The owners and the players have come to an agreement on a new 10 year labor agreement today. Let it be known that on this day that we all collectively said, “get back to work.”
Can We Get Back to Football Now?
Standard2011 MLB Midseason Report
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Awards
AL MVP – 1B Adrian Gonzalez Boston Red Sox
NL MVP – SS Jose Reyes New York Mets
AL Cy Young – Jered Weaver Los Angeles Angels
NL Cy Young – Jair Jurrjens Atlanta Braves
AL Rookie of the Year – 1B Mark Trumbo Los Angeles Angels
NL Rookie of the Year – P Craig Kimbrel Atlanta Braves
AL Manager of the Year – Manny Acta Cleveland Indians
NL Manager of the Year – Clint Hurdle Pittsburgh Pirates
Report Cards
American League
Elite Class
Boston Red Sox 55-35
Thanks in large part to Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury the Red Sox are positioned for a return to the postseason. There might be some bumps in the road if starters Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz don’t return healthy.
New York Yankees 53-35
History was made with Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit. Now the Yankees focus will be on getting past the Red Sox for a division title. C.C. Sabathia should win 20 games for New York. Also Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are both in line to hit 40+ home runs.
Texas Rangers 51-41
They are still the defending American League champions and they are in a perfect position to repeat. No one is paying attention to them. Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz are healthy at the right time. Their pitching has kept them afloat. Now they just need to fend off the division rival Angels.
Contenders
Tampa Bay Rays 49-41
The odds are against them with the Red Sox and Yankees ahead in the division. However, they aren’t one to back down from either one. The Rays have one of the best 1-2 punches in their rotation with David Price and James Shields. They still have some good young players they could bring up to help them contend for a postseason berth.
Detroit Tigers 49-43
Their easily the best team in the most winnable division in baseball. Miguel Cabrera is having another MVP like season for them. Justin Verlander is becoming one of the best pitchers in the game. They might have to acquire some help for their bullpen and maybe another starting pitcher to help get them further ahead of Cleveland.
Cleveland Indians 47-42
They are the toast of baseball since Opening Day. Manager Manny Acta has a lot to look forward to with some good prospects beginning to get called up. If the Indians want to remain in contention and show their fans they mean it, they will have to be active in acquiring some help. Mainly pitching. Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore have to stay healthy for the lineups sake.
Los Angeles Angels 50-42
Mike Scioscia had his work cut out for him in May. The offense was sluggish and the bullpen couldn’t keep a lead for his rotation. Calm, cool and collected the Angels have rallied to within one game of the Texas Rangers. Thanks to a consistent effort from Jered Weaver and Dan Haren in the rotation and the hot bats of Vernon Wells and Mark Trumbo.
Outside Looking In
Toronto Blue Jays 45-47
Jose Bautista has become the lone bright spot north of the border. Starter Ricky Romero is a good pitcher who could become an ace very soon. If they want to avoid the cellar they will need their young talent begin to blossom soon.
Chicago White Sox 44-48
Manager Ozzie Guillen has had his hands full all season. Some of his best players have been slumping all year. His bullpen has been in disarray. The lone bright spot has been Paul Konerko’s resurgent offensive production. Their only hope of the postseason is winning their division.
Minnesota Twins 41-48
Every year it seems the Twins disappoint and this is by far the most disappointing year for the Ron Gardenhire era. The good news is that Joe Mauer is back playing. Whether at first base or as the catcher is another story, but the important thing is that he’s healthy. The one thing that will keep the Twins on the outside is their starting pitching. The only bright spot was Francisco Liriano’s no-hitter.
Seattle Mariners 43-48
They’ve surprised a lot of folks including myself of their play. Ichiro is having his worst year since arriving in the majors in 2001. Yet Seattle is beginning to build on a foundation of pitching behind Felix Hernandez and rookie Michael Pineda. Dustin Ackley is here to stay, but Seattle will need to work on the lineup a little bit longer.
Prepare for Spring Training 2012
Baltimore Orioles 36-52
The lone bright spot for the Orioles is that they have plenty of veteran pieces that they can trade for younger pieces since this season is out of reach for them. Make no mistake they have some pieces to build on, but it was out of the question to think the Orioles were going to finish higher than 4th this season.
Kansas City Royals 37-54
It looked promising in April, but quickly fell apart at the seams. The pitching hasn’t been there for the Royals. Even the normally automatic closer Joakim Soria is having a down year. Alex Gordon is redeeming himself this year, but the Royals will have to wait until next year to take two steps forward.
Oakland Athletics 39-53
I don’t think Billy Beane was thinking he was going to have to make a managerial change in the middle of the season. Bob Geren was losing the clubhouse and Beane was forced to act. To make matters worse is the pitching staff has been a disappointment. Yes injuries had a factor in the rotation chaos, but the bullpen was supposed to be better than advertised. Also where’s the offense?
National League
Elite Class
Philadelphia Phillies 57-34
They’ve had no top notch closer and two pieces of their rotation have been hurt for most of the season. Yet the Phillies have had the best record in baseball thanks mainly to Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Pretty scary when you think about it. The potent offense hasn’t even warmed up.
Atlanta Braves 54-38
They are the real deal. Thanks to Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson emerging as a legitimate 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Along with Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe the Braves have a rotation that rivals the Phillies and Giants. Rookie Craig Kimbrel has been stellar in relief and the lineup has been playing better than the Phillies all year long.
San Francisco Giants 52-40
Manager Bruce Bochy has been dealing with a lot of injuries this year. None bigger than catcher Buster Posey. The Giants are missing a big piece on offense. Don’t be surprised if they make a move to bolster their lineup. The pitching staff should be fine going forward. Closer Brian Wilson will have to be better than his 3.14 ERA shows.
Contenders
Milwaukee Brewers 49-43
The bats are there in Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. The pitching is there, but they haven’t had a full season with Zach Greinke. Milwaukee is putting all their chips on the table for this season as they acquired Francisco Rodriguez from the Mets just after the All-Star game. The bad news for them is they have 3 other teams in their division on their heels.
St. Louis Cardinals 49-43
The good news is that Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday are healthy to go along with the resurgent Lance Berkman. The bad news is the pitching staff might not be able to hold off the other great offensive teams in the Central. The Cardinals should be in the race until the bitter end, but can their bullpen save leads going into the 7th inning and beyond.
Pittsburgh Pirates 47-43
It should come as no surprise that manager Clint Hurdle has turned this ship around. After all he managed the Colorado Rockies to their only World Series appearance in 2007. But it is a surprise when the Pirates haven’t been above .500 this late in a season since 1992. It would be amazing if they made the postseason, but finishing above .500 is a reasonable goal. The young hitters and pitchers are motivated to start something new rather than dwell on the past.
Cincinnati Reds 45-47
The pitching staff has been struggling all year long. The bullpen has been even worse. There’s hope as the Reds aren’t too far out of it. They still have Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto anchoring their lineup. With that hitters paradise they play in they are always going to be in a game until the final out.
Arizona Diamondbacks 49-43
Credit goes to Kirk Gibson for the complete turnaround in that clubhouse. All the youngsters have changed their attitudes and believe in what Gibson is teaching. It will be tough to catch the Giants for the division title. Losing closer J.J. Putz for an extended period will hurt, but they have a good chance to make some noise to finish out this year with Justin Upton becoming a legitimate power threat and clubhouse leader.
Outside Looking In
New York Mets 46-45
Luckily for the Mets the Dodgers are getting all the attention of a franchise having money problems. The Mets have managed to stay competitive despite not having Johan Santana and David Wright for most of the year. Jose Reyes is showing why he was considered one of the best shortstops in baseball when he arrived in 2003. Now they don’t have a closer since dealing Francisco Rodriguez in what could start a flurry of activity in Queens.
Washington Nationals 46-46
Even though their former manager Jim Riggleman quit, the Nationals still remain competitive. Their best hitter Ryan Zimmerman’s return only helps keep them around the .500 mark to finish the year. The bullpen is becoming one of the best in baseball. If they didn’t play in the same division as the Phillies and Braves they would be in a good position to get a playoff spot.
Colorado Rockies 43-48
A team with so much talent has struggled mightily. They have made some great second half comebacks in the past. It’s not out of the question that they do it again, but they have to hope some of their pitchers play up to their standards. Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez will have to be even better for the Rockies to remain competitive.
Prepare for Spring Training 2012
Florida Marlins 43-48
Once ace Josh Johnson went down with a shoulder injury and Hanley Ramirez was out for almost a month, things couldn’t have gone any worse for the Marlins right? Their former manager Edwin Rodriguez couldn’t take it anymore and walked out. Enter 80 year old former Marlins manager Jack McKeon. I love that he’s back in baseball, but this isn’t a recipe to win this year for the Marlins. Expect them to trade off what they can and look forward to the 2012 season.
Chicago Cubs 37-55
The only bright spot has been Starlin Castro. His bat is keeping Cubs fans from leaving games earlier than usual this year. Other than that the Cubs have had another outburst from Carlos Zambrano and it’s become eerie seeing empty seats at Wrigley during the summer. It remains to be seen if there will be massive changes this offseason, but they have to prepare for that time now.
Houston Astros 30-62
Being the first team to lose 60 games usually means that you will probably end up with the 1st pick in next years draft. With a new owner waiting to take over, it’s inevitable that there will be changes both in the front office and in the clubhouse. It’s a lose-lose situation for any team. Houston has a good baseball history and they will have to start getting ready for the new era.
Los Angeles Dodgers 41-51
It can’t get any worse for the Dodgers. They’ve hit rock bottom as a franchise. The only hope they have is that they can salvage what talent they have left. Matt Kemp even on a down trodden team is a MVP candidate. Clayton Kershaw could lead the majors in strikeouts. It would help if the Dodgers had some idea of their future now and be free of the McCourts mismanagement.
San Diego Padres 40-52
They just couldn’t build on last years success. Being just one game short of clinching the division has now left them looking to sell most of their assets. The offense has become stagnant which is not surprising. San Diego will look to get as much as they can for Heath Bell and a few other relievers. Their only saving grace is that their not the worst run franchise in the division.
His Legacy is Complete
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It goes without saying that hitting a baseball over 3,000 times is not an easy thing to do. Only 27 players before Derek Jeter have hit a baseball more than 3,000 times. And only two have over 4,000 hits.
It’s probably going to upset some folks that I know for saying this, but Derek Jeter will go down as one of the best players of this era. It’s a fact. Yes I’m not a Yankees fan, but I am a fan of baseball. Sure I don’t like to see the same team win year in and year out, unless it’s my team. But regardless that’s what makes sports so great.
You can root against an opposing team and their players for many years. Yet when something historic occurs for one of those players you have to step back and respect that accomplishment. So long as it was done the right way.
There have been too many baseball players in the last 20+ years that have tainted the game and have cheated their way to the top in some fashion. Jeter has been one of the few good examples of how you conduct yourself both on and off the field in his 16 seasons.
All that put together with the 5 World Series titles and now over 3,000 hits have put him in an elite class. Seven members of the 3,000 hit club have multiple titles before Jeter joined them. Ten members don’t have a World Series title to their resume.
We can continue to root against the New York Yankees and Derek Jeter too. Most of us don’t want to see another championship banner in Yankee Stadium. But what makes sports and baseball specifically so great is that when one of the games best players accomplishes something. The rest of us will show him respect.
2011 MLB All-Star Teams
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The 82nd MLB All-Star game is making its first appearance in Arizona. Granted the Arizona Diamondbacks have only been around since 1998, but they have a very good baseball history. There’s also the Arizona Fall League where many youngsters get a chance to refine their technique during the winter break. This year seemed to be a tougher year than most to really hammer out the All-Star rosters. There are some very deserving players, but not a lot of ‘has to be an All-Star’ types. I’ve followed the rules of having 34 players, 13 of them pitchers for each league and a representative from each team. Here are my choices for the mid-summer classic.
American League
AVG – Batting Average
ERA – Earned Run Average
HR – Home Runs
RBI – Runs Batted In
SV – Saves
BAA – Batting Average Against
WHIP – Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched
K – Strikeouts
Stats are accurate as of July 2nd.
* – asterisk indicates starter
Pitchers
Josh Beckett – Boston Red Sox
6-3 2.20 ERA .178 BAA
Chris Perez – Cleveland Indians
19 SV 2.37 ERA 1.22 WHIP
Justin Verlander – Detroit Tigers*
11-3 2.32 ERA 130 K
Jose Valverde – Detroit Tigers
19 SV 3.09 ERA 1.34 WHIP
Jered Weaver – Los Angeles Angels
10-4 1.92 ERA 114 K
Dan Haren – Los Angeles Angels
8-5 2.85 ERA 1.02 WHIP
Mariano Rivera – New York Yankees
21 SV 1.69 ERA 0.97 WHIP
C.C. Sabathia – New York Yankees
11-4 3.05 ERA 106 K
Gio Gonzalez – Oakland Athletics
7-5 2.38 ERA 99 K
Felix Hernandez – Seattle Mariners
8-7 3.35 ERA 124 K
James Shields – Tampa Bay Rays
8-5 2.45 ERA 127 K
David Price – Tampa Bay Rays
8-6 3.43 ERA 116 K
Alexi Ogando – Texas Rangers
8-3 2.86 ERA 1.03 WHIP
Catchers
Victor Martinez – Detroit Tigers
.335 AVG 6 HR 46 RBI
Alex Avila – Detroit Tigers*
.299 AVG 10 HR 46 RBI
A.J. Pierzynski – Chicago White Sox
.294 AVG 3 HR 28 RBI
Infielders
1B Adrian Gonzalez – Boston Red Sox*
.353 AVG 16 HR 74 RBI
1B David Ortiz – Boston Red Sox*
.302 AVG 17 HR 49 RBI
1B Paul Konerko – Chicago White Sox
.317 AVG 21 HR 62 RBI
SS Asdrubal Cabrera – Cleveland Indians*
.294 AVG 14 HR 49 RBI
1B Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers
.329 AVG 17 HR 56 RBI
1B Billy Butler – Kansas City Royals
.296 AVG 6 HR 34 RBI
2B Howie Kendrick – Los Angeles Angels
.307 AVG 8 HR 26 RBI
3B Alex Rodriguez – New York Yankees*
.304 AVG 13 HR 52 RBI
2B Robinson Cano – New York Yankees*
.292 AVG 14 HR 54 RBI
INF Michael Young – Texas Rangers
.313 AVG 7 HR 54 RBI
3B Adrian Beltre – Texas Rangers
.265 AVG 14 HR 61 RBI
SS Yunel Escobar – Toronto Blue Jays
.289 AVG 9 HR 29 RBI
Outfielders
CF Adam Jones – Baltimore Orioles
.288 AVG 13 HR 46 RBI
CF Jacoby Ellsbury – Boston Red Sox
.300 AVG 9 HR 40 RBI
RF Michael Cuddyer – Minnesota Twins
.286 AVG 11 HR 32 RBI
CF Curtis Granderson – New York Yankees*
.276 AVG 22 HR 57 RBI
RF Matt Joyce – Tampa Bay Rays*
.302 AVG 11 HR 40 RBI
RF Jose Bautista – Toronto Blue Jays*
.328 AVG 26 HR 55 RBI
National League
Pitchers
Ian Kennedy – Arizona Diamondbacks
8-2 3.01 ERA 97 K
Jair Jurrjens – Atlanta Braves*
11-3 1.89 ERA 1.06 WHIP
Jonny Venters – Atlanta Braves
4-1 1.59 ERA .174 BAA
Tommy Hanson – Atlanta Braves
9-4 2.62 ERA 97 K
Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers
8-4 3.23 ERA 138 K
Cole Hamels – Philadelphia Phillies
9-4 2.41 ERA 110 K
Roy Halladay – Philadelphia Phillies
11-3 2.44 ERA 131 K
Cliff Lee – Philadelphia Phillies
9-5 2.66 ERA 119 K
Joel Hanrahan – Pittsburgh Pirates
24 SV 1.41 ERA 0.97 WHIP
Heath Bell – San Diego Padres
24 SV 2.31 ERA .213 BAA
Brian Wilson – San Francisco Giants
24 SV 3.03 ERA .228 BAA
Matt Cain – San Francisco Giants
7-4 3.02 ERA 95 K
Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants
6-6 3.04 ERA 122 K
Catchers
Miguel Montero – Arizona Diamondbacks
.270 AVG 9 HR 40 RBI
Brian McCann – Atlanta Braves*
.311 AVG 14 HR 47 RBI
Infielders
SS Starlin Castro – Chicago Cubs
.309 AVG 2 HR 37 RBI
1B Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds
.316 AVG 12 HR 51 RBI
2B Brandon Phillips – Cincinnati Reds
.296 AVG 8 HR 45 RBI
1B Todd Helton – Colorado Rockies
.323 AVG 9 HR 38 RBI
SS Troy Tulowitzki – Colorado Rockies*
.273 AVG 17 HR 57 RBI
1B Gaby Sanchez – Florida Marlins
.292 AVG 13 HR 46 RBI
1B Prince Fielder – Milwaukee Brewers*
.299 AVG 21 HR 69 RBI
2B Rickie Weeks – Milwaukee Brewers*
.276 AVG 14 HR 33 RBI
SS Jose Reyes – New York Mets*
.354 AVG 3 HR 32 RBI
1B Mike Morse – Washington Nationals
.299 AVG 15 HR 46 RBI
Outfielders
RF Justin Upton – Arizona Diamondbacks
.297 AVG 13 HR 43 RBI
RF Jay Bruce – Cincinnati Reds
.267 AVG 18 HR 51 RBI
RF Hunter Pence – Houston Astros
.323 AVG 10 HR 57 RBI
CF Matt Kemp – Los Angeles Dodgers*
.327 AVG 22 HR 64 RBI
LF Ryan Braun – Milwaukee Brewers*
.320 AVG 16 HR 62 RBI
CF Shane Victorino – Philadelphia Phillies
.299 AVG 9 HR 34 RBI
CF Andrew McCutchen – Pittsburgh Pirates
.289 AVG 12 HR 43 RBI
RF Lance Berkman – St. Louis Cardinals*
.297 AVG 21 HR 59 RBI
LF Matt Holliday – St. Louis Cardinals
.321 AVG 10 HR 40 RBI
Have at it. Don’t agree with something or all of it just let me know. You can also tell me on twitter @WesSportsGuy as well.
He’s Not Who We Thought He Was
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Now I understand that times have changed. I grew up in the Michael Jordan era. The time when he played in Chicago, not Washington D.C. There wasn’t nearly as much media coverage as there is now for LeBron James. I get that. I also get that both of these guys play different styles and have two completely different personalities.
Here’s what I don’t get. Why were we lead to believe that LeBron was the same as Michael Jordan? In what way was LeBron the same as Jordan when he was playing in high school? Did LeBron even play college basketball? Last I checked, the answer is no. Jordan didn’t even make his high school basketball team the first time around. Was LeBron given the red carpet treatment when he arrived at his?
This is my problem with this whole fiasco. The lack of common sense from everyone. We want to think that there will be another great player to follow exactly what the other one did before him. Unfortunately there is only one and will be only one Michael Jordan. In my opinion he is the only basketball player that I’ve seen that doesn’t just want to beat you. He wants to take your soul in the process and shove it in your face. That’s how he played and I personally love seeing that from an athlete.
Those that have seen him play in his prime know what I’m talking about. The competitiveness of Jordan isn’t seen now a days. The only one that comes close to it is Kobe Bryant, but it’s in small doses. Have we seen any of that from LeBron James?
Besides us and what we want to see, there’s LeBron himself. I will say that I haven’t seen another athlete take the kind of beating day in and day out that he has. Now some of it is he’s own doing. From ‘The Decision’ to the introductory rock concert in Miami to his ‘Karma’ tweet directed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, mainly owner Dan Gilbert. He has completely changed his persona to something that everyone doesn’t relate to.
From the beginning he never seemed to get it. I can’t remember the exact words I used, but I tweeted after LeBron’s ‘Karma’ tweet something to the effect that he should just focus on the court and stop worrying about stuff off the court. Nothing to vilify him in any way. I found that a certain Miami Heat fan was none too pleased with that and I was told to buzz off. Don’t you just love intelligent people who can’t reasonably disagree.
He is an unique athlete. No one that I’ve seen has the kind of athletic ability on a basketball court that he does. He can do it all or so we thought. What happened in this year’s Finals came as a total surprise to us all. The question is why did he no show through most of it? No one knows except him. I’m not going to speculate on that so much, but I will say that LeBron is himself and can’t be expected to be the next Michael Jordan.
Truth is he never should have been in the first place. He’s LeBron James first and foremost on and off the court. If he doesn’t want to be the ‘man’ on the basketball court that’s fine.
Don’t start this big marketing campaign to be a global icon and not expect some criticism to come your way when you no show on the biggest stage.
Don’t put yourself on national television for one hour to say where you’re going to play without first telling the team you’re going to leave. In fact, don’t do it on national television either.
Don’t act like you’re a rock star with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade during the first press conference. Then announce that you’ll win ‘not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5…’ championships and not expect a lot of criticism along the way.
Don’t tweet anything pertaining to sports for a while. Or just don’t get a twitter account. That’s probably a better idea.
It will be a long summer due to the looming labor issue. LeBron went out with a bang saying that his haters should get on with their lives blast was misinterpreted. Forget the fact that he doesn’t get it, how do you say that when you’re wearing a ‘Witness’ t-shirt? It goes back to a previous post of mine entitled, “Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say.” If it’s not what you meant, why did you say it?
He still has a lot of time to fix his flaws on the basketball court, but he is starting to run out of time to fix the flaws off the court. The sooner you figure out that you need to develop a consistent jump shot, the better you will be on the court. The sooner you figure out that you’re not who you think you are the better.
westhesportsguy.com 