Major League Baseball 2011

[ampersand]

So who deserved the fate that karma has brought them more: Jeter or Pujols?

Me, I'm going with Jeter. No way you try to manufacture a guarantee that you can hit the 3,000th hit in Yankee Stadium. Now, this is actually a blessing for the Yankees: they'll actually play better now that they don't have to drag Jeter around for a good six weeks or more.

[Calus]

Not only that, but anyone who gets gold gloves for having no range should have karma against them.

[The Cid]

I for one wouldn't say Brady, Manning, or even Unitas would be the greatest QB ever(I would go with Mr Graham myself).

Most of the time I find myself hard-pressed to choose a "best ever," like with quarterbacks. (There are too many to choose from. You named four and didn't even mention Joe Montana. How could I choose any of those guys head and shoulders above the rest? Particularly as my personal bias isn't too keen on Brady or Manning.)

The only positions throughout sports I feel confident in choosing who I think is the best ever are: best NFL kicker (Adam Vinateiri), best MLB pitcher (Paige), closer (Mariano Rivera), DH (David Ortiz), and ballpark* (Fenway Park), best use of size (Shaq), best three point shooter* (Ray Allen), best trophy (the Stanley Cup), best hockey enforcer** (Dave Schultz), greatest player in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history*** (Derrick Brooks), greatest college hockey venue*** (Matthews Arena)

* - Pick may be biased by my favorite teams.
** - Pick entirely based on one documentary and a whole lot of anecdotal evidence.
*** - It's entirely possible I'm the only person who cares about these last two.

So who deserved the fate that karma has brought them more: Jeter or Pujols?

Tough call. Pujols decided that being the best player in baseball for six straight seasons wasn't enough to bring into contract negotiations, and that greed may cost him depending on how GMs across baseball feel about his injury. (If it's something that can flare up again and again, Pujols won't have as many suitors as he should this offseason and stands to make less.) But of course I'll go with my bias and say Jeter.

Well, it's not just bias. There's a little more to it. See, I feel like Derek Jeter willingly surrendered a superpower. You don't come back from that.

In 2009, Jeter had what was likely his most productive season ever. Hit .334, got on base at a .406 clip, hit 18 home runs, stole 30 bases, and hit over .400 in the World Series. In 2010, he hit .270 with a slugging percentage at .370, the lowest of his career to that point. Didn't hit over .300 in either of the Yankees' 2010 playoff series. This year? He's injured, and before he got hurt he was hitting .231.

So what changed between 2009 and 2010? Well, it's simple: Derek Jeter got engaged. After the 2010 season, he actually married. I'm convinced that this ruined his whole career. Not because I feel like marriage ruins everything, but consider Jeter's unique case. Since 1996, Derek Jeter had been the most eligible bachelor in New York City. He could have had--and to his credit, he did have--pretty much any woman he wanted in the United States at any point in time. Like hailing a cab for most of us. Then, in the offseason of 2009, two things happened: Jeter got engaged, and Tiger Woods shanked his Escalade into the trees. So not only did Jeter get engaged, he saw exactly what happens to prominent athletes that are caught cheating on their wives. In other words, his days of playing Supermodel Bingo were immediately over.

So when Jeter's having a rough streak now, he can't fall back on his quest outside of baseball (to plow through Maxim's Hot 100 every year) or his status as Baseball's James Bond. Bond never had a wife to explain crap to. Jeter does now. And ever since he chose to do that, he hasn't been the same guy on the baseball field.

[Calus]

So tonight is the duel of the month. Lee with his .27 ERA for June vs Beckett with his 1.86 ERA for the season. Anyone shocked if this ends up being a 10-9 game?

[ampersand]

Sorry. I was just floored that Manny was named a creditor in the Dodgers' bankruptcy proceeding. He hasn't been a credit to anyone in a long while. Or is that too soon?

But yes, I think it should be at least a 6-5 game of some sort. Of course, this means it will be 0-0 affair going into the ninth with no one even getting a walk, let alone a hit, and some TV announcer will rave it as as the game of the year at least.

[The Cid]

So tonight is the duel of the month. Lee with his .27 ERA for June vs Beckett with his 1.86 ERA for the season. Anyone shocked if this ends up being a 10-9 game?

It's warm (the ball tends to carry better in warm weather), the Phillies play in a home park not known for cavernous dimensions, and both lineups are loaded with guys who are capable of hitting home runs. I don't care who's pitching, football scores between the Red Sox and Phillies right now are always a possibility.

[Calus]

The Phillies Pitching has been so nasty that Crashburn Alley used a Roflcopter for Bastardo 400+ for ERA+

Then Cliff Lee throws a third straight complete game shutout. Yep, Roflcopter!

[The Cid]

I wonder if the rest of baseball will take note that teams that do not seem altogether concerned with pitch counts (the Phillies and Rangers in particular) aren't ravaged by injuries and don't show any signs of slowing down.

Probably not. We'll probably see pitchers on 100 pitch limits for another ten years while Phillies pitching creates their very own Cy Young monopoly.

[MyopicMike]

Everytime I see that Bastardo guy pitch -- which I admit, isn't often -- I find it hilarious how the announcers really work so hard trying not to have to say his name. >.>;

The only concern I have for the Phillies (other than they aren't Boston and Boston is my team so they're the best, of course) is down the line, all of the pitching they've amassed is going to start to get old. They(tm) say that hitters get older sooner now with steroids out of the game, that giving Pujols a long contract, for example, means paying for low-production years towards the end. Wouldn't this hold true for pitchers as well? Not that I think the Phillies guys have juiced (and even if they had, who the heck didn't), but if hitters are slowing down, pitchers should slow down as well. Two of the 'Big Three' are 32+ now. Cole Hamels is a younger guy, but Oswalt's an old guy too. If Father Time catches these guys sooner than the GM making the deals thought, you're looking at a lot of money tied into a much more down-to-earth rotation than you've got now. All those bucks for the undisputed top-notch best rotation in baseball is one thing, but if it's not gonna be Top-5 or Top-10 material...

But until that happens, we're all looking up at those Phillies, and most likely they'll all just pitch until they're 40 and everyone else is SOL. /BosoxPessimism

The only positions throughout sports I feel confident in choosing who I think is the best ever are... ballpark* (Fenway Park), best use of size (Shaq), best three point shooter* (Ray Allen)...

Fixed. Ray Allen has the prettiest jump shot, period! Maybe Reggie Miller comes close...

But Shaq? Best use of his size? He was like twenty feet tall and 500 pounds, and his averages were right around those of Charles Barkley, who was only as tall as MJ (6-6). I think Barkley made the absolute most of his size. 6-6, a deuce-fifty, and he brought all of it when rippin' down those boards. I have to say, though, I'd rather watch Shaq play then Barkley...sometimes you got Angry Shaq, sometimes you got Goofy Shaq, sometimes you got "Everyone-says-i'm-too-fat-for-Phoenix-watch-me-sprint-my-arse-off" Shaq. But it was always fun to watch.

Also, Fenway is AWESOME. I finally got to go see a home game two years ago, last game of the season. The Green Mosnter is...it's so BIG. I mean, you see it on TV, and its like "Okay, yeah, it's big," but in person...that was so cool. And where else do they sell clam chowder in the stands, huh? Popcorn, Hot Dogs, pffft. CLAM CHOWDER! My friend went to college right down the road from Fenway, so when I went to visit her it was a really short walk down the road. And the T took me right to my hotel -- never been to Boston before in my life, and the only big city I'd been to was Richmond (which has laughable public transit). I've been to Boston again since, for Anime Boston, and you could still see the Citgo sign from the hotel -- and despite knowing how the heck to get there, I know I could have gotten there on the T. The one trip I took to Anaheim (for Final Fantasy XI FanFest), it was a $100 cab ride and a long, bouncy, carsick-inducing bus ride just to get to and from the airport. AWFUL.

And there's no tax in grocery stores. A $1.00 cup of ramen costs $1.00. Not $1.15 like it does in Virginia. I -love- Boston. \^^/

[The Cid]

Everytime I see that Bastardo guy pitch -- which I admit, isn't often -- I find it hilarious how the announcers really work so hard trying not to have to say his name. >.>;

Antonio Bastardo is penciled in for a slot on my All-Name Team for the entirety of his MLB career. That's nearly a Coco Crisp-quality name.

They(tm) say that hitters get older sooner now with steroids out of the game, that giving Pujols a long contract, for example, means paying for low-production years towards the end. Wouldn't this hold true for pitchers as well?

Depends on the pitcher. A pitcher that isn't in great shape to begin with and isn't known for pushing themselves particularly hard in the offseason isn't likely to pitch into his late thirties, but a pitcher like Cliff Lee who works tirelessly and who only attained success later in his career is a safer bet. (Halladay's up in the air, because he works hard and doesn't have an injury history, but he pitches deeper into games than anybody else in the days of pitch-count obsession.)

If Father Time catches these guys sooner than the GM making the deals thought, you're looking at a lot of money tied into a much more down-to-earth rotation than you've got now.

You're also talking about a team that plays in the NL East, a division where one of the teams is a front office disaster (the Mets), one spends less money than any other team in baseball despite not being in a tiny market (the Marlins), one is entirely reliant on Jason Hayward turning into Ken Griffey Junior circa 1995 (the Braves), and who knows whether the Nationals will ever put it together? Looking ahead to the future, the Phillies can continue to smile for quite some time. There's no Yankees or Rays for them to have to constantly outrun.

But until that happens, we're all looking up at those Phillies, and most likely they'll all just pitch until they're 40 and everyone else is SOL. /BosoxPessimism

Yeah, but aren't you really hoping to see the Phillies again in the World Series? I really feel like the Red Sox need a new rival, at least for a few years. Sure, the Yankees are still around, but they're such a boring and businesslike team now that it's just not any fun. Philadelphia sports fans are nuts, the Phillies are a fun team to watch (really, don't they kind of remind you of the Red Sox right now?), and there hasn't been a competitive World Series in almost ten years. Bring on the Phillies.

But Shaq? Best use of his size?

The Lakers won several titles in large part because Shaq was as big as Shaq is. Lots of great players that used their size, but size was really the only thing that made Shaquille O'Neal a premier basketball player. But he was. He was unstoppable in his prime, pretty much just because he was so obscenely enormous. Can't say that of Sir Charles, Jordan, or The Incomparable Bill Russell. Shaq survived and thrived just on being big, and being big made him one of the greatest players of his era.

Also, Fenway is AWESOME.

It's really like nothing else. We Red Sox fans can get full of ourselves from time to time--or more often than that really--but Fenway doesn't screw around.

I've been to Boston again since, for Anime Boston, and you could still see the Citgo sign from the hotel

Anime Boston led to my favorite day on the T ever. Packed train, packed stations, and suddenly we go through one all but filled with cosplayers. I didn't know the convention was in town, so it just cracked me up and made my day.

[ampersand]

Whenever I'm in Columbia, my friend ---an hardcore Cards fan --- and I talk a lot of baseball. And we're amazed at how close the Pirates are in the Central race. One to two games out of the lead, and they've been playing very well. We don't think they'll continue to hug it close to the lead (shared by St. Louis and Milwaukee) , but it makes the race that much more interesting.

Also watched the Cubs (bad) and Washington (worse) and the Cubs find another way to lose.

[The Cid]

And we're amazed at how close the Pirates are in the Central race. One to two games out of the lead, and they've been playing very well. We don't think they'll continue to hug it close to the lead (shared by St. Louis and Milwaukee) , but it makes the race that much more interesting.

Wait until the end of the month. If the Pirates have not traded away their best player or two or three (or more--and I'm hardly even joking), then it's a good story. Until then, it's yet another chance for Robert Nutting to take a gigantic dump on the City of Pittsburgh, the Pirates franchise, Major League Baseball and all the teams that pay into the luxury tax.

[The Cid]

Too bad ESPN doesn't have a trade machine for baseball like they do for basketball. I'd love to illustrate these trades that I would make if I ran various contenders.

The Tampa Bay Rays trade B.J. Upton to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jose Tabata.

I'd make this deal for the Rays because Upton doesn't get on base regularly enough to be the leadoff hitter they need in the absence of Carl Crawford. Meanwhile, Upton's production will get better in the National League Central where he faces fewer top pitchers, and if the Pirates are actually serious they can use Upton as a potential long-term compliment to Andrew McCutcheon. Their only problem would be figuring out which of those two would get to play Center.

The Boston Red Sox trade JD Drew and Michael Bowden to the Atlanta Braves for Derek Lowe.

Given the strain Jon Lester just suffered, the roller coaster that is Jon Lackey, the presence of Tim Wakefield in the rotation and questions about how many innings Andrew Miller can pitch, the Red Sox could use a solid ground ball pitcher to solidify their pitching rotation. They also need to make sure Lowe doesn't end up in the Bronx, but that doesn't seem likely (even if it IS the trade no Red Sox fan ever wants the Yankees to make). This is even less likely than the Upton-Tabata trade. Drew would help Atlanta's lineup to some degree, and Bowden's a buy-low guy with a lot of talent.

...Okay, just to be fair...
The New York Yankees trade Joba Chamberlain to the Atlanta Braves for Derek Lowe.

Straight-up. It'd save Atlanta some money, Chamberlain's coming into his own and would only get better in the NL, and you have to understand how clutch in big games Lowe has been throughout his career. (All other things equal, Boston would have lost the 2004 ALCS without Lowe. He also ended the Oakland A's' season in 2003 by getting three outs with the bases loaded and a narrow lead, ended the Chicago Cubs' season a couple years ago as a Dodger, and he's been a front-end pitcher on a contending team every year since 2002.) No other pitcher makes sense, but of course the rumors are all about bigger names. I would want no part of the Yankees in the playoffs if Lowe was suddenly their #3 or #4 playoff guy.

...One more Lowe trade can't hurt!
The Detroit Tigers trade Jose Valverde to the Atlanta Braves for Derek Lowe.

Detroit can replace their closer with the young All Name Team candidate that is Al Alburqueque. That division is ripe for the taking, and one more pitcher would put the Tigers over the top. Also, a ground ball pitcher in Comerica Park is downright unfair.

Now for some bigger names and bigger trades. Who wants Jose Reyes?
The Texas Rangers trade Elvis Andrus and Derek Holland to the New York Mets for Jose Reyes.

Now we're talkin'. Andrus and Holland are talented young players, but the Rangers are ready now and a true leadoff hitter could make them a real powerhouse. Don't worry, I'll get Nolan Ryan a new pitcher. Check it out:
The Texas Rangers trade Nelson Cruz to the San Francisco Giants for Barry Zito (with SF eating some of that contract) and Jonathan Sanchez. Zito's a washout but the Rangers won't be paying that whole contract. Sanchez is a great pitcher for Ryan's system, because he throws very hard and goes for the swinging K in a way that Ryan would appreciate. He's hurt at the moment, but again we're just trying to replace Derek Holland's lost potential. (And potential only goes so far. Just ask Scott Kazmir, who the Rangers or Mets should also pick off the scrap heap.)

Moar Reyes trades plz!
The San Francisco Giants trade Madison Bumgarner, Miguel Tejada, and Jonathan Sanchez to the New York Mets for Jose Reyes.

Competing against myself, I had to top that Ranger package and I believe I've done that. The Giants need to target every bat available at open positions and play an MLB-wide game of Go Fish.

The Chicago White Sox trade Alexei "the Cuban Missile" Ramirez, Jesse Crain, John Danks and possibly Gavin Floyd as well to the Mets for Reyes.

I'd still take the Giants' offer if I were the Mets.

The Philadelphia Phillies trade nobody to any team for any reason.

This team is good enough to win the World Series right now. Personnel isn't their problem. Invest in extra team trainers if it will keep them healthy, but that's about all they need to do. This belief that they have to get a bat is insane. Dominic Brown is that bat. If they make a significant trade they'd have to let their one remaining high end prospect go. That's not a good idea.

Now for a couple of extreme "never in a million years" trades.
Sensing doom, the Milwaukee Brewers trade Prince Fielder during the best stretch of his career to San Francisco for Bumgarner, Sanchez and a high-ranking prospect.

San Francisco would be paying a king's ransom for Fielder, but this would give them the ability to simply re-sign Fielder rather than getting involved with Albert Pujols, their park is built specifically for lefty power hitters, and the Brewers would get more for Fielder than they could possibly get in compensatory draft picks.

The Pittsburgh Pirates trade Lyle Overbay, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez and Kevin Correja to Seattle for Felix Hernandez.

Alvarez hasn't shown his potential at all, but he's still young. Tabata is fast, and Overbay can hit. Correja seems to have an uncanny ability to win games right now. This would only happen in a fictional world where the Pirates' owner is the least bit appreciative of the city that built him a free ballpark and continues to fill it. Also, make a fair-market offer to Jose Reyes and play up the Roberto Clemente connection.

One last one, just because of the little-known MLB rule that says this player must be traded every July.
The Cleveland Indians trade Orlando Cabrera to the San Francisco Giants for Freddy Sanchez.

Wouldn't make an ounce of sense, but it's the rules. Cabrera has to be inexplicably traded from contender to contender every year.

[The Cid]

Here's the Moneyball trailer. Almost put this in the upcoming movies thread, because it's an adaptation from a book.

Here are my problems:
-The Oakland A's appeared in one ALCS under Billy Beane. They lost. The Minnesota Twins have more playoff appearances since the book was released, the Tampa Bay Rays made a World Series and continue to frighten the giant markets in their division, the Marlins won in 2003. So Beane is the master of budgeting, farm systems and statistical embrace why again?

-We've already kissed Beane's ass enough. For ten years he's been one of baseball's resident geniuses. He's a smart GM, but really? He's going to be played by Brad Pitt in a hero role? Come on. Come on.

-Now that they've made a theme park ride into a mega-blockbuster series, turned Facebook into an Oscar nominee, and turned Moneyball into a hero story starring Brad Pitt, what's next?
American Idol: The Movie
The Wall: a non-musical film by David Lynch
The Daily Movie with Jon Stewart
Waffle Blocks: Rise of the Waffle Blocks
A Very Lego Passover

[ampersand]

I'd go with the Lego movie. They've made a better Harry Potter game than the actual movie.