T(or)onto! Jump on it! Jump on it! Jump on it!

Conor dit:


Ever heard of light disappearing back up a tunnel? That's what JP Ricciardi must have been experiencing this summer. Just when he had his squad make a major breakthrough and guzzump one of the lofty two in the AL East, the team he beat goes and spends a tonne of money on pitching, shores up its bull pen, becomes offensively better and generally sticks its two fingers up at the Canadians. With all due respect to Toronto, there's just no way they can overcome their two competitors for silver ware. They have money again after the shaving measures of recent years, but in a buy buy buy situation, they will lose literally every time.

Offence

Well as I see it the Blue Jays have some very good players offensively. They have the big slugger in Troy Glaus at third, the five tool centre fielder in Vernon Wells (who is probably one of the more underrated players in the league although not according to his contract haha), a solid catcher in Zaun and I really like the corner outfielders' potential. Alex Rios is a great hitter who is really developing power at a nice steady level. Could this be his breakout year? Reed Johnson is a solid if not spectacular left fielder and will contribute both with the long and shorter balls.

Lyle Overbay must also be exciting Bue Jays fans at first base as he continue his march towards being one of the better first basemen around, and he has the potential to be a he power hitter. He was truly a great pick up and he should really start to get the recognition he deserves this season.

Aaron Hill is a nice contact hitter and is the sort of guy who can make a difference either at the top or bottom of the line up. While he doesn't have fence traversing power, his speed can turn a lot of long singles into doubles with in the end is every bit as useful (although the Jays don't really tend to run). Finally at short stop Royce Clayton is slightly out of the mould of offensively minded number 6s that we normally expect from an AL side, but he is a very solid defender.

Pitching

Well the rotation isn't very exciting. It contains a good one-two punch, enough to put a stop on any skid the team might find themselves on, but realistically it isn't good enough to compete. The biggest free agent farce in terms of pitching I can remember was the clubs queued up to sign Tomo Ohka. The Jays 'won' the war to vastly overpay a guy who has only ever once come even close to pitching 200 innings. Seriously I can't start to put into words how much I hated this signing for the Jays. They can't even try to ship him without eating a huge part of his contract when he goes down injured again (and while it's not something I wish on any player, it's just difficult to believe that he's healthy).

Well enough downside (until I get torn into Chacin in a minute!!), let's talk about Ray Halladay and AJ Burnett. Halladay is a true ace, stopper, go to guy, whatever you want to call him. I like his pitching a lot and I think he deserves the money that he's getting from the Jays. He should be good for 16-20 wins again as his ability merits and on a personal note for him, maybe a ticket to a contender at the deadline if the Jays are way out of the race. Burnett has yet to really prove (to me anyway) that he was worth the money the Jays invested in him. Yeah he's solid and reliable, but was he really the number free agent pitcher just one short year ago?? I'd really like to see him do well because I have a soft spot for that 2003 Marlins team, but I can't see it happening, nor can I see him sticking injury free.

Well in the pen lies BJ Ryan, a solid closer, ever reliable and a good pro. It seems a bit weird for me to be writing this piece evaluating a spate of recent FA signings for a team that isn't the Yankees, but Ryan has been worth the money. The rest of the bull pen is take it or leave it really with the only I really like being Jason Frasor. However maybe Pete can enlighten us further. I meant to keep this short because I knew Pete'd likely have a lot to say about his own team!! Oh well !!

Pete informs :

I'm really not sure whats going to happen in the East this year as both Boston and Toronto have a lot of question marks about their teams whilst having plenty of potential to be amongst the wild card race. Of course the advantage Boston has is greater 'depth' due to deeper pockets but there is plenty of youth in the Jays system and many of their vaunted arms are coming to the point where they need to show if they really have what it takes.

The offence is probably the teams strongest suit. Reed Johnson did a great job once inserted into the leadoff spot at getting on base but it's uncertain if he's a late bloomer or a flash in the pan. Even if he can't repeat last years successes the team is very deep with big boppers and the addition of Frank Thomas means the team has a contingency plan in case the injury bug hits Troy Glaus again and if both go down then that'll make things tough for the talented outfield duo of Alexis Rios and Vernon Wells.

It gets trickier once you get into the pitching and the team is blssed with possibly the best pitcher in baseball not called Santana and the only problem is Halladay's durability. Every year he's a Cy Young candidate and that is impressive when you play in the same league as that guy Minnesota.

Behind Halladay you will have one of the biggest wastes of money in baseball in A.J. Burnett who is as good an example of how pitching is about more than numbers on a radar gun. Blessed with a great curve and what is likely the best fastball in baseball, he stil contrives to be a middle of the road guy. If he ever sorted out his control then the league will have to watch out but he hasn't done that in eight years so why would he start now?

Gustavo Chacin sits nicely in the middle of the rotation and after pitching with a few knocks and scrapes last year we should see the real him this season (alas that won't be as good as his rookie year but won't be as bad as last) and if Tomo Okha can last a full season without snagging a nail he gives the team a wily southpaw at the back end who has a good feel for pitching even if his lack of stuff leaves him a small margin for error (if only we could combine him and Burnett, what a pitcher that would be).

John Thomson adds a bit of grit but is coming off some major injury problems (like pretty much every Blue Jay starter to an extent) but I'm hopeful that Dustin McGowan gets a look in. Even if the results so far have been less than awe inspiring, the guy is still only 25 and has a very lively assortment of pitches and just the look of someone who belongs on the mound.

The effectiveness of the pen is pretty much dependent upon how many innings the starters can log. With the likes of Scott Downs, Brian Tallet and Jason Frasor setting up left handed powerhouse B.J. Ryan (why do parents name their kids B.J?) there is more than strong enough foundation and if Brandon League finally realises that most hitters struggle against 100mph fastballs then the late innings will be tough for opponents.

So what will become of the Jays this year? I honestly can see another second place finish because I'm not at all convinced by Boston but if both teams play to their potential then status quo will likely return and Toronto will be back in third. No matter what happens, a lot will have to go right for them to make the post-season.

And finally :

Seems we agree about much in terms of the Jay's performance. I can't say I have much hope for this team, but one nevers knows! Respect the power of Moneyball and what JP can do with this team !!!

Standing on the shoulders of Bonds... *ahem* Giants?

Fish rants :

Oh my it's very difficult to remain professional when you have to preview a season of a team you hope falls off the end of the earth (well it's not entirely impossible haha!). The media circus around you-know-who will be of course a huge distraction to this team. They let one ace go and gained a lesser more injury prone one, and pretty much failed to strengthen the rotation at all. It seems I say this at the start of every season by dammit this team is TOO OLD!!! There's not a single guy in a starting field position under the age of thirty and most of them are on the decline.

Barry Bonds is losing power, Dave Roberts is losing speed, Randy Winn never had either of those to things to begin with and that's just the outfield. Omar Vizquel is the model pro, but damn he can't lead this rabble to anywhere out of the basement in this division. The Giants are again going to have to try to play small ball with long ball players on the decline

Barry Zito is of course a good pitcher but it's difficult to figure out how he's going to translate into AT&T Park. He gives up a lot of hits to lefties, but power wise he gets blown out by righties, so it'll be interesting to see how he copes with the new boundaries in the Bay. Matt Cain must have 'frisco fans in a frenzy of excitement, but let's face it, there's only one show in town for at least one more season. With some offence Matt Morris and Noah Lowry could be good tail enders in a rotation but where that offence is going to come from is hard to see. More uncertainties lie in the Armando Benitez led bull pen which includes a bunch of has beens and never was-es.

I almost wish I'd got someone else to write this and then added my two cents after. I hate this club, I hate their lack of ambition, I hate their shear greed in milking the media circus around you-know-who, and most of all I hate Barry Bonds!!

Pete, the voice of reason says:

OK, for starters its not a lack of ambition or greed that has driven this club to attempt to bank on Bonds its the fact that he has been one of the greatest players of all time and the face of the franchise for over a decade. If you don't feel it prudent to build around such a player then I don't know who you build around. That all said I do feel sorry for GM Brian Sabean because he really went all in to try and get that championship with Bonds and they fell just short and we are now in the fall out. Baseball is the greatest sport in the world for celebrating its heroes and Bonds must retire a Giant so the team will remain in limbo for another year.

Like you said, the team is too old and has too many has beens on the roster and unless Bonds can stay healthy there is no big bat anywhere on the team to anchor the team. Roberts can still do a job at the top of the order and the ever green Vizquel batting behind him will see that they are able to scratch out enough wins to be a respectable team but there is nothing that makes you think they can elevate themselves into anything like a pennant race.

Losing Mike Matheny to his injury induced retirement will hurt them big time too as Bengie Molina has slipped in recent years in terms of D (he's still pretty good but not exactly great) and also the leadership and you do wonder if this clubhouse will implode at some point.

Matheny would have been the only reason I would have thought that letting Schmidt go and getting Zito would be a good trade off but alas he is gone and Zito will likely do an reasonable job in between seeing balls that drop into outfield gloves in Oakland, sail into the stands in AT&T.

For the bullpen to work they really have to hope that they can catch lightning in a bottle because it looks a bit messy to me.

Matt Cain is the only real bright spark I can see and any impact prospects are a ways away (possibly Sabean stockpiling for an onslaught in the post-Bonds era). This year will all be about Bonds going for that record (and 2,000 RBI which is none too shabby either) and the Giants standing pat till next year...oh and Bruce Bochy being picked up to manage is an interesting move too.

Conor C-omesback:

I think we're in agreement about this state of this club. You just seem to be more of the opinion that this is the result of putting all the eggs in the Barry Championship Ring basket. Maybe you're not wrong, but to be honest I dislike Barry so much and think he's such a cheat and an asshole that I'm glad he never got his ring, and I'm glad he's going to play out the last year of his career and not win a thing. It's exactly what he deserves, but not what Brian Sabean deserves for being put in the impossible situation of having a player who was bigger than the club, maybe even bigger than the game itself.

They may not know how to pronounce 'Louis', but they're not half good!

Conor C-ez :

The Cardinals will have a tough job recreating the same level of pitching that they've come to expect in recent seasons. Chris Carpenter coming off the back of another MVP type season will be the number one guyonce again for this rotation and he will have to become a calming influence around the club house to several young pitcher with limited experience. Kip
Wells, a young pitcher who has never quite lived up to his potential due to injuries has come on board from Pittsburgh via Texas between which he made 8 starts last season. Wells hasn't been fully healthy since 2003, but the one year contract seems to be a good deal for both parties. Adam Wainwright (alas no relation to my favourite singer!) will make the step to the rotation from the bull pen this season after a successful season in 2006, while Anthony Reyes will hope to improve on a mediocre (5-8/5.08 ERA) campaign. Brad Thompson who has spent most of his major league career sitting in the bull pen will also hope to challenge for a starters role come Spring. The resigning of Mark Mulder late in the FA quagmire could prove to be very important as is adds depth an experience to what is essentially a very young staff.

Offensively the Cards are well equipped. They have the best player in baseball at first base. Pujols, should he stay healthy all season could start so simply scare people in a way that only the words 'Barry Bonds' have before. Adam Kennedy will be an exciting new double play partner for World Series MVP David Eckstein, although one problem this combo presents is their lack of power. Scott Rolen is perhaps surprisingly back at third base having not spoken to manager Tony LaRussa through the entire off season. This follows their play-off bust up which led to Rolen being benched for not declaring an injury. It will be interesting to see how the situation between the two plays itself out.

Roaming the outfield will once again be perennial gold glover and all round pro Jim Edmonds, one of the most likeable guys in the Majors. Chris Duncan had a great season last time around in left field, but it will be interesting to see how he adapts, as the league adapts to him. The Cards
seem to be really up on his potential and he could become a significant contributor to the HR tally for this team. Juan Encarnacion remains one of those guys who is just solid if not spectacular. You know what you're going to get from him season after season and that can either please the fans or exasperate them. I wouldn't be surprised to see him shifted before the trade
deadline.

A far as back ups go, St Louis have some of the best about. So Taguchi is one of the most solid fourth outfielders in the league and only for his lack of pop would probably be an everyday player. Preston Wilson is also a useful man in the wings.

The bullpen is probably the most unstable part of this team with the possibility of Wainwright and Brad Thompson moving to the rotation, and the uncertainty surrounding Jason Isringhausen and just how healthy he will be. Izzy should resume the closer's role if he's healthy. Aside from those guys, Braden Looper is one of the few on staff who performed reasonably last
season. Ricardo Rincon could be a useful component coming off the back of an injury plagued season, but just how strong this pen is remains to be seen.

In summary, overall this team has good depth, but it really doesn't have the pitching to repeat a World Series victory, or even to repeat an NL Central clinching season. If Pujols goes down again this season it's difficult to see where the offence is going to come from. Rolen may not last the season if his spat with LaRussa continues, and while they have great depth, they
may struggle.


Pete J thinks :

OK, we'll bash one thing on the head and that's to say that any team that has Albert Pujols in it will score runs. He is a phenomenon as a hitter and truly mesmerising to watch. Add to that the ever estute David Eckstein at the top of the order and you have enough grit to grind out runs in the close games.

Really the whole offence is just built to score enough runs to be a tough team to beat and the addition of the under-rated Adam Kennedy should make them a tough team to shut out even if they won't blow too many teams away with the ageing an inconsistant Rolen and Edmonds.

Defensively they always put out a solid side and Edmonds still manages to do a great job whilst posing for cameras.

The real questions are with the pitching and how it all stacks up. Fortunately they have one of the best pitching coaches in Dave Duncan to sort it out.

The pen will only be as good as the guy at the end of it and I really am not sure if Izzy will rebound or not. I am tempted to think that niggling injuries were what stopped him really being effective last year and his track record shows is so good that last year could have been just a blip but elbow problems for a guy who relies on a curveball could be a problem.

The safest bet would be to keep Wainwright in the role that he excelled in last year (mainly because I'm not sure his repertoire is varied enough to be a starter), what they want to do is not allow Looper to be the closer and keep him in the set-up role alongside the outstanding Ricardo Rincon and one way or another this pen will be good but it could be a rocky road early on as things settle into place.

Every time we go into the season I keep thinking that this has to be the year that Chris Carpenter has another elbow injury and misses a couple of months like he used to every year in Toronto. Of course if he's there all year then he'll be Cy nominated and carry the rotation and the team into playoff contention but the real problem is the state of the guys behind him. Yes Kip Wells has had injuries which has slowed him down but its only slowed him down from putting up the average numbers that he's always put up on the few occasions he has been healthy and Mark Mulder really hasn't been what the Cards expected when they signed him a couple years back (what is it with starters who leave Oakland?).

The guy to watch will be Anthony Reyes who really looked like he was figuring out what he needed to do to be successful in the Majors towards the end of last year and that culminated with a tremendous performance in the World Series. As he gets stronger he will be more consistant and will be a big producer for this team.

In summary, this team and the irritating Tony La Russa will have to work hard but everything is there for another NL Central crown and who knows what come the playoffs. Their pitching might not be overwhelming but it doesn't have an obvious weakness (unless Izzy is done and Wainwright proves himself a valuable starter which I doubt) and they have some guy named Albert once again gunning for 200 RBI. Still the team everyone needs to stack up to in the NL if they want to go the distance.

Conor C decides :

La Russa? quirky, not irritating
Dave Duncan ? genius
Eckstein? so annoying I want to punch him
Albert? Pujols ('nuff said!)
Cards? Very good

'Insert crude Steve Irwin joke here' but the Rays still blow

Conor C says:

There's a lot of hope n Tropicana Field this year. It might not mean that success will be now or even next season, but there is a real feeling that if the front office can keep this squad of youngsters together, they may just be able to make a run at a division title a few years down the line.

There is little or no point in talking about Scott Kazmir because everything that needs to be said has already been. He spearheads another young rotation but unfortunately for Kazmir, the rest of the five isn't really up to much. Jae Seo who bounced around last season (from Mets to Dodgers to Tampa) is one of the most inconsistent pitchers around. With him as number two starter it's difficult to see anything happening for this team. James Shields could be a great prospect and has fared well throughout his young career.

Offensively they have the potential to produce within a year or two. We all know about the Spurious obsession with Mr 'E6' Upton, but it will be interesting to see how much he's allowed to run. He could break out big time this season and Rays fas will have to fancy him to produce. At third the latest Japanese import to grace the big leagues Akinori Iwamura will be
first choice. He had a major break out year last season with Yakult (what a bizarre name for a team btw!!) with 44 homers. The D Rays would probably be content to see him nail half that total this year.

Dioner Navarro is a solid if not spectacular catcher. He has impressed many older pitchers with his ability to call the game. Offensively he provides limited resources, but one thing is that he's really bulked out over the break, so perhaps one can expect more bang for the D Ray's buck in the coming season in 10-15 homers.

The outfield looks extremely exciting. Crawford is proven while still young and is one of a handul or TRUE five tool players. This guy can hurt you anyway you can think; let the ball bounce around in the outfield and you might just see him standing at third. Rocco Baldelli would have had a third straight career year without injury causing him to miss nearly half the season, but most people will want to read about Delmon Young. This sprog can do it all and Rays fans must be licking their lips a the prospect of seeing him up in the majors for a full season. Let's hope he doesn't do things the 'Milton Bradley' way.

The 'pen is very weak, mainly full of an overstock of starters although Dan Miceli will probably inherit the closer's role. Seth McClung and Edwin Jackson may contest for starters jobs later this week but it is looking increasingly unlikely that they'll be successful.

Petahhhhh says :

We all know just how exciting this team can be offensively and they may well have the best outfield in the Majors now as Carl Crawford again will go out and prove he truly is one of the very elite players around (he's up there in the pack right behind Phat Albert) and Delmon Young an obvious Rookie of the Year favourite.

The infield D could be better but they're waiting for Brignac and the very exciting Evan Longoria to come through the system. The problem is that while Kazmir is possibly the best lefty pitcher not called Santana, they just don't have another dependable arm. Twelve different guys started games for Tampa last year and the team leader in innings pitched (unsurprisingly Kazmir) notched up just 144 2/3 innings (that is awful). And it doesn't get better in the pen where six guys recorded saves and the lead was 10 which is bad even for a team that lost 101 games.

Of course this could be the year that Jeff Niemann finally shakes off the injuries and gets to the Bigs but even if he makes a successful jump (with his health record its far from clear what will happen) they still have huuuuuuuge holes in their pitching. Any help from within is a long way off with their best pitching prospects in LoA but even if they deal a guy like Elijah Dukes (quite a good bargaining chip) they can't expect to be able to fill enough of those holes to even think about getting into third in the East and even fourth will take some doing right now.

If anyone can make a winner of this team and find ways to get some pitching its Gerry Hunsicker but even with a huge amount of young and exciting players which includes two guys who would be stars on any Major League roster, it will still be tough for them to avoid losing 100 games again. Decisions need to be made now as to whether they really want to be taken seriously or are they just going to wait it out until they can move to Portland?

Conor C-oncludes:
This team is young and full of energy and at best will have one of those heroic 'Marlins' type seasons from last year. Unfortunately in the AL that means if they're lucky they'll finish somehwere in the top half of the bottom third (if that makes any sense at all!!).

New Standards Set For Yankee Outfielders

Alas that's the best headline I could come up with seeing as 'Weekends Without Bernie' was taken (actually I'm just losing the energy to think of those witty headlines).

Anyway, Bernie Williams has turned down a minor league contract and invite to ST for the Yanks and it looks like he's played his final game in pinstripes. The big question now is, what now for Bernie?

The main reason he stuck with the Yankees last year was more or less down to rewarding him for years of service and thats the same reason they even offered him the deal they did this year but Bernie could tell they didn't really want him and, if we are to believe the latest reports about the roster set up the Yankees want to go with, he was unlikely to make the team.

Basically it's unlikely they'll come back with an improved deal unless something drastic happens (like they decide they can carry another no arm outfielder who is passed his prime and now only an average hitter).

So what now? Allen Baird is no longer in a position to offer preposterous deals to aging vets and the catch-22 deal with Bernie is that he will still command a salary due to his rep but at best he's a 20 HR and .300 hitter these days and you'd have to carry him with his diminishing outfield tools (he's not a bad outfielder, his body just doesn't work the way it used to). Is that worth $10m a year, even in this climate?

Of course there is no real reason for him to come back. He's pretty much done it all, is in a position to look after several generations of his family and a musical career to fall back on. He's not going to do anything thats going to get him into the Hall of Fame unless he miraculously starts hitting 70 HR a year.

Even though he's a Yankee I've always sort of liked Bernie Williams. He's always been one of those players who goes to the park every day and gives you game day in and day out and plays the game the smart way, knowing exactly what the situation calls for. I can't help but think his best option would be to call it a day and wait for them to retire his number and possibly look for work as a bench coach (if thats what he wants to do). His legacy is secure and the one team player is always a good story.

All that's left to say is Bernie Williams we salute you, now go sit in that swing chair on your porch in your white picket fenced house with your guitar and strum away whilst everyone else worries about how the Yankees will win the next World Series. You've earned the easy life.

Houston Astros

The Astros finished last season with an 82-80 record that amazingly was good enough for second in the Central and almost snuck them into the post-season.

Pete J Says : The Astros were a very average team last year and the only reason they hung around in the playoff run so long was because there was a lot of mediocrity in the NL last year.

Of course its always a little unfair to blame one person for a team finishing with less wins than they should but Brad Lidge certainly made a good case for it. His ERA went up by 2.99 runs last year and 2.99 alone is about what you'd expect from an elite closer on a bad year and Lidge certainly was that before last year.The rest of the pen was pretty good with Wheeler, Qualls and Trever Miller all putting up good numbers before handing it over to Lidge to blow it and the support staff could be even better this year if Rick White and Scaott Sauerbeck make the team this Spring.

Elsewhere the rotation will once again be anchored by the under-appreciated Roy Oswalt and All Spurious team member Jason Jennings looking to build on what was a great year last season (he won't be that good this year I'm sure).

They struggled to score runs last season and while Carlos Lee will certainly beef up the heart of the order, if Morgan Ensberg can't get back on track this will still be a very average line-up with a lot of so-so hitters batting behind Berkman.

Of course it also doesn't help that they traded away their only genuine base stealing threat which should further clog up the bases and while Biggio can still find ways to get on base on his march for 3,000 hits, he's not the sparkplug he used to be.This is still a very average team with a great starter in Oswalt who will stop them going on any serious losing streaks. This team's only chance is that Lidge regains his form and the Wild Card is another battle between mediocre teams and sadly I don't see that being the case...there's not even a likely candidate to make the jump from the minors now they've dealt Hirsch.


Conor C Says : Well that about sums it up. It's been a tough fall from the (almost) top after their WS appearance in 2005.

It's hard to talk positively at all about the Astros this season. They've lost two out of arguably the best 1,2 3 starting pitcher punches in the league (Pettitte and Clemens) and its very unlikely that Clemens will come back to Houston this year since surely this will be his last year and he'll want to have a shot at a pennant. The Jason Jennings trade was an absolute disaster for this team. Jennings is a decent pitcher and will probably do alright in Minute Maid, but let's face it, he's not a superstar and there were other pitchers available that maybe would have commanded bigger salaries, but wouldn't have meant giving up their only speedster and their best pitching prospect.

Lidge and Ensberg just seem to have lost the spark, but who knows what the new season will bring. Either way, this team will be fighting it out in the cellar of the Central.


Pete J Says : Well that was simple, even if I'm not as grim about their chances as you seem to be. They should be a .500 team unless Berkman or Oswalt gets injured but its amazing how one deal can really cause more holes than it fills and while Jason Jennings will help their rotation, Jason Hirsch could have done a similar job and Taveras would still be in town to at least give the team some speed.

Of course now Jason Jennings will win the Cy and Hirsch will be the next Scott Elarton.

Mike Matheny Calls It A Day

Due to post-concussion symptoms, Spurious Baseball favourite, Mike Matheny has had to call time on his career and its been a great career but many will just dust it under the carpet. In this day and age where numbers are crunched and double crunched before anyone can formulate their own opinion, Matheny's .239 and 67 career homeruns will likely see that he doesn't quite make the Hall of Fame but that was never going to be his legacy.

Long ago, as we travel through the mists of yore, the position of catcher used to be a true defensive position. He was the general on the field, dictating to his team what was needed to cut down opposing hitters.

Catcher was the toughest position to play and day in and day out you would take a beating from foul tips, over-swings and baserunners charging down the line looking to maim you and it would beyour job to take it, dust yourself off and ask for seconds. Mike Matheny was one of those players.

Watching him don the tools of ignorance was sheer poetry in motion. The way he would shift his weight behind the hitter, the speed of his feet as he gunned down wouldbe base stealers and the way he would work with pitchers to baffle and bemuse hitters. All of the things you would need from a catcher, he was it.

It was inevitable in hindsight owing to the fearless nature with which he would block balls that he would eventually have to call it quits due to some related injury but its the measure of the man that even after he took those foul tips to the mask he still expected to be playing the next day and not being able to play again must have been a bitter pill to swallow. But it also says a lot that he has offered himself up for medical testing on the impact of concussions on athletes and, in particular, ball players.

I will certainly miss the opportunity of seeing him go after his fifth Gold Glove (even though they are bunk he still could have done it) and it only makes me feel like he should have played more while in his days in Milwaukee and Toronto and earned himself more silverware.

Its always a sad day when your heroes come to the end of their careers and he certainly was one for me and with the way the game is changing (some would say evolving but I wouldn't) it could be a very long time till we see another Mike Matheny.

Blog update - Feb 2007

Just some brief points!

1) Welcome to Conor C!

2) Nice to see the previews back .... don't worry if you've missed one, you can always click the 2007 Previews link on the right hand side, and get a direct link to your fav teams review

3) The 2007 Predictions are now also available ... as well as the Spurious blog team, i've included the previews from the Spurious Myspace members ... should be a bit more interesting this year!

4) If any other peeps want to get involved, write articles, or just contact us for any reason, use the Contact the Blog link on the right hand side

Anyway, back to Pete and Conor .....

Chicago Cubs

It's that time again (seems to get earlier every year) and me and new team member Conor will be fighting it out for your hearts and minds with regards to how each team in MLB stacks up for the coming year.

First up it's The Cubs who finished last season with an NL worst 66-96 record.

Pete J Says : OK, the Cubs were probably the biggest spenders this off-season and a lot of attention has been lauded onto them, mainly thanks to the arrival of top free agent Alfonso 'contract year' Soriano. Was the investment worth it? Well they were the worst team in the NL so it's hard to say it didn't need to be done and but has the investment made them a serious contender this year?

The line-up certainly has a firm foundation with Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez in the middle (possibly broken up by oft injured left handed bat Cliff Floyd) and Alfonso Soriano going to the top of the order so there is genuine power there but Soriano isn't the sort of guy who grinds out runs and gives an offence a consistent threat.

The outfield D will be poor with three left fielders (well two and Soriano) sharing the positions and I have no confidence in the pitching staff to give them an easy go of things. Beyond Zambrano its a real mystery as to what will happen. Of course they hope Mark Prior will be healthy and if he is he'll be the real difference maker from last years team but Lilly and Marquis are solid to average guys and no one is sure how the club will use Kerry Wood. In theory Wood and Neal Cotts will bridge the gap to Ryan Dempster but Wood has never been a relief pitcher and no one knows when his arm will fall off, Cotts was periodically rubbish last year and you never want your closer to have ten decisions to his name especially if nine are losses.

So in a nutshell, we have a rotation thats one injury away from being very average, a defence with big holes, a pen that could do anything and an offence that has very little depth. Not exactly a good recipe if you are chasing the reigning champs. They'll be improved from last year but they're basically a middle of the road side now rather than bottom of the pile.


Conor C Says : Okay, I like to see teams make real efforts to improve. I think you under estimate what Lilly brings to the fold and also that Marquis as recently as 3 playoffs ago was the Card's number one guy. I think the Cubs got a real steal. He had two absolutely dreadful outings in which he was allowed to give up 12 ER and 13 ER runs respectively and that really tarnished his ERA.

I think you overlook their depth of promising young pitchers who are, if not Major League starters this season, certainly very tradeable for 'now' starters once the season starts. Again with Lilly, once you remove three bad starts which all occured after Toronto were well out of the post season race, his ERA is high threes/low fours and he suddenly doesn't seem such a bad pitcher. Prior is the difference maker. I think he's due a healthy season but we'll see.

The line up is murderers row man, and if they can turn one of their prospects into a lead off guy. Ronny Cedeno has had a huge winter and could be the guy.... might he be moved to the outfield?


Pete J Says : Reasons to underestimate Marquis and Lilly include the fact that Marquis has put up progresively worse numbers year in year out since becoming a starter and Ted Lilly has never pitched 200 innings in a season. Its not even like Wrigley is a particularly good pitchers park and is going to help them. Both are guys who will post 4.00 to 4.50 ERA's on a good year and if they're on a good team that will also show in wins but the other thing to bare in mind is that Marquis was backed up by one of the leagues best defences the last couple of seasons (Lilly merely a good D) and last I checked Aramis Ramirez ain't Scott Rolen.

There is no one in the Cubs farm system ready to make an impact now and very little in terms of a real blue chipper (maybe Felix Pie could play center) but I don't see Angel Guzman stepping into the rotation.

Murderers Row is a phrase that seems to be over-used these days. I personally don't even think the Cubs match up to the Reds or Cards in the central and if the Cubs are Murderers Row then what the bloody hell are the Yankees? I don't see many teams really being THAT worried by Jacque Jones, Mark DeRosa, Cesar Izturis and Michael Barrett AKA the guys behind Ramirez. Its just a top heavy lineup that isn't particularly balanced.

Of course these things come down to what they should and will do and we both seem to agree that Soriano should bat third but we already know he won't. It makes more sense that Cedeno goes to second with DeRosa heading to the outfield and Pie playing centre but that means benching Jones and/or Cliff Floyd.

Nope, still not convinced they'll be in amongst it come September.

Sign EVERYONE!!!

I vowed this year not to go on and on about every last free agent signing or trade because this isn't a news site and we're not about that sort of stuff. We have forums for that sort of thing anyway but, as always, the off-season Yankee machine rumbles on and its always worth a laugh.

It seems like every year Yankee fans are convinced their team will pick up every big name free agent and make deals to bring all the best players to New York (I'm surprised I haven't heard a Giambi for Santana rumour yet such is the extent of the hyperbole). So far they were convinced they would get Matsuzaka and they lost out (to Boston no less in a ridiculous move), soon they'll be convinced Roger Clemens is coming back to town and they might even think that Josh Phelps will finally start slugging 40 HR after arriving in the Rule 5. However, they have made one genuinely great signing and no one really made much noise about it before it happened.

Signing Andy Pettitte is probably the best free agent pick up they could have really made when all this off-season shake up began. Not only is he a known commodity (unlike over priced Japanese enigmas), he has also shown he can do it in the meat grinder that is New York and do it in the big games. Of course he's also a lefty starter and they tend to revel in Yankee Stadium and New York needed genuine quality starters (as opposed to a dearth of average to good pitching from rotation to the pen...except Mo of course). How many other members of this years free agent class tick that many boxes?

Of course now they've made the sensible signing the rumour mill will likely switch back to cloud cuckoo land and who knows, they may very well make a move for Barry Zito and save Texas from making a huge mistake (fly balls may lan in Oakland but they don't in Arlington) and revert back to the same plan that has kept them from post-season success in recent years. Who knows? The Yankee rumour mill ploughs on.

2007 Hall of Fame Ballot

I know these were announced a while back now but I've been busy, OK?

Here's my basic run-down of the folk on the ballot and my opinions on whether they'll make it now or in the future.

Tony Gwynn
Who's the greatest hitter of all time, Cobb or Gwynn? Or, to put it another way, who else in the history of the game can seriously be compared to Cobb as a hitter?

Quite frankly I see Gwynn as the greatest player of my lifetime and only a fixation with the long ball stops people agreeing with me. Only Cobb is in his league when it comes to consecutive batting crowns and batting titles full stop. His .338 career average is 20th all time and only Ruth, Williams and Gehrig can top it in the live ball era.

A perrenial Gold Glover, All Star, Silver Slugger and MVP candidate and could have had a .400 season if not for the strike. On top of that he scored runs, drove them in and stole bases and was a worthy Roberto Clemente Award winner (one of the great characters any sport has ever had).

If I could vote for these things I'd vote for Gwynn at least five times on the one ballot. He's definately in and deserves to test Tom Seavers' record for percentage of votes cast.

Cal Ripken
Personally I think he was always over-rated due to the streak (which should have ended way before he went past Gehrig) but you can't deny he had a great career.

A two time MVP who changed people perceptions of what to expect from a shortstop (some would say revolutionise but I wouldn't). The new wave of offence first shortstops with just enough D to get by were all inspired by this guy.

His popularity with the press will see he gets a huge number of votes.

Mark McGwire
The numbers say he should be a lock. The effect he had on the game after the strike says he should be a 90% vote getter as few players could be considered to have had as huge an impact as McGwire, but the steroids issue will cloud the perspectives of many people and its not even certain if he'll get enough votes to get on next years ballot (he likely will).

Personally, I feel he deserves to be in as no matter what substances he took, he still had a massively positive impact on baseball at a very rough time and you can always argue that the stuff he was taking wasn't strictly speaking illegal back then.

I doubt he'll get in this time round, and he might have to wait a few years but by hook or by crook he'll get in, even if it takes the veterans commitee to do it.

Harold Baines
Now here's a tricky one, Harold Baines is #1 in most of the stat categories for DH's and has had a very good career but is it a HoF career?

His career average of .289 took a massive hit in his later years as he became an old man trying to hang with the kids. In his prime he was a true professional hitter who would hit .300 with discipline and power and got himself the odd vote on MVP ballots.

So will he get in? I doubt it this time. It'll even be tough for him to be voted in during the coming years but I'd like to think he'll get in one day as maybe a pioneer of the full time DH. He's one of those guys who you feel deserves something for his career but you're not quite sure what.

Jose Canseco
This guy will never make it. You can say McGwire cheated but Canseco cheated and really tried to take the game down with him.

As entertaining as it was to watch him patrol the outfield and as outstanding a feat it was to become the first 40/40 player, the guy was a scumbag.

Bret Saberhagen and Paul O'Neill
I would love these guys to get in as both had great careers whose contributions outweighed their numbers but as beloved as these two were, can we really say they were HoF'ers?

These two will be immortalised by enough fans memories that the Hall of Fame doesn't really need to.

Devon White, Tony Fernandez, Jay Buhner
All three of these guys would make a Spurious Hall of Fame (I'll have to think about putting that together).

I remember I was incredibly annoyed when Devo left the Jays (although not as annoyed as when Alomar left soon after). He was a phenomenal outfielder who was only robbed of starting a World Series triple play by a napping umpire who blew the call. He had a a bit of power, a bit more speed and was just a very cool player.

Tony Fernandez was the best turf shortstop not called Ozzie Smith and still had time to be a great situational hitter and a key component of some great teams.

Who else remembers Jay Buhner day at The Kingdome? Men, women and children all going to the ballpark with shaven heads and goatees (some more convincing than others). Few players have ever been as loved by the fans as he was and it was very sad the way his career ended so abruptly.

Buhner was a key component on one of the very best offensive line-ups ever assembled.

Eric Davis and Bobby Witt
Both these guys looked like potential HoF'ers early on in their careers but were side tracked by injuries. I doubt either will stay on the ballot long.

Bobby Bonilla, Dante Bichette, Wally Joyner, Scott Brosius
Brosius will keep his legacy thanks to some clutch performances in the World Series for one of the great teams in history but these guys will likely not get much attention...unless you count Bonilla's bowling average which is allegedly very good.

...returning once again to the ballot

Don Mattingly
Face it people, he's just not good enough. You don't get in for being a great defensive first baseman.

Andre Dawson
Hurt himself by playing too long and ending his career with some duff years but for the majority of his career he was a true five tool player who was always amongst the leaders in every stat that counts. In my mind he should have been in the HoF years ago.

Jack Morris
He should be putting in maybe the greatest performance by any pitcher ever in one of the greatest games ever (if you don't know what game I'm referring to then shame on you). For the rest of his career he was the ace of some great teams and was generally up there with everyone in most catergories for most of his career and 254 career wins is good enough for him to be a marginal guy who just gets in.

Bert Blyleven
Truly baffling why this guy isn't in. I can sort of understand Morris and Dawson not having been voted in but a guy with 287 wins and 3701 K's (5th all time)? It beggars belief. Just vote him in and lets be done with it, he makes the voters look stupid.

Orel Hershiser
I thought this guy would be easy to make a case for but I've just looked at his numbers and 204 wins isn't that impressive. Of course, in his prime with the Dodgers he was as good as it got and his consecutive scoreless innings streak was amazing but it's tough looking at his whole career to say he had the longevity to be in the Hall. He certainly had the class but is that enough?

Albert Belle
Albert might have been one of the biggest tossers ever to take the field but he was an outstanding player. For a career he average 40 HR every 162 games and 381 career longballs and 1239 RBI is exceptional for a 12 year career.

1995 might have seen Belle put together one of the truly great seasons any individual has ever had. In a strike shortened season of 143 games, he still hit 50 homeruns and had 52 doubles to go with it. Add to that 121 runs, 126 RBI and a .317 average. If he had even the slightest amount of pleasantness in him people would be considering him.

Jim Rice, Rich Gossage, Lee Smith, Tommy John, Steve Garvey, Alan Trammell, Dave Parker, Dave Concepcion, Dale Murphy
I could go into greater detail but I've been writing too long now. Suffice to say these guys aren't getting in. They are just not quite good enough. You could make a case for Gossage and Smith if people are going to cut closers a little slack but I don't think either will really stand up against the new generation of full time closers that have emerged since Eckersley's days.

NEW Myspace Group

Following a discussion on the Five Forums, it was suggested that a Myspace group might be a good way to let UK baseball fans stay in touch, so we have decided to trial one ....

http://groups.myspace.com/spuriousbaseball

Pop over and join up if you feel the urge!

Spurious Baseball's Predictions ...... The results!!

Well, i suppose we should really look at the predictions that the Spurious team made for 2006. Shall we do it in a big glitzy style then????

Nah, let's just say that Chris C got the most right, including the world series champs, and the rest of us just sucked! The rest of us will now be drinking copious amounts of alcohol to see if they can bring their prediction skills up to match those of Chris C for 2007!!!


The predictions will remain on that page until the new 2007 season, as will Pete's Previews ....... Pete, you'd better make a start on the 2007 ones now, mate!!

The All Spurious Team '06

Well, everyone else seems to do these things so I thought it was about time that we toed the line and put together the All Spurious Team for the '06 season. These guys don't necessaril have to have been the best, we just have to like them...you know, the usual stuff.

1B Albert Pujols, St Louis Cardinals - .331, 49 hr, 137 rbi, 119 r
Even though Ryan Howard had his monster season, you still can't deny that Phat Albert is the man. Even with time spent on the DL (at the time he was setting a pace for something stupid like 80 hr and 200 rbi) he still managed to post better numbers than almost anyone.
He even picked up his first Gold Glove (not that we can put much stock in them as a measure of ability) and is certainly becoming an excellent defensive player. Quite simply the best player in baseball.
Good but not Albert : Ryan Howard, Carlos Delgado, Justin Morneau

2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies - .309, 32 hr, 102 rbi, 131 r, 15 sb
I still think he's the MVP of the Phils team but many would dispute it (and by many I mean practically everyone). Philadelphia were going nowhere and then he went on his hitting streak (might not have been Dimaggio but 35 is still bloody good) and the whole team woke around him.
Thankfully Gillick dealt Abreu (a bit late in doing so but anyway) and seems to be building around 3/4 of that infield which should see them in good stead.
Briefly thought about but ultimately nah : Mark Ellis, Placido Polanco, Brandon Phillips, Josh Barfield

3B Joe Crede, Chicago White Sox - .283, 30 hr, 94 rbi, 76 r
This was going to go to Ryan Zimmerman but once again Crede has been overlooked for the GG and someone should give him some love.
I've said for a few years now that he's the best defensive 3b in the AL but I always accepted his mediocre offensive numbers stopped him getting attention but this year he put it together and had a solid offensive year to boot and still gets ignored...except here.
Would have won if GG voters weren't dinks : Ryan Zimmerman

SS Jose Reyes, New York Mets - .300, 19 hr, 81 rbi, 122 r, 64 sb
I've had disputes about whether he's the buisness defensively or not but there is no getting around the fact that he is an exciting ball player. He's the sort of speed player we used to have in the 80's and the way he moves in the field makes me reminisce about Ozzie Smith and anyone who makes me think of The Wizard deserves a nod.
They don't make 'em like they used but these are alright : Adam Everett, Omar Vizquel, Edgar Renteria

C Russ Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers - .282, 10 hr, 65 rbi, 65 r, 10 sb
What do I do when Mike Matheny misses most of the year through injury? I'll tell you what I do, I point to the future and my soon to be favourite catcher in the Bigs (Matheny still holds stock with me), Russ Martin.
LA were a ponderous bunch for a long time and then they made the call to the Farm and they started to win...a lot.
He's a gamer, a general on the field. He may never be the best hitter in the league or win any GG's but wherever he plays he will win, that much I am sure about.
God bless catchers, they're crazy : Victor Martinez (comedy value counts here), Joe Mauer, Pudge Rodriguez

LF Alfonso Soriano, Washington Nationals - .277, 46 hr, 95 rbi, 119 r, 41 sb
You may not have been paying attention to the Nats in a dreadful year, but Soriano might have been the best offensive player in baseball.
So much was made before the year about the change of position but he did ok out thereand in between time he crushed the ball, ran all over and was the first 40/40 man to get almost no attention for his exploits. He was a man on a mission or, to put it another way, a free agent year.
Is it wrong to mock the left fielder? : Jason Bay, Craig Monroe, Adam Dunn

CF Carlos Beltran, New York Mets - .275, 41 hr, 116 rbi, 127 r, 18 sb
To the folk who questioned the deal Minaya gave him, I think Carlos Beltran showed this year what he can do when he's fully healthy. Great D, great power and some of the best base running around. He can really do everything. Encore please.
Bit of a so-so year for cf's : Vernon Wells, Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Mark Kotsay

RF Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox - .315, 44 hr, 120 rbi, 103 r
After years of freakish injury after freakish injury, Dye put together a career year at the heart of a monster line-up. Carrying on from his World Series MVP the year before, he more than did his bit to put Chicago back atop the pile, shame the pitchers couldn't follow his lead.
Put the fat bloke in right : Lance Berkman, Ichiro, Alexis Rios

DH David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox - .287, 54 hr, 137 rbi, 115 r
These days DH is a genuine position on the roster so we better throw Big Papi in. He continues to amaze with the lumber and only gets started when its late and the game is on the line. It's no surprise that when he went down with an injury the Sox plummeted down the standings.
Practicing bubble blowing when their team takes the field : Travis Hafner, Marcus Thames

Utility IF Bill Hall, Milwaukee Brewers - .270, 35 hr, 85 rbi, 101 r
I feel a little bad but whilst he may not have won a batting title Bill Hall stepped up when injuries hit the Brew Crew he emerged as the teams best player and even though the Brewers were a disappointment, they still did better than Pittsburgh.
Reluctant to ride pine : Freddy Sanchez

Utility OF Melky Cabrera, New York Yankees - .280, 7 hr, 50 rbi, 75 r, 12 sb
MVP of the Yankees anyone? When injuries crippled the All Star Yankee outfield, the one time pariah stepped back onto the field where he was once goaded by 'Da Bums' and solidified a troubled line-up. It almost seems like he should have better numbers than he did, such was his stature this year but it wasn't his numbers that defined him but his ability to do the job at hand.
Best of the nobodies on the roster : Ryan Freel, Reed Johnson

SP 1 Johan Sanatan, Minnesota Twins - 19-6, 2.77 era, 245 k / 47 bb
Won the pitching triple crown with more wins, k's and a better ERA than anyone in either league. He is without question the top hurler around, it's that simple.

SP 2 Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays - 16-5, 3.19 era, 132 k / 34 bb
The only thing not quite right about Roy Halladay is the fact he has that ginger beard. For ages he was neck and neck with Santana which takes some doing but there is no shame being second to him.

SP 3 Jason Jennings, Colorado Rockies - 9-13, 3.78 era, 142 k / 85 bb
Pitching in Colorado with that ERA and only 9 wins to your name? This guy deserved better but then there were a few guys in that rotation who did better than you would think. Give medals to them all I say.
What a year for the hurlers : Francisco Liriano, Brandon Webb, Chris Carpenter, Carlos Zambrano, Aaron Harang, Roy Oswalt, Justin Verlander

Closer Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins - 7-0, 1.58 era, 95 k / 16 bb, 36 sv
Papelbon blew 6. Hoffman 5, Ryan 4 and Rivera 3. Joe Nathan blew just 2 and due to the slow start he managed to win seven games without losing any as Grudenhire struggled to get him worthwhile innings.
He was truly dominant.
Hells bells : Trevor Hoffman, BJ Ryan, Jon Papelbon

Lefty Reliever Dennys Reyes, Minnesota Twins - 5-0, 0.89 era, 49 k / 15 bb
You'd think being a situational lefty would be a dossy job and Reyes made it look that this year with a truly silly year. A WHIP below one and almost a K per inning.
They're an odd breed : Pedro Feliciano, Rheal Cormier, Jaime Walker

Righty Reliever Cla Meredith, San Diego Padres - 5-1, 1.07 era, 37 k / 6 bb
He may have a first name that looks like its short a good few letters but how can you argue with a 0.711 WHIP?
Stick 'em on the fire for kindling : Takashi Saito, Chad Bradford, Jonathan Broxton, Rafael Soriano

My baseball year .... the reply!

Read Pete's 'My Baseball year' with interest, and thought that maybe it was time i had a rant too ...

When i became involved with this website at the start of the baseball season, i thought it was a great idea ... and i still do! There really aren't many decent places on the internet for people to chat baseball from a UK perspective, and the blog is a nice way to link everything together

However, i have to say that it once again seems to me that lethargy rules ... baseball fans out there in the UK just don't seem to wish to get involved when anyone makes an effort ... this site was a great idea by Pete, something a little bit different from the mainstay forums out there, it's a place that isn't too formal, doesn't always take itself serious, etc, etc.

Sure, you could try posting on the five forums, that's if you can be bothered spending half an hour to log in! The place is dead and no one seems to bother even moderating it anymore ... on my last visit i noticed a rather disgusting post about Cory Lidle's death, and the poster who made the comment came back on 5 DAYS (!!!!) later to say he was amazed at getting away with the comment. Hardly the way a forum should be run. Alternatively you have the Baseballfan site ... it seems to be well run forum, but i just can't take to it, and having to scroll through big signature after big signature just to read the posts rapidly switched me off.

Therefore, when i got involved here, i tried to set up a nice looking and easy to use forum .... nothing overly fancy, but just something that was good to look at and easier to use than 5's forums and a place for relaxed posting that mimicked the Blog's philosophy ... and once again, no interest whatsoever! It was this lack of interest that made me basically exile myself from this very site, a site that i was involved in running!! Until now, that is ...

Maybe my expectations are too high, maybe i just have to face facts that Baseball in the UK doesn't really have a good enough following to give us the amount of enthusiastic fans we need to keep good websites going ... but if anyone out there is reading this and thinking 'i can do that', then i challenge you to get in touch and get involved with this site, and help spread the baseball word, rather than hoping someone else will do it for us!

World Series '06 : St Louis v Detroit

Its been a funny ol' year with a whole host of crazy and unforeseen things happening. The regular season saw the likes of Cincinatti and Detroit duking it out with the big boys when no one thought they had the legs and the likes of Boston having an hilarious capitulation and Atlanta having a less than funny relinquishing of the NL East.

The playoffs have been no different. In the usual playoff sweepstake on the Five boards, the going has been tough to say the least. Of a possible four points all but one person are tied on one and the other guy has zero. Not good.

I pegged LA and Minnesota to make it at the beginning of the playoffs so naturally that folded like the proverbial Superman on laundry day. However, my prognosticating skills haven't been all bad. At the beginning of the season I said the Yankees would coast through the regular season and then die in the playoffs and I also predicted that St Louis would win the NL and lose the Series...sorry Cards fans but rest assured my year of jinxing surely can't end this soon.

I've said all year that Detroit would fade because of their reliance on a young staff and now I'm thinking this long lay off after dumping Oakland will definately help them so naturally they'll be blown out 15-0 in the first game.

When you look at the two teams you have to say the depth of pitching favours the Tiggers and thats usually a good measure for how a series will go but St Louis has had good showings from the likes of Suppan and Weaver that have carried the side even though Chris Carpenter can't seem to get going. Their pen has come around too of late.

Offensively the Cards have Phat Albert which is a good security blanket to suck your thumb with. The Tigers have a line-up so laden with righties that La Russa likely won't get the opportunity to tinker with his pitching as much as he usually likes to. I can easily see Pujols being the difference maker in a tight series.

The Cards of course have a lot of WS experience in recent years and they know how to lose these big games with the best of them.

This has all the makings of a great series with two storied franchises going head to head in two big sports towns with two flawed teams and plenty of pitchers with great stuff and one of the most dominant hitters of recent years. In this year of surprises there could still be a few more lurking around the corner and it all opens up tonight with two high end young pitchers with plenty of potential to be pitching in games like this for a number of years and their best years ahead of them. Justin Verlander and Anthony Reyes have it in them to spark off a 1-0 eleven inning game (oh imagine how great that would be) or the enormity of the occasion could overwhelm one or both of these young progenies and it could be a five hour blowout (hope not, I've softball to play tomorrow!) but either way the intrigue ahead of game one is palpable.

In the sweeps I've gone for Detroit in five but, lets face it, I've been terrible at this all year. Either team could sweep this series but then again it could go seven. This is the most open World Series I can remember for a long time which, if my predictive skills are anything to go by, will mean it will be rubbish. Hopefully it really will be the classic it looks destined to be.

Buck O'Neil Dies Aged 94

I won't write too much now as I am still very much in shock. Maybe I'll come back and write a fuller eulogy for this truly great man. He truly was like a kindly grandfather to baseball and always seemed to have such tremendous lust for life and an almost child like joy for the sport that helped him make his reputation despite the persecution he had to endure because of it during his playing days.

This is a man who never complained about the inequities of his situation and never bore a grudge because of it. This is a man who rose above all the ignorant bigotry and chose to simply embrace what he had.

In this age of college kids holding out for lucrative deals and players jumping from one team to another looking for the next contract it lends great poignancy to the lives of those who played simply because they just loved to do so. Buck O'Neil loved baseball and, while during his life it may not have loved him back so much, I'm sure in death baseball should love him equally as much in return and I just hope wherever he is, he's on some diamond shagging flies to Babe Ruth and rubbing shoulders with John McGraw because he deserves no less than to be amongst legends.

I wish I could better express just how special a man has passed from this world but I just don't know how my words could fully express it. The world is a poorer place without him in it.

My prayers go out to his family and friends for this is a truly sad day.

The Awards Season : Part 3 (Finally)

AL Cy Young

If there is one award that is totally sewn up and beyond refute it's this one. Johan Santananananaman is just the best pitcher in baseball today and leads the entire Majors in strikeouts, wins and ERA (the so called Triple Crown of pitching). The only thing that surprises me is that his WHIP is 1.000 which just seems high for him!

NL Cy Young

If there is one award that is totally up in the air it's this one. I reckon there are at least six starters in with a shout and one reliever.

You can't ignore that its been a great year for Hoffman. Despite his advancing years he has been the best closer in the NL and has finally usurped Lee Smith atop the all time saves list. I'm always reluctant to name relievers as Cy winners but it really would be a great way to top this season.

The thing that helps Hoffman's cause is that any one of Harang, Webb, Lowe, Zambrano, Carpenter or Oswalt could easily be considered the top starter in the NL as no one has really had a great season but all have had very good seasons.

Webb still gets the nod from me with his league leading ERA and I can't help but feel that his win total would be around the 20 mark this year if not for his team hitting the skids down the stretch. Ever since he started the year with his 8 game win streak, the rest of the league has always been playing catch up.

I would love to see Aaron Harang get a lot of votes. A lot of attention was thrust upon Bronson Arroyo in the Reds rotation this year but Harang has been an absolute workhorse for that team for the past two seasons. This year he's in the logjam atop the win column and presently leads the league in strikeouts and innings pitched and while his 3.76 ERA might not look as impressive as his rivals, we do need to bare in mind that he plays in one of the most hitter friendly parks in all of baseball.

Honary mention to Carlos Zambrano who is laboured with the truly awful Cubs team but has still won 16 games and has almost a K per IP. He really has done a great job at making people aware that he is the big guy on that rotation and not either of the injured pair people usually talk about.

The Awards Season : Part 2

AL Manager of the Year

Jon Grudenhire has done a great job rallying the Twins after last seasons disappointments and a rough start to the year. Since the All Star break there have been few teams better than
Minnesota and they should be confident running into the post-season.

Few will recognise how good a job Joe Torre has done in New York as he has been forced to shuffle his deck countless times due to injuries to some of his key personnel. Of course it helps when your coffers are as deep as the Yankees but any team that loses the likes of Cano, Sheffield and Matsui for long stretches is going to feel it and even through all that, New York has walked the East.

Ultimately there is only one name that needs to be brought up when deciding the top gaffer in the AL and it’s the guy who has sculpted a group of youngsters and cast offs into a pennant winner. Jim Leyland has done wonders for Detroit after spending a few years in the broadcast booth and for most of the year his team had the best record in baseball in the best division in baseball.

NL Manager of the Year

I know I picked Cincinnati to finish dead last in the central but somehow Jerry Narron has made them into a winner. Of course it has helped that GM Wayne Krivsky has scrounged some rough diamonds from here, there and everywhere but this is still a team that really should not have done as well as it has and Narron deserves a lot of credit.

The Marlins, however, were a team picked by many (not me I might say) to finish dead last with his AAA all stars and he has taken them into the last fortnight of the season still with a slight sniff at the playoffs.

The most remarkable thing is how they’ve managed to get so many good performances from so many first year players. It was obvious that the guys they had available had potential and the tools to be good ballplayers eventually and if a couple of the guys had good seasons, a couple more showed flashes and a few showed they needed a little more time on the farm then the organisation would have been moderately happy, its just a shame that they can’t seem to revel in Girardi’s achievements due to a clash of personalities between him and owner Jeffrey Loria (just another person who doesn’t like Loria).

Joe Girardi should definitely be manager of the year and when he’s eventually relieved of his responsibilities by Florida in the off season, you know every team with a managerial vacancy will be beating down his door.

AL Rookie of the Year

What a year for rookie pitching. We’ll start with mini-Johan, Francisco Liriano, who was simply untouchable throughout the middle third of the season. He and Santana really look like they could be the dominant force in the AL for years to come and if not for injuries shortening his season he would definitely have been the guy to get the nod.

Then there’s Boston closer Jon Papelbon who just about qualifies for rookie status after a cup of coffee last year. Failed as a starter and an absolute success as a closer. It took forever for the league to get a run off him and it was tough enough to get a hit.

Really the thing that will determine this years AL RoY will be whether you feel a reliever is as valuable as a starter because Justin Verlander in Detroit has been superb for Detroit. It is always inevitable that rookie pitchers will wear down even more than players in other roles because the demands of the Majors are just so much higher than any other level and Verlander has been a victim of his own success down the stretch. He was just so good in the first half that he rung up a tonne of innings but even with his end of season swoon, he’ll still be amongst the leaders in wins and will have an ERA below 4.00 and few pitchers have been so valuable to their team. If anyone could be an MVP on the Tigers line-up this year its him.

NL Rookie of the Year

We’ll start this with the guy I picked before the season started and that’s Ryan Zimmerman who will win a lot of Gold Gloves in his career, and if not for Scott Rolen he’d be a shoo in this year, and has coupled stellar D with excellent hitting and base-running and will likely finish the year leading all rookies in a fair few offensive categories…I’d give him the award for his defensive contribution alone.

LA blooded a lot of their blue ribbon prospects this year and while Billingsley and Russ Martin (he’s a great player) probably haven’t logged enough time to get serious consideration, Andre Ethier was the guy who stepped up when injuries hit the Dodgers. He has slumped down the stretch (drastic understatement) which will hurt his chances.

How can you talk about rookies and not mention the Marlins? Dan Uggla has come from nowhere, Josh Willingham has shown some great pop, Hanley Ramirez has been igniter supreme at the top of the order but ultimately the rotation has seen Anibal Sanchez and Scott Olsen look superb and then there’s your rookie of the year, Josh Johnson, who is still vying for the ERA crown. Johnson has really made a lot of people forget that Dontrelle Willis has had a sub-par season and if he was on a better side he would likely have won enough games to be in the congested Cy Young race in the NL this year.

What a great year for rookie pitching.

The Awards Season : Part 1

The seasons running down so its probably about time I go off about the inequities of who will win and who should win the big awards this year...and maybe I should also think about more original titles to my entries.

AL MVP

The favourite in this category seems to be Derek Jeter but then the favourite always seems to come from Boston or New York. Now I’m not saying that Jeter hasn’t had a great season, but he’s basically just been Derek Jeter this year.

Most of the problems for the Yanks this year has been with an endless stream of injuries to their big RBI men and the guy who has picked up the slack in that department has been Jason Giambi and he’s even had to pick up the slack from a slightly sub-par A-Rod.

For me its hard to pick an MVP out of a line-up that was always expected to score a tonne of runs before the season and if the Yankees got any kind of half-decent pitching they were always going to be a playoff team. For me the MVP should come from someone who does something to lift a line-up from being an alright one to a championship one. Few expected the Twins to score enough runs to make the playoffs but the guy who has anchored the heart of that team and made them genuine contenders is Justin Morneau.

You can say all you want about Joe Mauer and his potential batting crown as a catcher but he wouldn’t have been able to do that without the big guy behind him and Mauer still hasn’t established himself as a serious power bat.

Oh, and by the way I don’t want to hear anything from anyone about Ortiz and how well he has hit for the free falling Red Sox. No one can be seriously considered an MVP when his team collapses that badly, that quickly.

NL MVP

The favourite for the NL gong is probably Ryan Howard and that’s probably the way it should be. About a month ago I toyed with the idea of Carlos Beltran getting the nod, and he has had a great year, but in the most mediocre of Wild Card races, Howard has just gone postal on NL pitchers and dragged the Phils to the very cusp of post-season play.

Of course we should say a word about Phat Albert who was on pace to hit 80 homeruns and drive in 200 runs and also, incidentally, find a cure for cancer but sadly injury curtailed that effort and really Howard has out Albert-ed Albert.