only starter batting over .176. Boston's plated an unimpressive 16 while pitchers battered for 37 against (8.16 ERA).
Everyone expects winning ways to bless these teams. Good news for Boston. They're about to begin a 10 game home stand against division rivals. New York (3), Tampa (3) & Toronto come to town. Sox pitchers better bring their A games against powerhouse Yanks and Jays. Tampa has a very tough stretch coming up. Four games in Chicago before heading to Boston (3). Things won't get any easier if the Rays keep losing. Minnesota comes to town for four followed by a four game rematch against Chicago.
2011 getting late early? Time will tell.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
-Digger's Daily-
Early season blues biting AL East favorites Tampa Bay and Boston. General managers from both clubs kept busy during the off-season re-arranging their rosters. The pieces are slow to gel.
AL East is on it's head from a year ago. Boston and Tampa dead last (0-5). Baltimore and Toronto tied for first (4-1) as Yanks (3-2) stay close behind. Hometown newspapers buzzing loudly as poor play rules the day.
No need for panic. It's only the first week of a new season. Tell it to the fans. Manny Ramirez already hearing boo-birds. Sox papers calling their heroes woeful. Offenses for both clubs sputtering. Tampa's notched 7 runs in 5 games. B.J. Upton (.333) represents the only starter batting over .176. Boston's plated an unimpressive 16 while pitchers battered for 37 against (8.16 ERA).
Everyone expects winning ways to bless these teams. Good news for Boston. They're about to begin a 10 game home stand against division rivals. New York (3), Tampa (3) & Toronto come to town. Sox pitchers better bring their A games against powerhouse Yanks and Jays. Tampa has a very tough stretch coming up. Four games in Chicago before heading to Boston (3). Things won't get any easier if the Rays keep losing. Minnesota comes to town for four followed by a four game rematch against Chicago.
2011 getting late early? Time will tell.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
In Case You Missed It....
Visit "All World All Sports"
So much for February being a quiet month for sports news. Major happenings from coast to coast. Here's my highlighted version just in case you blinked or asleep at the wheel...
NBA
Look out, here come the New York Knicks. They pulled off the trade of the season in a blockbuster 3 team deal with Denver & Minnesota. Knicks landed Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman. Knicks gave up a kings ransom for instant bliss. Denver may not be an immediate winner after this deal but their future is bright. New York dealt forwards Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, guard Raymond Felton and center Timofey Mozgov to the Nuggets. New York also shipped centers Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph to Minnesota for forward Corey Brewer. Denver acquired center Kosta Koufos from Minnesota, plus New York's first-round draft pick in 2014, second-round picks in 2012 and 2013 and cash.
So where do the Knicks stand now? Exuberant New Yorkers expecting Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire to immediately dominate. Not so fast. The new look Knicks need to gel first. Playoffs will happen. A title? One never knows how playoff hoops will unfold. New players need play better defense than their predecessors. If everything goes according to plan, Knicks will be top contenders. New York is now loaded with talent. Hungry to win. Time to put it together. Knicks will be a force for years to come. Doom and gloom days soon to become a distant memory in rear view mirror.
New Jersey Nets quickly followed suit with a trade of their own. After publicly ridiculing the Carmelo experience, Nets management re focused and pulled off a big deal. The Nets will send Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations to Utah for All-Star point guard Deron Williams. Nets have a very long climb to respectability. This was a first good step.
MLB
Spring training in full speed. Regular season baseball is less than one month away from opening day. Early injury news struck hard in St. Louis with the Cards losing dominant starting pitcher Adam Wainwright for 2011 (Tommy John surgery).
Carlos Beltran will be the Mets new RF. Knee injuries created limited range for Carlos and opened the door for Angel Pagan. Pagan becomes New York's every day CF. New York remains clouded in controversy as team owners face a stiff lawsuit resulting from their involvement with Bernie Madoff. News reports this morning suggest Mets brass aggressively pursuing loans. MLB reported they loaned New York $25 million last year to help the team cover payroll. Mets have continuously denied cash flow problems. It's time for the Wilpon's & Katz' to sell this franchise before they do any more harm to a team within one pitch of the World Series only a few short seasons ago.
Boston manager Terry Francona performed near miracles keeping the Sox in contention most of last year. Injuries popped up at almost every position. Yesterday, ace Josh Beckett got nailed in the head during spring drills.
NFL
Yes or No? Football in 2011 or not. It's owners vs players. NFL Players Association and owners seem destined for an ugly showdown. Believe what you want but both sides are nuts. In January the NFLPA filed a motion of collusion against the owners. Good luck. Owners clearly in the drivers seat here. Players griping owners making too much money, players not enough. They're fooling themselves. NFLPA may try a tactic to decertify before the current bargaining agreement expires Thursday night. It's a gamble. Both sides seem very far apart. What exactly to the players seek to gain? Owners holding all the cards. NFLPA has no muscle in this issue.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
-Digger's Daily-
So much for February being a quiet month for sports news. Major happenings from coast to coast. Here's my highlighted version just in case you blinked or asleep at the wheel...
NBA
Look out, here come the New York Knicks. They pulled off the trade of the season in a blockbuster 3 team deal with Denver & Minnesota. Knicks landed Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman. Knicks gave up a kings ransom for instant bliss. Denver may not be an immediate winner after this deal but their future is bright. New York dealt forwards Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, guard Raymond Felton and center Timofey Mozgov to the Nuggets. New York also shipped centers Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph to Minnesota for forward Corey Brewer. Denver acquired center Kosta Koufos from Minnesota, plus New York's first-round draft pick in 2014, second-round picks in 2012 and 2013 and cash.
So where do the Knicks stand now? Exuberant New Yorkers expecting Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire to immediately dominate. Not so fast. The new look Knicks need to gel first. Playoffs will happen. A title? One never knows how playoff hoops will unfold. New players need play better defense than their predecessors. If everything goes according to plan, Knicks will be top contenders. New York is now loaded with talent. Hungry to win. Time to put it together. Knicks will be a force for years to come. Doom and gloom days soon to become a distant memory in rear view mirror.
New Jersey Nets quickly followed suit with a trade of their own. After publicly ridiculing the Carmelo experience, Nets management re focused and pulled off a big deal. The Nets will send Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations to Utah for All-Star point guard Deron Williams. Nets have a very long climb to respectability. This was a first good step.
MLB
Spring training in full speed. Regular season baseball is less than one month away from opening day. Early injury news struck hard in St. Louis with the Cards losing dominant starting pitcher Adam Wainwright for 2011 (Tommy John surgery).
Carlos Beltran will be the Mets new RF. Knee injuries created limited range for Carlos and opened the door for Angel Pagan. Pagan becomes New York's every day CF. New York remains clouded in controversy as team owners face a stiff lawsuit resulting from their involvement with Bernie Madoff. News reports this morning suggest Mets brass aggressively pursuing loans. MLB reported they loaned New York $25 million last year to help the team cover payroll. Mets have continuously denied cash flow problems. It's time for the Wilpon's & Katz' to sell this franchise before they do any more harm to a team within one pitch of the World Series only a few short seasons ago.
Boston manager Terry Francona performed near miracles keeping the Sox in contention most of last year. Injuries popped up at almost every position. Yesterday, ace Josh Beckett got nailed in the head during spring drills.
NFL
Yes or No? Football in 2011 or not. It's owners vs players. NFL Players Association and owners seem destined for an ugly showdown. Believe what you want but both sides are nuts. In January the NFLPA filed a motion of collusion against the owners. Good luck. Owners clearly in the drivers seat here. Players griping owners making too much money, players not enough. They're fooling themselves. NFLPA may try a tactic to decertify before the current bargaining agreement expires Thursday night. It's a gamble. Both sides seem very far apart. What exactly to the players seek to gain? Owners holding all the cards. NFLPA has no muscle in this issue.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Friday, December 10, 2010
East Beast: Boston Red Sox Bulking Up!
Visit "All World All Sports"
Baseball in Boston has quickly become a hot topic. GM Theo Epstein is one of the games best. He weaved a little magic and waived big bucks to bulk up the Red Sox with two of baseball's brightest stars. First, Boston traded for Padres first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Next up, take aim at Carl Crawford who recently spent time with Yankees GM Brian Cashman. A soon to be announced $140M contract instantly transforms Boston's lineup into a serious juggernaut. Cashman was even quoted as saying "Great move. Great player." The most important factor is Gonzalez (28) enters his prime baseball years. For the first time he now has solid lineup protection. Imagine the stats he'll register in AL East hitter friendly parks. Crawford is in his prime. Epstein locked up 2 premier players for years to come. Yanks are offering Lee a mega deal. It's anyone's guess where he'll pitch. If Boston stretches its' piggy bank???
There's one player not many are taking notice of due to the flurry of recent activity. In the midst of Dunn signing with White Sox, Pena now a Cub, Hardy traded to Baltimore, Uggla in Atlanta, Gonzalez, Crawford... here's a move which might shift AL East balance this year. Catcher Russell Martin. Boston let Martinez go to free up free agent cash. Varitek is a fan favorite but is relegated to backup duties and Jarrod Saltalamacchia isn't a producer. Martin is a perfect fit in Fenway. Boston would also handicap the Yankees. Yanks want to play it safe by landing Martin. Posada is the new DH and Girardi must be a bit nervous handing the catching duties to a rookie in '11. Martin is a good fit for the Yanks and others. Expect a Yankees vs Red Sox free agent war to erupt at any moment. Yanks desperately need pitching. What will they do if Lee spurns a mega deal to play for his favorite team? I'd bet he picks a team before Sunday.
Boston and New York aren't the only East teams getting busy. A chess match is in progress. Questions surround Tampa in my mind. A great club playing winning baseball could barely draw fans to home games until late last season. It's going to hurt their spending power as evidenced by Crawford's departure. Curious eye should pay attention to see how they respond to a significant divisional power shift. Baltimore is quietly solidifying their underachieving club. A healthy J.J. Hardy couldn't have landed in a better short porch division for putting up some nice power numbers. Brendan Harris was part of the deal too as the O's try plugging a few gaps. Toronto has a new manager. John Farrell takes over as Blue Jays skipper replacing everyone's favorite, Cito Gaston. Jays will probably spend wisely, not wildly.
AL East baseball is heating up in dead of winter!
Boston clear early winners acquiring rising stars. Yankees busy re-signing aging veterans. Tampa hoping pitching prevails. Baltimore and Toronto sharing Cinderella status. Stay tuned for breaking free agent announcements... it's going to be a busy few weeks of player signings. No one wants to get left out in the cold like last season. Plenty of careers came to screeching halts in the winter of 2009. Can you guess (remember) their names? Didn't think so.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
-Digger's Daily-
Baseball in Boston has quickly become a hot topic. GM Theo Epstein is one of the games best. He weaved a little magic and waived big bucks to bulk up the Red Sox with two of baseball's brightest stars. First, Boston traded for Padres first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Next up, take aim at Carl Crawford who recently spent time with Yankees GM Brian Cashman. A soon to be announced $140M contract instantly transforms Boston's lineup into a serious juggernaut. Cashman was even quoted as saying "Great move. Great player." The most important factor is Gonzalez (28) enters his prime baseball years. For the first time he now has solid lineup protection. Imagine the stats he'll register in AL East hitter friendly parks. Crawford is in his prime. Epstein locked up 2 premier players for years to come. Yanks are offering Lee a mega deal. It's anyone's guess where he'll pitch. If Boston stretches its' piggy bank???
There's one player not many are taking notice of due to the flurry of recent activity. In the midst of Dunn signing with White Sox, Pena now a Cub, Hardy traded to Baltimore, Uggla in Atlanta, Gonzalez, Crawford... here's a move which might shift AL East balance this year. Catcher Russell Martin. Boston let Martinez go to free up free agent cash. Varitek is a fan favorite but is relegated to backup duties and Jarrod Saltalamacchia isn't a producer. Martin is a perfect fit in Fenway. Boston would also handicap the Yankees. Yanks want to play it safe by landing Martin. Posada is the new DH and Girardi must be a bit nervous handing the catching duties to a rookie in '11. Martin is a good fit for the Yanks and others. Expect a Yankees vs Red Sox free agent war to erupt at any moment. Yanks desperately need pitching. What will they do if Lee spurns a mega deal to play for his favorite team? I'd bet he picks a team before Sunday.
Boston and New York aren't the only East teams getting busy. A chess match is in progress. Questions surround Tampa in my mind. A great club playing winning baseball could barely draw fans to home games until late last season. It's going to hurt their spending power as evidenced by Crawford's departure. Curious eye should pay attention to see how they respond to a significant divisional power shift. Baltimore is quietly solidifying their underachieving club. A healthy J.J. Hardy couldn't have landed in a better short porch division for putting up some nice power numbers. Brendan Harris was part of the deal too as the O's try plugging a few gaps. Toronto has a new manager. John Farrell takes over as Blue Jays skipper replacing everyone's favorite, Cito Gaston. Jays will probably spend wisely, not wildly.
AL East baseball is heating up in dead of winter!
Boston clear early winners acquiring rising stars. Yankees busy re-signing aging veterans. Tampa hoping pitching prevails. Baltimore and Toronto sharing Cinderella status. Stay tuned for breaking free agent announcements... it's going to be a busy few weeks of player signings. No one wants to get left out in the cold like last season. Plenty of careers came to screeching halts in the winter of 2009. Can you guess (remember) their names? Didn't think so.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
All Time Baseball Lineups
Visit "All World All Sports"
It must be getting closer to signing up for a Classic Baseball team. Here's a few more from my collection.
Pittsburgh Pirates
1B- Willie Stargell
2B- Bill Mazeroski
3B- Richie Hebner
SS- Honus Wagner
LF- Barry Bonds (pre-BALCO)
CF- Al Oliver
RF- Roberto Clemente
C - Manny Sanguillen
PH- Mike Easler
Bench: Dave Parker, Bill Madlock, Andy Van Slyke, Jason Thompson, Matty Alou, Richie Zisk, Bill Robinson, Tony Pena, Omar Marino.
Rotation: John Candelaria, Jerry Reuss, Doug Drabek, Rick Rhoden, Doc Ellis.
Bullpen: Grant Jackson, Enrique Romo, Roy Face, Rod Scurry.
Set Up: Dave Giusti, Ramon Hernandez.
Closer: Kent Tekulve
Boston Red Sox
1B- Carl Yastremski
2B- Dustin Pedroia
3B- Wade Boggs
SS- Rick Burleson
LF- Ted Williams
CF- Fred Lynn
RF- Dwight Evans
C - Carlton Fisk
DH- Jim Rice
PH- Bernie Carbo
Bench: George Scott, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Rico Petrocelli, Bill Buckner, Reggie Smith, Jerry Remy, Marty Barrett.
Rotation: Luis Tiant, Bruce Hurst, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Bill Lee.
Bullpen: Bill Campbell, Tom Burgmeier, Dick Drago. Tim Wakefield.
Set Up: Bob Stanley, Sparky Lyle.
Closer: Jonathan Papelbon
Atlanta Braves
1B- Fred McGriff
2B- Martin Prado
3B- Chipper Jones
SS- Rafael Furcal
LF- Jeff Burroughs
CF- Dale Murphy
RF- Hank Aaron
C - Brian McCann
PH- Mike Lum
Bench: Darrell Evans, Bob Horner, Rowland Office, Claudell Washington, Ken Griffey, Sr., Ron Gant, Andruw Jones, Terry Pendleton, Rico Carty.
Rotation: Greg Maddux, Warren Spahn, John Smoltz, Phil Niekro, Tom Glavine.
Bullpen: Tom House, Greg McMichael, Rick Camp, Steve Bedrosian, Cecil Upshaw
Set Up: Gene Garber, Mike Remlinger.
Closer: John Smoltz
Chicago White Sox
1B- Dick Allen
2B- Ray Durham
3B- Robin Ventura
SS- Ozzie Guillen
LF- Carlos May
CF- Chet Lemon
RF- Harold Baines
C - Carlton Fisk
DH- Frank Thomas
PH- Lamar Johnson
Bench: Greg Luzinski, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Lance Johnson, Magglio Ordonez, Jorge Orta, Carlos Quentin, Bill Melton.
Rotation: Alex Fernandez, Mark Buehrle, Jim Kaat, Jack McDowell, Floyd Bannister.
Bullpen: Rich Gossage, Don Pall, Bobby Jenks, Terry Forster.
Set Up: Roberto Hernandez, Scott Radinsky
Closer: Bobby Thigpen
(www.allworldallsports.com)
-Digger's Daily-
It must be getting closer to signing up for a Classic Baseball team. Here's a few more from my collection.
Pittsburgh Pirates
1B- Willie Stargell
2B- Bill Mazeroski
3B- Richie Hebner
SS- Honus Wagner
LF- Barry Bonds (pre-BALCO)
CF- Al Oliver
RF- Roberto Clemente
C - Manny Sanguillen
PH- Mike Easler
Bench: Dave Parker, Bill Madlock, Andy Van Slyke, Jason Thompson, Matty Alou, Richie Zisk, Bill Robinson, Tony Pena, Omar Marino.
Rotation: John Candelaria, Jerry Reuss, Doug Drabek, Rick Rhoden, Doc Ellis.
Bullpen: Grant Jackson, Enrique Romo, Roy Face, Rod Scurry.
Set Up: Dave Giusti, Ramon Hernandez.
Closer: Kent Tekulve
Boston Red Sox
1B- Carl Yastremski
2B- Dustin Pedroia
3B- Wade Boggs
SS- Rick Burleson
LF- Ted Williams
CF- Fred Lynn
RF- Dwight Evans
C - Carlton Fisk
DH- Jim Rice
PH- Bernie Carbo
Bench: George Scott, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Rico Petrocelli, Bill Buckner, Reggie Smith, Jerry Remy, Marty Barrett.
Rotation: Luis Tiant, Bruce Hurst, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Bill Lee.
Bullpen: Bill Campbell, Tom Burgmeier, Dick Drago. Tim Wakefield.
Set Up: Bob Stanley, Sparky Lyle.
Closer: Jonathan Papelbon
Atlanta Braves
1B- Fred McGriff
2B- Martin Prado
3B- Chipper Jones
SS- Rafael Furcal
LF- Jeff Burroughs
CF- Dale Murphy
RF- Hank Aaron
C - Brian McCann
PH- Mike Lum
Bench: Darrell Evans, Bob Horner, Rowland Office, Claudell Washington, Ken Griffey, Sr., Ron Gant, Andruw Jones, Terry Pendleton, Rico Carty.
Rotation: Greg Maddux, Warren Spahn, John Smoltz, Phil Niekro, Tom Glavine.
Bullpen: Tom House, Greg McMichael, Rick Camp, Steve Bedrosian, Cecil Upshaw
Set Up: Gene Garber, Mike Remlinger.
Closer: John Smoltz
Chicago White Sox
1B- Dick Allen
2B- Ray Durham
3B- Robin Ventura
SS- Ozzie Guillen
LF- Carlos May
CF- Chet Lemon
RF- Harold Baines
C - Carlton Fisk
DH- Frank Thomas
PH- Lamar Johnson
Bench: Greg Luzinski, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Lance Johnson, Magglio Ordonez, Jorge Orta, Carlos Quentin, Bill Melton.
Rotation: Alex Fernandez, Mark Buehrle, Jim Kaat, Jack McDowell, Floyd Bannister.
Bullpen: Rich Gossage, Don Pall, Bobby Jenks, Terry Forster.
Set Up: Roberto Hernandez, Scott Radinsky
Closer: Bobby Thigpen
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Grand Slam Debut by Red Sox Rookie
"All World All Sports"
-Digger's Daily-
Every now and then a feel good story comes to life. Today, in Boston, recently promoted rookie Daniel Nava needed only one pitch to become talk of the town in grand style. Nava became baseball's 2nd player to hit a grand slam on the first pitch of his first Major League at bat. It gets better....
Nava's parents raced to the game after learning Daniel was promoted. Their baggage was delayed at the airport. Not wanting to be late for their son's first big league game, they bolted straight to Fenway Park instead of waiting. Daniel's grand slam ignited the Red Sox and their fans. He finished 2-4 with a double, grand slam and 4 rbi's leading the Sox to a 10-2 romp over Philadelphia.
Instant area folk hero? Time will tell. No matter how Nava's professional career unfolds, Boston fans will never forget this rookie's debut.
-Digger's Daily-
Every now and then a feel good story comes to life. Today, in Boston, recently promoted rookie Daniel Nava needed only one pitch to become talk of the town in grand style. Nava became baseball's 2nd player to hit a grand slam on the first pitch of his first Major League at bat. It gets better....
Nava's parents raced to the game after learning Daniel was promoted. Their baggage was delayed at the airport. Not wanting to be late for their son's first big league game, they bolted straight to Fenway Park instead of waiting. Daniel's grand slam ignited the Red Sox and their fans. He finished 2-4 with a double, grand slam and 4 rbi's leading the Sox to a 10-2 romp over Philadelphia.
Instant area folk hero? Time will tell. No matter how Nava's professional career unfolds, Boston fans will never forget this rookie's debut.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
2010 Baseball Preview: AL East
Visit "All World All Sports"
-Digger's Daily-
Football season is over. As I sit here today waiting on a winter blizzard to hit New York... baseball season comes to mind. Spring training begins in a few days. New York Yankees will soon attempt defending their World Series crown. Can they do it?
MLB's off season was relatively quite. There were a few blockbuster style trades. However, many quality free agents remain. No doubt our economy has something to due with owners not ponying up major bucks for players holding out for more and more. Or, are they using it as an excuse to collectively drawn down excessive contracts? Take your pick. Either way, remaining players will probably settle for less than they ever imagined (if they're even offered contracts).
Time to break down winter winners and losers division by division. Leading off... American League East (in order of 2009 standings).
New York Yankees (103-59, World Series Champions)
Key additions: Curtis Granderson, Nick Johnson, Javier Vasquez, Randy Winn, Marcus Thames.
Key losses: Johnny Damon, Brian Bruney, Melky Cabrera, Phil Coke, Jerry Hairston Jr, Austin Jackson, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady.
Simply put, if the Yankees starting rotation doesn't post a phenominal 2010 then it could be a long year in New York. Yankees lineup took a tremendous hit this off-season. Lost are clutch performers Damon and World Series MVP Matsui. A young Granderson is a welcomed addition & will be taught better plate discipline by veteran teammates. But, why bring back injury prone Nick Johnson as DH? It's a big unnecessary gamble. Johnson has a great eye at the dish. But, he's spent more time on the disabled list than playing field. Most concerning is the what seems to be the weakest Yankees bench in 20 years. Bench lacks big guns, defensive wizzards & clutch performers. NY has always been famous for depth and power. Where is it heading into '10? Yanks treading thin. One or two key early injuries can sink 2010 hopes.
Projected rotation: Sabathia, Burnett, Vasquez, Pettitte, Chamberlain.Bullpen: Questions return heading into camp. Depth was lost here too. Starting pitchers must go at least 7 innings consistently or games will be lost in middle innings.
Forecast: It's a 3 team race between NY, Boston & Tampa Bay. NY's hopes rest on starting rotation.
Boston Red Sox (95-67, Wild Card)
Key additions: Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, John Lackey, Marco Scutaro, Bill Hall, Key losses: Jason Bay, Nick Green, Takashi Saito.
I like the pieces GM Theo Epstein put in place heading into camp. Heavy depth at all positions. Solid batting lineup. Solid defense. Many think lineup will hit for less power. I'm not one of the many. Sox lineup will spread extra base hitting potential 1 thru 9. Plus, it's a lineup of smart players all capable of blasting double digit dingers. Francona is one of baseball's best field general's and his arsenol has been restocked 3 deep at nearly every position. Dangerous team if pitching rotation can stay healthy.
Projected rotation: Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield.
Bullpen: Plenty of arms competing for jobs. Papelbon is as good as they come. Forecast: This is a very solid, perhaps great, team if pitchers stay off DL.
Tampa Bay Rays (84-78)
Key additions: Dan Johnson, Kelly Shoppach, Rafael Soriano.
Key losses: Akinori Iwamura.
2008 AL champs stumbled in April and May last year (23-27). Lost was clutch performances all around from pitchers to hitters. Solid young starting staff is in place for years to come. Bullpen remains iffy. Lineup can put up runs in bunches. BJ Upton had a miserable '09 both in the field and at the plate. Mental lapses piled up on one of baseball's best young talents. He's key if Rays are to be successful. A complete team effort needed by all players if Rays are to challenge in one of baseball's strongest divisions.
Projected rotation: James Shields, Matt Garza, David Price, Jeff Niemann, ???
Bullpen: Rafael Soriano is the new closer (27 of 31 saves in '09). Relievers ruined a promising '09 after Tampa's World Series run of '08. Many new faces competing for jobs this spring.
Forecast: All depends on pitching and regaining '08 timely hitting. Tough division but Rays will give New York and Boston a run for their money. I'll reserve opinions until TB's final roster is in place. As of now, another 3rd place finish is on the way.
Toronto Blue Jays (75-87)
Key additions: John Buck, Alex Gonzalez, Kyle Drabek, Kevin Gregg.
Key losses: Roy Halladay, Marco Scutaro, Kevin Millar, Brandon League.
One has to feel for Cito Gaston. Toronto's future is in limbo. Plenty of question marks surround this team beginning with health issues. Gaston's club might be competitive but nobody is counting on the Jays contending. Their lineup has potential to put up runs. Defense doesn't appear to be an issue right now. On the other hand, pitchers might get battered all year long. Kyle Drabek was their biggest acquisition. Everyone is high on this kids future. It might take a year or two? Or, will he be a rookie phenom? It'll be too hard keeping up with the Jones' this year and expect bigger contracts to be dealt early due to lackluster home gate receipts.
Projected rotation: It's anyone's guess.
Bullpen: Jason Frasor appears set to lead the relievers. Bullpen injuries have destroyed Toronto in recent campaigns. It's not looking much better right not either.Forecast: Sometimes it's easier to perform well when everyone expects the worst. 100 losses on the way.
Baltimore Orioles (64-98)
Key additions: Miguel Tejada, Kevin Millwood, Mike Gonzalez, Garrett Atkins.
Key losses: Danys Baez, Melvin Mora, Chris Ray.
Look out baseball world. Can it be the Baltimore Orioles future is looking brighter than it has in recent memory? Yes! They're not ready to contend just yet unless they pull a Rays or Rockies season out of a hat. But, they're getting closer. Defense will improve. Batting lineup looking solid. Tejada is back and projected to start at 3B even though I personally think he should start at SS with Wigginton holding down the fort at 3B. O's eyes will be on developing future catching star Matt Wieters who must master handling a young pitching staff. O's rotation leaves much to be desired. Team officials seem high on their young hurlers with a new look defense backing them up.
Starting rotation: Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, ???
Bullpen: Mike Gonzalez gets first crack at closing games. He struggled to save 10 of 17 last year but is only a few seasons removed for 24 of 24. He needs to get the job done or it's going to be another long year in Baltimore. It'll be a wide open field trying to secure pitching slots before spring training ends.
Forecast: The future is bright. O's will show brief flashes and shouldn't be taken for granted. Playing .500 baseball will be a major accomplishment for a franchise seeking their first winning season since 1997.
Plenty of headlines will come from AL East action. Obvious off season winners restocking quality players was Boston. Can their rotation go stride for stride with Yanks big guns? Can Tampa rekindle '08 magic? It's a three team race to the finish. As of this moment, my gut tells me Boston, New York, Tampa, Baltimore, Toronto. We'll see how I feel when rosters are finalized. Stay tuned.
-Digger's Daily-
Football season is over. As I sit here today waiting on a winter blizzard to hit New York... baseball season comes to mind. Spring training begins in a few days. New York Yankees will soon attempt defending their World Series crown. Can they do it?
MLB's off season was relatively quite. There were a few blockbuster style trades. However, many quality free agents remain. No doubt our economy has something to due with owners not ponying up major bucks for players holding out for more and more. Or, are they using it as an excuse to collectively drawn down excessive contracts? Take your pick. Either way, remaining players will probably settle for less than they ever imagined (if they're even offered contracts).
Time to break down winter winners and losers division by division. Leading off... American League East (in order of 2009 standings).
New York Yankees (103-59, World Series Champions)
Key additions: Curtis Granderson, Nick Johnson, Javier Vasquez, Randy Winn, Marcus Thames.
Key losses: Johnny Damon, Brian Bruney, Melky Cabrera, Phil Coke, Jerry Hairston Jr, Austin Jackson, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady.
Simply put, if the Yankees starting rotation doesn't post a phenominal 2010 then it could be a long year in New York. Yankees lineup took a tremendous hit this off-season. Lost are clutch performers Damon and World Series MVP Matsui. A young Granderson is a welcomed addition & will be taught better plate discipline by veteran teammates. But, why bring back injury prone Nick Johnson as DH? It's a big unnecessary gamble. Johnson has a great eye at the dish. But, he's spent more time on the disabled list than playing field. Most concerning is the what seems to be the weakest Yankees bench in 20 years. Bench lacks big guns, defensive wizzards & clutch performers. NY has always been famous for depth and power. Where is it heading into '10? Yanks treading thin. One or two key early injuries can sink 2010 hopes.
Projected rotation: Sabathia, Burnett, Vasquez, Pettitte, Chamberlain.Bullpen: Questions return heading into camp. Depth was lost here too. Starting pitchers must go at least 7 innings consistently or games will be lost in middle innings.
Forecast: It's a 3 team race between NY, Boston & Tampa Bay. NY's hopes rest on starting rotation.
Boston Red Sox (95-67, Wild Card)
Key additions: Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, John Lackey, Marco Scutaro, Bill Hall, Key losses: Jason Bay, Nick Green, Takashi Saito.
I like the pieces GM Theo Epstein put in place heading into camp. Heavy depth at all positions. Solid batting lineup. Solid defense. Many think lineup will hit for less power. I'm not one of the many. Sox lineup will spread extra base hitting potential 1 thru 9. Plus, it's a lineup of smart players all capable of blasting double digit dingers. Francona is one of baseball's best field general's and his arsenol has been restocked 3 deep at nearly every position. Dangerous team if pitching rotation can stay healthy.
Projected rotation: Josh Beckett, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield.
Bullpen: Plenty of arms competing for jobs. Papelbon is as good as they come. Forecast: This is a very solid, perhaps great, team if pitchers stay off DL.
Tampa Bay Rays (84-78)
Key additions: Dan Johnson, Kelly Shoppach, Rafael Soriano.
Key losses: Akinori Iwamura.
2008 AL champs stumbled in April and May last year (23-27). Lost was clutch performances all around from pitchers to hitters. Solid young starting staff is in place for years to come. Bullpen remains iffy. Lineup can put up runs in bunches. BJ Upton had a miserable '09 both in the field and at the plate. Mental lapses piled up on one of baseball's best young talents. He's key if Rays are to be successful. A complete team effort needed by all players if Rays are to challenge in one of baseball's strongest divisions.
Projected rotation: James Shields, Matt Garza, David Price, Jeff Niemann, ???
Bullpen: Rafael Soriano is the new closer (27 of 31 saves in '09). Relievers ruined a promising '09 after Tampa's World Series run of '08. Many new faces competing for jobs this spring.
Forecast: All depends on pitching and regaining '08 timely hitting. Tough division but Rays will give New York and Boston a run for their money. I'll reserve opinions until TB's final roster is in place. As of now, another 3rd place finish is on the way.
Toronto Blue Jays (75-87)
Key additions: John Buck, Alex Gonzalez, Kyle Drabek, Kevin Gregg.
Key losses: Roy Halladay, Marco Scutaro, Kevin Millar, Brandon League.
One has to feel for Cito Gaston. Toronto's future is in limbo. Plenty of question marks surround this team beginning with health issues. Gaston's club might be competitive but nobody is counting on the Jays contending. Their lineup has potential to put up runs. Defense doesn't appear to be an issue right now. On the other hand, pitchers might get battered all year long. Kyle Drabek was their biggest acquisition. Everyone is high on this kids future. It might take a year or two? Or, will he be a rookie phenom? It'll be too hard keeping up with the Jones' this year and expect bigger contracts to be dealt early due to lackluster home gate receipts.
Projected rotation: It's anyone's guess.
Bullpen: Jason Frasor appears set to lead the relievers. Bullpen injuries have destroyed Toronto in recent campaigns. It's not looking much better right not either.Forecast: Sometimes it's easier to perform well when everyone expects the worst. 100 losses on the way.
Baltimore Orioles (64-98)
Key additions: Miguel Tejada, Kevin Millwood, Mike Gonzalez, Garrett Atkins.
Key losses: Danys Baez, Melvin Mora, Chris Ray.
Look out baseball world. Can it be the Baltimore Orioles future is looking brighter than it has in recent memory? Yes! They're not ready to contend just yet unless they pull a Rays or Rockies season out of a hat. But, they're getting closer. Defense will improve. Batting lineup looking solid. Tejada is back and projected to start at 3B even though I personally think he should start at SS with Wigginton holding down the fort at 3B. O's eyes will be on developing future catching star Matt Wieters who must master handling a young pitching staff. O's rotation leaves much to be desired. Team officials seem high on their young hurlers with a new look defense backing them up.
Starting rotation: Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, ???
Bullpen: Mike Gonzalez gets first crack at closing games. He struggled to save 10 of 17 last year but is only a few seasons removed for 24 of 24. He needs to get the job done or it's going to be another long year in Baltimore. It'll be a wide open field trying to secure pitching slots before spring training ends.
Forecast: The future is bright. O's will show brief flashes and shouldn't be taken for granted. Playing .500 baseball will be a major accomplishment for a franchise seeking their first winning season since 1997.
Plenty of headlines will come from AL East action. Obvious off season winners restocking quality players was Boston. Can their rotation go stride for stride with Yanks big guns? Can Tampa rekindle '08 magic? It's a three team race to the finish. As of this moment, my gut tells me Boston, New York, Tampa, Baltimore, Toronto. We'll see how I feel when rosters are finalized. Stay tuned.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Early 2010 Random Rumblings
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-Digger's Daily-
Just a few thoughts off the top of my head with one week of the new year barely completed.
Hats off the College Football's new National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. What happened to Colt McCoy? This kids draft stock is on serious hold in my eyes. The biggest game of his young football career and he didn't have the guts to come back out onto the field. You have to feel for his Texas Longhorns teammates who played a great game to just stay close until Alabama pulled away late. For those who missed it, QB McCoy was hit during Texas' 2nd series. He immediately went to the sidelines never to return. Apparently, all the hubbub is over a pinched nerve. It didn't seem too severe when McCoy was jumping around the sidelines after halftime. Buck up kid. Be a man. At the very least, he should have tried playing at least a few snaps. He did not look hurt. Flashbacks of Thurman Thomas Super Bowl chicken out move vs Dallas.
What in the world gets into the heads of pro athletes. Now, it's NBA star Gilbert Arenas who gets brandished a gun. IN THE LOCKERROOM! I give a ton of credit to Commissioner Stern for immediately suspending this nut who was crazy enough to then finger point gun motions at his teammates moments later. A law enforcement investigation is currently underway. Throw the book at him. Maybe Gil's cell will read "Plaxico was here!"
Theo Epstein is quietly rebuilding another tough Red Sox ballclub. 2010 theme is big time defense. Beltre's arrival to man 3B is a nice addition and I'm betting his bat reawakens within Fenway's cozy confines. They may not have enough guns to win the East, but Wild Card is always well within their grasp.
-Digger's Daily-
Just a few thoughts off the top of my head with one week of the new year barely completed.
Hats off the College Football's new National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. What happened to Colt McCoy? This kids draft stock is on serious hold in my eyes. The biggest game of his young football career and he didn't have the guts to come back out onto the field. You have to feel for his Texas Longhorns teammates who played a great game to just stay close until Alabama pulled away late. For those who missed it, QB McCoy was hit during Texas' 2nd series. He immediately went to the sidelines never to return. Apparently, all the hubbub is over a pinched nerve. It didn't seem too severe when McCoy was jumping around the sidelines after halftime. Buck up kid. Be a man. At the very least, he should have tried playing at least a few snaps. He did not look hurt. Flashbacks of Thurman Thomas Super Bowl chicken out move vs Dallas.
What in the world gets into the heads of pro athletes. Now, it's NBA star Gilbert Arenas who gets brandished a gun. IN THE LOCKERROOM! I give a ton of credit to Commissioner Stern for immediately suspending this nut who was crazy enough to then finger point gun motions at his teammates moments later. A law enforcement investigation is currently underway. Throw the book at him. Maybe Gil's cell will read "Plaxico was here!"
Theo Epstein is quietly rebuilding another tough Red Sox ballclub. 2010 theme is big time defense. Beltre's arrival to man 3B is a nice addition and I'm betting his bat reawakens within Fenway's cozy confines. They may not have enough guns to win the East, but Wild Card is always well within their grasp.
Friday, August 21, 2009
WAR TIME! Big Weekend in MLB Pennant Races
All World All Sports Blogs
-Digger's Daily-
Approximately 40 regular season games remain in 2009 Major League Baseball. This weekend highlights key matchups which could mean rise or fall for teams fighting for the playoffs. Sweeps could make or break squads looking to secure their fate.
Yankees @ Red Sox:
Yanks swept Boston at home last week and are red hot owning MLB's best record (76-45). They'll be playing in Fenway Park this weekend. If Yanks sweep again, then AL East is a virtual lock. Yanks sending their top guns to the hill trying to finish off Boston. Red Sox are in a very tight battle to save their injury riddled season. A three game sweep by their hated rivals could put playoff hopes in jeopardy with Texas, Tampa and Chicago still fighting for wild card births.
Pitching matchups: Pettitte vs Penny, Burnett vs Tazawa, Sabathia vs Beckett (ESPN Sunday Night Baseball).
My two cents: I really like New York's pitching matchup advantages. Yanks bats are on fire and I think Friday/Saturday games are locks. Sunday's game will be on ESPN and is a great game on paper with CC vs Yanks killer Beckett. Yanks walk away with at least two wins and probably a sweep.
Giants @ Rockies:
Giants season could be on the line this weekend. They trail Colorado by two games in wild card standings and LA by 5.5 for NL West. Rockies are red hot as they inch closer to NL leading LA (3.5 behind). Colorado has won 14 of 20, SF 3 of 4. These teams have split 8 previous contests. Home field advantage favors Colorado since SF doesn't play well on the road (27-35). A sweep by Rockies will put them firmly in wild card lead.
Pitching matchups: Sanchez vs Cook, Martinez vs De La Rosa, Lincecum vs Jiminez
My two cents: I see Rockies sweeping SF. Huge advantage for Colorado in first two games on paper. Lincecum is Cy Young winner as of now in my book and will be tough to beat in Sunday's game but Jiminez is ready to go pitch for pitch as SF's lineup is one of MLB's weakest. Rockies will keep on rolling.
Cubs @ Dodgers:
Cubs are in trouble losing 10 of 14. It's all or nothing time. If they sweep LA then they have a chance to get back into the playoff race. Sweep by LA essentially kills their season. Dodgers are trying to keep hold of NL West as Colorado is hot on the trail. Chicago is baseball's most underperforming team. LA is right where most expected. Big weekend for both but losses by the Cubbies will be devasting.
Pitching matchups: Wells vs Wolf, Lilly vs Haeger, Dempster vs Billingsley
My two cents: Rotation matchups are relatively even on paper. Cubs starters have hurled fairly well. They must go deep into games or miserable bullpen is primed to hand away more games. Chicago relievers are the reason why this club is on the verge of being eliminated. Torre will have his club ready to go. LA will take 2 of 3.
Rangers @ Rays:
Perhaps the most important weekend of the Rangers season so far. Texas trails Boston by 1 and leads Tampa by 3 in wild card standings. Red Sox will have their hands full vs red hot Yanks. This is a playoff style weekend for Rangers players. Will they be ready to play? Tampa has been struggling for consistency since July. Win a few, lose a few for last years' AL World Series runner-ups. Rangers swept their only previous meeting and need to do it again. It's a pretty even matchup as both teams can hit and pitch.
Pitching matchups: Nippert Vs Kazmir, Hunter vs Garza, Feldman vs Price
My two cents: I had to look twice before typing this part. Yes, the Rangers have a decidedly better rotation matchup on paper (22-7 vs 20-20). Who would have thought it possible back in April? Tampa plays well at home (40-20). This will be playoff-like atmosphere coming from Florida's west coast. As a former Texan, I'm rooting for the Rangers... no doubt about it. Rangers will dominate as pitchers lead the way.
Marlins @ Braves:
Playoffs on the line for both NL East clubs tied with identical 64-57 records. Must win games for both clubs to stay within striking distance of first place Phils (playing lowly Mets) and wild card leading Colorado. Marlins were hot until dropping 2 of 3 in Houston. Braves 12-6 August has them believing but dropped 2 of 3 at home to Phils in beginning of the week.
Pitching matchups: Sanchez vs Vasquez, Volstad vs Hanson, Nolasco vs Lowe
My two cents: Braves strutting out their top 3 starters to drown the free swinging fish. Bobby Cox has them ready to go. Braves will take at least 2 of 3 in front of their vocal fans.
We're approaching one of my favorite times of the year in sports. Baseball's pennant fever has begun early and NFL regular season openers are just around the corner (Sept 10). This will be a fun weekend for watching ballgames.
All World All Sports (www.allworldallsports.com)
SportsRagePage.com
-Digger's Daily-
Approximately 40 regular season games remain in 2009 Major League Baseball. This weekend highlights key matchups which could mean rise or fall for teams fighting for the playoffs. Sweeps could make or break squads looking to secure their fate.
Yankees @ Red Sox:
Yanks swept Boston at home last week and are red hot owning MLB's best record (76-45). They'll be playing in Fenway Park this weekend. If Yanks sweep again, then AL East is a virtual lock. Yanks sending their top guns to the hill trying to finish off Boston. Red Sox are in a very tight battle to save their injury riddled season. A three game sweep by their hated rivals could put playoff hopes in jeopardy with Texas, Tampa and Chicago still fighting for wild card births.
Pitching matchups: Pettitte vs Penny, Burnett vs Tazawa, Sabathia vs Beckett (ESPN Sunday Night Baseball).
My two cents: I really like New York's pitching matchup advantages. Yanks bats are on fire and I think Friday/Saturday games are locks. Sunday's game will be on ESPN and is a great game on paper with CC vs Yanks killer Beckett. Yanks walk away with at least two wins and probably a sweep.
Giants @ Rockies:
Giants season could be on the line this weekend. They trail Colorado by two games in wild card standings and LA by 5.5 for NL West. Rockies are red hot as they inch closer to NL leading LA (3.5 behind). Colorado has won 14 of 20, SF 3 of 4. These teams have split 8 previous contests. Home field advantage favors Colorado since SF doesn't play well on the road (27-35). A sweep by Rockies will put them firmly in wild card lead.
Pitching matchups: Sanchez vs Cook, Martinez vs De La Rosa, Lincecum vs Jiminez
My two cents: I see Rockies sweeping SF. Huge advantage for Colorado in first two games on paper. Lincecum is Cy Young winner as of now in my book and will be tough to beat in Sunday's game but Jiminez is ready to go pitch for pitch as SF's lineup is one of MLB's weakest. Rockies will keep on rolling.
Cubs @ Dodgers:
Cubs are in trouble losing 10 of 14. It's all or nothing time. If they sweep LA then they have a chance to get back into the playoff race. Sweep by LA essentially kills their season. Dodgers are trying to keep hold of NL West as Colorado is hot on the trail. Chicago is baseball's most underperforming team. LA is right where most expected. Big weekend for both but losses by the Cubbies will be devasting.
Pitching matchups: Wells vs Wolf, Lilly vs Haeger, Dempster vs Billingsley
My two cents: Rotation matchups are relatively even on paper. Cubs starters have hurled fairly well. They must go deep into games or miserable bullpen is primed to hand away more games. Chicago relievers are the reason why this club is on the verge of being eliminated. Torre will have his club ready to go. LA will take 2 of 3.
Rangers @ Rays:
Perhaps the most important weekend of the Rangers season so far. Texas trails Boston by 1 and leads Tampa by 3 in wild card standings. Red Sox will have their hands full vs red hot Yanks. This is a playoff style weekend for Rangers players. Will they be ready to play? Tampa has been struggling for consistency since July. Win a few, lose a few for last years' AL World Series runner-ups. Rangers swept their only previous meeting and need to do it again. It's a pretty even matchup as both teams can hit and pitch.
Pitching matchups: Nippert Vs Kazmir, Hunter vs Garza, Feldman vs Price
My two cents: I had to look twice before typing this part. Yes, the Rangers have a decidedly better rotation matchup on paper (22-7 vs 20-20). Who would have thought it possible back in April? Tampa plays well at home (40-20). This will be playoff-like atmosphere coming from Florida's west coast. As a former Texan, I'm rooting for the Rangers... no doubt about it. Rangers will dominate as pitchers lead the way.
Marlins @ Braves:
Playoffs on the line for both NL East clubs tied with identical 64-57 records. Must win games for both clubs to stay within striking distance of first place Phils (playing lowly Mets) and wild card leading Colorado. Marlins were hot until dropping 2 of 3 in Houston. Braves 12-6 August has them believing but dropped 2 of 3 at home to Phils in beginning of the week.
Pitching matchups: Sanchez vs Vasquez, Volstad vs Hanson, Nolasco vs Lowe
My two cents: Braves strutting out their top 3 starters to drown the free swinging fish. Bobby Cox has them ready to go. Braves will take at least 2 of 3 in front of their vocal fans.
We're approaching one of my favorite times of the year in sports. Baseball's pennant fever has begun early and NFL regular season openers are just around the corner (Sept 10). This will be a fun weekend for watching ballgames.
All World All Sports (www.allworldallsports.com)
SportsRagePage.com
Friday, August 7, 2009
Pennant Fever - AL East
All World All Sports Blogs
-Digger's Daily-
The dog days of summer baseball has arrived meaning it's time to get set for pennant fever. Four of baseball's six divisions have been engaged in serious battles since opening day. Only NL East Philadelphia and NL West Dodgers are leading their divisions by more than six games over closest competitors. No MLB lead is safe with 50+ games still remaining to be decided. I'll be summing up each divisional race over the next six days. Today's blog focuses on AL East race to the finish.
New York owns an AL best 66-42 record residing atop of AL East by 3.5 games over Boston and by 6 over last years' division winner Tampa Bay. Boston is in NY getting ready to play the 2nd of four games tonight at Yankee Stadium. Yankees have been on a 12-5 roll and finally beat Boston last night for the first time all season. Consistent pitching remains Yanks top concern but, their bats have been coming thru in the clutch recently. Yanks front 4 starters (Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Joba) are a combined 38-20 after a very rocky start to their season. The 5th slot has been very erratic and is now being handled by committee. After much concern back in April/May, I suddenly find myself believing the only way New York will lose their grip on division honors is if they beat themselves or fall prey to multiple injuries. Yanks lineup has no weaknesses. They all hit with authority and know how to work counts.
Boston has been struggling since leading the East by 5 games back on June 21 with a 44-27 record. BoSox starting rotation is hurting real bad 3 thru 5 with Wakefield and Dice K (60 day DL) out. Today, John Smoltz was designated for assignment after taking a beating from Yanks last night. Surprisingly, they failed to successfully trade for any top notch pitching help before the deadline. This could spell trouble from here on out. Their lineup is very good in clutch situations but their pitchers are giving up way too many runs lately. If ever there was a team in dire need of a waiver wire trade or rookie phenom to step up and deliver, this is it. Sox must take at least 2 of remaining 3 games from Yanks this weekend to stay close. Otherwise, look out... Tampa Bay is right on their heels. It's funny how quickly things can change in baseball. Only a short time ago, I thought Boston was soon to run away with the East.
Tampa Bay had a rough April (9-14) in defense of their '08 AL Championship. Times have changed for them too... for the better. Their 60-48 record has them gaining quickly on 2nd place Boston. In head to head play, Tampa has won 8 of 12. Hitters are finally coming up big affording pitchers the chance to pitch with leads. Young, energetic and poised to make a run for the top again or perhaps enter the playoffs as a wild card winner. Suddenly, Tampa is beginning to believe and the AL has taken notice. I really like watching this team play. It's hard not to. They hit, run extremely well, play good defense and pitchers are getting better game by game. Personally, I think they were too conservative in not picking up a big name starting pitcher before the trading deadline (Lee or Washburn). Tampa's farm system coupled with a relatively young starting lineup will keep the Rays in the playoff hunt for years to come.
Predicted order of finish: Yankees, Rays (Wild Card), Red Sox.
All World All Sports
SportsRagePage.com
-Digger's Daily-
The dog days of summer baseball has arrived meaning it's time to get set for pennant fever. Four of baseball's six divisions have been engaged in serious battles since opening day. Only NL East Philadelphia and NL West Dodgers are leading their divisions by more than six games over closest competitors. No MLB lead is safe with 50+ games still remaining to be decided. I'll be summing up each divisional race over the next six days. Today's blog focuses on AL East race to the finish.
New York owns an AL best 66-42 record residing atop of AL East by 3.5 games over Boston and by 6 over last years' division winner Tampa Bay. Boston is in NY getting ready to play the 2nd of four games tonight at Yankee Stadium. Yankees have been on a 12-5 roll and finally beat Boston last night for the first time all season. Consistent pitching remains Yanks top concern but, their bats have been coming thru in the clutch recently. Yanks front 4 starters (Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Joba) are a combined 38-20 after a very rocky start to their season. The 5th slot has been very erratic and is now being handled by committee. After much concern back in April/May, I suddenly find myself believing the only way New York will lose their grip on division honors is if they beat themselves or fall prey to multiple injuries. Yanks lineup has no weaknesses. They all hit with authority and know how to work counts.
Boston has been struggling since leading the East by 5 games back on June 21 with a 44-27 record. BoSox starting rotation is hurting real bad 3 thru 5 with Wakefield and Dice K (60 day DL) out. Today, John Smoltz was designated for assignment after taking a beating from Yanks last night. Surprisingly, they failed to successfully trade for any top notch pitching help before the deadline. This could spell trouble from here on out. Their lineup is very good in clutch situations but their pitchers are giving up way too many runs lately. If ever there was a team in dire need of a waiver wire trade or rookie phenom to step up and deliver, this is it. Sox must take at least 2 of remaining 3 games from Yanks this weekend to stay close. Otherwise, look out... Tampa Bay is right on their heels. It's funny how quickly things can change in baseball. Only a short time ago, I thought Boston was soon to run away with the East.
Tampa Bay had a rough April (9-14) in defense of their '08 AL Championship. Times have changed for them too... for the better. Their 60-48 record has them gaining quickly on 2nd place Boston. In head to head play, Tampa has won 8 of 12. Hitters are finally coming up big affording pitchers the chance to pitch with leads. Young, energetic and poised to make a run for the top again or perhaps enter the playoffs as a wild card winner. Suddenly, Tampa is beginning to believe and the AL has taken notice. I really like watching this team play. It's hard not to. They hit, run extremely well, play good defense and pitchers are getting better game by game. Personally, I think they were too conservative in not picking up a big name starting pitcher before the trading deadline (Lee or Washburn). Tampa's farm system coupled with a relatively young starting lineup will keep the Rays in the playoff hunt for years to come.
Predicted order of finish: Yankees, Rays (Wild Card), Red Sox.
All World All Sports
SportsRagePage.com
Sunday, June 14, 2009
High's & Low's in MLB 2009
All World All Sports
-Digger's Daily-
Every baseball season brings new surprises. Boston Red Sox of 2004, St Louis Cardinals of 2006, Colorado Rockies of 2007 and Tampa Bay Rays of 2008 are four recent examples of anything can happen in baseball. Sometimes we're treated to career type years from unsuspecting players. On the flip side, plenty of disappointing moments from the games biggest names rattle fans too.
Here's a few standouts, high's and low's, in our 2009 baseball season...
New York's New Stadiums: New York was buzzing for two years anticipating new stadium masterpieces. So far, critics have completely panned new Yankee Stadium and CitiField. Both stadiums have their headaches. In the Bronx, Yankee Stadium is giving up homeruns at alarming rates. In Flushing, fans and former players feeling disrespected due to lack of any recognizable recognition shown towards "New York Mets" teams and patrons.
Alex Rodriguez: Plenty of pre-season buzz surrounding scandal ridden ARod. Steroid usage to book allegations ranging from personal insecurities to extramarital affairs. Lack of meaningful contribution so far plus continuous terrible performances vs arch rival Boston can't sit well with the Steinbrenner clan.
San Francisco Giants: These guys are on a roll. One of MLB's early surprise teams. They began '09 2-7 before going on a 30-21 run. Not bad for a team scoring the fewest runs in National League play. They do the little things well from manufacturing runs for their powerless lineup... to smart defense... and very solid pitching. Hardly anyone seems to be noticing SF's recent rise which affords these guys to play pressure free baseball (at least for now). Personally, I had these guys pegged for dead last. Imagine where they'd be with production from 1B/3B?
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees: American Leagues most prolific rivalry has been completely one sided this year. Boston has dominated New York. Eight games... eight wins. Boston brings out the worst in New York. Yankees play terrible defense, bullpen implodes, hitters fail in clutch situations and baserunning embarrassingly poor.
Zack Grienke: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher began the year on fire. In his first six games he allowed just 3 runs. He was 6-0, 0.40. Grienke's first loss was by 1-0.
Washington Nationals: Does this team want to win? Ever? Only a few very good players (Zimmerman, Dunn, Johnson). It's amazing this franchise was handed money to build a new stadium without first building a respectable team. Not much future help in minors. From top to bottom, nothing good on the horizon.
Manny Ramirez: Idiot of the Year Award. How can anyone, especially someone of his calibur, get busted for PED's after all of negative attention surrounding baseball's cheaters? MLB suspended him 50 games.
What happened to these guys in '09? (low's): David Ortiz .204, Jimmy Rollins .217, Garrett Atkings .193, Brian Giles .201, Ken Griffey, Jr .211, Chien-Ming Wang 14.34
Steinbrenner's: Hal and Hank remain very quiet cheerleaders. How long would Boss George have kept quiet after 8 consecutive losses to Boston?
Texas Rangers: AL West, 35-25, 1st. Old Rangers fans expecting team to wilt in 100 degree summer months. New fans have hope. Watch out, Angels are getting healthy in rear view mirror.
Florida State University: Ok, so they're not a pro team. But, a 37-6 playoff slaughter deserves an encore.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Baseball's best record 41-22. This team can play with or without Manny. Very well balanced top to bottom. My bets are riding on either LA or Philly to represent NL in Series.
All Star Game Voting: Talk about stuffing ballot boxes. MLB.com allows up to 25 votes per email address. National League hasn't won a game since 1996. Maybe it's time for fans to pick better players.
Quiet Rumor: No more 'roids. So, does this mean baseball's are juiced again? There was a quasi-quiet rumbling early on suggesting baseball's were flying out of parks. Were owners or league officials nervous of home run production slipping with steroids swept under the rug? When Major League pitchers complain of baseball's not feeling just right, something's probably up. This rumor floated around with greater attention only a few short years ago. High scoring games attract larger crowds. I'd like to think there's nothing to this rumor. Then again, it's not as though baseball is above unscrupulous activities.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
SportsRagePage.com
-Digger's Daily-
Every baseball season brings new surprises. Boston Red Sox of 2004, St Louis Cardinals of 2006, Colorado Rockies of 2007 and Tampa Bay Rays of 2008 are four recent examples of anything can happen in baseball. Sometimes we're treated to career type years from unsuspecting players. On the flip side, plenty of disappointing moments from the games biggest names rattle fans too.
Here's a few standouts, high's and low's, in our 2009 baseball season...
New York's New Stadiums: New York was buzzing for two years anticipating new stadium masterpieces. So far, critics have completely panned new Yankee Stadium and CitiField. Both stadiums have their headaches. In the Bronx, Yankee Stadium is giving up homeruns at alarming rates. In Flushing, fans and former players feeling disrespected due to lack of any recognizable recognition shown towards "New York Mets" teams and patrons.
Alex Rodriguez: Plenty of pre-season buzz surrounding scandal ridden ARod. Steroid usage to book allegations ranging from personal insecurities to extramarital affairs. Lack of meaningful contribution so far plus continuous terrible performances vs arch rival Boston can't sit well with the Steinbrenner clan.
San Francisco Giants: These guys are on a roll. One of MLB's early surprise teams. They began '09 2-7 before going on a 30-21 run. Not bad for a team scoring the fewest runs in National League play. They do the little things well from manufacturing runs for their powerless lineup... to smart defense... and very solid pitching. Hardly anyone seems to be noticing SF's recent rise which affords these guys to play pressure free baseball (at least for now). Personally, I had these guys pegged for dead last. Imagine where they'd be with production from 1B/3B?
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees: American Leagues most prolific rivalry has been completely one sided this year. Boston has dominated New York. Eight games... eight wins. Boston brings out the worst in New York. Yankees play terrible defense, bullpen implodes, hitters fail in clutch situations and baserunning embarrassingly poor.
Zack Grienke: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher began the year on fire. In his first six games he allowed just 3 runs. He was 6-0, 0.40. Grienke's first loss was by 1-0.
Washington Nationals: Does this team want to win? Ever? Only a few very good players (Zimmerman, Dunn, Johnson). It's amazing this franchise was handed money to build a new stadium without first building a respectable team. Not much future help in minors. From top to bottom, nothing good on the horizon.
Manny Ramirez: Idiot of the Year Award. How can anyone, especially someone of his calibur, get busted for PED's after all of negative attention surrounding baseball's cheaters? MLB suspended him 50 games.
What happened to these guys in '09? (low's): David Ortiz .204, Jimmy Rollins .217, Garrett Atkings .193, Brian Giles .201, Ken Griffey, Jr .211, Chien-Ming Wang 14.34
Steinbrenner's: Hal and Hank remain very quiet cheerleaders. How long would Boss George have kept quiet after 8 consecutive losses to Boston?
Texas Rangers: AL West, 35-25, 1st. Old Rangers fans expecting team to wilt in 100 degree summer months. New fans have hope. Watch out, Angels are getting healthy in rear view mirror.
Florida State University: Ok, so they're not a pro team. But, a 37-6 playoff slaughter deserves an encore.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Baseball's best record 41-22. This team can play with or without Manny. Very well balanced top to bottom. My bets are riding on either LA or Philly to represent NL in Series.
All Star Game Voting: Talk about stuffing ballot boxes. MLB.com allows up to 25 votes per email address. National League hasn't won a game since 1996. Maybe it's time for fans to pick better players.
Quiet Rumor: No more 'roids. So, does this mean baseball's are juiced again? There was a quasi-quiet rumbling early on suggesting baseball's were flying out of parks. Were owners or league officials nervous of home run production slipping with steroids swept under the rug? When Major League pitchers complain of baseball's not feeling just right, something's probably up. This rumor floated around with greater attention only a few short years ago. High scoring games attract larger crowds. I'd like to think there's nothing to this rumor. Then again, it's not as though baseball is above unscrupulous activities.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
SportsRagePage.com
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Curse Reversed... Red Sox Own Yanks
All World All Sports
-Digger's Daily-
Baseball's biggest rivals are currently tied for first place with identical 34-24 records heading into tonight's action. Boston and New York have battled for division honors for decades. "The Curse" was owned by Boston and brought to life on many late season and post-season mishaps (chokes). From last day losses to handing away the 1986 World Series when they were one strike from winning it all.
In 2004, New York was one strike away from sweeping Boston in the ALCS and advancing for another shot at championship glory. Suddenly, by way of clutch baserunning and late inning heroics, Boston found a way to win. "Reverse the Curse" was 2004's mantra. Boston has won two World Series titles (2004, 06) and seem to win most big games vs New York ever since.
Fast forward to this season. Both teams sitting with 34-24 records. Both teams have battled key injuries. Yanks began the season losing more than winning before pouring it on lately. Baseball purists and superstition crazed fans wondered if the Yankees ghosts would follow the team to their new stadium (and location). Old Yankee Stadium was considered sacred land by players and fans. The new ballpark has been subject of harsh criticism due outrageous ticket prices and an alarming amount of early season home runs surrendered... some of which look like routine fly balls.
It's too early to nail down true ballpark effects as of now except for one. And, it's a BIG one. Opposing teams no longer fear playing in Yankee Stadium. Out with the old as the saying goes. Out with it goes history, dominance, mystique and aura.
There's something else too. The Yankees haven't figured out how to beat Boston this season. Boston owns the Yanks so far... 6-0 in '09. Red Sox hitters have pounded pinstripe hurlers for 45 runs. Sox pitchers keeping NY hitters off balance. Stark differences between these two foes. Boston is ready to play. They're upbeat on the field and smart hitters in the box. Yanks seem out of step vs Sox. Pitching horribly, shoddy defense and weak hacks. Of course, with this now in print, NY will win in Boston tonight. Only the first of these games has played as closely as the score might indicate (5-4, 16-11, 4-1, 6-4, 7-3, 7-0). On April 24th, Yanks were leading in Boston 4-2 with two outs in the 9th inning. Rivera pitching... deja vu. BoSox Jason Bay crushes a monster home run to tie the score at 4. Yanks lose in extra frames.
Yanks lost hard. Heads hung limping off the field. They were 9-6 before the loss. A tailspin soon followed dropping their record to 15-17 before they shook it off. 34-18 vs the rest of baseball. Pretty good. 0-6 vs Boston could prove costly after game 162. Part of this is mental. Boston has Rivera's number. And they seem in the heads of most NY players. To me it looks like the Yanks and Sox are in complete role reversal from years ago. Boston (and their fans) used to wonder how they'd blow the next game. Or, by wondering how they manage to foul up another chance at glory. Yanks were always the confident team even when trailing by large margins. It's the other way around these days and it shows.
I love how sports has names for alleged curses. Cities of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Minnesota and others all have lived through slogans tagged on their franchises. "The Curse of the Bambino" lived for years.... right up until the season Alex Rodriguez arrived in New York (2004). How ironic. It was the Red Sox who traded for Rodriguez right before the beginning of the '04 season. MLB denied the trade due to salary restructuring which would have broken MLB Players Association rules. Yanks quickly jumped into the mix and out foxed the Sox... so it seemed.
ARod was given a curse type tag early in his career. As a Mariner, his team lost back to back ALCS to NY in '00-01. Texas offered a ridiculous salary of $250M as a free agent. ARod took the deal (who wouldn't ???) and soon was harassed by fans around the league. He put up huge numbers for a Rangers team which finished dead last in each of his 3 seasons down south. Yanks were coming off a 2003 Series loss to Florida. Trading for ARod was supposed to guarantee championships. Yanks haven't gotten beyond the first round after losing '04 ALCS to Boston. Irony, Boston curse ends in ARod's first Yankees season. As a matter of fact, after Game 4, ARod went 1-12. Playoff performances were absolutely pathetic in following years. He's 8-56 (.143) after Yanks Game 4 choke ('05, 2-15; '06, 1-14; '07, 4-15). Cursed? No. Not at all. Choker? Big time, most of the time. Oh, by the way, he received a multi-million dollar extention from NY too! Curse and choke chatter will pick up if Yanks fail again this year. Especially, if he falls flat again in playoff action.
As for the rest of the squad. In games against Boston they're flat. Shoddy defense, poor swings, getting picked off bases.. even steady vet Andy Pettitte surrendered a stolen base. Pettitte fell asleep with Ellsbury on third base. Ellsbury took off and was nearly home before Pettitte delived the pitch. He stole HOME! A clean swipe.
What will it take for New York to solve Boston this year? I say they need a big time spark. I think it'll need to be a fluke play, bunt, or jarring collision at home to go their way before snapping out of this current funk vs Boston. Red Sox gain confidence and cockyness with each victory against their hated rivals. Sox either smash the ball or Yanks give free bases, errors and poor decision making. It's been a team effort. Someone needs to step up and be team cheerleader. They're too stiff on the field and extremely un-Yankee-like quiteness resonates in their dugout. Current score at posting time... Boston 3 - NY 1 (3rd inning).
Yes, baseball is a funny game.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
SportsRagePage.com
-Digger's Daily-
Baseball's biggest rivals are currently tied for first place with identical 34-24 records heading into tonight's action. Boston and New York have battled for division honors for decades. "The Curse" was owned by Boston and brought to life on many late season and post-season mishaps (chokes). From last day losses to handing away the 1986 World Series when they were one strike from winning it all.
In 2004, New York was one strike away from sweeping Boston in the ALCS and advancing for another shot at championship glory. Suddenly, by way of clutch baserunning and late inning heroics, Boston found a way to win. "Reverse the Curse" was 2004's mantra. Boston has won two World Series titles (2004, 06) and seem to win most big games vs New York ever since.
Fast forward to this season. Both teams sitting with 34-24 records. Both teams have battled key injuries. Yanks began the season losing more than winning before pouring it on lately. Baseball purists and superstition crazed fans wondered if the Yankees ghosts would follow the team to their new stadium (and location). Old Yankee Stadium was considered sacred land by players and fans. The new ballpark has been subject of harsh criticism due outrageous ticket prices and an alarming amount of early season home runs surrendered... some of which look like routine fly balls.
It's too early to nail down true ballpark effects as of now except for one. And, it's a BIG one. Opposing teams no longer fear playing in Yankee Stadium. Out with the old as the saying goes. Out with it goes history, dominance, mystique and aura.
There's something else too. The Yankees haven't figured out how to beat Boston this season. Boston owns the Yanks so far... 6-0 in '09. Red Sox hitters have pounded pinstripe hurlers for 45 runs. Sox pitchers keeping NY hitters off balance. Stark differences between these two foes. Boston is ready to play. They're upbeat on the field and smart hitters in the box. Yanks seem out of step vs Sox. Pitching horribly, shoddy defense and weak hacks. Of course, with this now in print, NY will win in Boston tonight. Only the first of these games has played as closely as the score might indicate (5-4, 16-11, 4-1, 6-4, 7-3, 7-0). On April 24th, Yanks were leading in Boston 4-2 with two outs in the 9th inning. Rivera pitching... deja vu. BoSox Jason Bay crushes a monster home run to tie the score at 4. Yanks lose in extra frames.
Yanks lost hard. Heads hung limping off the field. They were 9-6 before the loss. A tailspin soon followed dropping their record to 15-17 before they shook it off. 34-18 vs the rest of baseball. Pretty good. 0-6 vs Boston could prove costly after game 162. Part of this is mental. Boston has Rivera's number. And they seem in the heads of most NY players. To me it looks like the Yanks and Sox are in complete role reversal from years ago. Boston (and their fans) used to wonder how they'd blow the next game. Or, by wondering how they manage to foul up another chance at glory. Yanks were always the confident team even when trailing by large margins. It's the other way around these days and it shows.
I love how sports has names for alleged curses. Cities of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Minnesota and others all have lived through slogans tagged on their franchises. "The Curse of the Bambino" lived for years.... right up until the season Alex Rodriguez arrived in New York (2004). How ironic. It was the Red Sox who traded for Rodriguez right before the beginning of the '04 season. MLB denied the trade due to salary restructuring which would have broken MLB Players Association rules. Yanks quickly jumped into the mix and out foxed the Sox... so it seemed.
ARod was given a curse type tag early in his career. As a Mariner, his team lost back to back ALCS to NY in '00-01. Texas offered a ridiculous salary of $250M as a free agent. ARod took the deal (who wouldn't ???) and soon was harassed by fans around the league. He put up huge numbers for a Rangers team which finished dead last in each of his 3 seasons down south. Yanks were coming off a 2003 Series loss to Florida. Trading for ARod was supposed to guarantee championships. Yanks haven't gotten beyond the first round after losing '04 ALCS to Boston. Irony, Boston curse ends in ARod's first Yankees season. As a matter of fact, after Game 4, ARod went 1-12. Playoff performances were absolutely pathetic in following years. He's 8-56 (.143) after Yanks Game 4 choke ('05, 2-15; '06, 1-14; '07, 4-15). Cursed? No. Not at all. Choker? Big time, most of the time. Oh, by the way, he received a multi-million dollar extention from NY too! Curse and choke chatter will pick up if Yanks fail again this year. Especially, if he falls flat again in playoff action.
As for the rest of the squad. In games against Boston they're flat. Shoddy defense, poor swings, getting picked off bases.. even steady vet Andy Pettitte surrendered a stolen base. Pettitte fell asleep with Ellsbury on third base. Ellsbury took off and was nearly home before Pettitte delived the pitch. He stole HOME! A clean swipe.
What will it take for New York to solve Boston this year? I say they need a big time spark. I think it'll need to be a fluke play, bunt, or jarring collision at home to go their way before snapping out of this current funk vs Boston. Red Sox gain confidence and cockyness with each victory against their hated rivals. Sox either smash the ball or Yanks give free bases, errors and poor decision making. It's been a team effort. Someone needs to step up and be team cheerleader. They're too stiff on the field and extremely un-Yankee-like quiteness resonates in their dugout. Current score at posting time... Boston 3 - NY 1 (3rd inning).
Yes, baseball is a funny game.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
SportsRagePage.com
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Red Sox Dominating Yanks in '09
All World All Sports
-Digger's Daily-
New York bosses named Steinbrenner can't be happy. Billions spent on a new stadium. Millions shelled out for new star ballplayers. The old saying of money doesn't buy happiness applies here too. Arch rival Boston has now beaten the lifeless Yankees 5 times in 5 tries this season.
Superstitious baseball traditionalists warned of moving the new Yankee Stadium from its' former so called sacred ground. "The House that Ruth Built" is gone. Yanks now play in the "Stadium funded by taxpayers". Ghosts of Yankees past have yet to show their magical powers. Some say they're gone forever. Judging by Yanks dismal performance in '08 and again in '09.. perhaps they're right.
The Yankees are in trouble. They've been embarrassed a few times already in this young season. Their new star players haven't delivered (CC, AJ & Teixeira). Old stars struggling (Jeter, Damon, Wang, Rivera). Disabled list trips by key cogs (ARod, Posada, Bruney, Wang). Yankee Stadium surrenduring homers at alarming rates. Another ARod controversy brewing. Attendance figures in the dumps. Hal and Hank remaining silent after losses. Boss George must be ready to explode. In the not too distant past, 22-4 home losses and an 0-5 beginning vs arch rival Boston would have prompted George to sound off. I guess his son's don't possess the same motivational skills.
Joe Girardi's Yankees are struggling again. Five no contest losses vs Red Sox (3 in Boston, 2 in NY) should sound a wake up call. YES network broadcasters make me laugh. They can't figure out how the Yanks played so well in spring and so poorly now. Guess what fellas, it was spring training. Yanks weren't facing prime pitchers for more than three innings in any given game. Don't forget, most big name players were involved with the World Baseball Classic. Most importantly, spring games mean nothing!
Now the heat is on Yankee players and their manager. Losing to Boston without much of a fight should shake the organization to its' core. This is a talented team in disarray based on bad decision making. From where I sit, it's an easy fix. I just don't see the Yankees waking up any time soon. Joba Chamberlain must go back to the bullpen once Wang returns from DL. Yanks bullpen is disasterous. Joba as a starter only makes this wound deeper. He rarely pitches deep into games which creates a double problem (bullpen overuse & 100+ pitches in 5 IP is sure to wreck his arm). Hughes, last seasons great hope, is now pitching effectively replacing injured Wang. Keep him in the rotation, move Joba to setup, Coke to 7th inning reliever and the Yanks are in business. Like I said, this should be an easy fix. So, why haven't the Yanks figured this out yet?
Yanks most daunting teams date back to Rivera setting up Wetteland... and.. Nelson/Stanton setting up Rivera. Joba (best served as closer of the future) is being misused. His career will be jeopardized at this pace. He throws too many pitches as a starter and rarely lasts deep into games. As a result, Yanks relievers are gassed.
Next up... catchers. What's up with the lousy signal calling from behind the plate? Catchers rarely call for starters #1 pitch in key situations or when pitchers are ahead in counts. Yankee pitchers have become predictable and get too deep into counts turning pitchers advantages into hitters hot zones. This is where Girardi needs to put his foot down. It's tiring watching him make up excuse after excuse after Yanks losses. Most have been from a lack of quality pitching.
At what point in time will Yanks hitters stop swing for the fences with 2 strikes and runners in scoring position? Yanks have been horrendous knocking in runs or moving runners into scoring position. How about a bunt or two to manufacture runs when struggling? Or having hitters shorten swings in key at bats? Ever hear of a hit and run play? Hey Girardi, there's more to managing the New York Yankees than filling out a lineup card. Two years in a row as an ineffective field general.
Oh, by the way... Joe Torre? Hal & Hank's first ownership mistake. Joe's helped turn Los Angeles into winners again. His team just tied the Major League record of 12 straight wins at home to begin a season.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
-Digger's Daily-
New York bosses named Steinbrenner can't be happy. Billions spent on a new stadium. Millions shelled out for new star ballplayers. The old saying of money doesn't buy happiness applies here too. Arch rival Boston has now beaten the lifeless Yankees 5 times in 5 tries this season.
Superstitious baseball traditionalists warned of moving the new Yankee Stadium from its' former so called sacred ground. "The House that Ruth Built" is gone. Yanks now play in the "Stadium funded by taxpayers". Ghosts of Yankees past have yet to show their magical powers. Some say they're gone forever. Judging by Yanks dismal performance in '08 and again in '09.. perhaps they're right.
The Yankees are in trouble. They've been embarrassed a few times already in this young season. Their new star players haven't delivered (CC, AJ & Teixeira). Old stars struggling (Jeter, Damon, Wang, Rivera). Disabled list trips by key cogs (ARod, Posada, Bruney, Wang). Yankee Stadium surrenduring homers at alarming rates. Another ARod controversy brewing. Attendance figures in the dumps. Hal and Hank remaining silent after losses. Boss George must be ready to explode. In the not too distant past, 22-4 home losses and an 0-5 beginning vs arch rival Boston would have prompted George to sound off. I guess his son's don't possess the same motivational skills.
Joe Girardi's Yankees are struggling again. Five no contest losses vs Red Sox (3 in Boston, 2 in NY) should sound a wake up call. YES network broadcasters make me laugh. They can't figure out how the Yanks played so well in spring and so poorly now. Guess what fellas, it was spring training. Yanks weren't facing prime pitchers for more than three innings in any given game. Don't forget, most big name players were involved with the World Baseball Classic. Most importantly, spring games mean nothing!
Now the heat is on Yankee players and their manager. Losing to Boston without much of a fight should shake the organization to its' core. This is a talented team in disarray based on bad decision making. From where I sit, it's an easy fix. I just don't see the Yankees waking up any time soon. Joba Chamberlain must go back to the bullpen once Wang returns from DL. Yanks bullpen is disasterous. Joba as a starter only makes this wound deeper. He rarely pitches deep into games which creates a double problem (bullpen overuse & 100+ pitches in 5 IP is sure to wreck his arm). Hughes, last seasons great hope, is now pitching effectively replacing injured Wang. Keep him in the rotation, move Joba to setup, Coke to 7th inning reliever and the Yanks are in business. Like I said, this should be an easy fix. So, why haven't the Yanks figured this out yet?
Yanks most daunting teams date back to Rivera setting up Wetteland... and.. Nelson/Stanton setting up Rivera. Joba (best served as closer of the future) is being misused. His career will be jeopardized at this pace. He throws too many pitches as a starter and rarely lasts deep into games. As a result, Yanks relievers are gassed.
Next up... catchers. What's up with the lousy signal calling from behind the plate? Catchers rarely call for starters #1 pitch in key situations or when pitchers are ahead in counts. Yankee pitchers have become predictable and get too deep into counts turning pitchers advantages into hitters hot zones. This is where Girardi needs to put his foot down. It's tiring watching him make up excuse after excuse after Yanks losses. Most have been from a lack of quality pitching.
At what point in time will Yanks hitters stop swing for the fences with 2 strikes and runners in scoring position? Yanks have been horrendous knocking in runs or moving runners into scoring position. How about a bunt or two to manufacture runs when struggling? Or having hitters shorten swings in key at bats? Ever hear of a hit and run play? Hey Girardi, there's more to managing the New York Yankees than filling out a lineup card. Two years in a row as an ineffective field general.
Oh, by the way... Joe Torre? Hal & Hank's first ownership mistake. Joe's helped turn Los Angeles into winners again. His team just tied the Major League record of 12 straight wins at home to begin a season.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Yankees Exposed, Red Sox Romp!
All World All Sports
-Digger's Daily-
Boston and New York were both riding winning streaks heading into this weekend's three game series. Red Sox had won 7 straight. Yanks, showing signs of life, had won 3 in a row. They were tied with 9-6 records. Joe Girardi's Yankees needed a good showing in Fenway. Instead, they received an old fashoned schooling by Terry Francona's Red Sox.
Boston did nearly everything great teams are supposed to do. They hit with runners in scoring position. Battled back when trailing. Pitched effectively. Bullpen saved games. Aggressive baserunning. Good fielding. Power. Managerial moves. Baseball 101 on full display. Sox swept Yanks 5-4, 16-11, 4-1.
My thoughts heading into this early season key matchup was to be more or less of a weather gauge. Yanks entered on a roller coaster type of season. They've looked good and horrific. The test was on vs arch rival Boston and Yanks embarrassed themselves.
Friday: Joba (should be setup for Rivera) pitched 5+ gutsy innings. Yanks were up 4-2... until... Rivera blew his 12th career regular season game vs Boston. Yanks had been 84-0 when leading after 8 since '08. The Sox have Mariano's number. They keep getting big hit after big hit against flat pitches by Rivera. Sox wait for his cutter and destroy high fastballs. Posada/Molina need to change up pitching locations. How many failures does it take for these battery mates to get it right? Big losses to ARod's replacement Ransom and SP Wang (15 day DL). Bruney was nearly lights out most nights setting up Rivera has a bad elbow.
Saturday: All seemed great. Yanks storm out to 6-0 early lead. AJ Burnett had 3 shutout innings behind him. All seemed right... until... Boston stormed back scoring 5 in the 4th, 3 in 5th, 1 in 6th, 3 in 7th and 4 in 8th. Burnett got bombed for 8. No reliever pitched 3 outs as they gave up 8 too! 16-11 Yanks bashed. Saturday's game was Day 1 of my Joe Girardi watch. I think the Steinbrenner watch began Sunday.... Tick Tock.
Sunday: Andy Pettitte has been Yanks only solid SP thus far entering at 2-0 in 3 quality starts. Yanks missed their chances and scored only 1. Yanks caught sleeping in the 5th. Bases loaded vs Pettitte (pitching from a full wind up)... and Ellsbury stole home with ease. It was at this moment I predict Steinbrenner's "official" stop watch was turned on against Girardi. Sloppy baseball. Yanks not on their toes. Not even their veteran southpaw. Tick Tock.
New billion dollar Stadium, new multi-million dollar deals to CC, AJ & Teixeira. Empty prime seating empty. Something's gotta give. Yanks were playoff bound every year for Torre. Girardi, while well liked by his players, can't seem to motivate these guys to produce. Some say "well ARod's been injured" yada yada. It's very early in the year and no need for fans to hit any panic buttons (leave it to owners). If the Yanks finish April with a losing record, Girardi is gone. Tick Tock.
The pitching staff is getting rocked. CC has started slowly. AJ was solid until Boston, same for Pettitte. However, Chien-Ming Wang... Wowie! I've never seen anything like it. So bad, no words sum it up. He's been tossing batting practice meatballs. 3 starts, 6 innings (total), 23 hits, 23 runs, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts (must be a typo), 2 home runs. ERA 34.50!!! Yanks shut him down (15 day DL) and called up a red hot Phil Hughes who was a complete bust in '08. Let's hope his AAA success has given Phil some confidence in preparation for Tuesday's game in Detroit.
As for the hitters, the stats look nice but they're not coming thru in clutch situations. Always seem to be swinging for homers instead of making contact for singles with runners in scoring positions. Yanks aren't doing the little things well consistently. Leaving runners on base game after game. Making bad outs. Tick Tock.
I like Girardi. He was a great manager for Florida before having a public fued with owners. He'll be a great manager for another team. Joe's just not the right guy for this one. Steinbrenner's have been unusually silent. Something has to wake up this team. If Joe can't do it... Yanks will find someone who can.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
-Digger's Daily-
Boston and New York were both riding winning streaks heading into this weekend's three game series. Red Sox had won 7 straight. Yanks, showing signs of life, had won 3 in a row. They were tied with 9-6 records. Joe Girardi's Yankees needed a good showing in Fenway. Instead, they received an old fashoned schooling by Terry Francona's Red Sox.
Boston did nearly everything great teams are supposed to do. They hit with runners in scoring position. Battled back when trailing. Pitched effectively. Bullpen saved games. Aggressive baserunning. Good fielding. Power. Managerial moves. Baseball 101 on full display. Sox swept Yanks 5-4, 16-11, 4-1.
My thoughts heading into this early season key matchup was to be more or less of a weather gauge. Yanks entered on a roller coaster type of season. They've looked good and horrific. The test was on vs arch rival Boston and Yanks embarrassed themselves.
Friday: Joba (should be setup for Rivera) pitched 5+ gutsy innings. Yanks were up 4-2... until... Rivera blew his 12th career regular season game vs Boston. Yanks had been 84-0 when leading after 8 since '08. The Sox have Mariano's number. They keep getting big hit after big hit against flat pitches by Rivera. Sox wait for his cutter and destroy high fastballs. Posada/Molina need to change up pitching locations. How many failures does it take for these battery mates to get it right? Big losses to ARod's replacement Ransom and SP Wang (15 day DL). Bruney was nearly lights out most nights setting up Rivera has a bad elbow.
Saturday: All seemed great. Yanks storm out to 6-0 early lead. AJ Burnett had 3 shutout innings behind him. All seemed right... until... Boston stormed back scoring 5 in the 4th, 3 in 5th, 1 in 6th, 3 in 7th and 4 in 8th. Burnett got bombed for 8. No reliever pitched 3 outs as they gave up 8 too! 16-11 Yanks bashed. Saturday's game was Day 1 of my Joe Girardi watch. I think the Steinbrenner watch began Sunday.... Tick Tock.
Sunday: Andy Pettitte has been Yanks only solid SP thus far entering at 2-0 in 3 quality starts. Yanks missed their chances and scored only 1. Yanks caught sleeping in the 5th. Bases loaded vs Pettitte (pitching from a full wind up)... and Ellsbury stole home with ease. It was at this moment I predict Steinbrenner's "official" stop watch was turned on against Girardi. Sloppy baseball. Yanks not on their toes. Not even their veteran southpaw. Tick Tock.
New billion dollar Stadium, new multi-million dollar deals to CC, AJ & Teixeira. Empty prime seating empty. Something's gotta give. Yanks were playoff bound every year for Torre. Girardi, while well liked by his players, can't seem to motivate these guys to produce. Some say "well ARod's been injured" yada yada. It's very early in the year and no need for fans to hit any panic buttons (leave it to owners). If the Yanks finish April with a losing record, Girardi is gone. Tick Tock.
The pitching staff is getting rocked. CC has started slowly. AJ was solid until Boston, same for Pettitte. However, Chien-Ming Wang... Wowie! I've never seen anything like it. So bad, no words sum it up. He's been tossing batting practice meatballs. 3 starts, 6 innings (total), 23 hits, 23 runs, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts (must be a typo), 2 home runs. ERA 34.50!!! Yanks shut him down (15 day DL) and called up a red hot Phil Hughes who was a complete bust in '08. Let's hope his AAA success has given Phil some confidence in preparation for Tuesday's game in Detroit.
As for the hitters, the stats look nice but they're not coming thru in clutch situations. Always seem to be swinging for homers instead of making contact for singles with runners in scoring positions. Yanks aren't doing the little things well consistently. Leaving runners on base game after game. Making bad outs. Tick Tock.
I like Girardi. He was a great manager for Florida before having a public fued with owners. He'll be a great manager for another team. Joe's just not the right guy for this one. Steinbrenner's have been unusually silent. Something has to wake up this team. If Joe can't do it... Yanks will find someone who can.
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Round One: Yankees Invade Fenway....
-Digger's Daily-
Baseball's greatest rivalry gets underway Friday night in Boston's rustic Fenway Park. It's the most meaningful early season matchup for the Yankees in years. Boston and NY are tied with 9-6 records. Both are riding winning streaks heading into tonight's opening game (Boston 7, NY 3). Girardi and Francona have pencilled in quite a pitching matchup. It'll be Joba vs Lester (Fri), Burnett vs Beckett (Sat), Pettitte vs Masterson (Sun).
The Yanks got off to a rocky start this year including a 22-4 shellacking in their new stadium. They're on a 3 game mini-streak right now. Girardi's biggest lineup challenge, which I think is a no brainer for this series, is whether to start Melky or rookie Gardner. Melky Cabrera is on fire right now with 4 homers in 3 starts. Big bats will be needed. Melky's faced the pressures vs Boston and responded. He'll probably be given a shot in the opening game vs lefty Lester. I'd start him in all 3. Since I said this, of course Girardi will probably only play him in the opener.
Pitching is always the key for New York. It'll be doom and gloom if starting pitchers can't complete 7 innings. I've always found it funny how pitchers appearances are mostly determined by pitch counts. Only a few go the distance anymore. It wasn't so long ago hurlers like Catfish Hunter, Bob Gibson, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton and Jim Palmer were throwing complete game after complete game. Sometimes in four man rotations. Y2K starters are handled very delicately. Progress? Back on point... if the Red Sox get to the Yankees bullpen early, it'll be lights out for New York as the Joe Girardi watch heats up sports talk radio.
Red Sox team chemistry is probably the AL's best. They're solid in all aspects of the game. Big Papi is off to a slow start. He'll be ready to go and this series could be just what the Sox need to wake up their sleeping giant. Ortiz (homerless) has already stated Joba better not be head hunting Friday night.
These teams split 9-9 in '08. Boston vs NY is baseball's best rivalry. Year after year these guys slug it out... sometimes with their fists. It doesn't take much for get their benches emptied these days. Diehard baseball fans who still haven't ventured to historic Fenway Park... get up and go! There aren't many authentic ball fields left in the game. Fenway Park is an experience. Hey Yankee fans... don't want to pay Stadium prices? It's only a short drive to Boston!
I'm thinking slugfest Friday night as Joba throws a ton of pitches and is out by 5th. Starting pitchers take control in final two games. This series is an early season barometer of all kinds for New York.
All World All Sports
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Baseball's greatest rivalry gets underway Friday night in Boston's rustic Fenway Park. It's the most meaningful early season matchup for the Yankees in years. Boston and NY are tied with 9-6 records. Both are riding winning streaks heading into tonight's opening game (Boston 7, NY 3). Girardi and Francona have pencilled in quite a pitching matchup. It'll be Joba vs Lester (Fri), Burnett vs Beckett (Sat), Pettitte vs Masterson (Sun).
The Yanks got off to a rocky start this year including a 22-4 shellacking in their new stadium. They're on a 3 game mini-streak right now. Girardi's biggest lineup challenge, which I think is a no brainer for this series, is whether to start Melky or rookie Gardner. Melky Cabrera is on fire right now with 4 homers in 3 starts. Big bats will be needed. Melky's faced the pressures vs Boston and responded. He'll probably be given a shot in the opening game vs lefty Lester. I'd start him in all 3. Since I said this, of course Girardi will probably only play him in the opener.
Pitching is always the key for New York. It'll be doom and gloom if starting pitchers can't complete 7 innings. I've always found it funny how pitchers appearances are mostly determined by pitch counts. Only a few go the distance anymore. It wasn't so long ago hurlers like Catfish Hunter, Bob Gibson, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton and Jim Palmer were throwing complete game after complete game. Sometimes in four man rotations. Y2K starters are handled very delicately. Progress? Back on point... if the Red Sox get to the Yankees bullpen early, it'll be lights out for New York as the Joe Girardi watch heats up sports talk radio.
Red Sox team chemistry is probably the AL's best. They're solid in all aspects of the game. Big Papi is off to a slow start. He'll be ready to go and this series could be just what the Sox need to wake up their sleeping giant. Ortiz (homerless) has already stated Joba better not be head hunting Friday night.
These teams split 9-9 in '08. Boston vs NY is baseball's best rivalry. Year after year these guys slug it out... sometimes with their fists. It doesn't take much for get their benches emptied these days. Diehard baseball fans who still haven't ventured to historic Fenway Park... get up and go! There aren't many authentic ball fields left in the game. Fenway Park is an experience. Hey Yankee fans... don't want to pay Stadium prices? It's only a short drive to Boston!
I'm thinking slugfest Friday night as Joba throws a ton of pitches and is out by 5th. Starting pitchers take control in final two games. This series is an early season barometer of all kinds for New York.
All World All Sports
(www.allworldallsports.com)
Monday, March 9, 2009
2009 American League East Forecast
Visit All World All Sports
By Digger
Baseball 2009 is here! Everyday this week I will be posting my predictions on a division by division, team by team format. First up, American League East:
New York Yankees (Mgr. Joe Girardi)
It’s going to be a big year in New York. The New Yankee Stadium debuts this season. The Bronx Bombers attempt to rebound after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Yanks were busy adding new faces this winter. CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira & AJ Burnett are the prized (and very well paid) acquisitions.
Rotation: Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, Chamberlain. Set up: undecided. Closer: RiveraFront 4 starters are locked in and will give solid quality starts. Sabathia, Burnett & Wang could all be Cy Young candidates. Pettitte is a NY favorite and still has some gas left in his tank. Joba Chamberlain as a starting pitcher is a tremendous mistake. The Yanks best World Series teams had lights out bullpens. Rivera is recovering from off season surgery and there’s no clear cut set up man. Joba + Rivera are the Yanks best option. Joba should be in the process of being groomed as Yanks closer of the future. Instead, he’s being moved into the rotation. Big mistake! He walks too many hitters as a starter… while striking fear into batters coming out of the pen in late game situations. Bullpen assignments to be determined this spring. Catcher Jorge Posada battled nagging injuries last year and must rebound to handle this strong staff.
Around the Horn: Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez (out until June). Baseball’s best infield? Mark Teixeira will prove to be the best free agent position player NY has signed in years. Tremendous skills at the plate and in the field. He hasn’t reached his prime yet and will continue to improve unless the New York night life becomes a distraction. Cano had a terrible ’08 and should return to his clutch hitting ways. Captain Jeter needs to remain healthy. He had an inconsistent ’08 and really needs to “lead” in ’09. ARod is out 6-9 weeks. As of now, reserve Cody Ransom is slated to fill in. Yanks need to find a two month 3B. Another Scott Brosius/Charlie Hayes type player is what’s needed. If Ransom is named the starter… all he has to do is field his position well and improve his bunting skills.
Outfielders: Damon, Matsui, Nady, Cabrera, Swisher. It’s deep here which should be a great bonus for Girardi. Yanks bench is AL’s best. All had less than stellar ’08 performances. Centerfield D is key here. Whoever wins the spring training battle (Cabrera or Swisher) will need to play big in the field and cut down on strike outs at the plate. It’ll be Damon in LF and Nady in RF.
Forecast: Most feared lineup in AL now has pitching support and improved defense. NY can survive without ARod with solid defense on the hot corner. Yanks will win no less than 105 games assuming key pitchers remain healthy.
Tampa Bay Rays (Mgr. Joe Maddon)
Tampa was 2008 Cinderella story. Never having won more than 70 games in their brief history… Tampa Bay outplayed Boston & New York for AL East Title (97 wins). Maddon’s team then bested Chicago in ALDS before stunning Boston in ALCS to qualify for their first World Series appearance. Can they repeat as AL East champs? Not this year.
Rotation: Kazmir, Shields & Garza were tough in ’08. David Price is a future star and is projected as #4 with Sonnastine 5th. Setup: Balfour. Closer: Percival.Will there be bumps in the road this time around? Just a gut feeling says yes. Rays rotation might quickly become the gem of the division in years to come. It’s their bullpen which could cost them a shot at repeating as division winners. Percival is brittle but brilliant when healthy. We’ll soon find out if the rest of the relief crew can recreate ’08 success or return to earth in ’09. I think TB will have plenty of bullpen struggles this season. They’ll be overused and burnt out by short outings by starters.
Around the Horn: Pena, Iwamura, Bartlett, Longoria. This crew will need to play stellar defense for pitchers to succeed. Hitting will be wait and see. They’re not big on batting averages but make up for it with late inning clutch swings.
Outfielders: Crawford, Upton, Joyce & Burrell will provide range but will they hit? Crawford flashes a great combination of extra base hits, speed and base running ability. Upton and Joyce are free swingers needing better command of the strike zone. Burrell figures to see more time at DH than LF.
Forecast: Rays will challenge for another playoff appearance. Not enough power at the plate to keep up with NY this year. Bullpen will not duplicate ’08 performances. Talented team on the rise falls short in ’09.
Boston Red Sox (Mgr. Terry Francona) Red Sox want another World Series crown. Health will be the main concern. If they can stay healthy Boston will be one of baseball’s best. Don’t count on good health. Depth off the bench won’t be enough to beat out NY or keep up with a younger Tampa group.
Rotation: Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield, Penny, Smoltz. Setup: undecided. Closer: Papelbon. Looking great on paper. Looks might be deceiving. 2 keys here: is Lester for real? And, can Penny/Smoltz get healthy enough to contribute? BIG questions in my book . Papelbon is one of baseball’s best. Red Sox high on Justin Masterson’s future. Catcher Jason Varitek is AL’s best signal caller from behind the plate. JV gets the best out of his staff. Unfortunately, his hitting skills took a year off in ’08 and almost lead to not being resigned. Let’s see if he can get it together in ’09.
Around the Horn: Youkilis, Pedroia, Lowrie, Lowell. Left side is question mark. Is Lowrie an everyday SS? No. Lowell has been one of Boston’s steadiest contributors but has been running into health issues lately. Pedroia at 2B one of AL’s best. Youkilis is Mr. Clutch.
Outfield: Bay, Ellsbury, Drew are the starters. None strike fear into opposing staffs. Ellsbury finally takes over everyday duties but will not live up to local fan expectations. I’ve never been a fan of oft injured Drew dating back to his earliest hold out days. This trio is Boston’s weakest outfield in recent memory. I’m happily surprised GM Epstein didn’t upgrade!
Forecast: Francona will have his team ready to play every game. Too many aging stars who might be on downturn of career and players injury concerns sink Boston into 3rd (Penny, Smoltz, Lowell, Varitek, Ortiz). Has David Ortiz nagging wrist fully healed? A healthy Big Papi is needed to carry Boston’s less than powerful offense. A healthy team challenges NY. This Band-Aid bunch will make plenty of DL trips.
Baltimore Orioles (Mgr. Dave Trembley)
When will the Orioles return to respectability? This once great franchise has floundered under Peter Angelos ownership. It’s been one bad move after another. They are five managers removed from their last winning season (1997 1st place, Davey Johnson, 98-64). 2009 team has a pretty solid lineup. Pitching staff is weak.
Rotation: As of this moment, no clear cut rotation in place. Closer: George Sherrill. Jeremy Guthrie & newcomer Koji Uehara figure to be 1-2. Trembley might close his eyes and pull names out of a hat for 3 thru 5. On the upside, a couple of talented pitchers are in the mix (Baez, Hendrickson). Orioles biggest problem has been pitchers falling behind hitters and issuing free passes. Bullpen assignments have been a dogfight this spring as pitchers battle for innings. Baltimore will have some tough cuts before opening day.
Around the Horn: Huff, Roberts, Izturis, Mora. A solid infield with a good mix of speed and power. Defense will dramatically improve up the middle with Baltimore’s addition of Izturis. O’s got killed last year by seeing-eye grounders. All four have good plate discipline. Behind the plate on opening day might be one of baseball’s top prospects, Matt Wieters.
Outfield: Markakis, Jones, Pie, Scott, Wigginton. Markakis is a rising star. Trembley has high hopes for Adam Jones quick improvement. I’d like to see Ty Wigginton take over at 3B and Mora move into LF. Wigginton is steady at third and can hit. Mora is better suited to handle the switch. O’s picked up Pie from Chicago but he’s not the answer in ’09.
Forecast: Run producing offense coupled with run surrendering pitchers will make for exciting box scores. Orioles will finally become fun to watch but will continue losing more games than they win. These birds remain in a no fly zone.
Toronto Blue Jays (Mgr. Cito Gaston).
Cito Gaston has always been one of baseball’s most underrated managers. Guess what? Toronto hasn’t won a division title since Gaston’s final season (1993 World Champions). He came back to inject some life into this club after John Gibbons was canned mid-season. 2009 will be rough north of the border. This is not a good team and attendance will be one of AL’s lowest quickly highlighting potential economic doom for Toronto.
Rotation: Halladay, Litsch, Purcey are 1-3. Closer: BJ Ryan. Halladay might be a cost cutting trade bait move mid-season. He’s one of the games best hurlers. Purcey is high on Toronto’s radar. Gaston will decide who rounds out the last 2 slots between 5 pitchers. Bullpen has been this teams Achilles heel in recent seasons. BJ Ryan needs to stay away from the DL. Jays pen is anything can happen. Cito will pick the best of the bunch but this division is too tough for on the job training.
Around the Horn: Overbay, Hill, Scutaro, Rolen. Good but qualifies as divisions weakest. No power and possible short range up the middle. Not good when playing most games on turf. Overbay lacks power and Rolen is brittle. Kevin Millar will get some time vs lefties and fill in as DH from time to time. Not many runs will be produced by this crew.
Outfield: Rios, Wells, Snider, Lind. Question marks. Rios (RF) & Wells (CF) are great when healthy. Wells is already missing spring games. Thin OF.
Forecast: Toronto will give up many runs. Injury prone players visit DL. It’s going to be a very long year for Blue Jays fans.
Stay tuned...... American League Central on deck!
www.allworldallsports.com
By Digger
Baseball 2009 is here! Everyday this week I will be posting my predictions on a division by division, team by team format. First up, American League East:
New York Yankees (Mgr. Joe Girardi)
It’s going to be a big year in New York. The New Yankee Stadium debuts this season. The Bronx Bombers attempt to rebound after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Yanks were busy adding new faces this winter. CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira & AJ Burnett are the prized (and very well paid) acquisitions.
Rotation: Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, Chamberlain. Set up: undecided. Closer: RiveraFront 4 starters are locked in and will give solid quality starts. Sabathia, Burnett & Wang could all be Cy Young candidates. Pettitte is a NY favorite and still has some gas left in his tank. Joba Chamberlain as a starting pitcher is a tremendous mistake. The Yanks best World Series teams had lights out bullpens. Rivera is recovering from off season surgery and there’s no clear cut set up man. Joba + Rivera are the Yanks best option. Joba should be in the process of being groomed as Yanks closer of the future. Instead, he’s being moved into the rotation. Big mistake! He walks too many hitters as a starter… while striking fear into batters coming out of the pen in late game situations. Bullpen assignments to be determined this spring. Catcher Jorge Posada battled nagging injuries last year and must rebound to handle this strong staff.
Around the Horn: Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez (out until June). Baseball’s best infield? Mark Teixeira will prove to be the best free agent position player NY has signed in years. Tremendous skills at the plate and in the field. He hasn’t reached his prime yet and will continue to improve unless the New York night life becomes a distraction. Cano had a terrible ’08 and should return to his clutch hitting ways. Captain Jeter needs to remain healthy. He had an inconsistent ’08 and really needs to “lead” in ’09. ARod is out 6-9 weeks. As of now, reserve Cody Ransom is slated to fill in. Yanks need to find a two month 3B. Another Scott Brosius/Charlie Hayes type player is what’s needed. If Ransom is named the starter… all he has to do is field his position well and improve his bunting skills.
Outfielders: Damon, Matsui, Nady, Cabrera, Swisher. It’s deep here which should be a great bonus for Girardi. Yanks bench is AL’s best. All had less than stellar ’08 performances. Centerfield D is key here. Whoever wins the spring training battle (Cabrera or Swisher) will need to play big in the field and cut down on strike outs at the plate. It’ll be Damon in LF and Nady in RF.
Forecast: Most feared lineup in AL now has pitching support and improved defense. NY can survive without ARod with solid defense on the hot corner. Yanks will win no less than 105 games assuming key pitchers remain healthy.
Tampa Bay Rays (Mgr. Joe Maddon)
Tampa was 2008 Cinderella story. Never having won more than 70 games in their brief history… Tampa Bay outplayed Boston & New York for AL East Title (97 wins). Maddon’s team then bested Chicago in ALDS before stunning Boston in ALCS to qualify for their first World Series appearance. Can they repeat as AL East champs? Not this year.
Rotation: Kazmir, Shields & Garza were tough in ’08. David Price is a future star and is projected as #4 with Sonnastine 5th. Setup: Balfour. Closer: Percival.Will there be bumps in the road this time around? Just a gut feeling says yes. Rays rotation might quickly become the gem of the division in years to come. It’s their bullpen which could cost them a shot at repeating as division winners. Percival is brittle but brilliant when healthy. We’ll soon find out if the rest of the relief crew can recreate ’08 success or return to earth in ’09. I think TB will have plenty of bullpen struggles this season. They’ll be overused and burnt out by short outings by starters.
Around the Horn: Pena, Iwamura, Bartlett, Longoria. This crew will need to play stellar defense for pitchers to succeed. Hitting will be wait and see. They’re not big on batting averages but make up for it with late inning clutch swings.
Outfielders: Crawford, Upton, Joyce & Burrell will provide range but will they hit? Crawford flashes a great combination of extra base hits, speed and base running ability. Upton and Joyce are free swingers needing better command of the strike zone. Burrell figures to see more time at DH than LF.
Forecast: Rays will challenge for another playoff appearance. Not enough power at the plate to keep up with NY this year. Bullpen will not duplicate ’08 performances. Talented team on the rise falls short in ’09.
Boston Red Sox (Mgr. Terry Francona) Red Sox want another World Series crown. Health will be the main concern. If they can stay healthy Boston will be one of baseball’s best. Don’t count on good health. Depth off the bench won’t be enough to beat out NY or keep up with a younger Tampa group.
Rotation: Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield, Penny, Smoltz. Setup: undecided. Closer: Papelbon. Looking great on paper. Looks might be deceiving. 2 keys here: is Lester for real? And, can Penny/Smoltz get healthy enough to contribute? BIG questions in my book . Papelbon is one of baseball’s best. Red Sox high on Justin Masterson’s future. Catcher Jason Varitek is AL’s best signal caller from behind the plate. JV gets the best out of his staff. Unfortunately, his hitting skills took a year off in ’08 and almost lead to not being resigned. Let’s see if he can get it together in ’09.
Around the Horn: Youkilis, Pedroia, Lowrie, Lowell. Left side is question mark. Is Lowrie an everyday SS? No. Lowell has been one of Boston’s steadiest contributors but has been running into health issues lately. Pedroia at 2B one of AL’s best. Youkilis is Mr. Clutch.
Outfield: Bay, Ellsbury, Drew are the starters. None strike fear into opposing staffs. Ellsbury finally takes over everyday duties but will not live up to local fan expectations. I’ve never been a fan of oft injured Drew dating back to his earliest hold out days. This trio is Boston’s weakest outfield in recent memory. I’m happily surprised GM Epstein didn’t upgrade!
Forecast: Francona will have his team ready to play every game. Too many aging stars who might be on downturn of career and players injury concerns sink Boston into 3rd (Penny, Smoltz, Lowell, Varitek, Ortiz). Has David Ortiz nagging wrist fully healed? A healthy Big Papi is needed to carry Boston’s less than powerful offense. A healthy team challenges NY. This Band-Aid bunch will make plenty of DL trips.
Baltimore Orioles (Mgr. Dave Trembley)
When will the Orioles return to respectability? This once great franchise has floundered under Peter Angelos ownership. It’s been one bad move after another. They are five managers removed from their last winning season (1997 1st place, Davey Johnson, 98-64). 2009 team has a pretty solid lineup. Pitching staff is weak.
Rotation: As of this moment, no clear cut rotation in place. Closer: George Sherrill. Jeremy Guthrie & newcomer Koji Uehara figure to be 1-2. Trembley might close his eyes and pull names out of a hat for 3 thru 5. On the upside, a couple of talented pitchers are in the mix (Baez, Hendrickson). Orioles biggest problem has been pitchers falling behind hitters and issuing free passes. Bullpen assignments have been a dogfight this spring as pitchers battle for innings. Baltimore will have some tough cuts before opening day.
Around the Horn: Huff, Roberts, Izturis, Mora. A solid infield with a good mix of speed and power. Defense will dramatically improve up the middle with Baltimore’s addition of Izturis. O’s got killed last year by seeing-eye grounders. All four have good plate discipline. Behind the plate on opening day might be one of baseball’s top prospects, Matt Wieters.
Outfield: Markakis, Jones, Pie, Scott, Wigginton. Markakis is a rising star. Trembley has high hopes for Adam Jones quick improvement. I’d like to see Ty Wigginton take over at 3B and Mora move into LF. Wigginton is steady at third and can hit. Mora is better suited to handle the switch. O’s picked up Pie from Chicago but he’s not the answer in ’09.
Forecast: Run producing offense coupled with run surrendering pitchers will make for exciting box scores. Orioles will finally become fun to watch but will continue losing more games than they win. These birds remain in a no fly zone.
Toronto Blue Jays (Mgr. Cito Gaston).
Cito Gaston has always been one of baseball’s most underrated managers. Guess what? Toronto hasn’t won a division title since Gaston’s final season (1993 World Champions). He came back to inject some life into this club after John Gibbons was canned mid-season. 2009 will be rough north of the border. This is not a good team and attendance will be one of AL’s lowest quickly highlighting potential economic doom for Toronto.
Rotation: Halladay, Litsch, Purcey are 1-3. Closer: BJ Ryan. Halladay might be a cost cutting trade bait move mid-season. He’s one of the games best hurlers. Purcey is high on Toronto’s radar. Gaston will decide who rounds out the last 2 slots between 5 pitchers. Bullpen has been this teams Achilles heel in recent seasons. BJ Ryan needs to stay away from the DL. Jays pen is anything can happen. Cito will pick the best of the bunch but this division is too tough for on the job training.
Around the Horn: Overbay, Hill, Scutaro, Rolen. Good but qualifies as divisions weakest. No power and possible short range up the middle. Not good when playing most games on turf. Overbay lacks power and Rolen is brittle. Kevin Millar will get some time vs lefties and fill in as DH from time to time. Not many runs will be produced by this crew.
Outfield: Rios, Wells, Snider, Lind. Question marks. Rios (RF) & Wells (CF) are great when healthy. Wells is already missing spring games. Thin OF.
Forecast: Toronto will give up many runs. Injury prone players visit DL. It’s going to be a very long year for Blue Jays fans.
Stay tuned...... American League Central on deck!
www.allworldallsports.com
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