The One Good Thing from ALCS Game 5

Come back.

I'm cheering for the Rays in this series, so when they lost Game 5, I had to find something positive. Well, I ran across this article on how Red Sox fans feel terrible to have left the game early. You know what, I'm glad they feel terrible. Why would you pay all that money to go to the game and then quit on your team? If they are your team, then why quit on them in a playoff game? I usually make a habit of not leaving games early unless I absolutely have to (appointment next morning, girlfriend getting antsy, cousins getting tired, etc.). I paid for the game, so I'll stay to see it through. It always amazes me how this always happens. People leave game. Team comes back to win. People feel bad. People continue to do it. Amazing.

Hank Says Joba to Start in 2009

That time is the eighth and maybe the seventh.

So, I guess that means he'll be the set-up man

The Debate on Peavy

Ante up. It's time to go all in.

I can't stand it. It makes my head ache. It makes my heart ache. It makes me excited. It makes me incredibly worried. My emotions rise. My stomach twists. This is the Jake Peavy situation. Do the Braves go after him or not? The more reports on him continue to have the Braves as ardent suitors for the ace, but of course, none of the reports actually say anything that means something. For all we know, they could be completely false. They could be half-truths. They could be the naked truth. Instead, I'm left here to twist and turn in my own head debating how good/bad this could be. So, let's get it out in the open.

Go Get Him
The Braves came in to the offseason in desperate need of starting pitching. They need it like they need vegetables. They're not absolutely necessary because you have other alternative, but the vegetables make you healthier. The Braves rotation consists of Jair Jurrjens, Jorge Campillo, and then a rag-tag group of guys who have failed in their short stints or haven't even had short stints. But then, there's Peavy. He has a career ERA of 3.25, but 4 of his past 5 seasons have seen ERA's south of 3. He always seems to strikeout more than innings pitched, and he doesn't walk all that many people. I realize he had a little bit of a bump in the road, but that may have been due to his elbow injury early in the season. Because he pitched fairly well after that, I'll assume he's okay, and another offseason of rest will make things better. He's been durable in his career, never making less than 27 starts. As for his contract, he'll make $8M, $15M, $16M, $17M, and possible $22M over the length of his contract. Essentially, you'll get an ace for a relatively low cost, especially next year, for four seasons. That's a great contract. As for the no-trade clause, it actually helps the Braves. They are on a list of select teams who can get him. I'm guessing other teams would be interested, so this brings down the price to get him (although not much considering some of the teams on the list). As for what the Padres need in return, they're just prospects. Wouldn't you rather have a bonafide ace than unproven prospects?

Stay Away
I really, really want him. I want him so bad it kept me up until 5 in the morning last night thinking about it. This is how sad I am. However, making decisions based on emotions is usually a bad idea. Did you ever think how bad getting married for love really is? It's based on a potentially-fleeting emotion of lust and infatuation combined with some sense of being able to "get along" (I realize this is cynical and no where near Romantic, but you have to agree on some level). I am incredibly infatuated with Peavy, similar to how I am with this girl that sits two rows behind me in history class. Just because I want her doesn't mean she's good for me.

The Real Debate
Back to strictly baseball, the Braves don't have the farm system they once had, and everyone's a little gun-shy after the Mark Teixeira fiasco. However, Peavy is for four years instead of one and a half, but can the Braves really afford to give up more prospects? Reports indicate the Padres want two pitchers and a near-ready center fielder. This indicates to me that the first thing they asked for was Tommy Hanson, Kris Medlen/Todd Redmond/Charlie Morton, and Jordan Schafer. The Braves need starting pitching, and good young starting pitching could solve a lot of problems. But still, giving up two still leaves them with two. Two who could end up just as good. As for center fielders, they can have Schafer. The Braves have a glut of outfielders, and Josh Anderson could do well there until Gorkys Hernandez is ready. Pitching is the big deterrent. Then again, if the Braves get Peavy and a free-agent (with $37M left, couldn't they make a run at Sabathia? Don't worry about the next years because Tim Hudson won't be there and his $15M is off the books making room), they won't need young starting pitching as much knowing that the ace through 3 spots are taken for the next four seasons. The Braves have really good pitching at A ball that could be here by the time Peavy walks away. But is it good to invest so much money in those pitchers knowing there are some good choices in your farm system? Will they even pan out thus losing the opportunity to have gained something for nothing? Also, the Braves are going to spend on free-agency anyway, thus still clogging up spots for the next few seasons anyway. The young pitchers could make the rotation much better, but again, there are still choices. The Braves want to get back to winning by pitching, and adding Peavy and someone else would really get back to that.

So what to do? I say offer them Josh Anderson/Gregor Blanco, Brent Lillibridge, Kris Medlen/Todd Redmond, and Scott Diamond (best ERA in the Braves' system) for Peavy. That gives them their center fielder, second baseman, and two pretty good pitchers. If the Padres want the deal talked about above involving Hanson and Schafer, I would be hard-pressed to say no unless they wanted a whole lot more. I'm sorry, but knowing they'll spend anyway for starting pitching, I really have to say they should get Peavy. If they get hurt, the Braves are screwed anyway.

He he

I'm a terrible person.

Tim Dierkes is a hero of mine, but I love this quote:

Baker believes DiPoto and LaCava have a leg up on Ng.

He he. I'll get my mind out of the gutter now.

Phils Pheelin' Phantastic

Doesn't that trophy seem a little over-the-top for this?

Well, the Phillies won last night to become the first team in the World Series. Cole Hamels threw another gem, and Billingsley did anything but bounce-back. Congratulations to the Phillies even though I'd really like to say Ph*** you, considering the division they are in and I'm just a bitter youth. Anyway, the Rays and Red Sox play tonight. I haven't decided about whether I'll blog it or not, but I think I might head out for another terrible movie. We'll see.

Matsuzaka vs. Kazmir
Kazmir hasn't pitched well so far this postseason, but Matsuzaka has. I think Kazmir might bounce-back tonight. He's been criticized quite a bit, and I think he'll be out to prove something. It amazes me to see people asking Rob Neyer if Kazmir to move to the 'pen. Why? This guy was pretty good this year and outstanding in previous years. He's hit a bump in the road here in the playoffs while everyone (well not everyone) is watching. Where were people last season or earlier this season? Not paying attention to the Rays, that's where. As for tonight, Kazmir will make a better appearance, but the Red Sox rebound in time to send it back to Tampa.

CC's Wife Has CC

There's one little Sabathia, but not the one I'm talking about.

Congratulations to CC Sabathia and his wife Amber on their third child. The name of their daughter is Cyia Cathleen. Two things here. One, her initials are still CC Sabathia, which can't be a coincidence. Second, does anyone else think it's weird to name your kid "Cy"?

And That Will Happen ...

See? They were plotting.

Okay, so I'm still thinking of a better title for this. For today, I'll settle with a rip-off of Shysterball. Anyway, last night the Rays continued to kick the crap out of the Red Sox. Who would have thought the Rays would hit so many home runs? I thought the main thing coming in was that they didn't have that much power? I guess this is what happens when Upton's shoulder seems to be healed and adding him to Peña and Longoria, who are just ridiculous. The nice thing for the Red Sox is that they're throwing Kazmir out there tomorrow night, so that should make give them at least another game to play. I have no idea what the heck Maddon is thinking. He thinks out of the box, and I love him for it. But, seriously, Kazmir? Are you trying to lose? Dice-K has been good (at getting out of trouble), and Kazmir has been ... unpredictable. Is Maddon trying to win this series in front of the home crowd? I imagine this played out last night:

Maddon: Woo hoo! We won again!

Friedman: Who would have thought we'd take the first two from the Red Sox at Fenway?

Maddon: I didn't. We could win the series at Fenway!

Friedman: Oh ... Actually, could we win at the Trop?

Maddon: Why?

Friedman: Well, it's just that we never get this many people in our stadium, so we have to try to take advantage of this as much as possible. If we could go home for one more game ... or even two ...

Maddon: Are you serious? Well, okay. I guess that means Kazmir can start Thursday.

Friedman: Why would you do that?

Maddon: I'm thinking "outside-of-the-box". Go with me on this. We'll just say that Shields "pitches better at home". That way, we lose tomorrow night, and we still have Shields, who is pitching better anyway, against Beckett for Game 6.

Friedman: Good idea. But do you think you could start Edwin Jackson for Game 6 and Shields for Game 7?

Now as for what will happen.

Billingsley vs. Hamels
It's a match-up of two bright young pitchers. One is brighter than the other considering he doesn't blame his teammates for him losing. Anyway, Hamels has the distinct edge in this one. He's pitched great, and his change-up should keep hitters off-balance. Billingsley will have to recover from his miserable Game 2 outing. Considering neither of the teams I predicted to win are the ones up 3-1, I'll go with the Phillies, but that just means the Dodgers will win.

BTW (I hate initials like this, so I only use them when I'm feeling frisky or in that sort of mood), I won't be predicting games next year. I only do it now because it is the playoffs, so it won't get old (actually, it probably has, but please just let me have my delusions). Next year, I plan to tell you what games are playing, what time, who the pitchers are, and whether or not you should use your MLB.TV to watch it. If you don't have MLB.TV, you should probably get it for next year. I watched almost half the Braves games this year until they just started sucking it up really bad. Then, I just watched some of the good match-ups. I'll tell you what those are so you don't have to look them up.

Bill Plaschke Is a Moron

I usually try to refrain from calling people morons, but this guy takes the cake.

I read an article today written by Bill Plaschke. I watched Around the Horn a few times when it first came on, but I quickly decided it was a terrible show. One reason for that was Bill Plaschke. I can never agree with him. After last night's loss, Plaschke argued that the Dodgers lack pitching depth.

Sure, they only have about three viable pitchers at the moment, but can you really argue that Greg Maddux is worse than Joe Blanton? They could have started Maddux, but Torre and the Dodgers took a chance. They needed a win, and Lowe has been the stud all year. Why not go to him? Then, I believe Lowe pitched pretty well through 5 until Torre inexplicably took him out of the game. You don't bring him back on three days rest and give him a pitch count. Lowe was only up to 75 pitches when he exited the game. That was after a 1-2-3 inning. If he was just starting to get into a rhythm, then why take him out? He could have gone at least two more innings. To blame the starting pitching is not the right answer.

On to the bullpen, the Dodgers had the 3rd best bullpen ERA in the majors. How is that bad? When you look for depth, Beimel, Kuo, Wade, and Saito had ERA's under 3, and Broxton and Park were barely over 4 (Park's was 3.40). How is that not having depth? Okay, Kuo and Saito have been recently injured, but that's not management's fault. There was nothing they could do. How many teams in the playoffs have six solid options out of the bullpen. Add in Maddux and Kershaw, and the bullpen should be just fine. Sorry, Plaschke, but the pitching depth is again not the problem.

The problem more or less comes down to Torre. He's been notorious for misuing his bullpen, and in this game, there was no reason to take Lowe out and put relievers in. It almost makes me think something happened to Lowe, but Lowe says he was ready to go. Why pull him? As for the relievers blowing it, there was no reason to believe they would. They've been solid all season. It was just a bad night. In all honesty, I refuse to blame Torre too much because he's won so much that you really can't question his intelligence. It was just one of those nights, but Plaschke didn't realize that. I have to hand it to him though, he does write well. There's no content, but the style's good.

ALCS Game 4

He probably needed something like this after last night.

Well, I was kinda right about yesterday. Lester had a bad day, although worse than I thought he'd have, but the Phillies did win, although Blanton didn't pitch particularly well. About Lester, I think he's earned enough respect for people to not think he choked, and for the most part, people seem to see this for what it is: too many innings. He's just tired. We can argue about innings and the causes of injuries, but it's safe to say that Lester is just tired. Then again, everyone has bad nights. It doesn't matter how much you want it and are not afraid of it. Sometimes, you just don't have it. That was Lester last night, and the Rays grabbed a 2-1 lead. Who would have thought? As for tonight's game:

Wakefield vs. Sonnanstine
The Rays are the worst team for Wakefield. They're fast, and I imagine every time they get on, they'll steal 'til their heart's content. His knuckler won't keep them on first, and Cash won't either for that matter. Sonnanstine actually seems to match-up fairly well with the Red Sox. He throws strikes and changes speeds. What he lacks is a true out-pitch, but he should still be effective. I don't know that either will last too terribly long, but I have a feeling the Rays will win their third game in a row.

Pujols Has Surgery

The NL really has already been his personal playground, but now healthy and entering his prime, he'll really put up some video game numbers.

I guess his elbow finally got to him. Albert Pujols had surgery on his ailing right elbow, but the Cardinals believe he'll be ready for Spring Training. It's hard to believe he'll only be 29 next season, but combine that with the fact he may finally be healthy, look for a monster season. However, this might make holding up another MVP Award more difficult.

Following Up and Following Through

Good man. Good man.

I wrote a post about Jeff Conine and his Ironman contest. Just in case anyone cared, he finished the race in 14 hours, 43 minutes, and 45 seconds, which to me is just amazing. Jeff Conine, you are now my hero. Just for trivia's sake, he became the first Major League Baseball player to finish the Ironman.

As a side but important note, he did this for the "Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines as a tribute to his friend Howard Zimmerman, who lost his battle to cancer in November." The site for the place can be found here.

Tonight's Games

I know everyone loves the other picture of him pointing at his ribs or head, but I think it's funny seeing the batter calm the catcher down because it's usually the other way around.

You have to love the metaphorical and physical beatdown that took place last night. Los Angeles did indeed grab a game and are trying to make it a series.

Lester vs. Garza
If you pick Garza to win, you're an idiot. Therefore, I'm an idiot. I just think Lester has a bad outing. It won't be because he's hurt or choking (I think he's shown us that he doesn't choke), but he'll struggle as the innings continue to take their toll. He can't be that good all the time, can he? Rays take 2-1 lead when Garza goes 6 giving up 2 runs and Lester goes 5 giving up 4. Honestly, there's no method to it, but doesn't anyone else feel a let-down coming?

Lowe vs. Blanton
If you pick Blanton to win, you're an idiot. You really are this time. Dodgers even the series when Lowe gets pissed about his last outing and shuts the Phillies down for 8 innings of great pitching which gets him a 6 year/$110M contract from the already salivating Yankees. Blanton bows out after 4 bad innings.

Fun Times

Yes, this is how I feel right now. Crying and bent over in hell.

I realize things have been slow around here, but unfortunately, this is just one of those weeks you have as a college student: 2 papers and 2 midterms (all due or done on Thursday). In other words, I have been working my not-so-fine-tuned ass off trying to do all of it and will continue through the next few days. Therefore, I wouldn't expect anything significant until at least Thursday, but definitely Friday. Just keep checking over the next few days, and please come back from Friday on. I'll try to take some breaks here and there to make a quick post. As for the "Offseason Series", I am really behind, but I have had zero time over the past 4 or 5 days and won't over the next few. They take a little over an hour to do usually, so it can be difficult to find time to do. Anyway, excuse my absence over the next few days, but again, please come back.

Thank you.

Thoughts on ALCS Game 2 and NLCS Game 3

Seven current managers are younger than this guy.

I kind of figured last night's game would be a bit more high-scoring, but that was pretty ridiculous. It did make it entertaining though. Each one of those seven home runs were tagged. None of them were flyballs that just got out. Even Pedroia's, whose just cleared the wall twice, were rockets over the fence. In the end, the Rays pulled it out on a sacrifice fly. It was one of the most entertaining games I've seen in a while. This puts everyone on notice that the Red Sox won't just beat down on the Rays. Anyway, here are some thoughts about the game.

Josh Beckett
I really didn't think he was the answer in this one. I knew going into it that he'd still be rusty. He took almost two weeks off between his last regular season start and his first postseason start. Last night was all about rust and dealing with lingering effects of his injury. It just seemed like he threw fastball after fastball after fastball up there. It seemed like he had good movement, but the command was way off. It was either up, down the middle, or both. I almost thought he found it on the front-door fastball to Cliff Floyd during his first at-bat, but that was short-lived. Maybe he'll be right by Game 6, but I'm not sure I'd count on it.

Scott Kazmir
He's still being inconsistent, and I'm not sure anyone knows why. First, his command was off as well, but that's more usual for them than for Beckett. Kazmir usually has a bit better command, but he didn't have any secondary pitches working for him. His slider had some good bite to it at times last night, but he couldn't throw it for strikes and Boston wasn't swinging. He'll have some serious work to do this offseason.

Jason Bay
I'm really happy for this guy. It seems everyone said he wasn't Manny and couldn't come through when it counted, but he's been really awesome for the Red Sox this postseason. He's doing everything humanly possible. It must feel good to prove people wrong.

As for Game 3 of the Dodgers-Phillies series, the Dodgers really need to turn it around. Tonight's game sees Kuroda vs. Moyer, and the stats for the pitchers are essentially identical. Moyer works really well against free-swinging teams, so I think he'll have success tonight. Kuroda keeps the ball down and has an excellent 1.85 GB/FB ratio, but as Peter Gammons has pointed out, the Phillies are good low-ball hitters. I think it really comes down to Utley and Manny, and I think Manny gets the best of Moyer before Utley gets the best of Kuroda. Dodgers win and make the series 2-1.

Tonight's Games

Usually, but not right now.

I'm still trying to figure out a catchy title for this, so again, if anyone has a suggestion, please let me know. Anyway on to tonight's game.

Kazmir vs. Beckett
Beckett didn't pitch too well in his division series start, but Kazmir really didn't either. He just got away with a bit more. Hopefully for the Red Sox, the extra days off will help Beckett, but I still wouldn't expect him to be sharp. My guess is that he'll be better should there be a Game 6. Kazmir struggled in the second half, but his start in the division series was better. He still gave up 8 hits and 2 walks, but he found his way out of jams. He'll have to be better than that tonight. Who has the edge? I say Kazmir, but I only say that because I'm not sure Beckett is really ready to get back at it. If this was a healthy and polished Beckett, he's the no-brainer, but he had some serious rust against Los Angeles. Kazmir and the Rays pull the series even tonight.

Hank Back at It Again (Part 2)

Perfect. Just perfect.

Asked if he had taken a step back in the running of the Yankees, Hank Steinbrenner quickly said:

There is one very important point here. The most important thing to remember is this: If you didn't get it from me or my brother [Hal], it doesn't mean [anything]. I don't care about some piss-ant employee. If you don't get it from me or Hal, it's meaningless. I have a lot of things [in Tampa] and Hal is in New York, which is good.

Thank you Hank. That clears things up. However, it also points out his real role in the organization. If he's in Tampa but his brother and team are in New York, what exactly does Hank do (honestly, I think Tampa works more with the farm system, but I'm still not sure that Hank actually does any real work)? Anyway, another good quote:

I told Hal, if you live by the press, you die by the press. I didn't live by my own words.

Well, no.

Andruw Jones Still Thinks He Is an Everyday Player

Oddly enough, that's what Ned Coletti and Joe Torre did when he swung.

Yeah, but more like a player you could find every day.

Mariner's GM Search

The first female GM and first female Vice President in one year? My how things have changed. Sort of. If it happens.

According to team president Chuck Armstrong, the next GM will have less power and a smaller payroll than the previous GM Bill Bavasi. Not exactly sure what this ultimately means, but can we use the word "castration" if Kim Ng is chosen?

The Bat Debate

Not to mention what players could do to other players with those shards.

I saw this article about broken bats. I haven't heard this issue for awhile, so I thought I'd mention it. It's a difficult issue. On one hand, the players seem to think the bats make a difference, but on the other, the bats are potentially dangerous. So, should they use maple bats?

No
Maple bats are incredibly dangerous. They've hurt coaches, umpires, players, and fans. They break in a way that a large shard comes spiraling towards an unsuspecting person, and if the broken end hits someone, it can slice or even plunge into someone. If it hit the right spot, it is potentially fatal. With ash bats, there is a plausible alternative, and when those bats shatter, they shatter into a thousand pieces, all harmless. No one gets hurt. Because there is an alternative, they should switch back to ash bats. A maple bat can't make that much of a difference, can it?

Yes
Maple bats are potentially dangerous, but so are balls. Are we going to have to go to plush balls so that no one gets hurt? What about when guys throw the bats into the stands on accident? Why don't we just put screens all the way down to third base? That way, no one gets hurt. As for the players, they are supposed to be paying attention and should be able to get out of the way. Even if they can't, the chances of a bat hitting them is minuscule. The chances of a bat doing serious damage is even smaller than that. The game can be potentially dangerous, but will football outlaw tackling because it could paralyze someone? I doubt it. Is this only an issue because baseball has always been a relatively conservative game and doesn't like the new bats?

It's a difficult situation. You know it would be uncommon to see an injury, but you also have the mindset that one injury is too many. If they had that mindset, maple bats would be long gone. Maybe that's the most ominous sign. As of right now, it doesn't seem as though maple bats are on the front-burner. They'd rather worry more about instant replay. Anyway, because ash bats are probably just as good as maple bats, I would tend to think maple bats should be outlawed. If you have a decent alternative, especially one of almost equal value, you should probably use that instead. I just hope everyone realizes this issue isn't quite so "cut" and dry (too soon?).

It's Good to Slack

We all need to smile a little bit more.

Thursdays are always difficult days for me. I have three classes (from 11-3:30), and yesterday, I had to add on a Spanish movie that pushed back my getting home time to 5:30. Then, a couple friends called and wanted to go see a movie, so we went to Taco Tico (a better version of Taco Bell) and to see Death Race. I didn't get home until after 12, and I had no desire whatsoever to blog.

Anyway, if you haven't seen Death Race, you probably should. It's essentially the best "man" movie you can see. It has the guy from Transporter and Tyrese Gibson. The plot line goes as follows -- fight, slightly emotional scene, explosion, fight, explosion, hot girls, explosion, explosion, explosion, fight, hot girls, explosion, explosion, getaway scene, hot girl. Again, it's a guy's movie, but for $1.50, it was a steal (actually, I wore this ridiculous smiley face costume -- two chest-sized yellow smiley faces -- into the movie, and one of my friends paid for my ticket for doing such). You will be thoroughly entertained. You won't gain any insights, but you will be entertained.