So the New York Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Detroit Lions. Let me get congratulating the Tigers out of the way. CONGRATULATIONS DETROIT TIGERS AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS. There is no shame in losing to the Tigers, they have arguably the best pitcher and the best hitter in baseball on their payroll as well as a core of talent around them that had many predicting they would get this far anyway. Unfortunately for the Tigers the story of this ALCS will be how terrible the Yankees looked.
You've all heard the stats from the series for the vaunted Yankees lineup many of whom couldn't hit a beach ball let alone a baseball the way they were swinging the bats. It was so bad that many "big name" players were benched at various times in the four games due to how bad they were slumping. These names included Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, and Alex Rodriguez.
Yes that Alex Rodriguez. Listen I'm not an A-Rod hater, in fact like many of you I marveled at his talent when he first entered the big leagues as a Seattle Mariner blessed with every tool you would want in a ball player. You can't hate him because multiple times in his career owners have felt the need to give him the richest contract in major American sports history, for many years his talent warranted it. But the last contract that the Yankees gave him may well go down as the worst in sports history.
He is now 37 years old and they owe him over 100 million dollars over the next five years. 100 million dollars to a guy you aren't even sure can play everyday at an average level let alone at a highest paid player in baseball level. What should the Yankees do? How do their fans feel about this?
The Yankees should at the very least try and trade A-Rod, problem is no one is going to eat this salary. So they will either pay him to play poorly for them or pay him to play poorly for someone else. Remember the scene in 'Money Ball' when Billy Beane is talking to David Justice about how much the Yankees were paying him to play against them? I have a feeling that's where this is headed. Yankees fans should come in off the ledge. You will still have the highest payroll in baseball and while many players are getting long in the tooth the team should still be competitive.
And just for the record yes I was happy to see them get swept out of the playoffs and look so bad doing it. To my friends who are real Yankees fans this is not me rubbing it in. I respect those of you who were fans before they started winning again......all 9 of you.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
All Is Fair In Love And Baseball
The San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 to tie the NLCS at 1-1. And that should have been the story of the game but it will not be. Early in the game the Cardinal's Matt Holliday took out Giant's second baseman Marco Scutaro while trying to break up a double play with what can best be described as a borderline slide. That is how it can best be described, I'm going to tell you how it should be described....DIRTY.
Baseball for all its boringness, quirkiness, however you as a fan want to describe it is a game with a strict set of written and unwritten rules. Many of the unwritten rules revolve around being respectful of your opponent. If you are not respectful you can, and should, expect some retaliation. I'm not calling Holliday a dirty player and I have never heard him referred to as such. But this was unquestionably a dirty play and that being said he should expect to get drilled in the back with the first pitch he sees in his next at bat. And that is the way it should be handled by the Giants. What I don't want to see is the Giants go after a middle infielder with a hard take out slide. That to me is like throwing at the batter after someone hits a homerun off you.
Hopefully the umpires and Major League Baseball don't overreact when/if the Giants throw at Holliday. The game has policed itself for over 100 years and despite the efforts of league officials it should continue to do so. Hopefully the series goes to a seventh game and is tied in the bottom of the ninth with a runner on second, two outs and Scutaro at the plate.
Baseball for all its boringness, quirkiness, however you as a fan want to describe it is a game with a strict set of written and unwritten rules. Many of the unwritten rules revolve around being respectful of your opponent. If you are not respectful you can, and should, expect some retaliation. I'm not calling Holliday a dirty player and I have never heard him referred to as such. But this was unquestionably a dirty play and that being said he should expect to get drilled in the back with the first pitch he sees in his next at bat. And that is the way it should be handled by the Giants. What I don't want to see is the Giants go after a middle infielder with a hard take out slide. That to me is like throwing at the batter after someone hits a homerun off you.
Hopefully the umpires and Major League Baseball don't overreact when/if the Giants throw at Holliday. The game has policed itself for over 100 years and despite the efforts of league officials it should continue to do so. Hopefully the series goes to a seventh game and is tied in the bottom of the ninth with a runner on second, two outs and Scutaro at the plate.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Money Ball
The Oakland A's have done it again. They have come out of nowhere to snatch the A.L. West crown from the Texas Rangers. The 2-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers. How did they do it? Where did this team come from? Did most fans even have any idea that they had a shot at winning the division? More importantly, who are these guys?
Here is how they did it. Pitching, pitching, pitching, and more pitching. The genius that is Billy Beane, who most of you only know about through the movie Money Ball, is that this guy finds young pitchers. Jarrod Parker, Tommy Millone, and A.J. Griffin could easily be Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, and Tim Hudson from the early 2000's. Now pitching is not the only reason they have gotten here. Josh Reddick surprised everyone by hitting 32 home runs. Yoenis Cespedes turned out to be worth the money they paid him after he defected from Cuba.
Typical Billy Beane team. Use the assets you have at your disposal as a small market franchise, make 1 or 2 moves to sort of solidify your ball club, sleep walk through the first half of the season, get hot after the all star game and win your division when no one expects you to. The Oakland A's have done it again, given how little money they actually have to spend this is truly remarkable.
Here is how they did it. Pitching, pitching, pitching, and more pitching. The genius that is Billy Beane, who most of you only know about through the movie Money Ball, is that this guy finds young pitchers. Jarrod Parker, Tommy Millone, and A.J. Griffin could easily be Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, and Tim Hudson from the early 2000's. Now pitching is not the only reason they have gotten here. Josh Reddick surprised everyone by hitting 32 home runs. Yoenis Cespedes turned out to be worth the money they paid him after he defected from Cuba.
Typical Billy Beane team. Use the assets you have at your disposal as a small market franchise, make 1 or 2 moves to sort of solidify your ball club, sleep walk through the first half of the season, get hot after the all star game and win your division when no one expects you to. The Oakland A's have done it again, given how little money they actually have to spend this is truly remarkable.
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
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