by Slate Quicksilver
Busy busy busy past weekend and busy week coming up.
But not long ago I lamented what could have been Joe Mauer's eventual flight to a big market team, but here's to him and the Twins for getting it done.
Both sides did get it done. Good for him, and good for the Twins for giving their franchise a direction for the next decade. 184 million over 8 years seems high, but Joe Mauer certainly deserves a pay raise. Most importantly for Mauer, he got a full no trade clause.
Whether he will regret that in 4 or 5 years... we'll see.
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Shaking off the Baseball Rust
by Jon Shepherd
Sorry to be the one to bear the news, but Slate is currently warping across the Attican Traverse fighting aliens of all kinds in an effort to restore galactic peace and civility. He might be back in about 2 weeks, but honestly it'll take at least 60 game hours of high action, deep intrigue and a really good chance at getting it on in space. Trust me, I know, he even does the stupid side missions meant just waste your time. All of them.
Anyway I was given some instructions to talk about baseball.
Did you know that pitchers and catchers report in 2 weeks? Seriously. The Super Bowl hasn't even been played yet and baseball is starting to get ready. That being said, a ton of moves have been this offseason and eventually this site will try to unravel the confusion and eventually they will even make some predictions.
Here's a teaser for you: The Nationals will easily lose 105 games while Adam Dunn rolls on to being a top 20 fantasy baseball player. It will be done solely because Adam Dunn is a cool guy and everyone feels bad for him for being stuck in the nation's capital.
Baseball will be more than just an occasional talking point on this fine site. In fact, there is an official PLS fantasy baseball league wherein we will keep you updated as to the goings-ons. They all, including Annie, love baseball and talking about it gives each one a varying degree of pleasure. Full disclosure: Talking about the Yankees gives Red a raging clue.
Anyway, Slate will be back eventually. Right now he is on approach to the Citadel in the Serpent Nebula. 52 hours and counting.
Sorry to be the one to bear the news, but Slate is currently warping across the Attican Traverse fighting aliens of all kinds in an effort to restore galactic peace and civility. He might be back in about 2 weeks, but honestly it'll take at least 60 game hours of high action, deep intrigue and a really good chance at getting it on in space. Trust me, I know, he even does the stupid side missions meant just waste your time. All of them.
Anyway I was given some instructions to talk about baseball.
Did you know that pitchers and catchers report in 2 weeks? Seriously. The Super Bowl hasn't even been played yet and baseball is starting to get ready. That being said, a ton of moves have been this offseason and eventually this site will try to unravel the confusion and eventually they will even make some predictions.
Here's a teaser for you: The Nationals will easily lose 105 games while Adam Dunn rolls on to being a top 20 fantasy baseball player. It will be done solely because Adam Dunn is a cool guy and everyone feels bad for him for being stuck in the nation's capital.
Baseball will be more than just an occasional talking point on this fine site. In fact, there is an official PLS fantasy baseball league wherein we will keep you updated as to the goings-ons. They all, including Annie, love baseball and talking about it gives each one a varying degree of pleasure. Full disclosure: Talking about the Yankees gives Red a raging clue.
Anyway, Slate will be back eventually. Right now he is on approach to the Citadel in the Serpent Nebula. 52 hours and counting.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Lamentation on the Near-Inevitability on Alex Rodriguez: World Series Champion
Posted by Iroquois Pliksen
So, it appears that Brad Lidge's Albert Pujols-redux performance last night will be the final nail in the coffin containing a back-to-back World Series championship for Philly. For most baseball fans, this World Series between two eminently unlikable teams (this is the Mets' fans personal hell, after all) and two even more eminently unlikable fanbases is just a necessary evil to get to the offseason (really, do we want Philly lording two WS titles in two years?). Plus, this totally ruins my favorite joke of the (Year X- 2001) year old Yankees fan wondering if they will ever win a World Series in his lifetime. Time to swap in some more agreeable fanbase (Chicago Cubs? Tampa Bay Rays?), I suppose.
The thing that is most upsetting, though, is that Alex Rodriguez appears to be within the grasp of acquiring his first World Series ring. Your author is of the opinion that A-Rod traded championships for cash back when he signed that quarter of a billion dollar contract with the Rangers in 2001. To be perfectly clear, I don't begrudge the man for getting paid; we should all be so lucky to be in such high demand. He should have realized, though, that his albatross of a contract killed financial flexibility and that he could not have expected a super competitive team when his contract exceeds the GDP of some smaller nations in a sport, though uncapped, is limited in its financial resources.
It wasn't a particular surprise to this sports fan when A-Rod joined the NYY; he fit right in with the culture of the mercenaries-for-hire that permeated the Yankees since Paul O'Neill had retired. For a while, it seemed like his surly attitude, devil-may-care demeanor, and morbid self-obsession permeated the clubhouse. The Derek Jeters of the world, who I believe plays the game the right way (and I am alone in that opinion; no one else has ever said that before) and probably is a genuinely nice guy making the most of his God-given talents, were being crushed by the megalomaniac A-Rod. It doesn't need to be said that his obsession with himself caused his well-documented postseason failures. That, however, appears as if it will change in one game.
Listen, the Yankees are playing the best baseball at the right time of the year. Mariano Rivera, if not the MVP of the World Series, certainly is cementing his reputation as the gold standard of closers. That's tough to say, but the man has a beautiful cut fastball that is nigh unhittable and has arguably done more for the team in the World Series than A-Rod has in the entire playoffs. Hopefully, game recognize game and the MVP is awarded to the rightful candidate, not the redemption candidate.
So, it appears that Brad Lidge's Albert Pujols-redux performance last night will be the final nail in the coffin containing a back-to-back World Series championship for Philly. For most baseball fans, this World Series between two eminently unlikable teams (this is the Mets' fans personal hell, after all) and two even more eminently unlikable fanbases is just a necessary evil to get to the offseason (really, do we want Philly lording two WS titles in two years?). Plus, this totally ruins my favorite joke of the (Year X- 2001) year old Yankees fan wondering if they will ever win a World Series in his lifetime. Time to swap in some more agreeable fanbase (Chicago Cubs? Tampa Bay Rays?), I suppose.
The thing that is most upsetting, though, is that Alex Rodriguez appears to be within the grasp of acquiring his first World Series ring. Your author is of the opinion that A-Rod traded championships for cash back when he signed that quarter of a billion dollar contract with the Rangers in 2001. To be perfectly clear, I don't begrudge the man for getting paid; we should all be so lucky to be in such high demand. He should have realized, though, that his albatross of a contract killed financial flexibility and that he could not have expected a super competitive team when his contract exceeds the GDP of some smaller nations in a sport, though uncapped, is limited in its financial resources.
It wasn't a particular surprise to this sports fan when A-Rod joined the NYY; he fit right in with the culture of the mercenaries-for-hire that permeated the Yankees since Paul O'Neill had retired. For a while, it seemed like his surly attitude, devil-may-care demeanor, and morbid self-obsession permeated the clubhouse. The Derek Jeters of the world, who I believe plays the game the right way (and I am alone in that opinion; no one else has ever said that before) and probably is a genuinely nice guy making the most of his God-given talents, were being crushed by the megalomaniac A-Rod. It doesn't need to be said that his obsession with himself caused his well-documented postseason failures. That, however, appears as if it will change in one game.
Listen, the Yankees are playing the best baseball at the right time of the year. Mariano Rivera, if not the MVP of the World Series, certainly is cementing his reputation as the gold standard of closers. That's tough to say, but the man has a beautiful cut fastball that is nigh unhittable and has arguably done more for the team in the World Series than A-Rod has in the entire playoffs. Hopefully, game recognize game and the MVP is awarded to the rightful candidate, not the redemption candidate.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Fightin' Phils / Dodging Lads NLCS Preview
Posted by Iroquois Plisken
First, a confession. After summarily dismissing West Coast teams from the playoffs, they made like the GEICO gecko and said, "'ay! This random, Intahnet bloggah ain't givin' us enough credit for our outstandin' seasons. This makes us angry; let's all win our series and go give him whatfor!" Mea culpa, Left Coast. Serenade the streets of L.A. and all that.
The pressure is on Philly to win back to back World Series since Joe Torre's Yankees did it from 1998-2000. (Where does Joe Torre sound so familiar again? Right, the Dodgers manager.) To be fair, they do stand a great chance of repeating a visit to the World Series. After all, Philly did take down the Dodgers in 5 last year and return virtually the same team, including the venerable Jamie Moyer, upset earlier in the season when he told Pedro Martinez to manicure his lawn or to get off. That probably isn't what he said, but he was upset and old, nonetheless.
That being said, there are some differences in the series from the prior year. The Dodgers have the homefield advantage this time around and their team is much improved. Matt Kemp has exploded onto the scene this year, replacing Manny Ramirez's production, who went on maternity leave. Russell Martin was conspicuously absent this year and is perhaps the only true liability in the lineup. The Dodgers pitching is notably strong, though with Vicente Padilla being a bit erratic in replacing Hiroki Kuroda, it may be somewhat less so.
These teams are about as even as can be. The Phillies scored, on average, 0.3 more runs and the Dodgers allow about 0.75 runs less than the Phils. Both have tremendous power in their lineups and pitching staffs who have been somewhat troubled by injury in the postseason (Kuroda, the Philly pen in general, J.A. Happ), though I may argue that the Phillies' overall power is better on the basis of their demigod status from the left side of the plate. The Dodgers bench is deep, though, and we could see a resurgence of postseason Manny anytime. This ought to be a pretty intense series.
On the basis of personal feelings, the desire to see a LAD/NYY series (with the spectre of Torre and the actuality of Torre being omnipresent on the series), and Ned Coletti's public service mustache,
DODGERS IN SIX.
First, a confession. After summarily dismissing West Coast teams from the playoffs, they made like the GEICO gecko and said, "'ay! This random, Intahnet bloggah ain't givin' us enough credit for our outstandin' seasons. This makes us angry; let's all win our series and go give him whatfor!" Mea culpa, Left Coast. Serenade the streets of L.A. and all that.
The pressure is on Philly to win back to back World Series since Joe Torre's Yankees did it from 1998-2000. (Where does Joe Torre sound so familiar again? Right, the Dodgers manager.) To be fair, they do stand a great chance of repeating a visit to the World Series. After all, Philly did take down the Dodgers in 5 last year and return virtually the same team, including the venerable Jamie Moyer, upset earlier in the season when he told Pedro Martinez to manicure his lawn or to get off. That probably isn't what he said, but he was upset and old, nonetheless.
That being said, there are some differences in the series from the prior year. The Dodgers have the homefield advantage this time around and their team is much improved. Matt Kemp has exploded onto the scene this year, replacing Manny Ramirez's production, who went on maternity leave. Russell Martin was conspicuously absent this year and is perhaps the only true liability in the lineup. The Dodgers pitching is notably strong, though with Vicente Padilla being a bit erratic in replacing Hiroki Kuroda, it may be somewhat less so.
These teams are about as even as can be. The Phillies scored, on average, 0.3 more runs and the Dodgers allow about 0.75 runs less than the Phils. Both have tremendous power in their lineups and pitching staffs who have been somewhat troubled by injury in the postseason (Kuroda, the Philly pen in general, J.A. Happ), though I may argue that the Phillies' overall power is better on the basis of their demigod status from the left side of the plate. The Dodgers bench is deep, though, and we could see a resurgence of postseason Manny anytime. This ought to be a pretty intense series.
On the basis of personal feelings, the desire to see a LAD/NYY series (with the spectre of Torre and the actuality of Torre being omnipresent on the series), and Ned Coletti's public service mustache,
DODGERS IN SIX.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Yeast Coast Bias: Why the West Coast Will Be A Sideshow in the 2009 MLB Playoffs
Posted by Iroquois Plisken
It will be stunning, really, if any team west of CST makes it past the Wild Card round of the playoffs this year. Truly, this is a safe prediction on my part; as of now, only Los Angeles and California qualifies among those who have clinched a playoff spot. Colorado is perilously close to missing the wildcard, thanks in no small part to a hard charge by the Atlanta Braves, a team that is moving quicker back to relevancy than General Sherman did to Atlanta itself. Should this happen, give all the credit in the world to that pitching staff. While Vazquez, Lowe, and Jurrjens shouldn't be confused with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, their incredible (especially Vazquez) performances this year and of late are the reason Atlanta is making such a push to be part of the postseason. Let us also acknowledge the horse that is Tommy Hanson. It truly is a testament to the Bravos stubbornness/patience to wait until July to recall the kid, as Hanson has won slightly more than every other start since being recalled. He has enough confidence and enough stuff to be a potential 2003 Josh Beckett in the playoffs.
That being said, let us analyze my picks for the A/NLCS games in beer form.
Boston Red Sox & Samuel Adams Octoberfest - Half of America's forced favorite rivalry, the team seems to be getting hot at the right time. This, of course, assumes they clinch with a magic number of 1. If Lester and Beckett maintain their forms of late and Andrew Daisuke Matsuzaka shows the ability he often demonstrated in the Far East Ball, the team will knock off the Angels. The Angels have been vulnerable to the heater this year and, let's face it, are hexed against the Sox in the postseason.
New York Yankees & Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55 - You were expecting someone else? Right now, they'd have to be considered the favorites. The other half of America's forced favorite rivalry, what more really needs to be said about them?
Atlanta Braves and Sweetwater Blue 420 - Call me crazy. I think they not only make the wild
card, but also beat the Phillies! I have nothing to back this up, especially since it is possible they won't have a 100 RBI man (McCann is pretty close...), but that pitching staff is lighting it up. They seem to have a 2007 Rockies vibe about them, and that's good enough for me.
St. Louis Cardinals and Busch - Surprised? Don't be. I picked Busch Heavy/Fat, depending on
your vernacular, because Fat Albert Pujols is showing all signs of being a robot or just flat-out superhuman. Carpenter and Wainwright, too, have been spectacular and conditions seem right for them to simply waltz back into the World Series.
While I don't pretend to state this is what actually will happen, note that even replacing the Braves with the Rockies still leaves a preponderance of baseball to CST or east. Get ready West Coasters for World Series games at 5 PM.
It will be stunning, really, if any team west of CST makes it past the Wild Card round of the playoffs this year. Truly, this is a safe prediction on my part; as of now, only Los Angeles and California qualifies among those who have clinched a playoff spot. Colorado is perilously close to missing the wildcard, thanks in no small part to a hard charge by the Atlanta Braves, a team that is moving quicker back to relevancy than General Sherman did to Atlanta itself. Should this happen, give all the credit in the world to that pitching staff. While Vazquez, Lowe, and Jurrjens shouldn't be confused with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, their incredible (especially Vazquez) performances this year and of late are the reason Atlanta is making such a push to be part of the postseason. Let us also acknowledge the horse that is Tommy Hanson. It truly is a testament to the Bravos stubbornness/patience to wait until July to recall the kid, as Hanson has won slightly more than every other start since being recalled. He has enough confidence and enough stuff to be a potential 2003 Josh Beckett in the playoffs.
That being said, let us analyze my picks for the A/NLCS games in beer form.
Boston Red Sox & Samuel Adams Octoberfest - Half of America's forced favorite rivalry, the team seems to be getting hot at the right time. This, of course, assumes they clinch with a magic number of 1. If Lester and Beckett maintain their forms of late and Andrew Daisuke Matsuzaka shows the ability he often demonstrated in the Far East Ball, the team will knock off the Angels. The Angels have been vulnerable to the heater this year and, let's face it, are hexed against the Sox in the postseason.
New York Yankees & Brooklyn Pennant Ale '55 - You were expecting someone else? Right now, they'd have to be considered the favorites. The other half of America's forced favorite rivalry, what more really needs to be said about them?
Atlanta Braves and Sweetwater Blue 420 - Call me crazy. I think they not only make the wild
card, but also beat the Phillies! I have nothing to back this up, especially since it is possible they won't have a 100 RBI man (McCann is pretty close...), but that pitching staff is lighting it up. They seem to have a 2007 Rockies vibe about them, and that's good enough for me.St. Louis Cardinals and Busch - Surprised? Don't be. I picked Busch Heavy/Fat, depending on
your vernacular, because Fat Albert Pujols is showing all signs of being a robot or just flat-out superhuman. Carpenter and Wainwright, too, have been spectacular and conditions seem right for them to simply waltz back into the World Series.While I don't pretend to state this is what actually will happen, note that even replacing the Braves with the Rockies still leaves a preponderance of baseball to CST or east. Get ready West Coasters for World Series games at 5 PM.
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