A. L. West... you blew it

Back in late June, I pointed out that the history of the Texas Rangers contain one gigantic summer swoon after another as the team melts in the heat.I said that I wasn't buying them until they make it through the summer.And guess what?They had a bad August.With today's loss (and Cliff Lee's latest meltdown... he had better turn it on in October or else he is costing himself millions of dollars!)

DEAD TEAM WALKING

It's over. We all know it.Heck, the Sox are even dealing away parts for the future.Even John Tomase's article in the Herald points out that the team is acting like a defeated team for the first time all year.The Red Sox put up a heck of a fight, but when you can't pick up a game on Tampa against the Orioles... it's a sign that maybe 2010 is a transition year.I've felt it was a transition year

Good Luck Manny Delcarmen

Another member of a World Champion Red Sox team is gone.And if I could salute Julio Lugo then I can damn sure salute Manny Delcarmen, who got traded to the Colorado Rockies (ironically the team he helped beat in the 2007 World Series.)It may not have ended well in Boston, let's not forget what a wonderful Red Sox story his is.He is a native Bostonian and "The Pride of Hyde Park" pitched at West

Cliff Lee's Trade is the Sequel to the Mark Langston trade

The Mariners went into the season with some optimism and some solid talent... but a slow start took them out of the race early and not even the presence of Ken Griffey Jr. could turn things around.So Seattle took their left handed ace who was in his walk year and traded him off. It seemed like New York, looking for another October run, was the likely landing spot, but instead sent him to a team

Hey Ozzie... don't give Manny any ideas

Seriously, Ozzie Guillen, be careful what you say about Manny Ramirez.I read your quotes in the AP article by Tom Withers, and some were a bit odd."I never see anyone on his team get mad at him because he goes about his business."Um, did SOMEONE forget Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis going at each other in the dugout in 2008?But really, Ozzie... when regarding his manner of dressing and upkeep

Giants fans... how do you describe this glass of water?

On the one hand, the Giants blew a beautifully pitched game by Jonathan Sanchez with a ball hit by Carlos Gonzalez that was played with all the grace and skill as one of the chases at the end of The Benny Hill Show.They've lost 4 of 5 and the wheels seem to be coming off.On the other hand, they haven't been LOSING much ground. The Padres are on a season high 5 game losing streak. San Diego seems

Really, A's?

Seriously... you put a 3 spot in the first inning on the Yankees with your best pitcher, Trevor Cahill on the hill, and you can't even hold the lead for ONE INNING?You make a 10 game winner out of Javier Freaking Vazquez?You call this being a spoiler and making a run at a winning season?Seriously, A's... don't you know you serve at the pleasure of Red Sox fans?

There's just nothing to write about the Clemens case

I got a bunch of e mails asking what my take was on Clemens pleading not guilty today.Here's what it is:It's sad and EVERYONE on the planet Earth knows how this is going to end except Roger Clemens.When Pete Rose comes across as a beacon of wisdom, you know we are heading towards a sad ending to... let's face it... a wonderful career.What else can you say about this?He's a big stubborn

"Wait, Manny Ramirez was on the White Sox? When did THAT happen?"

That's something you are going to say in a few years when people are reviewing Manny's career for the Hall of Fame.They will list his stats and you'll look at 2010 and see he played a handful of games for the White Sox... and you will say "Man, I have no memory of that."Call this the easiest prediction I have ever made.

Hey Giants... there are no ugly wins. Only wins

How about THIS for looking at the glass as half full for the Giants?This weekend, a three game series where Friday and Saturday's games were a gruesome house of horrors for the Giants that were done in the first inning... the Giants actually GAINED ground on the Padres!Sure the Giants lost 2 out of 3 to a team that is on pace to lose 98 games...But the Padres got swept! That's a whole game picked

Hey John... I think it is over

Man, what a difference a few innings made for this weekend and in the end the whole damn season for the Red Sox.The Sox had a lead in the 8th yesterday, Buchholz was dealing, the Rays bats were dead and it looked like the Sox were winning the series with a shot to sweep...Next thing you know the Red Sox lost the series and are facing their last game of August on Tuesday looking at a week of games

Adam Wainwright continues to show his amazing generosity

Once again, Adam Wainwright could have taken all momentum of the Cy Young award, put it under his wing and make it his to lose.Instead he lost his 3rd straight chance to win his 18th.His ERA jumped from 2.18 to 2.30 and he only lasted 5 innings against the Nats and the Cardinals have fallen to 4 games back in the loss column.Aces are supposed to face sub par teams and STOP losing streaks.Instead

But where was the HUMAN ELEMENT to Brian McCann's homer?

I am sure people who HATE instant replay in baseball were disgusted by what happened in Atlanta today.Brian McCann hit a ball that was originally not ruled a homer.It wasn't a walk off homer.And then the umpires got together... and saw something.The ball cleared the fence.It turns out Brian McCann did indeed hit a walk off homer.And guess what? The cameras caught it. And the umpires, who have a

Tony LaRussa should be trying to Restore the Cardinals to the Pennant race

Call me nuts, but maybe the time Tony LaRussa spent coming up with a speech for Glenn Beck's dopey little promotional stunt could have been used in a more productive manner:Like how about a game plan against the Nationals.You know when you are the prohibitive favorite to win the division with the best 1-2 punch in the rotation in all the National League and a guy who seems hell bent to win his

Hey Giants... can you at least let fans get to their SEATS before you lose?

Seriously... the Giants were down 3-0 before they even came to bat on Friday.Saturday? It was a 6-0 hole they dug themselves.So people grabbing garlic fries or a Cha Cha Bowl hadn't even finished getting their napkins before the game was decided.Can you at least put up a FIGHT?It will be better for concessions if you aren't so quick to CONCEDE!

Tim Hudson says "PUT ME ON THE CADILLAC BOARD!"

Tim Hudson won today for the Braves... making him 7-2 in games after a Braves loss. Sounds like a losing streak stopper to me.He won his 15th game today... sounds like a #1 starter to me.He struck 13 while only walking 1 and letting up 1 run over 7 innings today... sounds like a stud to me.His 2.24 ERA puts him at #3 in the league...and he ranks high in wins, WHIP and batting average against, all

There is a pulse... but oh man is it faint

At one point today, everything looked so great.The Red Sox had a lead late in their game with Tampa.And C.C. Sabathia was having a subpar outing.Things were aligning. The Red Sox had a more than good chance of climbing to 3 1/2 games of both New York and Tampa Bay for the best record in baseball (4 back in the loss column) and the idea of a sweep in Tampa became real.Then it happened.Dan F---ing

FREAK OUT

With the Phillies win and the Giants loss last night, San Francisco fell BEHIND the Phils for the Wild Card hunt.The Giants need to bear down and get into a winning streak, and I think it might be time to do something that would have been unimaginable just a few months ago:I think the Giants should skip Tim Lincecum's next start.Yup... it's come to this.Yes yes I know he only let up one run after

Brad Lidge found a new way to blow a save

I've seen many blown saves in my day.And many of them have been by Brad Lidge... but tonight's was a doozy, even by his breath taking standards.The Phillies can beat the Padres and gain a game on the Giants and pick up a game on Atlanta. Oswalt was on fire... so naturally the ball was handed to Lidge.And the inning went as expected... lead off single, runners moved up...Then came the back to back

ACED

It was a matchup of two Cy Young contenders... and the Red Sox desperate to climb back into the land of relevance.And as I wrote before, tonight was a must win for the Red Sox... and they did.They won with power, Lester shutting them down and Papelbon striking out the side. (Don't tell me you didn't have images of Dan Johnson's 2008 homer off of Papelbon dancing in your head when he came up.)And

Strasburg, Tommy John and Insanity

If you were a pitcher in the big leagues, there are so many things in Tommy John's career I am sure you would wish for.Pitching in 26 different seasons...AVERAGING 200 innings a year...A pair of Cy Young runner up seasons...Three 20 win seasons...A 13 win season at age 44...288 career wins...Multiple All Star berths...Pitching on the biggest stage in three different World Series...Name me a young

Kirk Gibson's homer as recreated by RBI Baseball

I have no idea how long it takes to recreate these games with RBI baseball... but I think it was worth every nanosecond.This kind of insanity makes me so happy.

Alright Red Sox... you are either in or you are out... right now

They need to win tonight.It is the definition of a must win. Lester on the hill coming off a grotesque outing.Going into Tampa to face David Price and the Rays.If this season is going to amount to anything, they have to win this series.I mean a sweep would be awesome, but 2 out of 3 is essential and our nominal ace is going tonight.A sweep would put the Sox 2 1/2 back, 3 in the loss column of a

Giants fans, In Honor of Rich Aurilla

The Magic Number to Clinch a Playoff Spot is 35.It's late August and if the playoffs started today, the Giants would be in.OK, they are tied in the loss column with the Phillies.(The Giants should send a fruit basket to the Astros, Pirates and Nationals for making the Phillies and Cardinals go a combined 1-7 this week.)Stay focused Giants... there's October baseball in those hills, but don't let

So THIS is why the White Sox want Edwin Jackson

Remember when the White Sox picked up Edwin Jackson and people thought he was going to be flipped for Adam Dunn?And when they COULDN'T pull off a deal with the Nationals, it was widely considered that they were hosed?May YOUR team be hosed like this!He's averaging 7 innings a start in his 4 starts (going 8 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts tonight) and posting a 0.96 ERA in the process.If the

Congrats on your 400th homer Albert... Now PLEASE don't get caught

Seriously, the WHOLE EARTH wants this to be a cool and wonderful achievement.We want to have each homer be a wonderful moment.But we've been stung recently. And we're slow to trust.So... I'm not going to ask if there's anything in your diet BESIDES Wheaties Fuel... please hide it well.I don't want to know. Nobody does. We want to have fun.Hide it better than those other two sluggers who played

Hey Phillies... you call this a Pennant Defense?

Seriously... I thought you guys were ready for a 3rd straight World Series appearance going into this weeks series against the Astros, who aren't exactly world beaters.On Monday the Phillies were 2 1/2 games out of first place and were up 3 games in the loss column over the Giants.And the Braves were thrashed apart by the Rockies, including blowing a 10-1 lead yesterday. This should have been the

The Giants perfectly illustrated my teeth grinder theory today

I have said many times that it is better to be blown out than to lose a slug fest. An 11-10 loss is the worst because you can look up and say “Man, if only our pitching was MEDIOCRE today! We’d have won.”I know some people think I am bonkers when I say I’d rather lose 11-0 than 11-10. But look at today’s Giants/Reds game and think of it from the point of view of a Giants fan (and I know I have a

King Felix looked like a Cy Young winner tonight

Oh well... my dream of a healthy Red Sox rotation lasted, what? 90 minutes?Dice-K is down for the count and heading back to the DL probably. Oh well... who were the Mariners throwing up there.AHHHH. King Felix.Man alive, it never rains but it pours. The only hope the Sox had for the nightcap was to knock the ace out of the game in the 8th. When they did it, suddenly it looked like a sweep was on

Ill Seen Ill Said for Beckett

We've been waiting for this Beckett. Has he arrived?Or was this a weak hitting Mariners team not ready to play in a rain induced fog?LIKE IT MATTERS!Beckett gave the Sox 6 shutout innings when they needed it and pitched into the 7th... and clinched the series against the Mariners.Maybe I can be optimistic about the team's chances with Lester, Buchholz and Beckett pitching well together (has that

The Red Sox are evidently playing their game in London

Is Sherlock Holmes on deck?Well at least through 6 innings Josh Beckett has come out of his own personal fog.Let's win this game and sweep today.CHEERIO!

Do the Pirates have a chance to have a winning season in 2011?

God bless the Pirate fans who showed up at PNC Park last night to watch their Bucs deny Cy Young hopeful Adam Wainwright a win tonight... as the Pirates took advantage of gunshy third base coach Jose Oquendo who stopped the tying run from scoring off of Albert Pujols' bat.There will be individual game highlights like last night's win in the Pirates 2010 season, but let's not get too excited.Not

Bad Luck Hamels

There were many story lines to last night's wild Phillies/Astros opus.Jimmy Rollins game tying 9th inning homer? Clutch.Ryan Howard getting called out on a check swing in extra innings? Borderline.Some umpire named Scott Barry trying to prove to the world how tough he is by tossing Ryan Howard? Bush League.Roy Oswalt playing left field? Little league.Roy Oswalt coming to the plate as the

Ahhh yes... the SLUGGING Giants!

This is how people imagined the Giants moving into a tie for a playoff spot late in the season, right?With their big bats blasting home runs and overcoming their underwhelming starting pitching staff.That's just how the team was designed right? With the same blue prints as the Texas Rangers of the late 1990s: Bombs away!Don't complain Giant fans. There are no ugly wins at this point of the season

You can put it on the boooooard... YES!

Good people of Minnesota, I swear I have nothing against you.But I gave a fist pump when I watched Gordon Beckham's homer give the White Sox the lead in the 7th inning tonight.I want one of those vintage "163 games to decide the AL Central" races this year and that wasn't going to happen if the White Sox couldn't beat Baltimore.Now the White Sox are only 3 games back in the loss column.Make it

Adam Wainwright. Don't you WANT to win the Cy Young?

Seriously... you had the chance to take the prohibitive lead in the Cy Young. A chance for your 18th win. A chance to bring the ole ERA closer to 2.00.And the Cardinals gave you the lead against the Pirates... if there is a worse team, then they don't play in the majors.And yeah you went 7 innings, but you couldn't hold onto the lead and let up 4 runs to the lowly Bucs.I like the Cy Young race

Hey! Beckett didn't lose tonight!

Now if they can get in Lester's start tomorrow and rain out Beckett's start then maybe we'll be on to something!

IT TOOK A NEAR NO HITTER TO MAKE ANYONE NOTICE THE TWINS AND RANGERS WERE PLAYING

Seriously, there is a lot at stake in the Twins/Rangers series… and not just to see if Rich Harden’s arm would fall off before his no hitter bid was over.Not sure if you noticed this or not, but as of this writing, the Minnesota Twins would have home field advantage in the Division Series while the Rangers would start Cliff Lee on the road for Game 1 against either Tampa Bay or New York.Home

37 game season for the AL East title

125 games into the season and the Rays and Yankees are dead even.They are both the best team in baseball, although if they finished tied it looks as if Tampa Bay would win the AL East based on their head to head record.Now if I told you there would be two teams tied for the best record in baseball... and one of them had lost their biggest slugger to injuries, their veteran World Champion left

You are safe Gambler

It REALLY looked like the Rangers were going to have a combined no hitter tonight. But Joe Mauer got a 2 strike single in the ninth off of Neftali Perez.No shame in letting up a hit to Joe Mauer.But I had already written the piece in my head and was going to update the "Most Recent No Hitter" tally.I don't take the blame myself. I think Joe Mauer's ability was more relevant than my writing a blog

A heart Hardens

I understand the logic of taking Rich Harden out of the game today.He threw 111 pitches today and it was his first day off the disabled list... maybe EVER.In his career he has the durability of a sand castle at high tide.So yeah, I understand why Ron Washington took him out. He needs his arm in the 1 in 382,112 chance that he can last 2 months without getting hurt again.But man, I'm not sure I'd

Cautious Optimism

I've been declaring the Red Sox dead for a while now... and I am not claiming they have pulled a Lazarus yet... but I must say that I am feeling good that they are not crumbling down the stretch to irrelevance like the 2001 and 2006 teams did.And they are showing some grit, responding to a Seattle comeback with a 3 run inning of their own and having Lackey grind out 8 innings... even though he

This Red Sox fan says BRING BACK JOHNNY DAMON

According to ESPN Boston, the Red Sox have claimed Johnny Damon off waivers from Detroit. Now that DOESN'T mean he is automatically going to Boston. That just means in the post Waiver Wire deadline, the Tigers can only make a deal with the Sawx.Well why not?Are people still bitter about how he left the Red Sox for the Yankees?GET OVER IT! That was 5 years ago and the Red Sox have won a World

Astros fan Jeff Bahry is on to something

On March 8, I wrote about how I missed the Houston Astros. The team that CALLS themselves the Astros no longer has the identity of the funky team of the future.Instead it is a team of phony nostalgia, forced quirkiness and generic uniforms. In other words, a big pile of blah.Well if the Astros were smart, they would look at Jeff Bahry's work.On the amazing site Uni Watch, they are having a Design

The Twittering Rocket

Roger Clemens is facing perjury charges and not only is his reputation in shambles but he might soon be sent to prison.I am not sure what his legal counsel told him to do, but I have a feeling they DIDN'T say "Get into pissing contests with people on Twitter."I could write more but the great Lisa Swan of The Faster Times covered it beautifully.Read her recap HERE.Oh boy... this can't end well.#

New Cy Young Contenders in the A.L.

After Saturday, it didn't seem like David Price, Jon Lester nor Cliff Lee were really that interested in winning the American League Cy Young Award.Well if the front runners don't wan to pull away from the pack... then the actual winner could emerge from a much bigger pool.Trevor Cahill has the lowest batting average against, is neck and neck with Cliff Lee for best WHIP and is third in ERA. His

I guess I have to respect these teams

All year long I've been seeing three teams at the top of their division standings and all year I've snickered.The Braves? Yeah they've been in first every day since May 31st... but they are just keeping the Phillies seat warm.The Padres? PAH! It's any moment until the Giants catch them.The Twins? Whatever. I'm rooting for the White Sox and if the Twins get in they'll be 3 and done.Yet here I sit,

I wonder how Wily Mo Pena did today

Evidently Wily Mo Pena is playing for the Padres' AAA franchise in Portland... a big step up from Independent Bridgeport.Who knows? If he keeps hitting, the Padres could call him up and he might see some post season action.I wish him well.Meanwhile, Bronson Arroyo won again (win #14) and logged his 174 1/3rd inning of the season. And seeing he didn't let up a run all game, he lowered his ERA to

Weather this storm, Giants

OK... today sucked for the Giants. I mean it sucked in every way a game can suck. 10-0? That's a day of total suckitude that the only positive thing I can pull from the game is I think they looked good with their caps with the orange bills.It's been a brutal few weeks and with their starting rotation, their supposed strength, looking worse and worse each day and the team in freefall... there's

Did the Giants trade their ace away?

When the Giants dealt Bengie Molina to the Rangers, it looked like a straight forward deal that helped both teams, both directly and indirectly.The Rangers got a steady defensive catcher in Molina and the least likely cycle in baseball history.Texas had a 3 1/2 game lead when he arrived. They have an 8 game lead now.The Giants landed Chris Ray who gives San Francisco much needed bullpen depth.

Nothing wrong with winning...

The Red Sox shouldn't have gone into extra innings today... and once against a good Dice-K outing was spoiled by one bad inning.And the Red Sox gained no ground because despite another lousy outing by Javy Vazquez (there's NO WAY the Yankees can pitch him in a playoff game, can they?) and a subpar outing by David Price... the Yankees and Rays both won.In other words they needed extra inning

EVERYONE wants the NL Cy Young, but NOBODY wants the AL Cy Young

While the National League Cy Young race has been fascinating all year by the number of legit candidates (Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright, Ubaldo Jimenez, Tim Hudson and with a great September Johan Santana could all win it), the AL race has been kind of lackluster...It's been a rough few day for the AL Front Runners.Last night Jon Lester got bombarded.Tonight David Price was subpar in his game

Fox better brace themselves for a San Diego/Tampa Bay World Series

Right now, as I type this blog post at my kitchen table in South Pasadena, I see two teams that should make it to the World Series.The San Diego Padres are on fire, last night's loss in Milwaukee not withstanding.Their lineup, other than Adrian Gonzalez, might not be sexy but it gets the job done. And their pitching staff is outrageously deep.Mat Latos leads a wonderful starting staff and their

Should Felix Hernandez win the Cy Young even with a losing record?

King Felix Hernandez won against the Yankees last night in dominating fashion.He threw 8 innings of shutout ball, striking out 11.He is second in the league with a 2.51 ERA. He had thrown more innings than anyone in the American League.He has one of the lowest WHIPs, is second in strikeouts, and according to Baseball Reference is among the league leaders in a bunch of categories I don't

Well THAT couldn't have helped Jon Lester's Cy Young bid!

Wow... 5 runs on the board before the Red Sox even took a swing?9 runs in two innings?His ERA jumping from 2.80 to 3.26?Now THAT is how you end a good run of games.I must say, my theory is correct about losses. It's better to lose by a lot and by a lot early. This game was over in the first inning, so I didn't spend the night fretting over the Sox.There were no teeth ground tonight.It's better to

Oh for Christsake, just shut Dustin Pedroia down for the year

Seriously... we all are impressed by how fast Pedroia came back. He's a gamer. We love him. He's our guy.Now take away his spikes and say "See you in spring training."He's back on the Disabled List after 2 games off of it.And yes, it is because the same foot is hurt.This is nuts. Why risk injuring our MVP any further?2010 is a lost cause. Even if the Sox play better than their current pace and

I wasn't wrong about the Rangers

Back on June 21, I wrote that I wasn't buying the Rangers.I had seen this story before... the Rangers get off to an amazing start, everyone starts thinking they are for real. Then the summer kicks in and they wilt away.In late June as the Rangers finished an 11 game winning streak (and won 14 out of 15) they opened up a 4 1/2 game lead over the Angels and looked for real.Since then they've had a

A Correction and Honoring The Moon Man

In the off season between the 2008 and 2009 seasons, I wrote my blogging Opus... The Home Grown Vs. Acquired Series.I made 62 twenty five man rosters (with bios) for each team's best All Time Team made of only Home Grown players and another one for only players acquired from other organizations.That's 1,550 bios written.And forgive me, I was bound to make a mistake or two.My rules for what makes

Thanks A's, we need all the help we can get

He look at that! They Rays lost!The A's showed a little pride and who knows? Maybe Oakland really wants to be part of the 500+ club.Well either way, the Red Sox didn't LOSE ground in the Wild Card chase but at this stage they need to start GAINING some.Toronto comes to town for the Red Sox while the A's have to face Jeremy Hellickson who has been unhittable his first three games. I guess he is

2 out of 3 isn't good enough

For my friends who think I am being cynical about the Red Sox 2010 chances and that I am already looking towards 2011, let me present today's game.Beckett was great for 5 then got hammered and the Red Sox not only lost but it wasn't even a teeth grinder.They took 2 of 3 from the Angels... and it wasn't good enough.They needed to SWEEP in order to even keep pace with the Yankees.In trying to make