Dropped Third Strike

IMHO - 9.7.08

I am excited to see two Mets-Phillies games today - they are always fun to watch. This is probably a make-or-break situation for the Phillies. If the Mets win two today, they will have ended the last head-to-head match-up up four games with only a couple of weeks left. Now, I know what you are thinking - the whole 7 back with 17 left last year, but this is a different Mets team. Last year, they started strong and fizzled for the entire second half. This year, the Mets have been playing well for a couple of months, and just finished a dominant sweep of the Brewers. They are playing great baseball, and besides, the Mets spend the next two weeks playing the Nationals and Braves... The Phillies need to make a move today.

I cannot believe the Marlins played a game this week with something like 600 fans in the stands - absolutely pathetic. Fans only get part of the blame though, maybe if the management were more committed to winning, fans would actually care. Instead, the will sell off parts to other teams this off-season. The Marlins are the junk yard for Major League Baseball.

K-Rod should not be considered for the Cy Young or MVP.

The Mets have three legitimate MVP candidates - Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado. I hope that the fact their are three doesn't prevent one of them from getting it. The Mets have been waiting a long time for an MVP. Jose Reyes seems the most likely - the Mets have scored more runs in the first inning than any other MLB team by far - Jose Reyes has scored many of those. He is also among the league leaders in many categories.

Cliff Lee should win the Cy Young in the AL. I guess Brandon Webb in the NL...

Watch out - the Dodgers are now in first place. The have been my pick all year.

As a Mets fan, I would like to thank Omar Minaya again for not making any stupid moves at the trade
deadline. Just pick up a couple of pitchers this winter.

David Murphy is going to learn to play second base. Anyone need a vastly-overpaid second baseman with bad knees (Luis Castillo).

That's all.

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...

IMHO - 8.9.08

So, it looks like Manny may want to be a Yankee next year, maybe for a chance to get back at the Red Sox for the awful way they treated him. They were pretty awful too him, the whole $160M for 8 years really dampened his spirits. What's worse is that they expected him to do his best work. It hardly seems worth it for only $20 Million per year. Then they have the nerve to get mad at him for faking an injury - those knees seem to be working in L.A.

Speaking of $20 Million, Johan Santana is definitely earning his... The Mets owe him something for ruining his shot at a Cy Young, and blowing 6 potential wins for him. Do you realize that if they didn't blow those games he would be 15-7? I get tired of reading all of these stories about what a waste of money he is, and how he isn't living up to the hype. The bottom line is that he is, and the Mets can seem to back him up. A couple of years ago Steve Trachsel won 15 games with an ERA right around 5. At this rate, Johan might not win 12 with an ERA under 3.

The Rays are for real. We are in the middle of August, and they are up by 3.5 games. Two teams will make the playoffs from the A.L. East - and one of them won't be the Yankees. The Yanks starting pitching is a mess - I am not a doctor, but Joba's injury may have had something to do with him being switched to a starter in the middle of the year. Mike Mussina is having a nice year though, and could sure-up his Hall of Fame hopes with a 20-win season.

If they Rays win the division, Evan Longoria should be given strong consideration for MVP. He has 22HR and 71 RBI, and he wasn't even on the opening day roster. He always seems to be in the middle of their wind. MVP voters always seem to look at the playoff teams for candidates. He is the best player on the best team in the A.L. East - and maybe the league.

Jose Reyes is quietly having an outstanding year. People wrote him off with his poor finish last year and poor start this year. He is batting over .300, leads the N.L. in hits and triples, is second in stolen bases, and fourth in runs. If the Mets win the division, maybe he is an MVP candidate?

Speaking of the Mets - I think they should pick up Delgado's option for next year. He will cost $4M if they don't, so to keep him will only cost an additional $8M on top of that to keep him ($12M total). Can they get someone else who can produce for $8M? Probably not... Keep Delgado, spend the money on a big outfield bat. The guy is still hitting.

Are the Cubs really this good? I hope they do not go to the World Series, then what would we talk about? Baseball needs a team to feel sorry for.

Mark McGwire should be in the Hall of Fame. Seriously. He may have been the single biggest reason baseball recovered from the 1994 strike. As a fan, I stopped caring after 1994, and couldn't stop watching McGwire in 1998. We don't know for sure what he did (although some people claim to know), and he was hitting against pitchers who were probably juicing. I am sure he hit against Roger Clemens. His power numbers are outstanding, and he was a hero when baseball needed one. He hit 49 homers in his rookie year, weighing in at 185 pounds - can anyone admit that he just knew how to swing a bat?

The Washington Nationals are pretty bad...

I saw the Houston Astros' fans boo Carlos Beltran the other night. I can see why they would have bad feelings towards him, being as he played there for all of a couple of months - Didn't they know they were just getting a rental? Probably not, mlbtraderumors.com wasn't running then.

Why do the Astros keep looking like buyers? Has no one told them yet that they have no chance - they must not watch Baseball Tonight, or maybe the think they still play in the N.L. West.

That's all for this week.

Leave us some comments and tell us your opinions...

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