* The Los Angeles Dodgers got three more hits Sunday than they did on Saturday, but John Lackey was going to make sure the Angels didn't come out on the short end of a good ball game on this afternoon. Lackey put the Angels on his back and pitched them to a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers to salvage the final game of a three-game series, one night after losing even though the staff no-hit the Dodgers.
Lackey was nothing short of dominant, and only a couple of hiccups could keep him from his complete game shutout-- closer Frankie Rodriguez came on to get the final out via a James Loney 4-3 ground out. Lackey struck out 9 over his 8 2/3 innings and continued his dominance after returning to the Angel rotation in May. Lackey has pitched like a true ace this season, and to verify is this astounding stat-- Lackey has pitched seven or more innings in all 9 of his starts this season, with Sunday's gem lowering his ERA to 1.44. Not only does the guy compete from first pitch to last and give the Halos a chance to win every time he takes the ball, he does what an ace should do and eat up innings. Rodriguez already has 32 saves this season, and the only downfall of Sunday was that they couldn't get him an extra days rest. It was too be worried about, though, since he did not pitch in either of the prior two games.
* The Dodgers fumbled away a great pitching performance of their own on Sunday, but that had more to do with John Lackey than the Dodgers' recent offensive woes. Derek Lowe was outstanding Sunday, allowing one run over seven innings, proving that he could pitch with the rivals' best. His best just wasn't quite good enough on a day when there was no room for error.
The Dodgers just look lost at the plate right now. From top to bottom, there haven't been many quality at-bats and that probably isn't a surprise considering the number in the runs column recently. With a lot of young players on the roster, inconsistencies and growing pains are to be expected. But at some point, this Dodgers team needs to start showing that they are making progress and that they can actually scratch the surface of their vast potential. They are capable of so much, but yet aren't even sniffing the path to finding it.
Runs are at a premium right now, making at-bats with runners in scoring position even more important. So with a runner on third and two outs, and especially with Lackey so on you know you will only get so many chances, you can't swing at a 2-0 curve ball and roll it over to first base to end the threat. In games like that, there may not be another runner to get to third base. Struggles can be endured when a plan of attack is at least trying to be executed. It would be one thing to ground out on a 2-0 fast ball that you take a good hack at. Fine. But swinging at a great pitcher's pitch ahead in the count is just unacceptable for championship clubs.
* The Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, and they are suddenly streaking after winning 7 of their last 9, remaining 5 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox. It took half of the season, but this immensely talented Tigers club that we penciled in to break all kinds of records in spring training is suddenly finding its groove, although sending Magglio Ordonez to the disabled list for the next fifteen days isn't going to help their cause.
The Tigers are starting to swing the bats like we knew they could. Curtis Granderson has found himself and is the table-setter that they need, and Gary Sheffield has reemerged as a capable power threat. Once Miguel Cabrera hits like he is being paid too, which will come because he is too talented to have an off season (even by his standards), they are going to be right on top of the White Sox heading down the stretch.
Kenny Rogers came up with a big game on Sunday, and Justin Verlander is showing signs that his early-season funk is behind him, and Detroit needs him to pitch like the Cy Young-caliber pitcher we all know he can be. The bullpen is revamped with Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney rounding back into shape, providing support for closer Todd Jones. The wild card is still Dontrelle Willis, and if he figures out his command issues and becomes anything like his old self when he helped the Florida Marlins win a World Championship, this team will overcome the White Sox down the stretch, not because Chicago will falter, but because they will go head to head enough times and Detroit will have too much firepower the improved White Sox, a club I love to watch.
But again, there are a ton of "ifs" in every post season story, and that is why baseball continues to put the chalk on the lines and the umpires roll a baseball out to the mound and "Play Ball" is bellowed. Great stuff, and lucky for us, we are only halfway home.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Ballpark Banter- Maple bat crisis
* There has been so much fuss made recently about the dangers of maple bats, that I often wonder why is it now what all of this comes to the surface? It does indeed seem that bats are breaking at a higher rate this season than in years past, and I don't think there is any real rhyme or reason to it. If you can explain why the world is round, then you can explain why more bats are breaking in the Bigs. The spot light has officially been shined on this subject since more and more major league players are using maple bats instead of wood bats, and the subsequent consequences. When ash bats break, they splinter more than snap, lowering the chance of an impromptu spear hurling towards a player, official, or fan.
A few people, most recently an umpire, have been struck by the flying daggers known as broken maple bats, creating bloody scenes and a touchy subject for Major League Baseball. But the only reason why we are talking about this now is because a few people have gotten hurt. That doesn't mean that today's situation is any worse than it was five years ago. I still remember dangerous shards of wood flying across the field when ash was predominantly used among big league hitters.
What do you think is going to happen when a 90 mph fastball meets the handle or end of a piece of lumber? It is going to snap. My point is that this has been happening for years, and now it is being brought to the forefront like it is some ground-breaking scientific discovery. But what is really appalling is some of the ideas being kicked around regarding "fan safety".
I know these broken bats are dangerous and I am not naive to that. I know its an issue, but at the same time, "this is the world we live in." Should we play arena baseball where the field is closed in with four walls the size of the Green Monster and fans can watch from hot air balloons above? The whole idea of putting netting around the entire field, or at least extending it beyond both dugouts, is ridiculous. 300 pound men jumping over chairs and into the first few rows at a basketball game is extremely dangerous too, but is the NBA going to put the court in a box?
It is a treat to be able to see the field without obstruction, and the netting would create a disability to viewers, making it more difficult to witness some of the details on the field that attract the serious baseball viewer. It will make the game less fan-friendly; our game will be like Japan, where fans have to tie bags to long strings and lower them twenty feet down to the field to get an autograph. Think about that.
My point is that simply paying attention is the best defense that any viewer could employ. When you go to a baseball game you know that baseballs and bats have a chance of flying into the stands. You know that going in. So why would you sit close to the field and not pay attention to the game, but instead have your back to the action and because you would rather follow the beach ball in the stands? Would you walk into a busy street without looking both ways for oncoming traffic? I think not, so what is so different about this situation?
What needs to be done is this: fans need to be aware of the dangers of sitting so close to the action, and if they still choose to do so, they do at their own risk. Parents need to make sure their kids are watching the game, if not because that is what you went to the ballpark for, then for safety alone. Baseball doesn't need netting up to the heavens, it just needs people who take this threat seriously. If you don't and are a victim of a beaning, then that is on you. Being alert when watching the game would eliminate 99.9% of these "accidents". (And the only reason I'm leaving 0.1% open to debate is because assuming anything is completely impossible would be somewhat ingenuous, so there is your 0.1% to work with.)
* Finishing up the maple bat fiasco, I don't really think there is much of a difference between maple and ash, in terms of how much they break or how they break. I have seen it all from both bats, and can't say I'm surprised by either one. I don't think it would be right to ban maple bats in the middle of a season, so if MLB wants to do that, they should do it at the end of the 2008 season, giving the players the off season to become accustomed to their new ash bats.
I propose a better idea than that, assuming the technology and resources is available: MLB should propose and idea to the major bat companies, asking them to produce a "composite" bat that has the same feel and action of a maple or ask bat. "Composite" bats have a similar wood feel, but they are nearly impossible to break. Wouldn't this be a much better solution all together? We nearly eliminate bats breaking, clubs save tons of money on ordering bats, and fans can enjoy without the worry of having to dodge a spear. I have to think that a bat company could do this. The trick is making the composite feel as identical as possible to a maple or ash bat. If that can't be done, or the composite doesn't have the same pop as the regular wood bats, then players would aggressively oppose this idea, and I wouldn't blame them.
A few people, most recently an umpire, have been struck by the flying daggers known as broken maple bats, creating bloody scenes and a touchy subject for Major League Baseball. But the only reason why we are talking about this now is because a few people have gotten hurt. That doesn't mean that today's situation is any worse than it was five years ago. I still remember dangerous shards of wood flying across the field when ash was predominantly used among big league hitters.
What do you think is going to happen when a 90 mph fastball meets the handle or end of a piece of lumber? It is going to snap. My point is that this has been happening for years, and now it is being brought to the forefront like it is some ground-breaking scientific discovery. But what is really appalling is some of the ideas being kicked around regarding "fan safety".
I know these broken bats are dangerous and I am not naive to that. I know its an issue, but at the same time, "this is the world we live in." Should we play arena baseball where the field is closed in with four walls the size of the Green Monster and fans can watch from hot air balloons above? The whole idea of putting netting around the entire field, or at least extending it beyond both dugouts, is ridiculous. 300 pound men jumping over chairs and into the first few rows at a basketball game is extremely dangerous too, but is the NBA going to put the court in a box?
It is a treat to be able to see the field without obstruction, and the netting would create a disability to viewers, making it more difficult to witness some of the details on the field that attract the serious baseball viewer. It will make the game less fan-friendly; our game will be like Japan, where fans have to tie bags to long strings and lower them twenty feet down to the field to get an autograph. Think about that.
My point is that simply paying attention is the best defense that any viewer could employ. When you go to a baseball game you know that baseballs and bats have a chance of flying into the stands. You know that going in. So why would you sit close to the field and not pay attention to the game, but instead have your back to the action and because you would rather follow the beach ball in the stands? Would you walk into a busy street without looking both ways for oncoming traffic? I think not, so what is so different about this situation?
What needs to be done is this: fans need to be aware of the dangers of sitting so close to the action, and if they still choose to do so, they do at their own risk. Parents need to make sure their kids are watching the game, if not because that is what you went to the ballpark for, then for safety alone. Baseball doesn't need netting up to the heavens, it just needs people who take this threat seriously. If you don't and are a victim of a beaning, then that is on you. Being alert when watching the game would eliminate 99.9% of these "accidents". (And the only reason I'm leaving 0.1% open to debate is because assuming anything is completely impossible would be somewhat ingenuous, so there is your 0.1% to work with.)
* Finishing up the maple bat fiasco, I don't really think there is much of a difference between maple and ash, in terms of how much they break or how they break. I have seen it all from both bats, and can't say I'm surprised by either one. I don't think it would be right to ban maple bats in the middle of a season, so if MLB wants to do that, they should do it at the end of the 2008 season, giving the players the off season to become accustomed to their new ash bats.
I propose a better idea than that, assuming the technology and resources is available: MLB should propose and idea to the major bat companies, asking them to produce a "composite" bat that has the same feel and action of a maple or ask bat. "Composite" bats have a similar wood feel, but they are nearly impossible to break. Wouldn't this be a much better solution all together? We nearly eliminate bats breaking, clubs save tons of money on ordering bats, and fans can enjoy without the worry of having to dodge a spear. I have to think that a bat company could do this. The trick is making the composite feel as identical as possible to a maple or ash bat. If that can't be done, or the composite doesn't have the same pop as the regular wood bats, then players would aggressively oppose this idea, and I wouldn't blame them.
For Dodgers and White Sox, potential exceeds output
Thursday was a day of expectations, not realizations, at Dodger Stadium. What can be and what is are two completely different questions that both punch the Dodgers and White Sox in the jaw like a Bobby Jenks fastball. Oh, sure, there are great hopes for the Boys In Blue and the Brutes In Black, but there are enough growing pains to go around, enough growth spurts to make the knees ache, and a few more helpings of vegetables and milk to be had to solidify the bones of both franchises.
The Dodgers and White sox are two extremely talented clubs with bright futures and large potentials, but both still have to work their way around the learning curve before they put it all together. We expect the Dodgers to be world class sprinters, but they have only taken their first wobbly steps. We want the White Sox to bomb the French Alps, but the training wheels haven't even been fully fastened.
There are lofty expectations for these clubs, but both need the time and patience to fulfill it. If you are the instant gratification type, Los Angeles and Chicago will frustrate you, to the point where you may think you grew into Ozzie Guillen over night. But if you are process-oriented, these guys could provide a gourmet meal if you add a dash of salt and a splash of pepper. Naturally, we want them al dente when the water is just barely boiling.
Both pitching staffs have young anchors to lean on for the foreseeable future, but the question is can they consistently throw strikes? "Throwing strikes" is baseball's oldest broken record, but is the working title of the ABC's Of Pitching and is the determining factor between big league success and big league bust. It sounds simple, and so does ice skating, but wait until you feel the sleet underneath your skates for the first time; Apolo Anton Ohno will look like the second coming of Christ.
Young kids need mentors, but are there enough of those? Mark Buehrle is an All-Star pitcher who needs to take Gavin Floyd and John Danks under his wing and let them know the importance of attacking the zone and trusting your stuff. I suppose Brad Penny could do the same in Los Angeles, but he is having his own problems right now.
John Danks started on Thursday and did a superb allowing no runs over six innings, lowering his season ERA to 2.62. He walked four on Thursday and that is the one thing that will prevent him from becoming the front line big league pitcher that he is capable of becoming. Walks are the kryptonite of all pitching supermen. Danks has a great fastball, especially coming from the left side, an outstanding change up, and a good breaking ball. He just needs to get strike one and stop working from behind like he is interested in giving the hitter an advantage.
The thing about Danks is that he is only 23 years old, and nobody can deny the strides he has made since last season. Last season was his first in the major leagues, and he was roughed up like plenty of newcomers. Danks put his growth on display today as escaped the sixth inning with a runner on third by striking out Angel Berroa with two outs on a 3-2 change up. A beautiful pitch that takes confidence to throw, and is the epitome of his capabilities.
The Dodgers put their best young chip on the mound on Thursday as well in left hander Clayton Kershaw, an extremely talented 20-year-old whose broad shoulders are barely wide enough to handle the hype and expectations that have been dropped on him. Kershaw has an elite fastball and the makings of a curve ball that could be the best in the major leagues. Period.
There is only one major hurdle that Kershaw needs to overcome before he takes his place on pitching's gold medal pedestal, and that is fastball command. When Kershaw isn't missing high with his heater, he is often catching too much of the plate and giving inferior hitters the opportunity to put the bat on his fastball, a pitch of such high caliber that few should be able to handle it if it is located properly. But with Kershaw, I'm doing more nitpicking than most guys do on Sports Illustrated's top swimsuit models of 2008, and that is saying something.
Kershaw is undoubtedly the first-place prize of the Win A Future Ace lottery, and at 20 years old, he has achieved far more than expected. These next three years in his development are going to be spent exactly like they should be, and we have to pull back on the reigns and realize how young he is for this level. Nobody wants to buy a brand new Ferrari and drive it only in residential neighborhoods, but the Dodgers must be careful not to push Kershaw too much past the 25 mph speed limit this season.
The White Sox score runs in bunches and, when healthy, there may not be a better middle-of-the-order than Konerko/Thome/Dye/Quentin/Swisher, in no particular order. When at its peak, that is a championship caliber offense that can produce 7 runs a game if need be. Swisher would be a perfect hitter in the two-hole, he can handle the bat, showed his bunting ability on Thursday, and gets on base. Quentin fits right behind Swisher as the pure hitter who can hit for average and power, the musician who can hang with Van Halen and then head to the studio and record a Grammy-worthy acoustic album. Thome and Dye are the bruisers in the middle that you need to clear the bases and I practically forgot about Konerko, who is an All-Star hitter in his own right, since he has missed so much time. Hey, I didn't make it up, even the White Sox hang his jersey in the dugout during games.
The window is closing on the White Sox in regards to Thome and Dye, production they will be missing in the near future. The core of this club must be built around Swisher, Quentin, and an exciting young middle infielder named Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez is a natural shortstop who moved over to second base when the White Sox acquired Orlando Cabrera in the off season, and he is exciting as they come if you get a chance to watch him. He has speed, power, can hit for average, and oh is the glove special.
Ramirez was on the front end of a 4-6-3 double play today, one in which he fielded the ball towards the middle and in one motion flipped it to Cabrera, softly and surely like the two were playing the egg-toss. Chicago should let Cabrera walk when his contract is up, making room for their 2008 first round pick, Gordon Beckham, an impressive short stop from the University of Georgia, a guy who tied for home runs in the country this season, when he is big league ready. The front office will have to determine which plays where, but that is a nice problem to have since both are capable of playing either one of the middle infield positions.
The Dodgers do not have a shortage of reasons to be excited at the plate. Their core of Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and James Loney could potentially rival any core of young players in the big leagues, whether that be in Arizona, Colorado, Boston, or any other big league city. These guys are for real; Kemp reminds me of a young Manny Ramirez, a complete threat that can hit the ball out of the park from foul pole to foul pole while hitting .300 and driving in 120 runs. Loney could be his own model, with a sweet powerful stroke, not to mention the Gold Glove caliber first base he already plays.
Martin deserves his own column, not only because he is such a superb catcher, but because he provides the Dodgers with a natural born leader who personally endorses Sharpie in order to stay in the line up. Instead of taking full days off, Martin talks manager Joe Torre into letting him play third base instead, claiming that it actually is a day off for his body and mind. Yeah, right. The hot corner is that easy, huh? Martin made a bare-handed play on a slow rolling bunt by Swisher in today's ball game that you would think he will soon be trying to play both positions at the same time in the same game. Hey, don't put it past him.
Andre Ethier is promising in his own right but has been slightly lost in the shuffle of outfielders since Juan Pierre started producing again, but nonetheless is an important piece of the future core. Ethier may not light the world on fire against left handed pitchers, at least not yet anyways, but he has hit .277 against them in his career, proving that he is capable of holding his own. That .277 is more impressive considering those at-bats are sporadic since managers have made it a habit of sitting him when they face southpaws and taking the opportunity to get someone else in the lineup.
I understand the importance and the possible strategic advantage of this move, but we must remember that this is something the Dodgers did with James Loney as well until he starter tearing up anything and everything that propelled a baseball towards home plate. I don't think Ethier is that far off, and he is such a talented player that he could handle an everyday role if getting the opportunity. Do you think he had trouble with lefties in college when he was an All-American at Arizona State? Did he have trouble with lefties when he was tearing up the Oakland A's farm system? It is no different now.
Pierre isn't the biggest piece of dead weight on the Dodgers roster, but he is the typical love/hate relationship. When he is at his best, he is getting on base often and running all over the place, disrupting the opposing pitcher, and providing scoring opportunities from top to bottom. When he is struggling, he gets fewer hits than runs allowed due to the abysmal strength of his throwing arm.
The Dodgers infield of the future scratched the surface today as Andy LaRoche made a start at second base, probably the position he will fall into partly due to the soon-to-be departure of Jeff Kent, and largely due to the emergence of Blake DeWitt. This order would be somewhat of an anomaly, since DeWitt is the superior athlete, and therefore would be considered a better choice to move to a position which calls for superior range, like second base. With that said, LaRoche is no defensive slouch who has already shown the ability to handle second base, and to think that he has barely had time to catch his breath in the big leagues before being proposed a position change bodes well for the Dodgers.
Outside of the jerseys that take the field on any given night, there are two factors that conflict with the current status of these ball clubs, creating pressure when patience is indeed the virtue. The first is the cities that these respective clubs play in. If the Dodgers and White Sox played in Kansas City, Minnesota, and the like, they would both be looked at as teams loaded with young talent who are on the cusp of breaking into the playoffs and with possible championship aspirations in the years to come. Think Tampa Bay with a few more veterans.
But when home is Los Angeles or Chicago, big market cities and media melting pots, there isn't time for youngsters to struggle and cope with the consequences, or the luxury of "rebuilding" seasons. Both franchises are bathed in history and both fan bases are painted with angst; contenders are a must, champions are preferred. The "win now" mentality is so strong that the front offices have no choice but to embrace it and be the buoy seamlessly carrying along with the current, not the dock withstanding the crashing of waves of wrath.
Accompanied by the cities are the men who run the day-to-day operations of the ball clubs: the managers. Neither Joe Torre nor Ozzie Guillen are being paid to manage the Baltimore Orioles. Torre has the ability to be project manager of a rebuilding club, but that isn't his role in Los Angeles nor is he in a point in his career where that role would be of any interest; he only has a handful of years left to get back to the summit. Make no mistake about it, Torre is being paid handsomely to do what he did in New York: win.
Ozzie is a the helm to be the bottomless container of kerosene, always one match away from a nuclear explosion. He is leading the White Sox to shake things up when the club becomes stagnant. You can't say his way doesn't work, he wasted no time proving he is capable of leading a team to a World Series title. But if "win" is not at the top of the priority list when you think of Guillen, well, you just don't know the guy. Lets face it, Ozzie couldn't develop kids if he was asked to run the baseball team at the local Boys and Girls Club of America. There is simply no patience in the baseball blood of that man.
The bottom line is that the Dodgers and White Sox both have deep pools of potential, but neither have come close to fulfilling them. The pitching inconsistencies will hamper the White Sox. Danks and Floyd are already going to have their share of hiccups because they are young, but poor outings from Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez are unacceptable because they put the rotation in a tough spot and ask Buehrle to be perfect. The Dodgers suffer from inconsistent at-bats, especially with runners in scoring position, a situation where they went hitless on Thursday. In one inning, the Dodgers had runners on first and third with nobody out, and a Russell Martin strikeout and James Loney 4-6-3 double play later, they were scoreless. This will be their downfall until they can figure out how to be consistent in the quality of their plate appearances.
The White Sox and Dodgers are more Sandlot than Bad News Bears. They know how to the play the game, but are just raw in their approach, and have more than enough passion and energy to go around. I wonder if, when John Heywood coined "Rome wasn't built in a day", he was foreshadowing these Dodgers and White Sox?
The Dodgers and White sox are two extremely talented clubs with bright futures and large potentials, but both still have to work their way around the learning curve before they put it all together. We expect the Dodgers to be world class sprinters, but they have only taken their first wobbly steps. We want the White Sox to bomb the French Alps, but the training wheels haven't even been fully fastened.
There are lofty expectations for these clubs, but both need the time and patience to fulfill it. If you are the instant gratification type, Los Angeles and Chicago will frustrate you, to the point where you may think you grew into Ozzie Guillen over night. But if you are process-oriented, these guys could provide a gourmet meal if you add a dash of salt and a splash of pepper. Naturally, we want them al dente when the water is just barely boiling.
Both pitching staffs have young anchors to lean on for the foreseeable future, but the question is can they consistently throw strikes? "Throwing strikes" is baseball's oldest broken record, but is the working title of the ABC's Of Pitching and is the determining factor between big league success and big league bust. It sounds simple, and so does ice skating, but wait until you feel the sleet underneath your skates for the first time; Apolo Anton Ohno will look like the second coming of Christ.
Young kids need mentors, but are there enough of those? Mark Buehrle is an All-Star pitcher who needs to take Gavin Floyd and John Danks under his wing and let them know the importance of attacking the zone and trusting your stuff. I suppose Brad Penny could do the same in Los Angeles, but he is having his own problems right now.
John Danks started on Thursday and did a superb allowing no runs over six innings, lowering his season ERA to 2.62. He walked four on Thursday and that is the one thing that will prevent him from becoming the front line big league pitcher that he is capable of becoming. Walks are the kryptonite of all pitching supermen. Danks has a great fastball, especially coming from the left side, an outstanding change up, and a good breaking ball. He just needs to get strike one and stop working from behind like he is interested in giving the hitter an advantage.
The thing about Danks is that he is only 23 years old, and nobody can deny the strides he has made since last season. Last season was his first in the major leagues, and he was roughed up like plenty of newcomers. Danks put his growth on display today as escaped the sixth inning with a runner on third by striking out Angel Berroa with two outs on a 3-2 change up. A beautiful pitch that takes confidence to throw, and is the epitome of his capabilities.
The Dodgers put their best young chip on the mound on Thursday as well in left hander Clayton Kershaw, an extremely talented 20-year-old whose broad shoulders are barely wide enough to handle the hype and expectations that have been dropped on him. Kershaw has an elite fastball and the makings of a curve ball that could be the best in the major leagues. Period.
There is only one major hurdle that Kershaw needs to overcome before he takes his place on pitching's gold medal pedestal, and that is fastball command. When Kershaw isn't missing high with his heater, he is often catching too much of the plate and giving inferior hitters the opportunity to put the bat on his fastball, a pitch of such high caliber that few should be able to handle it if it is located properly. But with Kershaw, I'm doing more nitpicking than most guys do on Sports Illustrated's top swimsuit models of 2008, and that is saying something.
Kershaw is undoubtedly the first-place prize of the Win A Future Ace lottery, and at 20 years old, he has achieved far more than expected. These next three years in his development are going to be spent exactly like they should be, and we have to pull back on the reigns and realize how young he is for this level. Nobody wants to buy a brand new Ferrari and drive it only in residential neighborhoods, but the Dodgers must be careful not to push Kershaw too much past the 25 mph speed limit this season.
The White Sox score runs in bunches and, when healthy, there may not be a better middle-of-the-order than Konerko/Thome/Dye/Quentin/Swisher, in no particular order. When at its peak, that is a championship caliber offense that can produce 7 runs a game if need be. Swisher would be a perfect hitter in the two-hole, he can handle the bat, showed his bunting ability on Thursday, and gets on base. Quentin fits right behind Swisher as the pure hitter who can hit for average and power, the musician who can hang with Van Halen and then head to the studio and record a Grammy-worthy acoustic album. Thome and Dye are the bruisers in the middle that you need to clear the bases and I practically forgot about Konerko, who is an All-Star hitter in his own right, since he has missed so much time. Hey, I didn't make it up, even the White Sox hang his jersey in the dugout during games.
The window is closing on the White Sox in regards to Thome and Dye, production they will be missing in the near future. The core of this club must be built around Swisher, Quentin, and an exciting young middle infielder named Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez is a natural shortstop who moved over to second base when the White Sox acquired Orlando Cabrera in the off season, and he is exciting as they come if you get a chance to watch him. He has speed, power, can hit for average, and oh is the glove special.
Ramirez was on the front end of a 4-6-3 double play today, one in which he fielded the ball towards the middle and in one motion flipped it to Cabrera, softly and surely like the two were playing the egg-toss. Chicago should let Cabrera walk when his contract is up, making room for their 2008 first round pick, Gordon Beckham, an impressive short stop from the University of Georgia, a guy who tied for home runs in the country this season, when he is big league ready. The front office will have to determine which plays where, but that is a nice problem to have since both are capable of playing either one of the middle infield positions.
The Dodgers do not have a shortage of reasons to be excited at the plate. Their core of Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and James Loney could potentially rival any core of young players in the big leagues, whether that be in Arizona, Colorado, Boston, or any other big league city. These guys are for real; Kemp reminds me of a young Manny Ramirez, a complete threat that can hit the ball out of the park from foul pole to foul pole while hitting .300 and driving in 120 runs. Loney could be his own model, with a sweet powerful stroke, not to mention the Gold Glove caliber first base he already plays.
Martin deserves his own column, not only because he is such a superb catcher, but because he provides the Dodgers with a natural born leader who personally endorses Sharpie in order to stay in the line up. Instead of taking full days off, Martin talks manager Joe Torre into letting him play third base instead, claiming that it actually is a day off for his body and mind. Yeah, right. The hot corner is that easy, huh? Martin made a bare-handed play on a slow rolling bunt by Swisher in today's ball game that you would think he will soon be trying to play both positions at the same time in the same game. Hey, don't put it past him.
Andre Ethier is promising in his own right but has been slightly lost in the shuffle of outfielders since Juan Pierre started producing again, but nonetheless is an important piece of the future core. Ethier may not light the world on fire against left handed pitchers, at least not yet anyways, but he has hit .277 against them in his career, proving that he is capable of holding his own. That .277 is more impressive considering those at-bats are sporadic since managers have made it a habit of sitting him when they face southpaws and taking the opportunity to get someone else in the lineup.
I understand the importance and the possible strategic advantage of this move, but we must remember that this is something the Dodgers did with James Loney as well until he starter tearing up anything and everything that propelled a baseball towards home plate. I don't think Ethier is that far off, and he is such a talented player that he could handle an everyday role if getting the opportunity. Do you think he had trouble with lefties in college when he was an All-American at Arizona State? Did he have trouble with lefties when he was tearing up the Oakland A's farm system? It is no different now.
Pierre isn't the biggest piece of dead weight on the Dodgers roster, but he is the typical love/hate relationship. When he is at his best, he is getting on base often and running all over the place, disrupting the opposing pitcher, and providing scoring opportunities from top to bottom. When he is struggling, he gets fewer hits than runs allowed due to the abysmal strength of his throwing arm.
The Dodgers infield of the future scratched the surface today as Andy LaRoche made a start at second base, probably the position he will fall into partly due to the soon-to-be departure of Jeff Kent, and largely due to the emergence of Blake DeWitt. This order would be somewhat of an anomaly, since DeWitt is the superior athlete, and therefore would be considered a better choice to move to a position which calls for superior range, like second base. With that said, LaRoche is no defensive slouch who has already shown the ability to handle second base, and to think that he has barely had time to catch his breath in the big leagues before being proposed a position change bodes well for the Dodgers.
Outside of the jerseys that take the field on any given night, there are two factors that conflict with the current status of these ball clubs, creating pressure when patience is indeed the virtue. The first is the cities that these respective clubs play in. If the Dodgers and White Sox played in Kansas City, Minnesota, and the like, they would both be looked at as teams loaded with young talent who are on the cusp of breaking into the playoffs and with possible championship aspirations in the years to come. Think Tampa Bay with a few more veterans.
But when home is Los Angeles or Chicago, big market cities and media melting pots, there isn't time for youngsters to struggle and cope with the consequences, or the luxury of "rebuilding" seasons. Both franchises are bathed in history and both fan bases are painted with angst; contenders are a must, champions are preferred. The "win now" mentality is so strong that the front offices have no choice but to embrace it and be the buoy seamlessly carrying along with the current, not the dock withstanding the crashing of waves of wrath.
Accompanied by the cities are the men who run the day-to-day operations of the ball clubs: the managers. Neither Joe Torre nor Ozzie Guillen are being paid to manage the Baltimore Orioles. Torre has the ability to be project manager of a rebuilding club, but that isn't his role in Los Angeles nor is he in a point in his career where that role would be of any interest; he only has a handful of years left to get back to the summit. Make no mistake about it, Torre is being paid handsomely to do what he did in New York: win.
Ozzie is a the helm to be the bottomless container of kerosene, always one match away from a nuclear explosion. He is leading the White Sox to shake things up when the club becomes stagnant. You can't say his way doesn't work, he wasted no time proving he is capable of leading a team to a World Series title. But if "win" is not at the top of the priority list when you think of Guillen, well, you just don't know the guy. Lets face it, Ozzie couldn't develop kids if he was asked to run the baseball team at the local Boys and Girls Club of America. There is simply no patience in the baseball blood of that man.
The bottom line is that the Dodgers and White Sox both have deep pools of potential, but neither have come close to fulfilling them. The pitching inconsistencies will hamper the White Sox. Danks and Floyd are already going to have their share of hiccups because they are young, but poor outings from Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez are unacceptable because they put the rotation in a tough spot and ask Buehrle to be perfect. The Dodgers suffer from inconsistent at-bats, especially with runners in scoring position, a situation where they went hitless on Thursday. In one inning, the Dodgers had runners on first and third with nobody out, and a Russell Martin strikeout and James Loney 4-6-3 double play later, they were scoreless. This will be their downfall until they can figure out how to be consistent in the quality of their plate appearances.
The White Sox and Dodgers are more Sandlot than Bad News Bears. They know how to the play the game, but are just raw in their approach, and have more than enough passion and energy to go around. I wonder if, when John Heywood coined "Rome wasn't built in a day", he was foreshadowing these Dodgers and White Sox?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Ballpark Banter- Wednesday evening notes
* There were many reasons why some thought it would not be a great decision to move Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation in the middle of the season. The point being made was that he was already probably the best set-up man in all of baseball, and him combined with closer Mariano Rivera gave the New York Yankees the best one-two punch in baseball at the end of the game. It is had to argue with shortening a game to 6-7 innings and letting Chamberlain and Rivera take care of the rest.
It was also not a given that Chamberlain would be able to properly adapt to a starter's role during the middle of the season since he hadn't trained his body or his arm like a 7-8 inning starter, but rather a 1-2 inning reliever. The last thing the Yankees need is for Chamberlain to break down trying to pitch more innings, and then not have him for the stretch run in the second half. Or there was the thought that his stuff would not be quite as good over 7 innings and he would not be nearly as electric when he is allowed to blow it out for an inning or two.
It is safe to say that Chamberlain is crushing all of the aforementioned concerns with every pitch he throws as a starter for the New York Yankees these days. Chamberlain earned his first win as a starter on Wednesday, striking out 7 over 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Yankees skunked the Pirates 10-0. Chamberlain was still hitting 97 mph in his final inning of work, his slider was nastier than ever, and oddly enough he looks more comfortable in this role.
Chamberlain is an intense guy, but it looks as if he has quickly found a way to channel that aggression, and he looks as calm and cool as ever. One thing that stood out about his start tonight was how much he went to his change up, not because it was dominant, but rather because it appeared he was struggling with it a little bit. He kept throwing it, and even forced himself to throw it in fastball counts, making sure that he would not lose the feel.
This is a crucial step in the development for Chamberlain as a starter, because his change up is going to be the equalizer against great left handed hitters, and his curveball already looks like a solid offering. His fastball and slider are obviously out of this world, and when he pairs consistent command with his pitches, you can etch his name into at least two Cy Young awards. Would not be surprised.
* There are first impressions, and then there is simply taking advantage of your opportunity. This is not Eric Stult's first time in the big leagues, but it is his first taste of a big league starting rotation, and he is pitching like he has been here the whole season. Stults pitched the Dodgers to a complete game shutout of the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night, improving his record to 2-0 since he was called up to aide the Dodgers injured staff.
Hiroki Kuroda and Brad Penny are going to come back and regain their roles, if only because the Dodgers have a lot of money invested in those two right arms, even if their performances don't stack up as good as Stults. That is the sour realization of the business, and one that Joe Saunders down the I-5 Freeway in Los Angeles knows much about. Stults will go back to the minor leagues and await his next turn, via injury, spot start, or September call up.
The bullpen is an option, I guess, but that is not what the Dodgers want to do since they obviously have a guy who can be successful at the big league level in the rotation, and that is never a guy you want to side track by short, sporadic work out of the bullpen. Stults, fairly or unfairly, may not get his opportunity to really stick until next March in spring training, and that is simply the life of a baseball player. But what this emergence does for the Dodgers is give them another arm to possibly shop around one of their current starters, maybe a Derek Lowe or Brad Penny. The Dodgers could command an impact bat in return, say Pittsburgh's Jason Bay or Xavier Nady, or they may be able to bring in some young prospects and continue to stockpile the system while giving the cheaper Stults a chance to stick. Regardless, one thing we do know is that this stagnant Dodgers club has gotten a jolt of energy from this guy and that is not something that you would willingly give up when you are trying to track down the division leader.
* This night would not be complete if we didn't step away from Major League Baseball for a minute and put the focus on the College World Series and the Fresno State Bulldogs. Fresno State beat Georgia in the decisive third game Wednesday night to capture the first National Championship in the school's history. This is being regarded not only as the biggest upset or "cinderella" story, whichever you prefer, in college baseball history, but one of the great stories in sports history period. Think about that. A group of fun-loving college kids could have such an impact.
Fresno State had to win their conference tournament to even get into the 64-team NCAA tournament and then went through college baseball's gauntlet, defying all odds in all three rounds of post season play. The Bulldogs end the post season 6-0 in elimination games, a true test of their character and belief. It wasn't the numbers and the history per say that made this team such a great story and so much fun to watch. It was the players themselves who made it such a joy.
We got to watch a right fielder set four CWS records in the championship game-- while playing with a mangled left thumb that will require extensive ligament-replacement surgery this summer. We got to watch a third baseman crush balls all over the yard and play stellar defensive en route to the CWS Most Outstanding Player award-- while playing with dislocated fingers on his throwing hand. We saw a team piece together a pitching staff without their ace who was lost before the post season started due to a shoulder injury and "fresh" starters took the ball and stepped up time after time-- by "fresh" we mean two days of rest.
What trumps all is the passion, energy, and commitment to one's teammates that will make this team so memorable. Every guy interviewed after the game couldn't say enough about the fans or the other guys on the team. None of these kids absorbed the spotlight, they ricocheted it off their jerseys and shined it on another. We will remember a team that was the epitome of "heart" and "love of the game" not because of the odds they defied, but how they went about it and the compassion they showed for their teammates and their opponents. Above all, the genuine feeling of gratification and charm that overcame me when I witnessed young ballplayers create lifelong memories amidst the summit of their college careers will be the long-lasting memory of this improbable stretch of success. The 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs are everything and more that is great about sports.
It was also not a given that Chamberlain would be able to properly adapt to a starter's role during the middle of the season since he hadn't trained his body or his arm like a 7-8 inning starter, but rather a 1-2 inning reliever. The last thing the Yankees need is for Chamberlain to break down trying to pitch more innings, and then not have him for the stretch run in the second half. Or there was the thought that his stuff would not be quite as good over 7 innings and he would not be nearly as electric when he is allowed to blow it out for an inning or two.
It is safe to say that Chamberlain is crushing all of the aforementioned concerns with every pitch he throws as a starter for the New York Yankees these days. Chamberlain earned his first win as a starter on Wednesday, striking out 7 over 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Yankees skunked the Pirates 10-0. Chamberlain was still hitting 97 mph in his final inning of work, his slider was nastier than ever, and oddly enough he looks more comfortable in this role.
Chamberlain is an intense guy, but it looks as if he has quickly found a way to channel that aggression, and he looks as calm and cool as ever. One thing that stood out about his start tonight was how much he went to his change up, not because it was dominant, but rather because it appeared he was struggling with it a little bit. He kept throwing it, and even forced himself to throw it in fastball counts, making sure that he would not lose the feel.
This is a crucial step in the development for Chamberlain as a starter, because his change up is going to be the equalizer against great left handed hitters, and his curveball already looks like a solid offering. His fastball and slider are obviously out of this world, and when he pairs consistent command with his pitches, you can etch his name into at least two Cy Young awards. Would not be surprised.
* There are first impressions, and then there is simply taking advantage of your opportunity. This is not Eric Stult's first time in the big leagues, but it is his first taste of a big league starting rotation, and he is pitching like he has been here the whole season. Stults pitched the Dodgers to a complete game shutout of the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night, improving his record to 2-0 since he was called up to aide the Dodgers injured staff.
Hiroki Kuroda and Brad Penny are going to come back and regain their roles, if only because the Dodgers have a lot of money invested in those two right arms, even if their performances don't stack up as good as Stults. That is the sour realization of the business, and one that Joe Saunders down the I-5 Freeway in Los Angeles knows much about. Stults will go back to the minor leagues and await his next turn, via injury, spot start, or September call up.
The bullpen is an option, I guess, but that is not what the Dodgers want to do since they obviously have a guy who can be successful at the big league level in the rotation, and that is never a guy you want to side track by short, sporadic work out of the bullpen. Stults, fairly or unfairly, may not get his opportunity to really stick until next March in spring training, and that is simply the life of a baseball player. But what this emergence does for the Dodgers is give them another arm to possibly shop around one of their current starters, maybe a Derek Lowe or Brad Penny. The Dodgers could command an impact bat in return, say Pittsburgh's Jason Bay or Xavier Nady, or they may be able to bring in some young prospects and continue to stockpile the system while giving the cheaper Stults a chance to stick. Regardless, one thing we do know is that this stagnant Dodgers club has gotten a jolt of energy from this guy and that is not something that you would willingly give up when you are trying to track down the division leader.
* This night would not be complete if we didn't step away from Major League Baseball for a minute and put the focus on the College World Series and the Fresno State Bulldogs. Fresno State beat Georgia in the decisive third game Wednesday night to capture the first National Championship in the school's history. This is being regarded not only as the biggest upset or "cinderella" story, whichever you prefer, in college baseball history, but one of the great stories in sports history period. Think about that. A group of fun-loving college kids could have such an impact.
Fresno State had to win their conference tournament to even get into the 64-team NCAA tournament and then went through college baseball's gauntlet, defying all odds in all three rounds of post season play. The Bulldogs end the post season 6-0 in elimination games, a true test of their character and belief. It wasn't the numbers and the history per say that made this team such a great story and so much fun to watch. It was the players themselves who made it such a joy.
We got to watch a right fielder set four CWS records in the championship game-- while playing with a mangled left thumb that will require extensive ligament-replacement surgery this summer. We got to watch a third baseman crush balls all over the yard and play stellar defensive en route to the CWS Most Outstanding Player award-- while playing with dislocated fingers on his throwing hand. We saw a team piece together a pitching staff without their ace who was lost before the post season started due to a shoulder injury and "fresh" starters took the ball and stepped up time after time-- by "fresh" we mean two days of rest.
What trumps all is the passion, energy, and commitment to one's teammates that will make this team so memorable. Every guy interviewed after the game couldn't say enough about the fans or the other guys on the team. None of these kids absorbed the spotlight, they ricocheted it off their jerseys and shined it on another. We will remember a team that was the epitome of "heart" and "love of the game" not because of the odds they defied, but how they went about it and the compassion they showed for their teammates and their opponents. Above all, the genuine feeling of gratification and charm that overcame me when I witnessed young ballplayers create lifelong memories amidst the summit of their college careers will be the long-lasting memory of this improbable stretch of success. The 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs are everything and more that is great about sports.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Running Diary: Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs, ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
One of the most captivating rivalries in baseball concludes its first go-around of the 2008 season tonight on ESPN's nationally televised Sunday Night Baseball. The Cubs and White Sox are playing each other this weekend for the first time in history when both storied franchises are in first place in their respective divisions at the same time. The Cubbies have prevailed in the first two games of this series, one a close affair that was capped by a walk-off homer by Aramis Ramirez, and the other a prototypical Wrigley Field slugfest that saw the Cubs hit four home runs in one inning, two of them slugged by center fielder Jim Edmonds.
But tonight the White Sox look to get out of town by salvaging the third and final game of the series and keep pushing towards an American League Central Crown. The White Sox are sending veteran Javier Vazquez to the mound, a strikeout pitcher who should fare better in Wrigley than Jose Contreras did on Saturday. The Cubs will oppose Vazquez with Ryan Dempster, Chicago's most consistent starter this season and their ace by default as Carlos Zambrano heads to the DL to rest a strained shoulder.
The White Sox bring baseball's best ERA (3.44) into tonight's ball game, and the Cubs bring a highly-powered, efficiently-balanced offense that leads the National League in team batting average (.283) and packs a punch that can go 15 rounds with vintage-Tyson. Something will give, some norm must be interrupted. The Chicago Cubs (48-27) bring a 3.5 game lead in the NL Central into tonight's scuffle and the Chicago White Sox (41-33) try to protect a 2.5 game lead in the AL Central with the Minnesota Twins already winning earlier today. Lou may erupt, Ozzie may rant, regardless, we are in for a treat tonight as the Windy City is divided into North and South one more time... until next weekend.
*** All Times Pacific, All Times PM
5:00- White Sox/Cubs live from Wrigley Field! It may just be me, but one of my favorite parts of the Sunday Night telecast is the opening minute with Jon Miller setting the scene, followed by the short introductory story on the ball game. Tonight's happened to be a Cubs fan reliving the 2003 post season, a run so promising on the arm of Mark Prior, only to be derailed and unfairly place on Steve Bartman. Poor, poor man. This particular fan talked about a World Series run and what it would mean for him, his family, and the experience he would share with his son. See how much this means to Chicago? Love this stuff.
5:10- ESPN has really gotten high-tech this year with these pregame segments they do, particular with Peter Gammons. We now have a slideshow/soundtrack to go along with the voice of Gammons, who dissects one of the main issues for the game or one of the teams. Gammons is the best journalist in baseball, and that is no disrespect to any of the others, that is just how well he is at his job, the respect he gets from players and other media members, and his passion for baseball that drips from his veins. It is apparent he is relentless in his pursuit of baseball mystique.
Gammon's intro regarded the track White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has taken this season, the ups and downs and all the words in between. Ozzie will be Ozzie just as much as Manny will be Manny, and I don't really find a problem with it because for the circus that he causes in the clubhouse sometimes, he provides an equally good distraction when the team isn't playing well, which allows the players to get back on track. Plus, Ozzie backs his players, he just is known for his unusual way of motivating, based on his personality. In my opinion, Ozzie catches too much of a bad rap sometimes, but other times he does need to quiet down. It is a relationship of good and evil, the frustrations and the laughs wrapped in one.
5:17- Ryan Dempster and the Cubs take the field, threatening skies have parted and scattered showers have passed. Time for baseball. Dempster brings and 8-2 record to the mound with a 2.76 ERA. Dempster, who ranks fifth in wins in the NL in 2008, is 8-0 at Wrigley Field this year and has a career 3.66 ERA at the Friendly Confines.
5:23- It took us four pitches before the first discussion regarding A.J. Pierzynski, the nemesis and the teammate. This is always a story line since it appears as Pierzynski is the most hated player next to Barry Bonds. Fans and opposing players find him annoying and he often rubs people the wrong way. Joe Morgan is quick to point out that his teammates aren't bothered by him, and that is what truly matters. Personally, I can see how Pierzynski rubs people the wrong way, and I can see how fits well into a clubhouse. He is an aggressive player, who makes a lot of savvy decisions on the field and is not afraid to take chances and stick up for his ball club. Many people view some of the plays he is involved in as controversial-- one happened the other day when he tagged Jason Marquis after he touched first base because he thought he had mad a move towards second base, and the umpire agreed with A.J.-- when in reality they are just heads up. It is not his fault he is more aware than the opponent. That is what people need to realize. There is nothing cheap obnoxious about trying to gain every inch in the game, which is what every team is ultimately trying to do.
5:28- The White Sox take the field after a couple hits in the first inning, but a Jermain Dye 4-6-3 double play ended the threat. Javier Vaquez is on the mound for the White Sox. Vazquez is 7-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 2008. Vazquez is a power pitcher who has the ability to strike guys out, but he is downfall is command. The walks will haunt him, and he promptly puts Kosuke Fukudome on base with the first four pitches of the game.
5:33- Big Bopper number 1, Derek Lee, singles up the middle to drive in the first run of the game, getting the already vigor crowd to open up even more. Orlando Cabrera muffs the throw back to the infield, allowing Corey Patterson to come in with the Cubs second run. The biggest story of the ball game will be the crowd, as the first two days at Wrigley have been like Mardi Gras, Chicago-style. There are plenty of fans from both teams, and that is what makes these games so special. The Wrigley crowd is a cross between a fantasy baseball draft and a college fraternity party. They surely know their baseball, and they aren't afraid to crank up the volume and let you know about it.
5:40- The Cubs get two in the first inning, and so far Vazquez's command issues have trumped his stuff. He walked the first two batters of the game, which prompted a quick visit from Ozzie. Can you imagine what Guillen says during that visit? Talk about taking simplicity and colorful language to a new level. But it is not just the walks that are telling; Vazquez's pitches that have been called strikes have been primarily up in the zone and the Cubs hitters so far are looking like the Senator's who questioned Roger Clemens a few months ago: Just swingin' away!
5:50- Dempster is looking sharp in the second inning, and this allows us to take a quick moment away to discuss something I left out of a previous post regarding C.C. Sabathia and his trade market. I broke down the some possible buyers and sellers, but I failed to mention the Cubs, mainly because I thought they look so good and are so well put together that it wouldn't make sense to break their system and their bank to bring him in with no guarantee of signing him long term. Not to mention that the Cubs have spent mega-dollars recently on Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, etc.
But with Zambrano on the DL, many people believe that the Cubs who be the hottest pursuer of Sabathia if and when he is put on the trade market. I like the idea of getting him for the Cubs because he provides insurance in case Zambrano's shoulder issues actually do end up to be something more than minor, and also a Sabathia/Zambrano tandem will bode well if the Cubs have to face the Webb/Haren tandem from Arizona in the playoffs. But, then again, who wouldn't like to have Sabathia? Yes, it would be a great boost, but that isn't news. I think the Cubs have enough pieces in place when Zambrano is healthy, and all signs point towards he will be. They should keep their prospects, and if they feel they have the resources to afford Sabathia, then they may make a run at him during free agency. If a sensible trade proposal is in the works, then by all means, make the deal. Any contender would do that. But my point is that the Cubs seem to be one of the contending teams that can win with or without Sabathia.
6:00- Kosuke Fukudome, the most fun name to say in baseball by the way, has been the biggest addition to the Cubs lineup this season. At a quick glance, you would see him as just a quality player to round out a lineup, which he is, but he is more than just the fifth threat in the lineup. He has proven to be much more important for the Cubs than I originally thought. He is a poor man's Kevin Youkilis with less pop, but his role his skill set fits the Cubs perfectly.
Fukudome has scored 49 runs this season, and his .405 OBP ranks seventh in the National League. Fukudome walked to lead of the game, and then came around to score on Lee's single. That was played exactly to Lou Pinella's playbook. Even though he struck out in his second at-bat, he worked the count to 3-2 and was caught looking by a nasty two-seam fastball on the inside corner from Vazquez. Fukudome doesn't need to hit home runs, and the fact that he knows that makes him a perfect fit for the Cubs. He is a great catalyst, and by getting on base in front of Lee and Ramirez, provides the Cubs with ample scoring opportunities. His play is imperative while Soriano is out, and Chicago will be that much dangerous when Soriano returns from his broken hand. 2-0 Cubs after two.
6:12- More screen time for Peter Gammons means another one of his "video-stories". This one covered Dempster's transition from closer to starter, and how reliable he has been for a club and a city that is so reliant on the arm and energy of Carlos Zambrano. Dempster may only be a seat warmer for the "ace" title of the rotation while Zambrano is out, but in a sense he certainly has become the legs and backrest of a rotation that will be counted on to lift the Cubs through the post season. How is this for Dempster's first year back in the starting rotation (National League rankings): 4th in ERA, 3rd in WHIP, 2nd in hits per nine innings, and has averaged more than 6 innings per start for 15 stars in 2008. Lets just say he is making himself a lot of money and is substantially reducing the number of Fatal Heart Attacks That Happen in Chicago Due To Cubs Games.
6:22- Sometimes I get caught up in the details of the game, the minute happenings that many don't see, or I just have too much appreciation for some of the simpler things. Whatever the case, this is one of those times, as I marvel at how elegantly Derek Lee plays first base. Keep in mind that Lee is 6'6" tall, and yet he has some of the best feet around the bag in baseball and he has the hands of a middle infielder-- well I guess I should say the hands of a first baseman since it is they job to pick balls out of the dirt. Lee saved Aramis Ramirez like a defender in basketball who shifts over to help on weak-side defense or to pick up a screen. Lee dug out a horrible throw from Ramirez in the fourth inning, and it wasn't one of those easy ones that bounce three inches in front of the glove and seep into the pocket like their is a baseball-attracting magnet in there. This was a full-fledged in-between hop that Lee hung with and showed exactly why he is a Gold Glove defender. These are the little things that so magnificently complete the beauty of the game, much like a handkerchief on the outside of the jacket completes a suit. Just have to look for the details. Great stuff goes missing.
6:35- One of the better things about Joe Morgan is his impartialness to a subject. Every man holds his opinion, but Joe, as a Hall of Famer, has the baseball savvy and knowledge to analyze a game, but he also possesses the creativity to bring out the good in a story. Rarely will you see Joe, or any member of this Sunday Night Crew, harp on a negative or thoroughly ridicule a player. Criticism is fine, but ridicule just isn't necessary. There is enough of that in the world that we don't need to import antagonistic thought into the safe haven that is our world of sports.
The reason this came to mind is that Miller and Morgan were talking about one of Guillen's famous rants, and the mainstream media really made it out to be that Ozzie was ripping everybody in the organization and wasn't taking any responsibility, and that simply wasn't the case. Yes, Ozzie ripped his players, his GM, and everyone else he may see on a daily basis. Yes, it was profanity-laced, discordant, and intemperate. But it was honest and heart-felt, even if it was tied with a thick bow of brashness. But Guillen did indeed include himself in the reasons why the White Sox weren't playing as well as they should have been, and Joe made the extra effort to paint the picture with its proper colors.
6:42- Coming into tonight's game, Vazquez had a career record of 2-2 at Wrigley Field and a 4.80 ERA, and we have already passed that. Vazquez is starting to get blown out of the water. First a two-run home run by Eric Patterson made it 4-0 Cubs, then a solo shot two batters later by Aramis Ramirez makes it 5-0 Cubs in the fifth inning. That was Ramirez's fourth home run of the series, and he is ripping through White Sox pitchers like New York City goes through taxis. Like Tiger goes through major championship. Like the Boston Celtics went through the Lakers defense in the Finals. Like the New England Patriots go through video cameras. Please, stop the analogies!
6:50- Just a quick, cheap tangent about the air at Wrigley Field. A lot of these home runs this weekend have been struck well. Truly, they have. But others have been rather weak swings that should produce fly outs, not homers. I mean, seriously, Coors Field gets the bad rap for thin air, Houston and Philadelphia are just simply known as launching pads, but do you ever really hear a whole lot about Wrigley Field? I guess the combination of the wind and heat will make the ball fly, but have you been seeing the same thing I have been seeing on some of these home runs? Guys out on their front foot, waving at pitches like Eva Mendes waves when she walks down the red carpet. The end result is a pretty sight, certainly, but the act itself is rather mundane. Maybe its just me, or maybe this is just a pitcher speaking. Anyways, moving on...
6:57- Tonight is certainly an anomaly for the White Sox offense through six innings, but the credit goes to Ryan Dempster, who has been outstanding. This is six scoreless now for Dempster, and his command and execution has been superb. He is commanding his fastball, throwing his breaking stuff for strikes, and inducing some of the weakest swings I have seen on his change up. This would be an impressive performance on any given night, but the fact that he is doing it against the creme de la creme of baseball's offensives is special. The White Sox rank 6th in the American League in team batting average, 1st in home runs, and 3rd in runs scored. A powerhouse, indeed.
7:05- Carlos Quentin has one of the five White Sox hits through six innings tonight, is one of the most exciting young players in baseball today. He is the prime example of a guy who simply needs a change of scenery to break through. Quentin was a great prospect and promising young star the last couple of seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and then leg injuries put him on the back burner while Chris Young and Justing Upton emerged as the new Youth Movement in the desert. But there was never a question of whether or not Quentin had the talent or ability, he simply needed another avenue where he would be appreciated and given the chance to play every day.
White sox GM Kenny Williams made his best decision by acquiring Quentin in the off season and instilling him as the every day left fielder. Quentin so far has hit .281 with a .393 OBP, a .538 SLG, and is ranked second in the American League in homers with 17 and fourth in RBI with 56. Not to mention he plays a pretty good left field. Discovering Quentin's true abilities is like the scene in The Sandlot when Benny makes the effort to show Smalls how to catch and throw a baseball, and then the rest of the guys come around and see that he does have talent and that he is a perfect piece to round out their squad. Hey, this guy can play!
7:15- Dempster's armor is finally chinked in the seventh inning, as the White Sox cross the plate once. This is breaking news in Chicago.
7:22- Aramis Ramirez wanted to be a professional basketball player growing up, who knew? The people of the Dominican Republic told him that the way to get off the island is by playing baseball, so to the diamond it was. You may be wondering what this has to do with the game, with baseball, with anything relevant in life, and that is a valid question. So my valid answer is that this little fun tidbit spurred a conversation between Jon Miller and Joe Morgan with them trying to figure out if any NBA players have come from the island. Funny is the root of the story? Not so much. But comical is the byproduct? Of course. Oh, and Ramirez promptly doubles in another run, making it 6-1 Cubs in the seventh inning, giving Ramirez 8 RBIs in the series. Baseball was a good choice, my man, a good choice indeed.
7:30- Ozzie Guillen's comical candor is what keeps us coming back for more. A lot has been made this weekend about Guillen's comments when he said that his least favorite ballpark is Wrigley Field. Whether or not it was meant to pour a little fuel onto the rivalry fire means little, if nothing, in the eyes of Cubs fans, as they have come out in droves to stick it back in his face. Peter Gammons had to ask Ozzie to clarify his words, and this was his response:
"I don't like Wrigley because of the huge sewer rats and because they are all about celebrities over there. We aren't about celebrities at U.S. Cellular [ home of the White Sox ]. We only have politicians because politicians give you money to help you build ballparks."
Gotta love him.
7:42- Jim Thome makes his appearance for the evening, pinch hitting for Octavio Dotel in the bottom of the eighth and leading off the inning with a double into the right field corner. That was all the offense the White Sox would sniff though, like a blind dog relentlessly searching for the phantom bone. Just ain't there tonight. Dempster got a ground ball, a pop up, and then struck out Carlos Quentin to end the inning and send Wrigley Field into eruption. I wonder if Lou will let him finish off his own game, capturing his ninth win of the season and second complete game. The bullpen was busy in the eighth inning and Pinella jogged out the mound, yes, I used "Pinella" and "jogged" in the same sentence, and Dempster persuaded him to finish the inning. In memory of the old days where pitch counts didn't exist and starters were their own closers, let him complete the game Lou. (All together) Let him finish! Let him finish!
7:48- Looks like the question has been answered for us... Dempster lead off the ninth inning and looks like he will be back out to finish it in the ninth. This is what I like to see.
7:54- There's that beautiful stroke of Derek Lee's again. Lee slammed an RBI double off of the wall in right center to make it 7-1 Cubs. This came off of Bobby Jenks, and I think that pretty much completes the demolition of every arm on the White Sox staff. The Cubs hitters have treated them like a cheap pinata this weekend, and I can't imagine how Ozzie is going to respond to reporters after this one. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, they get these guys again next weekend at home.
8:02- After a ripped single by Jermain Dye to lead off the inning and an infield single by Nick Swisher, it appears as if Dempster's luck is running out and, subsequently, Lou Pinella comes to get him. Standing ovation from the packed house at Wrigley for Dempster, just the type of performance that the Cubs need while Zambrano is gone, and more importantly, down the stretch and into the post season regardless of the status of Zambrano. With two horses in these guys, and God forbid they make a play at Sabathia, the Cubs have the makings of a championship pitching staff, complemented by an extraordinary bullpen. This is 2008, not 1908. We speak the facts, not bruising memories of disdaining clubs.
8:09- Alexi Ramirez grounds into a 5-4 force out to end the game, or rather the misery for the White Sox, and begin the celebration at Wrigley. This feud is taking on a new level of intensity, one which will grow white-hot if these two teams happen to match up in the World Series. Talk about some serious baseball fun.
But for now, we have to settle with a clean sweep this weekend by the Cubs, who continue their surge towards National League dominance, and the White Sox head to play a three game series against the Dodgers before these two clubs meet again next week at U.S. Cellular Field. This is not a catastrophe for the White Sox, it only hurts a little more because it comes at the hands of Chicago's Chose One. This is merely a speed bump for the White Sox, but it is important for them to find their winning ways in Los Angeles and gain a little positive momentum that they can take into next weekend's Round 2 of Baseball's Best Kept Secret in Major Rivalries. Red Sox/Yankees, Cubs/Cardinals, Dodgers/Giants, and Yankees/Mets all have their own worthy pungency, but soon we will see more of these games, and rightfully so, as they are worthy of prime time because the passion is second to none.
Time to put this one to bed from Chicago, cheers to a great weekend of thrilling baseball, and a toast to do it again next weekend.
But tonight the White Sox look to get out of town by salvaging the third and final game of the series and keep pushing towards an American League Central Crown. The White Sox are sending veteran Javier Vazquez to the mound, a strikeout pitcher who should fare better in Wrigley than Jose Contreras did on Saturday. The Cubs will oppose Vazquez with Ryan Dempster, Chicago's most consistent starter this season and their ace by default as Carlos Zambrano heads to the DL to rest a strained shoulder.
The White Sox bring baseball's best ERA (3.44) into tonight's ball game, and the Cubs bring a highly-powered, efficiently-balanced offense that leads the National League in team batting average (.283) and packs a punch that can go 15 rounds with vintage-Tyson. Something will give, some norm must be interrupted. The Chicago Cubs (48-27) bring a 3.5 game lead in the NL Central into tonight's scuffle and the Chicago White Sox (41-33) try to protect a 2.5 game lead in the AL Central with the Minnesota Twins already winning earlier today. Lou may erupt, Ozzie may rant, regardless, we are in for a treat tonight as the Windy City is divided into North and South one more time... until next weekend.
*** All Times Pacific, All Times PM
5:00- White Sox/Cubs live from Wrigley Field! It may just be me, but one of my favorite parts of the Sunday Night telecast is the opening minute with Jon Miller setting the scene, followed by the short introductory story on the ball game. Tonight's happened to be a Cubs fan reliving the 2003 post season, a run so promising on the arm of Mark Prior, only to be derailed and unfairly place on Steve Bartman. Poor, poor man. This particular fan talked about a World Series run and what it would mean for him, his family, and the experience he would share with his son. See how much this means to Chicago? Love this stuff.
5:10- ESPN has really gotten high-tech this year with these pregame segments they do, particular with Peter Gammons. We now have a slideshow/soundtrack to go along with the voice of Gammons, who dissects one of the main issues for the game or one of the teams. Gammons is the best journalist in baseball, and that is no disrespect to any of the others, that is just how well he is at his job, the respect he gets from players and other media members, and his passion for baseball that drips from his veins. It is apparent he is relentless in his pursuit of baseball mystique.
Gammon's intro regarded the track White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has taken this season, the ups and downs and all the words in between. Ozzie will be Ozzie just as much as Manny will be Manny, and I don't really find a problem with it because for the circus that he causes in the clubhouse sometimes, he provides an equally good distraction when the team isn't playing well, which allows the players to get back on track. Plus, Ozzie backs his players, he just is known for his unusual way of motivating, based on his personality. In my opinion, Ozzie catches too much of a bad rap sometimes, but other times he does need to quiet down. It is a relationship of good and evil, the frustrations and the laughs wrapped in one.
5:17- Ryan Dempster and the Cubs take the field, threatening skies have parted and scattered showers have passed. Time for baseball. Dempster brings and 8-2 record to the mound with a 2.76 ERA. Dempster, who ranks fifth in wins in the NL in 2008, is 8-0 at Wrigley Field this year and has a career 3.66 ERA at the Friendly Confines.
5:23- It took us four pitches before the first discussion regarding A.J. Pierzynski, the nemesis and the teammate. This is always a story line since it appears as Pierzynski is the most hated player next to Barry Bonds. Fans and opposing players find him annoying and he often rubs people the wrong way. Joe Morgan is quick to point out that his teammates aren't bothered by him, and that is what truly matters. Personally, I can see how Pierzynski rubs people the wrong way, and I can see how fits well into a clubhouse. He is an aggressive player, who makes a lot of savvy decisions on the field and is not afraid to take chances and stick up for his ball club. Many people view some of the plays he is involved in as controversial-- one happened the other day when he tagged Jason Marquis after he touched first base because he thought he had mad a move towards second base, and the umpire agreed with A.J.-- when in reality they are just heads up. It is not his fault he is more aware than the opponent. That is what people need to realize. There is nothing cheap obnoxious about trying to gain every inch in the game, which is what every team is ultimately trying to do.
5:28- The White Sox take the field after a couple hits in the first inning, but a Jermain Dye 4-6-3 double play ended the threat. Javier Vaquez is on the mound for the White Sox. Vazquez is 7-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 2008. Vazquez is a power pitcher who has the ability to strike guys out, but he is downfall is command. The walks will haunt him, and he promptly puts Kosuke Fukudome on base with the first four pitches of the game.
5:33- Big Bopper number 1, Derek Lee, singles up the middle to drive in the first run of the game, getting the already vigor crowd to open up even more. Orlando Cabrera muffs the throw back to the infield, allowing Corey Patterson to come in with the Cubs second run. The biggest story of the ball game will be the crowd, as the first two days at Wrigley have been like Mardi Gras, Chicago-style. There are plenty of fans from both teams, and that is what makes these games so special. The Wrigley crowd is a cross between a fantasy baseball draft and a college fraternity party. They surely know their baseball, and they aren't afraid to crank up the volume and let you know about it.
5:40- The Cubs get two in the first inning, and so far Vazquez's command issues have trumped his stuff. He walked the first two batters of the game, which prompted a quick visit from Ozzie. Can you imagine what Guillen says during that visit? Talk about taking simplicity and colorful language to a new level. But it is not just the walks that are telling; Vazquez's pitches that have been called strikes have been primarily up in the zone and the Cubs hitters so far are looking like the Senator's who questioned Roger Clemens a few months ago: Just swingin' away!
5:50- Dempster is looking sharp in the second inning, and this allows us to take a quick moment away to discuss something I left out of a previous post regarding C.C. Sabathia and his trade market. I broke down the some possible buyers and sellers, but I failed to mention the Cubs, mainly because I thought they look so good and are so well put together that it wouldn't make sense to break their system and their bank to bring him in with no guarantee of signing him long term. Not to mention that the Cubs have spent mega-dollars recently on Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, etc.
But with Zambrano on the DL, many people believe that the Cubs who be the hottest pursuer of Sabathia if and when he is put on the trade market. I like the idea of getting him for the Cubs because he provides insurance in case Zambrano's shoulder issues actually do end up to be something more than minor, and also a Sabathia/Zambrano tandem will bode well if the Cubs have to face the Webb/Haren tandem from Arizona in the playoffs. But, then again, who wouldn't like to have Sabathia? Yes, it would be a great boost, but that isn't news. I think the Cubs have enough pieces in place when Zambrano is healthy, and all signs point towards he will be. They should keep their prospects, and if they feel they have the resources to afford Sabathia, then they may make a run at him during free agency. If a sensible trade proposal is in the works, then by all means, make the deal. Any contender would do that. But my point is that the Cubs seem to be one of the contending teams that can win with or without Sabathia.
6:00- Kosuke Fukudome, the most fun name to say in baseball by the way, has been the biggest addition to the Cubs lineup this season. At a quick glance, you would see him as just a quality player to round out a lineup, which he is, but he is more than just the fifth threat in the lineup. He has proven to be much more important for the Cubs than I originally thought. He is a poor man's Kevin Youkilis with less pop, but his role his skill set fits the Cubs perfectly.
Fukudome has scored 49 runs this season, and his .405 OBP ranks seventh in the National League. Fukudome walked to lead of the game, and then came around to score on Lee's single. That was played exactly to Lou Pinella's playbook. Even though he struck out in his second at-bat, he worked the count to 3-2 and was caught looking by a nasty two-seam fastball on the inside corner from Vazquez. Fukudome doesn't need to hit home runs, and the fact that he knows that makes him a perfect fit for the Cubs. He is a great catalyst, and by getting on base in front of Lee and Ramirez, provides the Cubs with ample scoring opportunities. His play is imperative while Soriano is out, and Chicago will be that much dangerous when Soriano returns from his broken hand. 2-0 Cubs after two.
6:12- More screen time for Peter Gammons means another one of his "video-stories". This one covered Dempster's transition from closer to starter, and how reliable he has been for a club and a city that is so reliant on the arm and energy of Carlos Zambrano. Dempster may only be a seat warmer for the "ace" title of the rotation while Zambrano is out, but in a sense he certainly has become the legs and backrest of a rotation that will be counted on to lift the Cubs through the post season. How is this for Dempster's first year back in the starting rotation (National League rankings): 4th in ERA, 3rd in WHIP, 2nd in hits per nine innings, and has averaged more than 6 innings per start for 15 stars in 2008. Lets just say he is making himself a lot of money and is substantially reducing the number of Fatal Heart Attacks That Happen in Chicago Due To Cubs Games.
6:22- Sometimes I get caught up in the details of the game, the minute happenings that many don't see, or I just have too much appreciation for some of the simpler things. Whatever the case, this is one of those times, as I marvel at how elegantly Derek Lee plays first base. Keep in mind that Lee is 6'6" tall, and yet he has some of the best feet around the bag in baseball and he has the hands of a middle infielder-- well I guess I should say the hands of a first baseman since it is they job to pick balls out of the dirt. Lee saved Aramis Ramirez like a defender in basketball who shifts over to help on weak-side defense or to pick up a screen. Lee dug out a horrible throw from Ramirez in the fourth inning, and it wasn't one of those easy ones that bounce three inches in front of the glove and seep into the pocket like their is a baseball-attracting magnet in there. This was a full-fledged in-between hop that Lee hung with and showed exactly why he is a Gold Glove defender. These are the little things that so magnificently complete the beauty of the game, much like a handkerchief on the outside of the jacket completes a suit. Just have to look for the details. Great stuff goes missing.
6:35- One of the better things about Joe Morgan is his impartialness to a subject. Every man holds his opinion, but Joe, as a Hall of Famer, has the baseball savvy and knowledge to analyze a game, but he also possesses the creativity to bring out the good in a story. Rarely will you see Joe, or any member of this Sunday Night Crew, harp on a negative or thoroughly ridicule a player. Criticism is fine, but ridicule just isn't necessary. There is enough of that in the world that we don't need to import antagonistic thought into the safe haven that is our world of sports.
The reason this came to mind is that Miller and Morgan were talking about one of Guillen's famous rants, and the mainstream media really made it out to be that Ozzie was ripping everybody in the organization and wasn't taking any responsibility, and that simply wasn't the case. Yes, Ozzie ripped his players, his GM, and everyone else he may see on a daily basis. Yes, it was profanity-laced, discordant, and intemperate. But it was honest and heart-felt, even if it was tied with a thick bow of brashness. But Guillen did indeed include himself in the reasons why the White Sox weren't playing as well as they should have been, and Joe made the extra effort to paint the picture with its proper colors.
6:42- Coming into tonight's game, Vazquez had a career record of 2-2 at Wrigley Field and a 4.80 ERA, and we have already passed that. Vazquez is starting to get blown out of the water. First a two-run home run by Eric Patterson made it 4-0 Cubs, then a solo shot two batters later by Aramis Ramirez makes it 5-0 Cubs in the fifth inning. That was Ramirez's fourth home run of the series, and he is ripping through White Sox pitchers like New York City goes through taxis. Like Tiger goes through major championship. Like the Boston Celtics went through the Lakers defense in the Finals. Like the New England Patriots go through video cameras. Please, stop the analogies!
6:50- Just a quick, cheap tangent about the air at Wrigley Field. A lot of these home runs this weekend have been struck well. Truly, they have. But others have been rather weak swings that should produce fly outs, not homers. I mean, seriously, Coors Field gets the bad rap for thin air, Houston and Philadelphia are just simply known as launching pads, but do you ever really hear a whole lot about Wrigley Field? I guess the combination of the wind and heat will make the ball fly, but have you been seeing the same thing I have been seeing on some of these home runs? Guys out on their front foot, waving at pitches like Eva Mendes waves when she walks down the red carpet. The end result is a pretty sight, certainly, but the act itself is rather mundane. Maybe its just me, or maybe this is just a pitcher speaking. Anyways, moving on...
6:57- Tonight is certainly an anomaly for the White Sox offense through six innings, but the credit goes to Ryan Dempster, who has been outstanding. This is six scoreless now for Dempster, and his command and execution has been superb. He is commanding his fastball, throwing his breaking stuff for strikes, and inducing some of the weakest swings I have seen on his change up. This would be an impressive performance on any given night, but the fact that he is doing it against the creme de la creme of baseball's offensives is special. The White Sox rank 6th in the American League in team batting average, 1st in home runs, and 3rd in runs scored. A powerhouse, indeed.
7:05- Carlos Quentin has one of the five White Sox hits through six innings tonight, is one of the most exciting young players in baseball today. He is the prime example of a guy who simply needs a change of scenery to break through. Quentin was a great prospect and promising young star the last couple of seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and then leg injuries put him on the back burner while Chris Young and Justing Upton emerged as the new Youth Movement in the desert. But there was never a question of whether or not Quentin had the talent or ability, he simply needed another avenue where he would be appreciated and given the chance to play every day.
White sox GM Kenny Williams made his best decision by acquiring Quentin in the off season and instilling him as the every day left fielder. Quentin so far has hit .281 with a .393 OBP, a .538 SLG, and is ranked second in the American League in homers with 17 and fourth in RBI with 56. Not to mention he plays a pretty good left field. Discovering Quentin's true abilities is like the scene in The Sandlot when Benny makes the effort to show Smalls how to catch and throw a baseball, and then the rest of the guys come around and see that he does have talent and that he is a perfect piece to round out their squad. Hey, this guy can play!
7:15- Dempster's armor is finally chinked in the seventh inning, as the White Sox cross the plate once. This is breaking news in Chicago.
7:22- Aramis Ramirez wanted to be a professional basketball player growing up, who knew? The people of the Dominican Republic told him that the way to get off the island is by playing baseball, so to the diamond it was. You may be wondering what this has to do with the game, with baseball, with anything relevant in life, and that is a valid question. So my valid answer is that this little fun tidbit spurred a conversation between Jon Miller and Joe Morgan with them trying to figure out if any NBA players have come from the island. Funny is the root of the story? Not so much. But comical is the byproduct? Of course. Oh, and Ramirez promptly doubles in another run, making it 6-1 Cubs in the seventh inning, giving Ramirez 8 RBIs in the series. Baseball was a good choice, my man, a good choice indeed.
7:30- Ozzie Guillen's comical candor is what keeps us coming back for more. A lot has been made this weekend about Guillen's comments when he said that his least favorite ballpark is Wrigley Field. Whether or not it was meant to pour a little fuel onto the rivalry fire means little, if nothing, in the eyes of Cubs fans, as they have come out in droves to stick it back in his face. Peter Gammons had to ask Ozzie to clarify his words, and this was his response:
"I don't like Wrigley because of the huge sewer rats and because they are all about celebrities over there. We aren't about celebrities at U.S. Cellular [ home of the White Sox ]. We only have politicians because politicians give you money to help you build ballparks."
Gotta love him.
7:42- Jim Thome makes his appearance for the evening, pinch hitting for Octavio Dotel in the bottom of the eighth and leading off the inning with a double into the right field corner. That was all the offense the White Sox would sniff though, like a blind dog relentlessly searching for the phantom bone. Just ain't there tonight. Dempster got a ground ball, a pop up, and then struck out Carlos Quentin to end the inning and send Wrigley Field into eruption. I wonder if Lou will let him finish off his own game, capturing his ninth win of the season and second complete game. The bullpen was busy in the eighth inning and Pinella jogged out the mound, yes, I used "Pinella" and "jogged" in the same sentence, and Dempster persuaded him to finish the inning. In memory of the old days where pitch counts didn't exist and starters were their own closers, let him complete the game Lou. (All together) Let him finish! Let him finish!
7:48- Looks like the question has been answered for us... Dempster lead off the ninth inning and looks like he will be back out to finish it in the ninth. This is what I like to see.
7:54- There's that beautiful stroke of Derek Lee's again. Lee slammed an RBI double off of the wall in right center to make it 7-1 Cubs. This came off of Bobby Jenks, and I think that pretty much completes the demolition of every arm on the White Sox staff. The Cubs hitters have treated them like a cheap pinata this weekend, and I can't imagine how Ozzie is going to respond to reporters after this one. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, they get these guys again next weekend at home.
8:02- After a ripped single by Jermain Dye to lead off the inning and an infield single by Nick Swisher, it appears as if Dempster's luck is running out and, subsequently, Lou Pinella comes to get him. Standing ovation from the packed house at Wrigley for Dempster, just the type of performance that the Cubs need while Zambrano is gone, and more importantly, down the stretch and into the post season regardless of the status of Zambrano. With two horses in these guys, and God forbid they make a play at Sabathia, the Cubs have the makings of a championship pitching staff, complemented by an extraordinary bullpen. This is 2008, not 1908. We speak the facts, not bruising memories of disdaining clubs.
8:09- Alexi Ramirez grounds into a 5-4 force out to end the game, or rather the misery for the White Sox, and begin the celebration at Wrigley. This feud is taking on a new level of intensity, one which will grow white-hot if these two teams happen to match up in the World Series. Talk about some serious baseball fun.
But for now, we have to settle with a clean sweep this weekend by the Cubs, who continue their surge towards National League dominance, and the White Sox head to play a three game series against the Dodgers before these two clubs meet again next week at U.S. Cellular Field. This is not a catastrophe for the White Sox, it only hurts a little more because it comes at the hands of Chicago's Chose One. This is merely a speed bump for the White Sox, but it is important for them to find their winning ways in Los Angeles and gain a little positive momentum that they can take into next weekend's Round 2 of Baseball's Best Kept Secret in Major Rivalries. Red Sox/Yankees, Cubs/Cardinals, Dodgers/Giants, and Yankees/Mets all have their own worthy pungency, but soon we will see more of these games, and rightfully so, as they are worthy of prime time because the passion is second to none.
Time to put this one to bed from Chicago, cheers to a great weekend of thrilling baseball, and a toast to do it again next weekend.
Sunday notes
* C.C. Sabathia is a hulk of a man, a beast of a ballplayer. We know very well the power and electricity that may flood from his left arm at any given moment, and random night. What we weren't so aware of is the pop that drips from his hefty, swing-from-the-heels stroke, which he put on display in rare fashion at Dodger Stadium Saturday afternoon. It was clearly a one-man show for the Cleveland Indians while their Big Guy was in the game, Sabathia pitching his way through the scorching afternoon sun, striking out ten in seven innings and his only blemish being a Matt Kemp solo home run in the sixth inning. Sabathia had to provide his own offense as well, but sometimes that happens when two offensive-starve clubs face off. That was fine with Sabathia, as he launched a fastball 440 feet in his first at-bat against Chan Ho Park to give his team the early lead.
In the end, Sabathia had nothing to do with the outcome, as the game went 11 innings, with Cleveland winning 7-2. But sometimes sports provide comical moments to counteract the heart-wrenching sensations, and to not enjoy them is like eating the first half of the world's greatest burger. You have sunk your teeth in and now understand the main part of the fuss, what makes it so great, but then you stop there. You leave the half with all the fun on the table. Sabathia's ten strikeouts was typical C.C. and is his protocol, but they weren't necessarily more entertaining then watching his lethargic home run trot after greeting Chan Ho Park with his best wishes from Cleveland.
* In case you aren't paying attention, we need to flash our light on what is going on at Wrigley Field right now. This series between the Cubs and White Sox may be the most exciting two days of baseball by far in 2008, but that is not really the point here. The Cubs continue to win, to the tune of baseball's best record, making the NL Central the dirty laundry churning and sloshing in their washing machine. There hasn't been much left in their wake other than a steady path of destruction, but that really isn't the point either.
Aramis Ramirez is starting to hit like Zeus would if he graced a batter's box, and Derek Lee is still the slugger that Cubs fans see in their dreams-- the complete hitter that strokes baseballs rather than hits them, that effortlessly lofts the baseball out of the park, rather than yank it. But what really is beginning to become apparent around this Cubs team is the attitude and confidence-- not only of the team itself but of the city, the fans, everyone else who may pick up a Chicago-based sports section on any given morning and read the latest ballpark happenings.
The Cubs are beginning to build an aura and mystique that is typical reserved for the franchises that make their name by winning, not by infamously losing. When the Cubs put a nice, crooked 9-spot on the board in the fourth inning of Saturday's ballgame, back by four home runs in the inning, the indelible mark that is baseball's magic was officially stamped on this team.
How can you tell? Simple, you just have to look at the things that are happening, beginning with Jim Edmonds' monster day. Edmonds led off the fourth inning with a solo home run to left center, and then as the Cubs batter around in the inning, contributing to Ozzie Guillen's next heartache and inevitable tangent, Edmonds provided another shot to the same spot-- his second of the day, second of the inning.
Look, Edmonds' numbers are not great this year. He is hitting .238 with 5 home runs in 2008, and his stroke in San Diego was the 405-Freeway running through LA during rush hour-- stuck. His swing wasn't slow or slower, just stuck. But something has happened to this man since putting on the blue pinstripes, and he ha been quite productive in his last ten games. Is he going to hit .320 in the second half with 15 home runs? Probably not. But he has certainly contributed to the newfound moxie in Chicago that is giving these fans reason to believe.
Aging players decline because their careers are coming to an end-- it is not something to really talk about, it is simply the facts of life. But when a seemingly-finished player resurrects himself and begins to look like his shadow from ten years ago, there is something in the air other than oxygen and carbon dioxide. These are the things that happens when a team is just mean to be, destined if you will. Out of the box decisions are made and they all pay off. Performances rise to the top that couldn't be predicted by the top experts, and that is what keeps drawing us back to sports. The agony is strenuous, but the love is easy and replenishing.
We may be creatures of habit, but were aren't gnomes or robots-- we want to feel alive, we want to feel the flesh of athletes, the blood of the competitor, the unequivocal voice of the crowd, the heartbeat of an entire city. If nothing else, that is what these Cubs are brining us this season, and it just can't be denied, even if you aren't a tried and true member of the Wrigley Bandwagon. Could this just be me making more out of a few exciting days at the ballpark than what it really is? Sure, but not likely. This really isn't about the last two days. This is about the first half of this season for the Cubs, and more importantly, the direction in which their second half is headed. Funny things happen in this game, and you just know where this club is going because they are a bit out of the norm, too big a part of such a great story. It's not a white or black issue, but you just know.
* This is the Vladimir Guerrero that the Angels have been waiting for. You know those things that hurt even to watch, I mean, you feel the pain and you are sitting on your coach at home? That is how it has appeared the last couple of years with Guerrero when he walks to the plate, his bat acting as a cane as much as it is his weapon, his executioner. The days from running on the cement that was the turf he played on in Montreal have caught up to him, or so we are told. Well, worry no longer, Guerrero is flashing his powerful swing again, attempting to make baseballs into dimpled golf balls at a ballpark near you.
Vlad has crushed three home runs in the last two games as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have gone into Philadelphia and knocked the first-place Phillies right off of their NL East power perch. With his last two games, Guerrero is now hitting .290 with 13 home runs and is complementing the Angels strong pitching like the last couple middle pieces of a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, completing the award winning picture and finally being able to send it in for evaluation.
The Angels have gotten their ace back in John Lackey, and in the mean time Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, the life jackets of this season's ship, are relishing in the process of producing career years. Saunders won his 11th game on Saturday, a night after his counterpart Santana won his ninth, and both men should be representing the Angels at next month's All-Star game in New York. Francisco Rodriguez is pleading guilty to three counts of Baseball's Best Closer, and he notched his big league best 29th save on Saturday night.
But with the array of injuries and early-season struggles blanketed over Angel Stadium early this season, the Angels have been what every balloon loathes of being-- filled with helium and a weight tied to the bottom of the string. That weight was cut off and this balloon was lifted to the blue and white canvas above once Guerrero began hitting, Howie Kendrick and Chone Figgins returned, and Torii Hunter arrived on the scene. We never knew exactly what this club was capable of until now. For once this season, we can finally make an assessment on what may be coming out of the AL West, and Guerrero and Co. are taking it all in stride.
In the end, Sabathia had nothing to do with the outcome, as the game went 11 innings, with Cleveland winning 7-2. But sometimes sports provide comical moments to counteract the heart-wrenching sensations, and to not enjoy them is like eating the first half of the world's greatest burger. You have sunk your teeth in and now understand the main part of the fuss, what makes it so great, but then you stop there. You leave the half with all the fun on the table. Sabathia's ten strikeouts was typical C.C. and is his protocol, but they weren't necessarily more entertaining then watching his lethargic home run trot after greeting Chan Ho Park with his best wishes from Cleveland.
* In case you aren't paying attention, we need to flash our light on what is going on at Wrigley Field right now. This series between the Cubs and White Sox may be the most exciting two days of baseball by far in 2008, but that is not really the point here. The Cubs continue to win, to the tune of baseball's best record, making the NL Central the dirty laundry churning and sloshing in their washing machine. There hasn't been much left in their wake other than a steady path of destruction, but that really isn't the point either.
Aramis Ramirez is starting to hit like Zeus would if he graced a batter's box, and Derek Lee is still the slugger that Cubs fans see in their dreams-- the complete hitter that strokes baseballs rather than hits them, that effortlessly lofts the baseball out of the park, rather than yank it. But what really is beginning to become apparent around this Cubs team is the attitude and confidence-- not only of the team itself but of the city, the fans, everyone else who may pick up a Chicago-based sports section on any given morning and read the latest ballpark happenings.
The Cubs are beginning to build an aura and mystique that is typical reserved for the franchises that make their name by winning, not by infamously losing. When the Cubs put a nice, crooked 9-spot on the board in the fourth inning of Saturday's ballgame, back by four home runs in the inning, the indelible mark that is baseball's magic was officially stamped on this team.
How can you tell? Simple, you just have to look at the things that are happening, beginning with Jim Edmonds' monster day. Edmonds led off the fourth inning with a solo home run to left center, and then as the Cubs batter around in the inning, contributing to Ozzie Guillen's next heartache and inevitable tangent, Edmonds provided another shot to the same spot-- his second of the day, second of the inning.
Look, Edmonds' numbers are not great this year. He is hitting .238 with 5 home runs in 2008, and his stroke in San Diego was the 405-Freeway running through LA during rush hour-- stuck. His swing wasn't slow or slower, just stuck. But something has happened to this man since putting on the blue pinstripes, and he ha been quite productive in his last ten games. Is he going to hit .320 in the second half with 15 home runs? Probably not. But he has certainly contributed to the newfound moxie in Chicago that is giving these fans reason to believe.
Aging players decline because their careers are coming to an end-- it is not something to really talk about, it is simply the facts of life. But when a seemingly-finished player resurrects himself and begins to look like his shadow from ten years ago, there is something in the air other than oxygen and carbon dioxide. These are the things that happens when a team is just mean to be, destined if you will. Out of the box decisions are made and they all pay off. Performances rise to the top that couldn't be predicted by the top experts, and that is what keeps drawing us back to sports. The agony is strenuous, but the love is easy and replenishing.
We may be creatures of habit, but were aren't gnomes or robots-- we want to feel alive, we want to feel the flesh of athletes, the blood of the competitor, the unequivocal voice of the crowd, the heartbeat of an entire city. If nothing else, that is what these Cubs are brining us this season, and it just can't be denied, even if you aren't a tried and true member of the Wrigley Bandwagon. Could this just be me making more out of a few exciting days at the ballpark than what it really is? Sure, but not likely. This really isn't about the last two days. This is about the first half of this season for the Cubs, and more importantly, the direction in which their second half is headed. Funny things happen in this game, and you just know where this club is going because they are a bit out of the norm, too big a part of such a great story. It's not a white or black issue, but you just know.
* This is the Vladimir Guerrero that the Angels have been waiting for. You know those things that hurt even to watch, I mean, you feel the pain and you are sitting on your coach at home? That is how it has appeared the last couple of years with Guerrero when he walks to the plate, his bat acting as a cane as much as it is his weapon, his executioner. The days from running on the cement that was the turf he played on in Montreal have caught up to him, or so we are told. Well, worry no longer, Guerrero is flashing his powerful swing again, attempting to make baseballs into dimpled golf balls at a ballpark near you.
Vlad has crushed three home runs in the last two games as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have gone into Philadelphia and knocked the first-place Phillies right off of their NL East power perch. With his last two games, Guerrero is now hitting .290 with 13 home runs and is complementing the Angels strong pitching like the last couple middle pieces of a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, completing the award winning picture and finally being able to send it in for evaluation.
The Angels have gotten their ace back in John Lackey, and in the mean time Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, the life jackets of this season's ship, are relishing in the process of producing career years. Saunders won his 11th game on Saturday, a night after his counterpart Santana won his ninth, and both men should be representing the Angels at next month's All-Star game in New York. Francisco Rodriguez is pleading guilty to three counts of Baseball's Best Closer, and he notched his big league best 29th save on Saturday night.
But with the array of injuries and early-season struggles blanketed over Angel Stadium early this season, the Angels have been what every balloon loathes of being-- filled with helium and a weight tied to the bottom of the string. That weight was cut off and this balloon was lifted to the blue and white canvas above once Guerrero began hitting, Howie Kendrick and Chone Figgins returned, and Torii Hunter arrived on the scene. We never knew exactly what this club was capable of until now. For once this season, we can finally make an assessment on what may be coming out of the AL West, and Guerrero and Co. are taking it all in stride.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturday morning briefing
* The best news out of Chicago on Friday had nothing to do with the ball game between the city's rivals, the Cubs and White Sox, after all. On a day when Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano went in for an MRI on his right shoulder, the North Side held its breath and braced for the biggest blow to date, which would have shattered their hopes of contending for a World Series title this season and ending their 100 year drought as World Champions. Turns out, the Wrigley faithful can exhale and fuel their dreams for another day.
Zambrano was diagnosed with a minor shoulder strain, the least harming outcome of what could have been devastating. The Cubs are the best team in the National League Central, even when the Brewers have a healthy Ben Sheets, and they may have surpassed Arizona and New York as the best team in the entire National League. The Diamondbacks came out of the gate on fire, and New York has been tabbed the early favorite for the National League pennant ever since Mr. Johan Santana found his way from Minneapolis to Queens.
But here are the Cubs, steady in their approach, focused on the prize. They have not been the roller-coaster team that Arizona and New York has been, just simply playing good, sound baseball the right way-- as if Lou Pinella would have it any other way. What makes the Cubs so good is the balance they have throughout their lineup, the home field advantage, and their capable pitching staff.
Kosuke Fukudome has added an extra element to the Cubs offense that helps set the table for big boppers Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Fukudome has been entrenched at the top of the lineup since Alfonso Soriano went on the disabled list with a broken hand. Jim Edmonds has had a strong month of June, and if he can give them any type of consistency down the stretch, that makes them much deeper due to the addition of a veteran left handed bat.
The big difference for the Cubs though, is the Chicago people that continue to pack Wrigley Field, day or night, rain or shine. The crowd is such a difference maker that the Cubs rarely lose at home-- they have lost only 8 games at home in 2008. One of the most passionate baseball cities in the country, Chicago is rockin' when the White Sox or Cardinals come into town, and we got a glimpse of the playoff atmosphere with the Cubs' postseason run in 2003. If this club hangs on to the division lead in the second half, there may not be a more hostile playoff environment than Wrigley Field-- that includes Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, if the Red Sox and Yankees earn a postseason birth.
* The chain saws are fired up and general managers everywhere are swinging them with momentum. The Week of Managerial Casualties is over, but at the expense of Willie Randolph, Jay Gibbons, and John McLaren. All of these managers have been under fire for some time, and it wasn't a surprise that they were shown the door. The Mariners have been baseball's biggest disappointment this season, especially after the bar was set so high after the trade that brought Erik Bedard to Seattle to help anchor the rotation with Felix Hernandez.
Jay Gibbons has had some talent in Toronto, but couldn't get one of baseball's best pitching staffs to lift a club that has had playoff potential for a couple of seasons. Gibbons has had a history of run-ins with his players as well, but those may or may not be his fault.
Then there is Randolph who was booted partly because the Mets have not performed nearly to the expectations and the New York media has made sure not a day goes by without that point being hammered home. At this point, the Mets really didn't have a choice, and the question of whether it is fair or unfair is irrelevant in this business.
I am not backing up any of these firings, nor am I saying that these business decisions weren't warranted. But, really, where is the focus in the game today? There is a good saying that puts perspective on these things, but is clearly forgotten today, and it goes like this: Coaches get too much credit, and they get too much blame.
Fact of the matter is, the best managers in baseball, and we are talking about the best, win a few games a year based on certain baseball decisions during a ball game. But in reality, I really don't know if a team would play so much better or so much worse if they had no manager or if they had Joe Torre. Torre is considered one of the best, and yet his clubs can't win if the right players aren't on the field. In the end, it all comes down to the players and how they perform, and it always will. A manager's job is to keep the media under control and provide a professional environment for their players to perform to the best of their abilities. They don't swing the bat and they don't throw the pitches.
Wade Boggs said it best recently when he said that a manager shouldn't be fired because he "fails to motivate" his players-- as was primarily the case with Randolph in New York. Boggs wonders if $10-15 million and the pride of doing your job well isn't enough motivation, then what is? Boggs hit the nail right on the head with this one, and at some point, more responsibility will fall on the product on the field, and less excuses will be launched towards the manager's office.
* Baseball is closing in on a month to go before the trade deadline, and there isn't a clear-cut direction in which this season's market could go. There could be many buyers due to the increase in teams who have a chance at contending, or there could be a stable of sellers who decide to cash in and get some young pieces instead of break the bank this season with slim chances of winning. This next month will be critical for many clubs to decide which direction they are to go. The Marlins, Rockies, Orioles, Indians, Tigers, Twins, Rangers, Braves, and Giants are all clubs that are still in limbo.
If the Indians decide that they have too much ground to make up in a month, then the biggest trade piece is in their corner, and that is power lefty C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia would certainly be coveted by clubs who have a serious chance at making a postseason run, but his looming free agency and the almost guarantee of a nine-figure contract this offseason may scare many clubs away.
It is difficult, at best, to put a finger on what the Sabathia market will be if and when Cleveland decides to make him available. I'm not sure clubs who cannot afford his free agent contract will be willing to part ways with a couple top prospects when they will only have Sabathia for 2-3 months of work. The A's have plenty of prospects to make the trade, but that may be one of the least likely destinations because of the reputation of GM Billy Beane to put a club together on the cheap.
Texas needs pitching in a big way, but the reason they traded away Mark Teixeira at the deadline last year was because they would have no shot at signing him once he hit the free agent market. The Marlins and the Braves are still in the hunt, but their ambiguous future this season is what will ultimately decide their interest. Atlanta is regarded as one of the stronger teams in the National League and is certainly within striking distance at 6 games back in the NL East.
The Marlins are 2 games back of the Phillies, but it seems as if the baseball world is waiting for them to falter and begin playing like the team we thought they were entering the season. Fortunately, their opinion is the only one that matters on whether or not they can keep this up. Give and take a few other small market clubs-- San Francisco, San Diego, Milwaukee-- this points towards the financially fruitful powers.
The Yankees have the money and attitude to make any move, but if they wouldn't trade their young guys for Johan Santana, why would they trade them now for Sabathia? That just doesn't seem plausible. Boston is in such a good position that they have money and prospects, and they don't need to make any moves. Their big league club has enough depth to withstand injuries, also allowing their kids to grow and develop in their system without being rushed. They will most likely take a crack at the World Series with what they have now, and wait for Sabathia to test the free agent waters, where they would be a favorite to land him.
The Mets wouldn't be a surprise, but after emptying out their system to get Santana, and then giving him upwards of $150 million in free agency, they don't have much to offer Cleveland that would be enticing enough. With all of these factors in play, I see two clubs in particular that are on the fringe and could possibly sneak in to make a deal for Sabathia: Those clubs are the Orioles and Dodgers.
Baltimore is in the same class as Florida-- they were expected to be terrible, but instead they are surprising many by sticking around the race, dipping a couple toes in the playoff pool. Sitting 6 games back in the AL East, Baltimore will have to decide within the next month if they think they have a chance at making the postseason this season. If not, they will play it out with what they have and continue to develop their kids. If they feel they have a chance, they have the resources to make this deal. After sending Erik Bedard to Seattle, the Orioles have a collection of intriguing prospects that Cleveland could ask for in return. And we know they have money and an owner who is not afraid to spend-- they are already considered one of the candidates to throw big money at Texeira this winter.
The Dodgers are the enigma of this bunch because they sit 4.5 games back in the NL West, and yet they have enough pieces currently to be a dangerous team in any division. They have pitching and they have youth, but those have not translated into consistent success so far. With Brad Penny and Hiroki Kuroda battling arm issues, though they aren't believed to be serious, the Dodgers could certainly use an ace to make a run at a championship this season. They have plenty of quality kids who are already in the big leagues, but Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Clayton Kershaw are deemed untouchable-- even for Johan Santana.
With Kershaw out of the picture, the one doubt that creeps into my mind is whether or not they have enough pitching prospects to make the Indians feel comfortable in completing a deal. Would a Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche, and Eric Stults package be enough? What about a deal built around Ethier and Jonathan Broxton? I'm not so sure. But if they could pull that off, there is no question that the Los Angeles market gives the Dodgers enough dollars to lock up Sabathia with a long term deal. Figuring out any team that would suit C.C. Sabathia, all things considered, is an evasive task, and this next month of games will be vital for pinpointing a possible destination. And, of course, all of this depends on whether or not Cleveland can and/or will sign him themselves.
Zambrano was diagnosed with a minor shoulder strain, the least harming outcome of what could have been devastating. The Cubs are the best team in the National League Central, even when the Brewers have a healthy Ben Sheets, and they may have surpassed Arizona and New York as the best team in the entire National League. The Diamondbacks came out of the gate on fire, and New York has been tabbed the early favorite for the National League pennant ever since Mr. Johan Santana found his way from Minneapolis to Queens.
But here are the Cubs, steady in their approach, focused on the prize. They have not been the roller-coaster team that Arizona and New York has been, just simply playing good, sound baseball the right way-- as if Lou Pinella would have it any other way. What makes the Cubs so good is the balance they have throughout their lineup, the home field advantage, and their capable pitching staff.
Kosuke Fukudome has added an extra element to the Cubs offense that helps set the table for big boppers Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Fukudome has been entrenched at the top of the lineup since Alfonso Soriano went on the disabled list with a broken hand. Jim Edmonds has had a strong month of June, and if he can give them any type of consistency down the stretch, that makes them much deeper due to the addition of a veteran left handed bat.
The big difference for the Cubs though, is the Chicago people that continue to pack Wrigley Field, day or night, rain or shine. The crowd is such a difference maker that the Cubs rarely lose at home-- they have lost only 8 games at home in 2008. One of the most passionate baseball cities in the country, Chicago is rockin' when the White Sox or Cardinals come into town, and we got a glimpse of the playoff atmosphere with the Cubs' postseason run in 2003. If this club hangs on to the division lead in the second half, there may not be a more hostile playoff environment than Wrigley Field-- that includes Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, if the Red Sox and Yankees earn a postseason birth.
* The chain saws are fired up and general managers everywhere are swinging them with momentum. The Week of Managerial Casualties is over, but at the expense of Willie Randolph, Jay Gibbons, and John McLaren. All of these managers have been under fire for some time, and it wasn't a surprise that they were shown the door. The Mariners have been baseball's biggest disappointment this season, especially after the bar was set so high after the trade that brought Erik Bedard to Seattle to help anchor the rotation with Felix Hernandez.
Jay Gibbons has had some talent in Toronto, but couldn't get one of baseball's best pitching staffs to lift a club that has had playoff potential for a couple of seasons. Gibbons has had a history of run-ins with his players as well, but those may or may not be his fault.
Then there is Randolph who was booted partly because the Mets have not performed nearly to the expectations and the New York media has made sure not a day goes by without that point being hammered home. At this point, the Mets really didn't have a choice, and the question of whether it is fair or unfair is irrelevant in this business.
I am not backing up any of these firings, nor am I saying that these business decisions weren't warranted. But, really, where is the focus in the game today? There is a good saying that puts perspective on these things, but is clearly forgotten today, and it goes like this: Coaches get too much credit, and they get too much blame.
Fact of the matter is, the best managers in baseball, and we are talking about the best, win a few games a year based on certain baseball decisions during a ball game. But in reality, I really don't know if a team would play so much better or so much worse if they had no manager or if they had Joe Torre. Torre is considered one of the best, and yet his clubs can't win if the right players aren't on the field. In the end, it all comes down to the players and how they perform, and it always will. A manager's job is to keep the media under control and provide a professional environment for their players to perform to the best of their abilities. They don't swing the bat and they don't throw the pitches.
Wade Boggs said it best recently when he said that a manager shouldn't be fired because he "fails to motivate" his players-- as was primarily the case with Randolph in New York. Boggs wonders if $10-15 million and the pride of doing your job well isn't enough motivation, then what is? Boggs hit the nail right on the head with this one, and at some point, more responsibility will fall on the product on the field, and less excuses will be launched towards the manager's office.
* Baseball is closing in on a month to go before the trade deadline, and there isn't a clear-cut direction in which this season's market could go. There could be many buyers due to the increase in teams who have a chance at contending, or there could be a stable of sellers who decide to cash in and get some young pieces instead of break the bank this season with slim chances of winning. This next month will be critical for many clubs to decide which direction they are to go. The Marlins, Rockies, Orioles, Indians, Tigers, Twins, Rangers, Braves, and Giants are all clubs that are still in limbo.
If the Indians decide that they have too much ground to make up in a month, then the biggest trade piece is in their corner, and that is power lefty C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia would certainly be coveted by clubs who have a serious chance at making a postseason run, but his looming free agency and the almost guarantee of a nine-figure contract this offseason may scare many clubs away.
It is difficult, at best, to put a finger on what the Sabathia market will be if and when Cleveland decides to make him available. I'm not sure clubs who cannot afford his free agent contract will be willing to part ways with a couple top prospects when they will only have Sabathia for 2-3 months of work. The A's have plenty of prospects to make the trade, but that may be one of the least likely destinations because of the reputation of GM Billy Beane to put a club together on the cheap.
Texas needs pitching in a big way, but the reason they traded away Mark Teixeira at the deadline last year was because they would have no shot at signing him once he hit the free agent market. The Marlins and the Braves are still in the hunt, but their ambiguous future this season is what will ultimately decide their interest. Atlanta is regarded as one of the stronger teams in the National League and is certainly within striking distance at 6 games back in the NL East.
The Marlins are 2 games back of the Phillies, but it seems as if the baseball world is waiting for them to falter and begin playing like the team we thought they were entering the season. Fortunately, their opinion is the only one that matters on whether or not they can keep this up. Give and take a few other small market clubs-- San Francisco, San Diego, Milwaukee-- this points towards the financially fruitful powers.
The Yankees have the money and attitude to make any move, but if they wouldn't trade their young guys for Johan Santana, why would they trade them now for Sabathia? That just doesn't seem plausible. Boston is in such a good position that they have money and prospects, and they don't need to make any moves. Their big league club has enough depth to withstand injuries, also allowing their kids to grow and develop in their system without being rushed. They will most likely take a crack at the World Series with what they have now, and wait for Sabathia to test the free agent waters, where they would be a favorite to land him.
The Mets wouldn't be a surprise, but after emptying out their system to get Santana, and then giving him upwards of $150 million in free agency, they don't have much to offer Cleveland that would be enticing enough. With all of these factors in play, I see two clubs in particular that are on the fringe and could possibly sneak in to make a deal for Sabathia: Those clubs are the Orioles and Dodgers.
Baltimore is in the same class as Florida-- they were expected to be terrible, but instead they are surprising many by sticking around the race, dipping a couple toes in the playoff pool. Sitting 6 games back in the AL East, Baltimore will have to decide within the next month if they think they have a chance at making the postseason this season. If not, they will play it out with what they have and continue to develop their kids. If they feel they have a chance, they have the resources to make this deal. After sending Erik Bedard to Seattle, the Orioles have a collection of intriguing prospects that Cleveland could ask for in return. And we know they have money and an owner who is not afraid to spend-- they are already considered one of the candidates to throw big money at Texeira this winter.
The Dodgers are the enigma of this bunch because they sit 4.5 games back in the NL West, and yet they have enough pieces currently to be a dangerous team in any division. They have pitching and they have youth, but those have not translated into consistent success so far. With Brad Penny and Hiroki Kuroda battling arm issues, though they aren't believed to be serious, the Dodgers could certainly use an ace to make a run at a championship this season. They have plenty of quality kids who are already in the big leagues, but Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Clayton Kershaw are deemed untouchable-- even for Johan Santana.
With Kershaw out of the picture, the one doubt that creeps into my mind is whether or not they have enough pitching prospects to make the Indians feel comfortable in completing a deal. Would a Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche, and Eric Stults package be enough? What about a deal built around Ethier and Jonathan Broxton? I'm not so sure. But if they could pull that off, there is no question that the Los Angeles market gives the Dodgers enough dollars to lock up Sabathia with a long term deal. Figuring out any team that would suit C.C. Sabathia, all things considered, is an evasive task, and this next month of games will be vital for pinpointing a possible destination. And, of course, all of this depends on whether or not Cleveland can and/or will sign him themselves.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Cubs knock Sox out of Wrigley, take round one
There may not have been an American city energized with more buzz than Chicago on Friday afternoon, and that was before the first pitch was thrown between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. This three game series marks the first time in history that the Cubs and White Sox will square off with both franchises leading their respective divisions at the same time. A long awaited bout made June feel like October and turned an already rabid fan base into a rowdy collection of Northside brothers.
It is only natural that speculation and anticipation are increased when two storied clubs like these two play such a hyped series in the media melting pot that is the Windy City. The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 100 hundred years, and the fans are craving the stinging sensation of champagne and the rising of a championship banner. There may not be another team that deserves a World Series title than the Cubs-- if that is worth anything in this game.
With Wrigley packed and loud for day baseball, the Cubs beat the White Sox 4-3 on the heels of a walkoff homerun by Aramis Ramirez. The game-ending homerun off of Scott Linebrink was Ramirez's second homerun of the game-- his first tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning. Derek Lee also homered in the seventh inning to begin the comeback for the Cubs and the heartache for the White Sox bullpen.
John Danks was superb, allowing 1 run over six innings with five strikeouts, but the last nine outs were as elusive as they come. Octavio Dotel couldn't hold down the fort with a two run lead, giving up the homeruns to Lee and Ramirez in consecutive at-bats and prompting the hometown crowd to roar back to life and thunder their club to victory.
Ted Lilly left the game on the losing end and although he pitched well enough to win the game-- 6.2 innings and three earned runs-- he did the job of a starting pitcher which is keeping your team in the game and giving them a chance to win. The Cubs are backed by their offense, but baseball proves time and again that any serious title contender must have pitching, namely starting pitching, as a team strength. Lilly's efforts are important now more than ever after ace Carlos Zambrano underwent an MRI on his arm on Friday and will skip his scheduled start next Tuesday.
But, for a day at least, the attention on the Cubs and White Sox was not on the negative and the woes, but rather the improvements and the potential. What should have been taken from Friday's ballgame was the electricity of the ballpark and the candid fervor that comes with this rivalry. This rivalry is often put on the backburner in baseball, but there may not be another series that divides a single one city more than this series divides Chicago.
Wrigley Field is always occupied with the best Cubs fans, filled to the brim on the hottest of humid summer days. Yet, there were plenty of White Sox fans who found their way into the ballgame on Friday, and the buzz was uprooting the ivy on the outfield walls before the game even started.
There were chants and cheers, boos and jeers, and not one inning was wasted with June baseball gloom. On June 20th, there are a number of ballparks that are scarcely filled and rather quiet, until the seventh inning when the home team is making some kind of run towards a victory. That is not baseball, and that is not sports.
The atmosphere at Wrigley Field summarizes everything that is good about this game. Two historic teams, two immensely passionate fanbases, and one 'W' to be had. After Aramis Ramirez blasted a 1-0 fastball over the centerfield fence to send Wrigley Field into a frenzy, nobody wanted to leave. I mean nobody. The entire stadium was bouncing up and down, boys and girls dancing in the street and waving their arms like the one hundred years of mourning had been ended.
But this is June. And crowds aren't supposed to get so excited about one win before we have even reached the All-Star break, are they? That is how most would play it, but that doesn't mean that is how it should be done. Chicago does it right. The ballpark was singing the chorus of their favorite song, and the joy dispursed throughout the park was being soaked up by every last ticket holder.
These are the things that make Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and other diehard cities so enjoyable for baseball fans and players. Too many times is the baseball season treated like what it truly is on paper-- a long, arduous grind. That is not the way it should be, and we have interleague play and the Cubs and White Sox to thank for that. If baseball wasn't meant to be savored, there would be a time limit. It is more than all right to live in the moment, enjoying June's walkoff wins like they are October's postseason glory. After all, haven't the Cubs waited long enough?
It is only natural that speculation and anticipation are increased when two storied clubs like these two play such a hyped series in the media melting pot that is the Windy City. The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 100 hundred years, and the fans are craving the stinging sensation of champagne and the rising of a championship banner. There may not be another team that deserves a World Series title than the Cubs-- if that is worth anything in this game.
With Wrigley packed and loud for day baseball, the Cubs beat the White Sox 4-3 on the heels of a walkoff homerun by Aramis Ramirez. The game-ending homerun off of Scott Linebrink was Ramirez's second homerun of the game-- his first tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning. Derek Lee also homered in the seventh inning to begin the comeback for the Cubs and the heartache for the White Sox bullpen.
John Danks was superb, allowing 1 run over six innings with five strikeouts, but the last nine outs were as elusive as they come. Octavio Dotel couldn't hold down the fort with a two run lead, giving up the homeruns to Lee and Ramirez in consecutive at-bats and prompting the hometown crowd to roar back to life and thunder their club to victory.
Ted Lilly left the game on the losing end and although he pitched well enough to win the game-- 6.2 innings and three earned runs-- he did the job of a starting pitcher which is keeping your team in the game and giving them a chance to win. The Cubs are backed by their offense, but baseball proves time and again that any serious title contender must have pitching, namely starting pitching, as a team strength. Lilly's efforts are important now more than ever after ace Carlos Zambrano underwent an MRI on his arm on Friday and will skip his scheduled start next Tuesday.
But, for a day at least, the attention on the Cubs and White Sox was not on the negative and the woes, but rather the improvements and the potential. What should have been taken from Friday's ballgame was the electricity of the ballpark and the candid fervor that comes with this rivalry. This rivalry is often put on the backburner in baseball, but there may not be another series that divides a single one city more than this series divides Chicago.
Wrigley Field is always occupied with the best Cubs fans, filled to the brim on the hottest of humid summer days. Yet, there were plenty of White Sox fans who found their way into the ballgame on Friday, and the buzz was uprooting the ivy on the outfield walls before the game even started.
There were chants and cheers, boos and jeers, and not one inning was wasted with June baseball gloom. On June 20th, there are a number of ballparks that are scarcely filled and rather quiet, until the seventh inning when the home team is making some kind of run towards a victory. That is not baseball, and that is not sports.
The atmosphere at Wrigley Field summarizes everything that is good about this game. Two historic teams, two immensely passionate fanbases, and one 'W' to be had. After Aramis Ramirez blasted a 1-0 fastball over the centerfield fence to send Wrigley Field into a frenzy, nobody wanted to leave. I mean nobody. The entire stadium was bouncing up and down, boys and girls dancing in the street and waving their arms like the one hundred years of mourning had been ended.
But this is June. And crowds aren't supposed to get so excited about one win before we have even reached the All-Star break, are they? That is how most would play it, but that doesn't mean that is how it should be done. Chicago does it right. The ballpark was singing the chorus of their favorite song, and the joy dispursed throughout the park was being soaked up by every last ticket holder.
These are the things that make Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and other diehard cities so enjoyable for baseball fans and players. Too many times is the baseball season treated like what it truly is on paper-- a long, arduous grind. That is not the way it should be, and we have interleague play and the Cubs and White Sox to thank for that. If baseball wasn't meant to be savored, there would be a time limit. It is more than all right to live in the moment, enjoying June's walkoff wins like they are October's postseason glory. After all, haven't the Cubs waited long enough?
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Ballpark Banter- Sunday AL Notes
1) There is nothing like getting a major milestone over and done with, and Manny Ramirez can attest to that. Manny clobbered his 500th career homerun on Saturday night after it seemingly took weeks to hit the last five homeruns of the latest hundred, and it was a weight off of his shoulders and right back to work on Sunday, when he belted number 501 in a 9-4 Red Sox win. Ramirez added two more hits and 2 more RBIs as the Red Sox tried to keep pace with the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
The story of the day, though, was the progression that Bartolo Colon made towards becoming a permanent peice of the Red Sox rotation. Colon didn't have a great day-- four earned runs over six innings-- but the overall numbers are not the most important thing for Colon at this point in time. Sure, the most important thing for the ballclub is to win games, and Colon gave them that opportunity. But reality in Boston is this: the Red Sox are going to be right in the thick of the postseason hunt come September and roster depth and versatility is the important thing for them. They are so good and so deep, that it would take array of injuries and/or horrible managerial decisions to derail this postseason jet liner.
What was quality about this start for Colon was the stuff he showed while striking out five hitters. Colon threw strikes, first and foremost, and showed an ability to throw two different fastballs and a quality breaking ball. Colon can still run his four-seam fastball into the low-mid 90s, and his two-seam fastball is deadly against lefthanders, as Baltimore noticed. The curveball was thrown for strikes, as well as buried in the dirt when ahead in the count. These are the signs of improvement that the Boston Red Sox should be excited about; the ability to make pitches and the feel for the hitters and the count.
Look, Bartolo Colon has already surpassed many expectations of fans, media, and even the Red Sox organization. This is a guy who had a disgusting medical history and most people thought that his shoulder was hanging on by a thread and would eventually fall to pieces on the mound if he threw one more fastball or snapped off one more breaking ball. Boston took a cheap flier on him in the event that they caught lightning in a bottle or they needed some insurance if one of their regulars happened to go down, and they are on the verge of both.
Colon has flashed filthy stuff in his minor league outings, and now with Daisuke Matsuzaka going on the disabled list with a fatigued shoulder, Colon is getting his shot to return to the major leagues and show the Red Sox what he can do. The plan of GM Theo Epstein is working out beautifully, and there will be more rewards to come. Colon is a safety net in case there are any other injuries or the organization wishes to limit the innings of their two young starters, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, towards the end of the season. How this plays out and the effect it will have on the postseason remains to be seen, but this acquisition will make an impact in the second half.
2) This is precisely what we have been waiting for from the Tampa Bay Rays, and potential is becoming reality for this young club. We knew how talented this club was *going* to be, or how great their pitching *will* be, or we were often cornered with the proverbial statement "just wait until their young players mature". I suppose all of that has come to pass a bit quicker than most expected, but it is not the wins, which are piling up with 35 and a one game lead over Boston in the AL East, that is the most impressive thing about this young club.
What is so exciting, refreshing, and mesmerizing about this team is how they are winning now. They aren't just getting great pitching performances or steady production from their hitters. They are now winning close ballgames, and winning in the late innings, as was seen Sunday as Gabe Gross walked off on the Chicago White Sox, belting an 0-2 hanging breaking ball to give the Rays a 4-3 victory.
This team is scrappy, they are gutsy, and they are as charismatic a bunch as any other club in the big leagues. The confidence is simply oozing from their uniform tops and dripping from the brims of their caps, and that is why this club is going to be tough to beat down the stretch. They have a huge three-game set at Fenway Park beginning Tuesday, but I don't believe we should be surprised at all even if they go into Boston and take the series, regardless of the fact that they will be facing Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.
Their is enough youth enthusiasm on this club to endure the grind of the long season, but there is a proper balance of veteran guidance to sustain a competitive and consistent focus throughout the long haul. The Rays are going to get closer Troy Percival back, and the lineup is going to continue to gel with an increase in at bats, and as a byproduct of this great game, we are going to enjoy a remarkable September finish in the AL East.
Miscellaneous Notes:
The Angels, much like the Rays, are beginning to embrace the art of winning, as Sunday's 4-3 victory backed by a Maicer Izturis walkoff single was the fourth walkoff victory for the Angels this week. They survived a shaky start from Jon Garland, and were able to wait out Toronto's A.J. Burnett who was filthy in this ballgame. B.J. Ryan suffered the blown save and the loss and the Blue Jays fell to 5 games back of Tampa Bay. Toronto's pitching is so stable that they will have an opportunity to make a run at the postseason down the stretch, but I am beginning to question whether or not they will be able to score enough runs conistently-- unless Vernon Wells gets healthy and Alex Rios gets utterly hot, of course.
We go to sleep one evening, and get up in the morning, refreshed by the sunshine and the opportunity to improve, redeem, or excel in some fashion. I'm guessing that the it's been awfully overcast in Seattle lately as the dream season that was got off to a nightmarish start, and things only get worse for the Mariners. J.J. Putz imploded on the mound and lost another game, a game that the Mariners should have taken over the Detroit Tigers. 2008 has been such a miserable season for the Mariners that it is hard to say what to do, as they are so far back and appear hopeless in their play, but yet there are still over 100 games to play. Trades will be coming their way-- whether they are to make a playoff push or to rid themselves of failed pieces and salary cap remains to be seen.
The story of the day, though, was the progression that Bartolo Colon made towards becoming a permanent peice of the Red Sox rotation. Colon didn't have a great day-- four earned runs over six innings-- but the overall numbers are not the most important thing for Colon at this point in time. Sure, the most important thing for the ballclub is to win games, and Colon gave them that opportunity. But reality in Boston is this: the Red Sox are going to be right in the thick of the postseason hunt come September and roster depth and versatility is the important thing for them. They are so good and so deep, that it would take array of injuries and/or horrible managerial decisions to derail this postseason jet liner.
What was quality about this start for Colon was the stuff he showed while striking out five hitters. Colon threw strikes, first and foremost, and showed an ability to throw two different fastballs and a quality breaking ball. Colon can still run his four-seam fastball into the low-mid 90s, and his two-seam fastball is deadly against lefthanders, as Baltimore noticed. The curveball was thrown for strikes, as well as buried in the dirt when ahead in the count. These are the signs of improvement that the Boston Red Sox should be excited about; the ability to make pitches and the feel for the hitters and the count.
Look, Bartolo Colon has already surpassed many expectations of fans, media, and even the Red Sox organization. This is a guy who had a disgusting medical history and most people thought that his shoulder was hanging on by a thread and would eventually fall to pieces on the mound if he threw one more fastball or snapped off one more breaking ball. Boston took a cheap flier on him in the event that they caught lightning in a bottle or they needed some insurance if one of their regulars happened to go down, and they are on the verge of both.
Colon has flashed filthy stuff in his minor league outings, and now with Daisuke Matsuzaka going on the disabled list with a fatigued shoulder, Colon is getting his shot to return to the major leagues and show the Red Sox what he can do. The plan of GM Theo Epstein is working out beautifully, and there will be more rewards to come. Colon is a safety net in case there are any other injuries or the organization wishes to limit the innings of their two young starters, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, towards the end of the season. How this plays out and the effect it will have on the postseason remains to be seen, but this acquisition will make an impact in the second half.
2) This is precisely what we have been waiting for from the Tampa Bay Rays, and potential is becoming reality for this young club. We knew how talented this club was *going* to be, or how great their pitching *will* be, or we were often cornered with the proverbial statement "just wait until their young players mature". I suppose all of that has come to pass a bit quicker than most expected, but it is not the wins, which are piling up with 35 and a one game lead over Boston in the AL East, that is the most impressive thing about this young club.
What is so exciting, refreshing, and mesmerizing about this team is how they are winning now. They aren't just getting great pitching performances or steady production from their hitters. They are now winning close ballgames, and winning in the late innings, as was seen Sunday as Gabe Gross walked off on the Chicago White Sox, belting an 0-2 hanging breaking ball to give the Rays a 4-3 victory.
This team is scrappy, they are gutsy, and they are as charismatic a bunch as any other club in the big leagues. The confidence is simply oozing from their uniform tops and dripping from the brims of their caps, and that is why this club is going to be tough to beat down the stretch. They have a huge three-game set at Fenway Park beginning Tuesday, but I don't believe we should be surprised at all even if they go into Boston and take the series, regardless of the fact that they will be facing Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.
Their is enough youth enthusiasm on this club to endure the grind of the long season, but there is a proper balance of veteran guidance to sustain a competitive and consistent focus throughout the long haul. The Rays are going to get closer Troy Percival back, and the lineup is going to continue to gel with an increase in at bats, and as a byproduct of this great game, we are going to enjoy a remarkable September finish in the AL East.
Miscellaneous Notes:
The Angels, much like the Rays, are beginning to embrace the art of winning, as Sunday's 4-3 victory backed by a Maicer Izturis walkoff single was the fourth walkoff victory for the Angels this week. They survived a shaky start from Jon Garland, and were able to wait out Toronto's A.J. Burnett who was filthy in this ballgame. B.J. Ryan suffered the blown save and the loss and the Blue Jays fell to 5 games back of Tampa Bay. Toronto's pitching is so stable that they will have an opportunity to make a run at the postseason down the stretch, but I am beginning to question whether or not they will be able to score enough runs conistently-- unless Vernon Wells gets healthy and Alex Rios gets utterly hot, of course.
We go to sleep one evening, and get up in the morning, refreshed by the sunshine and the opportunity to improve, redeem, or excel in some fashion. I'm guessing that the it's been awfully overcast in Seattle lately as the dream season that was got off to a nightmarish start, and things only get worse for the Mariners. J.J. Putz imploded on the mound and lost another game, a game that the Mariners should have taken over the Detroit Tigers. 2008 has been such a miserable season for the Mariners that it is hard to say what to do, as they are so far back and appear hopeless in their play, but yet there are still over 100 games to play. Trades will be coming their way-- whether they are to make a playoff push or to rid themselves of failed pieces and salary cap remains to be seen.
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