Today was the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline. At 4:00, no more trades could be made for the rest of the season. Teams that believe they can contend showed who they were, and teams that believed they were not contenders sold off many of their parts to build for the future. Only stat geeks and hardcore fans like myself can appreciate and enjoy this day. Leading up to the deadline, rumors were flying all over the place about possible blockbuster deals that might occur, and while this always happens on deadline day in all sports, it seems that baseball is the sport in which these rumors and ideas are the most fun to ponder.
The NBA trade deadline is my second favorite deadline day, but with such small rosters, and no existence of a true "minor leagues," NBA deadline day does not come close to MLB deadline day. The NHL trade deadline day is always full of deals, but a lot of them include young players playing in leagues all over the world, and many of the prospects are unknown, even to hardcore hockey fans. As far as the NFL trading deadline, the day is almost non-existent, as the NFL is a league based far more on free agency than on trades. A few minor trades will occur on deadline day, but there will never be significant players on the move. That is why the Major League Baseball trading deadline day is always the most fun.
Whether it is good teams trying to turn themselves into great teams, or bad teams trying to rid themselves of good players they may not be able to afford in the future, there are always big names on the move, and today was no different. Rumors were flying around that guys like Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, Justin Upton, Shane Victorino, and Hunter Pence could be traded, and while not all of those guys were dealt, there was still plenty of intriguing moves that were made prior to the 4:00 PM deadline. We got to see which teams were going for the big splash, and which teams were planning on building for next season. By analyzing the moves that were made today, we learned that the Phillies believed they had no shot of winning anything substantial this season, and we learned that the Rangers, Giants, and Dodgers were all trying to make the moves needed to make a run at a World Series title.
First off, we saw the two top teams in the NL West make move after move in an attempt to go for the division crown. The Giants acquired Hunter Pence from the Phillies, and he can move into a starting spot in the outfield and hit in the middle of a batting order that is still in need of some life. In response to San Francisco's acquisition of Pence, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired another stellar outfielder from the Phillies, Shane Victorino. Along with the recent acquisition of Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins, the Dodgers now have a very potent middle of the order that includes Ramirez, Victorino, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier. These moves also clearly demonstrated the Phillies' belief that they had no shot to contend this season, and that is music to the ears of the Washington Nationals and their fans, as they seem to be the clear front runner in the NL East.
While the moves made in the NL West were interesting, the AL West would not be outdone. In the week leading up to the deadline, the Anaheim Angels (who are now my pick to win the World Series by the way) landed Zack Greinke, a legitimate star of a starting pitcher, to strengthen a starting rotation that was already very good. As usually happens on deadline day, the Texas Rangers responded to the acquisition of Greinke by the Angels by adding Ryan Dempster, a starter who has been outstanding this year for the Chicago Cubs. These moves showed that all four of these teams believed they had a legitimate shot to contend for a title this year. While all of these teams were all-in for this season, the teams they dealt with were all planning for the future by getting young stars in return.
Along with these notable moves, the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals all aimed to strengthen their teams with acquisitions of Jonathan Broxton, Gaby Sanchez, and Edward Mujica, respectively. While those may have been minor deals compared to the ones involving Greinke, Dempster, Victorino, Ramirez, and Pence, they may prove to be important down the stretch. The Reds already have a spectacular bullpen, and the addition of Broxton will only make the bullpen even stronger. Pittsburgh's acquisition Sanchez gives them a young and talented (yet unproven and still disappointing) first baseman to at least provide depth at first base. The Cardinals' addition of Mujica makes their bullpen stronger, and it has been proven year after year that a strong bullpen is one of the keys to contending in October.
Overall, the 2012 trade deadline day did not disappoint, as we saw a bunch of big names move to teams that are legitimate contenders. It might still take a few years for us to truly get a feel for which teams were winners and losers on July 31, 2012, but for right now, we did get a fun day of trades, rumors, and a Twitter universe that exploded. The World Series contenders might be decided by moves that were made within the past week, and thanks to the trade deadline, we may see multiple days just as exciting as today in the playoffs two months from now.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The only move we made today was a very curious one, giving away Craig Breslow to the Red Sox in order to acquire Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik. Breslow was our most reliable lefty in the bullpen, and Albers is a righty, while Podsednik will be sent to Triple-A. I must admit, I was not thrilled with this move because it leaves Mike Zagurski as our only lefty in the bullpen, and he is far from a stud. My biggest concern was Justin Upton being traded, and thankfully that did not happen. I think standing pretty much pat was the right choice, as we are only 3.5 games behind San Francisco and Los Angeles. Those two teams, as I said, made big splashes, but the deficit can still be made up, and with the extra Wild Card spot, our chances are even better that we might make the playoffs.
On the field, we took the first game of the series in Los Angeles, and Paul Goldschmidt just hit a two-run homer to give us the lead in the first inning tonight. There is nothing I would love more than to win the division in spite of the day that the Dodgers and Giants had. Wade Miley is on the mound to try to make it two for two in LA. Let's Go DBacks!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Book Review: "Luckiest Man"
No, this isn't second grade, but the title of "book review" may make it seem that way. With the last few days being relatively slow in the world of sports (I already wrote about Penn State, and I don't really feel like writing about the U.S. basketball team blowing out another opponent), I decided it was a good time to share my thoughts on a book that I just recently finished reading.
This will not be a grammatical and technical review of Jonathan Eig's biography of Lou Gehrig, but more of a look back at Gehrig's life and my feelings on it, as well as what I learned about one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game of baseball. First, the title, "Luckiest Man," comes from one of the most famous speeches in the history of sports, when Gehrig claimed that he was the "luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he spoke to Yankee fans at the end of his career. The average baseball fan probably knows Gehrig for that speech, his consecutive games played record, and the disease named after him that eventually took his life. While these were all obviously noteworthy parts of Gehrig's story, Eig was able to tell a complete story of Gehrig's entire life, from his childhood in New York City, to his wonderful baseball career, and all the way to his death due to a still mysterious disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
Gehrig grew up in New York City in the same conditions as many Irish immigrants of the time. Life was hard, every member of the family worked, and living conditions were not good. Gehrig's mother and father both worked hard to support their children; many times too hard, and their marriage suffered. Due to extremely poor living conditions, many children were unable to survive and reach adulthood, and Gehrig's family was not immune to these tragic circumstances, as Gehrig's sister died at a young age. Through these hardships, Gehrig gained a great appreciation for the work ethic of his mother, and it would have a lasting impact on him throughout his entire life.
Baseball in New York was popular at the time, with the Giants and Yankees being two of the most notable teams in not just New York, but the entire baseball world. Though it seemed unrealistic, Gehrig dreamed of being able to play baseball for a living one day. As he continued to play, he only got better and better, and eventually ended up attending Columbia University to play college ball. Despite the pleas of his mother, Gehrig was determined to do his best to make a living out of baseball.
However, as he had been his entire life, Gehrig was shy and timid when it came to contact with his classmates and teammates. He was considered a "momma's boy" because his mother was still his closest companion, and he had trouble establishing relationships with his peers.
One thing that could not be denied, however, was his baseball talent. As he played more and more, he only got better and better, and was even referred to as "Babe" Gehrig, in honor of one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Babe Ruth. It seemed unfathomable at the time, but Gehrig would eventually not only become comparable to Ruth, but he would star alongside Ruth with the New York Yankees.
When Gehrig was eventually signed by the Yankees, he was still an unpolished first baseman, but his hitting ability was too good to overlook. In one of the most famous substitutions of all time, Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp (who is still known as the man replaced by a youngster that eventually became one of the greatest players ever). Gehrig saw limited playing time in 1923 and 1924, but in 1925, he officially became the full-time starting first baseman of the Yankees, and he would never look back. In his first two seasons, Gehrig drove in 180 runs, and he and Ruth formed the most potent one-two punch in baseball history in the middle of the Yankees lineup. In 1927 and 1928, Gehrig led the league in both doubles and RBI, and also hit a combined 71 home runs. The 1927 team is considered by many to be the greatest baseball team of all time, and with Gehrig and Ruth in the middle of the lineup, it is hard to argue with that assumption.
Although Gehrig and Ruth both starred on the field for the Yankees, their personalities were polar opposites. Ruth is known almost as much for his excellence on the field as he is for his outlandish behavior off of the field. Ruth spent nearly all of his time off the field living the celebrity lifestyle. Parties, women, alcohol; you name it, and Ruth was connected in some way with it. Gehrig, however, rarely went out at night, and if he did it was in an uneventful setting. Continuing to live up to his reputation as a "momma's boy," Gehrig preferred to spend his time off at home with his family. Despite their diametrically opposed personalities, Ruth and Gehrig continued to flourish together on the field, and they led the Yankees to multiple World Series championships.
As Ruth and many other Yankee teammates of Gehrig's spent their nights carousing and partying, Gehrig continued to stay in first-class condition, and was able to put together a streak of consecutive games played that would be unmatched for decades to come. Not only did Gehrig continue to play each and every day, he continued to hit and drive in runs. After years of playing without missing any games, Gehrig began to realize just how remarkable his streak was, that he took pride in playing each and every day. He did not allow injuries or sicknesses to get in the way of playing, and he played every game of every year for more than a decade. What seemed like a streak that might never end continued on and on until something nobody could have predicted happened. Gehrig's body began to weaken, and despite his best efforts, one of the most well-conditioned athletes in the game was unable to stop this degenerative onset.
Gehrig sought the advice of multiple doctors throughout the country, but none of them were able to even characterize the disease from which he was suffering, let alone provide some kind of cure. Through this all, Gehrig continued to play, but it was obvious to everyone who watched him that he was not the player he used to be. Performing simple activities like dressing himself and eating became problematic, and it was obvious that whatever Gehrig was suffering from was serious. Through it all, Gehrig tried to keep a positive attitude, but eventually his incredible streak came to and end. From June 2, 1925 until April 30, 1939, Gehrig never missed one game. He had played in a record 2,130 consecutive games, and that record stood for almost 60 years until Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it in 1995.
Not only did Gehrig no longer have his streak, his body was also slowly decaying due to this mysterious disease. On June 21, 1939, Gehrig was forced to retire from the game of baseball. Soon after that, on an Independence Day celebration at Yankee Stadium, Gehrig made his famous "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech, something for which he will always be remembered. During that year, Gehrig's #4 was retired, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to have his jersey number retired.
Exactly 16 years after Gehrig's consecutive games played streak began, Gehrig died on June 2, 1941. It is a shame that Gehrig's career had to come to such an abrupt and mysterious conclusion, because he could have possibly gone on to accumulate some of the best numbers in baseball history. Gehrig fell short of both the 3,000 hit club and the 500 home run club, but he did win six World Series championships, two American League MVP awards, and also appeared in seven All-Star games. Gehrig also won the prestigious Triple Crown award in 1934, with a batting average of .363, 49 home runs, and 165 RBI. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939, was named as the first baseman on Major League Baseball's "All Century Team" in 1999, and even was the first athlete to appear on a box of Wheaties cereal.
A cure has still not been found for "Lou Gehrig's Disease," although doctors have found ways to slow its effects and prolong the lifetime of the patients who have contracted it. It is still a rare and mysterious disease. It is a shame that Gehrig succumbed to ALS, because he had a chance to possibly become one of the most accomplished baseball players ever. His career numbers might not say so, but if Jonathan Eig taught me anything throughout the course of his biography, it is that Gehrig was absolutely one of the best, if not the best, player of his time, and his name deserves to be mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play the game, even if the statistics next to his name might not say so.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Four wins in a row has us back at .500. Ian Kennedy displayed his 2011 form last night, and the bats have awakened. Granted, the four wins have come against two teams near the bottom of the National League standings, but at this point it doesn't matter who we play, as long as the game ends in a win. Joe Saunders takes the mound tonight against the Rockies and Edwar Cabrera (who?). If things go like they have been for much of the year, some guy I have never heard of will pitch a shutout. If things go as they have lately, we will continue to hit, and make it five wins in a row. Ryan Roberts was also designated for assignment today, meaning his career with the Diamondbacks is probably over. He was a fan favorite and provided all kinds of thrills and excitment over the past season and a half. The truth is though, last year was probably an anomaly, because his prior career numbers and his numbers this year have not matched what he did last season. This is a business though, and we can't let feelings linger. Move forward, and keep the runs coming tonight. Let's Go DBacks!
Daily Rangers Update: The acquisition of Rick Nash from Columbus made headlines, as his name had been rumored to be available, and he is now officially a New York Ranger. There is still plenty of time before the season starts, but Nash is a legitimate star and I am excited to see him come to the Rangers.
Daily Giants Update: It is officially training camp time, which means Week 1 is getting closer and closer! It's time to get down to business and get ready to defend our title.
This will not be a grammatical and technical review of Jonathan Eig's biography of Lou Gehrig, but more of a look back at Gehrig's life and my feelings on it, as well as what I learned about one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game of baseball. First, the title, "Luckiest Man," comes from one of the most famous speeches in the history of sports, when Gehrig claimed that he was the "luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he spoke to Yankee fans at the end of his career. The average baseball fan probably knows Gehrig for that speech, his consecutive games played record, and the disease named after him that eventually took his life. While these were all obviously noteworthy parts of Gehrig's story, Eig was able to tell a complete story of Gehrig's entire life, from his childhood in New York City, to his wonderful baseball career, and all the way to his death due to a still mysterious disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
Gehrig grew up in New York City in the same conditions as many Irish immigrants of the time. Life was hard, every member of the family worked, and living conditions were not good. Gehrig's mother and father both worked hard to support their children; many times too hard, and their marriage suffered. Due to extremely poor living conditions, many children were unable to survive and reach adulthood, and Gehrig's family was not immune to these tragic circumstances, as Gehrig's sister died at a young age. Through these hardships, Gehrig gained a great appreciation for the work ethic of his mother, and it would have a lasting impact on him throughout his entire life.
Baseball in New York was popular at the time, with the Giants and Yankees being two of the most notable teams in not just New York, but the entire baseball world. Though it seemed unrealistic, Gehrig dreamed of being able to play baseball for a living one day. As he continued to play, he only got better and better, and eventually ended up attending Columbia University to play college ball. Despite the pleas of his mother, Gehrig was determined to do his best to make a living out of baseball.
However, as he had been his entire life, Gehrig was shy and timid when it came to contact with his classmates and teammates. He was considered a "momma's boy" because his mother was still his closest companion, and he had trouble establishing relationships with his peers.
One thing that could not be denied, however, was his baseball talent. As he played more and more, he only got better and better, and was even referred to as "Babe" Gehrig, in honor of one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Babe Ruth. It seemed unfathomable at the time, but Gehrig would eventually not only become comparable to Ruth, but he would star alongside Ruth with the New York Yankees.
When Gehrig was eventually signed by the Yankees, he was still an unpolished first baseman, but his hitting ability was too good to overlook. In one of the most famous substitutions of all time, Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp (who is still known as the man replaced by a youngster that eventually became one of the greatest players ever). Gehrig saw limited playing time in 1923 and 1924, but in 1925, he officially became the full-time starting first baseman of the Yankees, and he would never look back. In his first two seasons, Gehrig drove in 180 runs, and he and Ruth formed the most potent one-two punch in baseball history in the middle of the Yankees lineup. In 1927 and 1928, Gehrig led the league in both doubles and RBI, and also hit a combined 71 home runs. The 1927 team is considered by many to be the greatest baseball team of all time, and with Gehrig and Ruth in the middle of the lineup, it is hard to argue with that assumption.
Although Gehrig and Ruth both starred on the field for the Yankees, their personalities were polar opposites. Ruth is known almost as much for his excellence on the field as he is for his outlandish behavior off of the field. Ruth spent nearly all of his time off the field living the celebrity lifestyle. Parties, women, alcohol; you name it, and Ruth was connected in some way with it. Gehrig, however, rarely went out at night, and if he did it was in an uneventful setting. Continuing to live up to his reputation as a "momma's boy," Gehrig preferred to spend his time off at home with his family. Despite their diametrically opposed personalities, Ruth and Gehrig continued to flourish together on the field, and they led the Yankees to multiple World Series championships.
As Ruth and many other Yankee teammates of Gehrig's spent their nights carousing and partying, Gehrig continued to stay in first-class condition, and was able to put together a streak of consecutive games played that would be unmatched for decades to come. Not only did Gehrig continue to play each and every day, he continued to hit and drive in runs. After years of playing without missing any games, Gehrig began to realize just how remarkable his streak was, that he took pride in playing each and every day. He did not allow injuries or sicknesses to get in the way of playing, and he played every game of every year for more than a decade. What seemed like a streak that might never end continued on and on until something nobody could have predicted happened. Gehrig's body began to weaken, and despite his best efforts, one of the most well-conditioned athletes in the game was unable to stop this degenerative onset.
Gehrig sought the advice of multiple doctors throughout the country, but none of them were able to even characterize the disease from which he was suffering, let alone provide some kind of cure. Through this all, Gehrig continued to play, but it was obvious to everyone who watched him that he was not the player he used to be. Performing simple activities like dressing himself and eating became problematic, and it was obvious that whatever Gehrig was suffering from was serious. Through it all, Gehrig tried to keep a positive attitude, but eventually his incredible streak came to and end. From June 2, 1925 until April 30, 1939, Gehrig never missed one game. He had played in a record 2,130 consecutive games, and that record stood for almost 60 years until Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it in 1995.
Not only did Gehrig no longer have his streak, his body was also slowly decaying due to this mysterious disease. On June 21, 1939, Gehrig was forced to retire from the game of baseball. Soon after that, on an Independence Day celebration at Yankee Stadium, Gehrig made his famous "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech, something for which he will always be remembered. During that year, Gehrig's #4 was retired, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to have his jersey number retired.
Exactly 16 years after Gehrig's consecutive games played streak began, Gehrig died on June 2, 1941. It is a shame that Gehrig's career had to come to such an abrupt and mysterious conclusion, because he could have possibly gone on to accumulate some of the best numbers in baseball history. Gehrig fell short of both the 3,000 hit club and the 500 home run club, but he did win six World Series championships, two American League MVP awards, and also appeared in seven All-Star games. Gehrig also won the prestigious Triple Crown award in 1934, with a batting average of .363, 49 home runs, and 165 RBI. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939, was named as the first baseman on Major League Baseball's "All Century Team" in 1999, and even was the first athlete to appear on a box of Wheaties cereal.
A cure has still not been found for "Lou Gehrig's Disease," although doctors have found ways to slow its effects and prolong the lifetime of the patients who have contracted it. It is still a rare and mysterious disease. It is a shame that Gehrig succumbed to ALS, because he had a chance to possibly become one of the most accomplished baseball players ever. His career numbers might not say so, but if Jonathan Eig taught me anything throughout the course of his biography, it is that Gehrig was absolutely one of the best, if not the best, player of his time, and his name deserves to be mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play the game, even if the statistics next to his name might not say so.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Four wins in a row has us back at .500. Ian Kennedy displayed his 2011 form last night, and the bats have awakened. Granted, the four wins have come against two teams near the bottom of the National League standings, but at this point it doesn't matter who we play, as long as the game ends in a win. Joe Saunders takes the mound tonight against the Rockies and Edwar Cabrera (who?). If things go like they have been for much of the year, some guy I have never heard of will pitch a shutout. If things go as they have lately, we will continue to hit, and make it five wins in a row. Ryan Roberts was also designated for assignment today, meaning his career with the Diamondbacks is probably over. He was a fan favorite and provided all kinds of thrills and excitment over the past season and a half. The truth is though, last year was probably an anomaly, because his prior career numbers and his numbers this year have not matched what he did last season. This is a business though, and we can't let feelings linger. Move forward, and keep the runs coming tonight. Let's Go DBacks!
Daily Rangers Update: The acquisition of Rick Nash from Columbus made headlines, as his name had been rumored to be available, and he is now officially a New York Ranger. There is still plenty of time before the season starts, but Nash is a legitimate star and I am excited to see him come to the Rangers.
Daily Giants Update: It is officially training camp time, which means Week 1 is getting closer and closer! It's time to get down to business and get ready to defend our title.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Hiding injuries? I NEVER would have guessed
Let me get this out of the way first...that was a sarcastic statement. Speaking to Dan Patrick the other day, Troy Polamalu said that he has both hidden and lied about injuries in the past. Head injuries, knee injuries, all kinds of things. A lot of people were surprised with these comments, but I don't know why that would be the case. Why this is a shock to anyone is beyond me.
Due to the recent crackdown on head injuries and their prevention in football (and other sports as well), it seems like any athlete that comes out and makes a public statement about having previously covered up their own injuries is a unique case. Now that we know football is a dangerous sport that might possibly cause injuries, we know for sure that all the players will be extra careful and safe when they are on the field, right? The only answer to that is of course not. We know they will all still continue to lie about injuries, and go out on the field as long as they can stand on their feet.
When someone chooses their profession in life, they know what the positives and negatives are of pursuing the career that they have chosen to pursue. A fireman knows that in the line of duty, he or she may be able to save a lot of people from terrible disasters, but that it won't be like that 100% of the time. A school teacher would love to be able to see each and every student they teach get an A+ on every exam, but they know that just won't happen. It's the same way with an athlete. Whether it be a football player, a boxer, a baseball player, or an athlete playing any other kind of sport, we all know that it is not possible for everyone to make millions of dollars and retire in full health. When you choose a profession and set your mind to it, you have to take into account both the good and the bad.
Football is one of the most violent sports in the world. It's a game that literally sanctions crime. When a wide receiver makes a catch and Troy Polamalu comes flying through the air and takes him out, it is considered a great play. If Polamalu did that to someone as they walked out of the grocery store, he would be arrested. Football players know that the game they play isn't always safe, but they choose to play it anyway.
Not long ago, Brian Urlacher made comments similar to the ones that Polamalu made. He said that he too has attempted to hide injuries in the past from his coaches and trainers, all for the sake of getting back out on the field. Since this subject has become such a poignant topic of discussion, I have realized that the mindset of a football player is just something that not everyone can understand or relate to. A football player might be able to go out on the field and sacrifice his body week in and week out, but he might get sea sick on a boat. Likewise, there may be a boat captain that has no fear of piloting a ship out into a potentially deadly storm, but would go nowhere near a football field. How does that saying go? Different strokes for different folks? It's something like that.
Worse than the fact that these current players are admitting to covering up injuries, is the fact that the NFL is facing lawsuits from over 2,000 different former players that are claiming they were kept in the dark about head injuries in the past. More often than not, all you ever hear from former players about the new rules that put more emphasis on player safety is that the rules are making the game worse. They are making the game "softer" and players today would not be able to hang with the players of old. Then why are many of these same players complaining that they were kept in the dark about the possibility of them injuring themselves? It's hypocritical.
Years ago, guys like Sam Huff and Gino Marchetti played the game with nearly no pads on. The "helmets" that they used were pretty much the equivalent of putting a baseball mit on your head and then going out and playing football. Even after that, guys like Dick Butkus and Mel Blount didn't try to make a tackle. They tried to decapitate the players on the opposing teams. If you try to tell me that they believed they would never get injured as they flew all over the field, then I would tell you that you are lying. Broken bones? Nothing. A head injury? You just got your bell rung, now get up and get back in the game. Worry about the consequences later.
Playing football in general requires a certain mindset. Playing the game at the highest level in the world requires a mindset that is even leaps and bounds above that. As I said before, people in any profession know what they could possibly get into when they choose the path that they take. A doctor could take endless satisfaction from performing surgery and seeing a patient make a full recovery. However, I don't want the doctor complaining and attempting to sue the hospital if something he or she does is unsuccessful and causes a major injury or a death.
Doctor, football player, teacher, fireman, all occupations have their ups and downs. Since we will never be able to put ourselves into the shoes and the minds of everyone around us, we just have to deal with the fact that we will not always be able to relate to how others feel about what they do. We need to stop questioning why athletes play the sports they do just because we feel as though doing so is too dangerous. Being a football player requires a mindset that not many people have, and when guys like Brian Urlacher and Troy Polamalu (two of the greatest to ever play the game) tell us about some sacrifices they have made on the road to becoming great, we need to accept the fact that they are putting their bodies on the line for our entertainment. If it weren't for us watching the games and buying their jerseys, they would be out of a job. So, if you really want to stop players from putting themselves on the line, then stop watching the game. Until then though, commend these guys for doing what they do, because there are only a select few that can do it.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Well, last night went great, with a nice victory. Today was going great too, until a 6-0 lead in the 6th inning turned into a 7-6 loss. A 2-2 series split against a first place team is still good, but we are at the point in the season that good is not going to cut it. San Francisco lost, and we could have gained ground, but it didn't happen. Next up is a 10-game homestand when the Astros, Rockies, and Mets come to town. As corny as this may sound, I don't even want to set a goal for what our record needs to be over the next 10 games. Let's just make it 1-0 tomorrow.
Due to the recent crackdown on head injuries and their prevention in football (and other sports as well), it seems like any athlete that comes out and makes a public statement about having previously covered up their own injuries is a unique case. Now that we know football is a dangerous sport that might possibly cause injuries, we know for sure that all the players will be extra careful and safe when they are on the field, right? The only answer to that is of course not. We know they will all still continue to lie about injuries, and go out on the field as long as they can stand on their feet.
When someone chooses their profession in life, they know what the positives and negatives are of pursuing the career that they have chosen to pursue. A fireman knows that in the line of duty, he or she may be able to save a lot of people from terrible disasters, but that it won't be like that 100% of the time. A school teacher would love to be able to see each and every student they teach get an A+ on every exam, but they know that just won't happen. It's the same way with an athlete. Whether it be a football player, a boxer, a baseball player, or an athlete playing any other kind of sport, we all know that it is not possible for everyone to make millions of dollars and retire in full health. When you choose a profession and set your mind to it, you have to take into account both the good and the bad.
Football is one of the most violent sports in the world. It's a game that literally sanctions crime. When a wide receiver makes a catch and Troy Polamalu comes flying through the air and takes him out, it is considered a great play. If Polamalu did that to someone as they walked out of the grocery store, he would be arrested. Football players know that the game they play isn't always safe, but they choose to play it anyway.
Not long ago, Brian Urlacher made comments similar to the ones that Polamalu made. He said that he too has attempted to hide injuries in the past from his coaches and trainers, all for the sake of getting back out on the field. Since this subject has become such a poignant topic of discussion, I have realized that the mindset of a football player is just something that not everyone can understand or relate to. A football player might be able to go out on the field and sacrifice his body week in and week out, but he might get sea sick on a boat. Likewise, there may be a boat captain that has no fear of piloting a ship out into a potentially deadly storm, but would go nowhere near a football field. How does that saying go? Different strokes for different folks? It's something like that.
Worse than the fact that these current players are admitting to covering up injuries, is the fact that the NFL is facing lawsuits from over 2,000 different former players that are claiming they were kept in the dark about head injuries in the past. More often than not, all you ever hear from former players about the new rules that put more emphasis on player safety is that the rules are making the game worse. They are making the game "softer" and players today would not be able to hang with the players of old. Then why are many of these same players complaining that they were kept in the dark about the possibility of them injuring themselves? It's hypocritical.
Years ago, guys like Sam Huff and Gino Marchetti played the game with nearly no pads on. The "helmets" that they used were pretty much the equivalent of putting a baseball mit on your head and then going out and playing football. Even after that, guys like Dick Butkus and Mel Blount didn't try to make a tackle. They tried to decapitate the players on the opposing teams. If you try to tell me that they believed they would never get injured as they flew all over the field, then I would tell you that you are lying. Broken bones? Nothing. A head injury? You just got your bell rung, now get up and get back in the game. Worry about the consequences later.
Playing football in general requires a certain mindset. Playing the game at the highest level in the world requires a mindset that is even leaps and bounds above that. As I said before, people in any profession know what they could possibly get into when they choose the path that they take. A doctor could take endless satisfaction from performing surgery and seeing a patient make a full recovery. However, I don't want the doctor complaining and attempting to sue the hospital if something he or she does is unsuccessful and causes a major injury or a death.
Doctor, football player, teacher, fireman, all occupations have their ups and downs. Since we will never be able to put ourselves into the shoes and the minds of everyone around us, we just have to deal with the fact that we will not always be able to relate to how others feel about what they do. We need to stop questioning why athletes play the sports they do just because we feel as though doing so is too dangerous. Being a football player requires a mindset that not many people have, and when guys like Brian Urlacher and Troy Polamalu (two of the greatest to ever play the game) tell us about some sacrifices they have made on the road to becoming great, we need to accept the fact that they are putting their bodies on the line for our entertainment. If it weren't for us watching the games and buying their jerseys, they would be out of a job. So, if you really want to stop players from putting themselves on the line, then stop watching the game. Until then though, commend these guys for doing what they do, because there are only a select few that can do it.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Well, last night went great, with a nice victory. Today was going great too, until a 6-0 lead in the 6th inning turned into a 7-6 loss. A 2-2 series split against a first place team is still good, but we are at the point in the season that good is not going to cut it. San Francisco lost, and we could have gained ground, but it didn't happen. Next up is a 10-game homestand when the Astros, Rockies, and Mets come to town. As corny as this may sound, I don't even want to set a goal for what our record needs to be over the next 10 games. Let's just make it 1-0 tomorrow.
Monday, July 16, 2012
I guess that I eventually will have to write about this...
Jeremy Lin. The New York Knicks. I have so many opinions on both of those subjects that if I listed them, the list would be longer than my baseball reviews, and no one wants to read that much. So instead of going on and on about both of these subjects, I will sum up my thoughts on both subjects in a few short words, and then expand a bit on the current situation. Jeremy Lin: flash-in-the-pan. The New York Knicks: complete joke. In the following paragraphs, I will try to demonstrate why I feel that way about those two entities.
Since the turn of the century, the New York Knicks, "one of the most storied franchises in the history of the league," have won three playoff games. That is all I really need to say about the recent history of the team. During this past season, the Knicks were the centerpiece of the "Linsanity" hysteria. A young, Asian basketball player, graduate of Harvard, and complete unknown, came from nowhere to put together a stretch of about two months of good games. With the two stars of the Knicks, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, hurt for portions of the season, Lin got his chance to shine, and took full advantage of that chance. And good for him. He obviously has flaws to his game, but overall, he did a very good job of capitalizing on his chance to play, and has now turned that chance into more money than I could ever imagine.
With Anthony and Stoudemire in and out of the lineup for most of the season, the Knicks played a majority of their games at less than full strength. If Anthony was healthy, then Stoudemire was hurt. If Stoudemire was healthy, the Anthony was hurt. Injuries are a part of sports, and are obviously both unpredictable and unavoidable. Even Peyton Manning and Brett Favre eventually were forced to the sidelines due to injuries, and they were two of the most reliable players in the history of sports. Neither Favre nor Manning has anything to do with this situation though.
The point is, the Knicks were in need of some kind of spark, and Lin provided one. Coming from relative obscurity, he burst on to the scene with a stretch of good performances. After two weeks of leading the Knicks to some wins, the discussion seemed as though it was over. Jeremy Lin was a Hall of Famer. Most Knicks fans were enthralled with Lin's play, and the Knicks were on the road to an NBA title. However, as I could have told anyone, reality eventually set in. We learned that Lin was, in fact, at best a mediocre player, and that the Knicks were, at best a mediocre team. Lin himself eventually was bitten by the injury bug, and watched the Knicks end their season in the first round of the playoffs with a loss to the eventual champions, the Miami Heat.
The best thing that Lin ever did though was, as millions of Harvard graduates have done, earn himself a whole lot of money. The Houston Rockets offered him a whole lot of money, and as a restricted free agent, the Knicks have had a chance to match that offer. Thus far, the Knicks have not matched the offer. By Wednesday, Lin could be a Houston Rocket. The only thing that could change that is the two subjects I brought up earlier. Lin is an absolute flash-in-the-pan, but the Knicks franchise is a complete joke. The only way that the Knicks can prevent Lin from going to Houston, is by matching the offer of the Rockets, subjecting themselves to a luxury tax because of their payroll, and adding another ridiculous contract to their roster that will make the acquisitions of guys like Stephon Marbury and Jason Kidd seem like great business decisions.
The Rockets are grossly overpaying for Lin. They obviously have a large fan base in China due to their history with Yao Ming, but they have had little or no success since Hakeem Olajuwon retired a decade ago. Making money overseas is obviously great for the heads of the organization, but there comes a time when they need to put a respectable product on the floor in their home country, and they have not been able to do so in quite some time.
Paying Lin as much money as they have offered him will not change that. The shrewdest business decision that the Knicks franchise can make is not matching the Rockets offer to Lin. They are already paying a while lot of money to Stoudemire, Anthony, and Tyson Chandler, and the last thing they need is more money on the payroll that will only result in immovable contracts and mediocre play on the court.
The combination of Stoudemire and Anthony just doesn't work, and the addition of another big contract will only make the team more of a joke. So my message as a Knicks hater is this: please, do yourself a favor, and do not match Houston's offer. Let the Rockets overpay for a mediocre player, and you will be able to at least have some hope of respectability for the future when all of your other ridiculously bad contracts pay no dividends and eventually expire.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: I don't even want to write about it. Wade Miley goes tonight against the Reds, and that is all I have to say.
Since the turn of the century, the New York Knicks, "one of the most storied franchises in the history of the league," have won three playoff games. That is all I really need to say about the recent history of the team. During this past season, the Knicks were the centerpiece of the "Linsanity" hysteria. A young, Asian basketball player, graduate of Harvard, and complete unknown, came from nowhere to put together a stretch of about two months of good games. With the two stars of the Knicks, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, hurt for portions of the season, Lin got his chance to shine, and took full advantage of that chance. And good for him. He obviously has flaws to his game, but overall, he did a very good job of capitalizing on his chance to play, and has now turned that chance into more money than I could ever imagine.
With Anthony and Stoudemire in and out of the lineup for most of the season, the Knicks played a majority of their games at less than full strength. If Anthony was healthy, then Stoudemire was hurt. If Stoudemire was healthy, the Anthony was hurt. Injuries are a part of sports, and are obviously both unpredictable and unavoidable. Even Peyton Manning and Brett Favre eventually were forced to the sidelines due to injuries, and they were two of the most reliable players in the history of sports. Neither Favre nor Manning has anything to do with this situation though.
The point is, the Knicks were in need of some kind of spark, and Lin provided one. Coming from relative obscurity, he burst on to the scene with a stretch of good performances. After two weeks of leading the Knicks to some wins, the discussion seemed as though it was over. Jeremy Lin was a Hall of Famer. Most Knicks fans were enthralled with Lin's play, and the Knicks were on the road to an NBA title. However, as I could have told anyone, reality eventually set in. We learned that Lin was, in fact, at best a mediocre player, and that the Knicks were, at best a mediocre team. Lin himself eventually was bitten by the injury bug, and watched the Knicks end their season in the first round of the playoffs with a loss to the eventual champions, the Miami Heat.
The best thing that Lin ever did though was, as millions of Harvard graduates have done, earn himself a whole lot of money. The Houston Rockets offered him a whole lot of money, and as a restricted free agent, the Knicks have had a chance to match that offer. Thus far, the Knicks have not matched the offer. By Wednesday, Lin could be a Houston Rocket. The only thing that could change that is the two subjects I brought up earlier. Lin is an absolute flash-in-the-pan, but the Knicks franchise is a complete joke. The only way that the Knicks can prevent Lin from going to Houston, is by matching the offer of the Rockets, subjecting themselves to a luxury tax because of their payroll, and adding another ridiculous contract to their roster that will make the acquisitions of guys like Stephon Marbury and Jason Kidd seem like great business decisions.
The Rockets are grossly overpaying for Lin. They obviously have a large fan base in China due to their history with Yao Ming, but they have had little or no success since Hakeem Olajuwon retired a decade ago. Making money overseas is obviously great for the heads of the organization, but there comes a time when they need to put a respectable product on the floor in their home country, and they have not been able to do so in quite some time.
Paying Lin as much money as they have offered him will not change that. The shrewdest business decision that the Knicks franchise can make is not matching the Rockets offer to Lin. They are already paying a while lot of money to Stoudemire, Anthony, and Tyson Chandler, and the last thing they need is more money on the payroll that will only result in immovable contracts and mediocre play on the court.
The combination of Stoudemire and Anthony just doesn't work, and the addition of another big contract will only make the team more of a joke. So my message as a Knicks hater is this: please, do yourself a favor, and do not match Houston's offer. Let the Rockets overpay for a mediocre player, and you will be able to at least have some hope of respectability for the future when all of your other ridiculously bad contracts pay no dividends and eventually expire.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: I don't even want to write about it. Wade Miley goes tonight against the Reds, and that is all I have to say.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
My thoughts on Penn State
Sometimes, we forget that sports are not really as important as we act like they are. I know for a fact that I am far more invested in sports than most people, and I have no problem with that, but in the end, fans only get entertainment from watching sports and attending sporting events. There are plenty of people throughout the country that are far more dependent upon sports than I am. Players, coaches, trainers, owners, and people like that make their living off of participating in sports, so without the games we watch, millions of people worldwide would not be able to support themselves and their families.
However, people like myself and millions of other sports fans throughout the world have invested so much time, energy, money, and all kinds of other things into our favorite teams that we have given these players and coaches (rightly or wrongly) a large amount of responsibility. As a child, I looked up to guys like Randy Johnson and Brian Leetch (among many others). I didn't only want to be able to throw a fastball like Johnson or score goals like Leetch, but I wanted to be able to be in front of the camera and share my thoughts about anything and everything with the rest of the people that watched me perfect my craft. As I have grown older, I have learned that being a sports star is something that only a priveliged few can handle. For every Eli Manning or Drew Brees that is able to not only be a role model on the field, but off the field as well, there are tons and tons of Ryan Leafs and Pete Roses who can only handle half of that responsibility. It is why we see so many cases of athletes with so much natural ability that simply are not able to handle the spotlight of being in the public eye each and every day.
Even though it shouldn't be the case, sometimes many of these enormous expectations are placed upon the shoulders of collegiate athletes and collegiate programs. There are numerous colleges all over the country that are not only institutions of higer learning, but they are instead ways of life. In places like Tuscaloosa, Alabama or Durham, North Carolina, the Crimson Tide and the Blue Devils are not just teams. They are decades of blood, sweat, and tears. People like Mike Krzyzewski and Paul "Bear" Bryant aren't just coaches, they are icons. If you witness Duke beat North Carolina or Alabama beat Auburn, you aren't just seeing a group of kids beat another group of kids, you are seeing stories that will be passed down from parents to children. Whether it is right or not, whether it is just or unjust, it is true.
One of these places in which college sports is of such immense importance is State College, Pennsylvania. The Penn State Nittany Lions are the most important part of that community. The teams that take the field, court, etc. are not just collections of talented college athletes, they are symbols of the entire community. When the Nittany Lions win, State College wins. When the Nittany Lions lose, State College loses. And nowhere is that the case more than on the football field each Saturday from September until January.
Only about an hour ago, I watched Michael Wilbon say that Joe Paterno was the second most important man in the history of the state of Pennsylvania, behind only Benjamin Franklin. While he said it in a somewhat facetious way, it honestly is not far from the truth. Paterno was far, far more than the football coach at Penn State. He was a legend. For 46 years, players, coaches, trainers, students, presidents, professors, and many more all went to and from Penn State University. The one enduring image of the school was Paterno. I cannot even begin to imagine how many players he coached, how many assistant coaches he had, and simply how many people he affected in some way. Countless students graduated from the university and went on to successful careers in all kinds of fields, but the lasting image of the school was the football coach. Through good times and bad times, success and failure, championships and bad seasons, Paterno was the rock that seemed as though it would never be unearthed in the center of the campus.
When allegations of sexual abuse of children against Jerry Sandusky, one of Paterno's longtime assistant coaches, arose within the past year, it was a black eye for the program. There were incidents that were publicized to a degree, and it was clear that Sandusky had committed crimes that could never be forgiven. It was also apparent that Paterno and some other powerful people at Penn State were aware of these crimes, yet neglected to stop them. That fact alone was obviously bad enough, and in the wake of this news becoming public knowledge, Paterno was no longer the football coach at Penn State. Shortly after, tragically, due to his declining health, Paterno died.
His death brought about a sense of inconclusiveness in my mind. I had a deep appreciation for what he had done for the Penn State football program, as well as the community of State College, but it was impossible to overlook his complicity in Sandusky's crimes. Despite the close relationship between Paterno and Sandusky, Paterno knew about Sandusky's acts of sexual assault, and continued to overlook them. However, in the eyes of many, Sandusky was the villain, and Paterno still could be forgiven. When I woke up this morning, that all changed.
Over a period of a few months, a man named Louis Freeh, a former director of the FBI, and numerous other lawyers and officials, conducted a further investigation into this matter. Their report was released this morning, and it was more condemnatory than I could have ever imagined. It contained unimaginable amounts of evidence detailing a continued concealment of Sandusky's crimes by the highest of authorities at the university. Not just Paterno, but the president of Penn State, the vice president, the athletic director, and others as well. Over more than a decade, all of these people knew about what Sandusky was doing, and continued to cover it up. Sandusky retired as a coach, but was given a six-figure settlement, and continued to have full access to all Penn State facilities. His youth athletic program remained intact, despite the knowledge of the most powerful people at Penn State of his continued sexual abuse of children. What seemed at first to be only a terrible indictment of Sandusky ended up being a terrible indictment of the entire governing body of Penn State, Paterno included.
Sandusky was charged with a minimum of 60 years in prison for his crimes, and the most powerful people at Penn State not only knew about his crimes, but also allowed him to continue committing such crimes for over a decade. If there were any glimmer of hope left for Paterno, former president Graham Spanier, vice president Gary Schultz, and athletic director Tim Curley, that flame has burnt out. Not only did they allow a criminal to commit crimes and not be punished, but they allowed that same man to continue committing such crimes while turning a blind eye to the situation.
Where we go from here, I cannot even guess. Not only were Spanier, Paterno, Curley, and Schultz erroneous in not stopping Sandusky, they have now been proven to have concealed crimes that they knew were occurring. No longer is this a problem for the university or the NCAA to handle, it has become a problem for the legal system to handle.
I am not sure of the legal ramifications that could come from this report, but I'm sure they cannot be good. As far as the football program at Penn State goes, I am still undecided on how this should be handled. There are things like providing improper benefits to recruits or other things that might cheat the game on the field, but this is not one of those cases. The current players on the Penn State football team had absolutely nothing to do with these crimes, so I don't feel like it would be right to punish them by discontinuing the football program. This is a situation that is far beyond the bounds of jurisdiction of the NCAA or the Big 10. At this point, I'm not sure that anything can be done to the football program at Penn State. The only people guilty in this case need to be punished by the legal system.
One thing that I am sure of though, is that the Penn State football team will be met with hatred and disgust during every road game next season. They will travel to Purdue, Iowa, Nebraska, Virginia, and Illinois, and there is no question that the team will face unrelenting malice.
Nike has already disassociated itself from Paterno, and I'm sure that is only the beginning. There have been calls for the removal of his statue on the Penn State campus, and at this point, I cannot say that I disagree with those calls. There are so many shameful truths that we have learned from this situation, and there are still probably more to come, but one thing I know for sure is, there is a clear line between entertainment and reality, and when that line is crossed, the status of one man does not absolve him from wrongdoing.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The second half of the season starts tomorrow. Ian Kennedy goes againt that Cubs, and anything less than taking two out of three in Wrigley will be a disappointment.
However, people like myself and millions of other sports fans throughout the world have invested so much time, energy, money, and all kinds of other things into our favorite teams that we have given these players and coaches (rightly or wrongly) a large amount of responsibility. As a child, I looked up to guys like Randy Johnson and Brian Leetch (among many others). I didn't only want to be able to throw a fastball like Johnson or score goals like Leetch, but I wanted to be able to be in front of the camera and share my thoughts about anything and everything with the rest of the people that watched me perfect my craft. As I have grown older, I have learned that being a sports star is something that only a priveliged few can handle. For every Eli Manning or Drew Brees that is able to not only be a role model on the field, but off the field as well, there are tons and tons of Ryan Leafs and Pete Roses who can only handle half of that responsibility. It is why we see so many cases of athletes with so much natural ability that simply are not able to handle the spotlight of being in the public eye each and every day.
Even though it shouldn't be the case, sometimes many of these enormous expectations are placed upon the shoulders of collegiate athletes and collegiate programs. There are numerous colleges all over the country that are not only institutions of higer learning, but they are instead ways of life. In places like Tuscaloosa, Alabama or Durham, North Carolina, the Crimson Tide and the Blue Devils are not just teams. They are decades of blood, sweat, and tears. People like Mike Krzyzewski and Paul "Bear" Bryant aren't just coaches, they are icons. If you witness Duke beat North Carolina or Alabama beat Auburn, you aren't just seeing a group of kids beat another group of kids, you are seeing stories that will be passed down from parents to children. Whether it is right or not, whether it is just or unjust, it is true.
One of these places in which college sports is of such immense importance is State College, Pennsylvania. The Penn State Nittany Lions are the most important part of that community. The teams that take the field, court, etc. are not just collections of talented college athletes, they are symbols of the entire community. When the Nittany Lions win, State College wins. When the Nittany Lions lose, State College loses. And nowhere is that the case more than on the football field each Saturday from September until January.
Only about an hour ago, I watched Michael Wilbon say that Joe Paterno was the second most important man in the history of the state of Pennsylvania, behind only Benjamin Franklin. While he said it in a somewhat facetious way, it honestly is not far from the truth. Paterno was far, far more than the football coach at Penn State. He was a legend. For 46 years, players, coaches, trainers, students, presidents, professors, and many more all went to and from Penn State University. The one enduring image of the school was Paterno. I cannot even begin to imagine how many players he coached, how many assistant coaches he had, and simply how many people he affected in some way. Countless students graduated from the university and went on to successful careers in all kinds of fields, but the lasting image of the school was the football coach. Through good times and bad times, success and failure, championships and bad seasons, Paterno was the rock that seemed as though it would never be unearthed in the center of the campus.
When allegations of sexual abuse of children against Jerry Sandusky, one of Paterno's longtime assistant coaches, arose within the past year, it was a black eye for the program. There were incidents that were publicized to a degree, and it was clear that Sandusky had committed crimes that could never be forgiven. It was also apparent that Paterno and some other powerful people at Penn State were aware of these crimes, yet neglected to stop them. That fact alone was obviously bad enough, and in the wake of this news becoming public knowledge, Paterno was no longer the football coach at Penn State. Shortly after, tragically, due to his declining health, Paterno died.
His death brought about a sense of inconclusiveness in my mind. I had a deep appreciation for what he had done for the Penn State football program, as well as the community of State College, but it was impossible to overlook his complicity in Sandusky's crimes. Despite the close relationship between Paterno and Sandusky, Paterno knew about Sandusky's acts of sexual assault, and continued to overlook them. However, in the eyes of many, Sandusky was the villain, and Paterno still could be forgiven. When I woke up this morning, that all changed.
Over a period of a few months, a man named Louis Freeh, a former director of the FBI, and numerous other lawyers and officials, conducted a further investigation into this matter. Their report was released this morning, and it was more condemnatory than I could have ever imagined. It contained unimaginable amounts of evidence detailing a continued concealment of Sandusky's crimes by the highest of authorities at the university. Not just Paterno, but the president of Penn State, the vice president, the athletic director, and others as well. Over more than a decade, all of these people knew about what Sandusky was doing, and continued to cover it up. Sandusky retired as a coach, but was given a six-figure settlement, and continued to have full access to all Penn State facilities. His youth athletic program remained intact, despite the knowledge of the most powerful people at Penn State of his continued sexual abuse of children. What seemed at first to be only a terrible indictment of Sandusky ended up being a terrible indictment of the entire governing body of Penn State, Paterno included.
Sandusky was charged with a minimum of 60 years in prison for his crimes, and the most powerful people at Penn State not only knew about his crimes, but also allowed him to continue committing such crimes for over a decade. If there were any glimmer of hope left for Paterno, former president Graham Spanier, vice president Gary Schultz, and athletic director Tim Curley, that flame has burnt out. Not only did they allow a criminal to commit crimes and not be punished, but they allowed that same man to continue committing such crimes while turning a blind eye to the situation.
Where we go from here, I cannot even guess. Not only were Spanier, Paterno, Curley, and Schultz erroneous in not stopping Sandusky, they have now been proven to have concealed crimes that they knew were occurring. No longer is this a problem for the university or the NCAA to handle, it has become a problem for the legal system to handle.
I am not sure of the legal ramifications that could come from this report, but I'm sure they cannot be good. As far as the football program at Penn State goes, I am still undecided on how this should be handled. There are things like providing improper benefits to recruits or other things that might cheat the game on the field, but this is not one of those cases. The current players on the Penn State football team had absolutely nothing to do with these crimes, so I don't feel like it would be right to punish them by discontinuing the football program. This is a situation that is far beyond the bounds of jurisdiction of the NCAA or the Big 10. At this point, I'm not sure that anything can be done to the football program at Penn State. The only people guilty in this case need to be punished by the legal system.
One thing that I am sure of though, is that the Penn State football team will be met with hatred and disgust during every road game next season. They will travel to Purdue, Iowa, Nebraska, Virginia, and Illinois, and there is no question that the team will face unrelenting malice.
Nike has already disassociated itself from Paterno, and I'm sure that is only the beginning. There have been calls for the removal of his statue on the Penn State campus, and at this point, I cannot say that I disagree with those calls. There are so many shameful truths that we have learned from this situation, and there are still probably more to come, but one thing I know for sure is, there is a clear line between entertainment and reality, and when that line is crossed, the status of one man does not absolve him from wrongdoing.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The second half of the season starts tomorrow. Ian Kennedy goes againt that Cubs, and anything less than taking two out of three in Wrigley will be a disappointment.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The second half of my take on the first half
What was supposed to be a quick look at each Major League Baseball team and how they have done so far this year turned into a long, and probably boring, thesis on the American League. I must say though, it was at least informative for myself. I hadn't looked that closely at each and every team this year, so I got to do that. So now, without further ado, I begin my long and boring thesis on each and every team in the National League...
NL East
Nationals (49-34, 2 games ahead of the pack for the best record in the NL) - The Nationals were an intriguing team coming into this season. They had two of the most talked-about prospects in baseball in Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, and it seemed like the team was headed in the right direction. What I didn't expect though, was how quickly this team would ascend. Harper is only 19 years old, but is already an All-Star, and the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year in the National League. Not to be outdone, Strasburg has 9 wins at the break, an ERA of 2.82, and has struck out 128 batters (tied for the most in all of baseball). Add Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann to that, and the Nationals rotation is very good, and very young. Henry Rodriguez began the season as the closer, but he struggled, and Tyler Clippard has taken over and done a more than respectable job. Still though, the bullpen includes four other pitchers with ERA's below 2.00. Ian Desmond, Adam LaRoche, and Ryan Zimmerman have been hitting well, and Jayson Werth has been injured for much of the first half. He is getting close to healthy, and he should be back with plenty of time to get hot before the season ends. If the Nationals continue playing the way they played in the first half, they won't just be good this year, they will be good for many years to come.
Braves (46-39, 1/2 game ahead of three teams for the final Wild Card spot) - I expected this team to be good, and so far they have been just that. The Braves have been getting production from up and down their lineup, and they have a little bit of everything. Michael Bourn has been excellent at the top of the order, hitting .311 with 25 stolen bases. Martin Prado and Chipper Jones are also both hitting over .300, and Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann, and Dan Uggla have supplied the power, as they all have driven in at least 40 runs. It sounds a bit odd, but the weakest part of the Braves might actually be their starting rotation. Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson have been very good, but aside from them, the rest of the rotation has been mediocre at best. Brandon Beachy got off to a great start, but is gone for the year thanks to Tommy John surgery. Randall Delgado and Mike Minor have combined for 15 losses and both have ERA's above 4.50, and Jair Jurrjens seems like he will never reach the heights that some expected he might. However, just like last year, the Braves have a very solid bullpen. Eric O'Flaherty and Kris Medlen are both sporting ERA's below 3.00, and Craig Kimbrel has become one of the most reliable closers in all of baseball, with 25 saves and an ERA of 1.36. Overall, I like this team. They have been good so far, and I would expect that to continue into the postseason when October rolls around.
Mets (46-40, 1/2 game behind the Braves for the final Wild Card spot) - Here is a team that I was way off on. When the season started, I thought they were guaranteed to finish last in the division, yet here they are, only one win out of a Wild Card spot at the All-Star break. If Mike Trout has been the best story in the American League, then R.A. Dickey has been the best story in the National League. At this point, Dickey is tied for the Major League lead with 12 wins, only five strikeouts away from the Major League lead, and has an ERA of 2.40. In my opinion, he should be starting in the All-Star Game, but Matt Cain got the nod for that instead. Johan Santana has also been very good, and he etched his name into the Mets record books with their first ever no-hitter. Jonathan Niese has been good as well, and Bobby Parnell has been good in the bullpen. Frank Francisco has been a bit of an adventure during many appearances as the closer, so that could come back to haunt the team, although the Mets have been mentioned in a number of trade scenarios involving other closers, so maybe they can solve that problem with a trade at the deadline. As far as the offense goes, David Wright has been the star. His .351 batting average puts him right near the top of baseball in that category, and he also leads the Mets with 59 RBI. Lucas Duda, Scott Hairston, and Ike Davis have also supplied power with 12 home runs each. The problem is just that the lineup is full of unproven players, as well as players who have proven that they are mediocre. They have far surpassed my expectations to this point, but I still can't believe that this team will have what it takes to make the postseason.
Marlins (41-44, 5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Here is a team that I can proudly say I was right on with as far as preseason predictions go. They made a big splash in free agency and by moving into a new ballpark, but they have not been too great, despite the big names they have on their roster. Omar Infante and Giancarlo Stanton have led the offense, and Jose Reyes, Logan Morrison, and Hanley Ramirez have been pretty good as well. The catcher position has been a black hole offensively though, and Gaby Sanchez has been a huge disappointment at first base. The team just acquired Carlos Lee to try to fix that, but Lee is past his prime, and is a liability defensively. The starting rotation has been, if nothing else, extremely consistent. Of the 85 games that the Marlins have played, all 85 have been started by the same five pitchers, with each member of the rotation making 17 starts. This is actually quite a feat, but just because the rotation has been consistent and injury-free does not make it good. The starters have combined to go 29-32, and only Mark Buehrle has an ERA below 4.00. In the bullpen, Heath Bell has been a massive disappointment. He has 19 saves, but has an ERA of 6.75, and has given up 43 hits and 26 earned runs in 34.2 inning pitched. Steve Cishek and Randy Choate have been terrific in the bullpen, and if it weren't for the huge contract that Miami gave to Bell in the offseason, I think one of them would be closing games. The offense still has the potential to be better, but the pitching staff has been pretty much mediocre across the board, hence the mediocre record. I don't see this team in the hunt when the playoffs roll around.
Phillies (37-50, 10 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Now this is not somewhere we have seen the Phillies in a long time. Before the season even started, they were without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, but I am still very surprised to see them with such a poor record. The offense has been pretty good, but without its two main cogs in the middle of the lineup, any team would obviously drop-off in terms of scoring runs. Carlos Ruiz has been having a great year, as his .350 batting average shows. Hunter Pence has been very good as well, leading the team in both home runs and RBI. Juan Pierre has been very good at the top of the order, hitting over .300 with 20 stolen bases. Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, and Shane Victorino have put up respectable numbers, but they have been sub-par based upon their usual standards, and this definitely has to do with Howard and Utley both missing so many games. We all knew before the season that Philadelphia's offense would be significantly hurt due to the losses of Howard and Utley, but I don't think anyone could have predicted how abnormally poor their pitching has been. Cole Hamels has been his usual self, and is having a very good year, but after that, the rest of the rotation has not come anywhere close to meeting expectations. It took Cliff Lee until July 4th to even get his first win of the season, a statistic that is almost impossible to believe. Roy Halladay has been the definition of durable during his career, and he is on the disabled list and has a disappointing 4-5 record. At the back end of the bullpen, Jonathan Papelbon has 18 saves and Antonio Bastardo has 16 holds, but neither has been able to perform up to their career bests. With Utley and Howard finally back, and Halladay due back soon, this team will definitely be better. However, I think that they have simply put themselves in too big a hole to climb out of, and I think this will be a disappointing year for the Phillies in comparison to their recent past.
NL Central
Pirates (48-37, 1 game ahead in the race for the NL Central crown) - Well at least Pennsylvania got it right this year. One good team, and one bad team. The only difference is that this year the good team is the Pirates and the bad team is the Phillies. Andrew McCutchen has gone from up-and-coming youngster to absolute stud, and a case can be made that he is the frontrunner for MVP in the National League at this point in the season. He leads the team in every major offensive category, and he plays center field very well to boot. While McCutchen is the obvious star of this offense, he is getting support from other youngsters like Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, and Garrett Jones as well. McCutchen has shown no signs of slowing down, and if the rest of the lineup can chip in from top to bottom like they have so far, this offense can be good enough. As far as the pitching goes, this is where I would be a bit concerned. I just don't know if the rotation has enough firepower to last through the entire season. James McDonald has been brilliant at the top, and he seems to be turning himself into a pretty good pitcher. The bullpen has been terrific as well, with Joel Hanrahan, Jason Grilli, Jared Hughes, and Juan Cruz all putting up very good numbers through the first half. The problem is the rest of the rotation after McDonald. Looking at the numbers alone, the #2 starter is 10-2 with a 3.68 ERA. On paper, that seems great. The problem though, is that the name of that #2 starter is A.J. Burnett. Burnett is a proven mediocre pitcher, and he has been so wherever he has pitched. There is no way he continues this pace through the second half of the season. After Burnett, the rotation has been a mix of even more mediocre pitchers like Kevin Correia, Erik Bedard, and Charlie Morton. McDonald and Burnett have been great, but at least one of them is highly likely to plateau and then probably descend during the second half. This team has some good young players, and one great young player in McCutchen, but I'd be surprised to see them in the playoffs.
Reds (47-38, 1 game behind the Pirates in the division, and leading the race for the first Wild Card spot) - After winning the Central in 2010, the Reds were a disappointment last year and missed the playoffs. This year, I think they will be back in the postseason. The offense is led by a man that is likely the most underappreciated superstar in all of baseball, Joey Votto. This man already has an MVP in his trophy case, yet many fans would still be unable to recognize him if he walked past them on the street. His .348 batting average speaks for itself, and his 14 home runs and 48 RBI are very good as well. Aside from Votto, the Reds also have Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips putting up excellent numbers. Phillips also must be leading the league in SportsCenter defensive highlights. Even though that is not an official stat, the man is a defensive wizard at second base. With those three anchoring the batting order, and guys like Zack Cozart, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Heisey, and Todd Frazier providing support, this is an offense that can be very good and be playing into October. It may have taken a bit longer than the Reds hoped, but Johnny Cueto has been having a great year, with 10 wins and a 2.39 ERA. Bronson Arroyo has been pretty good, and Mike Leake, Mat Latos, and Homer Bailey have been average, with the potential to still be better in the second half. Aroldis Chapman has been excellent coming out of the bullpen with a 1.83 ERA and 11 saves, and Jose Arredondo and Sean Marshall have had good years as well out of the 'pen. The pitching staff is definitely not great from top to bottom, but with an offense like the Reds have, the staff is good enough to at least get this team into the playoffs. They may not be World Series contenders, but I think this team is definitely good enough to make the playoffs.
Cardinals (46-40, 1/2 game out of the final Wild Card spot) - After winning the World Series last year, the Cardinals were obviously a very good team. However, losing one of the best first basemen to ever play the game, Albert Pujols, would no doubt be a huge loss. The offense has actually not taken as big a hit as I expected, thanks in large part to Carlos Beltran, who has had a magnificent first half. Matt Holliday has been his normal, steady self, and other parts of the offense like David Freese and Yadier Molina have been very good as well. The Cardinals have been missing Lance Berkman for most of the season up until this point, and his return (which should be shortly after the All-Star break) will only make this offense even better. As far as the pitching goes, the injury bug has bitten Chris Carpenter, and it seems as though he and Adam Wainwright can never both get through an entire season together. Guys like Lance Lynn and Kyle Lohse have picked up the slack though, as they have gone a combined 20-6. Lynn came flying out of the gate, but has slowed a bit since then, so I'm not sure that he can continue to be that good in the second half. Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte have been very good at the back end of the bullpen, but the middle relief has only been mediocre. That could spell trouble later in the year when the starters may not be able to pitch as deep into games due to wear and tear, but this team can still score runs, and with the extra Wild Card spot, I fully expect them to be in the playoff hunt all season.
Brewers (40-45, 6 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Despite my newfound hatred of this team for a number of reasons that arose at the end of last season, I still thought that they would be a bit better than they have been. Losing Prince Fielder would obviously hurt their offense, and it has. Ryan Braun had some off-field issues this offseason, but he has obviously put those well behind him, and he is leading the team in most major offensive categories. Other guys like Aramis Ramirez, Corey Hart, and Norichika Aoki have provided support around him, but this offense definitely has been unable to replace Fielder's presence in the middle of the order. The top three starters in Milwaukee's rotation have been good. Zack Greinke, Yovani Gallardo, and Shaun Marcum have combined for 21 wins, and they are all sporting ERA's under 3.75. This team has been mentioned as a possible seller at the Trade Deadline though, as Greinke's name has been connected to a whole bunch of rumors. We will have to see what ends up happening with the roster moves, but if they can't come out of the gate hot for the next few weeks, the Brewers might be unable to stay in contention for the rest of the year.
Cubs (33-52, 13 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - The Cubs have been in a holding pattern for quite some time now, and that is not a good thing. They are only 1/2 game from being the worst team in all of baseball, and things just can't get better during the second half. They have too many teams to pass and simply not enough good players to make the giant leap it will take to simply be considered a contender come September. The lineup at least has some promising young players that seem as though they will only get better. Starlin Castro was an All-Star, and despite some mental lapses, can hit the ball and will be very good for years to come. Bryan LaHair has had a great year, and Anthony Rizzo seems like he will finally get a chance to show what he can do, and has been very good over the past two weeks since he has been called up from the minor leagues. Alfonso Soriano has given the team his normal, above-average production at the plate, but aside from Castro, there is not much else in this lineup that is awe-inspiring. On the mound, Ryan Dempster has had a great year, and has an ERA of 1.99, but only 4 wins to show for it. Matt Garza, Paul Maholm, and Jeff Samardzija have all been mediocre at best. Carlos Marmol continues to be a train wreck as the closer, and if the Cubs had anyone else capable in their bullpen, Marmol would not be the closer. James Russell has shown promise as the set-up man, and in my opinion, he might as well get a chance to show what he can do in the 9th inning since the Cubs already pretty much have no chance to make the playoffs. This team has little in the way of established pitching that can be good for years to come. The offense at least has a few promising youngsters, but I still think it will be a while before this team can compete for a playoff spot.
Astros (33-53, 13.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot, and owners of the worst record in baseball) - I could just stop right there, and you would get a sense of how things have gone for Houston, but then this wouldn't be a true look at all 30 teams, would it? The Astros got my attention last season in the second half when they came to Arizona and had a lineup full of guys I had never heard of, yet they were still able to take two of three from the DBacks, and score a ton of runs in doing so. The two guys that really stood out during that series were Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez, and they have both been very good compared to most of the rest of their team so far this year. Altuve has been one of the best second basemen in the National League, and was a deserving All-Star selection. Martinez has supplied some power, leading the team in RBI. Jed Lowrie has also had a nice year, and Chris Johnson has provided some support as well. As far as the pitching staff goes, Wandy Rodriguez is solid, but just doesn't get enough support to get any recognition. Brett Myers has also had a good year at the back end of the bullpen, but I would be shocked to see both of those guys make it past the Trade Deadline in an Astros uniform. The rest of their rotation has been below-average. This team just simply does not have the firepower in terms of hitting or pitching to do anything but fight the Cubs to stay out of last place.
NL West
Dodgers (47-40, 1/2 game up in the division race) - The Dodgers got off to a blazing hot start, but have since come back down to Earth somewhat, thanks in large part to injuries to their two best offensive players, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Kemp has all the tools to be one of the best players in the game for the next decade, and Ethier can be an above-average second option. The problem is, I am still not convinced about anyone else in their lineup. The most promising player other than the top two is Dee Gordon, but I still question whether he can be a consistently durable player when he is about the size of a broomstick. A.J. Ellis seems like he has some potential to be a good catcher, but I don't know if he will ever be anything special. James Loney is a proven mediocrity at first base, and the rest of the lineup is uninspiring. On the mound, the Dodgers have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Clayton Kershaw, but not much else in the rest of the rotation, as Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, and Aaron Harang have gone a combined 19-18; the definition of mediocre. The bullpen has a few somewhat promising young arms, but nothing that jumps off the page. This team played above its head during the first half, and despite the presence of one of the best position players in the game, and one of the best pitchers in the game, I just don't think that they can keep this pace up, especially if Kemp and Ethier cannot stay healthy. At the very least, they have gotten out from underneath the mess that the McCourt family built and attendance is up, but I don't think this team can stay in first place for much longer.
Giants (46-40, 1/2 game behind the Dodgers for first place in the division) - I haven't done this for most teams, but since it's the San Francisco Giants, it all starts with the pitching here. Madison Bumgarner leads the team in wins, Ryan Vogelsong leads the team in ERA, Matt Cain leads the team in strikeouts, Sergio Romo leads the team in holds, and Santiago Casilla leads the team in saves. Five different categories, five different leaders. Did I mention that this team also has Tim Lincecum, a man that has won multiple Cy Young awards? What this all means is that the pitching on this team is incredibly good. Lincecum has been a huge disappointment, and if I were the Giants, I would honestly be worried at this point that something might be seriously wrong with him because he is nowhere close to how good he has been throughout his career. However, Matt Cain (who I have always liked more than Lincecum by the way) has been an absolute stud, and has already thrown a perfect game. Ryan Vogelsong (who, on the contrary, I thought was a complete flash-in-the-pan last year) has proven that he is a legitimate starter, and Madison Bumgarner is going to be good for many years to come. Even without Brian Wilson (most famously known for his beard, but who also is a heck of a closer), this team has been able to pitch very well. The "problem" with this team when the won the World Series two years ago was their offense, and the offense is still the weaker part of the team, although with a pitching staff like they have, any offense would be the weakest part of this team. Melky Cabrera has been magnificent, and is hitting .353 with 44 RBI. Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey have also been very good, giving this team three well above-average bats. Other guys like Angel Pagan, Gregor Blanco, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford may not be household names, but they all bring a little something different to the team and have contributed to make this a very good ball club. Overall, if the Giants can keep playing the way that they have been, and get something, ANYTHING from Lincecum, this is a team that can be a threat in the National League.
Diamondbacks (42-43, 4 games out in the division and the race for the second Wild Card spot) - Ok, I will try to be somewhat brief here, but I doubt that I'll be able to. This team has not come close to meeting my expecations. Ian Kennedy has already lost almost double the amount of games he lost all of last season, Justin Upton has been nowhere close to the MVP level he played at last year, J.J. Putz seems like he is past his prime and may not be able to close for much longer, Daniel Hudson is out for the rest of the season, Josh Collmenter has flubbed now that everyone is used to his odd delivery, and Trevor Cahill has been only mediocre while the man he was traded for (Jarrod Parker) has been excellent. Yet, somehow, we are only four games out of a playoff spot. Signing Jason Kubel in the offseason seemed to make little sense to me, since he would be replacing a man in Gerardo Parra that was coming off a Gold Glove season. Kubel has proven his worth though with 15 home runs and 60 RBI. Paul Goldschmidt has proven that he will be our first baseman of the future, with a batting average of .302, 12 home runs, and 42 RBI. Miguel Montero has been a bit below average offensively compared to last season, but his growth behind the plate in terms of both his play and his handling of the pitching staff has been tremendous. Ryan Roberts has not been having the dream season that he had last year, but he has proven that he can deliver in the clutch. Then there is Aaron Hill. Two cycles in a week and a half speaks for itself. Chase Field has become his favorite place to hit a baseball, and he has been continuing to come up with big time hits. If Chris Young can improve a bit, Stephen Drew can get back into form following his broken ankle and year-long recovery, and Justin Upton can PLEASE get back to somewhere near his level of last year, we will be able to hit enough to make up that four game difference. As far as the pitching goes, it was unrealistic to expect Kennedy to go 21-4 again, but he still hasn't been consistent enough. Hudson, as I said, is out for the season, which is really unfortunate. Cahill has been mediocre, and Collmenter has been below-average (although I must say, I expected that). Joe Saunders got off to a very good start, but has been injured, and hopefully he can come back and win some games for us during the second half. The true star of the staff though, has been Wade Miley. Miley was considered a contender for long relief at best at the beginning of the season, but made the All-Star team. He has come back down to Earth a bit in his last few starts, but that is where the depth of our minor league pitching staff sure comes in handy. Trevor Bauer was drafted and quickly became one of the most highly-touted prospects in the history of the Diamondbacks, and he now has his chance to prove his worth. Two below-average starts were followed by six shutout innings in his final start before the All-Star break, and I am looking forward to him hopefully getting a full shot to start for the rest of the year because I think he will end up being very good. Patrick Corbin is also a wild card here. He has gotten five starts and been pretty good, and he has also been above-average as the long relief man out of the bullpen. The back end of our bullpen has been very good with Craig Breslow, David Hernandez, Brad Ziegler, and Bryan Shaw. The only problem that I see is J.J. Putz, and that could turn into a big problem as we get farther into the season. He has not been dominant at the end of games, and I just feel like he may not be able to consistently lock down games. I hope that I'm wrong, but I fear that I'm right. Optimistically, I think this team still can win the division. Realistically, I think they can at least compete for a Wild Card spot. Hopefully, in this case, my optimism pays off. Now that wasn't too long, was it? I did my best to keep it as short as possible.
Padres (34-53, 13 games out of the division and the final Wild Card spot) - Much like the clubs at the bottom of the NL Central, the Padres are simply a team that isn't good enough to compete. Chase Headley leads the team in almost all major offensive statistical categories, and he will likely be traded by the time the deadline rolls around. The Padres do have a few young players that have shown some promise. Yasmani Grandal and Yonder Alonso are very young but could potentially be good. Cameron Maybin and Will Venable are also pretty good, but since they are a bit older, they may have reached their ceilings. As far as the pitching staff goes, Edinson Volquez and Clayton Richard have been solid in the rotation, and while neither of them has the potential to be a staff ace, they are both more than respectable. Huston Street and Luke Gregerson are also nice options out of the bullpen. One wild card here is Andrew Cashner. He came over from the Cubs with a blazing fastball, but the problem is that no one knows if he will be able to start or if he will have to be used out of the bullpen. He is injured right now, but he will probably be the most interesting piece to watch during the second half for the Padres. A rotation with Volquez, Richard, and Cashner at the top would have the potential to be pretty good, but the Padres just do not have enough offense to hang at this point.
Rockies (33-52, 1/2 game ahead of Houston for the race to not be the worst team in baseball) - This is a team that I have been disappointed with. The Rockies have two of the best players in the game that no one knows about in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, but Tulowitzki has been hurt for much of the year, and it has obviously had a huge impact on the team. Gonzalez has continued to mash, but without the other main cog in their lineup, the Rockies just simply have not been good enough. Gonzalez has been the star, and the Rockies are actually getting pretty good seasons from other guys like Tyler Colvin, Dexter Fowler, and Michael Cuddyer, but they just haven't been able to hit enough. It is sad to see, but Todd Helton, the best player in the history of the Rockies franchise, has been struggling, and with the terrible pitching staff that Colorado has, the offense simply needs to be spectacular, and it hasn't been. Only one pitcher that has started more than seven games has an ERA under 5.10. They have experimented with a four-man rotation, called up multiple arms from the minor leagues, and used 49 year old Jamie Moyer with the hope of trying to piece together some kind of pitching staff, and the results have just not been good. Juan Nicasio, Christian Friedrich, Jeremy Guthrie, Alex White, and many more have tried but failed to become any type of consistent force in the Rockies rotation. The only bright spot of the staff has been highly-touted prospect Drew Pomeranz, who came over from the Cleveland Indians in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. Jimenez has struggled since heading to Cleveland, so within a year or two, Pomeranz has the potential to become a good pitcher and make the Rockies a winner in that deal. With Tulowitzki out for possibly another two months, this team simply will not be able to hang around much longer. If Pomeranz pans out and becomes at least a solid #2 starter, this team has two offensive stars in Tulowitzki and Gonzalez. The pitching staff is in desperate need of help though, and I can't see this team getting anywhere close to contention this season.
So there it is. My insanely long and boring take on the first half of the baseball season. If anyone out there read these last two posts in their entirety, I commend you. Like I said before, if nothing else, I myself learned a lot about the first half of the season by doing this. The posts from now on will be much shorter, and therefore more likely to be readable. Until then though, we are only two days away from the start of the second half of the season, and within the next month we will begin to find out which teams are contenders, and which teams are pretenders.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: As if you all didn't hear enough about the Diamondbacks already, now you know that we will be the first team to kick off the second half as we go to Wrigley Field for a day game on Friday. Taking three of four from the Dodgers going into the break was huge, and 9 of our next 13 games will be against the three teams at the bottom of the National League standings (Houston, Chicago, and Colorado). The schedule gets a heck of a lot tougher after that, so if a strong finish to the first half was important, then a strong start to the second half is imperative. Ian Kennedy goes on Friday, and there are no more excuses. It's time to start winning.
NL East
Nationals (49-34, 2 games ahead of the pack for the best record in the NL) - The Nationals were an intriguing team coming into this season. They had two of the most talked-about prospects in baseball in Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, and it seemed like the team was headed in the right direction. What I didn't expect though, was how quickly this team would ascend. Harper is only 19 years old, but is already an All-Star, and the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year in the National League. Not to be outdone, Strasburg has 9 wins at the break, an ERA of 2.82, and has struck out 128 batters (tied for the most in all of baseball). Add Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann to that, and the Nationals rotation is very good, and very young. Henry Rodriguez began the season as the closer, but he struggled, and Tyler Clippard has taken over and done a more than respectable job. Still though, the bullpen includes four other pitchers with ERA's below 2.00. Ian Desmond, Adam LaRoche, and Ryan Zimmerman have been hitting well, and Jayson Werth has been injured for much of the first half. He is getting close to healthy, and he should be back with plenty of time to get hot before the season ends. If the Nationals continue playing the way they played in the first half, they won't just be good this year, they will be good for many years to come.
Braves (46-39, 1/2 game ahead of three teams for the final Wild Card spot) - I expected this team to be good, and so far they have been just that. The Braves have been getting production from up and down their lineup, and they have a little bit of everything. Michael Bourn has been excellent at the top of the order, hitting .311 with 25 stolen bases. Martin Prado and Chipper Jones are also both hitting over .300, and Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann, and Dan Uggla have supplied the power, as they all have driven in at least 40 runs. It sounds a bit odd, but the weakest part of the Braves might actually be their starting rotation. Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson have been very good, but aside from them, the rest of the rotation has been mediocre at best. Brandon Beachy got off to a great start, but is gone for the year thanks to Tommy John surgery. Randall Delgado and Mike Minor have combined for 15 losses and both have ERA's above 4.50, and Jair Jurrjens seems like he will never reach the heights that some expected he might. However, just like last year, the Braves have a very solid bullpen. Eric O'Flaherty and Kris Medlen are both sporting ERA's below 3.00, and Craig Kimbrel has become one of the most reliable closers in all of baseball, with 25 saves and an ERA of 1.36. Overall, I like this team. They have been good so far, and I would expect that to continue into the postseason when October rolls around.
Mets (46-40, 1/2 game behind the Braves for the final Wild Card spot) - Here is a team that I was way off on. When the season started, I thought they were guaranteed to finish last in the division, yet here they are, only one win out of a Wild Card spot at the All-Star break. If Mike Trout has been the best story in the American League, then R.A. Dickey has been the best story in the National League. At this point, Dickey is tied for the Major League lead with 12 wins, only five strikeouts away from the Major League lead, and has an ERA of 2.40. In my opinion, he should be starting in the All-Star Game, but Matt Cain got the nod for that instead. Johan Santana has also been very good, and he etched his name into the Mets record books with their first ever no-hitter. Jonathan Niese has been good as well, and Bobby Parnell has been good in the bullpen. Frank Francisco has been a bit of an adventure during many appearances as the closer, so that could come back to haunt the team, although the Mets have been mentioned in a number of trade scenarios involving other closers, so maybe they can solve that problem with a trade at the deadline. As far as the offense goes, David Wright has been the star. His .351 batting average puts him right near the top of baseball in that category, and he also leads the Mets with 59 RBI. Lucas Duda, Scott Hairston, and Ike Davis have also supplied power with 12 home runs each. The problem is just that the lineup is full of unproven players, as well as players who have proven that they are mediocre. They have far surpassed my expectations to this point, but I still can't believe that this team will have what it takes to make the postseason.
Marlins (41-44, 5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Here is a team that I can proudly say I was right on with as far as preseason predictions go. They made a big splash in free agency and by moving into a new ballpark, but they have not been too great, despite the big names they have on their roster. Omar Infante and Giancarlo Stanton have led the offense, and Jose Reyes, Logan Morrison, and Hanley Ramirez have been pretty good as well. The catcher position has been a black hole offensively though, and Gaby Sanchez has been a huge disappointment at first base. The team just acquired Carlos Lee to try to fix that, but Lee is past his prime, and is a liability defensively. The starting rotation has been, if nothing else, extremely consistent. Of the 85 games that the Marlins have played, all 85 have been started by the same five pitchers, with each member of the rotation making 17 starts. This is actually quite a feat, but just because the rotation has been consistent and injury-free does not make it good. The starters have combined to go 29-32, and only Mark Buehrle has an ERA below 4.00. In the bullpen, Heath Bell has been a massive disappointment. He has 19 saves, but has an ERA of 6.75, and has given up 43 hits and 26 earned runs in 34.2 inning pitched. Steve Cishek and Randy Choate have been terrific in the bullpen, and if it weren't for the huge contract that Miami gave to Bell in the offseason, I think one of them would be closing games. The offense still has the potential to be better, but the pitching staff has been pretty much mediocre across the board, hence the mediocre record. I don't see this team in the hunt when the playoffs roll around.
Phillies (37-50, 10 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Now this is not somewhere we have seen the Phillies in a long time. Before the season even started, they were without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, but I am still very surprised to see them with such a poor record. The offense has been pretty good, but without its two main cogs in the middle of the lineup, any team would obviously drop-off in terms of scoring runs. Carlos Ruiz has been having a great year, as his .350 batting average shows. Hunter Pence has been very good as well, leading the team in both home runs and RBI. Juan Pierre has been very good at the top of the order, hitting over .300 with 20 stolen bases. Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, and Shane Victorino have put up respectable numbers, but they have been sub-par based upon their usual standards, and this definitely has to do with Howard and Utley both missing so many games. We all knew before the season that Philadelphia's offense would be significantly hurt due to the losses of Howard and Utley, but I don't think anyone could have predicted how abnormally poor their pitching has been. Cole Hamels has been his usual self, and is having a very good year, but after that, the rest of the rotation has not come anywhere close to meeting expectations. It took Cliff Lee until July 4th to even get his first win of the season, a statistic that is almost impossible to believe. Roy Halladay has been the definition of durable during his career, and he is on the disabled list and has a disappointing 4-5 record. At the back end of the bullpen, Jonathan Papelbon has 18 saves and Antonio Bastardo has 16 holds, but neither has been able to perform up to their career bests. With Utley and Howard finally back, and Halladay due back soon, this team will definitely be better. However, I think that they have simply put themselves in too big a hole to climb out of, and I think this will be a disappointing year for the Phillies in comparison to their recent past.
NL Central
Pirates (48-37, 1 game ahead in the race for the NL Central crown) - Well at least Pennsylvania got it right this year. One good team, and one bad team. The only difference is that this year the good team is the Pirates and the bad team is the Phillies. Andrew McCutchen has gone from up-and-coming youngster to absolute stud, and a case can be made that he is the frontrunner for MVP in the National League at this point in the season. He leads the team in every major offensive category, and he plays center field very well to boot. While McCutchen is the obvious star of this offense, he is getting support from other youngsters like Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, and Garrett Jones as well. McCutchen has shown no signs of slowing down, and if the rest of the lineup can chip in from top to bottom like they have so far, this offense can be good enough. As far as the pitching goes, this is where I would be a bit concerned. I just don't know if the rotation has enough firepower to last through the entire season. James McDonald has been brilliant at the top, and he seems to be turning himself into a pretty good pitcher. The bullpen has been terrific as well, with Joel Hanrahan, Jason Grilli, Jared Hughes, and Juan Cruz all putting up very good numbers through the first half. The problem is the rest of the rotation after McDonald. Looking at the numbers alone, the #2 starter is 10-2 with a 3.68 ERA. On paper, that seems great. The problem though, is that the name of that #2 starter is A.J. Burnett. Burnett is a proven mediocre pitcher, and he has been so wherever he has pitched. There is no way he continues this pace through the second half of the season. After Burnett, the rotation has been a mix of even more mediocre pitchers like Kevin Correia, Erik Bedard, and Charlie Morton. McDonald and Burnett have been great, but at least one of them is highly likely to plateau and then probably descend during the second half. This team has some good young players, and one great young player in McCutchen, but I'd be surprised to see them in the playoffs.
Reds (47-38, 1 game behind the Pirates in the division, and leading the race for the first Wild Card spot) - After winning the Central in 2010, the Reds were a disappointment last year and missed the playoffs. This year, I think they will be back in the postseason. The offense is led by a man that is likely the most underappreciated superstar in all of baseball, Joey Votto. This man already has an MVP in his trophy case, yet many fans would still be unable to recognize him if he walked past them on the street. His .348 batting average speaks for itself, and his 14 home runs and 48 RBI are very good as well. Aside from Votto, the Reds also have Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips putting up excellent numbers. Phillips also must be leading the league in SportsCenter defensive highlights. Even though that is not an official stat, the man is a defensive wizard at second base. With those three anchoring the batting order, and guys like Zack Cozart, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Heisey, and Todd Frazier providing support, this is an offense that can be very good and be playing into October. It may have taken a bit longer than the Reds hoped, but Johnny Cueto has been having a great year, with 10 wins and a 2.39 ERA. Bronson Arroyo has been pretty good, and Mike Leake, Mat Latos, and Homer Bailey have been average, with the potential to still be better in the second half. Aroldis Chapman has been excellent coming out of the bullpen with a 1.83 ERA and 11 saves, and Jose Arredondo and Sean Marshall have had good years as well out of the 'pen. The pitching staff is definitely not great from top to bottom, but with an offense like the Reds have, the staff is good enough to at least get this team into the playoffs. They may not be World Series contenders, but I think this team is definitely good enough to make the playoffs.
Cardinals (46-40, 1/2 game out of the final Wild Card spot) - After winning the World Series last year, the Cardinals were obviously a very good team. However, losing one of the best first basemen to ever play the game, Albert Pujols, would no doubt be a huge loss. The offense has actually not taken as big a hit as I expected, thanks in large part to Carlos Beltran, who has had a magnificent first half. Matt Holliday has been his normal, steady self, and other parts of the offense like David Freese and Yadier Molina have been very good as well. The Cardinals have been missing Lance Berkman for most of the season up until this point, and his return (which should be shortly after the All-Star break) will only make this offense even better. As far as the pitching goes, the injury bug has bitten Chris Carpenter, and it seems as though he and Adam Wainwright can never both get through an entire season together. Guys like Lance Lynn and Kyle Lohse have picked up the slack though, as they have gone a combined 20-6. Lynn came flying out of the gate, but has slowed a bit since then, so I'm not sure that he can continue to be that good in the second half. Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte have been very good at the back end of the bullpen, but the middle relief has only been mediocre. That could spell trouble later in the year when the starters may not be able to pitch as deep into games due to wear and tear, but this team can still score runs, and with the extra Wild Card spot, I fully expect them to be in the playoff hunt all season.
Brewers (40-45, 6 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Despite my newfound hatred of this team for a number of reasons that arose at the end of last season, I still thought that they would be a bit better than they have been. Losing Prince Fielder would obviously hurt their offense, and it has. Ryan Braun had some off-field issues this offseason, but he has obviously put those well behind him, and he is leading the team in most major offensive categories. Other guys like Aramis Ramirez, Corey Hart, and Norichika Aoki have provided support around him, but this offense definitely has been unable to replace Fielder's presence in the middle of the order. The top three starters in Milwaukee's rotation have been good. Zack Greinke, Yovani Gallardo, and Shaun Marcum have combined for 21 wins, and they are all sporting ERA's under 3.75. This team has been mentioned as a possible seller at the Trade Deadline though, as Greinke's name has been connected to a whole bunch of rumors. We will have to see what ends up happening with the roster moves, but if they can't come out of the gate hot for the next few weeks, the Brewers might be unable to stay in contention for the rest of the year.
Cubs (33-52, 13 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - The Cubs have been in a holding pattern for quite some time now, and that is not a good thing. They are only 1/2 game from being the worst team in all of baseball, and things just can't get better during the second half. They have too many teams to pass and simply not enough good players to make the giant leap it will take to simply be considered a contender come September. The lineup at least has some promising young players that seem as though they will only get better. Starlin Castro was an All-Star, and despite some mental lapses, can hit the ball and will be very good for years to come. Bryan LaHair has had a great year, and Anthony Rizzo seems like he will finally get a chance to show what he can do, and has been very good over the past two weeks since he has been called up from the minor leagues. Alfonso Soriano has given the team his normal, above-average production at the plate, but aside from Castro, there is not much else in this lineup that is awe-inspiring. On the mound, Ryan Dempster has had a great year, and has an ERA of 1.99, but only 4 wins to show for it. Matt Garza, Paul Maholm, and Jeff Samardzija have all been mediocre at best. Carlos Marmol continues to be a train wreck as the closer, and if the Cubs had anyone else capable in their bullpen, Marmol would not be the closer. James Russell has shown promise as the set-up man, and in my opinion, he might as well get a chance to show what he can do in the 9th inning since the Cubs already pretty much have no chance to make the playoffs. This team has little in the way of established pitching that can be good for years to come. The offense at least has a few promising youngsters, but I still think it will be a while before this team can compete for a playoff spot.
Astros (33-53, 13.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot, and owners of the worst record in baseball) - I could just stop right there, and you would get a sense of how things have gone for Houston, but then this wouldn't be a true look at all 30 teams, would it? The Astros got my attention last season in the second half when they came to Arizona and had a lineup full of guys I had never heard of, yet they were still able to take two of three from the DBacks, and score a ton of runs in doing so. The two guys that really stood out during that series were Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez, and they have both been very good compared to most of the rest of their team so far this year. Altuve has been one of the best second basemen in the National League, and was a deserving All-Star selection. Martinez has supplied some power, leading the team in RBI. Jed Lowrie has also had a nice year, and Chris Johnson has provided some support as well. As far as the pitching staff goes, Wandy Rodriguez is solid, but just doesn't get enough support to get any recognition. Brett Myers has also had a good year at the back end of the bullpen, but I would be shocked to see both of those guys make it past the Trade Deadline in an Astros uniform. The rest of their rotation has been below-average. This team just simply does not have the firepower in terms of hitting or pitching to do anything but fight the Cubs to stay out of last place.
NL West
Dodgers (47-40, 1/2 game up in the division race) - The Dodgers got off to a blazing hot start, but have since come back down to Earth somewhat, thanks in large part to injuries to their two best offensive players, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Kemp has all the tools to be one of the best players in the game for the next decade, and Ethier can be an above-average second option. The problem is, I am still not convinced about anyone else in their lineup. The most promising player other than the top two is Dee Gordon, but I still question whether he can be a consistently durable player when he is about the size of a broomstick. A.J. Ellis seems like he has some potential to be a good catcher, but I don't know if he will ever be anything special. James Loney is a proven mediocrity at first base, and the rest of the lineup is uninspiring. On the mound, the Dodgers have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Clayton Kershaw, but not much else in the rest of the rotation, as Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, and Aaron Harang have gone a combined 19-18; the definition of mediocre. The bullpen has a few somewhat promising young arms, but nothing that jumps off the page. This team played above its head during the first half, and despite the presence of one of the best position players in the game, and one of the best pitchers in the game, I just don't think that they can keep this pace up, especially if Kemp and Ethier cannot stay healthy. At the very least, they have gotten out from underneath the mess that the McCourt family built and attendance is up, but I don't think this team can stay in first place for much longer.
Giants (46-40, 1/2 game behind the Dodgers for first place in the division) - I haven't done this for most teams, but since it's the San Francisco Giants, it all starts with the pitching here. Madison Bumgarner leads the team in wins, Ryan Vogelsong leads the team in ERA, Matt Cain leads the team in strikeouts, Sergio Romo leads the team in holds, and Santiago Casilla leads the team in saves. Five different categories, five different leaders. Did I mention that this team also has Tim Lincecum, a man that has won multiple Cy Young awards? What this all means is that the pitching on this team is incredibly good. Lincecum has been a huge disappointment, and if I were the Giants, I would honestly be worried at this point that something might be seriously wrong with him because he is nowhere close to how good he has been throughout his career. However, Matt Cain (who I have always liked more than Lincecum by the way) has been an absolute stud, and has already thrown a perfect game. Ryan Vogelsong (who, on the contrary, I thought was a complete flash-in-the-pan last year) has proven that he is a legitimate starter, and Madison Bumgarner is going to be good for many years to come. Even without Brian Wilson (most famously known for his beard, but who also is a heck of a closer), this team has been able to pitch very well. The "problem" with this team when the won the World Series two years ago was their offense, and the offense is still the weaker part of the team, although with a pitching staff like they have, any offense would be the weakest part of this team. Melky Cabrera has been magnificent, and is hitting .353 with 44 RBI. Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey have also been very good, giving this team three well above-average bats. Other guys like Angel Pagan, Gregor Blanco, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford may not be household names, but they all bring a little something different to the team and have contributed to make this a very good ball club. Overall, if the Giants can keep playing the way that they have been, and get something, ANYTHING from Lincecum, this is a team that can be a threat in the National League.
Diamondbacks (42-43, 4 games out in the division and the race for the second Wild Card spot) - Ok, I will try to be somewhat brief here, but I doubt that I'll be able to. This team has not come close to meeting my expecations. Ian Kennedy has already lost almost double the amount of games he lost all of last season, Justin Upton has been nowhere close to the MVP level he played at last year, J.J. Putz seems like he is past his prime and may not be able to close for much longer, Daniel Hudson is out for the rest of the season, Josh Collmenter has flubbed now that everyone is used to his odd delivery, and Trevor Cahill has been only mediocre while the man he was traded for (Jarrod Parker) has been excellent. Yet, somehow, we are only four games out of a playoff spot. Signing Jason Kubel in the offseason seemed to make little sense to me, since he would be replacing a man in Gerardo Parra that was coming off a Gold Glove season. Kubel has proven his worth though with 15 home runs and 60 RBI. Paul Goldschmidt has proven that he will be our first baseman of the future, with a batting average of .302, 12 home runs, and 42 RBI. Miguel Montero has been a bit below average offensively compared to last season, but his growth behind the plate in terms of both his play and his handling of the pitching staff has been tremendous. Ryan Roberts has not been having the dream season that he had last year, but he has proven that he can deliver in the clutch. Then there is Aaron Hill. Two cycles in a week and a half speaks for itself. Chase Field has become his favorite place to hit a baseball, and he has been continuing to come up with big time hits. If Chris Young can improve a bit, Stephen Drew can get back into form following his broken ankle and year-long recovery, and Justin Upton can PLEASE get back to somewhere near his level of last year, we will be able to hit enough to make up that four game difference. As far as the pitching goes, it was unrealistic to expect Kennedy to go 21-4 again, but he still hasn't been consistent enough. Hudson, as I said, is out for the season, which is really unfortunate. Cahill has been mediocre, and Collmenter has been below-average (although I must say, I expected that). Joe Saunders got off to a very good start, but has been injured, and hopefully he can come back and win some games for us during the second half. The true star of the staff though, has been Wade Miley. Miley was considered a contender for long relief at best at the beginning of the season, but made the All-Star team. He has come back down to Earth a bit in his last few starts, but that is where the depth of our minor league pitching staff sure comes in handy. Trevor Bauer was drafted and quickly became one of the most highly-touted prospects in the history of the Diamondbacks, and he now has his chance to prove his worth. Two below-average starts were followed by six shutout innings in his final start before the All-Star break, and I am looking forward to him hopefully getting a full shot to start for the rest of the year because I think he will end up being very good. Patrick Corbin is also a wild card here. He has gotten five starts and been pretty good, and he has also been above-average as the long relief man out of the bullpen. The back end of our bullpen has been very good with Craig Breslow, David Hernandez, Brad Ziegler, and Bryan Shaw. The only problem that I see is J.J. Putz, and that could turn into a big problem as we get farther into the season. He has not been dominant at the end of games, and I just feel like he may not be able to consistently lock down games. I hope that I'm wrong, but I fear that I'm right. Optimistically, I think this team still can win the division. Realistically, I think they can at least compete for a Wild Card spot. Hopefully, in this case, my optimism pays off. Now that wasn't too long, was it? I did my best to keep it as short as possible.
Padres (34-53, 13 games out of the division and the final Wild Card spot) - Much like the clubs at the bottom of the NL Central, the Padres are simply a team that isn't good enough to compete. Chase Headley leads the team in almost all major offensive statistical categories, and he will likely be traded by the time the deadline rolls around. The Padres do have a few young players that have shown some promise. Yasmani Grandal and Yonder Alonso are very young but could potentially be good. Cameron Maybin and Will Venable are also pretty good, but since they are a bit older, they may have reached their ceilings. As far as the pitching staff goes, Edinson Volquez and Clayton Richard have been solid in the rotation, and while neither of them has the potential to be a staff ace, they are both more than respectable. Huston Street and Luke Gregerson are also nice options out of the bullpen. One wild card here is Andrew Cashner. He came over from the Cubs with a blazing fastball, but the problem is that no one knows if he will be able to start or if he will have to be used out of the bullpen. He is injured right now, but he will probably be the most interesting piece to watch during the second half for the Padres. A rotation with Volquez, Richard, and Cashner at the top would have the potential to be pretty good, but the Padres just do not have enough offense to hang at this point.
Rockies (33-52, 1/2 game ahead of Houston for the race to not be the worst team in baseball) - This is a team that I have been disappointed with. The Rockies have two of the best players in the game that no one knows about in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, but Tulowitzki has been hurt for much of the year, and it has obviously had a huge impact on the team. Gonzalez has continued to mash, but without the other main cog in their lineup, the Rockies just simply have not been good enough. Gonzalez has been the star, and the Rockies are actually getting pretty good seasons from other guys like Tyler Colvin, Dexter Fowler, and Michael Cuddyer, but they just haven't been able to hit enough. It is sad to see, but Todd Helton, the best player in the history of the Rockies franchise, has been struggling, and with the terrible pitching staff that Colorado has, the offense simply needs to be spectacular, and it hasn't been. Only one pitcher that has started more than seven games has an ERA under 5.10. They have experimented with a four-man rotation, called up multiple arms from the minor leagues, and used 49 year old Jamie Moyer with the hope of trying to piece together some kind of pitching staff, and the results have just not been good. Juan Nicasio, Christian Friedrich, Jeremy Guthrie, Alex White, and many more have tried but failed to become any type of consistent force in the Rockies rotation. The only bright spot of the staff has been highly-touted prospect Drew Pomeranz, who came over from the Cleveland Indians in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. Jimenez has struggled since heading to Cleveland, so within a year or two, Pomeranz has the potential to become a good pitcher and make the Rockies a winner in that deal. With Tulowitzki out for possibly another two months, this team simply will not be able to hang around much longer. If Pomeranz pans out and becomes at least a solid #2 starter, this team has two offensive stars in Tulowitzki and Gonzalez. The pitching staff is in desperate need of help though, and I can't see this team getting anywhere close to contention this season.
So there it is. My insanely long and boring take on the first half of the baseball season. If anyone out there read these last two posts in their entirety, I commend you. Like I said before, if nothing else, I myself learned a lot about the first half of the season by doing this. The posts from now on will be much shorter, and therefore more likely to be readable. Until then though, we are only two days away from the start of the second half of the season, and within the next month we will begin to find out which teams are contenders, and which teams are pretenders.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: As if you all didn't hear enough about the Diamondbacks already, now you know that we will be the first team to kick off the second half as we go to Wrigley Field for a day game on Friday. Taking three of four from the Dodgers going into the break was huge, and 9 of our next 13 games will be against the three teams at the bottom of the National League standings (Houston, Chicago, and Colorado). The schedule gets a heck of a lot tougher after that, so if a strong finish to the first half was important, then a strong start to the second half is imperative. Ian Kennedy goes on Friday, and there are no more excuses. It's time to start winning.
Monday, July 9, 2012
My take on the first half of the MLB season
So what was supposed to end up as a look back at the first half for all 30 teams has turned into a look back at the first half for 15 Major League Baseball teams. I wrote far too much, and as if any readers out there might not like to read long posts, this one is the longest that I have ever done. Here are my thoughts on the American League during the first half of the baseball season. Thoughts on the National League will be coming soon...
AL East
Yankees (52-33, 1/2 game ahead of Texas for the best record in the American League) - This is pretty much the same story as usual. The Yankees can hit, and they can hit a ton. Robinson Cano is a legitimate star, Derek Jeter is proving that he is far from over-the-hill, Curtis Granderson is mashing, plus Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and the rest of the lineup is still full of power. The question is the pitching here. C.C. Sabathia is a proven ace, and Ivan Nova seems to be a solid starter as well. Kuroda, Hughes, and Pettitte complete a rotation that is still somewhat formidable. With Mariano Rivera done for the year, the bullpen is obviously significantly weakened, but I fully expect the Yankees to be in the playoffs.
Orioles (45-40, leading the race for the final Wild Card spot by 1/2 game) - Baltimore has been a pleasant surprise thus far. Adam Jones was highly touted as a rookie with Seattle, and it may have taken a bit longer than most people thought it would, but he is having a great season and leading Baltimore's offense. Jason Hammel is having a very good year on the mound, and Jim Johnson is leading all of baseball in saves, but the young pitchers who were supposed to be good (Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta) both have ERA's above 5.00, and have combined for only 8 wins (the same amount of games that Hammel has won by himself). They have been better than expected, but with a lot of good teams right behind them in the playoff race, I just don't think they can hang for another three months.
Rays (45-41, 1/2 game behind Baltimore for the final Wild Card spot) - Just like the Yankees, this is pretty much the same as the last few years. Tampa Bay has a very good team and has very good players throughout the roster. One difference this year that looks good for the Rays is the fact that Evan Longoria has only played in 23 games thus far, and they are still in a great position to make the playoffs. According to people who know a heck of a lot more about this team than I do, he won't be back for at least another month. David Price is an established ace, their rotation from top to bottom looks fine, and Fernando Rodney is having a great year as the closer, with an ERA under 1.00. If they continue to play at the pace that they have, they can get their star third baseman back for the final month and a half of the season, and most likely be in prime position to still be playing in October. And as has been proven countless times, as long as you are in the playoffs, you can win the World Series, regardless of your seed.
Red Sox (43-43, 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - For a team with a lot of money invested in the front end of their rotation, who would have thought that Felix Doubront would be leading the Red Sox in wins, strikeouts, and ERA? Certainly not me. With Jon Lester and Josh Beckett being only mediocre thus far, I'm not surprised that they are only a .500 team. David Ortiz has been having a spectacular season, and those people who thought he was done last season have been proven wrong. However, much of the rest of their lineup has been a revolving door full of middle-of-the-road players. Boston is always a threat to be a player when the Trade Deadline rolls around, but unless they make some significant changes and get a lot more stability throughout the entire roster, I'm not optimistic about their chances to still be playing when the playoffs roll around.
Blue Jays (43-43, 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Despite the identical records, I'm actually more confident in the Blue Jays than I am the Red Sox. Jose Bautista is the obvious leader of this offense, and his 27 home runs and 65 RBI demonstrate exactly why that is the case. However, Edwin Encarnacion has been having a very good season, and other guys like Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus have been solid as well. The problem is their pitching. Ricky Romero is their #1 starter, and while he leads the team in wins, his 5.22 ERA will simply not cut it. Henderson Alvarez has been respectable, and Brandon Morrow is good when he is healthy (which is not too often). This team can hit, but without significantly better pitching, they just cannot compete within the best division in baseball.
AL Central
White Sox (47-38, 3 games ahead of Cleveland for the division lead) - I'm a bit surprised to see Chicago in first place at this point, but the numbers don't lie. Their offense has been excellent pretty much up and down the lineup. Paul Konerko has had a great year so far, and Adam Dunn has bounced back from a disastrous 2011 to provide the power that Chicago hoped he could. Alex Rios is hitting over .300, A.J. Pierzynski has had a very good year, and even guys like Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza have provided a lot of offense. The addition of Kevin Youkilis will only make this lineup better during the second half of the season. As far as pitching goes, Chris Sale has performed far better than what anyone could have expected, and Jake Peavy has been great as well. Peavy has a history of injuries though, and Sale has never been a starter for a full season, so we will have to wait and see how that goes. As long as their offense keeps up its current pace, and they maybe add another starting pitcher or get some better production from the back end of their rotation, they should be in the fight for a playoff spot.
Indians (44-41, 1 game out of the final Wild Card spot) - Last year was similar to this year for Cleveland. They were near the top of the division for the majority of the year, but in the end they just couldn't hang on. Looking at the numbers and the make-up of this roster, I have a hard time convincing myself that this will be any different. Shin-Soo Choo has put together multiple good seasons, and is a proven commodity as far as their lineup goes, and Asdrubal Cabrera is solid as well. Jason Kipnis has been a revelation and is tied for the team lead in home runs, and leads the team in RBI. Carlos Santana is their highly touted young star, and he is only hitting .221, which is certainly not close to the level of star status. As far as pitching goes, Chris Perez has been having a great year as the closer, but it isn't necessarily a good thing when your closer is the star of your pitching staff. Justin Masterson has the best ERA out of all the starters, and it is a below-average 4.40. Between Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Derek Lowe, the Indians don't really have anything exciting at the front of their rotation, and I would be very surprised to see them in the playoff hunt when October rolls around.
Tigers (44-42, 1.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - This is the team that I thought would run away in this divison, but they have not done so thus far. As usual, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera have been excellent, and Prince Fielder and Austin Jackson have been very good as well. The bullpen is still very good with Jose Valverde, Joaquin Benoit, Phil Coke, Duane Below, and Brayan Villarreal as well. Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello have been respectable, but Doug Fister has been below-average. This team has a legitimately good bullpen, arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball, and a very good lineup. They haven't met my expectations so far, but I think this will be a team to be reckoned with when October rolls around.
Royals (37-47, 7.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Kansas City is a team that has been labeled as one that is full of young talent for the past few seasons, and we are seeing some of that this year, but we just simply aren't seeing enough for them to compete. Mike Moustakas has been pretty good, Alcides Escobar is having a very good year, and Billy Butler is leading the offense. Salvador Perez has only played in 13 games, but his .383 average speaks for itself. I have, however, been very disappointed in Eric Hosmer. He seemed as if he would be the star of this offense, but he is hitting only .231. He is obviously still very young and has plenty of time to improve, but I think he pretty much represents this offense pretty well; they are still a few years away. As far as the pitching staff goes, the bullpen has been very good, with Jonathan Broxton having a bounce-back year at closer. The rotation, however, is a different story. Only three pitchers have more than 10 starts, and none of them have an ERA under 5.00. That just won't cut it. The offense has a lot of promising young players, but the pitching staff just isn't very good. This team won't be a contender in September.
Twins (36-49, 9 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Despite the record, this team at least has an offense that has some good players. Joe Mauer is hitting .326, and many of the other regulars are sporting batting averages that are respectable. The problem with Mauer, and their other offensive star, Justin Morneau, has always been health, and you never know when injuries might crop up and knock one of these guys out. Josh Willingham has had a very good season, Ryan Doumit and Denard Span have been solid, and Trevor Plouffe has come out of nowhere to hit 19 home runs. Pitching has been another story though. Scott Diamond is the only member of the staff with more than five starts that has an ERA under 5.00, and that just simply will not allow this team to compete. There isn't much to speak of in terms of young starting pitching either, so last place is probably where Minnesota will end up at the end of the season.
AL West
Rangers (52-34, 1/2 game behind the Yankees for the best record in the American League) - If you told me that this team would win the World Series, I would have a hard time coming up with an argument to dispute that. Josh Hamilton is tied for the Major League lead in home runs, and stands alone atop the RBI leaderboard. Adrian Beltre has been very good, Elvis Andrus is becoming one of the best shortstops in baseball, and Ian Kinsler is also one of the best in the league at his position (second base). When Mike Napoli is your "worst" offensive player, but still makes the All-Star team (granted, it is all because of fan voting, but he is an All-Star nonetheless), you know that you have an offensive juggernaut of a team. I always questioned how good this starting staff really was, with guys like Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison being at the top of Texas' rotation, and I questioned how good Yu Darvish could be coming over from Japan, but my questions have been answered during the first half this year. Thanks to the offense that this team provides, the starters do not have to be brilliant every time out, but they have still definitely fared well enough. Darvish has been very good thus far, and Joe Nathan has returned to his prior form and been able to lock down games in the 9th inning. In my opinion, this team is the favorite to win the World Series at this point.
Angels (48-38, 4 games behind the Rangers, and 2.5 games ahead of the Orioles for the first Wild Card spot) - If the Rangers are not the best bet to reach the World Series in the American League, then the Angels are. They landed the man that was probably the most highly-touted free agent in the history of baseball this past offseason, and he doesn't even lead the team in any significant offensive categories. It is scary to think about how good this team can be for the next decade. That free agent I was talking about, Albert Pujols, got off to a slow start, but has delivered 14 home runs and 51 RBI through the first half of the season, which is still excellent. The real story has been two young players with the initials M.T. Mark Trumbo has hit .306 with a team-leading 22 home runs and 57 RBI. He has made such an impression that he will even be competing in the Home Run Derby that will take place tonight, and I have seen multiple people pick him to win. The second of those players with those M.T. initials has, in my opinion, been the best story in all of baseball. That story stars a man named Mike Trout. He was touted as the best prospect in baseball for the past few years by many, but there is no way that anyone could have predicted the success that he has had thus far. In about two weeks less games than anyone else in the league, Trout is hitting .341 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI, and 26 stolen bases. If it weren't for fan voting, he would be starting in the All-Star Game, and he is far and away the favorite for the Rookie of the Year award. Aside from his offensive excellence, he has made multiple highlight plays in the field. This man is a legitimate star and he is only 20 years old. It has been a joy to watch him play, and he is going to be a superstar for years to come. As if that weren't enough, I haven't even mentioned how good this pitching staff has been. Jered Weaver goes into the All-Star break with a record of 10-1 and an ERA of 1.96, and he has already thrown a no-hitter. He has met and surpassed all expectations during the past few seasons, and he, like Trout, will be a superstar for years to come. The other big free agent signing, C.J. Wilson, has been very good as well, as he has won 9 games and posted an ERA of 2.43 thus far. Dan Haren and Ervin Santana have not been as good as they could be, but they have a history that suggests that they will be better during the second half. Ernesto Frieri has been an absolute revelation in the bullpen, as he has pitched in 26 games, allowed only 8 hits, and has an ERA of 0.00. ZERO! With Scott Downs and LaTroy Hawkins also posting ERA's under 1.40, the bullpen has been tremendous. Overall, this team does not have many flaws, and I fully believe that they are absolutely legitimate contenders to win the World Series.
Athletics (43-43, 2.5 games behind the Orioles for the final Wild Card spot) - For a team that seems to be in a never-ending re-building mode, the Athletics are exactly where they should be. Neither good nor bad; just in the middle. Looking at the numbers for the A's, it is somewhat concerning to see that they are pretty much dominated by two players. Josh Reddick has been their best offensive player, and Tommy Milone has been their best pitcher. Reddick has hit a more than formidable number of 20 home runs, but no other starting position player has a batting average of over .250. There is some young talent here on offense, but nothing spectacular. As far as the pitching staff goes, Milone is really the only guy that somewhat stands out in the rotation, as he leads the team in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Ryan Cook actually leads the team in both holds and saves (which is somewhat weird), and he has been solid out of the bullpen. There is nothing really too special here, and I think holding on to a .500 record for the rest of the season will be a challenge for the Athletics.
Mariners (36-51, 10 games out of the final Wild Card spot, and worst record in the American League) - Worst record in the American League pretty much says all you need to know here, as the Mariners simply are not good enough to compete in this division, let alone compete for a playoff spot. The pitching staff has been pretty much as advertised; Felix Hernandez and everyone else. King Felix has been his usual self, and the team has been its usual self. He pitches very well but just simply does not get much run support, and therefore his numbers do not actually look as good as he really is. Jason Vargas has been pretty good, but the bullpen has been up and down, with Brandon League losing his closer job to Tom Wilhelmsen. As far as offense goes, Ichiro Suzuki is still the star, and he should be in the Hall of Fame whenever he decides to retire. Justin Smoak, Michael Saunders, and Kyle Seager have been good, and Dustin Ackley has been good, but not good enough to meet his top prospect expectations thus far. This team is middle-of-the-road at best, and when Ichiro retires and King Felix leaves (as would be expected since he gets no support), they will be even less than that. It will be a long road back to contention for the Mariners, and the road does not begin in 2012.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: I'll give you all my thoughts on the team soon enough. What I will say though, is that taking three out of four from the first place Dodgers and seeing Trevor Bauer dominate in his third start of the season is a great thing. Going into the second half, I still have confidence that this team can win the division.
AL East
Yankees (52-33, 1/2 game ahead of Texas for the best record in the American League) - This is pretty much the same story as usual. The Yankees can hit, and they can hit a ton. Robinson Cano is a legitimate star, Derek Jeter is proving that he is far from over-the-hill, Curtis Granderson is mashing, plus Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and the rest of the lineup is still full of power. The question is the pitching here. C.C. Sabathia is a proven ace, and Ivan Nova seems to be a solid starter as well. Kuroda, Hughes, and Pettitte complete a rotation that is still somewhat formidable. With Mariano Rivera done for the year, the bullpen is obviously significantly weakened, but I fully expect the Yankees to be in the playoffs.
Orioles (45-40, leading the race for the final Wild Card spot by 1/2 game) - Baltimore has been a pleasant surprise thus far. Adam Jones was highly touted as a rookie with Seattle, and it may have taken a bit longer than most people thought it would, but he is having a great season and leading Baltimore's offense. Jason Hammel is having a very good year on the mound, and Jim Johnson is leading all of baseball in saves, but the young pitchers who were supposed to be good (Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta) both have ERA's above 5.00, and have combined for only 8 wins (the same amount of games that Hammel has won by himself). They have been better than expected, but with a lot of good teams right behind them in the playoff race, I just don't think they can hang for another three months.
Rays (45-41, 1/2 game behind Baltimore for the final Wild Card spot) - Just like the Yankees, this is pretty much the same as the last few years. Tampa Bay has a very good team and has very good players throughout the roster. One difference this year that looks good for the Rays is the fact that Evan Longoria has only played in 23 games thus far, and they are still in a great position to make the playoffs. According to people who know a heck of a lot more about this team than I do, he won't be back for at least another month. David Price is an established ace, their rotation from top to bottom looks fine, and Fernando Rodney is having a great year as the closer, with an ERA under 1.00. If they continue to play at the pace that they have, they can get their star third baseman back for the final month and a half of the season, and most likely be in prime position to still be playing in October. And as has been proven countless times, as long as you are in the playoffs, you can win the World Series, regardless of your seed.
Red Sox (43-43, 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - For a team with a lot of money invested in the front end of their rotation, who would have thought that Felix Doubront would be leading the Red Sox in wins, strikeouts, and ERA? Certainly not me. With Jon Lester and Josh Beckett being only mediocre thus far, I'm not surprised that they are only a .500 team. David Ortiz has been having a spectacular season, and those people who thought he was done last season have been proven wrong. However, much of the rest of their lineup has been a revolving door full of middle-of-the-road players. Boston is always a threat to be a player when the Trade Deadline rolls around, but unless they make some significant changes and get a lot more stability throughout the entire roster, I'm not optimistic about their chances to still be playing when the playoffs roll around.
Blue Jays (43-43, 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Despite the identical records, I'm actually more confident in the Blue Jays than I am the Red Sox. Jose Bautista is the obvious leader of this offense, and his 27 home runs and 65 RBI demonstrate exactly why that is the case. However, Edwin Encarnacion has been having a very good season, and other guys like Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus have been solid as well. The problem is their pitching. Ricky Romero is their #1 starter, and while he leads the team in wins, his 5.22 ERA will simply not cut it. Henderson Alvarez has been respectable, and Brandon Morrow is good when he is healthy (which is not too often). This team can hit, but without significantly better pitching, they just cannot compete within the best division in baseball.
AL Central
White Sox (47-38, 3 games ahead of Cleveland for the division lead) - I'm a bit surprised to see Chicago in first place at this point, but the numbers don't lie. Their offense has been excellent pretty much up and down the lineup. Paul Konerko has had a great year so far, and Adam Dunn has bounced back from a disastrous 2011 to provide the power that Chicago hoped he could. Alex Rios is hitting over .300, A.J. Pierzynski has had a very good year, and even guys like Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza have provided a lot of offense. The addition of Kevin Youkilis will only make this lineup better during the second half of the season. As far as pitching goes, Chris Sale has performed far better than what anyone could have expected, and Jake Peavy has been great as well. Peavy has a history of injuries though, and Sale has never been a starter for a full season, so we will have to wait and see how that goes. As long as their offense keeps up its current pace, and they maybe add another starting pitcher or get some better production from the back end of their rotation, they should be in the fight for a playoff spot.
Indians (44-41, 1 game out of the final Wild Card spot) - Last year was similar to this year for Cleveland. They were near the top of the division for the majority of the year, but in the end they just couldn't hang on. Looking at the numbers and the make-up of this roster, I have a hard time convincing myself that this will be any different. Shin-Soo Choo has put together multiple good seasons, and is a proven commodity as far as their lineup goes, and Asdrubal Cabrera is solid as well. Jason Kipnis has been a revelation and is tied for the team lead in home runs, and leads the team in RBI. Carlos Santana is their highly touted young star, and he is only hitting .221, which is certainly not close to the level of star status. As far as pitching goes, Chris Perez has been having a great year as the closer, but it isn't necessarily a good thing when your closer is the star of your pitching staff. Justin Masterson has the best ERA out of all the starters, and it is a below-average 4.40. Between Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Derek Lowe, the Indians don't really have anything exciting at the front of their rotation, and I would be very surprised to see them in the playoff hunt when October rolls around.
Tigers (44-42, 1.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - This is the team that I thought would run away in this divison, but they have not done so thus far. As usual, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera have been excellent, and Prince Fielder and Austin Jackson have been very good as well. The bullpen is still very good with Jose Valverde, Joaquin Benoit, Phil Coke, Duane Below, and Brayan Villarreal as well. Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello have been respectable, but Doug Fister has been below-average. This team has a legitimately good bullpen, arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball, and a very good lineup. They haven't met my expectations so far, but I think this will be a team to be reckoned with when October rolls around.
Royals (37-47, 7.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Kansas City is a team that has been labeled as one that is full of young talent for the past few seasons, and we are seeing some of that this year, but we just simply aren't seeing enough for them to compete. Mike Moustakas has been pretty good, Alcides Escobar is having a very good year, and Billy Butler is leading the offense. Salvador Perez has only played in 13 games, but his .383 average speaks for itself. I have, however, been very disappointed in Eric Hosmer. He seemed as if he would be the star of this offense, but he is hitting only .231. He is obviously still very young and has plenty of time to improve, but I think he pretty much represents this offense pretty well; they are still a few years away. As far as the pitching staff goes, the bullpen has been very good, with Jonathan Broxton having a bounce-back year at closer. The rotation, however, is a different story. Only three pitchers have more than 10 starts, and none of them have an ERA under 5.00. That just won't cut it. The offense has a lot of promising young players, but the pitching staff just isn't very good. This team won't be a contender in September.
Twins (36-49, 9 games out of the final Wild Card spot) - Despite the record, this team at least has an offense that has some good players. Joe Mauer is hitting .326, and many of the other regulars are sporting batting averages that are respectable. The problem with Mauer, and their other offensive star, Justin Morneau, has always been health, and you never know when injuries might crop up and knock one of these guys out. Josh Willingham has had a very good season, Ryan Doumit and Denard Span have been solid, and Trevor Plouffe has come out of nowhere to hit 19 home runs. Pitching has been another story though. Scott Diamond is the only member of the staff with more than five starts that has an ERA under 5.00, and that just simply will not allow this team to compete. There isn't much to speak of in terms of young starting pitching either, so last place is probably where Minnesota will end up at the end of the season.
AL West
Rangers (52-34, 1/2 game behind the Yankees for the best record in the American League) - If you told me that this team would win the World Series, I would have a hard time coming up with an argument to dispute that. Josh Hamilton is tied for the Major League lead in home runs, and stands alone atop the RBI leaderboard. Adrian Beltre has been very good, Elvis Andrus is becoming one of the best shortstops in baseball, and Ian Kinsler is also one of the best in the league at his position (second base). When Mike Napoli is your "worst" offensive player, but still makes the All-Star team (granted, it is all because of fan voting, but he is an All-Star nonetheless), you know that you have an offensive juggernaut of a team. I always questioned how good this starting staff really was, with guys like Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison being at the top of Texas' rotation, and I questioned how good Yu Darvish could be coming over from Japan, but my questions have been answered during the first half this year. Thanks to the offense that this team provides, the starters do not have to be brilliant every time out, but they have still definitely fared well enough. Darvish has been very good thus far, and Joe Nathan has returned to his prior form and been able to lock down games in the 9th inning. In my opinion, this team is the favorite to win the World Series at this point.
Angels (48-38, 4 games behind the Rangers, and 2.5 games ahead of the Orioles for the first Wild Card spot) - If the Rangers are not the best bet to reach the World Series in the American League, then the Angels are. They landed the man that was probably the most highly-touted free agent in the history of baseball this past offseason, and he doesn't even lead the team in any significant offensive categories. It is scary to think about how good this team can be for the next decade. That free agent I was talking about, Albert Pujols, got off to a slow start, but has delivered 14 home runs and 51 RBI through the first half of the season, which is still excellent. The real story has been two young players with the initials M.T. Mark Trumbo has hit .306 with a team-leading 22 home runs and 57 RBI. He has made such an impression that he will even be competing in the Home Run Derby that will take place tonight, and I have seen multiple people pick him to win. The second of those players with those M.T. initials has, in my opinion, been the best story in all of baseball. That story stars a man named Mike Trout. He was touted as the best prospect in baseball for the past few years by many, but there is no way that anyone could have predicted the success that he has had thus far. In about two weeks less games than anyone else in the league, Trout is hitting .341 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI, and 26 stolen bases. If it weren't for fan voting, he would be starting in the All-Star Game, and he is far and away the favorite for the Rookie of the Year award. Aside from his offensive excellence, he has made multiple highlight plays in the field. This man is a legitimate star and he is only 20 years old. It has been a joy to watch him play, and he is going to be a superstar for years to come. As if that weren't enough, I haven't even mentioned how good this pitching staff has been. Jered Weaver goes into the All-Star break with a record of 10-1 and an ERA of 1.96, and he has already thrown a no-hitter. He has met and surpassed all expectations during the past few seasons, and he, like Trout, will be a superstar for years to come. The other big free agent signing, C.J. Wilson, has been very good as well, as he has won 9 games and posted an ERA of 2.43 thus far. Dan Haren and Ervin Santana have not been as good as they could be, but they have a history that suggests that they will be better during the second half. Ernesto Frieri has been an absolute revelation in the bullpen, as he has pitched in 26 games, allowed only 8 hits, and has an ERA of 0.00. ZERO! With Scott Downs and LaTroy Hawkins also posting ERA's under 1.40, the bullpen has been tremendous. Overall, this team does not have many flaws, and I fully believe that they are absolutely legitimate contenders to win the World Series.
Athletics (43-43, 2.5 games behind the Orioles for the final Wild Card spot) - For a team that seems to be in a never-ending re-building mode, the Athletics are exactly where they should be. Neither good nor bad; just in the middle. Looking at the numbers for the A's, it is somewhat concerning to see that they are pretty much dominated by two players. Josh Reddick has been their best offensive player, and Tommy Milone has been their best pitcher. Reddick has hit a more than formidable number of 20 home runs, but no other starting position player has a batting average of over .250. There is some young talent here on offense, but nothing spectacular. As far as the pitching staff goes, Milone is really the only guy that somewhat stands out in the rotation, as he leads the team in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Ryan Cook actually leads the team in both holds and saves (which is somewhat weird), and he has been solid out of the bullpen. There is nothing really too special here, and I think holding on to a .500 record for the rest of the season will be a challenge for the Athletics.
Mariners (36-51, 10 games out of the final Wild Card spot, and worst record in the American League) - Worst record in the American League pretty much says all you need to know here, as the Mariners simply are not good enough to compete in this division, let alone compete for a playoff spot. The pitching staff has been pretty much as advertised; Felix Hernandez and everyone else. King Felix has been his usual self, and the team has been its usual self. He pitches very well but just simply does not get much run support, and therefore his numbers do not actually look as good as he really is. Jason Vargas has been pretty good, but the bullpen has been up and down, with Brandon League losing his closer job to Tom Wilhelmsen. As far as offense goes, Ichiro Suzuki is still the star, and he should be in the Hall of Fame whenever he decides to retire. Justin Smoak, Michael Saunders, and Kyle Seager have been good, and Dustin Ackley has been good, but not good enough to meet his top prospect expectations thus far. This team is middle-of-the-road at best, and when Ichiro retires and King Felix leaves (as would be expected since he gets no support), they will be even less than that. It will be a long road back to contention for the Mariners, and the road does not begin in 2012.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: I'll give you all my thoughts on the team soon enough. What I will say though, is that taking three out of four from the first place Dodgers and seeing Trevor Bauer dominate in his third start of the season is a great thing. Going into the second half, I still have confidence that this team can win the division.
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