Archive for the ‘Baseball’ Category

They are usually advertised weeks ahead of time, held in the early Summer months, and involve two parties, a buyer and a seller.  I can only be talking about a garage sale Major League Baseball team selling its star players by the deadline to insure a “profit” while rebuilding.  Some of this year’s advertised garage sales are already listed.

The Houston Astros will peddle Roy Oswalt (above) to either the New York Mets or Chicago Cubs by the end of June.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, Oswalt doesn’t get any run support in Houston, but neither does John Santana as a Met.  Same song, different band.  The Astros may also peddle Lance Berkman and possibly, red-hot Hunter Pence.

Pittsburgh is an annual stop on the garage sale circuit.  Unfortunately, all of the stuff in the shed is pretty much useless to families with bigger gardens.  I don’t see a Pirate going anywhere unless Paul Maholm stays hot.  They have no big salaries to dump right now and what a perfect way to lure the fans into thinking they are seriously rebuilding for next season instead of trying to make money.

Cleveland made out the last few years by selling.  They have some players that might be on the move.  Grady Sizemore, hurt and all, is a prime target to go.  Really, Cleveland has nothing to play for so anyone on the field has a “For Sale” sign on their back right now.  The only Indian who should be safe is Carlos Santana (above) who is absolutely destroying the minor leagues as the Indians future catcher.

This may come as a surprise to some, but I see the Seattle Mariners playing yard sale games this year.  The plan was to bring Cliff Lee in, use a decent offense and a solid staff to win the division.  Lee only has three starts and guys Like Rowland-Smith couldn’t hold things up in his abscence.  Cliff Lee will be headed South to either the Angels or Padres by July when the Mariners realize that they can’t get there this season.  Ichiro may get dumped as well, I am sure the Dodgers would love to have him.

Sigh.  Rather than list the best teams in baseball for 2010, I have opted to expose the five worst.  Unfortunately when any game is played, there is a winner and there also must be a loser.  Some teams have made a habit of losing, others have found new ways to embark on the shame of a wasted season.  Without hesitation, here is my list of the five teams who stink for the year 2010.

1. Washington Nationals.  They are off to a respectable start, but don’t expect that to last too long.  Ivan Rodriguez and Adam Dunn both need to oil their leg joints before they can run.  The pitching staff is horrid and will only be semi-horrid when cheap-o management decides to bring Stephen Strasburg into the mix.  Too many no-names, too many washed-up veterans, and too many guys who never reached their potential elsewhere.  The Nationals will finish with the worst record in baseball this season.
2. Houston Astros.  The slow start only magnifies the problems this team has in 2010.  Lance Berkman is back, but has nobody to help him on offense, assuming he can even get it going.  Berkman looks like he wants to compete against Kobiyashi on Memorial Day to see who can eat more hot dogs in New York.  Roy Oswalt is the ace of a staff filled with inconsistencies from the bullpen to the rotation.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates.  I wish this team did not fall into the “worst teams in baseball” category every year.  Shamefully, it has been 17 years that they have been below the Mendoza Line and this year will be no different.  Pirate fans beware, this team is so low on the talent scale that management may try to deceive you into thinking that they are actually trying to build something in the Steel City.  Don’t be fooled, the inventory of players other teams want is so low, you can count them on one hand.
4. Chicago White Sox.  Ozzie Guillen has run out of ways to motivate, so the White Sox brought in some new players for him to dazzle with his unique approach.  Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones are way beyond their prime and will not be contributing in July or beyond.  I guarantee you both go on the DL at some point.  This team being on this list is debatable, but cash your check in October when all the votes are in.
5. Cleveland Indians.  Travis Hafner has been a disappointment over the past few seasons.  Don’t look for him to join Kerry Wood at the Cleveland Clinic soon.  Too many babies on this team.  Russell Branyan?  What is next, Richie Sexson or Doug Jones?   The Indians have gone the Pirates route in the past couple of years trading their marketable talent for money.  The attendance at Progressive Field ranks among the worst in baseball so far this season.  This is the same stadium that sold out four seasons in a row, now it has regressed to a reminder of old Municipal Stadium where you could buy a ticket by the flagpole in right and be in the third row by the end of the second inning.  The fans have spoken.

Honorable Mention:  Florida Marlins.  Hanley Ramirez is the only player on this team who is worth a hill of beans.  Their farm system has produced absolutely nothing, people talk about the Miami Dolphins and Heat all year, and Bobby Bowden is more recognizable by a 21-year old walking through a Florida mall than any member on the team, including Ramirez.  This team needs a complete overhaul or perhaps a new approach.  Maybe Florida could do their Spring Training in Canada to drum up excitement when the actual season starts.  Just a thought.

Way back, even before the days that the great Honus Wagner donned a Pirates uniform, someone envisioned baseball in Pittsburgh’s future and started a team.  Despite the fact that Pittsburgh has not had a winning season in 17 years, they managed to sink to yet a new record-low getting clobbered 20-0 by Milwaukee.  The loss was the worst in franchise history.

Gone are the Spring training games that Pittsburgh did all they could to win in hopes of dazzling the locals into buying season tickets.  The flowers are not even really growing in Pennsylvania yet, but the weeds at PNC Park were sprouting in abundance Thursday.

This game was brutal on so many fronts that expose the Pirates as a misled, uncompetitive bunch, yet again.  Management knows what’s up, they only have two bobblehead nights this season.  The Brewers bullied Pirate pitching as they banged out 25 hits.  It’s what Prince Fielder needed to get going as he hit his first long ball of the season.  It allowed Jim Edmonds to believe he still has it.  It turned Randy Wolf’s start into an early Christmas present.  Pirate starter Daniel McCutchen was quoted after the game as saying, “I felt like I was throwing batting practice out there.”  Good luck finding a job as a batting practice pitcher in your future Daniel.

Oddly enough, the pitied Pirate fan can vouch that it could have been 100-0, it is still only one loss and that the Pirates are 7-8 and still on pace to go .500.  The rest of the civilized world can scratch a team out of the playoff hunt now.  The season is over, don’t even think about going .400.

The next question would be, when does the auction start?  You know that players will be moved, probably before the All-Star Break this time.  More problems, the cupboard is just about empty and nobody will be beating the door down for Lastings Milledge or Joel Hanrahan.  Pittsburgh needs to spend a little to get somewhere, the soil can not be turned over so many times and still yield a marketable product.

For now, get your weed whackers out, because PNC Park will be full of them this year.

Ah… A new season, finally.  Major League Baseball couldn’t start soon enough.  Fantasy owners are chirping about who the sleepers are, fans are purchasing tickets to enjoy a game on a Spring day, and it all starts next week.  Before you laugh at these five predictions, remember who picked the Saints to win the Super Bowl last August, and who picked Butler to beat Syracuse three weeks ago.

The following five items are heavily debated baseball topics for the upcoming year.  Having heard both sides of a few arguments over the past few months, Paneech.com presents the five things you can forget about in the 2010 MLB season.

• The Cleveland Indians will contend.  Forget it.  Cleveland has chosen to go the same route as the Pittsburgh Pirates, profit at the end of the year.  The bullpen was supposed to be the strength of this year’s team, but Kerry Wood is only getting exercise when riding his bike to the Cleveland Clinic.  No closer.  Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner are both injury prone as well.  Hafner (looking good as always at Spring Training) blows a gasket every May and misses a couple of months.  The rotation is trash.  Mark Redman is the starting catcher even though he couldn’t start anywhere else in recent years.  Finally, Manny Acta, the new manager, has done next to nothing to merit his title, yet he will be shoved down our throats as a savior (ala Mike Holmgren) all season long.  Brace yourselves Tribe fans, it is gonna be a long year.

• The New York Yankees will repeat as champions.  Wrong, they will not.  By spending billions of dollars over the past ten years and walking away with a single championship, the Yankees have regressed.  George’s fat wallet is still on auto pilot, but the level of expectation can’t be matched regardless of what they accomplish during the regular season.  Andy Pettitte should have retired, AJ Burnett is an every other year pitcher with a DL history for blisters.  Can’t Big George afford Bactine and some Band-Aids?  The Yankees will have a potent offense, they always do, especially with the Fisher Price right field poke for a home run at the new stadium.  Pitching will doom the Yankees and expect most of the heat to fall on Joba Chamberlain, a ‘work in progress’ to be a permanent fixture in the starting rotation.

• Toronto should go about .500.  The Blue Jays will be lucky to go .300 this season.  The starting rotation is a mess.  Roy Halladay was it.  Guys that were expected to step up are hurt and the Jays are gonna be hurling a bunch of nobody’s all year long.  Bring back Dennis Lamp, Dave Stieb, Jim Clancy, and Luis Leal, hell…  let Jesse Barfield pitch too, they would all be better than the watermelon lobbing staff that the Canadians will present this season.

• Tim Lincecum will have an off year because of his fat contract signing.  Look for Little Timmy to duplicate last year and then some.  He missed four starts last season and still approached a few records.  The Cy Young will stay by the bay and the Giants, who have other good pitchers, and a prospect named Madison Bumgarner who will make a difference by seasons end, can contend if and only if they get some offense.  Barry Bonds is gone (for now, anyway) and the Giants and Lincecum might be drowning in champagne  this October.

• The Chicago Cubs will suck.  I see the Cubs winning the division this year.  Alfonso Soriano is going to fly back with a season enjoyed by few.  The Cubs are one of the best balanced teams on paper and have a respectable leader in Lou Piniella who knows how to construct winning teams.  The rotation is pretty solid and the position players can hit.  If Aramis Ramirez can stay healthy and Soriano can return to form, beware National League, no one can touch this team.  Expect Zambrano and Lilly to have good numbers and a high amount of quality starts.

With 2010 being an Olympic year, the wait may have seemed a bit bridged.  Unfortunately, the novelty of watching curling is quickly growing old.  Baseball is right around the corner, some teams have their full rosters in camp already, and it couldn’t come any sooner.

Unfortunately, I still have a bitter taste in my mouth dating back to last season.  The New York Yankees finally made good on some of their high-dollar investments and cashed in on baseball’s biggest prize.  The Yankees bullying little teams that cry poverty doesn’t bother me like it used to.

Take Pittsburgh for example.  The Pirates have not won a thing, or even had a winning season in sixteen years, longest run of that style in history.  Management for the Pirates would dupe people into thinking that poor small market teams couldn’t afford to pay their players, hence pinstripes.  I don’t buy it anymore.

Based on profit percentage, Pittsburgh has been in the Top-10 teams for showing a profit about half of their sixteen years of futility.  Beautiful ballpark, horrible management.  Unfortunately, horrible management is eating at the finest steakhouses they can find.  Defy me.  Put a winning product out there.  You want to sell season tickets?  Assemble a team for a whole season.  I would have sued last year if I owned a Pittsburgh Pirates season ticket package.  Trade half the team for money and a few prospects, give me half my money back.

Cleveland seems to be catching on with the “greedy owner” theory.  They dumped everyone… do they even have a catcher in camp?  Big free agent signing of Russell Branyan?  Wow.  Things have changed in Cleveland, at least philosophically.

Fantasy baseball is by far the best of all fantasy sports.  As a baseball fantasy owner, you have daily work to see who is starting, who is benched, and hustling to meet the first-pitch deadlines.  Football is good too, but anyone can wake up hungover on a Sunday morning and see that Tony Gonzalez has a bye, so he should not be in the starting lineup.  Total daily involvement as a fantasy sport has kept baseball afloat through a dark period, now the sport needs to strengthen up (no hidden meaning there).

The itch is here.  Play Ball!

Everyone had a pretty good idea that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were on something in 1998.  What a fun year it was to watch the Cubs play against the Cardinals toward the end of the season.  The McGwire & Sosa show captivated baseball fans from coast-to-coast.  Home runs a-plenty and drama galore.  The stage couldn’t get any bigger, and neither could the players.

There has to be some good reason why McGwire has finally came forward and admitted that he used steroids “off and on” throughout his career.  Below are three of the main causes for the admission of guilt.

1. Now the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach, McGwire could well have been pressured by upper management and/or Tony LaRussa to come clean.  McGwire should not be the focal point as a coach who cheated as a player.  Unfortunately, the media would attack him at every chance until some sort of confession would be issued.
2. He thinks it may enhance his Hall of Fame chances.  Sorry Mark.  Pull out your encyclopedia and look up Pete Rose.  Rose admitted guilt beyond reasonable time and is still being penalized for his accomplishments as a player.  Even if you can get the Cardinals 1-9 hitters to each knock at least 30 HR’s next season, it won’t matter, because you won’t go in as a coach either.  The 30 + percent you have been averaging in vote support will slide to about 20% next year.
3. The devil made him do it.  Bud Selig may have told McGwire that if he wanted back in the game, he better fess up.  A prearranged agreement between Selig and McGwire would not surprise me one bit. 

How dare anyone question the honesty of Jose Canseco?  As far as this blog is concerned, give Henry Aaron his crown back and start a new record book full of drug-abusing prima donnas, and that includes football and basketball.  Wasn’t it obvious that McGwire’s face got fatter as he got more muscular?  Isn’t it obvious that Barry Bonds’ body has done a complete metamorphisis that Olympic athletes could not achieve cleanly?  Can’t wait to see that PSA of McGwire talking about steroid abuse.

Now that the Indians have removed Eric Wedge from managerial duties, the search is on.  It has been widely assumed that nobody currently managing at a different level within the Indians system will be promoted.  This leaves a couple of hard choices for management.  I figured I would add my two cents (in case the great Mark Shapiro googles his name and hits this article) to post choices which would merit strong consideration.  Without hesitation, here are my top candidates to manage the Cleveland Indians:

#1. Reuben Kincaid

For all of my younger readers who have no idea, Reuben Kincaid managed The Partridge Family.  He propelled the Partridge’s to the top of the charts in the 1970′s.  He even has experience keeping eyesore Danny Partridge (Danny Bonaduce) in line.  If you hire Kincaid, you also gain a bench coach in Shirley Jones.  The only drawback on the Kincaid proposal would be having to suffer through “I Think I Love You” instead of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” for the 7th-inning stretch.

#2. Captain Lou Albano

Why not bring in Captain Lou Albano?  He has managed champions throughout his career.  If he can keep The Wild Samoans and George “The Animal” Steele under control, why would he struggle with Kerry Wood or Travis Hafner?  Pro wrestling and baseball are about neck-in-neck on the steroid abuse charts, it would be a magical fit.  The Indians may have to allow facial rubber banding, but what a small price to pay for someone with such a brilliant track record.

#3. Pete Rose

The legalization of casino gambling is a hot topic in the State of Ohio these days.  Some argue that they hate seeing the tax dollars earned go to surrounding states that Ohioans are frequenting.  By bringing in Pete Rose, you would have a win-win situation regardless of what happens to the proposed gaming legislation.  Someone has to bet on the Indians, why not Pete?  The bookies are dying for a fish to start betting consistently on the Tribe.  Yeah he may concede every third game by chewing up his bullpen to win some money but people know he would be firing on his own team causing a contagious reaction to betting on Cleveland to win.

#4.  Sir George Martin

This guy was able to make Beatles albums without the Beatles around each other.  He and his son then remix everything 40 years later and are making a killing in Vegas on the “improved” product.  Why don’t the Indians owners take a chance on Sir George Martin coming in to ‘remix’ the Indians?  Teach Grady Sizemore how to throw a curve, show Kelly Shoppach how to be the cutoff man on a single to right, work with Jensen Lewis on stealing second.  Remix things.  Could it be worse than it was most of this past season?

#5. LeBron James

This may be the most realistic choice on the menu.  Think about it.  He is now wearing #6 because he wanted to change things up.  He won a gold medal wearing #6, he is now #6 for the Cavs.  Braylon Edwards punches his little buddy and ends up in New York.  LeBron was instrumental, intentional or not,  in getting Braylon sent away.  It is probably a blessing for Cavs fans that Edwards is a jet.  The only bad scenario would be if LeBron went to New York after the season ended, he may order the Jets to ship Edwards back to Cleveland. 

The Indians can use that kind of stroke.  If you don’t think James has more power in Cleveland than anyone else than you are naive.  He pretty much dictates what the Cavs do, he is now dictating what the Browns do.  Hell, give him all of the keys to the city, let him say what the Indians should do too. 

The 2009 MLB Playoffs sure pose some interesting scenarios.  A potential Boston vs New York ALCS, an all-L.A. world series, who can cool off the red hot Twins, the wisdom and leadership of Joe Torre vs Tony LaRussa, the thin air of Colorado, and pitching.  P-I-T-C-H-I-N-G…  Whoever has it is going to keep advancing, whoever does not get it can start priming the snowmobiles now.

Twins vs Yankees

Depending on how long the Twins were out partying or not CC Sabathia should dominate Game 1.  The Twins trot out their rookie Brian Duensing as the lamb in this one.  However, the unpredictable AJ Burnett and the predictable Andy Petitte are pitching games 2 and 3 for the Yanks.  If the wrong Burnett shows up and Petitte throws his normal game, the Yanks could be in a 2-1 hole.

The Twins are just hot enough to start a descent, in this case, a season-ending fall.  The Yankees know that Jeter is a gamer in the postseason and A-Rod struggles.  Mark Teixera will make a difference and Nick Swisher will have one of those unlikely big games in leading the Yanks to the ALCS.

Yankees over Twins: 3 -1

Rockies vs Phillies

Pitching is really going to push the Phillies in the playoffs.  Cliff Lee gets the call for game one.  Cole Hamels gets game two.  That should be enough for a 2-0 Phillies lead.  They haven’t even announced a starter for game three yet but it won’t be Jamie Moyer.  The offense has been sluggish at times, but Jimmy Rollins is a big-game guy and Ryan Howard is always a threat.  Shane Victorino also knows how to turn it up in the postseason.

Yay Rockies!  You made it to the dance again!  Unfortunately for Colorado, Jorge De La Rosa (16 wins) isn’t active for the series due to injury.  This puts all of the pressure on Ubaldo Jimenez.  If Jimenez gets two starts and Colorado can grind out another win somewhere, they could stun the Phillies.  Don’t hold your breath.  Jimenez will walk a few guys in game one.

Phillies over Rockies: 3-1

Cardinals vs Dodgers

This series will be more of a chess match between the two best managers in baseball, Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa.  Unfortunately, LaRussa has a lethal queen (Pujols) and not many other pieces on offense.  With Clayton Kershaw limping down the stretch and Vicente Padilla’s unpredictability, the pitching edge would have to go to St. Louis.  However, I am not so sure that the Cards can muster enough offense to win.  Look for many close and low-scoring games in this series.  Manny Ramirez might play a role in games one and two, but I look for the Cards to handle him with care if they get burned once.

St. Louis over LA Dodgers: 3-2

Red Sox vs Angels

Perhaps the toughest series to break down, the pitching favors Boston and the offense favors the Angels.  However, the Angels pitching is capable of throwing shutouts and the Red Sox offense can score 13 runs in a game.  Josh Beckett has a reputation for throwing his best stuff in postseason competition.  If the series goes 5 games, Beckett gets two starts.  If Lester or Buchholz can squeeze a win, I think Boston will prevail.

This will also serve as Kendry Morales’ national stardom party.  I expect Morales to hit like crazy throughout the series.  I just don’t feel he will get much help. 

Boston over LA: 3-2 in a coin flip

When an unprepared student gets called to go to the blackboard in a group activity and isn’t sure what to do, they write anything they can to get close.  Usually, the student is not very lucky, and is asked to return to their respective seat.  A good teacher will not make an example of the bad student but rather call on a prized pupil to come up and erase the board.  Once the slate is clean, the good student is then given repeat directions and comes through.

In Cleveland, they are running out of students.  Eric Wedge was the most recent student to bomb the visual demonstration.  In this case, the teacher (Mark Shapiro) let the student (Wedge) struggle longer than he should have.  Shapiro should have taken the chalk away from Wedge around Memorial Day and handed it to another student.  Unfortunately, Shapiro figured he would let his understudy try to work it out and get it right.  The sad part is the teacher knew the student was on the wrong track so long ago that he made the mistake of letting this student dig himself into a deeper hole.

Eric Wedge is a nice guy.  That may be the whole problem.  You never turned on Sportscenter and saw Wedge throwing a tirade about his team’s heartless play.  Yet everytime Lou Piniella batted an eyelash toward a player for not hustling, it was news.  Wedge is too passive to be the head guy.  He knows the game but lacks the firepower to motivate a team struggling to win.  This was obvious at the beginning of the season when the Tribe lost a bunch of games to start the season and dug a hole that they ultimately could never climb back out of.

When Shapiro saw the writing on the wall but opted to keep Wedge around until the end, he failed to establish future leadership which may cost Cleveland at the beginning of next season.  Why not bring in the new guy to have some game experience with his future instead of making an unnamed student wait until after recess to get to the board when they already may know the answer?

Maybe it is the teacher who should be evaluated for competence for leaving a struggling student at the board for so long.  Not only did Shapiro screw that up, but he traded his three best pupils to gifted classrooms for a larger quantity of special needs students.  Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia have improved at addition since leaving Shapiro’s classroom.  They are able to add larger numbers (wins, strikeouts, and payroll potential), subtract smaller numbers (ERA and WHIP), and have really taken a true understanding to greater than and less than quantitive equations.  They even got a couple of merits for excelling (Cy Young Awards).  Victor Martinez won a spelling bee and is the new steady pitcher for his classes kickball games. 

In all reality, Cleveland ownership needs to sweep the whole room, not just the corners.  If I owned the Indians, Mark Shapiro would be dealing cards at Mountaineer Casino (owned by the Jacobs family).  There is no reason to constantly do the wrong thing and not be punished. 

If the students keep failing, isn’t it time to evaluate the teacher?

Twenty years ago, Pete Rose did what Major League Baseball wanted him to do, step up and take responsibility for his alleged gambling habit.  Rose, who has been cooperative since, followed orders and confessed his wrongdoing.  Still not in the Hall of Fame, and still jumping when being told to jump, I cannot figure out why he has not gotten his second chance yet.

Athletes have done so many things worse than Rose on the totem pole of ethics.  I am not here to rip on the other athletes, but rather convey the message that Rose is still being punished for much less.  Michael Vick, a name we are all sick of hearing, ran a dogfighting ring, did his time, and is suiting up for Philadelphia.  Vick was given a second chance that quick. 

Steroids in baseball have more to do with altering the course of a game moreso than a manager [Rose] betting on his team to win every night.  I understand that Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafel Palmeiro, A-Rod, and Big Papi will probably never see the Hall of Fame either.  However, they cheated.  How is betting on the team you are managing to win cheating?  It is unethical, but it is not cheating.

Donte Stallworth killed another human being because he was drunk.  He served some time (minimal), coughed up a small fortune, and you can bet he will be back on the field next year.  How can these guys literally get away with murder, and Rose still be punished 20 years later?  It makes no sense to me.

Rose is baseball’s all-time leader in hits.  If Bud Selig decides that enough-is-enough already, he would be making the right decision.  Selig seems to want to milk this and turn Rose’s funeral into his induction period.  Selig knows he belongs.

Rose played from 1963 until 1986.  Without him, there was no Big Red Machine, no Charlie Hustle, no advertisements that featured a baseball player so much.  Rose did so much more good for the game than the bad he is still being judged upon. 

There are common people who serve less than 20 years for murders.  To keep a star like Rose out of the limelight is dumb.  He is still charismatic,  loves the game, and hurt no one but himself.  Time is up, do the right thing and re-instate Pete Rose.