James Lincoln Ray's Blog

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking that one sunny afternoon in March of this year, a day when I predicted that Robinson Cano would win the American League MVP. I must have been on something. Looking back, I see that my prediction was disastrous. I thought Cano had matured. I thought he'd get off to a decent start and then get on his usual hot streak in July. Instead, he got off to an abysmal start and only warmed up to shockingly mediocre in the second half of the season.

But I made some good picks too. I thought Johann Santana would win the National League Cy Young. He's certainly in the top four (along with Webb, Lincecum and Sabathia). I thought Joe Girardi would be the American League Manager of the Year. I still think that. He lost his best pitcher, his stalwart catcher, and his leftfielder. Two-fifths of his opending day starting rotation, otherwise known as Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, won a total of zero games. Yet Girardi was able to guide his team to 89 wins in his first year with the Yankees. I said the Phillies, Cubs, Angels, Dodgers, and Red Sox would make the playoffs. But I also think I picked the Tigers to win it all.

Anyway, I had enough good ones, okay, decent ones, to keep me going. Robinson Cano, you are killing me.

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

Yankee fans rejoice! Manny is dead! Long Live Manny! Or something like that.

This week, the Boston Red Sox shocked the baseball world by trading future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez in a three-way deal that brought Jason Bay of the Pirates to Boston. Now, Bay is a fine player. In fact, his power numbers this year are very similar to Manny's. But he hits just .216 with runners in scoring position, while Manny is hitting over .300 in the same situations. But more important than any single statistic, the major difeerence between the two is that Manny Ramirez scares the hell out of opposing managers, and Jason Bay does not. David Ortiz won't be the same hitter without Manny hitting behind him.

But there are a lot of pros to the move. Bay is cheaper, Manny the Headache is gone, and he's out of the American League. And don't forget, when the Red Sox traded Nomar at the deadline in 2004, everyone said they were crazy. Then they won the World Series. Even without Manny, the Sox still have Pedroia, Lowell, Ortiz, Youkilis, Jason Bay and J.D. Drew. They will still score, but can they win the big ones without Manny?

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

Bobby Murcer came to the Major Leagues as a 19 year-old, switch-hitting centerfielder from Oklahama who had good power and remarkable speed. If that sounds like the description of another Yankee (one nicknamed the Mick), that's because the two players were indeed very similar in many ways.

Although Murcer never reached the heights predicted for him by optimistic Yankee management who tried to promote him as "The Next Mickey Mantle," Bobby did have a fine playing career. He made five straight All Star teams, hit over 250 home runs and drove in more than 1,000 runs.

The moment for which I will always remember Murcer is the game-winning hit he got against the Baltimore Orioles on August 6, 1979. Earlier that day, he had eulogized and buried his closest friend, Thurman Munson.

After his playing days ended, Bobby eventually went to the broadcast booth, where he was a natural. He was always charming, and he was always a gentleman. He brought a lot class and a lot of fun to Yankee broadcasts. But more than anything else, Bobby Murcer was a man who seemed very comfortable in his own skin. And he seemed to have a talent for making others feel the same way.

He will be dearly missed. God Bless You, Bobby.

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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?

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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.

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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!

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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?

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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!

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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.

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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.

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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.

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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!

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

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.

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

Baseball's Smartest Players. A story about those players who also made their mark away from the baseball diamond. Albert Spalding and John Montgomery Ward come to mind as early baseball stars who later became titans of American business. Moe Berg, who was a reserve catcher for a number of tems thoughout his care, spoke seven languages and was used extensively by U.S. Intelligence forces to gather information on the Nazis during World War II. Tony LaRussa's a lawyer. Yogi Berra may be some type of a savant. There are many, many more "smart" players in the game's history.

What if there Were No Steroids? This article will assume that five of baseball's all-time greats took all of the performance-enhancing drugs for which they are accused, and will try to project what they would have accomplished had none of them ever met the needle.

The Great Upcoming 2008 Baseball Season

Joe Torre in La-La Land?

Why Congress Should Shut Up and Sit Down

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

The Yankees, Red Sox and Twins don't seem to understand that guys like me, who spend their days writing about baseball, need them to do something with baseball's best pitcher. It's not like there is a heckuva lot else going on in our National Pastime in mid-January. Nope, right now, it's all steroids, HGH, and a bunch of other stuff that is important, but very depressing. Congress calling Roger Clemens to the Hill to potentially ruin himself with sworn testimony? I don't get off on that. I like the game, the play on the field, the ballparks, the players. You know what I am talking about. I like baseball.

But that good stuff is still way, way off. So I need the Yankees or the Red Sox to pull the trigger and make the move for Santana now. The Twins had better be smart about this. They are demanding a lot for their two-time Cy Young award winner. If they don't trade him, they risk losing what has already been offered by Boston (Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, etc.) and and New York (Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, etc.). These are good offers. So will the Twins just pull the damn trigger so I will have something fun and positive to write about?

Posted by James Lincoln Ray

Oh, I wish it were spring. I wish for a warm May afternoon in a ballpark from the days of past. With the cigar smoke in the stands and the men still wearing their suits and hats, hiding from work and life's dreary responsibilities. Mean, scrappy players on the field in uniforms permanently and hopelessly dirty from just the first month of the season. At least one manager who is older than dirt.

A runner coming around third with menace in his heart.

A shortstop diving into the stands.

A 3-6-3 double play.

A few too many beers -- before, during and after the game. The sun beginning its decline in the late innings . . . the air starting to cool . . . the score tied . . . the batter hits a laser to center that the fielder stabs to end the inning.

The game continues . . .