Baseball
- The Tampa Bay Rays
- Pre-Season Picks Review
- I Can't Believe I Like The Red Sox
- Baseball's New World Order?
- A Great April
- Baseball's Bad Guys Series Begins
- I'm a Minor League Baseball Fan
- Murcer May Have Cancer Again
- Spring is Finally Here
- Is Clemens Getting Screwed?
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
For the past decade, South Florida hasn't exactly beena hotbed for MLB action. But this year, the Rays are for real.
I didn't buy into Tampa Bay when they changed their name from the Devil Rays to the Rays this offseasons. I didn't buy into them when they went 18-8 in the preseason. I still thought they were phonies at the 1/4 mark of the seasons, even though they were just a few games out of first place. But now it's midseason, and Tampa Bay is leading the best division in baseball by two and a half games. Four in the always-crucial loss column. Okay, I'm buying. This team is for real.
Crawford, Longoria, Iawamura, Upton. These guys are for real. Kazmir, Shields, Wheeler, Sonnenstine. These guys are for real. Troy Percival -- I still have my doubts. But with the Yankees re-building and the Red Sox dealing with injuries, I am finally starting to accept that the Tampa Bay Rays might be a legitimate playoff team.
See what happens when you spend a little bit of the Yankees money?
Crawford, Longoria, Iawamura, Upton. These guys are for real. Kazmir, Shields, Wheeler, Sonnenstine. These guys are for real. Troy Percival -- I still have my doubts. But with the Yankees re-building and the Red Sox dealing with injuries, I am finally starting to accept that the Tampa Bay Rays might be a legitimate playoff team.
See what happens when you spend a little bit of the Yankees money?
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
The season is just 1/3 over, so some of my predictions for great individual seasons still have time to come to fruition. But some of these guys better start hitting now.
Man, I'm getting my ass kicked on some of my pre-season predictions for individual award winners and standout players.
Here we are, a full one-third of the way through the 2008 season, and my pick for American League Most Valuable Player, Robinson Cano, is hitting .219 with 4 homers and 19 RBI. Now, I know that Cano is a slow starter, but this is ridiiculous. He'll need to hit .380 the rest of the way with at least 20 homers and 95 RBI to even get himself in the running.
Another prediction that may not have been so wise was my pick of Joe Girardi of the Yankees. I am still sticking by it, because I think he is going to get the Bombers to the playoffs, but these first two shaky months of his Yankee skipper career has made me long for Joe Torre's calm and air of complete control.
NL MVP pick David Wright is having a good year, batting .284 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI. Unfortunately, Lance Berkman and Chase Utley are playing like Chuck Klein and Rogers Hornsby. Utley just smacked his 20th home run and drove in his 50th RBI. The guy's a second baseman, for God's Sake! How can he hit like this?
J.J. Putz has betrayed my trust. Jacoby Ellsbury is being outplayed by many A.L. rookies, and I must have been on Qualuudes when I picked Chase Headley for NL Rookie honors.
But Johan Santana is pitching according to plan. Right now, Brandon Webb is far ahead of him in the Cy Young race, but Johan could roll off 8 in a row at some point.
Maybe.
Here we are, a full one-third of the way through the 2008 season, and my pick for American League Most Valuable Player, Robinson Cano, is hitting .219 with 4 homers and 19 RBI. Now, I know that Cano is a slow starter, but this is ridiiculous. He'll need to hit .380 the rest of the way with at least 20 homers and 95 RBI to even get himself in the running.
Another prediction that may not have been so wise was my pick of Joe Girardi of the Yankees. I am still sticking by it, because I think he is going to get the Bombers to the playoffs, but these first two shaky months of his Yankee skipper career has made me long for Joe Torre's calm and air of complete control.
NL MVP pick David Wright is having a good year, batting .284 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI. Unfortunately, Lance Berkman and Chase Utley are playing like Chuck Klein and Rogers Hornsby. Utley just smacked his 20th home run and drove in his 50th RBI. The guy's a second baseman, for God's Sake! How can he hit like this?
J.J. Putz has betrayed my trust. Jacoby Ellsbury is being outplayed by many A.L. rookies, and I must have been on Qualuudes when I picked Chase Headley for NL Rookie honors.
But Johan Santana is pitching according to plan. Right now, Brandon Webb is far ahead of him in the Cy Young race, but Johan could roll off 8 in a row at some point.
Maybe.
I Can't Believe I Like The Red Sox
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
For this writer, baseball's axis of evil has always run straight through the heart Boston. But that isn't the case this year.
I grew up as a Yankee fan, which is another way of saying that I hate the Red Sox. Quietly at night sometimes, I chant in a barely audible whisper: "Babe, Bucky, Buckner, Boone." It's pathetic. It's lame. It's my shameful envy.
But this year, I am finding it hard to hate everybody affiliated with the Sox. I respect Theo Epstein. He's the best GM in baseball, hands down. I think that Terry Francona is a hell of a guy and may be the best manager in the game.
Manny is my favorite player. I love Big Papi. Dustin Pedroia is obviously gonna hit .395 against the Yankees over the next fifteen years, so I may as well like him. Jon Lester's no-hitter against the Royals made me weep like Cindy Brady after Buddy Hinton bogued her with the classic: "baby talk, baby talk, it's a wonder you can walk" heckling.
See my dilemma? I am duty bound to hate the Red Sox, but how can I hate the team when I like so many of their players?
Oh yeah, that's right, they have Curt Schilling. I don't his attitude, or his support of George Bush.
But then again, he does do a ton of charity work to raise money to find a cure for ALS. He's also just speaking his mind and has a right to do that, I suppose. Plus, he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. Okay, I'm gonna stop now or I might be the next rube to jump on the Red Sox Nation bandwagon.
Go Baseball. GO AL EAST!
But this year, I am finding it hard to hate everybody affiliated with the Sox. I respect Theo Epstein. He's the best GM in baseball, hands down. I think that Terry Francona is a hell of a guy and may be the best manager in the game.
Manny is my favorite player. I love Big Papi. Dustin Pedroia is obviously gonna hit .395 against the Yankees over the next fifteen years, so I may as well like him. Jon Lester's no-hitter against the Royals made me weep like Cindy Brady after Buddy Hinton bogued her with the classic: "baby talk, baby talk, it's a wonder you can walk" heckling.
See my dilemma? I am duty bound to hate the Red Sox, but how can I hate the team when I like so many of their players?
Oh yeah, that's right, they have Curt Schilling. I don't his attitude, or his support of George Bush.
But then again, he does do a ton of charity work to raise money to find a cure for ALS. He's also just speaking his mind and has a right to do that, I suppose. Plus, he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. Okay, I'm gonna stop now or I might be the next rube to jump on the Red Sox Nation bandwagon.
Go Baseball. GO AL EAST!
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
The first six weeks of the 2008 baseball season has been surprising for some historically bad teams.
For a decade now, the Tampa Bay Rays have been the worst team in baseball. Since they came into the American League as an expansion team in 1998, the Rays have finsihed in dead last every year in the American League East Division. In five of their ten seasons, they have finsihed with the worst record in baseball. They have never won more than 69 games in any season.
Which is what makes their 1998 season all the more impressive. Through the first month and a half of the season, the Rays are 25-19, the best record they have ever had this late in the season. They are getting good outings from their starting pitchers, timely hitting from their young offensive stars, and a surprising year from their 38-year old closer, Troy Percival.
On the flip side, the Yankees, who have reached the playoff each of the past thirteen seasons, are in dead last place. They can't get a starter to go more than 3 or 4 innings, they have the third worst ERA in the American League, and their best young star, Robinson Cano, is barely hitting above the Mendoza Line.
Can this continue?
Which is what makes their 1998 season all the more impressive. Through the first month and a half of the season, the Rays are 25-19, the best record they have ever had this late in the season. They are getting good outings from their starting pitchers, timely hitting from their young offensive stars, and a surprising year from their 38-year old closer, Troy Percival.
On the flip side, the Yankees, who have reached the playoff each of the past thirteen seasons, are in dead last place. They can't get a starter to go more than 3 or 4 innings, they have the third worst ERA in the American League, and their best young star, Robinson Cano, is barely hitting above the Mendoza Line.
Can this continue?
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
The Yankees young pitchers have disappointed, the Diamondbacks are looking unbeatable, and two guys once lost from the game come back as stars.
Wasn't Phil Hughes good last year? Isn't he the same guy who almost tossed a no-hitter in his second start and then was the Yankees best pitcher in September and October? Is this the same guy? Sure doesn't look that way. As of May 2, Hughes is 0-4 with an ERA of 9.00. He's throwing too many pitches, walking too many guys, and just not hitting his spots. The Yankees are talking about sending him down to AAA. They shouldn't. They should stick with the program. If it's still thi sbad by the All-Star break, then re-evaluate. Sam thing goes for Ian Kennedy. These guys are kids. Let them work it out in the bigs.
I picked Robinson cano as my choice for A.L. MVP. That call ain't looking to good right now.
I was at the Phillies game the other night and Chase Utley hit a 434 foot bullet of a homer off the upper deck facing. That guy is great.
My prediction fro breakout player of the year, Nate McClouth, is playing great.
Pat "The Bat" Burrell has been a fantasy steal.
If you don't like Torii Hunter, watch the newest "Real Sports" with Bryant Gumbel. You will fall in love with Hunter. He is a great human being. He really seems like a hell of a guy.
Go Baseball!
I picked Robinson cano as my choice for A.L. MVP. That call ain't looking to good right now.
I was at the Phillies game the other night and Chase Utley hit a 434 foot bullet of a homer off the upper deck facing. That guy is great.
My prediction fro breakout player of the year, Nate McClouth, is playing great.
Pat "The Bat" Burrell has been a fantasy steal.
If you don't like Torii Hunter, watch the newest "Real Sports" with Bryant Gumbel. You will fall in love with Hunter. He is a great human being. He really seems like a hell of a guy.
Go Baseball!
Baseball's Bad Guys Series Begins
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
Not all of these guys are bad, but they all did at least one thing that was bad enough to get suspended, and even banned for life. They are the game's most infamous men.
This month, I am gonna try something new. A series of articles about baseball's biggest scandalmakers. Baseball's bad guys. Well, they're not all bad guys. Most of them had many redeeming personality traits and virtually all of them were superb ballplayers or coaches. But they all sinned against the game, more than the game would tolerate. As a result of their transgressions, some were suspended for years on ended, some were banned for life, and a few even ended up in the big house.
This week's article examines the career of Hal Chase. Prince Hal, as he was known to fans in the early 20th century, was a great defensive first baseman. Some folks, like Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson, thought he was the best who ever played the position. He was also a fine hitter who once won a batting crown and also captured a home run title. But Hal Chase had a dark side.
He was a gambler, and a fixer of his own team's games. On many occasions, he threw games by striking out in a crucial spot, or booting an easy grounder on a key play. His story is pretty good.
Upcoming articles in this series will include pieces on Denny McLain, Pete Rose, the Pittsburgh Cocaine Trials, Charlie Comiskey, Tom Yawkey, and Ty Cobb.
Check 'em out.
This week's article examines the career of Hal Chase. Prince Hal, as he was known to fans in the early 20th century, was a great defensive first baseman. Some folks, like Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson, thought he was the best who ever played the position. He was also a fine hitter who once won a batting crown and also captured a home run title. But Hal Chase had a dark side.
He was a gambler, and a fixer of his own team's games. On many occasions, he threw games by striking out in a crucial spot, or booting an easy grounder on a key play. His story is pretty good.
Upcoming articles in this series will include pieces on Denny McLain, Pete Rose, the Pittsburgh Cocaine Trials, Charlie Comiskey, Tom Yawkey, and Ty Cobb.
Check 'em out.
I'm a Minor League Baseball Fan
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
Only thirty cities have major league baseball teams. But hundreds more have minor league teams that are fun, talented, hardworking, and much more affordable.
I love baseball. Always have. Always will. But the past fifteen years have really started to turn me off to the Major League version of the game. The 1994 strike took away the World Series and my favorite player's best shot at a championship. Baseball's amazing post-strike home run resurgence, highlighted by the feats of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, turned out to be a steroid-fueled, decade-long slugfest that called into question not just their records, and not just the all-time records, but the very manner in which we measure intergenerational greatness among players.
The Roger Clemens scandal is still bumming me out. But not as much as the willful blindness that team executives, baseball writers and league officials engaged in to allow such great players to do such harm to the game.
the prices I I'm also none too pleased about the outrageous prices I just paid for some good Phillies seats and some really bad Yankee seats.
So now I am turning to minor league baseball for a while. And the team that I am going to focus on this season are the Harrisburg Senators. The Senators were recently purchased by Michael Reinsdorf, son of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf is bringing a professional approach to minor league ownership and will also provide the majority of funding for the $30 million in stadium renovations to Commerece Bank Ball Park on City Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
I am looking forward to the team, the season, and the new stadium. GO Senators!
And, hopefully, a lot more fun and a lot less controversy.
The Roger Clemens scandal is still bumming me out. But not as much as the willful blindness that team executives, baseball writers and league officials engaged in to allow such great players to do such harm to the game.
the prices I I'm also none too pleased about the outrageous prices I just paid for some good Phillies seats and some really bad Yankee seats.
So now I am turning to minor league baseball for a while. And the team that I am going to focus on this season are the Harrisburg Senators. The Senators were recently purchased by Michael Reinsdorf, son of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf is bringing a professional approach to minor league ownership and will also provide the majority of funding for the $30 million in stadium renovations to Commerece Bank Ball Park on City Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
I am looking forward to the team, the season, and the new stadium. GO Senators!
And, hopefully, a lot more fun and a lot less controversy.
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
Former Yankee centerfielder and current Bombers' broadcaster may face the fight of his life - for a second time.
I just read that Bobby Murcer's brain cancer may be back. In a letter from his wife to fans and friends, Kaye Nurcer explained that Murcer, who was first diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2006 but has been in remission fo the past eight months, may have a recurrence. Today he will undergo a brain biopsy to explore what she asi was "an area of concern" from Bobby's doctors. My thoughts and prayers go out to Bobby and tot he Murcer family. He is a class act, a great, fun braodcaster and not a bad ballplayer.
He came to the Yankees in 1965, just as Mantle and Maris and Ford were headed out the door. Because he was a switch-hotting center fielder from Oklahoma, he was immeditely compared to the great Mickey mantle. Although Murcer never rose to the level of immortailty experienced by his predecessor and his close friend, he did prove to be on ehell of a baseball player. He made five straight all-star teams from 1971 through 1975, topped 20 homers seven times, knocked in 90 or more runs five times and finished as high as seventh in MVP voting.
His most memorable performance may have come on August 6, 1979, which was the day he buried Yankee captain and best friend Thurman Munson. In the emotional game that evening in Yankee Stadium, Murcer honored his fallen comrade by hitting a three run homer in the seventh inning, and then winning the contest with a walk-off two RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
That's the kind of guy Bobby Murcer is. A class act, a good friend, and a fighter.
He came to the Yankees in 1965, just as Mantle and Maris and Ford were headed out the door. Because he was a switch-hotting center fielder from Oklahoma, he was immeditely compared to the great Mickey mantle. Although Murcer never rose to the level of immortailty experienced by his predecessor and his close friend, he did prove to be on ehell of a baseball player. He made five straight all-star teams from 1971 through 1975, topped 20 homers seven times, knocked in 90 or more runs five times and finished as high as seventh in MVP voting.
His most memorable performance may have come on August 6, 1979, which was the day he buried Yankee captain and best friend Thurman Munson. In the emotional game that evening in Yankee Stadium, Murcer honored his fallen comrade by hitting a three run homer in the seventh inning, and then winning the contest with a walk-off two RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
That's the kind of guy Bobby Murcer is. A class act, a good friend, and a fighter.
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
Early predictions about the upcoming 2008 baseball season.
American League MVP: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
National League MVP: David Wright, New York Mets
American League Cy Young Award winner: J.J. Putz, Seattle Mariners
National League Cy Young Award winner: Johan Santana, New York Mets
American League Rookie of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
National League Rookie of the Year: Chase Headley, San Diego Padres
American League Manager of the Year: Joe Girardi, New Yrok Yankees
National League Manager of the Year: Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs
American League Champion: Boston Red Sox
National League Champion: New York Mets
World Series Champion: Mets in 7
Now make sure you print this out, then go to one of those on-line gambling sites and bet your house that I am right on every single one. I think that is a good idea. Go get 'em!
National League MVP: David Wright, New York Mets
American League Cy Young Award winner: J.J. Putz, Seattle Mariners
National League Cy Young Award winner: Johan Santana, New York Mets
American League Rookie of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
National League Rookie of the Year: Chase Headley, San Diego Padres
American League Manager of the Year: Joe Girardi, New Yrok Yankees
National League Manager of the Year: Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs
American League Champion: Boston Red Sox
National League Champion: New York Mets
World Series Champion: Mets in 7
Now make sure you print this out, then go to one of those on-line gambling sites and bet your house that I am right on every single one. I think that is a good idea. Go get 'em!
Posted by
James Lincoln Ray
James Lincoln Ray
The water just keeps getting hotter for Roger Clemens. The pitching legend's troubles with steroid allegations keeps getting uglier.
I like Roger Clemens. I think he may be the best pitcher in the history of baseball. He works his ass off. He competes like a champion. He gives everything he's got every time he's on the mound. I've never seen what people disliked about that. But for some reason, they do. In fact, they dislike him so much, that baseball is more than happy to serve him up as a scapegoat for the whole steroid era. It pisses me off. Not just for Clemens, but for myself as a baseball fan.
Think about it: George Mitchell talked to two guys, and they gave him 80 names. Mitchell himself admits that his report is incomplete because he lacked the power to compel players to testify, and I think we all know that more than just Brian McNamee and Kirk Radomski were cashing in on baseball's love affair with the juice. Yet, Clemens is going to be the one that everybody remembers. He might lose his shot at the Hall of Fame, and it's obvious (to me at least) that he was set up for a perjury charge.
So he will pay, and he might pay heavily for the sins of hundreds of ballplayers and the willful blindness of the men in charge. And it makes me wanna puke.
Think about it: George Mitchell talked to two guys, and they gave him 80 names. Mitchell himself admits that his report is incomplete because he lacked the power to compel players to testify, and I think we all know that more than just Brian McNamee and Kirk Radomski were cashing in on baseball's love affair with the juice. Yet, Clemens is going to be the one that everybody remembers. He might lose his shot at the Hall of Fame, and it's obvious (to me at least) that he was set up for a perjury charge.
So he will pay, and he might pay heavily for the sins of hundreds of ballplayers and the willful blindness of the men in charge. And it makes me wanna puke.