Matt Center: 2008

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Teixeira Signing Sparks Ignorance

The New York Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008 and the Yankees' front office is trying to prevent that from happening again in 2009. They lost $88+ million in salary over the offseason, but that plays no part to the media. The Yankees signed CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, proving their typical big name spending. But that is what many analysts expected. What they did not expect is what just happened.

As you may have heard, the Yankees signed another Scott Boras client, Mark Teixeira to an 8 yr, $180 million contract. This came as a surprise to many as no one expected the Yankees to play part to Teixeira after trading for former Whitesox first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher.

But what really catches my eye is the amount of ignorance by the media and other fans. The Yankees are probably the most hated team in baseball because of their 26 World Series titles and their enormous salary. But because of their hatred and ignorance, fans everywhere say they will miss the playoffs. Period. There is no logical explanation to that.

Injuries? Every team suffers from injuries, even fluke ones. They happen to every team, don't say your team can avoid injuries.

Relief pitching? Mariano is still one of the most dominating closers in baseball. He blew one save last year (39/40 in save opps) with a very low ERA (1.40) and a superb K/BB ratio (77/6). Damaso Marte, though struggling at first in the AL East after the trade, really pitched well at the end of the year. In the last 11 innings pitched, he allowed just two runs. Bruney, Ramirez, and Veras are all middle relievers and should play big roles for '09. Phil Coke should also pitch well in 2009.

These players are all overrated? That may be, but they are great players. If they did not sign with the Yankees, there would be no talk of them being overrated.

The Yankees still managed to trim their payroll from 2008, which is astounding. The only difference is they signed big name free agents to do it, and that is what is getting everyone all riled up.

Friday, December 12, 2008

The Yankee Hot Stove (to date)

Well the offseason has been underway for several weeks now and I for one am more than impressed with the Yankees. Last year they were in the Johan Santana biddings but did not take it to the next level. Johan ended up in Flushing with the Mets and the Yankees did not have another ace. Also last year, their biggest acquisition was probably LaTroy Hawkins, who was traded to Houston in the summer. Morgan Ensberg was their biggest offensive signing and he amounted to nothing as well. Oh what a difference a year makes.

Yankees sign P Sergio Mitre to one-year deal with club option for 2010
This was a low-risk, high-reward (potentially) deal for New York. Mitre missed the ’08 season due to injury. This was a good signing for New York. The 27-year old pitcher can be a nice addition to the Yankees. He won’t find much room in the rotation but could make an impact in the bullpen alongside the likes of Brian Bruney, Edwar Ramirez, and Jose Veras.

Yankees resign RP Damaso Marte to three-year deal with club option for 2012
The Yankees originally declined Marte’s $6 million option but decided to sign him to a longer deal. This was a great deal by New York as they kept the left-handed reliever. Marte could be the set-up man or lefty specialist for the Yankees in 2009. Plus Marte’s K/9 ratio is strong to make the Yankee bullpen even stronger.

Yankees trade P Jeff Marquez, P Johnny Nunez, and INF Wilson Betemit to the Whitesox for 1B/OF Nick Swisher and P Kanekoa Texeira
This was somewhat a surprise deal pulled off by Brian Cashman, but it was a nice one. The Yankees got rid of Betemit and his massive amount of strikeouts. Betemit was probably the key bench player in 2009 for the Yankees. Jeff Marquez was once considered to make an impact toward the Yankees’ pitching staff in the future, but with the emergence of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Alfredo Aceves, Marquez was not in the plans.

Mike Mussina retires
This may not have been a surprise to many, I included, but this was not in the Yankees’ hands. Mike Mussina retired on his own terms and leave baseball on a 20-win season. I just want to take the time to say congratulations to Mussina for an astounding career and hopefully a trip to Cooperstown in five years.

Yankees sign SP CC Sabathia to 7 year, $161 million deal (opt-out clause after 3rd year)
The Yankees needed to make a big splash and did so by signing CC Sabathia. They stayed put by not going after another left-handed ace last year, Johan Santana, but decided to pay the big man his money. Though he was considering signing a deal on the west coast, closer to his home, he took more money to play in the Big Apple. CC is the ace the Yankees need and he can be known as one of the premier pitchers in baseball more now than ever. The opt-out clause after his 3rd season in New York can be good for both sides. For the Yankees, if he opts out they will have gotten three excellent years in his prime. For Sabathia, after three years he can opt-out and sign with a team in the west coast closer to his home for the later years of his career.

Yankees sign SP A.J. Burnett to 5 year, $82.5 million deal
This is another great move by New York to bolster their rotation. Burnett will likely be the #3 pitcher for the Yankees behind Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang. Though Burnett could have been an ace on the Braves, he chose to be a #3 pitcher for the Yankees. The announcement of the signing of Burnett was released just days after the signing of Sabathia was announced.

The Yankees planned to lay low for the 2007 off season and go away from their known philosophy of signing players to big contracts and trading away prospects for proven veterans and saw what their results were: missing the playoffs. Though their record was very good, 89-73, but just not good enough to make the playoffs.

The 2008 offseason is much different as they went out to trade for Nick Swisher and sign pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. The Yankees still may not be done but no one knows for sure. One thing is certain: over the course of one year, the Yankee mentality changed drastically.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Oklahoma thrashes Texas Tech 65-21

Sorry for the lack of updates, but here is my latest article.

It was supposed to be a game of two teams battling it out at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. It was supposed to be a game that would be considered a classic. It was supposed to be a game that would be replayed on television over and over again. None of those happened Saturday night as the Oklahoma Sooners dismantled the Texas Tech Red Raiders 65-21.

Oklahoma drove 73 yards down field on their first drive of the game for a DeMarco Murray touchdown run. Murray, a sophomore running back, ran for 48 yards on the drive and sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford threw for 22 yards. Murray’s night would not be finished.
Sophomore defensive end Adrian Taylor and sophomore defensive tackle Gerald McCoy sacked Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell for 12 and 7 yards respectively on their next drive. After the ensuing punt, Bradford and junior tight end Jermaine Gresham hooked up for a 42-yard reception. Junior running back Chris Brown ended that 76-yard drive with a 4 yard touchdown run, extending the Sooner lead to 14-0.

Texas Tech drove down field in the red zone on their following drive, but did not convert a 4th and 3, turning the ball over to the Sooners. DeMarco Murray was a key player on the ensuing drive. Murray ran the ball 23 yards on a 1st down and also caught a Sam Bradford pass for a 31 yard reception. Bradford passed the ball to Gresham again on the drive, but this time for a 19 yard touchdown catch. Gresham’s touchdown put the Sooners ahead 21-0 with 10:58 left in the 1st half.

Texas Tech continued to struggle as they failed to convert another 4th down. After the failed 4th down conversion, Sam Bradford continued to shine. Bradford scrambled twice for gains of 13 and 8 yards. Bradford also threw the ball to senior wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias for a 28 yard touchdown, increasing the Texas Tech deficit to 4 touchdowns!

The Red Raiders finally showed some signs of life when Harrell threw the ball 34 yards to senior wide receiver Eric Morris. Two plays later, Harrell and freshman wide receiver Tramain Swindall put the Red Raiders on the scoreboard with a 25 yard touchdown pass.

However, the Red Raiders could not gain momentum. Murray and Brown continued to establish a solid running game for Oklahoma. Murray ran for 28 yards and Brown ran for 37 yards on the next drive that ended in a Chris Brown touchdown, making the Sooner lead back to 4 touchdowns. When it had seemed as if the lead could not have been any bigger, freshman linebacker Travis Lewis intercepted a Harrell pass and returned it to the Texas Tech 2 yard line. Murray ran up the middle for another touchdown. At halftime, Oklahoma was up 42-7, a monumental amount of points scored in one half.

The 2nd half was much like the 1st half. Oklahoma scored a field goal on their first drive of the half. Sophomore linebacker Keenan Clayton returned a fumble by Texas Tech senior running back Shannon Woods to the Texas Tech 3 yard line to end a potential Red Raider run. Two plays later, Chris Brown ran the ball into the end zone again to continue the Texas Tech nightmare. With 1:38 left to go in the 3rd quarter, Bradford launched a deep ball down field that was caught by senior wide receiver Manuel Johnson for a 66 yard touchdown pass. Oklahoma continued to pour it on with a Ryan Broyles 26 yard touchdown catch from Sam Bradford, increasing the lead to 65-14.

Sam Bradford increased his chances at winning the Heisman Trophy with his 4 touchdown game. Bradford was 14/19 with 304 passing yards. Bradford now has 42 passing touchdowns on the season. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined for 233 of the Sooners’ 299 rushing yards and a whopping 5 touchdowns! Jermaine Gresham caught 5 passes for 95 yards with 1 touchdown. Gresham has 10 touchdowns in the 2008 campaign now. Kicker Jimmy Stevens kicked 1 field goal and 8 extra points in the game.

As for the Red Raiders, Graham Harrell was 30/51 in his passes with 317 yards in the air. Harrell also threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Red Raider run game was shut down by Oklahoma’s defense. Graham Harrell’s running abilities were not shown as he contributed negative yardage on the ground. The Red Raiders cumulated 19 carries for 24 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Michael Crabtree’s Heisman campaign also likely ended with his poor performance. Crabtree had no touchdowns and only 62 receiving yards with 6 catches.

Texas Tech fell to 10-1 with the loss, likely ruining their chance at playing for the National Championship game in January. Oklahoma’s odds are still alive with the victory as they too are 10-1. Texas Tech will face Baylor next week while Oklahoma will face Oklahoma State.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Yankees' Hot Stove preview

The 2008 season for the New York Yankees was just a disappointment. Their offense failed to score more than two runs 50 times this season. Their pitching has had problems, especially by trying to develop their young players like Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Injuries have taken a toll on the team. Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Brian Bruney, Jon Albaladejo, and others have been on the disabled list at least one time. Posada and Wang have been out for extended periods of time, since June and have missed the entire season since. As the Yankees wrap up their final season at Yankee Stadium, they will head into 2009 going into a brand new, $1.3 billion stadium right across the street. They will also face many key decisions to make.

The Yankees already resigned Brian Cashman to a 3-year extension through the 2011 season at GM. The past few seasons, Cashman has revamped the entire farm system and changed the tactic of the Yankees. Before, the Yankees’ approach to prospects was to trade them for major-league ready players. One of the examples of trading a key prospect for a major-league ready player was when the Yankees traded Jay Buhner, Rich Balabon, and Troy Evers to the Mariners for Ken Phelps. This move was criticized by many and seen as a giant mistake in retrospect. Now the Yankees’ strategy is to rebuild but still try to contend for the postseason by keeping potential impact players that could help the team in the future. In 2004, the Yankees were ranked 27th in baseball by their minor league depth by Baseball America. Now they rank the Yankees 5th in all of baseball, courtesy of Brian Cashman. It is a great move in my opinion and he can build on his own success if he puts the pieces of the puzzle together.

The Yankees have a lot of players who will be free agents at the end of the season. Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Carl Pavano, Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, and Damaso Marte are some notable players. Those players will free more than $88 million off their payroll. They face many crucial decisions to make whether to resign them or let them walk. Notable players who will be in the free agent class are CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett (assuming he opts out of his current deal with Toronto), Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and other key players. Here is my analysis on these players.

Mike Mussina – 20-9, 3.37 ERA in 2008 (SP, 40 yrs old, Type A)
Mike Mussina entered the 2008 campaign with extremely low expectations. Fans and analysts saw him as a back-of-the-line rotation starter or even a relief pitcher. His season was just stellar compared to the predictions. Mussina won 20 games (which nearly sealed him a ticket to Cooperstown) with an ERA in the mid-3.00s. He was the Yankees’ ace in 2008. I would offer Mussina arbitration and potentially a 2 year deal if he declines arbitration. If he accepts, we have him for another year. It would be good to have him but one cannot expect him to put up numbers like he did in 2008. If he declines, the Yankees receive 2 draft picks and continue to build around their future. If he declines, he could retire on a high note with his 20-win season.

Andy Pettitte – 14-14, 4.54 ERA in 2008 (SP, 36 yrs old, Type A)
Pettitte, a longtime Yankee, will be a free agent this offseason. Pettitte struggled at times in 2008 as his ERA points to a sign of decline. There has been some speculation that teams have figured out his deceiving pickoff move, which would be a tremendous blow to his future. He has had a lot of success over his Yankee career (and Astros career from 2004-06), but I do not think the past will make the Yankees jump all over him. I would not mind seeing him back in Pinstripes, but definitely not at the money he made in 2008 ($16 million). I would offer him arbitration too. If he accepts, he is back for one more year. If he declines and signs with another team (potentially the Astros) than the Yankees would receive 2 draft picks in the 2009 MLB draft. If he retires (which there has been some minor speculation of), than his career will end. It may be on a sour note with the steroid issue and the high ERA, but all in all, he did have a solid career.

Carl Pavano – 4-2, 5.77 ERA in 2008 (SP, 33 yrs old, None)
“American Idle” signed a 4-year deal worth around $40 million in the 2004 offseason. The Yankees, thinking they picked up a gem, could not be any more wrong. The New York media has been all over him, criticizing his lack of team effort and failure to stay healthy and durable. Pavano has endured injuries to his shoulder, buttocks, ribs, and elbow, all of which had led to his demise. I say let him go for good. Get him out of New York. The fans do not like him and neither do some of the Yankee players. Since he is not a type A nor a type B, the Yankees will not receive any compensation for his departure.

Ivan Rodriguez – .276/7/35/.714 OPS (with DET and NYY) in 2008 (C, 37 yrs old, Type B)
Pudge Rodriguez was acquired by the Yankees in a deadline deal by the Tigers for reliever Kyle Farnsworth. Pudge hit .219 with New York after hitting .295 with Detroit. In the Yankees’ perspective, I would let Pudge walk. The Yankees will have Jorge Posada healthy in 2009 and also a well-rested Jose Molina. Francisco Cervelli, a young minor league catcher, can be the injury replacement. Pudge’s exit will net a draft pick for the Yankees.

Jason Giambi – .247/32/96/.876 OPS in 2008 (1B, 38 yrs old, None)
Jason Giambi’s situation with the Yankees is a tough one. This year has been a success for him, hitting 32 homeruns and close to 100 RBI. Giambi has had his share of misery as he hit .236 with only 14 homeruns and 39 RBI in 2007. He is making $22+ million this season and it is doubtful he will make even close to that next season. His option for the 2009 season will likely be declined with a $5 million buyout. The Yankees need a real first baseman. Giambi has said he would like to return to the Yankees in 2009 and would be willing to take a pay cut for it. It is a difficult decision on what to do for Giambi. If the Yankees make an attempt at Mark Teixeira, expect Giambi to say good-bye to the Bronx. If the Yankees do not go for Teixeira, than there is a possibility Giambi could be back, but not a great possibility. The Yankees can move Johnny Damon to 1B or maybe Jorge Posada to 1B if he is not fully healthy. Juan Miranda, a Cuban 1B, can replace Giambi if everyone retains their spot.

Bobby Abreu – .296/20/100/.843 OPS in 2008 (RF, 35 yrs old, Type A)
Abreu has been a Yankee since the deadline deal in the 2006 season. Since then he has met expectations and filled a much needed void in the outfield. Abreu’s arm is one of the best currently on the Yankees, but his overall defense is average at best. I would offer Abreu arbitration and leave it at that. If he accepts, he is on the Yankees for one more season and would play the same role in 2009 as he did in 2008. If he declines, he can sign somewhere else and the Yankees would obtain 2 draft picks for compensation.

Damaso Marte – 5-3, 4.02 ERA, 5 saves (with PIT and NYY) in 2008 (RP, 34 yrs old, Type A)
Marte came along with Xavier Nady in the deadline deal from the Pirates when the Yankees traded away 4 minor leaguers. Marte was acquired by the Yankees because when they were still in contention, they needed a left-handed relief pitcher, and that’s what they got with Marte. Marte has a $6 million option for the 2009 season and the Yankees are in a debacle with him. They can pick up the option and use Marte for the 2009 season as the set-up man; they can pick up the option and trade him for prospects, they can decline the option and let him walk, or they can decline the option, offer him arbitration, and see where it goes from there. The Yankees cannot go wrong by keeping Marte on their roster. If they do not choose to have him on their 2009 roster, they will have Phil Coke and/or Billy Traber to replace him as the lefty in the bullpen. Plus, Marte would enable the Yankees to acquire 2 draft picks.

CC Sabathia – 17-10, 2.70 ERA, 10 CG (with CLE and MIL) in 2008 (SP, 28 yrs old, Type A)
CC was the 2007 Cy Young award winner for the Cleveland Indians and has also gone on a rampage for the Milwaukee Brewers since they traded for him in July. Sabathia is due to get a ton of offers from a lot of big league clubs all over. Hank Steinbrenner has openly said that Sabathia was the top priority of the Yankees’ offseason. He has pitched over 500 innings in the past 2 seasons, but if I were the Yankees, I would throw that out the window. He is the much needed ace the Yankees need that can go long into games and strike people out. He can also pitch on short rest (as he did several times during the pennant race) and pitch during the stretch run. His postseason struggles are a “hazard” but to get to the postseason, you must succeed in the regular season. Sabathia is due an enormous contract in the offseason and the Yankees need to be the ones who give it to him. However, if the Yankees do sign him, they will lose a first round draft pick because Sabathia is a type A free agent.

Ben Sheets – 13-9, 3.09 ERA in 2008 (SP, 30 yrs old, Type A)
Ben Sheets is Sabathia’s teammate and has had a great season with a 3.09 ERA. Sheets has had problems with injuries before, most recently elbow problems that left him off the Milwaukee postseason roster. Sheets is only 30, but the injury history is more than a big risk. The Yankees should not make a pitch to sign him because there are better options than him (Sabathia, Burnett, etc.). If they do sign him, it should be to a short-term deal with not as much money as he deserves when healthy.

A.J. Burnett – 18-10, 4.07 ERA in 2008 (SP, 32 yrs old, Type A)
Burnett is a pitcher who opted out of his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He could have opted in and stayed firm with Toronto, but he chose to opt out to explore more possibilities and seek more money. Burnett has had injury problems in the past with his shoulder, which causes concern for teams interested in the pitcher. A reason to make a pitch for Burnett is because he dominates the American League east. In his career, he has an ERA of 2.97 against the Redsox; 2.58 ERA against the Yankees; 1.00 ERA against the Blue Jays; and a 2.98 ERA against the Rays. Burnett has a very good fastball and curveball which is also a plus. However he does struggle at times. His 18-10 record seems exceptional but his 4.18 ERA is worrisome. Nevertheless, I would offer Burnett a contract that is between 3 and 5 years in length. Burnett dominates the AL East which is important and when he is on his game, he can be one of the best pitchers in the league. It would not surprise me if the Yankees sign him because he would have a tremendous impact on their 2009 rotation. If they do not sign him, than it is only a missed opportunity in a Yankee standpoint.

Mark Teixeira – .308/33/121/.962 OPS (with ATL and LAA) in 2008 (1B, 28 yrs old, Type A)
Mark Teixeira is a young first baseman who is a great defender and a power hitter. Some teams that are bound to be interested in him are the Angels, the Redsox, the Orioles, and the Yankees. There are many other teams that could offer Teixeira a contract but those 4 teams are only the most notable teams. The switch-hitter has said he wanted a long-term contact from 8 to 10 years and deserves one. His agent, Scott Boras, is sure to advertise Teixeira for as much money as possible. By that, it could range anywhere from $150 million to $225 million (or even more!). Teixeira should be the Yankees’ #2 priority and “Big Hank” is certain to offer him a big contract. Do not be surprised if he signs with another team, but do not be shocked if he does sign with New York.

Manny Ramirez – .332/37/121/1.031 OPS (with BOS and LAD) in 2008 (LF, 36 yrs old, Type A)
Ramirez, coming off a dramatic 2008 campaign, almost led Joe Torre’s Dodgers to the World Series. He also almost sunk the Redsox to the ground with his incidents on and off the field. Ramirez is a career .321 hitter against the Yankees with an OPS of 1.029. He has 55 homeruns and 163 RBI against the Yankees in his life. Why would the Yankees sign him? He wants vengeance on the Redsox because they “disrespected” him. Plus it would only help the Yankees offensively. Why would the Yankees stay away from him? He is just a hassle on and off the field. Plus the Yankees already have a lot of depth in the outfield. Again, Hank Steinbrenner has said the Yankees will “explore” the Manny Ramirez situation, but in my mind he is staying with LA. Ramirez is not the person the Yankees need. He does help the offense but his antics will lead to an assured fiasco.

Robinson Cano – .271/14/72/.715 OPS in 2008 (2B, 26 yrs old, under contract)
2 seasons ago, Robinson Cano was contending for the batting title in the American League, only behind Joe Mauer and teammate Derek Jeter. This season, with a batting average of .270 and going into colossal slumps, fans have booed him and critiqued him with his streaky hitting and his poor defensive play. Many have said that Cano has struggled because of the loss over former 3rd base coach Larry Bowa because Bowa gave Cano tough love and say that is what Cano needed for motivation. I still believe Robinson Cano is the 2nd baseman of the future for the franchise. Trading Cano will continue with the old “Yankee-way” by trading young prospects for older, experienced players. He is still very young and there is plenty of room for improvement.

Melky Cabrera – .249/8/37/.641 (sent to AAA for a stint) in 2008 (OF, 24 yrs old, under contract)
Melky Cabrera filled Hideki Matsui’s spot in 2006 when Matsui broke his wrist in a game. The fracture forced Matsui to be sidelined for the majority of the season, initiating Melky Cabrera’s time in the majors. In 2006, Cabrera was a huge asset to the team with his defense and speed with 12 outfield assists and 12 stolen bases. His 2006 campaign affected his role in 2007, when Cabrera was the starting centerfielder for the Yankees. His defense shined again in 2007 with 16 outfield assists. His speed was still intact with 13 stolen bases. 2008 was an entirely different story for the switch hitter. Between 2007 and 2008, Cabrera’s batting average dropped 31 points, on-base percentage dropped 31 points, and slugging percentage dropped 54 points. He had 37 fewer RBI in 2008 than 2007. All had seemed lost for him. With his value diminished, many have wanted him out of New York with all of the players currently occupying the outfield. I would not sell low on Cabrera. He has plenty of value and potential. He could be part of the future outfield for the Yankees or he could just be trade bait to land another player. The Yankees should keep Cabrera and let him develop.

Ian Kennedy – 0-4, 8.17 ERA in MLB (6-3, 2.22 ERA in MiLB) in 2008 (SP, 24 yrs old, under contract)
In 2007, Ian Kennedy was called up to the majors to see if he could help the Yankees in a playoff run. He did that, with a 1.89 ERA in 3 starts for the Bombers. In 2008, it was expected that he would be a back-end rotation starter for the season. Kennedy had a dreadful season for the 2008 New York Yankees. In 10 starts, he pitched a total of 39.2 innings, allowing 36 earned runs and 50 hits in the span. His 8.17 ERA is appalling and his criticism of the New York media has also ruined his image. He was not a favorite by manager Joe Girardi as he disapproved of Kennedy’s comments towards the media. I still believe Kennedy’s future is with the Yankees. The former 1st round pick from Southern California is very young and has plenty of time to mature. He has to learn how to act toward the media to avoid controversy.

Phil Hughes – 0-4, 6.62 ERA in MLB (3-0, 4.79 ERA in MiLB) in 2008 (SP, 22 yrs old, under contract)
Phil Hughes has had his shares of highs and lows. He had a no-hitter going in his 2nd career MLB start in 2007, but had to leave that game due to injury. In the 2007 postseason, he was successful by allowing 1 run in 5.2 innings. In the AAA championship game, he struck out 12 in 5 innings. In a September game against the Blue Jays, he pitched 8 quality innings. Those were his highs, but here are some of his lows: being rushed to the bigs in 2007, the injuries he suffered in 2007 and 2008, vision problems (had to start wearing glasses), and starting off the 2008 campaign with an ERA of 9.00 in 6 April appearances (34 earned runs in 34 innings pitched). He has been pitching in the Arizona fall league to build up arm strength and develop better pitches. He is one of the youngest players in the game now and it would be wrong for him to be given up on. It was thought that Hughes had ace-type pitches and could develop into an ace in the future. That is still not completely unlikely as there is plenty of time for development.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

2008 MLB Awards

Well, the season is over and the Phillies are World Series champions. There are only 2 things left to discuss about baseball: the offseason and the awards. Here are the awards I would give out.

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez (NYY)
2. Dustin Pedroia (BOS)
3. Carlos Quentin (CHW)
Alex Rodriguez led the American League in VORP (value over replacement player), MLV (marginal lineup value), and PMLV (positional marginal lineup value). Those three statistics are sabremetrics, which are a great way to value a player. Alex Rodriguez’s Yankees did not make the playoffs, which is a disadvantage from the voters. However, A-Rod’s power numbers (35 HR/103 RBI/.965 OPS) are better than those of Pedroia (17 HR/83 RBI/.869 OPS). Both Rodriguez and Quentin missed extended periods of time due to injury, but the reason Quentin falls short of the MVP title is because he was injured when his team needed him most: in September. Quentin led the league with 36 homeruns before he was out with an injury. Despite missing the final 26 games of the regular seasons, he was only one homerun shy of the American League lead (Miguel Cabrera, 37). The overall American League was weak in statistics. Pedroia, Quentin, and Kevin Youkilis may all deserve the MVP award, but it goes to A-Rod here.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols (STL)
2. Hanley Ramirez (FLA)
3. Chipper Jones (ATL)
I don’t know how the top 3 National League MVP candidates are from non-playoff teams either, but this is how I predict it. Albert Pujols had the power, the batting average, and the clutch hitting to give him the MVP award. He led the NL in VORP, MLV, and PMLV just like Rodriguez. Pujols came in 2nd in the batting title to Chipper Jones. Pujols bat .357 while Jones hit .364. Of the 3 vying candidates, Pujols led them with 37 homeruns and 116 RBI. Hanley Ramirez and Chipper Jones will battle it out for 2nd place in the voting, but the winner of that race would go to Ramirez. He hit 33 homeruns and stole 35 bases with a batting average over .300. Though Jones won the batting title and sat around .400 for the first few months of the season, he only hit 22 homeruns with 75 RBI, coming from the #3 hole (Ramirez was primarily the leadoff batter for the Marlins). Regardless of Ramirez and Jones, Pujols is the clear-cut winner.

AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee (CLE)
2. Roy Halladay (TOR)
3. Mike Mussina (NYY)
Cliff Lee had an amazing turnaround season from 2007. Lee won 22 games and led the AL in ERA. He went deep into games many times over the course of the season. However, the case for Roy Halladay is not too far behind of Lee’s. Halladay won 20 games too and struck out more batters. Doc also pitched more complete games than Lee. On the pitcher’s VORP scale, Lee led the entire league with 75.0 points, 1.6 ahead of 2nd place Johan Santana (NYM; NL) and 3.5 ahead of Halladay. Lee edges out Halladay in what should be a close vote. 3rd place could go to anyone: Francisco Rodriguez and his 62 saves, Daisuke Matsuzaka and his low ERA, Jon Lester and his heart-warming story, but my vote would go to Mike Mussina of the Yankees. Mussina had arguably one of the best seasons of his long career, winning 20 games. Mussina had low expectations entering the season but excelled, posting an ERA of 3.37. Mussina had a lot of quality outings for the Yankees and deserves some recognition with it.

NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum (SF)
2. Johan Santana (NYM)
3. Brandon Webb (AZ) and CC Sabathia (MIL)
Though Brandon Webb won 22 games in 2008, Johan Santana led the league in ERA, and CC Sabathia had a great second half with the Brewers, Lincecum is the winner. Lincecum had the most strikeouts in the NL. He was second in quality starts behind Johan and 8 of his quality starts did not factor into a victory. Between Lincecum and Webb, Lincecum won games with fewer run support, a lower WHIP, a lower opponent’s batting average, and a higher K/BB rate. Between Lincecum and Santana, Lincecum had a much lower HR/9 rate and a much higher K/9 rate. Between Lincecum and Sabathia, Lincecum’s BABIP (batting average on balls put into play) was much lower than Sabathia’s.

AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria (TB)
2. Alexei Ramirez (CHW)
3. Joba Chamberlain (NYY) and Mike Aviles (KC)
Longoria definitely wins this race in a landslide. He led all AL rookies in homeruns and RBI and his impact on the Rays was tremendous. It seems obvious that Longoria wins this. However, the real competition is for the runner-ups. Ramirez flashed power numbers (21 homeruns and 77 RBI) and also played some great defense for the AL Central division winning Whitesox. He demonstrated clutch hitting by batting .380 with RISP, .471 with the bases loaded, and .316 in the late innings of close games. 3rd place is a tie between Yankees Joba Chamberlain and Royal Mike Aviles. Chamberlain gets all the media attention from the New York media whereas Aviles is more of an unknown. Joba Chamberlain led AL rookie pitchers in VORP (32.3) but also suffered shoulder troubles when he was being converted from a reliever to a starter. Aviles led all AL rookie position players in VORP (35.0) and PMLV (21.7). His batting average was .53 points higher than that of Longoria’s. Aviles hit .316 with RISP just like Ramirez too.

NL Rookie of the Year: Joey Votto (CIN)
2. Geovany Soto (CHC)
3. Jair Jurrjens (ATL)
Votto’s and Soto’s numbers are very similar. Votto hit 24 homeruns while Soto hit 23. Soto hit 86 RBI while Votto hit 84. Votto’s batting average was .012 points higher than Soto’s (.297 - .285) and his OPS was .006 points higher than Soto’s (.874 - .868). The main difference between Votto and Soto is Soto’s team, the Cubs, advanced to the postseason. Regardless of the team, Votto’s statistics are better and he would get the award. Jurrjens led all of rookie pitchers in VORP (33.0) and ERA (3.68). Jurrjens’ numbers could have been much better had he not fallen off track later on in the season. His ERA was 3.00 prior to the All-Star break but rose to 4.66 after the All-Star break.

That is it for the major awards. For the record, I would give Joe Maddon (TB) the AL Manager of the Year for the epic turnaround of the Rays in 2008 and Charlie Manuel (PHI) the NL Manager of the Year for giving the city of Philadelphia their first title in 25 years. However, Jerry Manuel, the interim manager of the New York Mets, should come in a close second for his impact towards the Mets’ season. The Mets fired Willie Randolph in the middle of the season with the team struggling, but Manuel stepped in and almost led the Mets to the playoffs, something nobody thought they would do early on in the season.

Monday, October 20, 2008

2008 World Series Predictions

If I told you the World Series would be Rays/Phillies in Spring Training, you'd all laugh at me. Well, it happened and who will it be? Who will win it all? Here is some analysis:

Catcher:
Dioner Navarro (TB) vs Carlos Ruiz (PHI)
Navarro's postseason has not been great compared to his regular season. He is batting .268 with no homeruns and 5 RBI. Carlos Ruiz's postseason has not been great either, hitting .200 with only 1 RBI. Both have bad offensive numbers, but the edge here goes to Navarro because of the great game he calls. Navarro can manage pitchers very well and knows what pitch to call in key situations.
Edge: Navarro

First Base:
Carlos Pena (TB) vs Ryan Howard (PHI)
In the postseason, Pena is .333 with 3 homeruns, 8 RBI, and an OPS over 1.000. Pena also has 3 stolen bases, 2 more than he had in all of the regular season. Ryan Howard's postseason performance has been mediocre. A .258 batting average with no homeruns and a mere 3 RBI have not shown his full potential. His .733 OPS is over .150 points below his regular season average. Between their playoff performance, Pena has outmatched Howard by a landslide.
Edge: Pena

Second Base:
Akinori Iwamura (TB) vs Chase Utley (PHI)
Iwamura's postseason has been alright by his standards. A .277 batting average is close to what he put up in the regular season. He has 1 homerun, 4 RBI, and a .805 OPS in the playoffs. His SLG in the postseason is .067 points higher than in the regular season. Chase Utley has also struggled in the postseason with a .250 batting average, 1 homerun, 5 RBI, and an OPS of .838 (nearly .080 points below his regular season total). With their playoff performance, I'd call this a tie, but with their impact on their team, the edge goes to Utley.
Edge: Utley

Third Base:
Evan Longoria (TB) vs Pedro Feliz (PHI)
Longoria's postseason has been up and down. He began the playoffs with 2 homeruns in as many at-bats in the ALDS against the Whitesox. After game 1 (3-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI), he fell in an 0-13 slump. In the ALCS against the Redsox, Longoria began struggling, but than emerged powerful, hitting 4 homeruns in consecutive games. His subtotal statistics were .262 with 6 homeruns and 11 RBI and a 1.102 OPS. Pedro Feliz has not had as good a postseason as Longoria. Feliz's batting average in the playoffs is below the Mendoza line, only 5 hits in 26 at-bats. He has no homeruns and only 2 RBI. Longoria is the better player.
Edge: Longoria

Shortstop:
Jason Bartlett (TB) vs Jimmy Rollins (PHI)
Jason Bartlett's postseason is not all too well either with a .243 batting average and only 1 HR. Jimmy Rollins' statistics are almost identical to Bartlett's. He too has a .243 batting average but only has 2 homeruns. Bartlett and Rollins combined have 3 RBI, all via solo homeruns. Rollins is not the team leader he was last year. Bartlett has had his share of defensive struggles of late as well. In a name-game, Rollins would have the edge, but right here it is a tie.
Edge: Tie

Left Field:
Carl Crawford (TB) vs Pat Burrell (PHI)
Though Crawford does not have any homeruns in the playoffs, he does have 6 stolen bases. He has a .303 batting average and 6 RBI as well. The Phillies' Pat Burrell does have some power, hitting 3 homeruns and 9 RBI in 9 games. He has a .300 batting average as well with a .964 OPS. It is very close between the two of them, so I will probably give this a tie. Crawford has the speed the Rays need and Burrell is showing the power the Phillies have lacked in the postseason.
Edge: Tie

Center Field:
B.J. Upton (TB) vs Shane Victorino (PHI)
Upton has had a tremendous postseason and that cannot be denied. He hit 7 homeruns with 15 RBI in the 11 games played with a .304 average and an OPS close to 1.200. 9 of Upton's 14 hits have been for extra-bases and he also has 2 stolen bases. Shane Victorino's arm patrolling center field for the Phillies is a valuable asset to have. He has a lot of speed with his 3 stolen bases. "The Flyin' Hawaiian" has 2 homeruns and 11 RBI for the Phillies too. Upton's power is just too much to compare with Victorino's statistics.
Edge: Upton

Right Field:
Gabe Gross/Rocco Baldelli (TB) vs Jayson Werth (PHI)
Gross and Baldelli have not had the greatest statistics in the playoffs. Gross is batting below .100 and Baldelli is only batting .214. Werth's numbers have not been great either, but certainly better than those of the Rays'. Werth has 1 RBI (via solo homerun) and a .243 batting average. Neither right fielder has been successful but Werth gets the edge here.
Edge: Werth

Designated Hitter (when necessary):
Cliff Floyd (TB) vs Matt Stairs (PHI)
Floyd only has a .200 batting average with a homerun and 2 RBI. The 35-year old outfielder has been on a sharp decline since his spectacular 2005 season with 34 homeruns and 98 RBI. Since, he only has 31 homeruns and 128 in the 3 seasons since. Matt Stairs only has 3 postseason at-bats this year. He is 1/3 with a 2-run homerun. Both have struggled throughout their careers and throughout their playoff games in 2008 (granted, Stairs only had 3 at-bats) but overall it is a tie.
Edge: Tie

Starting Rotation:
Shields/Kazmir/Garza/Sonnanstine (TB) vs Hamels/Myers/Moyer/Blanton (PHI)
James Shields was chosen as the postseason ace for a reason: he is a big game pitcher. His record does not show for it. He is 1-2 with a 3.72 ERA. Not bad for the 26 year old. Scott Kazmir has gone through struggles of his own. Though he is 1-0, he has 2 no-decisions. He finished the ALDS and ALCS with an era of 4.02. Kazmir is a very good southpaw pitcher for the Rays and the 23 year old can only improve. Matt Garza won the ALCS MVP for a reason: he was that good. In 13 ALCS innings pitched, he allowed only 2 runs and had 14 Ks. Andy Sonnanstine was 2-0 in the playoffs with a 3.46 ERA. He is not a power pitcher like Kazmir or Garza, but Sonnanstine has been effective, allowing only 9 hits and 2 walks in his 13 innings pitched. To say Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels is great is an understatement. He is 3-0 in the 2008 playoffs with 22 Ks in 22 innings pitched. He has a 1.23 ERA, allowing only 3 runs in his performance. Hamels is one of the league's best left-handed pitchers now and because he's only 24, there is a long time for his dominance to be shown around baseball. Brett Myers is 2-0 in the postseason but with a 5.25 ERA. He allowed 7 runs in 12 IP in the playoffs to date. Jamie Moyer has had a postseason to forget. He has pitched in 2 games but for a total of 5.1 innings. He allowed 8 earned runs in those innings with 10 hits and 3 walks. Aside from Cole Hamels, Philly's rotation is subpar. The Rays have a great, young rotation.
Edge: Rays

Bullpen:
Rays vs Phillies
Grant Balfour has had a good postseason with the exception of 1 outing (4 ER in .2 ip). Aside from that one dreadful outing, he allowed 1run in 5 innings. Chad Bradford allowed only 1 run in 6 innings pitched for the Rays as well. Lefties J.P. Howell and Trever Miller pitched a combined 10.1 innings, allowing only 2 runs and striking out 13. Dan Wheeler also had skewed playoff statistics. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 runs, but in 1 outing he pitched 1.1 innings and allowed 3 runs. David Price pitched 2.1 shutout innings in the playoffs too. Philadelphia's bullpen has been led by Clay Condrey (1.2 ip, 1 earned run), Scott Eyre (2.1 ip, 1 er), Chad Durbin (2.2 ip, 2 r, 1 er), J.A. Happ (3 ip, 1 er), J.C. Romero (2.2 shutout innings), and Ryan Madson (9 ip, 1 run). Brad Lidge, the Philly closer, has 5 saves and struck out 10 in 7.1 innings. It is too close to call, but Philadelphia gets the egde because of its consistency.
Edge: Phillies

Prediction:
I am predicting the Rays to win the World Series in 6 games. Cole Hamels is too good to beat this postseason and the Rays will take advantage of the rest of the weak Philly rotation. The Rays' offense has slugged their way to victory and will continue to do so.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

LCS Predictions

So I was 1/4 with my guesses. Tampa Bay won, but the Angels, Cubs, and Brewers all lost. The ALCS will be the Boston Redsox vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. The NLCS will be the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Philadelphia Phillies. Here are my thoughts:

ALCS
The Rays and the Redsox came off ALDS wins in 4 games. The Rays' offense was led by BJ Upton and Evan Longoria, both of whom had multi-homerun games. Akinori Iwamura had a .389 batting average and Dioner Navarro had a .400 batting average. The Rays' rotation was satisfactory. Though each Ray starter only pitched 1 game, Scott Kazmir and Andy Sonnanstine had ERAs of 3.38 and 3.18 respectively. James Shields and Matt Garza both struggled a bit in their starts, posting ERAs of 4.26 and 7.50. The Tampa Bay bullpen was filled with success. JP Howell, Chad Bradford, and Grant Balfour did not allow a run in their combined 10.2 innings.

The Redsox offense was bright too. Jacoby Ellsbury had 6 RBI and a .333 batting average. Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez's replacement, hit .412 with 2 homeruns in the ALDS against the Angels. Jon Lester was superb in his 2 starts against the Los Angeles Angels. In 2 starts, Lester threw 14 shutout innings and struck out 11 batters. Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka both struggled, going a combined 10 innings with 7 earned runs allowed (6.30 ERA). Jon Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen held the Redsox bullpen strong by pitching a total of 7.1 shutout innings.

The teams will face eachother in the ALCS, so who will win? The Redsox have a ton of postseason experience. They have won 2 of the past 4 World Series after an 86 year drought. However, the Rays were 10-8 against the Redsox in the 2008 season. The Rays have homefield advantage over the Redsox, and they were 8-1 against the Redsox at home. The Rays also had the best home record in baseball with a 57-24 record at the Trop. The teams do have a lot of bitterness in their rivalry. Brawls have broken out several times, most recently in June when Coco Crisp and James Shields threw punches at eachother. The Rays' rotation is in line to have Shields/Kazmir/Garza/Sonnanstine like they did in the ALDS against the Whitesox. The Redsox will not have ace Jon Lester pitch game 1.

Edge:
Tampa Bay Rays

NLCS
The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a series win against the Milwaukee Brewers. Jimmy Rollins had a .375 batting average for the Phillies. Jason Werth and Shane Victorino also had batting averages over .300. Pat Burrell had 2 homeruns for the Phils. Philadelphia's rotation was very good. Ace pitcher Cole Hamels pitched 8 shutout innings in his one appearance with 9 strikeouts. Brett Myers and Joe Blanton also had quality starts. Their bullpen was proficient too. Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge did satisfactory for the Phillies too.

The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs in the 2008 NLDS in 3 games. Manny Ramirez was one key player for LA with a .500 batting average and 2 homeruns. James Loney hit the biggest homerun for the Dodgers with a grand slam in game 1 of the NLDS. Rafael Furcal and Russell Martin also performed well for LA. The 3 Dodger starters: Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, and Hiroki Kuroda each showed skill on the mound. In the 19.2 innings they threw, a mere 3 runs were allowed. Cory Wade and Jon Broxton kept the Dodger bullpen firm, pitching a combined 7 shutout innings.

So which team will go to the World Series? In their season series, the teams split their 8 games 4-4. The Dodgers were 4-0 at home against the Phillies and the Phillies were 4-0 at home against the Dodgers. In overall standings, the Phillies had an 8 game lead in the regular season over the Dodgers. However, I think LA can pull it off. Joe Torre has led a team filled with young players to the playoffs. Their rotation is solid with Lowe and Billingsley. Led by Manny Ramirez, their lineup is brimming with talent. The Phillies' offense did score 15 runs in the NLDS, but only scored those runs in a few innings.

Edge:
Los Angeles Dodgers

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

October Predictions: MLB Postseason

The 2008 baseball season has come to an end and we head to the playoffs. Baseball changes in October and that is where the season has gone. The Tampa Bay Rays emerged as baseball’s surprised team and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The New York Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993. The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, both preseason favorites to make the postseason, came nowhere close to contention. The Chicago Cubs look to end their century-long World Series title drought. The Los Angeles Dodgers, led by new manager Joe Torre, overcame the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies to win the National League West. Now that October baseball will begin, who will win the 2008 World Series?

The case for the Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays came into the season with a change of uniform, logo, and team name. They became the “Rays” instead of the “Devil Rays”. In spite of 4th place predictions, the Rays’ overcame them by remarkable proportions. The Rays have 96 wins, 25 more than their previous franchise-high. The story of the Rays is a motto coined by manager Joe Maddon. Their mantra is “9=8”, which represents “9 innings of baseball (and 9 hearts on the field) equals 1 of 8 teams to make the playoffs”. The Rays’ pitching went through an incredible breakthrough. Troy Percival joined the Rays and helped their bullpen. A trade with the Twins helped the Rays’ pitching staff acquire Matt Garza and helped the Rays’ defense with shortstop Jason Bartlett. Garza, 24, had a great season but was not shown by his 11-9 record. Garza’s 3.66 ERA was fantastic and also had 3 complete games, 2 of which shutouts. Scott Kazmir and James Shields also proved to be brilliant pitchers. The two had a combined 26-16 record with a 3.54 ERA. Shields too had 3 complete games. Pitchers Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine also proved to be stunning pitchers. They had no major expectations entering the season but went a combined 26-19 (13 wins each). The Rays’ pitching staff had a team ERA of 3.78, 1.75 points lower than last season. Their bullpen has also been very successful. Last season, the Rays had 58 holds, last in the majors. This season, the Rays have 79 holds, which is 4th in all of baseball. The Rays’ offense has also been a great story too. Rookie 3rd baseman Evan Longoria was called up from AAA Durham in late April and has done a magnificent job, hitting 27 homeruns and 85 RBI. Carlos Pena led the Rays with 31 homeruns and 101 RBI. Clutch hitting played a big part for the Rays in 2008. In the late innings of 2008, Akinori Iwamura and the aforementioned Pena hit .301 and .341 respectively. To make room for Evan Longoria, their future 3rd baseman for years to come, they moved Akinori Iwamura to 2nd base full time and flourished. As a team, the Rays’ defense had a .985 fielding percentage, tied for 8th in all of baseball. In 2007, the Rays’ defense had a .980 fielding percentage, tied for 20th in baseball.

So why do the Rays have a shot at the World Series? There were only 2 teams in baseball that had a winning record against the Rays: the Indians and the Yankees, and both of whom are missing the postseason. Pitching phenom David Price has a chance to make the playoff roster as a starter. Price was 12-1 with a sub-2.00 ERA in the minor leagues in 2008. The southpaw was drafted last year from Vanderbilt University. A 4-man rotation of Kazmir, Shields, Garza, and Price would be dominant for now and for the future. The Rays can hit in the clutch as many of their wins have came in their last at-bat. They have a great team now and a team built for the future.

The case for the Chicago Whitesox
The Whitesox, led by manager Ozzie Guillen, made the playoffs for the first time since 2005. In the offseason, the Whitesox acquired Carlos Quentin from the Arizona Diamondbacks for top prospect Chris Carter. Quentin’s impact with the Whitesox was tremendous. He led the American League with 36 homeruns before he was sidelined for almost the entire month of September with a broken wrist. Quentin’s 100 RBI also led the team. Quentin could have won the American League MVP award had he not been injured. Teammates Jermaine Dye and rookie Alexei Ramirez were tied for the team lead in batting average (.290). Dye hit 34 homeruns for the Chi-Sox and Ramirez’s presence gave the Whitesox a huge boost. Jim Thome also hit 34 homeruns and fellow teammates Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher hit 22 and 24 respectively. In the midst of the summer months, the Whitesox traded for former Reds’ outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. Pitching was a good success for the Whitesox too. Gavin Floyd and John Danks were unexpected sources of wealth for Chicago. They had a combined 29-17 record with an ERA under 4.00. Mark Buerhle also had a 15-12 record. Bobby Jenks had an okay season in the closer role, converting 30 of his 34 save opportunities. The Whitesox season was surrounded by controversies surrounding manager Ozzie Guillen. Guillen openly criticized the media and his players over the course of the season. The Whitesox ended the regular season in a 1st place tie with the Minnesota Twins, which forced a 1-game playoff. Jim Thome hit a 461-foot homerun in the 7th inning gave the Whitesox a 1-0 lead, which would be enough for the Whitesox to advance to the playoffs.

But do the Whitesox have a good chance to win it all? They do have some momentum heading into their series with the Rays and they can slug it out, but can they match up with the Rays? The Rays can hit the long ball and can play small ball whereas the Whitesox are primarily a long ball type team. The Rays can outpitch the Sox and Chicago would need to play their hearts out to compete with the other top-tier teams in the playoffs.

The case for the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels entered the 2008 campaign as serious World Series contenders, and ended up doing just that. They suffered injuries to John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, two of their top pitchers. They needed Joe Saunders, Jon Garland, and Ervin Santana to fill in for the injured starters. The 3 pitchers amassed for a 46-21 record and a 3.87 ERA. When Lackey came back in mid-May, he started strong and continued strong, having a 3.25 ERA through 23 games pitched. Closer Francisco Rodriguez had accumulated 62 saves this season, shattering the old mark held by Bobby Thigpen (57 saves). The rest of the Angel bullpen also was thriving. Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo had a combined 2.21 ERA and 47 holds. Darren Oliver and Justin Speier also collected a total of 22 saves. LA’s offense also prospered. The newly acquired Torii Hunter and the veteran Vlad Guerrero combined for 48 homeruns and 168 RBI. Chone Figgins led the team with 32 stolen bases. The Angels entered a win-now mentality when they traded for 1st baseman Mark Teixeira, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. With the Angels, Teixeira hit .362 with 13 homeruns and 42 RBI. The Angels were the 1st team in baseball in 2008 to clinch a playoff berth this year, with 99 wins and a 22 game lead over the 2nd place Texas Rangers.

With the Angels doing this successful, does it not seem logical that they will win the World Series? Though they have the best record in all of baseball, they have a 3-6 record against the Rays, who also have a very good shot to win the pennant. The Angels also played in the weakest division in the American League talent-wise.

The case for the Boston Redsox
The reigning World Series Champions began the season as prime contenders as champions once again. The Sox expected Josh Beckett to lead the staff and have Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester used as solid 2/3 starters. The 2008 season turned out very different from that. Matsuzaka finished the season with 18 wins and a 2.80 ERA. Cancer survivor Jon Lester also proved to be valuable for Boston. The lefty went 16-6 with a 3.21 ERA, including 2 complete game shutouts. Compared to his 2007 season, Josh Beckett was mediocre. In 2007, Beckett was a prime Cy Young award contender, but he would not be in 2008. His 12-10 record seems pedestrian and his 4.03 ERA is also second-rate. Potential MVP candidate David Ortiz was out from late May to late July with a wrist injury. The Redsox needed Manny Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and J.D. Drew to fill in. Pedroia and Youkilis filled in and thrived. Both of them are potential MVP candidates for the 2008 season. They hit .325 and .314 respectively and also did very well in clutch situations. While Ortiz was out, J.D. Drew prospered. At one point of Ortiz’s absence, Drew raised his batting average from .282 to .327. At the trade deadline, things started to change for Manny Ramirez and the Redsox. Ramirez’s lack of hustle, off-the-field antics, and disrespect towards the team led to him being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 3-team trade that gave the Redsox Jason Bay in return from the Pirates. Bay has since hustled and played very well, with a .300 batting average with the Redsox. With poor play of the Yankees and the American League Central on the stretch run, the Redsox became the American League Wild Card winners.

Redsox Nation’s main source of victory will be from their offense. Pedroia, Youkilis, Lowell, Ortiz, and Bay will all do a good job in the postseason, but the cause for concern is the bullpen. Is Jon Papelbon reliable enough to close down in a crucial situation? Can Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen do well in the bullpen? Can Mike Timlin find where he was in 2005? The Angels are 8-1 against the Redsox in 2008 and they have the better rotation and bullpen than Boston’s.

The case for the Philadelphia Phillies
On paper, this team looked like a team that would slug their way to the playoffs. Well, the Phillies had pitching too. They rank 6th in all of baseball in ERA (3.91). Closer Brad Lidge is a perfect 40/40 in saves and save opportunities. Starters Jamie Moyer and Cole Hamels had a combined 29-17 record with a combined ERA of 3.40. The Philly offense had its struggles, revolving around the 2007 National League MVP Jimmy Rollins. Rollins criticized Phillies’ fans earlier in the year, calling them “bandwagoners” and “front-runners” when he appeared on “Best Damn Sports Show Period”. 1st baseman Ryan Howard also went through rough patches in the season. As late as May 21st, Howard’s batting average was below the Mendoza line, at a putrid .195. Up until the beginning of July, Howard was sitting at .215 with 20 homeruns and 68 RBI. Howard didn’t get red hot until after the All-Star break, hitting 20 homeruns and 58 RBI since; 11 homeruns in the month of September. Teammate Chase Utley started the season on a rampage, hitting 18 homeruns through May. He has slowed down rapidly, only hitting 12 homers since.

Now that the Phillies will make the playoffs, where will they go? Their bullpen has been terrific and so has their offense. The cause for concern is their rotation. Can Hamels and Moyer go deep into games? Will the Phillies use Brad Lidge in a non-save situation for more than 1 inning? Can Kyle Kendrick and Adam Eaton have quality outings in the playoffs? They will face some quality teams in the playoffs like the Cubs, Brewers, and the Dodgers.

The case for the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs last won a World Series in 1908. They have not appeared in one since the 1940s. Why do Cubs fans think this is the year the drought ends? Well, the Cubs are 5th in baseball in team batting average, 8th in homeruns, and 2nd in runs scored. Rookie catcher Geovany Soto is 3rd on the team with 23 homeruns, behind Alfonso Soriano (29) and Derrek Lee (27). Soto had more of an impact than fellow rookie teammate Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome, the Asian outfielder hit a measly .257 with a mere 10 homeruns. Since the All-Star break, Fukudome has only hit .217 in 60 games played. The real story behind Chicago’s success is their pitching. Ryan Dempster surely came as a pleasant surprise. Dempster was 17-6 with an ERA under 3.00 in the regular season. Fireballer Carlos Zambrano also fared well. Though Zambrano only had 14 wins, he did throw a no-hitter against the Houston Astros at Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike. The Big Z has battled inflammation in his shoulder at times this season.

Do the Cubs have a legitimate shot at the World Series? Yes they do. They have a strong enough offense with Soriano, Lee, Soto, and Aramis Ramirez. Their rotation also consists of Ted Lilly and the acquired Rich Harden, which makes the Cubs prime challengers for the World Series. Harden was 10-2 on the season with the Oakland Athletics and the Cubs (5-1 for each team) with an ERA of 2.07. Zambrano, Harden, Dempster, and Lilly make a fierce rotation for the playoffs.

The case for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Led by new manager Joe Torre, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the playoffs. They surpassed the miraculous Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers suffered an early setback by losing closer Takashi Saito for an extended period of time. They had to use Jonathan Broxton to replace Saito. The Dodgers’ rotation was led by 24 year-old Chad Billingsley, who was 16-10 with a 3.17 ERA. Billingsley also led the Dodgers with 199 strikeouts. Derek Lowe did a satisfactory job for LA with his 3.29 ERA in 33 starts. Rookie pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Hiroki Kuroda had a combined 4.01 ERA in their 51 combined appearances. Late in the season, the Dodgers acquired Greg Maddux from the San Diego Padres. With LA, the 42 year old veteran has not had many things to smile about statistically. His appalling 5.71 ERA with the team is a warning sign. Hitting-wise, the Dodgers had somewhat a tough time. Outfielder Andruw Jones struggled immensely with a dreadful .158 batting average. Fellow teammates Matt Kemp and James Loney performed well. The two had a combined .292 batting average with 31 homeruns and 166 RBI. Kemp stole 35 bases too, 2nd on his own team to Juan Pierre (39). But at the trade deadline, the Dodgers realized they needed to add a power bat to the lineup. They made a blockbuster trade with the Redsox and the Pittsburgh Pirates by acquiring Manny Ramirez from the Redsox and trading away 2 young prospects to the Pirates. Ramirez has since been a display of excellence. In 52 games with the Dodgers, Ramirez is batting a high .396 with 17 homeruns and 53 RBI. With Boston, Ramirez played 100 games and hit 20 homeruns with 68 RBI. His presence sparked the Dodgers to overcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the National League West.

But do the Dodgers have what it takes to win it all? Their postseason rotation is solid, especially with Billingsley. The difference maker will be the rest of the pitching. The Dodgers need Lowe, Maddux, and Kuroda/Kershaw to do well in order to make some noise. Their offense needs to carry the team, Manny Ramirez in particular. If the Dodgers face the Cubs in the NLDS, they desperately need Ramirez, Russell Martin, Loney, and Kemp to step up big time.

The case for the Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers came into the season with high hopes that they would reach the postseason for the first time since 1982. They began the season with second-year players Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo looking to have even better seasons. Gallardo suffered 2 injuries early on: a torn meniscus that sidelined him for nearly a month (late March to late April) and a torn ACL which put him out from early May to very late September. The Brewers would suffice with pitchers Manny Parra (10-8) and Dave Bush. In early July, the Brewers made a trade that sent them in “win-now” mentality by trading 4 players (including top prospect Matt LaPorta) to the Cleveland Indians for reigning American League Cy Young award winner CC Sabathia. Sabathia’s presence would be enormous. In 17 starts with the Brewers, Sabathia pitched 130.2 out of 153 possible innings with an 11-2 record. Sabathia also pitched 7 complete games and 3 shutouts, one of which a controversial 1-hitter. Ryan Braun hit 34 homeruns and 96 RBI in his rookie season, and his 2nd season with Milwaukee was similar. He hit 37 homeruns with 106 RBI. Teammate Prince Fielder hit 34 homeruns with 102 RBI. Mike Cameron, JJ Hardy, and Corey Hart were all fine hitters for the Brew Crew. They hit a combined 69 homeruns and 235 RBI. Late in the season, the Brewers fired their manager Ned Yost and promoted Dale Sveum to interim manager. The Brewers’ push to the playoffs came to the last game of the regular season, tied with the New York Mets for 1st in the wild card. The Brewers needed a win and a Mets’ loss to make the playoffs. To help secure a spot, they had CC Sabathia pitch on 3-days rest. Sabathia could not have done any better. He pitched a complete game and allowed only 1 run to lock up their playoff status.

Can the Brew Crew make a significant run in the playoffs? They need Sabathia and Sheets to step up big time with their shaky bullpen. Eric Gagne had a 5.44 ERA and closer Salomon Torres had a 3.49 ERA, very high for a closer. If the Milwaukee offense can slug and their pitching can hold up, expect Milwaukee to be serious World Series contenders.

My Predictions:
ALDS: Rays over Whitesox (4 games) and Angels over Redsox (5 games)
NLDS: Cubs over Dodgers (4 games) and Brewers over Phillies (5 games)

ALCS: Rays over Angels (6 games)
NLCS: Cubs over Brewers (7 games)

World Series: Rays over Cubs (6 games)

Having the Tampa Bay Rays as World Series champions sounded absolutely preposterous at the beginning of the season, but the Rays proved they can contend for the playoffs and for the World Series. They have a bright future with their plethora of minor league talent. They can be a threat to be in the playoffs for years to come.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Week 3: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers (live blogging)

Monday Night Football on ESPN. Jets vs the Bolts. The Jets (1-1) are coming off a 19-10 loss against the rival New England Patriots. The Chargers (0-2) are coming off a controversial 39-38 loss to the Denver Broncos. Before that, they lost a heartbreaker to the Carolina Panthers that was decided on the final play.

I will be doing some live blogging with this game as well.

Update, 8:40 pm- I think the Jets should line up Keller a few times and throw to him too. He could be a valuable asset for the future (though Chris Baker is now locked up for a few yrs).

Update, 8:43 pm- Great playfake, bad execution. Hey, he passed it to Keller too.

Update, 8:44 pm- Wow, Ben Graham's punt traveled a fair distance. Not bad for someone who was cut earlier in the week and resigned because their replacement punter sustained an injury.

Update, 8:47 pm- David Barrett with an INT returned for a TD. Great pick by #36. Revis, Rhodes, and Lowery have been the well-known defensive backs for the Jets through the first 2 weeks of the season, but it doesn't really matter here. 7-0 Jets.

Update, 8:53 pm- Barrett almost had INT #2 right there. Hit him in a bad spot, right in the hands.

Update, 8:55 pm- Nice play by Lowery. The 4th round pick from SJ State has been key for the Jets' defense.

Update, 8:57 pm- Mike Tirico just said that David Barrett is headed to the locker room. Wonder why...

Update, 9:00 pm- Lowery broke up the pass and forced a 4th down for the Chargers. 7-3 after the Kaeding field goal.

Update, 9:06 pm- Lucky that Cromartie didn't catch that.

Update, 9:07 pm- Doesn't matter any more, Jones fumbled it and it's San Diego's ball inside the 20.

Update, 9:10 pm- Akward play by Rivers. Bobbled the ball, than wanted to hand it off to Tomlinson, than took it himself.

Update, 9:11 pm- Tolbert was wide open in the end zone, bad coverage by the Jets. 10-7 Bolts.

Update, 9:15 pm- Keller again...

Update, 9:18 pm- Cromartie redeems himself with an INT and returned for a TD.

Update, 9:20 pm- Predicting a long runback by Leon or Brad Smith

Update, 9:21 pm- Called it. To the San Diego 4 yd line.

Update, 9:22 pm- And here comes the conservative, Schottenheimer play-calling

Update, 9:23 pm- Favre with a redzone TD pass to Coles. Finally, some faith in #4. 17-14 Chargers now.

Update, 9:25 pm- Though I don't like the phrase "Mangenius", that was some trickery. Too bad it didn't go Gang Green's way.

Update, 9:31 pm- With the exception of Barrett's INT, the Jets' secondary has been awful. The deep ball has been thrown many times by Rivers and Chambers just caught a TD pass, wide open in the end zone. 24-14

Update, 9:40 pm- That was Favre's 2nd INT tonight, 1st by Weddle.

Update, 9:50 pm- This game got tough to watch after Weddle's INT. It just got tougher to watch as Rivers threw another TD pass, but this one to Antonio Gates. It's 31-14 Bolts and I doubt Favre can lead the Jets to a comeback.

Update, 9:59 pm- Wow, Graham with another nice punt. Something must have changed...

Update, 10:36 pm- That just about does it, down by 24 with 4:47 left in the 3rd. They would need some comeback to win it. The way the Jets are playing, San Diego will have a 30+ point lead

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Last Game at Yankee Stadium (live blogging)

I decided to do some live blogging for tonight's game, though I will be watching it at home.

I was very impressed with the pre-game ceremonies, with Bob Sheppard and every other player being announced. The people who lined up as the 1923 Opening Day roster was mediocre to me. Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter, Willie Randolph, Bobby Murcer's family, Yogi Berra, and Ron Guidry got the loudest ovations from what I heard. Bob Sheppard's voice was just outstounding, hearing him announce the Yankees' lineup from his home was great. Also, having Ruth's daughter throw out the last-first pitch at Yankee Stadium was quite a tribute, but having Jorge Posada catch it gave him a special moment I would think. It's too bad Posada wasn't healthy.

Update, 8:20 pm- Pretty cool ceremony honoring Jeter passing Gehrig on the Yankee Stadium hit list. The crystal bat and ball must be very special to get.

Update, 8:35 pm- One last roll call, gonna be a great one. Last first pitch was a called strike. Last first play was a flyout to Abreu. He approached the warning track on that.

Update, 8:40 pm- Listen to the cowbell by the Bleacher Creatures, it's tradition. It's great.

Update, 8:49 pm- Pettitte's 2000th career K comes at Yankee Stadium in its final game.

Update, 8:50 pm- And Abreu's poor fielding gives Adam Jones a triple. Hard hit ball, but Abreu couldn't play the carom well.

Update, 9:03 pm- Can't do anything about that, Roberts made a nice play to rob Cano of a hit that might have scored A-Rod. To the 3rd inning we go with the O's ahead 1-0.

Update, 9:17 pm- A "Paul O'Neill" chant broke out as he was seen walking.

Update, 9:24 pm- Johnny Damon hit a 3-run homerun over the short porch in right. scoring Matsui and Molina. Last homerun at Yankee Stadium? Maybe.

Update, 9:50 pm- Robinson Cano just walked for the 2nd time in 4 games. Prior to that, he went 98 consecutive at-bats without a walk (26 games).

Update, 9:53 pm- Jose Molina is now the last person to hit a homerun at Yankee Stadium, into Monument Park. That was Molina's 3rd homerun of the season, and it came at a wonderful time for him.

Update, 10:00 pm- We are nearing the point in the game in which the lever will be pulled for the final time. My guess is Bernie, but it's up in the air. Wouldn't be surprised to have it be George Steinbrenner.

Update, 10:04 pm- Well, it looks like they're gonna pull it at the end of the game.

Update, 10:16 pm- Girardi just took out Pettitte in the middle of the 6th inning, mainly to get a final cheer from the fans, but he did allow 7 hits in his 5 innings. He's getting some applause from the crowd. Too bad ESPN focused on Peter Gammons interviewing David Wells and David Cone.

Update, 10:20 pm- Kevin Millar struck out once in the at-bat (whistle sounded) but he only had 2 strikes apparently. The next pitch from Jose Veras was a strike right down the middle for a called strike 3. The whistle sounded again.

Update, 10:29 pm- Girardi is bringing in Phil Coke now. Veras threw 2/3 of an inning and walked 1.

Update, 10:32 pm- And Phil Coke does it again, striking out Brian Roberts. That makes it 11 consecutive scoreless innings for Coke. Remember he was originally in the Nady/Marte deal.

Update, 10:51 pm- Phil Coke did his job and is done. Joba Chamberlain entered the game with a huge ovation.

Update, 10:53 pm- I just read this on Pete Abraham's blog on Lohud that Michael Kay pulled the lever.

Update, 10:54 pm- Jeter made a pretty nice play to get the 2nd out of the 7th inning.

Update, 10:56 pm- And who is singing the final "God Bless America" at Yankee Stadium? Why, none other than Ronan Tynan. I guess it's better than Kate Smith.

Update, 11:10 pm- Wasn't the prettiest way to knock in a run, but Giambi did it. It's a line drive in the box score at least. 6-3 Yankees and the O's keep making pitching changes.

Update, 11:15 pm- Boy, Brett Gardner is fast. Running on the play, he goes from 1st to 3rd on a misplayed ground ball by Brandon Fahey (the ball stayed in the infield by the way).

Update, 11:17 pm- Robinson Cano just recorded a sacrifice fly, scoring Gardner. It is now 7-3 Yankees. If Joba has a successful 8th inning and Girardi brings in Mo for the 9th, it would be a great way to end the history of Yankee Stadium. No save situation by the way.

Update, 11:26 pm- And Mariano warms up for the final time at Yankee Stadium.

Update, 11:31 pm- Now, Mariano Rivera enters the field for the final time at Yankee Stadium to the tune of Metallica's "Enter Sandman." I just wish ESPN didn't cut to a commercial break so we can soak it all in.

Update, 11:38 pm- Girardi pulled Jeter so he could get an enormous ovation from the crowd. A site to be seen. He gave the crowd one last curtain call as he exited the game.

Update, 11:40 pm- And there it is, the final game at Yankee Stadium. It worked out to Girardi's plan, having Pettitte pitch and leave with an ovation and bring in Mariano to close out the game.
Some little tidbits:
Babe Ruth said, "I hit the first homerun at Yankee Stadium. God only knows who will hit the last one."
Well, the last person to hit a homerun at Yankee Stadium was Jose Molina.
The last hit at Yankee Stadium: Jason Giambi
The last run scored at Yankee Stadium: Brett Gardner
The last out recorded at Yankee Stadium: A groundout hit by Brian Roberts. 3-unassisted to defensive replacement 1B Cody Ransom.

A Farewell to Yankee Stadium

I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I do find it depressing that the final game at Yankee Stadium will not be played in the month of October. Yankee Stadium is rich in history. The World Series was played there in 39 years of its history. It hosted 4 All-Star games. It was home to Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle. Munson, Mattingly, Rizzuto, Murcer. Reggie, Whitey, Red, Lefty. Elston Howard, Bill Dickey, Doc, Paul O’Neill, Tino, Roger. Bernie, Jeter, Jorge, Mo. Mel Allen and Bob Sheppard. The façade, the bleacher creatures, the 2-strike clap, and the monuments were founded. Perfection has been accomplished here.

With the new Yankee Stadium opening up in 2009, here is a list of the greatest moments in Yankee Stadium. Before I reveal my top moments, here are some notable moments that were not in the top 10. Roger Maris’ 61st homerun, Derek Jeter’s dive into the stands, David Cone’s and David Wells’ perfect games. Curt Schilling’s bloody sock performance in the 2004 ALCS, Nelson Mandela’s speech, Notre Dame vs. Army football game, the boxing matches, the concerts, the movies and television shows filmed, and the papal visits. Those were key highlights in the illustrious history of Yankee Stadium, but not the most prominent in its history.

10. July 15, 2008 (The 2008 All-Star Game)
Commissioner Bud Selig thought it would be a good idea to play the All-Star game in Yankee Stadium in its final season. The game was an instant classic. The All-Star futures game and other festivities were great, but the Homerun Derby was also astounding, including Josh Hamilton’s memorable performance by hitting 28 homeruns in the 1st round of the Derby, several of which measured over 500 feet in distance. Hamilton lost to Justin Morneau in the finals and many thought the Homerun Derby could not be topped. The pre-game ceremonies in the All-Star game were unforgettable. 49 living Hall-of-Famers attended the game as a celebration to the final season at the House that Ruth Built. It was a commemoration of the past stars and present stars in baseball history. The game began as a pitcher’s duel, scoreless through 4 innings. Matt Holliday broke the tie in the 5th with a solo homerun. In the 7th inning, J.D. Drew of the Boston Redsox had a clutch at-bat, hitting a game-tying 2-run homerun off Reds’ pitcher Edinson Volquez. Jon Papelbon entered the All-Star game with controversy, saying that he wanted to close out the game in such situation instead of Yankees’ pitcher Mariano Rivera. Padres’ first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly off Papelbon in the 8th inning. In the bottom half, Rays’ rookie hitter Evan Longoria was sent to the plate as a pinch-hitter and hit a game-tying ground-rule double. Mariano Rivera was brought into the game though no save situation and was stupendous. Rivera pitched 1.2 innings with 2 strikeouts. The game went on, inning after inning. The American League had many missed opportunities in extras, failing to score in bases loaded, nobody out chances. Marlins’ 2nd baseman Dan Uggla had a game to forget, making 3 errors in the field in the extra innings. In the bottom of the 15th inning, Michael Young hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to end the game, scoring Morneau. The game was over 4:50 in time. J.D. Drew was awarded the All-Star game MVP.

9. July 24, 1983 (George Brett’s Pine-Tar Game)
An ordinary game between the Yankees and the Royals turned out to be one of the most-renowned games in baseball history. In the 9th inning of the game, the Yankees had a 4-3 lead with Goose Gossage on the mound. George Brett stepped up to the plate with a runner on and hit a rocket over the fence to give the Royals a 5-4 lead. After Brett crossed the plate, Yankees’ manager Billy Martin came out to talk to the umpires, questioning whether Brett had the proper amount of pine tar on his bat. Umpire Tim McClelland took the bat and measured it against home plate. After the measurement, it became aware that he used too much pine tar. The umpires ruled Brett out and the homerun nullified. Brett, in one of the most notorious outrages in baseball, and maybe even sports history, stormed out of the dugout furiously and fought with the umpires. The Royals later protested the game and it was upheld by American League president Lee MacPhail. The game was later resumed on August 18, 1983 with the Royals up 5-4 with the homerun standing in the 9th inning with Brett ejected for his actions. The Royals won the game 5-4, on George Brett’s homerun.

8A. December 28, 1958 (The Colts-Giants NFL Title Game)
This game has been classified as the greatest football game ever played. On December 28, 1958, the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts clashed at Yankee Stadium. The high-powered Colts’ offense and the strong Giants’ defense was the main headline entering the game. The Colts were up 14-3 at halftime, but late in the game, the Giants came back courtesy of a Frank Gifford touchdown run, which gave them a 17-14 lead. Johnny Unitas led the Colts to a late drive, but ended in a game-tying field goal. Tied after regulation, the game went into sudden-death overtime, something that had not occurred before. In overtime, Johnny Unitas and the Colts had a long, 80 yard drive to the Giants’ 2 yard line. At the 2, running back Alan Ameche ran the ball into the end zone, giving the Colts the 23-17 victory in front of over 64,000 fans.

8B. June 22, 1938 (Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling Boxing Match; The Second Fight)
This was one of the most historical boxing matches of all time, and it took place at Yankee Stadium. It was American Joe Louis against German Max Schmeling. The match was known as “American freedom vs. Hitler’s Third Reich.” It was American Freedom vs. Aryan Dominance. Their first fight took place June 19, 1936, also at Yankee Stadium and Schmeling won in 12 rounds. This fight would be totally different. Louis came right out of the corner on fire, hitting Schmeling directly several times. Hits to the head and the jaw sent Schmeling to the ground in only the first round. 2 minutes and 4 seconds was the duration of the classic fight. Louis got his redemption against Schmeling. This was more than a boxing match between an American and a German. This was a boxing match that led to “world supremacy.”

7. October 9, 1996 (Jeffrey Maier’s Catch)
The Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles clashed in an ALCS battle in the 1996 postseason. The Yankees, led by new manager Joe Torre had looked to play in their first World Series since the 1980s. In the 8th inning of game 1, Derek Jeter stepped up to the plate. Jeter hit a long fly ball to deep right field. Orioles’ outfielder Tony Tarasco was on the warning track and leaped for the ball, but did not make the catch. Instead, 12-year old Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence to grab the ball. It was ruled a homerun, but Tarasco thought it would be ruled fan interference. The umpires upheld the ruling of a homerun and it turned out to be the first of many clutch hits for Jeter. Maier’s catch tied the game and allowed the Yankees to win it in extra innings on a walk-off homerun by Bernie Williams. Maier’s catch was all over the tabloids and he became famous for it.

6. October 14, 1976 (Chris Chambliss’ Homerun)
George Steinbrenner had been frustrated with his ballclub, seeing as how they had not won a World Series since the 1960s. However, the Yankees and the Royals were in another historical game, but this time in the playoffs. In the decisive game 5 of the 1976 ALCS, the Yankees had a 6-3 lead going into the 8th inning. George Brett hit a game-tying 3-run homerun. With the game tied at 6, Chris Chambliss stepped up to the plate. Royals’ pitcher Mark Littell delivered a pitch, and Chambliss cranked it over the right-center field wall for a homerun. The homerun propelled the Yankees to the World Series. The lasting image of the game is the fans storming the field, celebrating as Chambliss rounded the bases. This is my personal favorite Yankee Stadium moment, mainly because of the crowd’s reaction.

5. October 18, 1977 (Reggie Jackson’s 3-Homerun Game)
The Yankees faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 World Series. The Yankees entered the game with a 3-2 series lead. In one of the most significant years in New York history with the Son-of-Sam murderer, there needed to be some ray of light on the mind of a typical New Yorker in 1977. Luckily, Reggie Jackson gave hope. Jackson had hit 2 homeruns in the series already, but this game was something special. In game 6 of the World Series, Reggie Jackson stepped up to the plate in the 4th inning. The Dodgers were up 3-2 at the time. Jackson hit the first pitch he saw from the Burt Hooton offering over the fence, giving the Yankees a 4-3 lead. In the 5th inning, Jackson stepped up to the plate again, but this time to a new pitcher, Elias Sosa. It was no difference for Jackson, the same result occurred, a 2-run homerun on the first pitch of the at bat. With the Yankees up 7-3 in the 8th inning, Jackson made his last at-bat of the World Series. He made that just as special: a solo homerun that traveled an estimated 475 feet. Reggie’s 3-homerun game is one of the best performances in World Series history.

4. July 4, 1939 (Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech)
Lou Gehrig, known as the “Iron Horse”, played in 2130 consecutive games. Gehrig was a Yankee legend, hitting 493 career homeruns. He was a 2-time AL MVP award winner and had 6 World Series rings. His career was cut short due to a disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is now known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” ALS can cause paralysis and has no cure. On June 21, 1939, Gehrig announced his retirement from the sport. Less than 2 weeks later, Gehrig announced his goodbyes. Gehrig said “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth” in his farewell speech. Those 13 words live on in the hearts of many Gehrig supporters and Yankee fans. The day he proclaimed his departure, the Yankees retired the number 4 that he wore in his honor. Applause for Gehrig was given for nearly 2 minutes. A bit less than 2 years after he declared his retirement, Gehrig died of the disease he was suffering from.

3. October 16, 2003 (Aaron Boone’s Homerun)
The Yankees and the Redsox had already engaged on one of the most crucial series in their rivalry that had several brawls already, but game 7 of the 2003 ALCS was something else. The Redsox jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and knocked out Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens out of the ballgame early. The Yankees came back with 2 homeruns by Jason Giambi which was the Yankees’ first 2 runs of the game. In the 8th inning, Redsox manager Grady Little made a questionable decision leaving in pitcher Pedro Martinez to face Hideki Matsui with 2 on. Matsui doubled, scoring Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams, cutting the deficit from 3 runs to only 1. Little left in Martinez to face catcher Jorge Posada, but that proved unsuccessful for the Redsox as Posada hit a bloop double down the right field line that scored Matsui and tied the game at 5. The field was shaking with cheers. The Yankees brought in Mariano Rivera, their closer, to pitch 3 innings of game 7. Rivera did so, allowing no runs to the Boston hitters. In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Yankees sent up Aaron Boone, who was earlier inserted into the game as a pinch runner. Redsox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who had pitched a scoreless 10th inning, delivered the pitch to Boone. The first pitch of the at-bat, Boone made contact. The ball sailed down the left field line, staying fair, and going over the wall in left field. Boone’s walk-off homerun sealed the Yankees’ victory and sent them to the World Series in come-from-behind fashion. Though the Yankees ended up losing the 2003 World Series to the Marlins in 6 games, the ALCS will never be forgotten.

2. October 30, 2001 – November 1, 2001 (2001 World Series Heroics)
September 11, 2001 was one of the most frightening days in the lives of an American. 4 commercial flights were hijacked by extremists in the middle-east. 2 of them crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, 1 of them into the Pentagon in the Washington DC area, and 1 of them in a field in Pennsylvania. America needed some reassurance that it was safe and worry-free. On October 30, 2001, President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Derek Jeter. Chants of “U-S-A” were heard amongst the sell-out crowd. The Yankees won that game over the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 courtesy of a Scott Brosius RBI single in the 6th inning. In game 4 of the World Series, Halloween night, the Yankees were trailing in the 9th inning 3-1. With Paul O’Neill on first, Tino Martinez stepped up to the plate. Tino hit the pitch from Byung-Hyun Kim over the right-center field wall for a game-tying homerun. In the bottom of the 10th inning, still tied at 3, Derek Jeter came up to the plate. As the clock struck midnight on Halloween, baseball had reached where it had not gone before: November. At midnight, Derek Jeter hit Kim’s pitch over the short porch in right field for a walk-off homerun. Jeter became known as “Mr. November” for that clutch hit. With the series tied at 2, game 5 also took place at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees found themselves down by 2 runs again heading into the 9th inning. With Jorge Posada on base, Scott Brosius hit a deep fly ball off Kim over the left field fence for a game-tying homerun. Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees’ 2nd baseman at the time, drove in Chuck Knoblauch for the game-winning run. Knoblauch pinch ran for designated hitter David Justice earlier in the game. Although the Yankees lost the World Series in 7 games to Arizona, the heroics by Tino, Jeter, and Brosius will live in history.

1. October 8, 1956 (Don Larsen’s Perfect Game)
In game 5 of the 1956 World Series between the Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, Don Larsen took the mound. Previously in the series, Larsen allowed 4 runs in 2 innings. Even Larsen was surprised that he would be pitching the critical game. Larsen had a perfect game going through the first 3 innings, and it would be like that for the next 3, and the next 2. Larsen went into the 9th inning, facing the minimum 24 batters. Larsen was just 1 batter away from the first no-hitter in postseason history, let alone World Series history. Dale Mitchell was the batter for Brooklyn who was the last to face Larsen in game 5. Larsen threw a 1-2 pitch on the outside part of the plate for strike 3. Catcher Yogi Berra leaped into Larsen’s arms in celebration. Larsen threw a mere 97 pitches in his effort. Larsen’s perfect game earned him the World Series MVP award for the 1956 World Series. The crowd of over 64,000 cheered as the Yankees celebrated perfection. The Yankees won the World Series in 7 games, but Larsen’s perfect game is the highlight of it.

Matt Center