Happy Black Friday, all! I trust that everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that the coming Christmas season will be one to remember.
As we storm department stores across the nation on this popular shopping day, teams across Major League Baseball are doing some shopping of their own. Robinson Cano, Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Matt Garza and a plethora of other notable names still remain on the market, and most are likely to find homes before the new year. A few big fish have already been reeled in: the St. Louis Cardinals have inked Jhonny Peralta to a hefty four-year contract, Brian McCann will don the famous Yankee pinstripes, and Ricky Nolasco has found a new home in the Twin Cities.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are said to be the frontrunners in vying for Beltran's services, the Rangers have the supposed edge on ace lefty David Price, and Mike Napoli of the World Series champion Red Sox could be headed back to his native Florida to play for the Marlins.
But let's not forget the less-heralded, but still very much important, names like Grant Balfour, Hiroki Kuroda and Ervin Santana. The Indians, Tigers and Mariners are all in need of bullpen help, and the Mariners also join the Mets and Braves as clubs searching for a dependable veteran arm for the starting rotation. So who fits best where?
That question, as well as many others, will be answered in front of the Hot Stove as the weather turns colder. Keep your eyes and ears open for more big moves in the coming weeks. You never know what sort of gift your team's GM might reel in this holiday season.
More to come from Walks and Balks in 2014. Have a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
The Dog Days (of the Offseason)
This is a brief post because I'm sure that many minds out there, my own included, are elsewhere at this time of year. The dog days of the baseball offseason have arrived. Trees are bare, the air is frigid, and a thin layer of frost covers baseball fields everywhere. Thanksgiving is a week away, and Christmas looms on the horizon.
Let's be honest: it's not always easy to keep up with Hot Stove reports and MLB Network while visions of sugar plums are dancing in our heads.
But nonetheless, a couple of intriguing moves have stirred the baseball world this week, including the blockbuster trade of Detroit Tigers' first baseman Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Ian Kinsler.
Four new managers have been hired: Rick Renteria is the new man in charge on the North Side of Chicago, ex-Pirate skipper Lloyd McClendon takes the helm for the Mariners, longtime pitching coach Bryan Price takes the manager's seat for the Reds, and former All-Star catcher Brad Ausmus will assume responsibilities in the Motor City.
What do these moves mean for the teams involved? Time will tell.
But for now, put on your warm stockings, prop your feet up by the fire and pour yourself some pumpkin-spice eggnog. Keep your TV and your smartphone apps ready though--with big-name free agents such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Robinson Cano and Carlos Beltran on the market, the coming weeks may bring big news.
***
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
-Rogers Hornsby
Let's be honest: it's not always easy to keep up with Hot Stove reports and MLB Network while visions of sugar plums are dancing in our heads.
But nonetheless, a couple of intriguing moves have stirred the baseball world this week, including the blockbuster trade of Detroit Tigers' first baseman Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Ian Kinsler.
Four new managers have been hired: Rick Renteria is the new man in charge on the North Side of Chicago, ex-Pirate skipper Lloyd McClendon takes the helm for the Mariners, longtime pitching coach Bryan Price takes the manager's seat for the Reds, and former All-Star catcher Brad Ausmus will assume responsibilities in the Motor City.
What do these moves mean for the teams involved? Time will tell.
But for now, put on your warm stockings, prop your feet up by the fire and pour yourself some pumpkin-spice eggnog. Keep your TV and your smartphone apps ready though--with big-name free agents such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Robinson Cano and Carlos Beltran on the market, the coming weeks may bring big news.
***
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
-Rogers Hornsby
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rogershorn104218.html#sOmikOvdEwcLKoDp.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rogershorn104218.html#sOmikOvdEwcLKoDp.99
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rogershorn104218.html#sOmikOvdEwcLKoDp.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rogershorn104218.html#sOmikOvdEwcLKoDp.99
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
The World Series
Two world wars. A Great Depression and a Great Recession. A decade that roared. A decade that depressed. Several more decades that stood somewhere in between. Nearly twenty different men passing through the Oval Office.
Since 1903, America has changed in countless ways. But one thing has remained a fixture during these past 110 years: the World Series.
With the exception of two years--the National League boycotted the Series in 1904 and a strike shortened the 1994 season--the World Series has been held every October, pitting the best of each league against one another. Two franchises, the Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals, have yet to make their series debuts, but nonetheless we have seen matchups ranging from downright odd (2003's Marlins-Yankees Series comes to mind) to undeniably classic (such as this year's Cardinals-Red Sox showdown). That being said, the Wild Card era has helped give rise to the "underdog" teams, teams that for the longest time stood no chance against the traditional big-market powers.
This year, however, looks to be somewhat of a throwback, as two storied franchises will go head to head in the first World Series since 1999 to feature the teams with the best regular-season records in their respective leagues.
Let's look at the Cardinals. Even-keeled, disciplined and highly respectable, this ballclub has proven hard to beat over the past five-plus years. Postseason veterans such as Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina have combined forces with some of the game's top pitchers, including rookies Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha and veteran Adam Wainwright, to make the Cards a force to be reckoned with. And all this just two years after former franchise icon and possible future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols left for the City of Angels.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, possess a fiery passion unlike any other seen in recent years. The Boston Marathon bombing tragedy on April 15 gave rise to the mantra "Boston Strong," creating a must-win atmosphere akin to that in New York after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since the bombing, Jonny Gomes and Mike Napoli have taken up the tasks of flashing thick, Duck Dynasty-style beards, reminiscent of the frat party atmosphere of the 2004 world champs. Only one player, slugger David Ortiz, remains from that curse-breaking ballclub, but Beantown stalwarts Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz are ready to help out.
Nine years ago, these two teams met on the same stage, with the Red Sox sweeping the Cardinals in four games. But this year, there is no curse at stake. Times and faces have changed. This will be a Series of good, old-fashioned baseball. This is the year that baseball legends will be overshadowed. Just days ago, 21-year-old shortstop Xander Bogaerts became the youngest Red Sox player to start a postseason game. The now second-youngest? George Herman Ruth. On the St. Louis side, the aforementioned five-time All-Star catcher Molina has reached the Fall Classic for the fourth time in his career. One other Cardinal to do so? Stan Musial.
Any way you slice it, this is a timeless matchup. The Red Sox are 112 years old. The Cardinals are 131. Each team's uniforms have remained largely unchanged. The centenary Fenway Park is the quintessential hitter's bandbox. Busch Stadium, though only seven years old, pays great homage to its classic ballpark predecessors and feels like a throwback to simpler times.
Starting tomorrow night in Boston, these two clubs will make baseball history. Two postseason veterans--Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals and Jon Lester for the Red Sox--will take the mound in a game for the ages. And from coast to coast, millions will be watching and listening as these heroes take baseball's biggest stage.
***
"The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series. The second best thing is losing the World Series."
-Tommy Lasorda
Since 1903, America has changed in countless ways. But one thing has remained a fixture during these past 110 years: the World Series.
With the exception of two years--the National League boycotted the Series in 1904 and a strike shortened the 1994 season--the World Series has been held every October, pitting the best of each league against one another. Two franchises, the Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals, have yet to make their series debuts, but nonetheless we have seen matchups ranging from downright odd (2003's Marlins-Yankees Series comes to mind) to undeniably classic (such as this year's Cardinals-Red Sox showdown). That being said, the Wild Card era has helped give rise to the "underdog" teams, teams that for the longest time stood no chance against the traditional big-market powers.
This year, however, looks to be somewhat of a throwback, as two storied franchises will go head to head in the first World Series since 1999 to feature the teams with the best regular-season records in their respective leagues.
Let's look at the Cardinals. Even-keeled, disciplined and highly respectable, this ballclub has proven hard to beat over the past five-plus years. Postseason veterans such as Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina have combined forces with some of the game's top pitchers, including rookies Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha and veteran Adam Wainwright, to make the Cards a force to be reckoned with. And all this just two years after former franchise icon and possible future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols left for the City of Angels.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, possess a fiery passion unlike any other seen in recent years. The Boston Marathon bombing tragedy on April 15 gave rise to the mantra "Boston Strong," creating a must-win atmosphere akin to that in New York after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since the bombing, Jonny Gomes and Mike Napoli have taken up the tasks of flashing thick, Duck Dynasty-style beards, reminiscent of the frat party atmosphere of the 2004 world champs. Only one player, slugger David Ortiz, remains from that curse-breaking ballclub, but Beantown stalwarts Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz are ready to help out.
Nine years ago, these two teams met on the same stage, with the Red Sox sweeping the Cardinals in four games. But this year, there is no curse at stake. Times and faces have changed. This will be a Series of good, old-fashioned baseball. This is the year that baseball legends will be overshadowed. Just days ago, 21-year-old shortstop Xander Bogaerts became the youngest Red Sox player to start a postseason game. The now second-youngest? George Herman Ruth. On the St. Louis side, the aforementioned five-time All-Star catcher Molina has reached the Fall Classic for the fourth time in his career. One other Cardinal to do so? Stan Musial.
Any way you slice it, this is a timeless matchup. The Red Sox are 112 years old. The Cardinals are 131. Each team's uniforms have remained largely unchanged. The centenary Fenway Park is the quintessential hitter's bandbox. Busch Stadium, though only seven years old, pays great homage to its classic ballpark predecessors and feels like a throwback to simpler times.
Starting tomorrow night in Boston, these two clubs will make baseball history. Two postseason veterans--Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals and Jon Lester for the Red Sox--will take the mound in a game for the ages. And from coast to coast, millions will be watching and listening as these heroes take baseball's biggest stage.
***
"The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series. The second best thing is losing the World Series."
-Tommy Lasorda
Friday, August 30, 2013
Puigmania and Beyond
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines a "catalyst" as "an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action."
Incredibly, at this writing, the dictionary has not yet included Los Angeles Dodgers' rookie sensation Yasiel Puig in an example sentence for the word.
Early this season, the longtime denizens of Chavez Ravine were mired in a pathetic five-team tangle of mediocrity that has become the norm for the National League West division over the years. On June 22, the Dodgers sported a 30-42 record, leading many in Dodgertown to believe that manager Don Mattingly's job was in jeopardy.
Enter Puig, the name of whose hometown of Cienfuegos, Cuba roughly translates to "a hundred fires." All that fire may as well have found its way into his bat; through August 27, Puig had already accumulated 100 hits in his first 75 big league games, sporting a .347 batting average with 13 home runs and 30 RBI while boasting an impressive .405 on-base percentage and .964 OPS. From that June 22 date, the Dodgers took 40 of their next 48 games, grabbing first place in the NL West by seven and a half games. The Dodgers had finally found the catalyst to their lineup in their energetic new right fielder.
Meanwhile, on the east coast, the Washington Nationals entered the season as preseason favorites to represent the Senior Circuit in the World Series. The Nats caught lighting in a bottle last season, as young phenom Bryce Harper, first baseman-outfielder Michael Morse, and ace lefty Gio Gonzalez combined with numerous journeymen, inexperienced youngsters and replacement-level players to win the NL East title.
But lightning never strikes the same place twice. Harper spent substantial time on the disabled list early in this summer, Morse's once-potent bat has gone missing in his new home on the Puget Sound, and Gonzalez has proven unable to carry the load for a club still vying for its first World Series appearance in franchise history.
We've all seen if before: the hotshot rookie who comes back down to earth after taking the big leagues by storm. Harper, the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year, hit the wall (literally) in his sophomore attempt. Puig, a sure ROY contender, has exhibited a lack of discipline on the basepaths, as well as a glaring weakness against inside pitches. It all serves as a reminder of the fickle nature of baseball.
The question remains: who's next?
The possibilities abound. Rays outfielder Wil Myers strikes fans and scouts alike as the next Dale Murphy. Byron Buxton is a 19-year-old Georgia high school product awaiting his shot in the Twin Cities. Mike Zunino, the Johnny Bench Award-winner out of the University of Florida, is ready to take charge behind the plate on a regular basis in Seattle.
As fans, we live with the hope that these hotshot rookies--these catalysts--can maintain their performances over long periods of time. Harper returned to the Nationals in grand fashion after his injury, and the jury remains out on Puig, who rebounded convincingly from a brief slump.
But plenty can happen over the course of a 162-game season, and it's that mere possibility that keeps us riveted on the great American game.
***
"Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is."
-Bob Feller
Incredibly, at this writing, the dictionary has not yet included Los Angeles Dodgers' rookie sensation Yasiel Puig in an example sentence for the word.
Early this season, the longtime denizens of Chavez Ravine were mired in a pathetic five-team tangle of mediocrity that has become the norm for the National League West division over the years. On June 22, the Dodgers sported a 30-42 record, leading many in Dodgertown to believe that manager Don Mattingly's job was in jeopardy.
Enter Puig, the name of whose hometown of Cienfuegos, Cuba roughly translates to "a hundred fires." All that fire may as well have found its way into his bat; through August 27, Puig had already accumulated 100 hits in his first 75 big league games, sporting a .347 batting average with 13 home runs and 30 RBI while boasting an impressive .405 on-base percentage and .964 OPS. From that June 22 date, the Dodgers took 40 of their next 48 games, grabbing first place in the NL West by seven and a half games. The Dodgers had finally found the catalyst to their lineup in their energetic new right fielder.
Meanwhile, on the east coast, the Washington Nationals entered the season as preseason favorites to represent the Senior Circuit in the World Series. The Nats caught lighting in a bottle last season, as young phenom Bryce Harper, first baseman-outfielder Michael Morse, and ace lefty Gio Gonzalez combined with numerous journeymen, inexperienced youngsters and replacement-level players to win the NL East title.
But lightning never strikes the same place twice. Harper spent substantial time on the disabled list early in this summer, Morse's once-potent bat has gone missing in his new home on the Puget Sound, and Gonzalez has proven unable to carry the load for a club still vying for its first World Series appearance in franchise history.
We've all seen if before: the hotshot rookie who comes back down to earth after taking the big leagues by storm. Harper, the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year, hit the wall (literally) in his sophomore attempt. Puig, a sure ROY contender, has exhibited a lack of discipline on the basepaths, as well as a glaring weakness against inside pitches. It all serves as a reminder of the fickle nature of baseball.
The question remains: who's next?
The possibilities abound. Rays outfielder Wil Myers strikes fans and scouts alike as the next Dale Murphy. Byron Buxton is a 19-year-old Georgia high school product awaiting his shot in the Twin Cities. Mike Zunino, the Johnny Bench Award-winner out of the University of Florida, is ready to take charge behind the plate on a regular basis in Seattle.
As fans, we live with the hope that these hotshot rookies--these catalysts--can maintain their performances over long periods of time. Harper returned to the Nationals in grand fashion after his injury, and the jury remains out on Puig, who rebounded convincingly from a brief slump.
But plenty can happen over the course of a 162-game season, and it's that mere possibility that keeps us riveted on the great American game.
***
"Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is."
-Bob Feller
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Introduction
Quick, what are the three most popular songs in America?
If the first songs that come to mind are Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," Katy Perry's "Roar" or Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop," shame on you.
What about "Happy Birthday," that lovable song that family and friends sing to you once a year as you awkwardly shift your gaze across the room, or peer straight down into your lap, depending on personal preference?
What about "The Star-Spangled Banner," the nearly two and a half centuries-old ode to our great nation?
What about "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," a song that unifies that same great nation in cities from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, between April and October?
This blog will offer glances at the great game to which that song pays homage. About the men and boys who play it. About the legacies they leave. And above all, about what you and I--the fans--make of it.
This blog will provide accounts of personal experience, insight and speculation.
This blog will examine not just the mammoth home runs, clutch RBI doubles and inning-ending double plays, but also the in-betweens. The blown umpiring calls. The late-inning substitutions. The walks and the balks.
From the usual to the unusual. From Little League to big league. From Ruth and Gehrig to Cabrera and Fielder.
All baseball, all the time.
***
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time."
-James Earl Jones as Terrence Mann, Field of Dreams
If the first songs that come to mind are Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," Katy Perry's "Roar" or Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop," shame on you.
What about "Happy Birthday," that lovable song that family and friends sing to you once a year as you awkwardly shift your gaze across the room, or peer straight down into your lap, depending on personal preference?
What about "The Star-Spangled Banner," the nearly two and a half centuries-old ode to our great nation?
What about "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," a song that unifies that same great nation in cities from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, between April and October?
This blog will offer glances at the great game to which that song pays homage. About the men and boys who play it. About the legacies they leave. And above all, about what you and I--the fans--make of it.
This blog will provide accounts of personal experience, insight and speculation.
This blog will examine not just the mammoth home runs, clutch RBI doubles and inning-ending double plays, but also the in-betweens. The blown umpiring calls. The late-inning substitutions. The walks and the balks.
From the usual to the unusual. From Little League to big league. From Ruth and Gehrig to Cabrera and Fielder.
All baseball, all the time.
***
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time."
-James Earl Jones as Terrence Mann, Field of Dreams
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)