07/06/2007
Sports Channel / Baseball Home / Bullz-Eye Home
The All Star break is the time of year that can rejuvenate folks as their team enters the home stretch. Or, if you root for a bad team, you’re just hoping for the old man to mosey down the prairie and put a slug in Old Yeller. While the All Star Game is a celebration if your team is successful, it’s a miserable reminder if your team is crap. But the great thing about baseball is that even if your team reminds you of stale garbage, the season isn’t over yet. Of course, we're not suggesting that your awful team has a chance to win the World Series…but at least they have a shot not to stink as much as they did in the season's first three months. Perhaps they’ll throw up that white flag, make some trades, fire the manager…ANYTHING to get you through the dog days of summer.
But unlike what your mom told you, you can learn things from baseball. After all, the season is a long one, so we must have picked up a tidbit or two at this point. Below are just 15 of the things we learned in the first half, and when you're done reading that, check out the 15 things to look for in the second half.
15) PRESEASON PREDICTIONS MEAN NOTHING: Baseball experts don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. And yes, that includes yours truly. One thing I thought I knew before the season was that the Blue Jays and Orioles couldn’t pitch, but they’d stay in some games because of their offense. I guess the joke is on me. Toronto has a team batting average of .257, well below where I thought they’d be at this point (see #10). The Orioles, with shortstop Miguel Tejada (right) on the DL, are hitting .268 as a team, but they’ve only scored 383 runs so far. Only the White Sox, Royals and A’s have scored fewer in the American League. Plus, the Orioles are second to last in home runs with 64 to this point. Only the Royals are worse.
The surprising thing is that the pitching has been decent. The Blue Jays have seen significant injuries to their pitching staff yet they still own a 4.32 ERA, fifth best in the AL, and the Orioles have good stuff. The league is hitting just .248 against Baltimore pitching. The problem continues to be the walks; only Texas pitchers have allowed more free passes.
14) ADAM DUNN STINKS: Very few players have come along who put up more meaningless stats than Reds outfielder Adam Dunn. If the Reds lose 11-4, you can bet Dunn cranked out a couple of dingers in the process. This is a man who once didn’t have a sac fly until Labor Day! For two years the Reds have been holding onto Dunn at the trade deadline for reasons I can’t explain. He has a lifetime batting average of .247, and while he has hit 40 or more homers three times in his seven-year career, he’s never driven in more than 102 runs. He struck out 194 times last season…and that wasn’t even his career high. Reds GM Wayne Krivsky needs to run, not walk, to the nearest trade partner and make a deal because, for some reason, the baseball “experts” still think Adam Dunn has value.
13) ANDRUW JONES IS LOSING MONEY BY THE GAME: Going into the season, free agent-to-be Andruw Jones was set to make a lot of cash. He’s hit for tons of power the last couple of years, and according to some, plays the best centerfield in the majors. But to say this season has been a disappointment would be an understatement. Playing on a Braves team that’s struggling to score runs, Jones is hitting just .199 on the season. He’s looked awful, striking out 87 times as of this writing. He also seems to take his poor plate appearances into the field with him. It’s clear to me I’m not watching the same fielder I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. The Braves took a lot of heat before the season for not locking Jones up long term. Looks like they made the right call. Any team that commits a multi-year deal to the 30-year-old Jones after the season will have some explaining to do if things don’t work out.
12) LOU PINIELLA IS CRAZY: I can’t remember a more dysfunctional team than the 2007 Chicago Cubs. (Well, maybe the Amazin’ Mets, but they were all high anyway.) This is clearly a case of a team taking its cues from the manager. Lou Piniella has done a lot during his many years in baseball, but he’s also failed to get the job done more than a few times. I know he won in Cincinnati, but he couldn’t win the big one in Seattle when they were stocked with talent. Ichiro was on the rise, Edgar Martinez was lining balls all over the field, Bret Boone was at the height of his ‘roid rage…it was great. But the big game always seemed to elude Sweet Lou. Then he went to Tampa, and while he wasn’t given much to work with, he certainly didn’t make the best of a bad situation. Now he’s in Chicago, propped up like the savior of the franchise, and he’s one step away from the loony bin. How can his team be expected to control their emotions when their manager throws temper tantrums that would make a five year old feel mature?
On his watch, Carlos Zambrano (right) lost his mind quicker than usual, Derrek Lee punched like a girl, Michael Barrett brawled and argued with his own pitchers, and Lou himself kicked dirt onto an umpire. Perhaps the game has passed Lou by. I could be eating crow if the Cubs manage to have a nice second half in a bad division, but I really think this team is too dysfunctional to make any sort of substantial move.
11) BUD WANTS BARRY TO GO AWAY: We’re coming up on record breaking time, and we still haven’t heard if The Commish will be in attendance. Can't you just picture Bud Selig calling up federal prosecutors daily: “Gonna indict him today? Please!!!”
Bud can’t seem to figure out what he wants. First, he ignores steroids, thinking this is a problem that will eventually bury itself. Then he hires George Mitchell to investigate, prompting MLB officials to live in the past and dig up information nobody seems to care about. Now he’s back to ignoring the problem by not even acknowledging Barry Bonds is close to breaking the home run record.
While many of us have been very candid about our hatred for Barry Bonds, steroids have and probably will always be a part of modern sports. Yes, Bonds was pharmaceutically enhanced, but so were many of the pitchers he cranked out the homers against. You can’t take away numbers and ignore records. The beauty of baseball is that the fans have final say in their own minds. At this point, it's safe to assume that Bonds benefited from steroids, but so did an untold number of other players. The sooner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball accept this new home run record, the faster the game can move onto bigger and better things.
10) VERNON WELLS IS STEALING: I’ve always been a fan of the Toronto centerfielder, but this year he’s come up pretty small. After signing a seven-year, $126 dollar contract extension in the off-season, Wells is hitting just .255 with 12 homers and 46 knocked in. His on-base percentage is a horrid .313. The biggest red flag is that he has plenty of protection in the Blue Jays batting order. The Jays have several high-price players, but the ones making the cash aren’t producing the results. In addition to Wells, A.J. Burnett can’t seem to stay off the DL enough to justify his $13.2 million salary. Frank Thomas is making $5.6 million and hitting .247. B.J. Ryan is done for the season, but still takes home $7 million for 2007. Yuck. When did the Toronto Blue Jays turn into the Baltimore Orioles circa five years ago, spending big time money on aging veterans and guys with plenty of “potential” but very few results? Having cash to spend and spending it wisely are two different animals.
9) THE ASTROS STILL CAN’T HIT: Houston fans thought throwing gobs of cash at Carlos Lee was the answer. But it’s turned out to be another down year for the bats, despite playing in a very hitter-friendly ballpark. Lee certainly has done his job, hitting .295 with 16 homers and 72 knocked in. His teammates, however, have had a bit of a problem. Lance Berkman is way too good to still be hitting .263. Craig Biggio, Adam Everett (currently injured) and Morgan Ensberg have continued to disappoint. Unless the team can climb back into the race in a hurry, you could be looking at some moving parts come the trade deadline. A year and a half ago seems like a long time for Astros and White Sox fans (see #6).
8) JOHN SMOLTZ IS A HALL OF FAMER: Even though this was something I already knew, it’s nice to see some baseball writers finally turn the corner on the longtime Braves hurler. Many think getting to 200 wins was a major step to the Hall, but for me, it didn’t matter. I’ve always said that if I needed one guy to pitch a game with my life on the line, it would be John Smoltz. When it comes to big games, nobody is better. Even his postseason losses have rarely been his fault. He’s 15-4 all-time in the playoffs with a 2.65 ERA. His World Series ERA is even better at 2.47. By the way, he’s also saved 154 games in his 19-year career. His lifetime ERA is 3.27, which is astonishing when you factor in his injury problems. Seven-time All Star, 1996 Cy Young winner, 1992 NLCS MVP, 2002 Rolaids Relief Award, and a top-10 finish in ERA seven times. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will go down as the best pitchers on those great Braves teams, but in my mind it’ll always be John Smoltz. (And yes, if I were to tongue kiss a man, it would be Smoltz.)
7) JONATHAN PAPELBON IS THE BEST CLOSER IN BASEBALL: He’s a starter, he’s a closer. He’s a starter again, and he’s a closer again. It seems like it doesn’t matter where the Red Sox stick Jonathan Papelbon…he flat out produces. His first year as the stopper in 2006 saw Papelbon (right) net a 0.92 ERA with 35 saves. Shockingly enough, he only came in second for Rookie of the Year. (Some guy named Verlander took home the prize.) He’s had a great start to 2007, piling up 20 saves and a 1.69 ERA. As guys like Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman close out their Hall of Fame careers, Papelbon seems to be leading the next generation of closers. We’ll see if his stats hold up over the long term, but he certainly doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
6) THE WHITE SOX ARE A DISASTER: Hi, my name is Mike Ricordati, and I’m a White Sox fan. Feels good to get that off my chest. I can’t help but look at my White Sox mouse pad and wonder where it all went wrong. It’s hard to understand how this team could possibly be one of the worst teams in baseball. After all, they’re less than two years removed from a world championship with roughly the same roster. So…what the hell happened?! (Try and keep up.)
Scott Podsednik is always hurt, Jermaine Dye can’t hit, Jose Contreras is secretly 45 years old, A.J. Pierzynski is crazy, Juan Uribe is bad (and accused of shooting people), the bullpen is the worst in baseball, Paul Konerko can’t hit, Joe Crede is out for the year, Ozzie Guillen has lost his mind, and Jim Thome has been hurt. Now I’m tired.
With all that being said, get ready for a fire-sale very soon. Sox GM Kenny Williams has shown he has little patience and an itchy trigger finger. If he feels like someone won’t be in his plans for the future (Dye, Iguchi, Contreras), chances are they’ll be dealt. As for me…turns out I’ll have extra free time this summer with my team so far in the dumps. My wife will be so glad.
5) GOOD BULLPENS WIN GAMES: I always wonder how the Angels manage to win so many games with a mediocre offense and streaky starting rotation. It’s all about the ‘pen, baby. Scot Shields, the best set-up man in the game, has an ERA of 1.81, allowing just 25 hits in 44.7 innings. Frankie Rodriguez (right) has nailed down 24 ballgames so far. And better things are on the horizon when Justin Speier (1.69 ERA in 15 appearances) returns after the break. The only cause for concern is that the relievers have been used quite a bit so far. The Angels need better starts from guys like Ervin Santana and Bartolo Colon to take some of the pressure off the bullpen.
4) FAUSTO CARMONA IS THE REAL DEAL: Most of us remember the meltdowns Fausto Carmona experienced last season as the trial-by-fire closer for the Indians. He didn’t just blow games…Fausto invented new ways to lose. I thought this kid was done. After all, it takes a special kind of crazy to put bad outings like that out of your head. But he’s been excellent as a member of the starting rotation this season, even surprising his own team with an 9-4 record and a 3.78 ERA, numbers good enough to headline a lot of starting rotations in this game.
I had a chance to visit with the Indians down in Winter Haven before the season. There was a lot of talk about guys like Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers and C.C. Sabathia. While Sabathia is on track for Cy Young consideration, Lee has battled injuries and Sowers is back in the minors. Nobody was talking about Carmona, who only broke camp with the team because of injuries. He’s proved his mental toughness by coming back for more after some massive meltdowns. If the Indians are gonna play with the Tigers all year, Fausto will most certainly be one of the keys.
3) CARDINALS CURSE: Coming off a championship, nobody thought the Cardinals would have the type of season they’ve had to this point. The offense wasn’t there, Chris Carpenter goes down with an injury, Tony LaRussa is charged with a DUI, Albert Pujols (right) isn’t being Albert Pujols, and one of their pitchers passes away. Not much of a celebration.
The loss of relief pitcher Josh Hancock will likely stay with this team all year. He wasn’t the best pitcher on the team or even the most popular, but it’s a pain that takes some time to heal. It makes you examine your own drinking patterns, and some of the players (and, ahem, the manager) probably don’t like what they see. Perhaps they’re trying to change their own lifestyle while still being expected to perform at a high level on the field. It certainly doesn’t help when the manager of the team was found slumped behind the wheel during spring training. The first half of 2007 definitely was a challenge for the Cardinals, but amazingly, even though they’re well below the .500 mark, the N.L. Central title isn’t out of reach yet. We’ll see if St. Louis is active come trade time.
2) ELIJAH DUKES SHOULD HAVE A REALITY SHOW: It’s sad…but kinda funny. He’s been charged with marijuana possession, assault, and resisting an officer. His wife filed a restraining order against him because he apparently threatened to kill her. A 17-year-old foster child, who was living in the care of a relative, accused him of impregnating her. When she finally had the courage to tell Dukes she was pregnant, he threw a Gatorade bottle at her. Dukes is 22 years old, but already has five children via four different women. CLASSY.
Oh, and the Devil Rays have no plans to release him, though they did recently send him down.
1) ROGER CLEMENS LIKES MONEY: The Rocket signing with the Yankees for a pro-rated $28 million was clearly the biggest story of the first half. Even though Clemens claims he’s all about the team and all about winning another championship, I think we all know Roger is out for Roger. He can’t bear to see a guy like Greg Maddux continue to climb up the win ladder while he plays catch with the kids in the backyard. The Rocket also said he had no idea his new Yankee contract had a travel clause and his presence was optional on days he wasn’t pitching. I especially enjoyed his return to Yankee Stadium, greeting his subjects from the emperor’s box. “Friends, Romans, countrymen…lend me your ears!”
Only time will tell if the Yankees made a good investment for 2007. But I’m sure we’ll be having this same conversation about Clemens one year from now…when he holds baseball hostage again for another small fortune.