National League

For the first time since 1990, both the American and National Leagues saw first-time Gold Glove winners on the pitcher’s mound.  It is no coincidence that 2009 is the first year that Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina, and Kenny Rogers aren’t eligible, each having retired following the 2008 season.  From 1990 through 2008 – his final year in the big leagues – Greg Maddux was named the

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’ve decided to name players to my inaugural All–Star team and I’ll start with the National League. So far there have been the usual suspects putting up solid first halves, and also some surprises that have shocked everyone with success.  So far in 2008, the season seems almost as a Bizarro season to steal Sports Illustrated’s mantra. The Rays and the Cubs have been pace setters, and the defending

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How about that Jim Edmonds? Jimmy Ballgame. Jimmy Baseball. The Man, the Myth, the rival swapping Legend that is Jim Patrick Edmonds. Just a mere nine months ago he was a villain, walking through the halls of the nemesis kingdom that is St. Louis. I find it hard to believe that we've adopted him as our own, but I'm at peace with it, and you should be too.

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an incredible player, but there’s no way he can carry the American League All-Stars against a National League team boasting guys with names like Berkman, Chipper, and Utley.

What ever happened to the days when it was nearly impossible to choose the most deserving starters for the American League in the Midsummer Classic?  I remember going to Oriole Park in the mid-90’s and seeing a ballot with the names Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Mo Vaughn, Tino Martinez, and Frank Thomas – all of whom put up solid if not exceptional numbers – year after year.  It was never an easy decision who to vote for.  This year’s top choices are Kevin Youkilis and Justin Morneau, and if you’re a forgiving Yankee fan, Jason Giambi.  All of these guys can hit the ball, and Youkilis is a gold-glove defender, but he and Giambi are the only A.L. first basemen on the ballot who are slugging over .500, and “the Giambino,” as the Baseball Tonight cast calls him, is hitting just .259.  Of the trio, Youkilis is the best choice, but the competition simply isn’t what it used to be.

Continue reading "This year’s All-Star Game should be no contest"

Apropos of yesterday's blog, about the possibility--really at this point a good probability--of instant replay being used in MLB, this weekend's round of interleague play got me thinking about how the game's already been tweaked. And how the purists protested, to no avail, when interleague was first introduced in 1997, but how it's now become an unqualified success.

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 HOUSTON DEFEATS CUBS 5-3 ON A CARLOS LEE HOME RUN AS HOUSTON TAKES SERIES

After the Cubs went 8-2 on their latest home stand which made their record at home 19-8, it seems as if they forgot how to play anywhere else.  After losing to the Astros 5-3 and losing the series, the Cubs find themselves 9-11 away from the friendly Confines.  If a team wants to find themselves in the post-season, they need to win the big games on the road.  In a series that had playoff atmosphere, both teams were out to make statements.  The Astros were louder than the Cubs according to Shawn Chaccon, who got the decision in the victory.  "One message the Cubs might get out of it is, 'We're here. We're here to compete. We're going to battle,'" Chacon said. "'It's not the team it was last year. Basically, it's going to be a tough team to beat the whole year.'"

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Baseball purists--and my brother in particular--may have freaked out when I suggested in my post of May 7 that all leagues adopt the DH. This is one of the Great Debates of the Modern Game, and I enter it whenever possible. Nobody seems on the fence on this issue; everyone either loves it or hates it. Me, I love it.

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After another game where stranding base-runners has become a common theme, what Lou Piniella had the right words to sum up the Cubs recent slide, "Like I told my guys after the ballgame, make the other team beat you, don't just give it to them," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "You play like that and you're going to lose quite a few of them, or most of them. Anyway, it's over with. Done."

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as as recent as 2004 where Roger Clemens was at top of his game.  It was his first year in the National League while playing for the Houston Astros.  He ended up going 18-4 and eventually went on to win the

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