Dropped Third Strike

IMHO - 9.27.08

Here we go again - the Mets' chances of making the playoffs come down to the last day of the season. I would imagine that Mets fans have a higher level of stress than most - and may even have a shorter life expectancy because of it.

Johan Santana is worth every cent spent on him. I have said this all along. He proved it again today by tossing a three-hit shutout, on three days rest, in a game where he was needed the most. 16-7, 2.53 ERA - only a few wins away from a Cy Young. The bullpen is to blame for this. For everyone that said his stuff isn't as good as it used to be - this is his lowest ERA over a full season. He also gave up 10 less home runs this year than last year.

I would like to change my pick for NL MVP. As much as it hurts, Ryan Howard is the correct choice. His level of production has been incredible, and the timing is even better (unless your a Mets fan).

Please come back Mark McGwire.

Where in the world is Barry Bonds? Is he still working out hoping some one signs him? I haven't seen anything.

The Rays did it. The are the Anti-Mets. The won the AL East when no one thought it was possible. Thank you Rays for knocking the Yanks out of the playoffs. I am glad to see them go, just like the Braves a few years ago.

Is Larry (Chipper) Jones going to name his next child Citi?

We could see a Cubs-Rays World Series... That would be different. I am not sure the Tropicana Dome is ready for the World Series. I love the stadium - parking might be a problem!

If K-Rod wins the Cy Young because he leads the league in saves, then Ichiro should win the MVP for leading the league in At-Bats.

Jason Giambi is a dork.

Mariners Fans....I'm Sorry

I saw this article as I was reading around the web and really had a hard time believing what I saw. Apparently Chuck Armstrong, the team president, of the joke of the American League Seattle Mariners says there will be no attempts at signing any big name free agents.

Now, this is a team that has the potential to be the first team ever to lose 100 games in a season where they spent more than 100 million dollars on pay roll. With the season playing out the way it has, I think the M's owe it to their fans to bring in a new face that will energize the fans, the clubhouse, and the general atmosphere of Seattle baseball. What the fans don't need is a comprehensive plan that will give them something a few years down the line.

Let's be honest, there is no reason for the Mariners to be as bad as they do. They have all the right pieces to field a pretty decent team both this year and last year. The problem here is that players have underachieved all over the place. I think bringing in a powerhouse free agent, perhaps CC Sabathia or Tex who are both issued specifically in the articles as no-go's, may send a wake up call to under achieving hitters or underachieving pitchers (yes you, Bedard and King Felix.)

No matter how you look at it, it's tough to be a Mariners fan. I had 3 Mariners on my fantasy team to start the year - maybe that's why I didn't make the playoffs.......

Around the Minors, I mean Majors

Now some news on the "major league" teams we don't hear much about:

The Kansas City Royals are running a promotion for the rest of the year - 4 tickets and a $20 gas card for $40. So, basically $20 for 4 tickets, that's like a minor league game. Wait, it's the Royals, it pretty much is a minor league game. They should play a playoff series for worst team in baseball with the Nationals. Speaking of the Nationals,

The Nats seemed like they were mounting a comeback against the Mets tonight, until their pathetic attempt at defense in the top of the ninth. I realize they are dealing with players who would probably be in the minors on other teams - but even little leaguers have to know how to throw and catch the ball. The Nats are awful. Speaking of awful,

The National League Worst, I mean West, is still scraping the bottom of the barrel in the NL. Thirteen teams from other divisions in the majors would be in first place with their current records. Just watch, the NL West winner will win the World Series, remember the 2006 Cardinals?

The Mariners have completely flopped on and off the field this year - Ibanez and Washburn both cleared waivers today, but neither got traded. I am still baffled by the lack of Mariners activity on July 31.

By the way, I play in a fantasy baseball league with Lee and Jack. Jack stacked his team with Yankees at the beginning of the year - and is now sitting in second-to-last place. His fantasy Yankees is worse than the real Yankees; that's pretty hard to do. Jack is the Washington Nationals of our league. I, however, am sitting in first place, and have clinched a playoff spot - I'll keep you posted...

DTS Top 5/Bottom 5 - 8.4.08

Each week here at DTS we will be picking the Top 5 and Bottom 5 teams in baseball. The writers here vote, and we will post our results here each Monday. First place (or last place for Bottom 5) are in parentheses.

Top 5
1. Angels (2) - What a great week it was for the Halos, going a combined 5-2 on the road in Boston and New York, and perhaps more importantly, picking up a much-needed power bat in Mark Teixiera. The Rally Monkey lives on!
2. Rays (1) - The Rays are ahead in the toughest division in the majors and nothing seems to be able to stop them.
3. Cubs - To go along with their impressive sweep of the Brew Crew this week, they also improved their already MLB-best run differential to +131. FYI - the second best in baseball belongs to Boston with +91.
4. Red Sox - Maybe trading Manny was a good thing - they haven't lost without him, and Jason Bay (I know he's not technically his replacement, but come on, you know that's how he's going to be looked at all year) is hitting .363 in those three games, and has even gone yard once.
5. Minnesota - He's baaack... Liriano looked good on Sunday.

Other teams getting votes: White Sox

Bottom 5
26. Braves - I pity the fools...
27. Giants - Put Tim Lincecum on a team that hits, at all, and he's a Cy Young candidate.
28. Padres - Which comes first - Hoffman retires, or they bring in the fences at PETCO? The are in last place in the weakest division in the majors.
29. Mariners - They gave up George Sherrill and "The Other" Adam Jones, among others, for Erik Bedard, who has made only 15 innocuous starts this year. It doesn't look like too many more are ahead for him in a Seattle uniform, either. Oops.
30. Nationals (3) - Does their broadcasting crew return from breaks with a hearty, "Welcome back to Major League Baseball...sort of" call, a la Harry Doyle in Major League 2? Is there anybody out there in the Beltway area who can confim this suspicion for me?

Other teams getting votes: Indians, Pirates

Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

With the trade deadline behind us, it is time to take a look at our not-so-expert opinions of the days winners and losers.

Winners
Mike - Dodgers - This doesn't make the Dodgers the best team in baseball by any means, it doesn't even put them in the top five in the National League. What it does is put the Dodgers in position to take the West. That kind of move in such a weak division is huge. They are 13th in the NL in runs scored, and 15th in home runs. They are, however, first in ERA... They are only one game out... Watch out Arizona. Besides, what better place to send an over-paid, self-centered crybaby who can hit then to Joe Torre, who dealt with those kinds of players for years.

Lee - Angels - After a subpar showing in last year's ALDS, they finally got the power bat that they've been searching for to bolster their chances of defeating the Beasts of the East come October in Mark Teixeira. Although Teixeira and the man he's replacing, Casey Kotchman, have the same number of World Series rings (for those of you keeping score at home, that would be zero), you have to think that getting a guy with a higher slugging pct., as well as HR and RBI totals and runs scored, and for a worse team, mind you, is a significant upgrade. Angels management seems to be all in for 2008, and the folks in SoCal should applaud them for it.

Jack - Yankees - The Yankees are the clear winner at this year's trade deadline. Coming down the stretch, they had obvious needs at Catcher, Left Field, and in the bullpen. They turned out one of the best deals when they took a solid left fielder in Xavier Nady and a proven late innings pitcher in Damaso Marte from the Pirates for nearly nothing with 4 minor league prospects. They then picked up a solid veteran catcher with Pudge Rodriguez from Detriot for the useless, inconsistent pile of nothing named Kyle Farnsworth. They come into August looking much more solid and ready to take that second AL East playoff spot from the BoSox.

Losers

Mike - Mariners - Has anyone told them they are awful?? They asked too much for players that are either too old or just don't pitch that well. They could have come away with some pretty good young talent. It is time to take this team in a different direction. It's too bad the Mariners are so bad, I've seen Frasier, and the people of Seattle seem too nice to deserve this. In a very close second is the always pathetic Atlanta Braves. I am glad Mark Teixeira is worth all the talent they sent to Texas last year, he sure did help them. They re-gifted him to the Angels.

Lee - Red Sox - Me calling the Red Sox a bunch of losers? Sounds like any other Thursday, I'll admit, but today I actually have a reason. But to trade a future Hall of Famer because of what seems to be little more than a personal beef seems like a rather short-sighted and immature decision by Theo Epstein and Co., who are normally amongst the brightest at their jobs in the league. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I really think that if Boston management would have just held out past the deadline today, Manny would have flown straight for the remainder of the season, realizing that he was playing for his job in 2009. Instead, a career .312 hitter with 512 HRs and over 1,600 RBI, a man who is notorious for destroying the hated Yankees, both in the box score and in their melons, a man who is widely considered the greatest right-handed hitter since DiMaggio, has just been shipped 3,000 miles away for Jason Bay. The same Jason Bay who, when placed in the only remotely meaningful and pressure-packed situation of his major league career, the 2005 Home Run Derby, metaphorically crapped his pants on national television (probably the only time he's played on national television, of course). Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit with my last point, but really, in my opinion the Red Sox are taking a huge risk by trading away one of most clutch right-handed RBI producers in recent memory for a guy who has proved absolutely nothing in a town where even the people who live there don't watch the team. And why? Because Manny hurt your feelings by saying some mean things to ESPNDeportes? Grow up. You may have set yourselves up nicely for the future, but rebuilding sounds like something more suited for a team in Pittsburgh than Boston, and that's not something I think the Chowda' Heads in New England will take lightly.

Jack - Pirates - It was a tough decision between the Bucs and the Rays, but how can I fault a first place team for sticking with what has been working? The Pirates sold off 3 of their biggest pieces and didn't get much in return. Xavier Nady is gone to the Yankees along with teammate Damaso Marte. In return for losing a solid outfielder and a proven set-up man, they received four minor leaguers; it seems everyone around agrees that this was a steal for the Yankees. Jason Bay is off to fill the whole left by the most self-centered man in baseball, Manny Ramirez. They do pick up Andy LaRoache to keep third base warm until Pedro Alvarez is ready to take over, but Brandon Moss taking over in left field is no replacement for Jason Bay.