Tipping the Scales

Sausages beware.

I'm sitting here watching Sportscenter and just saw the Brewer highlight. Aside from Yost continuing to abuse Sabathia, Sabathia's hit made me wonder something as Prince Fielder scored. Has there ever been a scoring duo (one that scored and the other who knocked him in) that weighed as much as those two. Sabathia is a listed 250 pounds, but I seriously doubt that. Prince Fielder is 260, but again, I doubt that. Okay, Baseball-Reference let me down this time, but it doesn't happen often (I guess it can't be held responsible for weight). I looked at the Brewers' website (I know, I know. That should have been the first place I looked), and Sabathia is 290 and Fielder is 270. That's a combined 560 pounds shaking Miller Park. Anyway, anyone else know a heavier two-some?

The Thing Is ...

Jason Kendall attempting to explain that he can still be good. You just gotta believe.

Apparently, Jason Kendall's option for next year has been exercised due to the number of at-bats he has had this season, and he's happy he's coming back next season. The thing is do the Brewers want Kendall back? When most people thought the signing was a bad thing, the Brewers apparently had no one else because not only did they sign him, they gave him an easy-to-get option for next year. Now, they have to pay him around $4.5 million to be their catcher next season. I doubt that there will be better catchers next offseason in free agency, but I'm betting someone from AAA could pop in to hit .245/.328/.318. Vinny Rottino? Actually, Angel Salome, the AA catcher, seems to be the best option with his .367/.418/.564 line.

OH ... MY ... GOD!

No, you still need a few more fingers to count your losses.

Barry Zito combines with two pitchers on a seven-hit shutout of the Braves. WTF?!? Zito goes 7 while giving up five hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. I mean, I love the Braves, but seriously, Zito? In a season, especially second half, where runs have been hard to come by, this is the time to friggin' get some back. He doesn't throw hard. His curveball is loopy. Just hit the ball! Okay, Mark, calm down. I don't get it. The Braves lost Teixeira, but we still have a lineup. Chipper and McCann are still there, but Chipper's been rather unspectacular since his average dipped under .400 and McCann just can't do it all the time. They shouldn't be this bad. However, I've been watching the games this season, and they have never seemed interested in the game. Certain things such as not throwing to the right base, dropping relay throws, and generally not doing the little things (Will someone teach Escobar to bunt for God's sake?!?) have been abundant. They don't even seem interested, and since the Teixeira trade, they seem less interested. I know it's hard. I was playing my brothers in cornhole yesterday, and when I got down 12-3 (my mom tries but is not a good partner), I just didn't feel like it. I wanted the game over so the next one could begin. I think that's all the Braves feel. Guys like Johnson, Francoeur, and Escobar aren't necessarily having the years they thought they would, so they just want next year to start. Do I keep watching this? Is it worth it? I still want to watch and cheer them no matter how much they suck, but it would make me feel better if it seemed as though they cared.

I guess the only thing that makes me feel better about today is that Zito hasn't been all that terrible since the break. I choose to believe that Zito is just re-discovering himself (like Christy Brinkley apparently) and not that the Braves just suck that bad/don't care that much.

Top 10 Headline

Naturally, he's the first guy I thought of when the word "underachieving" came to mind.

I love it when people come up with really good titles for their columns. Today, Carroll Rogers has one, despite what it means for my team. It's "Doh! Braves Homers Lacking". I'm not a huge Simpson's fans, but I'm sure some of you are.

Comeback Players of the Year

Oh yeah, he's pumped.

I like comeback stories. It's cool when someone re-emerges from the previous poor season to have a great season this year. It's also a hard category to figure out who is doing what in, so I'll do the work for you.

AL Comeback Player

Cliff Lee (CLE)
-> (2007) 16 starts, 97.1 IP, 5-8, 6.29 ERA, 66 K, 36 BB
-> (2008) 24 starts, 170.2 IP, 17-2, 2.43 ERA, 134 K, 24 BB

Justin Duchscherer (OAK)
-> ('07) 17 games, 16.1 IP, 3-3, 4.96 ERA, 13 K, 8 BB
-> ('08) 21 starts, 139 IP, 10-8, 2.59 ERA, 92 K, 34 BB

Jon Lester (BOS)
-> ('07) 11 starts, 63 IP, 4-0, 4.57 ERA, 50 K, 31 BB
-> ('08) 25 starts, 160.2 IP, 11-4, 3.25 ERA, 109 K, 50 BB

Mike Mussina (NYY)
-> ('07) 27 starts, 152 IP, 11-10, 5.15 ERA, 91 K, 35 BB
-> ('08) 25 starts, 153.1 IP, 16-7, 3.35 ERA, 106 K, 21 BB

Carlos Quentin (CWS)
-> ('07) 81 games, .214/.298/.349, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 29 R, 16 2B
-> ('08) 118 games, .292.395/.582, 34 HR, 95 RBI, 87 R, 22 2B

Milton Bradley (TEX)
-> ('07) 61 games, .306/.402/.545, 13 HR, 37 RBI, 37 R, 9 2B
-> ('08) 97 games, .317/.442/.584, 20 HR, 63 RBI, 64 R, 26 2B

There are lots of worthy candidates here. Lee was going to get traded last offseason. Duchscherer in the rotation seemed a desperation move. Lester was coming back from cancer, and no one knew how well he'd do. Mussina's career was over. Quentin was traded because of injury issues and under-production. Bradley just had a torn ACL, and everyone worried about his attitude. Needless to say, lots of teams are shaking their heads knowing they could have had these guys.

NL Comeback Player

Jamie Moyer (PHI)
-> ('07) 33 starts, 199.1 IP, 14-12, 5.01 ERA, 133 K, 66 BB
-> ('08) 25 starts, 151 IP, 11-7, 3.64 ERA, 95 K, 47 BB

Paul Maholm (PIT)
-> ('07) 29 starts, 177.2 IP, 10-15, 5.02 ERA, 105 K, 49 BB
-> ('08) 24 starts, 161 IP, 8-7, 3.69 ERA, 113 K, 41 BB

Cristian Guzman (WAS)
-> ('07) 46 games, .328/.380/.466, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 31 R, 6 2B
-> ('08) 110 games, .294/.324/.400, 5 HR, 34 RBI, 60 R, 28 2B

Stephen Drew (ARI)
-> ('07) 150 games, .238/.313/.370, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 60 R, 28 2B
-> ('08) 117 games, .284/.326/.482, 14 HR, 49 RBI, 68 R, 32 2B

Jorge Cantu (FLA)
-> ('07) 52 games, .252/.331/.357, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 12 R, 9 2B
-> ('08) 121 games, .282/.331/.472, 21 HR, 68 RBI, 70 R, 30 2B

Troy Glaus (STL)
-> ('07) 115 games, .262/.366/.473, 20 HR, 62 RBI, 19 R, 19 2B
-> ('08) 123 games, .276/.375/.489, 21 HR, 81 RBI, 57 R, 30 2B

This past offseason, Moyer's career was over. Maholm was not the promising rookie he once was. Guzman wasn't close to the guy he once was and probably wasn't going to start this season. Drew, like Maholm, had lost his rookie promise. Cantu hadn't been seen in a few years. Glaus was not the big-bopper from Anaheim and was traded for Rolen (oops).

Biggio Has Number Retired

Take another curtain call Mr. Biggio.

The Houston Astros retired Craig Biggio's no. 7 today. I'm really glad this happened. There a few guys I genuinely respect as both a baseball player and person, and Biggio is definitely one. He played hard every game and for 20 years. In a time where Jimmy Rollins, Manny Ramirez, and BJ Upton don't run out balls, you never had to worry about him. There were several things I loved about him. First, he was a catcher. I will always have a soft spot for catchers. Second, his helmet. It was always covered in pine tar, and to me, it symbolized his style of play. Third, he is second all-time in hit by pitches, only two back from Hughie Jennings (287) who played in the late nineteenth century. Anyone with the stones to stand in there to take a few 90 mph fastballs for his team is okay in my book. Fourth, he has 3,000 hits. In an age where the home run is the be-all and end-all, I still like guys who can do both (291 HR). He made seven All-Stars, won four Gold Gloves, won five Silver Sluggers, and led the league in doubles three times. If he isn't a first time Hall of Famer, I might go have a word with some baseball journalists.

KLaw Explains It All

Who pictures Keith Law like this?

I never really understood everything about the draft, but Keith Law explained what the difference between major league contracts and minor league contracts when players sign out of the draft. In the meantime, he also explains all about service time and how that leads to free-agency. I understood the service team leading to free agency (six years at 172 days a year), but he does a really good job explaining everything. At first, I really didn't like KLaw all that much because I thought he was kind of a ... well ... arrogant jerk, but after reading him for awhile, I realize that he has strong opinions. While I may not agree with it all, at least he has good reasons for it. I'm not sure why he is not working on a team now, but I think he should probably get a chance. Then again, maybe he doesn't want one. It might be a bit more cushy with less responsibility at ESPN.

Another Marlins Firesale?

A usual game in Miami.

After a surprisingly good season, the Marlins may still be looking to trade all their arbitration-eligible players. Even Uggla is up to be traded. This is the saddest story in sports not including the double "s" stories (steriods and skimming). In a world where baseball is making lots of money and low-payroll teams make money before the season starts, no one should have a $20 million payroll. It shouldn't happen. Why would you come to the games? How many people would you recognize? You gotta spend money to make money, right? It makes me wonder though if the Marlins make money outside of the revenue sharing. How many Marlins hats do you see people wearing? How many people come to games? Are the Marlins losing money by simply operating?

Outside of whether or not it's ethical, there is no doubt the Marlins will once again bring in a load of prospects. Uggla would bring in a boatload. Olsen would bring in a boatload. Willingham, Hermida, and Jacobs will bring in a few good ones. This sale may affect free agency. Especially with all the trades last offseason, teams may choose to deal with Florida instead of buying over-priced free agents. The problem for me may be that Florida will probably not deal with Atlanta because of the dumb "no trading within division" thing. I'd take Hermida, even Uggla. I'm not sure Atlanta has enough because Florida likes major league-ready prospects, and most of Atlanta's good prospects are in A ball.

So, following the pattern, Florida will be surprisingly good again next season, suck the next, and then be surprisingly good again when they then decide to sell all their players off for younger players.

It's Crow's Fault, Too

You'll have to go to Fort Worth to see this.

Well, the draft signing deadline passed last night, and all but three picks signed. One of the most controversial seems to be Aaron Crow choosing to go to an Independent League instead of the minor leagues for the Washington Nationals. Most, including Keith Law, have been bashing the Nationals for yet another blunder which doesn't help their team. I agree that it's a blunder. They reportedly only differed by $700K, but on such a small number, I imagine a major league deal was also a big difference between the two. Prospects seem to really want those these days. If it was just those small differences, then yes the Nationals made a mistake. But what about Crow? He was the ninth overall pick by the Nationals out of college. Now, he has to wait for next year's draft when he'll be a year older. So, instead of taking $3.3 million dollars, he'll go play in the independent leagues, and wait for next year. He could get hurt and lose his stock. He could simply lose his stock just playing against the Independent League and falling off the radar. Maybe he won't. The thing is this now keeps him away from the Majors for another season. He could have budged, too. Then again, who wants to play for the Nationals?

Glavine to DL

He's just not this young anymore.

Well, after one game, Glavine is back on the DL. I'm not surprised. I guess this also means the end of Glavine's career. When you never have an injury before this season and this is the third trip to the DL this season, I think your body's telling you it's time. The problem is that guys like Glavine and Smoltz don't want to end their careers this way. They'll want to come back next year to prove they can do it. The problem is that when they prove they can still do it, they still won't want to leave because they can still do it. If they can't do it, it will be this season all over again. I love Glavine and Smoltz, but the best thing for the Braves is for both to retire. They can't pretend to depend on them next year. They can't think they're getting the ace they need and forget to bring in Sabathia or Sheets. That hurts them next year (maybe) and in the future (definitely). They're both Hall of Famers, but they do need to shut it down permanently. It'll be hard, but it's necessary.

Hargrove Has the "Edge"

Does that look like the face of a man who lost his passion?

After astonishing all of baseball by quitting in the middle of maybe his best managing season ever, Mike Hargrove says he wants to manage again. He said last year that he did not have the passion anymore, but now, he says it's back. Something tells me it never left. First, he was in the middle of an amazing season. No one expected the Mariners to be in it, but they were. That energizes people, not the other way around. Second, look at the mess that is the Mariners now. They just fired their manager and general manager. That tells me something bad was going on. Maybe he just lost his passion to manage the Mariners. Maybe their were fights between them. Third, Ichiro. There were reports that Ichiro and Hargrove were having issues. So why pick Ichiro? It's all economics. Ichiro boosted merchandise and attendance sales when he arrived. Hargrove? Not so much. Ichiro is the face of the franchise. Hargrove? Again, not so much. I doubt Hargrove ever lost his "passion".

I hope he gets another chance somewhere and I bet he does. Where? Padres? Indians (that would be cute, no?)? Pirates? Not Seattle.

Cardinals 5, Reds 3

I was able to get the Reds game tonight. I live in Louisville, so I'm not too far away. Yet, I'm not a Reds fan, and I have nothing invested in them. It was still cool to go there. For the most part, I really like Great American Ballpark. The only problem is the seating. It's really close so if you have broad shoulders, you're in for an uncomfortable night. Also, if you have long legs, it's not good either. As for the game, it was a good one. There was a lot of offense at first with Rick Ankiel and Chris Dickerson (his first MLB home run) hitting home runs in the first inning. The first two and half innings saw runs score each half inning. After that, the bullpens did very well. Arroyo had 100 pitches by the fifth, so he didn't make it past the sixth. He got hit hard anyway as he allowed five runs in five innings. Wellemeyer pitched well, but he was taken out after 5 innings. I'm not sure why. I guess he's pitched in the bullpen too long and needs to be stretched out. The only bad play was by Jason LaRue. On a pitch-out, he threw the ball into center field letting the runner get to third. On the very next play, he failed to block the plate when the batter hit a grounder to third. Glaus made a good throw, but somehow the run scored. Things slowed after that. Chris Perez came in to close the game, so I guess he's the closer in St. Louis even though LaRussa won't admit it.

More All-Star Bull****

I was reading Buster Olney's blog when I ran past this Paul Hagen article about the All-Star Game. He focuses on how it has hurt pitchers Aaron Cook and Brad Lidge. Hold on, Lidge warming up in the bullpen hasn't caused him to be terrible in the second half. First, you're working off a small sample size with 9.1 IP against 40 from the first half. Second, Lidge was ungodly in the first half with his 1.13 ERA. Isn't it logical to think that he is just having ... can I say it ... a rough patch. With Cook, fatigue in your lower back is caused by throwing 170+ innings when you really haven't done that before (212 in 2006, but no more than 160 otherwise with the other seasons more around 100). Second, his last start before the game was July 11, which gave him three day's rest to throw 3 innings. I think it was okay. Third, his next three starts were just fine as he gave up 5 runs in 22 IP.

This blaming the All-Star Game crap needs to stop. People get injured and have tough stretches of the season. Like Shyster said, correlation does not equal causation.

Also, you all (the media and fans) brought on the problems with the All-Star Game. You booed when Selig let the game end in a tie. You criticized him. You backed him into a wall. He knew that to get you to forgive him he had to try something. He made changes. Now, you have to live with them. Blame Selig for having a weak backbone against the criticism, but it was your fault for not understanding the situation. There was nothing he could do. He had to stop the game. Sure, we don't like ties, but he couldn't bring pitchers back out there. If he had, he could have injured guys then, and then you'd be having a field day. No, stop blaming the All-Star Game. Realize the totality of playing 162 games, of throwing 200+ innings.

Everything Not Good with Bueno

After Alfonso Soriano hit and then watched a ball hit the wall before running, Francisley Bueno threw at Soriano's head during his next at-bat. The ball hit Soriano's helmet, and Bueno was ejected (appropriately). Now, Major League Baseball has suspended him for three games. Apparently, Bueno thinks he has been mistreated because he is appealing. What is he appealing? One at-bat after he shows up your team/makes an a$$ of himself, you suddenly lose your grip on a fastball directly towards his head? I doubt it, and he won't win his appeal. I agree with throwing at Soriano, but at his head? That was dumb and inexcusable. Plunk him in the back if you're going to do it. He gets the message without brain damage.

To top it all off, Bueno was sent down before the game Thursday to make room for Tom Glavine. Therefore, Bueno has to sit out three games when he returns in September. The game was also Bueno's major league debut. Well done. Well done.

Francouer Comes to Painful Realization

We all knew it. The Braves sort of knew but refused to completely acknowledge it. Now, Jeff Francoeur finally admits it. He stinks. I feel for the guy. I really do. He went from being a promising young player to outcast in a matter of months. I've continued to believe that he can turn things around, but I can't say I have been entirely patient. It's hard be patient watching your team lose because they can't consistently drive in runs and know that Francoeur is a large reason why that is. That being said, this season is not Jeff Francoeur's fault. Braves fans can't give up on him. Trading him now is just selling low. DON'T LET HIM BE JERMAINE DYE! Jeff seems to think he worked out too much and put on too much muscle in his chest. When I was the equipment manager for my high school team, a guy put on about ten pounds, and his chest showed it. The problem is that the extra muscle restricted his motion. Here's the thing I don't understand though about Francoeur. He hit 29 home runs as a 22 year old. So it stands to reason that he didn't need to add muscle to hit for power. Also, does anyone know where you should add muscle? I would think your legs and lower half would be the best, but I'm not sure. I'm not going to write him off. I refuse to. Call me optimistic. Call me illogical. But Mark (see I can have fun with my name, too) my words, Jeff Francoeur will be a very valuable major leaguer again.

Interesting note: He hit a home run tonight after he says he's been losing weight over the last few weeks.

All Good Things Come to an End

The Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire. The Hapsburg Ring. The Ming Dynasty. The Incan Civilization. And now, Brad Ziegler's scoreless streak. I commend the man for going 39 innings to start his career without giving up a run, but we couldn't expect this to go on forever, could we? Anyway, the most hated Ray in Oakland? BJ Upton for hitting the home run to end the streak. At least, it wasn't a dinky bloop into center. At least, it was an authoritative blast over the fence. I could live with making a mistake, but I'd be pissed if he hit a great pitch just over the second baseman's head to bring in the run.

Now, the question becomes where does he go from here. Does he stay dominant and act like this is a bump in the road, or does he fade into obscurity never to be heard from again?

Donate to Charities

Because it is usually a nice thing to do. Most of us are pretty fortunate to be able to just get online and talk about things that don't mean too much in the grand scheme of things, and sometimes we forget (myself included), what other people are going through. Jason* over at IIATMS posted a few charities in which he is interested, and I encourage everyone to take a look and see what you can donate. Thousands of dollars is nice, but if everyone starts donating $1-10, the total builds quickly.

Here are the direct links to the sites:

Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

American Cancer Society: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

* Jason has made it more interesting by allowing someone to post whatever they want to his site if they donate $100.

Instant Replay

Reports indicate that it could be in place by the end of the month. For what it's worth, I still think it's dumb and unnecessary, and I was hoping everyone had forgotten about it.

Fantasy Baseball

One of the most frustrating parts of the baseball season for me is fantasy baseball. Every year, I get a few teams, but I can't keep playing it through the season. What makes me think about this is that I am currently drafting a fantasy football team. I never have trouble making it through that. It's not the length of the season because I don't even make it through the first two months of baseball. Does anyone else have this problem? I think there are a few reasons.

One, fantasy baseball makes you focus every day, whereas football is only once a week. I think that's the biggie.

Second, football starts at the beginning of school when nothing's going on. Baseball starts in the hectic final month of April.

Third, there are too many baseball players to worry about. There are more positions, and then you have to worry about pitchers as well.

Fourth, I do think the length of the season has something to do with it, just not for me.

Fifth, it's not as big as football. Not as many people do fantasy baseball for reasons named above, but a lot of people play fantasy football. You can talk about it with almost anyone.

Does anyone know of a good place to do fantasy baseball? I usually try Yahoo!, but I'm open to suggestions.

In and Out of Luck

Baseball is usually about 70% skill and 30% luck. So where is the most amount of luck that a player can't control? I think it's run support for the starting pitcher. They go out there and pitch, but they have almost (or none in the AL) no control over the amount of runs their teams score for them. It has nothing to do with how they pitch. Luck comes in on who they face, how their team hits, if anyone in their lineup is injured, and how lucky the batters happen to be (do bloopers fall? line drives? etc.). They can give up one run and still lose, and with the importance of win-loss records, it makes a guy with a 3.40 ERA seem to be a bad pitcher because he has a 6-10 record (*Who is it?). Anyway, here's a list of "Criminally Abused Pitchers" and "Undeservedly Blessed Pitchers".

Criminally Abused Pitchers

Chris Volstad (FLA) - 6 starts, 4-2, 3.03 ERA, 2.70 RS
John Lannan (WAS) - 23 starts, 6-11, 3.40 ERA, 2.86 RS *
Greg Smith (OAK) - 23 starts, 5-11, 3.92 ERA, 3.01 RS
Matt Cain (SFG) - 25 starts, 7-9, 3.67 ERA, 3.33 RS
Jake Peavy (SD)- 20 starts, 8-8, 2.86 ERA, 3.67 RS

These guys have pitched well, but their win-loss records don't reflect it (except for Volstad's which could be better if the Marlins would hit with him on the mound). Peavy's numbers are Cy Young quality except for the W-L. Now, I understand why Neyer gets so angry over wins and losses. Maybe one day, the Cy Young will be chosen by who is actually the best pitcher, not that Webb and Lee are undeserving.

Undeservedly Blessed Pitchers

Kyle Kendrick (PHI) - 24 starts, 10-6, 4.74 ERA, 7.15 RS
Vicente Padilla (TEX) - 23 starts, 12-6, 4.86 ERA, 6.36 RS
Livan Hernandez (COL/MIN) - 24 starts, 10-9, 5.94 ERA, 6.20 RS
Mike Pelfrey (NYM) - 23 starts, 10-8, 4.11 ERA, 6.20 RS
Bronson Arroyo (CIN) - 25 starts, 10-9, 5.44 ERA, 6.03 RS
Roy Oswalt (HOU) - 23 starts, 10-8, 4.52 ERA, 5.54 RS

These are just a few, and there are other pitchers with better run support. The thing is some of those actually have good ERA's. This time, the win-loss record covers up how bad most of these pitchers have been. Oswalt has been terrible. Hernandez is abominable, and the Rockies still took a chance on him. Who wants to guess someone in the front office said, "But he's a winner." I can't even believe Padilla has 12 wins. It things like this that get front offices into trouble when they give out big contracts.

It makes me wonder about the 300 win plateau to get into the Hall of Fame. Should that be the criteria? With what we know about wins, isn't ERA and WHIP more of an indication of a pitcher's worth (okay, we can argue about ERA+)? They include luck but not as much as wins. Where would the ERA plataeu be? The problem becomes longevity. Wins, to some extent, indicate longevity. Yet, should longevity be a factor in Hall voting? If you pitch really well for a few years but get injured, should that influence a decision? If he's that good, shouldn't he get in?