A.L. East
New York
Boston (Wild Card)
Toronto
Baltimore
Tampa Bay

I've seen lots of analysts predict this year to be the one in which Boston ends the Yank's dominance and 9-yr streak. Anything's possible I guess, but I'm more of a realist. I expect the Sox to come blazing out of the gates, as the Yankees struggle early with pitching injuries. But you know what? The Red Sox are a first-half team traditionally, and the Yankees are closers. So until I'm given a reason to expect otherwise, I expect more of the same. Toronto always has a chance to make some kind of noise, so who knows? Both the Orioles and the D'Rays blow. Tampa could be taken out of the league the day before the season started, and most people wouldn't realize it until midway through May. I really wish they would get rid of this team. THEY SUCK. And nobody watches them play, unless they are playing that particular person's favorite team. Honestly, do YOU know any D'Ray fans? Likely not. Let's move on with the predictions.


A.L. Central
Chicago
Cleveland
Detroit
Minnesota
K.C.

This is a great division, should be wildly competetive. Only thing I know for sure is that K.C. will finish last.

A.L. West
Anaheim (I mean L.A.)
Oakland
Texas
Seattle

Angels are good, Seattle not so good.

N.L. East
New York
Philly
Florida
Atlanta
DC

N.L. Central
St. Louis
Cincinnati
Chicago
Milwaukee
Houston
Pittsburgh

Cubs won't be able to buy this one. After all, they're still the Cubs. Although, I'm pulling for them to get it right at least once in my lifetime, since my beloved Red Sox were able to accomplish the impossible.


N.L. West
Los Angeles
Arizona (Wild Card)
San Diego
San Francisco
Colorado

The Diamondbacks have a lot of talent.


WORLD SERIES

Dodgers over White Sox

So there it is. No better or worse than any other fool's prediction. That's why they play the games.

You think you know better than me? Let's see it.

So the Red Sox are moving Jonathon Papelbon back to his closer role. This is going to **vastly** improve their shitty bullpen, but....

I really don't like this idea. He was rocking as a closer last year, before wearing out at the end and inevitably was shut down for the last month or so. Not suprising why, either. The guy was pitching every other night or more, and throwing heat every time. The bottom line is- he's a starting pitcher, and while he was amazing as a closer, they're over-using the arm of their best young pitching prospect. Thinking too much about this year and not the long-term.

I don't like it. But now that this is the way it is, we have Julian Tavarez as number 5. Pewwww. Time to shell out the big bucks for Roger, or hope that Lester can make it back sooner than later.

I don't like it.

Labels: clemens, papelbon, red sox

There's been a few good baseball movies over the years and a lot of really bad ones. I'm going to concentrate my list on a of the few good ones. How about that?

Major League

Bull Durham

Field Of Dreams

Baseball by Ken Burns

One of the biggest baseball stories of this week is the arrest of Tony La Russa on DUI charges. By now, I'm sure you know the story. He was found asleep at the wheel with his foot on the brake at a stoplight. Obviously, that is a very dangerous situation in which La Russa could have injured or killed himself or other drivers.

As a fan of the Cardinals, I'm sort of split on my emotions. I have always been on the fence about La Russa as a manager. His resume and career record shows that he knows what he is doing, yet he makes some very bold and curious decisions at times. Decisions that don't always pan out, causing much scrutiny from the fans. One of my buddies even calls him "La Stupid."

But as a person, La Russa has proved throughout his career that he is a very thoughtful and caring person. He and his wife started the Animal Rescue Foundation and he is very active with that outside of baseball. And never before in his career has he been arrested, until the other day.

Obviously, drinking and driving is a very irresponsible act that unfortunately happens quite regularly. La Russa is very lucky that the consequences of his actions were just an arrest and public scorn, as opposed to something much worse, such as an accident involving other drivers. La Russa knows his mistake and he knows that it was a dumb decision. We've all made dumb decisions in our life, just like La Russa. However, we are not the third-winningest manager in major league history, as well as a two time World Champion, including the manager of the most recent championship club.

Albert Pujols spoke in public support of La Russa in today's St. Louis Post Dispatch. Pujols is known for not drinking, so for him to back his manager, that is an important move for the club to move forward. Pujols is one of the leaders of the team. It lets everyone else know that regardless of the circumstance, Pujols will not let it affect his on-field performance and that it should not let it affect anyone else's performance on the club. As the Cardinals start their title defense, the best thing Pujols could do was say what he did.

Regardless, La Russa will have to live with the legal consequences of his actions, as well as the public ridicule he will get from opposing team's fans, as well as Cardinals fans. Cardinals fans have always been split on their opinion of La Russa, and the La Russa-haters will have even more to talk about now. Sure, this was the first time La Russa has messed up in such a way off of the field, even after 28 years of managing. But the fact of the matter is, something much worse could have happened, and La Russa is a very lucky man that it didn't. The best thing for La Russa and the Cardinals is to get back out on the field and start their title defense.

Best of luck to La Russa as he deals with the legal proceedings and everything else that he will deal with in the near future.

Labels: DUI, La Russa, La Stupid, St. Louis Cardinals

Bill James Handbook 2007 - Ol' Bill James is a hero to baseball stat geeks like myself.

Baseball Prospectus 2007 - Predictions for 2007.

Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster - This is targeted at fantasy baseball players.

Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball - This has every single statistic from 1901 to present day.

ESPN's Baseball Encyclopedia - 4th Edition - 1824 pages.

Watch every single Major League Baseball game this season on your computer with MLB TV. Well you can't actually watch them all at once (although with the Premium version you can watch 6 games at once.) But you can watch anyone you want to at any time.

click on the friendly banner below to be taken to MLB Website and go to the MLB TV's sign up thingy. (Click on the link to go to MLB.com and then go to the MLB TV link.)

Baseball had been around awhile before the baseball glove was first introduced in 1875 and it was quite awhile longer after that that it became standard practice.

Early baseball gloves were very simple when you compare them to the baseball gloves of today. Early gloves weren't intended to help catch the ball but only to provide some padding. In fact early gloves were designed with the idea of knocking the ball down rather than catching it. Obviously the baseball of this time period was a far different game than the one we know today.

The first baseball gloves were made from pieces of leather that were sown together to fit over a player's hand. There was no padding to speak of.

Gloves evolved slowly over time adding more and more cushion and becoming bigger.

At first there were only a few players wearing gloves and these players were called "sissies" and taunted as being "too soft." If ever there was proof of Einstein's theory of relativity, my friends, this was it. Now of course gloves are a part of the game.

Ah, what's next, baseball helmets?

Good lord the Houston Texans are retarded. They just traded for Matt Schuab from the Falcons and I think they've been drinking again. For reason of sanity, I have included the draft pick value chart values on all picks exchanged:

Swap Pick 1.8 (1400) for Pick 1.10 (1300)
Pick 2.39 510
2008 2nd round (Lets assume the Texans lose a lot, duh) about 520 more points.

So about 1130 Draft points, which is between 1.13 (1150) and 1.14 (1100). After a certain draft guffaw last year (Reggie Bush is laughing somewhere, probably making it rain or whatever) of not trading down to take Mario Williams and burning out the equivalent of a mid second rounder for nothing. (The Saints knew you were tools and wouldn't have traded anyways)

BRAVO!

So what can you get with a 1.13 pick?
2003:
1.22 Rex "Sex Cannon" Grossman

YOU'RE TOTALLY SCREWED NOW.

Labels: Draft Nerdage, NFL

C- Ramon Hernandez (100)
1B- Albert Pujols (1)
2B- Josh Barfield (80)
SS- Carlos Guillen (40)
3B- Garrett Atkins (41)
OF- Lance Berkman (21)
OF- Juan Pierre (61)
OF- Dave Roberts (120)
UTIL- Brian Giles (140)
UTIL- Edwin Encarnacion (160)

SP- Roy Oswalt (20)
SP- Dan Haren (60)
SP- Barry Zito (101)
RP- Takashi Saito (81)
RP- Jason Isrignhausen (121)
RP- Adam Wainwright (141)

BE- Chris Capuano (161)
BE- Andy Pettite (180)
BE- Orlando Caberera (181)
BE- Johnny Estrada (200)
BE- Jacques Jones (201)
BE- Soloman Torres (220)

This league is on ESPN and I drew the first pick of the draft. In the second round, the order reversed, and it continued this way throughout the draft. I had picks 1 and then 20, 21, etc.

I was going to draft Chase Utley is I drew anything but the first pick in the draft because he is heads above any other second baseman in most stats. But since I drew the number once, I had to go with Albert Pujols.

The Jason Isringhausen pick is a little iffy, but I drafted Adam Wainwright as a backup. Wainwright will start in the rotation, but if Izzy gets hurt, look for Wainwright to go back to closing games like he did at the end of the regular season and throughout the playoffs. I'm a little worried about the Juan Pierre and Dave Roberts picks, but they are going to get me stolen bases, so they are useful in that department.

All in all, I felt I had a solid draft. I may have waited too long to grab a catcher, but I think Ramon Hernandez will suffice.

We'll see how "Hiram Bocachica and the Posse" does this season. I may post fantasy updates throughout the season. Let's see if I can regain my glory after a down year across the board for all of my fantasy teams.

Labels: Fantasy Baseball, Hiram Bocachica and the Posse

Providing coverage of terrible baseball teams, and ridiculing everything just doesn't provide the in-depth coverage you need to. Wait why the hell are you reading this? Before anyone posts any predictions on this season, I shall leave you the reader reasons to make fun of me and call me stupid. To do this I will go into a Yahoo League draft and post my heroic story of how I probably finished in 8th place and forgot to set my rotation for 3 weeks on a NyQuil bender.

Pick 5th out of 12
My Yahoo Draft:
1. (5) Chase Utley 2B (A bit high, but I wanted a middle infielder)
2. (20) Travis Hafner Util (Pronk)
3. (29) Joe Mauer C (Solidify the difficult to get positions first)
4. (44) Brandon Webb SP
5. (53) Carlos Delgado 1B
6. (68) Félix Hernández SP
7. (77) Carlos Guillén SS
8. (92) Jered Weaver SP (I hate the Angels)
9. (101) Dan Haren SP (Default Oakland Ace)
10. (116) Jonathan Papelbon RP (Starting but I can sneak him in as a reliever)
11. (125) Hank Blalock 3B (Some bastard took Chavez)
12. (140) Jim Thome Util (12th round, trade bait)
13. (149) J.D. Drew OF
14. (164) Coco Crisp OF
15. (173) Michael Cuddyer 1B,OF
16. (188) Barry Bonds OF (For Josh)
17. (197) Paul Lo Duca C (I thought he was eligible at 1b, oops)
18. (212) Taylor Tankersley RP (Marlins closer)
19. (221) Aubrey Huff 3B,OF (I think he should rebound, position eligible)
20. (236) Joel Piñeiro SP,RP (Possible Sox closer)
21. (245) Seth McClung SP,RP (Possible Devil Rays closer)

Thome in the 12 is retarded. Ridicule away!

~Mike

Labels: Fantasy Baseball, Inccorect Predictions

We are now less than two weeks away from opening night, Cardinals vs. Mets on April 1. That's 13 days, friends. Until then, let's take a look at the stories making news today.

Clemens Says He Will Not Announce Decision Until May

Roger Clemens, meet Brett Favre. Brett, meet Roger. I am sure you are both familiar with each other's body of work. You guys are two of the greatest atheletes at your respective positions. That being said, you both suck at making decisions.

We witnessed the same song and dance with Clemens last year. He didn't return until June to pitch for the Astros. And he has announced that if he is to pitch this year, he won't decide until May. In the AP story, he was quoted as saying something along the lines that the teams that are looking at him (Astros, Red Sox, Yankees) don't need him yet, anyway. He said that they need to take a look at where their rotations are at this point.

That may be true for the Sox and the Yanks, but the Astros? Behind Roy Oswalt they have Jason Jennings, Woody Williams, Wandy Rodriguez, and Fernando Nieve. Are you kidding me? The Astros need him WAY more than the Yanks or the Sox. If I was the Astros and I needed to take a look at my rotation, I'd drop top dollar for Clemens once I saw Wandy Rodriguez and Fernando Nieve bringing up the rear of the rotation.

And that is the thing about Clemens. Even if he does return to the Astros, he is hurting that team just by waiting. We saw it last year. The Astros lost the Central division by 1.5 games. If Clemens would have returned to baseball even just a few weeks earlier, the St. Louis Cardinals most likely never would have won the Championship, because they wouldn't have qualified for the playoffs. Clemens has always been the guy more concerned for himself than his team.

If he goes to the Red Sox or the Yankees, this argument really doesn't matter. They are loaded enough and both teams look to make a run at the playoffs. Regardless, we all know that once Roger Clemens makes his decision, the media coverage will be unbearable and order will be restored to the universe.

David "Boomer" Wells Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes

Boomer says that he has made several life changes, including cutting out alcohol. From the guy who pitched a perfect game with a hangover, that must be some kind of feat.

But in all seriousness, here's to hoping that Boomer will be around for years to continue all the stuff we, as fans, know him for.


Besides those two stories, not much has went on in the last few days. Apparently the Dodgers sent down a billionaire who doubles as a pitcher. I'll be back with my season predictions later on in the week. Until then, here's to hoping either A) tons of stories develop so I can rattle on about them or B) the next two weeks fly by and we'll all be celebrating Opening Day.

More than any other popular sport in America baseball has a long and storied history. It also has the oldest Hall of Fame.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum opened it's doors on June 12, 1939 in Cooperstown, New York.

There is a legend that that Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown which is why it was chosen as the location of the Hall of Fame. This legend was integral to the early marketing of the museum. It is now doubted by most baseball historians that this is actually true.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is actually a privately run institution and is not directly related with Major League Baseball. That being said Major League Baseball quickly saw the marketing potential of the Hall of Fame and has been very cooperative over the years with supplying memorabilia to the Hall.

Of course among most baseball fans the term Hall of Fame has more to do with the "Hall of Famers" that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame than with the actual physical building or museum in New York.

The first five Hall of Famers were inducted in 1936, three years before the museum opened. These five major league baseball legends were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson. As of 2007 there have been 227 players inducted into the Hall.

There are two ways to get into the Hall of Fame. A player can either be elected into the Hall by the Baseball Writers Association of America or by the Veterans Committee which is comprised of living Hall of Famers and recipients of the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for excellence in baseball writing.

To be voted in a player must be included on the ballots of 75% of the voters.

Other early inducted players include Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Cy Young in 1937. Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1938. Cap Anson, Willie Keeler, Charles Radbourn, George Sisler, Eddie Collins, Buck Ewing, and Lou Gehrig in 1939.

Usually players must be retired from the Major Leagues for 5 years before becoming eligible. Lou Gehrig was made an exception in 1939 due to his illness. Another exception was made in 1973 for Roberto Clemente due to his death in an airplane accident.

Recent inductees include Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripkin Jr., Wade Boggs, Ryne Sandberg, Paul Molitor, and Dennis Eckersley.

There is now much controversy over players such as Mark McGwire (who was passed over this year in his first year of eligibility) who are associated with the "Steroids Era "in baseball. Personally I think this is ridiculous for numerous reasons. One of them being that there's no way to tell who hasn't taken steroids. Another one being to act as if the steroids era is somehow in the past is to be as blind as we all were back in 1998.

If not for the steroids controversy certainly McGwire would have been voted into the Hall easily as his numbers are outstanding. McGwire is the all time leader in career home run ratio.

Other notable players who have not been inducted into the Hall because of some reason other than their skills on the field include Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Both shoe-ins otherwise.

And yes I think both of them should be in the hall too. I don't look to baseball for my "morals" and I find moralizing to be home ground for toads of all sorts. McGwire, Rose, and Jackson should all be in the hall due to the way they performed on the field. The rest of it just doesn't matter to me.

While throwing games is I think about the only bannable offense I don't think it was truly proven that Jackson threw any games. He hit .375 in the 1919 World Series and did not make any field errors.

Along with the inductees the Hall of Fame is also a Baseball Museum. According to the Hall they have over 300,000 visitors to their museum a year.

I figured it would all lead up to this. The Washington Nationals have a team that looks like it will be historically bad. 40-140 1962 Mets bad? Nah, but I think a bunch of terrible pitching records are going down. LOOK OUT ANTHONY YOUNG!

2006 Season
Well, Nick Johnson managed to escape the horror, and broke his leg slamming into Kearns the magical strike out dragon. Soriano put up the first 40-40-40 (Hr's, SB's, 2b's) season. GM Jim Bowden, when not drinking and driving around town, demanded 47 cases of Grey Goose for him, and was turned down. So instead of 2 or 3 prospects for him, you get a Sandwich pick in between the first and second draft round, and the Cubs' second rounder, since their first rounder is protected because they suck. WAY TO GO. Somehow Bowden tore the Reds apart in a trade, but the bullpen was pretty much gutted.

Offseason:
Soriano went to the land of magical rainbows and is now playing CF for comedy value. Jose Gullien managed not to strange anyone, and left for Seattle, Frank Robinson was replaced with Manny Acta, and Jose Vidro was sent to prison. Or the Mariners, I can't tell.

Now:
Virtually all leaders in every major statistical category for the team last year are gone, pitching and hitting. Every busted prospect in the history of time was invited to spring training so actually trying to figure out this lineup is like trying to take Dimitri Young's liquor away. (Please don't hit me like your wife) Since everyone but Patterson is only theoretically in existence, they're all pitching on short rest during spring training, which will lead to hilarious effects right around September when all their arms are dead. Patterson was one of the loophole bonus money kids, along with temporary offensively crippled teammate Travis Lee. He can't stay healthy anyway, which is going to lead to the most hilarious pitching staff beyond five fly ball pitchers on the Rockies. I suppose a bunch of players are battling for positions like Snelling vs Church for LF, and Nook Logan vs the cat that lives in the outfield for who can post a higher OBP. At least the cat will take pitches.

Projected Things:
Lineup:
2B Felipe Lopez
SS Cristian Guzman (WHAT? Isn't this a high OBP contact spot?)
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Austin Kearns (KKKKKKKKK)
1B Dimitri Young (Nick Johnson whenever he un-breaks)
CF Alex Escobar (I seriously hope they aren't starting Logan)
C Brian Schneider
LF Ryan Church

Bench, I guess?
OF Nook Logan (Vomits uncontrollably)
OF Chris Snelling
IF/OF Josh Wilson
C Jesus Flores (Rule 5 via Mets)
RF/LF/1B/3B/C Robert Fick

Rotation:
RHP John Patterson
RHP Shawn Hill
RHP Jason Simontacchi
LHP Matt Chico (Never pitched higher than AA)
RHP Jason Bergmann, Levale Speigner, Joel Hanrahan, Tim Redding, Jerome Williams

Bullpen:
Cl RHP Chad Cordero (Soon to be a Red Sox anyways)
SU: Jon Rauch (Have fun closing once a month)
I have no clue who the hell is making the rest of this team.


2007 Outlook:
Basically the Phillies, Marlins, Braves, and Mets are going to be taking open batting practice sessions. The Nationals have a strike out heavy offense, that could score decently. My own suggestion is finding a rocket and shooting Christian Guzman into the sun. Possibly something is acquired for Cordero from a closer needing team, which can be considered the basic life structure that in a few million years will evolve into a pitcher. Other than that, I hope the cat from the outfield does well.

Projection:
I've seen a number of projections on the Nationals so far. They range from horrible to holocaust. I don't think they'll quite make it to holocaust, maybe just Rape of Nanking horrible. I believe it was Mike Scioscia who said you win 1/3rd of your games, and you lose 1/3rd of your games, it's the last 1/3rd that determines how you finish. Lets make them almost all loses then shall we? 54-108.

Good luck with history kids! Here's Youppi:

LES EXPOS, NEVAR FORGET

Labels: Terrible, Washington Nationals, Worst Team Ever

Washington Post article

But 15 minutes later, at the end of a wide-ranging interview with reporters, a cheerful Angelos had said: He would not sell the Orioles anytime soon, the Washington Nationals have cut into his team's profits, he broke up trade talks involving Brian Roberts, he has asked for a salary cap to curb escalating salaries and he has been unfairly criticized by fans and media.

HAHAHAHAHAH, Sorry.

"I just thought that Brian should stay an Oriole, not that the front office didn't think so, they were looking at it from a standpoint of improving the ballclub," Angelos said. "And they may have been totally right. I looked on it as the retention of a player that came through our system and who is of such great value to the club for all the things that he does out there with the public. . . .

PRICELESS.

"...Clearly, we need a cap in baseball just like there is in all the other sports."

You Douche. Didn't you steal part of the National's broadcasting money? OH MAN, I'M SO BROKE. Jenkins? Could you get me that 100$ bill to light my Cuban cigar and bring me one of the 13 year old Bangcock children to molest?

Labels: Baltimore Orioles, Save us Obi Wan Ripken

Barry Bonds looks to be healthy and is hitting well this spring training. When projecting the upcoming season one must also consider that Bonds had a great spring training last year before getting the real season off to a bad start. Last year he happened upon injury prior to the start of the season. It looks like Bonds can still hit the cover off the ball he just has to stay healthy. At age 42 and with numerous health issues that is much easier said than done.

In 23 spring training at bats Bonds is hitting .348 with 4 home runs.

Labels: Barry Bonds

Just in case no one got my "It's S-o-o-o Reeeaaaaalllll" nickname for Sammy Sosa, let's take a gander of what I have found.

One of my all time favorite cheesy commercials.

Who is spending the most? #1 is the New York Yankees. No surprise there. But check out the astronomical difference between the Yankees and the rest of the list. Trying to buy a World Series much? How would the Yankees do if there was a salary cap one has to wonder.

Top 10 Highest Payrolls:

1 New York Yankees $194,663,079
2 Boston Red Sox $120,099,824
3 Los Angeles Angels $103,472,000
4 Chicago White Sox $102,750,667
5 New York Mets $101,084,963
6 Los Angeles Dodgers $98,447,187
7 Chicago Cubs $94,424,499
8 Houston Astros $92,551,503
9 Atlanta Braves $90,156,876
10 San Francisco Giants $90,056,419

With Spring Training winding down, I'm counting the days until my St. Louis Cardinals open the season against the New York Mets. But that doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of stuff going on now to talk about. A little recap of recent events.

Former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn Dies at 80

From what I can tell, this story just came across the wire not long ago. Kuhn's tenure as commissioner is mostly remembered for the beginning of the free agent era. He is also known for banning Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle for their connections to gambling casinos.

Pete Rose Says He Bet on the Reds Every Night He Managed

Alright, Pete, that's enough. First, you didn't do it. Then, no one had enough evidence to connect you to betting against your team. Then, as time was running out on your Hall of Fame chances, you said you did bet on your team. And now, with those chances pretty much long gone, you tell us that you bet on them to win....every night.

I don't know if this is some kind of ploy to get people to say, "Well, he had so much faith in his team that he bet on them to win every night." Or that you'll get some people to say, "If he bet on them to win, that means he probably didn't screw around with lineups/rotation to help them lose and make himself money."

Look, here's the thing: I respect Pete Rose for his hustle and his skill on the ball field. He is the all time hits leader, and who knows if that will be broken anytime soon? But watching Pete Rose go from "Charlie Hustle," to "That Guy Who Can't Keep His Story Straight," has been absolutely painful. I am one of those people who has always teetered on each side of the "should he be in the Hall?" argument, but this may cement my stance. If Pete Rose is trying to win people over, he's doing a miserable job at it.

I'd hate to see him go unrecognized for his accomplishments, but I also hate to see him screwing up everytime someone shoves a microphone in his face.

Gary Matthews, Jr. "Never Took HGH"

That's fine. That's what they all say. Whether Gary Matthews, Jr. is telling the truth or not, who knows? He played with 8 teams before heading to Texas and having a great season which parlayed into a $50 million contract. So even if he suffers through a lot of scrutiny, that $50 million is enough to ease his pain.

I would like to believe the guy. I would hope he isn't as dumb as Rafael Palmiero was in 2005 when he flat out denied any steroid use before testing positive for steroids a few months after that. But sadly enough, it's become our expectation as a fan to hear these things, causing us to decide whether or not the ballplayer is telling the truth.

Speaking of steroid scandal...

Sammy Sosa Re-Learns English

You remember Sammy "It's So-o-o-o Real" Sosa, don't you? The guy who was a shoeshiner in the Dominican Republic before coming to America, underwhelming with the White Sox before being traded to the Cubs and smacking 580-some-odd homers? The guy who was a media darling in 1998 for his brotherly relationship with Mark McGwire during the home run chase? The guy who had his bat explode on him, exposing cork? How about the one that, during his last game as a Chicago Cub, would leave the ballpark 15 minutes after the game began and then lied to everyone about it? The guy who was put in front of Congress in 2005, where he somehow forgot to speak English?

You got it now? Anyway, he's become a big story again for trying to latch on with the Rangers after he completely crashed headfirst into the Camden Yard sod during his one year tenure with the Orioles two years ago. And guess what? He can speak clear English again! And you know the best part? He doesn't need a lawyer to help him!

It looks likely that he'll be back on a big league club as he is probably the Rangers' best option at DH. So not only do we get to hear Sammy Sosa speak the English language again, we get to see more of that goofy hop he does out of the batter's box, and that tacky kiss thing he always does into the dugout camera after smacking a home run.

If Sammy can do it, surely Mark McGwire and Raffy Palmiero can too, eh? Who is with me?!

Since I know a few O's fan's, this one is for them. You poor sick freaks, enjoy forever in 4th place. I'll give you this one first. Jeffrey Maier went undrafted last year and is working odd baseball jobs. No, he's not dead. God still hates you for being the franchise that sent a 3'7" midget with the number 1/8 on his jersey up to bat.

Baltimore Orioles 2006 Season:
After being turned down by every free agent who didn't suck during the previous offseason the O's turned their attention to some guy who has a crazy stripper wife, oh yeah and Jeff Conine and self proclaimed "Idiot" Kevin Millar. With these amazing changes of course they finished 4th place for the 9th year in a row.

RF Nick Markakis had a really good rookie season, LHP Eric Bedard was the only consistent hope on the pitching staff. RHP Daniel Cabrera continued his bi-polar pitching, and RHP Rodrigo Lopez was fired directly into the sun after the season. Or Coors field, for pitchers there's little difference. 3B Mora didn't manage to Tom Brady any more Children, and suffered a slight regression, 2B Roberts seemed to take some time power wise recovering from surgery. We all know what Tejada did, so the lesson here is to leave Oakland A's players alone, you jerks. For all the O's fans demanding that they trade him, just remember this, he lead your team in, Batting Average, On-base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, OPS, Games, At Bats, Plate Appearances, Runs, Hits, Total Bases, Doubles, Home runs, RBIs, Singles, Adjusted OPS+, Runs Created, X-tra base hits, Times on base, and Intentional Walks. Not that any of those stats matter or anything. Closer Chris Ray showed that could handle the job, while the rest of the bullpen was actually Tee-Ball hitting Tees. Fans at the end of the season managed a walk out protest of management, Angelos responded by having the mail staff executed and turned into cheap dirt for the infield.

Off season:
Since the bullpen decided to let more people score than a drunken co-ed being date raped on the bathroom floor during spring break, the Orioles spend 42 million dollars on the bullpen. RHP Danys Báez will go into the set up role, and the rest of the bullpen is filled with relief pitchers that could possibly explode at any second. I recommend keeping them away from roofies and drunken frat boys. Starter-wise Mr. Anna Benson partially tore his rotator cuff, and it looks like he will be done for the season, so RHP Steve Trachsel was signed to, well I have no idea. Maybe they want to field a team of no longer needed Mets pitchers. This means they'll sign Pedro in about 2015. On offense, LF/CF Jay Payton was signed to patrol Left Field, and I guess sub for CF Corey Patterson whenever a lefty is pitching. OF/3B/1B Aubrey Huff found out that nobody wanted to pay him after his horrid second half on the Astros, and settled for the O's, mucking up the Payton signing. Payton previously had issues with being on the bench before he was traded to Oakland, so look for this to get hilarious.

Now:
The rotation of the outfield and first base is up in question, with who between Huff, Millar, and Payton will get the majority of the left field and first base time. Possibly going into a Payton rotates everywhere thing. Gibbons should be solidly stuck at DH with Millar and Huff both craptastic defenders. The bullpen should settle down after the unlawful carnal knowledge inflicted upon them. Lastly, Leo Mazzone gets to play Russian Roulette with the underwhelming control of his staff. Cabrera pitched much better when he wore glasses, 3RD WILD THING REFERENCE, and had lasers and shit fix his eyes in the off season. Wright had his best year under Mazzone with the Braves, which is how he got his stupid contract which the Yankees are mostly paying anyways. Bedard is the clear cut ace, and Penn/Lowen probably should get eye surgery also. I feel terrible for anyone in the stands near their pitching window, which is about the size of the non-existent Ozone layer hole that Fox News keeps telling me doesn't exist. Speaking of which, has anyone watched Fox News' retort to the Daily Show? THIS ugh, my brain. FAIR AND BALANCED!

Projected Line Up:
2B Brian Roberts
3B Melvin Mora
RF Nick Markakis
SS Miguel Tejada
1B Aubrey Huff/Kevin Millar
C Ramon Hernandez
DH Jay Gibbons
LF Jay Payton/Huff
CF Corey Patterson/Jay Payton

Bench:

OF Adam Stern
OF/2B Freddie Bynum
MI Chris Gómez
OF/IF Brandon Fahey
OF/1B Kevin Millar
C Paul Bako


Starting Rotation:
LHP Eric Bedard (WARNING: CANADIAN, LEFTY)
RHP Daniel Cabrera
LHP Adam Loewen (WARNING: CANADIAN, LEFTY)
RHP Jaret Wright
RHP Steve Trachsel/RHP Hayden Penn

Bullpen:
CL RHP Chris Ray
SU RHP Danys Báez
RHP Chad Bradford
LHP Jamie Walker
LHP Josh Parrish
RHP Todd Williams
RHP Scott Williamson

Help in the Minors:
Hayden Penn or Garrett Olson will probably start in the minors, and then be recalled when one of the pitcher's control goes away and they start launching baseballs into low earth orbit.

Adam Donachie C, was their Rule 5 draft pick, and the O's love rotating 5 thousand catchers for some reason. We'll see after spring training if they will try and carry him all year.

So now, clean Alomar's spit from your face, inject yourself with some horse steroids (Palmero), do some Viagra commercials (Raffy again), let a 13 year old steal deep fly balls, have some of the gay sex with Brady "STEROIDS" Anderson, pose for underwear ads (Palmer), let the manager of the year quit (Johnson), and go hunt down children with your SUV (Belle). It's 4th place time.

Projection:
Sammy Sosa can't magically shrink again, right? Oh, yeah Rangers now. I'm going to say that Bedard and Cabrera will have good seasons, but Lowen/Penn will crap out near the end and hit the rookie wall for pitchers. Enough improvement to stay in front of the Devil Rays unless Kashmir goes buckwild and throws 35 no hitters. Which, would be a slight breaking of Vandermeer's record. Anyways, 4th place, 10th losing season, and lets go with like 73 wins. The pitching staff, Markakis improving more this year, and hope for your lower level prospects to develop. Also, please for the love of God, trade the old people to sucker teams. If this fails, midgets are still banned, that won't work you tools.

I leave you now superfriends with a quote from John Wayne Gacy.

"You can kiss my ass." to the prison guard right before he was given tasty potassium chloride for being a naughty clown.

Toodles
~Mike

Labels: 4th place in the AL East, Baltimore Orioles

It would seem everyone else is doing season capsules on their favorite team. Being slightly retarded, and possibly drooling on myself right now, I have decided to instead review the horrible teams you wouldn't wish upon Hitler. If Hitler liked baseball. And he was alive. And not like in jail. And not taking it up the Nazi Strudel for cigarettes. I think you get the point now.

2007 Pittsburgh Pirates Season outlook (Stay away from lethal objects such as: toasters, loaded weapons, sharp objects, and DVD's of Sex in the City)

Out of 2006:
Well, they finished ahead of the Cubs, but that's kind of like beating your always cursed Dusty Baker pitching destroying little sister in baseball. Wait, that's exact ally it. It hasn't been a good decade since McGwire and Sosa made Hulk angry and Barry Bonds got all mad and turned green and went to San Francisco and smashing things. Freddy Sanchez somehow forgot that he was Freddy Sanchez and somehow lead the NL in batting average and doubles. The Pirates went 37-35 over the last portion of the 06 season to have their first winning record in any half of a season since 1992. Jason Bay needs help.

Off season moves:
Well, RF Xavier Nady possibly has an inflamed painful anus, but they somehow got rid of Oliver Perez's inflating ERA. So I guess that one is sort of even. Possibly because human sacrifice is not allowed in the Collective bargaining agreement, RP Dan Klob was not used as a sacrifice to clear out the vengeful ghosts of Sid Bream, he was instead signed to ruin their minor league prospects by osmosis. All-Star closer Mike Gonzalez was traded to the relief pitching desperate Braves for 1B Adam LaRoche. LaRoche finally stopped hitting like a girl last year, and showed really good power, also a Left handed power bat is something Jason Bay desperately needed before he is needed to take truckloads of Prozac. The trade seemingly is a good trade for both teams, assuming Laroche doesn't wake up wanting to wear a dress one day. Luis Matos was also signed, proving that he didn't die and just no one noticed. Yoslan Herrera from Cuba was signed and could help out in the rotation soon. Jose Hernadez was also signed for extra Strike out depth. I think. Also there's some pitcher who was traded for Pedro Martinez and Mike Stanley. Nothing much of note here, besides the funny inflamed anus.

Now:
Jeromy Burnitz retired, which is automatic improvement clearing RF for Inflamed Butt boy and stabilizing the outfield. The trade of Gonzalez leaves Salomón Torres as their closer by default. You may or may not recall him being clutch in high pressure situations, which a closer is in a lot I am told, such as giving up 3 runs in 3 1/2 innings to screw the 103 win Giants out of the playoffs in 1993 on the last day of the season. Who the hell wants Hudson Street when you can have that action? Herrera was sent down to AA recently, and should be recalled later in the year. 2B Jose Castillo is great at going into long slumps, so I'm guessing Sanchez once again plays ring around the infield, and prospect 3B Bautista gets into the lineup.

Projected line up:
1. Chris Duffy CF (Could be replaced if is OBP doesn't go up)
2. Jack Wilson SS
3. Freddy Sanchez 2B
4. Jason Bay LF
5. Adam LaRoche 1B
6. Inflamed Anus RF
7. Ronny Paulino C
8. Jose Bautista 3B

Bench:
OF Nate McLouth
2B José Castillo
1B/C Ryan Doumit
C Humberto Cota
IF Jose "Strikeout" Hernandez

Starters:
LHP Zach Duke
LHP Paul Maholm
RHP Ian Snell
LHP Tom Gorzelanny
RHP Tony Armas, RHP Shawn Chacón (No matter who wins, we all lose)

Closer:
RHP Salomón Torres (ANYTHING BUT DAN KOLB)

Bullpen:
LHP Dámaso Marté
RHP Matt Capps (Could close if Torres, is infact pitches like Torres)
RHP John Grabow
RHP Jonah Bayliss
RHP Josh Sharpless
And I suppose whoever loses the 5th starter battle, no I really don't know who any of these people are in the bullpen. All that matters is no DAN KLOB.

Help in the Minors:
-RHP Yoslan Herrera (Escaped Cuba, got trapped in Pittsburgh)
-MI Brian Bixler, is due up soon if the Pirates have any injuries or need another utility Infielder.
-A million busted pitching prospects, in case of Starting rotation failure, BREAK GLASS, FINISH IN LAST PLACE.

So, now you know your Pittsburgh Pirates. Not that you probably wanted to. Oh man, the Cubs spent how much? 300 Million. Shit. If we finish in last place and sign Roger Dorn can we move to Florida or something? Has someone done this already??? HELP ME RICK "WILD THING" VAUGHN.

Projection: Lets see, what to guess... How about 70-75 wins to avoid losing 100 games again? Maybe they can beat the Reds, if Mr. Velociraptor comes and eats Ken Griffey Jr. again. Hopefully they can improve on the worst scoring offense in baseball, and throw a bunch of pitchers against the wall and see what sticks. At least they'll be miles ahead of the Nationals. So, here is a picture of a seal:

~Mike

Labels: Pittsburgh Pirates, Terrible, YARRRR

Starting rotation:

Curt Schilling
Dice-K
Josh Beckett
Jonathan Papelbon
Tim Wakefield

A LOT of potential here, but also some question marks. Schilling is a legend, but he's up there in years. Beckett didn't exactly come out like gangbusters in his first season with the Sox. Now that he's got an AL season under his belt, could he be ready to quit fooling around and get down to brass tacks? Dice-K. Well, we've heard all winter long how amazing this guy is. Let's see something amazing against some AL hitters. Papelbon was lights out in the closer role, until the wear and tear of pitching everyday caught up to him. Now he's back to starting, a role he's familiar with. And Wakefield is Wakefield; ole faithful. The guy eats innings, and is capable of going on big winning streaks.

I think of all these guys Papelbon is gonna turn the most heads. I'm a big fan.

Also- Let's not forget that Jon Lester is battling back after being diagnosed with cancer. Great guy. And a good lefty, too. Roger Clemens can't be counted out either, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. We'll see...

The bullpen is a little dicier...Timlin, Delcarmen, Hansen, Tavarez, Donnely, Pineiro... Yikes (potentially). This was the achilles heel last season. However, with so many potential starters and only 5 open spots, there are countless options. We're gonna need some good coaching to utilize the given talent to the max.

Defense I think will be par....we'll see.

Offense....shouldn't be a problem. Ortiz/Ramirez for Prez '08. 'Nuff said.

I'm gonna miss Trot Nixon though...one of my favorite players over the years. A guy not scared to get his hands dirty.

Hey...these guys aren't the underdogs anymore. It's taken me some time as a lifelong diehard to get used to that role. Can't really complain about the Yankees spending money anymore. Fight fire with fire, I say.

Enough Spring Training...let's get it on!

Labels: red sox

The Boston Red Sox's $103 million Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka has a lot of big expectations on his shoulders as he enters the big leagues this year.

While he has had an impressive spring training to date he struggled yesterday allowing two home runs and having problems with his control.

Hideo Nomo started off his career fast with the Dodgers before fading. Nomo was 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA his first season but finished with a career 4.21 ERA. How will the latest Japanese pitching import do in his rookie season? Will he be another Hideki Irabu? Irabu busted into the big leagues in 1997 with a 7.09 ERA his rookie year.

What will 2007 bring for Dice K and the Red Sox? You can count me in as a believer. At least for his rookie year. We'll see if he has a Nomo like drop off in 2008 and beyond but for now enjoy the ride!

Check out this video of Dice K's infamous Gyroball:

Labels: Dice K, gyroball

Experimenting with the layout here at Big Show Baseball.

Have to get it perfect by opening day!

Sign Up For Yahoo Fantasy Baseball - Create Your Own League

Join Yahoo Fantasy Baseball

Labels: Fantasy Baseball

Since I don't imagine too many people have found this blog yet, I assume it's safe to do this... I got crazy commish powers to kick out people too. Feel free to invite whoever, I'll get some hooligans in on it too. GET YOUR BRACKETS READY.

March Madness Yahoo group

L#: 72534
P: potwash


I'm up for a fantasy baseball league too and we can yell at each other for drafting Nefi Perez in the first round...

Labels: Crippling Gambling addiction, March Madness

"Jason Marquis had a terrible ERA because Tony La Russa hung him out to dry in several games and let him give up 12, 13 runs." --A Cubs fan that I used to call my boss

Um, yeah...I suppose all those first inning runs he gave up had nothing to do with it? How about leading the league in home runs given up with 35? Yeah, I guess you can totally blame Tony La Russa for "hanging him out to dry," when in reality, he saved him in many games by pulling him out before the real damage could happen.

Living in an area that is divided by Cardinals and Cubs fans, you hear both sides of the story. The big debate between Cardinals and Cubs fans has been over Jason Marquis. Some of the things that have spilled out of Cubs fan's mouths regarding Jason Marquis have been baffling. Cubs fans apparently think he is the second coming of "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn where all you need to do is give the guy some glasses and guidance and voila! You've got yourself a pitcher!

The thing is, they are wrong. Marquis was 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA in his first year with the Cardinals under Dave Duncan in 2004. By 2005, he fell to 13-14 and his ERA rose to 4.13. And his "banner" year came in 2006 where he went 14-16 with a 6.02 ERA.

Cubs fans think all that Marquis needs is a change of scenery and a new pitching coach. That may be the case. Or not. He stopped listening to Leo Mazzone in Atlanta before he was packaged in a deal with Adam Wainwright and Ray King for JD Drew in the 2003-2004 offseason. Dave Duncan whipped him into shape and that's why he posted such great numbers in 2004. But just like in Atlanta, he stopped listening to Dave Duncan and we saw how that worked out for him.

As for the change of scenery? This guy gave up the most home runs in the league in 2006. I'm sure those days at Wrigley with the wind blowing out with help him ENORMOUSLY. Please. Marquis is going to give up so many first inning runs and home runs that Cubs fans are going to be screaming for Glendon Rusch to come back.

Marquis may go to Chicago and have a great year, but do not expect it to last. The only thing, besides his ERA, that will go up in Chicago is the number of balls Cubs fans toss back during his starts. Enjoy those home runs and the headaches that accompany them, Cubs fans. There will be plenty.

Labels: Chicago Cubs

The Giles Brothers

"Marcus Giles, seven years younger than Brian, yells, "Oh, boy," strips his clothes and is showering within seconds."

Alright, good start on the Fantasy Baseball here.

"Ah, we just like to shave in there," Brian says, referring to their body hair, not their faces. "Chris (Young), for some reason, thinks it's gross."

I now know more about the San Diego Padres than I ever wanted.

"I haven't done this since I was 5," Marcus says, "back when I wanted to be a girl."

This kind of explains it, I suppose.

"I'd be in (former manager Bruce) Bochy's office having a serious meeting and Brian would come in there fully naked, showing his batting stance," the GM says. "He's normal except for the tanning booths, shaving his body and walking around with no clothes. One Giles is enough. I'm not sure if I can handle two of them."

Yeah. I'm gonna go and rock in the fetal position weeping now.

~Mike

Labels: Elton John, San Diego Padres

With the upcoming home run chase I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the careers of Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron.

Career Numbers Comparison:

Barry Bonds (21 seasons 1986 to 2006)
.299 Avg
.443 OBP
.608 SLG
1.051 OPS
182 OPS+
(OPS+ is OPS compared to league average. An average player would have a 100 for his career, a player who is twice as good as an average player would have a 200. I think this is a good stat for comparing players in different eras.)
734 Home Runs
2152 Runs
1930 RBI
509 SB

Hank Aaron (23 seasons 1954-1976)
.305 Avg
.374 OBP
.555 SLG
.929 OPS
155 OPS+
755 Home Runs
2174 Runs
2297 RBI
240 SB

To me it looks like Bonds pretty easily wins this matchup. While Bonds certainly has played in a more explosive offensive era overall, the late 80s and early 90s were not particularly explosive years league wide and when comparing the OPS+ it's clear that Bonds has dominated his competition more so than Aaron did his. Aaron does have a slightly higher batting average and slightly higher counting stats (well until this season anyway...) and to some old timers that may give him the edge. To you old timers I say get out your calculator and get with the times.

While Bonds easily wins the match up of career numbers he even more easily wins when you are talking about peak performance. Aaron started of his career strong and perhaps his greatest strength was his consistency throughout his career. Bonds on the other hand struggled his first few seasons and those early struggles hurt his career numbers.

Bonds at his peak has been among the very best players in baseball history and I do not think Aaron ever displayed that same level of dominance. Bonds has won 7 MVP awards in his career (unmatched by anyone) while Aaron won only one MVP award. While Aaron did lead the NL in OPS 3 times, Bonds lead it 9 times. While Aaron lead the league in slugging pct 4 times, Bonds lead it 7 times.

Probably the most telling thing is this: Of the top four all time greatest OPS seasons in history, three of them are by Barry Bonds (the other by Babe Ruth.) Aaron? not a single season even in the top 100.

Aaron amassed great numbers over his career through consistency and by being an all star season in and season out. But Bonds has been something more than an all star, he has been truly great. He has been on a level that I would argue only Ted Williams and Babe Ruth have ever shared. True complete domination of his competition.

So while Bonds will be chasing down Aaron this season for one of baseball's most historic marks, he passed him long ago when ranking the games greatest all time hitters.

-Josh-

Labels: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron

I don't think the media has jumped all over this one yet, but the Cubs are 99 years out from their last World Series victory. This is the glorious year they choke again, be it a black cat, a goat, or a spontaneous Velociraptor attack of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior's arms. Billy Jurges, a SS in the 30's even managed to get shot by a crazy lady to provide us with the core of the story The Natural. I forget if they still have the record for never having back to back winning seasons, which was still active when Sammy Sosa could remember to speak English. So, what is one to think when this hits the news stories:

Chicago Tribune Cubs Story

"I believe this year I will win the Cy Young (Award) and I will enjoy that," he said. "And besides that, we will win the World Series. I guarantee you that. I have faith." Carlos Zambrano

Let me point out one thing that has better odds than this happening:

Labels: Chicago Cubs, Dinosaurs

I'm a huge fan of Barry Bonds. This of course puts me into an argument with 90% of the baseball fans in the world it seems (including Ryan!) and that's fine with me as I like a good argument. Somehow, perversely, the fact that everyone else seems to hate Bonds makes it that much more fun for me to root him on.

Which leads me to the topic of this post. My prediction of when Bonds will hit #756! I am very much looking forward to Bonds breaking Aaron's record this year and I definitely think it will happen this year. In fact, I predict he will do it before the All Star game! To give an exact prediction, I think Bonds will break it on the very last game before the All Star game.

I have a feeling that Bonds strong finish to last season is going to carry him into this one. Bonds was never really healthy last year, if he can stay healthy this year, I think he has another great season left in him. And by great season I mean really great. Maybe not quite 2001 to 2004 quality but something pretty damn close.

But maybe I'm just saying this because I just drank a pint of Arrogant Bastard Ale?

It's also worth noting that as much as Bonds struggled during most of 2006 his final numbers for the year are actually quite respectable due to his hot finish. He ended the season with a .454 On Base Percentage (awesome for anyone else, a let down by Bonds ridiculous standards and still lead the major leagues! it was also his 9th NL OBP title) and a .545 Slugging Percentage (highly respectable) He finished 6th in the NL in OPS. He also still lead the NL in walks with 115. His 11th time leading the NL in walks.

Bonds Bombs Counter: 734

---Josh---

Labels: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Home Run Record

Some of you may remember the story of Jon Lester. He is the Red Sox rookie who was diagnosed with cancer last year. This morning, he threw in his first game since being diagnosed with cancer and all went well.

According to the Associated Press, his mechanics were good and the command was even better. Lester faced three batters and retired every single batter on ground balls. He threw eight pitches, six of which were fastballs and two that were curves. The fastballs were clocked between 88-90 MPH, whereas the curves registered on the gun between 69-72 MPH.

For Lester to overcome cancer is one thing, but to pitch in a Major League spring training game less than a year after the diagnosis is another. This man is only 23 and has a promising life ahead of him and it is nice to see that his career is back on line as well. Regardless of whether you are a Red Sox fan or not, it is nice to celebrate a story of courage in a world where T.O and Ron Artest's antics are always top priority.

So Jon Lester, congrats for the return and good luck this season for the Boston Red Sox.

The National League Central was not even close to being the best division in the NL last year. However, not only do the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals reside in this division, the last three National League Champions have called the Central Division their home (Cardinals in '04 and '06, Astros '05). Regardless of regular season results, the NL Central has put up a good showing in the playoffs in recent years.

With a new season just around the corner, a division that saw it's top four teams finish within 8.5 games of each other in 2006, could see a similarly tight race in '07. Several key offseason moves by the Cardinals and Astros, plus an insane spending spree by the Cubs make this a very intriguing division on paper. First up, the St. Louis Cardinals.


1. St. Louis Cardinals (2006 Record: 83-78; World Series Champions)
The St. Louis Cardinals pulled off an unthinkable October by knocking off the Padres and the heavily favored Mets and Tigers to win their first World Series since 1982. But this was after a regular season that saw the Cards almost blow a 13 game division lead in the last few weeks of the season, only to win the division by 1.5 games over Houston. The Cardinals also suffered numerous injuries along the way, most of them to several key contributors (Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, David Eckstein, Jason Isringhausen, and Mark Mulder all spend time on the DL).

But when it came time for October baseball, the Cardinals did what they were not able to do in six of the last seven years that they made the playoffs: they played their best ball when it mattered most. Now, after losing NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan, second basemen Ronnie Belliard, World Series Game 5 winner Jeff Weaver, and "I-Was-Left-Off-The-Postseason-Roster-And-I-Don't-Know-Why-Even-Though-My-6.00+ ERA-Might-Have-Something-To-Do-With-It" Jason Marquis, the Cardinals look to rebuild and make a run at a second title.

This offseason was a typical St. Louis Cardinals offseason. They let their overpriced free agents walk. Team management then told local media and fans that they were making a play for some of the bigger free agents on the market, when in reality, no way would their contract offers match up to the teams that were throwing money around like crazy. So the Cardinals re-signed injured started Mark Mulder and Kip Wells for their rotation. Jim Edmonds was brought back for two more years. They brought in second basemen and former Cardinal Adam Kennedy (who was traded for Jim Edmonds) to pair up with his former double play mate David Eckstein. They re-signed the majority of their bench which included Scott Spiezio, Preston Wilson, and Gary Bennett.

What that adds up to is the least amount of offseason turnover the Cardinals offense has experienced in the last few years. They only lost one position player, and he was only there for the last 1/4 of the season. Same goes for the bullpen where pretty much everyone returns from a bullpen that had a fantastic postseason run. However, what stability the offense and bullpen gained is what the rotation lost. Suppan, Marquis, and Weaver are out and Anthony Reyes, Adam Wainwright (playoff closer extraordinaire), Kip Wells, and Braden Looper/Brad Thompson/Ryan Franklin are in.

Obviously, the rotation is the big question. Beyond former Cy Young Award Winner Chris Carpenter, who will step up and win some games? Reyes proved that he can win big games with his masterful performance in Game One of the World Series where he shut the Detroit Tigers down and set the tone for the series. However, he is very streaky and can get very rattled if he is knocked around early. Adam Wainwright proved he can pitch in pressure situations by being on the mound each time the Cardinals clinched a series victory. The question with these two is whether they can parlay each of their successes into a solid campaign as a starting pitcher in the Major League.

Kip Wells has only finished over .500 once in his career and even that year he went 10-9. But what people forget is that Jeff Suppan had a similarly unflattering career record (62-75) until he came to St. Louis, where he transformed into a big game picture who went 44-26 with the Cardinals. Kip Wells, like Suppan before he became a Cardinal, has never really pitched for a good team. He has suffered some injuries, but working with Dave Duncan could help him as much as it helped Suppan. Add the run support and defense that the Cardinals are known for with the help of Duncan, and Kip Wells could become a very solid starter for the Cardinals. And if that happens, once Mulder gets back, the top 3 rotation spots for the Cardinals will be locked up. Until then, the Cardinals will determine their 5th starter in camp. If Franklin, Looper, or Thompson (whoever gets penciled into that slot) can keep the Cardinals in games, this team will be well on its way to another division title.

Like the Atlanta Braves in the NL East for years, the Cardinals will remain my pick to win the NL Central until a team knocks them off of that pedestal. While their reign may be the most vulnerable as it has been since 2000, I think the Cardinals have enough firepower to bring home their 4th straight division title.

Labels: St. Louis Cardinals

Hello everybody and welcome to my first of many posts here on Big Show Baseball. I am happy to have the opportunity to blog about the greatest sport ever created. I hope you all enjoy the site.

Now, I am going to get something out of the way right off the bat so there is no confusion. I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan. That means that from time to time, I may get a little excited about another Albert Pujols walk off home run or a Chris Carpenter trip to the mound that turned into a ten strikeout, complete game masterpiece. But I am not going to go Bill Simmons on you and write about the Cardinals every single post. On top of that, when in an argument, I usually do not let the Cardinal red blind me to numbers and facts.

For instance, I am not one of those Cardinals fans that think Albert Pujols was completely robbed in the MVP voting last year. That vote could have gone either way and I believe Ryan Howard deserved it just as much as Albert Pujols. Besides, as a fan, I'll take a World Series championship over Albert Pujols winning an MVP any day.

But enough about the Cardinals. The upcoming baseball season is going to be a great one. The Barry Bonds home run chase is probably the most anticipated event of the summer for some and the least anticipated event of the summer for others. The arrival of Daisuke Matsuzaka and his famous (and possibly not even real) gyroball to Boston has been one of the hottest offseason topics and promises to be one of the biggest stories of 2007. As usual, the national media will focus a very trained eye on New York and Alex Rodriguez and his struggles. Will the Cardinals be able to repeat as champions and become the first team to win two titles in this decade? And of course, where will the steroid scandal lead us next?

The answers to these questions and many others can only be answered throughout the season. We hope you enjoy following the 2007 Major League Baseball season here at Big Show Baseball. Here is to another great season of baseball.

--Ryan Reynolds

Labels: Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Chris Carpenter, Daisuke Matsuzaka, gyroball, Ryan Howard, St. Louis Cardinals, steroids