THE HOT CORNER

AL Cy Young Predicitons

2009-08-13T22:33:00.001-07:00

Josh Beckett(BOS) Look at him.. -As cool as the other side of the pillow. Well, you would be too if you were 14-4 with a 3.10 era. Playing in the AL East...it's ridiculous how you can put up these numbers. Oh... and these wins aren't cheap. In his past 10 decisions, 7 of them are wins. Yeah, Great stat!(sarcasm) Here's the kicker. Boston scores more than 8+ runs per start and allows 4 runs or less per start. The Red Sox get hyped up when their ace gets on the mound. Also, 5 out of 9 of those starts he has not allowed any earned runs. NEED I SAY MORE....Great!

AL Cy Young STALKER!
Roy Halladay(TOR)- 13-5/2.65 era. Now I want you to understand something. He's only won 3 games and he's only lost 4 times in his past 9 decisions. All of his losses has been because of 'lack of run production'. You can see why because, again, in his last ten decisions, his era has jumped only 12 points.... SINCE THE MIDDLE OF JUNE(2.53)! It's not because of Halladay that his team is not in contention for a playoff spot it's because his team is taking a 'holiday'.

NL Cy Young Predictions

2009-08-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tim Lincecum(SF) Wait! He's holding one of those already. I know what you're thinking....AGAIN! Yep!. 12-3 "2.19 era" FREAKY... Yeah, the nickname fits. His past 85.2 innigs. He's only given up 13 runs. I just don't understand it. The more he starts the less he gives up. The season is ending soon. I'm assuming you get fatigued, but this kid is not human. That's what we call in the biz... Determination. Crazy work ethic. The kid must look at some serious tapes. Don't be surprised if the Giants are playoff bound. If they are... Watch out!.. The kid is a gem... Sorry.. A Freak

NL Cy Young STALKER!

Chris Carpenter(STL) 12-3/2.27 era. This dude has his teammates working hard for him. He barely loses. How can you lose with Pujols? 2 of his losses were at the end of June. He's won 7 games out of his 8 decisions-Yeah, that lonely game out there-was a 'no-decision' and he's only given up 4 homers in 7 games. He will be useful for a playoff run. Because Carpenter/Wainwright are lights out. Whoa... I thought this segment was about Chris Carpenter! I forgot to tell you. Adam Wainwright has 2 more wins and his era is a 'hair' above Carpenter's. You can say he's stalking the AL Cy Young Stalker. Umm.. They're also teammates. Yes, That's Creepy!

Calling On A Hero

2009-08-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

(Chris Lee/P-D)
The 1st half of the season is over.
The Home Run Derby/All-Star Break-Over
Trade Deadline-Over
This soap opera we call Major League Baseball continues to surprise us with constant drama. Never-ending drama. Headlines, Scratches, Injury updates, Farm calls and recalls.... through every single emotion that the game brings us... Why do I continuously see a cloud high over every ballpark? Everyday, a legendary ballpark hero is getting picked off.....base-stealing blunders?... no... no. Steroid/PED users.
Like I said on Twiter.. for some reason everyday, I'm waiting for the next 6pm SportsCenter for a big-named bigleaguer to be leaked out or admit to steroid usage. It's utterly ridiculous. I'm officially calling on a hero.

Now, I really want to get something straight. Jim Thome and Ken Griffey Jr. are two of the greatest hitters of all time. They have 1179 home runs between the two. But all of my life I've been looking up to these players. Major League Baseball and Congress are looking towards the future and why not look at, currently, the cleanest, classiest, and greatest hitter of the milennium.
Albert Pujols

Let The "Sprint To October" Begin

2009-07-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

FALL CLASSIC FORECAST

Is it too early to make predictions on what the rest of the season will be like?
Can we skip to October already?
Are We There Yet?

If you really want to know the answer to all these questions the answer is....... NO!
But I can do you a small favor. I can give you a "Rundown"-

Do You Like That? Guess What.... Don't Care. Ha

AL EAST
Baltimore Orioles(41-53)- It''s really tough being 'a team' in the American League East. Because honestly scoring a lot of runs is what's going to get you a division title. If Markakis, Scott, and Jones are going to do all the work....this 'team' is going nowhere. It takes a ton of runs to be a contender in the EAST. And as a team, if you're going to bat .269.....how do you expect to score runs? By getting walked and plunked?- I rest my case. On the flip side, if youre team ERA is 4.99(13th in the AL)....lol spotting the team 5 runs isn't going helping the cause either. You can only hope to get help from your farm and maybe some inspiring words from your play-by-play man Gary Thorne.

Boston Red Sox(55-39)-I'm sorry. I think I being a hypocrit. I said it takes a lot of runs to be a Contender in the EAST. It also takes a lot of dominant pitching. They have two 11-game winners through the first half of the season(Beckett, Wakefield) Wakefield? How old is he? 42 How fast can he throw? Mid 70's... Say What?- So depth at pitching and batting .264(lower than the Orioles) gets you 55 wins? Well, Yeah. If you're not allowing runs.They have the 2nd best ERA in the american league. They're run differential(+82) is the best in the AL and the second best on the league behind the Dodgers. They're run production is better than average with Bay, Pedroia, and Youkilis leading the way and Big Papi is slowly coming back to normal. They won all of their games against the Yankees. There's no need to panic. Cruise Control your way to October. No need to sprint. Division title looms in their sight, but watch out for the Bombers.(Segue)

New York Yankees(57-37)-(Segue cont.)- Resume: They lead the AL in runs scored(502), on base percentage(obp) and slugging(slg). And when you add up obp+slg=it means you also have the best 'ops', it also doesn't hurt to bat .276 as a team(2nd in the AL). 26% of their runs are homers. Ridiculous? NO. Well with the best batting lineup in the American League and a 'wind tunnel' ballpark, you should be the best team in the league. Not so fast! They're ERA is in the middle of the pack...Does that win you division titles? No. You know what that does? It forces you to play catch up everyday. Not only in the game, but in the division. If they don't get a grip on that billion dollar mound...the Wild Card will be the only sniffable prize. Sniffable? Unreal Jerry

Tampa Bay Rays(52-44)-Young and Scrappy-to-Blue Collar. Honestly, I still think they have something to prove. This team doesn't let up or give up. Crawford, Longoria, Pena and a kid by the name of Zo' (Ben Zobrist). The lineup from top to bottom- Has nothing but 'Productivity. This team is blessed with young talent on both sides of the field(hitting/pitching). And to have this great talent for years to come....You can only hope that 'revenue sharing' saves them from dumping and trading great players. Expect, in the future, a Wild Card berth but no time soon.

Toronto Blue Jays(47-49)- Let's take a ride. 2 months ago today-The Blue Jays were in first with a game and a half lead on the Red Sox. 1 month ago today- The Blue Jays fell to third place in the division, 5 games back. Today, they are 10.5 games back. What happened? We were talking at one point that this team was going to become a legit contender . They fell off the table. Production was up in the beginning of the year, not they can't find it. And the funny thing is-is that this is a team that is batting(4th AL) and pitching well(5th ERA AL), but the production is way down. Now they are thinking about trading Halladay. I just think this awesome lineup can find it. The Most underrated lineup in the league Rolen, Lind, Rios, Hill, Wells, Barajas, Overbay, McDonald and Scutaro.

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves(49-47)-How long do you expect this franchise to go without a division title? It can't be too long. With the acquisition of Nate McClouth, this 'young' looking Braves team finally seems like they're turning a page. But did they go to far in acquiring Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur? Was giving Jeff Francoeur to a division rival the right idea?- McCann, Jones, Church, McClouth, Escobar, Backing up Lowe, Jurriens, Vazquez on the mound. This team looks pretty promising, but their record along with their stats sits them in the middle of the pack. If they can find some extra vigor, maybe they can capture glory again, but it might take a cold shower by a hot Phillies team. Give it a year. One Year! Trust me.

Florida Marlins(49-47)- I may be wrong, but didn't this team start out 12-1. What Happened? In the first 10 years of this team's existence the Marlins have won 2 championships. Can they do it again sometime soon? Not happening. With the new ballpark coming around next year, Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Cody Ross, and Jorge Cantu would need some backbone if this franchise wants another pennant. Young pitchers Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco would need a couple more pieces to stop the bleeding. They have the best scouts and farm system I have seen since ...umm ever. It can be done, but not for 2 years.

New York Mets(44-50)-The 'Amazins'- How do you have the 3rd best batting average in the NL, but can't score runs? On top of that I think this team averages 1 error a game. Most of the errors this year have costed them runs...sorry I meant to say games. You would figure that the Mets would become more exciting to watch, now from start to close it's becoming like a circus. The pitching is next to worst in the AL, and their playing the game, 'Who's the next franchise player to get injured'. It's not functioning, but they shouldn't get rid of the manager. It's just the bad luck of the draw. If this team is healthy, they obviously win more games. Contender to Pretender.

Philadelphia Phillies(53-39)- I haven't seen any team repeat as champion in a long time, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Phillies did it. Whoa Jerry.... You can't just make bold statements without points and reasons. OK! Last year the Phillies did it with pitching. Every pitcher gave you 7 strong and Lidge put it away. Actually, Brad Lidge was perfect last year. This year, they lose Pat Burrell's Bat and gains Raul Ibanez's...on top of a lights out lineup. Rollins, Utley, Howard, Werth, Victorino...and the list goes on. But for some odd reason their pitching is terrible this year, like the worst in the bigs.. and Lidge is on and off(mostly off) They are flat out beating teams with the long ball. Like the movie 'Rocky Balboa'(the last one) They take the hits, but they also hit back(and hard). They lead the NL in runs and hitting the long ball. They're definitely a playoff team. World Series? You know what, let's take it a round at a time. But again, I wouldn't be surprised. Watch out for rookie pitcher J.A. Haap.... and Pedro Martinez? Hamels needs to turn it up a notch. This team will be fun to watch towards the end of the year. I just don't see their offense letting up for any team to win the division..

Washington Nationals(28-66)-Short and Sweet- Guzman, Dunn, Zimmerman, w/Nyjer Morgan..... young pitching w/Strasburg in the minors. It might take a good 5-10 years and 2 more managers to witness success. ok. Patience is a virtue. Why did I rush this one? There's nothing to say about this team. But the future looks.....umm 'promising'(how many times am I going to use this word?

AL CENTRAL

Chicago White Sox(50-45)-Playing in the toughest division in the league must be really tough, but the Sox have done it before....Sorry Won it before(2005). Every year they have become a threat in the American League. But here's a reason why they won't be making the posteseason. Jose Contreras and Bartolo Colon? Washed up? Yes. You're not gonna be a threat if all you have is Mark Buehrle, mind you that he's a CY Young winner, but he can't work for the rest of them. If you had 5 of them...maybe. If the Sox can get to 9th with the lead...they can easily close the door with their lights out closer Bobby Jenks. They have been living on the 'comeback' this season. Veteran hitters can only do so much. Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are stepping up as captains. Dye, Posednik are contributing, but if you want to know their run differential...they don't have one. Because they give up as many runs as they score. That's sad. Thank God the trade deadline is coming up. Carlos Quentin or Jermaine Dye need to pack their bags. Get Pitching

Cleveland Indians(38-58)- Contender, Contender, Contender. No, No, NO!. Why? They seem to disappoint 'preseason hopeful analyst' every year. I just don't get it. Sizemore, Martinez, Choo, Peralta, Cabrera and Hafner are awesome. But they don't have any veterans. No one to make a statement consistently. On the mound also...the same problem. Cliff Lee needs to find his groove. This is a guy that won 22 games this year. He's not the only problem...Fausto Carmona is not working his magic either. In a division like this you need a 1-2 punch. They just don't have it together. And won't for a long time.

Detroit Tigers(49-44)-Take a look at your division champion. They do it right. The Tigers are 11th in hitting and scoring in the American League, but they score just enough runs to win. Why? Pitching. It starts with their 'Ace' Justin Verlander. Make that statement at the top of the rotation- then take notes. It trickles down to Edwin Jackson, and even rookie pitcher Rick Porcello...Joel Zumaya will come around, his 100 mph fastball just needs to be controlled. I don't know why their offense is slumping. Lineup Card: Granderson, Cabrera, Thames, Thomas, Inge(HOT),...Magglio Ordonez will come around, but there is no reason why you can't score more runs but that's not their game. They have allowed 395 runs in the AL. That's ridiculous, awesome and the best in the league. No worries until the ALDS.

Kansas City Royals(37-57)- I really thought this team was going to come around. They had an explosive beginning...then they fell off the table. There's nothing wrong with the team they're just young. Watch out for: Butler, Tehean, DeJesus, Callaspo in the future....the same for pitchers Meche and Greinke. Just wait 3 years. For right now, sit on the back-burner and take your rightful position at the bottom of the division.

Minnesota Twins(48-47)If it ain't the Tigers, It has to be the Twins. not just because of M&M(Mauer and Morneau)...everyone else is following suit. Crede, Cuddyer, and Kubel are making this team a legit contender. The Twins are 4th in batting, 6th in scoring, 7th in slugging. As far as pitching is concerned. Middle of the pack. But again..their young. If they can keep a lead. Joe Nathan can close really well. Playoff bound, if the Tigers can't claim Watch out for pitchers Blackburn and Slowey to beast up the 2nd half of the season. Liriano will come around.

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs(48-45) I don't understand how you can contend in a division if the only category you rank in the top ten is slugging. Derek Lee, Soriano, Ramirez, Fukudome Theriot? I just don't get it...but maybe I can. Pitching Pitching Pitching. Zambrano, Harden, Lily, and Dempster,. You should win hopefully 3 games, if not, definitely 2. But I can't see the Cubs making the playoffs this year. They are so inconsistent. Nothing is clicking on both sides of the field. the only thing going is they don't allow many runs...but you have to score runs to win games. And this was a 97 game winning team last year? Ain't happening this year.

Cincinnati Reds(44-50)- The funny thing about this team is they are never out of it. It takes one streak to turn things around. They're near the bottom of not only in the division, but scoring also. They're right behind the Cubs in the NL in offense(overall). I like the look of this offense, and dumping Griffey was the best thing that happened to the Reds. Phillips, Bruce, and Votto just needs to lead this young team to glory. Pitching- Arroyo is finshed, but Cueto, Volquez, Owings, and Harang can all win if they get run production. It just takes ONE STREAK.

Houston Astros(49-46)- 3rd in batting-12th in scoring. Pence, Berkman, Tejada, Bourn, and Carlos Lee all control their own destiny. They need to make a trade to pick up a pitcher. Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt can't do it alone. That's all I have. Seriously, They have just been average. But every team in the NL Central are all in it. Nothing different.

Milwaukee Brewers(48-47)- Fielder, Bourn, Hardy, Cameron, Kendall, Hart and company are 10th in batting and 4th in scoring. They're doing it with the long ball. This team isn't out of it at all, but they won't win the division. Why? They give up more runs than they score. Run differential (-7). Suppan, Looper, and Gallarado need to tone it down a little bit. I know that the ballpark can't hold most balls, but if you expect the young pitchers to excel you have to step it up. Being 14th in ERA, isn't gonna get you anywhere. I think the key to a playoff run for this team is only run production.

Pittsburgh Pirates(42-52)-I was very upset when they gave away Nate McClouth, but this young franchise is looking into the future. The Aaron LaRoche, Freddie Sanchez, Jack Wilson, and youngin' McCutchen can produce runs. They are 2nd the division with run production. The pitching isn't bad, younlings Duke and Maholm are coming around. The only problem I think is at closer. Matt Capps is inconsistent. His blown saves this season is costing them a division title. Matter of fact they would be 2nd or 3rd in the division if it wasn't for his inconsistent deliveries. But he can turn on the heat like no other.

St. Louis Cardinals(51-46)- Here's your division winner. No other team wants to make a run. The funny thing is they're doing it on the mound. Pitchers Wainwright, Carpenter and Pineiro, Motte, and Loshe can give you give you 7 strong and alone can win you 3-4 out of 5 w/production...Closer Ryan Franklin is breaking out fast and finishing games with a fury. There's no reason that I need to tell you that the offense is awesome. Pujols looks like he will win the triple-crown and it's trickling down to the rest of his teammates. All he needs is people on base.With the addition of Matt Holiday look for more runs after the constant intentional passes to Pujols. And also look for Ludwick to return to form. There's no problem with giving them the division crown.

AL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers(55-38)- In the American League- The Angels are 1st in batting, 2nd in scoring, 3rd in on-base percentage and 4th in slugging. They have been on the ball all year. But off the mark in pitching. Like I said earlier in the year on my podcast, if you can get to Fuentes you can win the game, Brian earlier in the year was struggling, but composed himself and started locking up games. It's funny because everyone was injured. The offense wasn't clicking. They finally caught back up with Texas and now they're pitching is off. If they can find some consistent starts...maybe they can keep the division lead, but you can't do it alone with just Jered Weaver(10-3)

Oakland Athletics(40-54)- There's really nothing to say about this team. They're rebuilding and it shows by the recent trade to the Cardinals. They need pitching, and they weren't hitting the ball well anyway. The Oakland A's were last in the division in batting and slugging and next to last in run production. So why not ship their best hitter(Matt Holliday) for some good prospects. Nomar and Giambi aren't going to help a club, they're only going to make them worse....maybe some leadership or some morale booster points... they are washed up. What happened to this franchise these past 4-5 years?

Seattle Mariners(51-44)- This whole time I've been talking about how pitching can improve a ball club. This organization started off real hot and trailed off the course. There's nothing wrong with this team,... you can just look at their record. In the AL, you need runs to win ball games. A lot of runs. This Mariners team is a legit contender in the AL West. Why? They have given up the least amount of runs in the AL. But if you can't score more than you give up...obviously that is a problem. The Mariners are next to last in scoring runs..with a run differential of -13. You can't even Pretend to Contend if you don't score. Franklin Gutierrez and Russell Branyan need more than just the hottest hitter ever in baseball to win more games(Ichiro). And I hope that pitchers: Hernandez, Washburn and the rest of that pitching staff can keep up the hard work.

Texas Rangers(52-41)- At the beginning of the year..they were the hottest hitting team in the league..now they have cooled off, but I hope not for long. Cruz, Bryd, Young, Kinsler, Hamilton. That's just 5 of the 9. That's a pitchers 2nd worst nightmare besides the Yankees. But truthfully, That lineup is not working for them...and it won't win them a division title. Another reason, is because Kevin Millwood can't rally a troop of young pitchers. They only thing working on their staff...is their closer Frank Francisco. He's 5th in the AL in saves. But before you close...you must give 7 strong..and right now the Rangers can't and won't do that. They're average. In the AL, average will give you 2nd place in the division.

NL WEST

Arizona Diamondbacks(41-55)- I wouldn't think that a pitching combo like Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Jon Garland, Matt Scherzer would be on an absolute garbage club. Brandon Webb's injury has lost some fire that this former playoff team had. But this franchise has always done it with pitching. ALWAYS. Example, most of Dan Haren's losses this season is because his team hasn't given him 1 or 2 to win games. 1-0, 2-0 losses. Com'on. This team is 20+ games back because of the bats. Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton and Stephen Drew can't do it alone. If they make a trade for hitting. I can see them making a run next season. But I wouldn't trade anything for that amazing pitching staff either. That's why we have farm systems and drafts.

Colorado Rockies(52-43)- This Rockies team is currently 9 games back in the division, but in 2nd place. This '9-game back 2nd place' team is leading in the NL Wild Card race. Weird? Yes. The Rockies are 2nd in run production and slugging. They've got the right amount of leadership with veteran Todd Helton and young talent with up and coming hitters Troy Tulowitzki and Brad Hawpe. The numbers may not show it but their young pitching is on the rise. Studs Marquis, Jimenez, and Cook...with Huston Street to close. from start to close... they scrap and claw away to win games. If they can hold off the Giants they could easily win the Wild Card....but there's no way they will win the division(segue).

Los Angeles Dodgers(61-34)-(segue cont.) Speaking of the division winner... The Dodgers have started off the season hot and have coasted. They dealt with the Manny ordeal and moved on and cruised. And big ups for the manager...for keeping cool. But when has Joe Torre ever been on any other "emotional planet". In the naitonal league they're 1st in the following categories: Hitting, On-base percentage, ERA, batting average-against, whip, and saves. 2nd place: stolen bases. 3rd place: Runs, OPS. 4th place: slugging.
Kemp, Pierre, Ramirez, Loney, Hudson, Blake, Furcal, Either (what a batting lineup). But the stars of the show are pitchers: Kershaw, Wolf, Weaver, and Billingsley...with Broxton with the keys to close the door. They will win the division and make a World Series appearance. Joe Torre will win NL Manager of the Year and possibly a date with the Yankees in the Fall Classic.

San Diego Padres(37-59)- The Padres are last in almost in every category in the national league: batting average, runs, slugging, ops. They are also next to last in "ERA". All-Star 1st Baseman Adrian Gonzalez is the triple crown leader on his own team. In runs, rbi's and average. Come on! Jake Peavy has been injured for a month and he's still the team leader in pitching wins(6). They need help badly. And I don't have the cure. I don't have a clue. I'm just being honest

San Francisco Giants(51-44) Meet the other contender for the NL Wild Card. It's funny because Colorado and San Diego are also contending in the division. It might come down to a head-to-head one game playoff. Didn't The Rockies do this with the Padres not that long ago. Well, anyway, the Giants have been riding a Panda to get where they are right now.(I'll explain the Panda thing later). The Panda isn't thing only motivation for the Giants' success. It's their pitching staff. You thought the Dodgers had dominant pitching. Of course they were first in everything, but guess whose 2nd. The Giants are 2nd in earned run average, runs against, and whip. It starts with veteran leader Randy Johnson-Then the greatness trickles down to Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain.... Barry Zito is another 100+ million dollar story. I'm assuming they're taking notes from Johnson. Because they have been lights out. Especially last year's Cy Young winner. $650,000 isn't enough for this kid. But back to the Kung Fu Panda. If the Giants want to be a legit Wild Card contender, Rowand, Molina, Winn and company have to rally around their soon to be team captain, Pablo Sandoval. He has been the guiding light, but that lineup needs to take some notes from him also because he's the only one hitting above .300. Pitching can only do so much just ask the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I hope you enjoyed this.... if I said some bad words towards your favorite team. I have no care in the world. Scratch your booty and move on. Next Monday. I will be back to my weekly top-5 blog. Until then, Enjoy the music and show(The Hot Corner). You can find tons of deals of MLB Gear if you need a promotional code for a discount on anything on this page...Just ask me at http://twitter.com/JerryKnowsBest Just by tweeting me. You can get discounts. The more you tweet the more stuff you get.
Dan Patrick Show-Monday for "Best and Worst of the Weekend"
The Hot Corner: 12-2 est right here

The Mid-Summer Classic

2009-07-01T02:40:00.001-07:00

Made by Charles Fazzino - 2009 MLB All Star Game (St. Louis)

MLB Week 9&10: Making Deadlines Makes Headlines(June 8-22nd)

2009-06-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Umm. He's not a Machine ok.. He's just Albert.
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Face the facts, How can we honestly keep up with this game? How do you expect to be consistent at 'your job' everyday? Do you expect players like Albert Pujols to hit homers everyday? So how can you expect me to be on time with my blog. lol.
NO Excuses Jerry!
These past couple of weeks. Have been hectic.
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Headlines
The Yankees still can't beat Boston.
Sammy Sosa's positive test.
Halladay's injured.
AL/NL Cy Young Leaders Johan Santana/Zack Greinke off the mark.
Nationals 4 in a row? 20 wins? More wins than Adam Dunn's has homers? No way
D-Train(Dontrelle Wills) Derailed.
A-Rod benched?
The Chicago Cubs fire their hitting coach... later enjoy a 'Walk-Off Week'.
C.C. Sabathia Injured?
Colorado Rockies fire manager 'Clint Hurdle'.... later win 16 of 17.
And of course...Manny... Soon back to being Manny
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The averaged amount of games played so far in this season is around 69. So that means that every team has about 1,100+ innings left in the year. (not counting, extra-inning drama or 1-game wild card playoff games).

With the All-Star break coming up in about 3 weeks, there is plenty of time for teams to make a mini statement run.... to gain some momentum going into the trade-deadline and, of course, the famous 81-game sprint to October.
Let's Get to it!

"My Hot 5"
Albert Pujols(STL/1B) 8 home runs, 17 rbi's in 13 days. Come on. I need a drink after that stat. As if it couldn't get worse.....oh sorry, better. A healthy Pujols is as equal to McGwire + Bonds put together. He's my lock down pick to win the National League MVP Award. If they continue to pitch to him.
Through 69 games, he's posted a .329 batting average w/26 home runs and 68 rbi's. He's averaging a rbi a game.
On this pace, according to the 'mothership', 'The Machine' is projected to hit 61 home runs and drive-in 159 rbi's. Ridiculous, If you ask me. Honestly, I think he will hit 40 home runs by the All-Star break.

Prince Fielder(MIL/1B) The reason why I put Pujols, Fielder. 1 and 2 respectively. Because they are reason why their team is 1/2 in the NL Central. If these guys slump or get injured, the Cubs and Reds would be sniffin' first place. -Prince has a ton of power. A baseball bat to him is like a toothpick. Seriously. But this week. it's has been all about being productive. These past couple of weeks...he has drove in 13 runs....but has only hit 2 homers...Making the 'big fella' useful. Franchise em', 7 million ain't enough. 2009 stats: 17 hr's, 67 rbi's...and knockin' on the door of a .300 average.
PAY THE MAN
Mark Reynolds- This 2nd year stud's stock is on the rise. He's been nothing but promising these past couple of weeks. Since Jun 7th, 6 home runs and 16 rbi's 2009 stats: 19 hr's 49 rbi's....He's making $422,000. Look for a huge contract extension kid. You heard it from me first.

site maintenance....sorry. Check him him out on next week's blog

MLB Week 8: Defying All Odds(May 30-June 7th)

2009-06-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

You can't ask for a better week in baseball. I don't know about you, but I was grinding my teeth and biting my nails all week. And it wasn't because of my Fantasy Baseball team... It was because you had.. Ichiro's hitting Streak, Randy Johnson's 300th win, the Yankees errorless streak, and of lot of extra-inning drama (i.e) A bullpen throwing a 9-inning no-hitter 'IN EXTRA INNINGS'..ridiculous.

This week was memorable because it was all about "Defying the Odds" and I know you're wondering.....what that means..... Here is a strange list about what i'm talking about:

Will there be another 300 game winner? Possibly... C.C Sabathia (NYY)?
Will there be a 56 game hitting streak, ever again? Ichiro Suzuki (Sea)...Maybe?
Will you see anyone steal 100 bases? Chone Figgins(LAA), Carl Crawford(TB), Jacoby Ellsbury(Bos)?
That's a taste..

With the media now-a-days in your face and in your ear, (worse now than ever)...How do you defy the odds? How can you compose yourself to perform, to the utmost potential, at 'your job' for 162 games?
Do you pull an A-Rod...do you even consult A-Rod(lol)? What happens when milestones come around? Sports Therapy is the Answer.

"My Hot 5"
Ichiro Suzuki(Sea/RF) Arguably, The Greatest Hitter of All-Time in Major League Baseball. Internationally, The Greatest Hitter of All-Time. Ichiro's resume, at his age, 'defies' not only baseball, but the laws of being human....therefore being a 'Robot'(5).
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-The youngest player to have amassed 3,000 hits at age 34(2008). (Japan+US)
-The fastest player to reach 1,800 hits. In 1,277 games.
-By the end of this year, and hopefully he doesn't get injured, He will have 2000 hits+ in 9 seasons in Major League Baseball.
-In each of those 9 seasons, and i'm guaranteeing this year, he has averaged 200+hits, 100+ runs, and batting above .300.

Those stats are incredible, but it's even more incredible that he's doing this at the age of 35.
I hope and I pray that he stays productive for the next 5 years, because I would love for this guy to have 3,000 hits. But to do it at age 40, with only 14 years of Major League Baseball experience. Insane.... I mean do you call it quits?... There is nothing that you have to prove . OR.. do you pursue ROSE? If you look at this amazing player.... I think he has enough 'energy' to get close, but you have to think that he has play at least 10 more seasons...putting his age to actually break Pete Rose's record of 4,256 hits at 45. I don't think it's possible, but it sure will be fun to watch when he hangs it up. --- Oh I forgot... why is this guy at the top spot on my blog? He just came off a 27 game hitting streak. He's batting .356(AL leader)

2. Ryan Howard(Phi/1B)- Big Howard-This guy's power is a thing of beauty. It's one of the reasons why he's making 15 million dollars and he's only in his 6th year. It's a shame that i'm saying this, but this guy will be a Hall-of-Famer. He's projected to hit 800 homer runs by 2021-2025. He already has 200 in 5 1/2 years,...also a Rookie of the Year & MVP Award. To top it off he got a World Series ring last season. If it was me... I would retire. This week: 5 home runs 13 rbi's (One Week!) 2009 stats: 17 hr's, 47 rbi's, .259 ba.

3. Adrian Gonzalez(SD/1B)- I know it's just June, but this year, when you think about the NL MVP Award... You can't leave out this guy. There's no question that the first names you think of are Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols(STL/1B)...but now you obviously now have to add Raul Ibanez(Phi/LF) and this guy. It's funny because he's in his 5th year too, but he's no Howard... His game is progressing week-to-week, now he's upgraded to opposite field home runs(ofhr). He leads the category in hr's and ofhr's. I over heard him in a 'call-in' appearance on Baseball Tonight(on ESPN) and he said, "Honestly, I don't think about it... I just want my team to win...if I see a good pitch to hit...I try to take advantage of it." And that is exactly what he has done. Productivity is the 2nd key to winning a championship...and there's no doubt that the Padres wouldn't be breathing if he wasn't in this lineup. This week: 4 hr's, 9 rbi's and 14 walks. Unreal! 2009 stats: 22 hr's, 43 rbi's, with a .278 ba.

4 & 5(respectively/l-r). Mark Teixeira(NYY/1B) Jason Bay(Bos/LF). It's funny how these two have been creeping up the ladder these past 3 weeks. From-Brewing-to Boiling-to Scorching. I expect these two to battle it out for the outright AL MVP title. Teixeira has the home run advantage(17), but Jason Bay is more productive (55 rbi's),... and they're batting averages are so close to each other.. It's hilarious how great these two are. I don't think they know it, but they are 'baseball step brothers'. The only difference is, Teixeira has more power and Bay is quicker.

Brewing

Nelson Cruz(Tex/RF)- Umm.. where did this guy come from? I'm too busy hyping up Jason Bay and Mark Teixeira that I'm forgetting that Texas has the hardest hitters in the league. And Mr. Cruz is putting dents in ballparks. 4 home runs and 7 rbi's this week. He is tied for the Major League lead with 17 home runs. He also has 42 rbi's and a .292 batting average. Funny stat: Nelson makes $408,070 while Bay/Tex make a combine amount of $28,425,000.

Pitcher Of The Week

The 'art' of winning 300 games..... To be honest is there an 'art'? If you really think about the life of a pitcher:
-You're going to have ups and downs. Hitters are going to remember you...hunt you down and eventually own you... right?
-The 'evolution' of hitters is going to progress. And you're eventually going to break down and give up...Right?
Who really knows...! But for some reason... some genius thought that there is a pitchers plateau. An apex...or a finish line that labels you officially... 'Dominant'.

Something…. that can't be taken away from you. Something…. that ever hitter who has ever played the game will respect. For some, it's unthinkable...for some, it's a mere dream. ...But for few, it's destiny. Some might say..... Divine right.

Randy Johnson's career has been nothing but awesome. There have been a lot of bumps in the road to his 300th win, but through them all he has maintained consistency. Through 21 years, 18 of them. he has finished with 10+ wins, 5 of them he had 'below .500 seasons', 5 seasons he had 300+ strikeouts, more than 1/10 of his wins are shoutouts, and exactly 1/3 of them have been complete games.

Other Notables

-Pitched a no-hitter for Seattle on 06-02-1990 against Detroit
-10-time All-Star (1990, 1993–95, 1997, 1999, 2000–02, 2004)
-Led the league in ERA four times (1995, 1999, 2001, 2002)
-Led the league in strikeouts nine times (1992–95, 1999, 2000–02, 2004)
-World Series co-MVP (2001)
-5 time Cy Young Award winner (1995, 1999–2002)
-Pitched a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves (May 18, 2004)- oldest pitcher to do so in -Major League history.

Who's Hot?
(Al/NL)
New York Yankees- Besides the fact that they have the best road record and the second best home record in the American League....Please factor in that this team is just hitting the ball well. They are second in the AL in runs scored(321) and batting average(.278). and 1st in the league in slugging(.480), on base-percentage(.357), and on base percentage + slugging(ops) (.837). Plus they have won 7 of their past 10.

Philadelphia Phillies- If I told you that they have the 2nd worst earned run average in the league...Then you would have asked me, why they are considered 'hot'. I would've told you to read the blog more often. The reason why this team will make the playoffs again...is because of hitting. Ibanez, Utley, Howard and company have the 2nd most runs in the league. They also lead the league in slugging(.463) and ops(809).

VOTE FOR THE 2009 ALL-STAR GAME HERE

MLB Week 7: April Showers Bring May Rumors?....Not Flowers! (May 20-29)

2009-05-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason.... There are a lot of delayed games. I don't know if it's the actual rain falling from the sky....or baseball games are a lot longer due to the amount of home runs hit.

Last week interleague play started.... and it was fun to watch. I was preparing to write about it, until I found out that Monday every team reverted back to their divisional schedule. I didn't learn anything...well maybe one thing.

Since the start of interleague play, the Florida Marlins have won 111 interleague games. The most in the Major League Baseball history.

Now for a team that has been in exsistence for 12 full seasons. For some reason....they love whooping up on the American League. Especially in the world series. I might be mistaken, but they're 8-5 in world series play...with 2 world series titles. Unreal. They are a ton of teams trying to buy titles...Are they in the right league? Shouldn't they be in the American league .... to even it up a little bit...Come on 15-15... 16-14..... it's Stupid. The Divisions are out of whack.

Back to my blog---->

This week, as a stated last week, is statement week. And I know it's a long way until the All-Star break, but don't count your blessings. Teams are trying to run away in their respective divisions....(Dodgers)...Teams are trying to create streaks (Yankees/Padres).... Teams are trying to manufacture runs (Astros/Nationals/Indidans/Orioles).

Making that statement not only on the diamond but off the diamond......What could I possibly mean?

Statement week.....Means the start of trade talks.---> Mid-End of May<---- DUH! A lot of teams are asking this question......What piece can we add or subtract to make our team better?

Jake Peavy(SD/SP) to the White Sox?

Roy Oswalt(Hou/SP)
Brad Penny (BOS/SP)

Hideki Matsui(NYY)

Nick Johnson(Wash)

Adam Dunn(Wash/LF) again

Jermaine Dye(CWS)
Brad Ziegler(Oak/RP)

Just to name a few. Be prepared in the next couple of weeks for teams to make statements and deals. ----->GM's will be Brainstorming....will you be ready for the news? Don't say I didn't warn you.

"My Hot 5"
Joe Mauer(Min/C)- NO Questions Please! In 5 seasons this amazing catcher hit 55 homer runs. Yeah... Whatever... Not a good stat to talk about. Sorry, but what if I told you that he hit 11 of them in the past 26 games. I would have thought you were lying. I would be questioning myself. For some reason this guy found power. In a bottle? In his sleep? In his dreams? You can't question his work ethic. But you expect 12-14 more years of productivity. Joe Mauer has had one of the most greatest month's of anyone I have ever seen, besides A-Rod (April-May 2007).
.407, 11 Hr, 32 rbi's...... through 26 games. Com'Mon! Really.

2. Raul Ibanez (Phi/LF)- I just don't get it. 4 homer runs, 11 rbi's...one week. 21 and 22 year old's dream of those numbers. Not 36 year old's. He's 1st in runs scored, 1st in rbi's, 1st in slugging and 2nd in home runs. There's no way he's getting the triple-crown for the year, but by the All-Star break...he should be the toast of the town. 2009 stats: .344 ba, 17 hr's, 36 rbi's. NUTS!

3. Adam Dunn(Was/LF)- Why do all the big bats play in left field? Have you noticed? Ridiculous isn't it. I have been hyping this guy up for a while. He will be a Hall-Of Famer. His power is astonishing. Through 8 years he's approaching 300 hundred home runs. I assuming he will play 8 more. It's like he golfs the ball out the ball park. I have no clue why this 8 million dollar man has been bouncing around in his career. They keep signing this guy to one year contracts. He hits 40 home runs a year! There's no doubt he will hit 40 this year. This week, 4 home runs, 9 rbi's. This season: 16 home runs and 42 rbi's. oh yeah. He's batting .283. He should be an All-Star.

4. Adrian Gonzalez(SD/1B)- As you have noticed in past blogs I love the American League, but there is no question the National League is hitting better. I honestly haven't heard from this guy much....until this year. And week-to-week he has impressed me a ton. All-Star? Yes! MVP Candidate? I hope he can keep this up. This week: 3 home runs, 4 rbi's. This season: 18 hr's, 34 rbi's, .285 ba.

5. Mark Teixeira(NYY/1B)- It's A-Rod, It's because of him...that he's seeing pitches to hit. We've seen it with Roger Maris(forever ago).------When you move up in a New York Yankees batting card lineup...Things start to happen. Batting in front of A-Rod has made his bat hot. Seriously, you can only expect great things from a 180 million dollar man.This week: 4 hr's 12 rbi's. 2009 stats: 15 hr's, 40 rbi's, .275 ba.

Who's Brewing?

Prince Fielder(Mil/1B)- From Hot to Brewing? I know that's kinda backwards. But he's the key for the Brewers to make the playoffs. Prince is 10% of the Brewers run production. Amazing stat. This week: 2 home runs, 8 rbi's. 2009 stats: 11 hr's, 45 rbi's(2nd NL), .265 ba. Also, you have to RESPECT this guy's power. 38 Walks, 1 behind Adam Dunn.

CY Young Runner-Ups
Halladay, Greinke, Santana, Billingsley ......Halladay, Greinke, Santana, Billingsley..... Halladay, Greinke, Santana, Billingsley.....
Yes They are the hottest pitchers in the MLB. Hands down. Most likely, right now, they are the top Cy Young Candidates. So this week. I finally decided to mix it up. No one forced me. But pitching is a hard job and to do it consistently is even harder. That's why you can barely get a top 5 out of me. In this segment we look at 'up and coming'.....wannabe Cy Young Balloteers. And if they stay hot they could be at least be.....................You guessed it....................... on the ballot.
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This week we are looking for a pitcher that has a decent looking record, above 6 wins, respectable earned run average, that hasn't made the blog in the past.
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National League NL Cy Young Runner-Up

Matt Cain(SF)- Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Randy Johnson, and this guy. You would think that this rotation would win 3 out of 5 every week for the San Francisco Giants. I'm good friends with 18.5 mil. Zito on Twitter, "eventually" he will turn it on. Randy is making 8 million for his milestone(300 wins), "The Freak" Tim Lincecum is getting his feet wet. 4-1, 3.03 era, $675,000. So when you can only get a win out of these three....Maybe 2 with run production... Who do you turn to? Meet Mr. Cain.
So, I was looking for low earned run averages this week. And it was very tough... Do you see how many days it took for this blog to be produced? Very tough week for pitchers. Not this guy. Remember when I was talking about buying "wins". This 3 millon dollar man is stepping it up in that rotation at least helping out the cause....in getting 2 wins out of 4.
6-1, 2.31 era, 46 strikeouts. In his last 3 outings, 21 innings.... 2 earned runs, 14 strikeouts.
Look for him to dominate down the road. Not to Santana status.....Just watch Cain step it up and stand out to rejuvenate the rotation.

American League Cy Young Runner-Up

Mark Buehrle(CWS)- Resume: 3x All-Star(2002, 05, 06), World Series Ring(2005), No-Hitter(2007). Impressed?
Yes. Here's another Bit... Since 2001, one year after his rookie season, he has 'averaged' 15 wins.
Not one season has he not had below 10 wins and only one of those seasons has he finished below .500(2006).... but he had 12 wins. That's why he's earning 14m. this year.
He's your typical mailman... consistent deliveries.
In the past 14-innings, 2 earned runs. again. Insane!
2009 season stats: 6-1, 2.59 era, 36 strikeouts.

MLB Week 6: Tee Off..Then Walk Off (May 12-19)

2009-05-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

walk´-off`
1. (Baseball) Game-ending and game-winning; such as to end the game immediately, and allow the players to walk off the field; - of hits, especially home runs, which occur in the last half of the ninth or a later inning, which put the home team ahead of the visiting team and thereby end the game immediatey. This occurs in baseball because, when the last half of the ninth inning arrives, if the home team (which bats last) is already ahead in the score the last half of that inning is not played, the winner of the game having already been decided. Likewise, as soon as the home team gets ahead in the score after the visiting team has batted in the ninth inning, the game is ended.
Afterwards, The player that hits the walk-off gets mobbed, jumped on, beat up and maybe a shaving cream pie to the face.
------------------------------------------------------------
I'm going to ask this question one more time!
------------------------------------------------------------

Don't you just love Walk-Offs?
This week: It felt like every day was a walk off. You also had "The Yankees" walk-off 3 consecutive days, You had every possible walk-off imaginable. Singles, doubles, grand slam... There is literally no one better than the other!
If you haven't notice already....you should take notice----that every week in Major League baseball has been linked to a pattern. You find this a lot.

Funny Note: I don't know if you remember but... The Simpsons made a sketch that "Major League Baseball is always watching". Watching your every move.
Players and teams take notes on other players and teams and get amped up for the next show.

It's a Soap Opera.....It's entertainment!

And the good Lord knows that I want to be entertained. Over 4,000 games over 40,000+ innings. There's drama in every game.

Obviously, It has been made known that this past week was 'statement week' for a lot of MLB clubs and players ---- Whooping up on the division...Right before interleague play begins this upcoming weekend.

As we prepare for battle... Senior Circuit vs. Junior Circuit.... Let's take a look at.........

"My Hot 5"
1. Adrian Gonzalez(SD/1B) Picture above: This guy is an absolute beast. This past week, through a period of 5 games...this 'Beast of Nature'.....had 6 homers*. A homer a game! One game he had two homers. That's a lot of luggage to take on all those flights around the diamond. But this week alone 5 homers 7 RBI's. *-His homer streak started a day before the blog week, but if you have a 5 game homer streak...who cares. Season totals 15 hr's, 29 rbi's, 294. ba.

2. Raul Ibanez(Phi/LF) Who Needs Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, or Chase Utley... when you have this guy....excuse me-13 year veteran! This is a Philly whose swinging a hot bat. 4 homer runs, 10 rbi's, and 13 runs scored this week. Ridiculous! Can't wait to hype this guy up in my podcast. I forgot to mention...this 36 year old has a .357 batting average. Season totals: 13 hr's 35 rbi's. Also he's ranked 1st in the National League in slugging (.714).

3. Justin Morneau(Min/1B)- Let's not forget this guy has a AL MVP Award. Morneau has been through a lot in his career. And with all the ups and downs that come into play in a close AL Central race, You are going to have to consistenly hit the ball well. Morneau is in his 7th MLB season and these past 4 have been nothing but great. 20+ homers the past 4 seasons.... 110+ rbi's in the past 3. He's projected to hit 50 and drive in 137. This week: 4 homers, 7 rbi's. Season totals: 12 dingers, 33 rbi's and a .340 ba. STUD!

4. Prince Fielder(Mil/1B)- Fun Stat: 437 strikeouts in 551 career games. Whoo! But does that mean you can't be productive? So can 9 home runs and 37 rbi's look so bad when you strikeout 40 times in 38 games? Not really. Especially when you are 2nd in the National League in rbi's and 1st in the National League in walks. Productivity trumps strikeouts every time ....Just ask Adam Dunn? (lol) This week alone: 4 round trip tickets(hr) and 11 rbi's.

5. Victor Martinez(Cle/C)- You're doing something right when youre hitting .400. That's should be all you have to do if you're on a club... Right?.... But also if you have 62 hits, 7 hr's, 27 rbi's through 40 games..... You're obviously doing more than just "something".

Who's Brewing?
Mark Teixeira(NYY/1B)- I could have easily put A-Rod on here. But according to this guy, having A-Rod in the lineup has made him better. This week alone: "Big Tex" has improved his batting average 48 points(.191-.238), hit 4 home runs, and 7 rbi's. Ha! Maybe A-Rod will be on here next week.... Season totals: 11 hr's 29 rbi's.

The face says it all. It's tough to not give up the long ball, especially this season. Finding your spots. Being composed and having control of every hitter you face. This means being ahead in the count. Getting first pitch stirkes, Getting the ball down for ground balls. Having a consistent 1-2 count instead of a 2-1 count, which is hard to do. You can't be consistent all the time but knowing that it is in your favor....is the key. Getting out of that jam early. It makes the difference in a game.....- from a 3 hour long game, to a 2 and 1/2 long game---> from a 100 pitch count--> to a 80-99 pitch count. It seems like this year and this era is hard for pitchers. Guys are swinging hot bats, fouling off a lot of pitches and get the starter out of the game early. These guys were not fooled.

Hottest Pitchers of the Week

Roy Halladay(TOR)- There so much you can say about Halladay, It's too bad that I have said everything.---Yeah Right? I hear people all the time....ripping on Halladay... He's not matching up to Greinke. Well, there are a couple of reasons why Halladay has to give up runs. 1. He's pitching in the AL East. 2. He has the most innings pitched in the AL(68) 3. I can't believe i'm saying this, but it's his 11th year. ERA tends to get high w/ MLB experience, but Halladay has been on fire as of late. He's won his past five starts. In those starts, he's given up 9 runs. Not Bad. 31 strikeouts and a sweet 2.78 ERA. Since his last loss, he's dropped his ERA almost a whole run 3.72-2.78. --This is the third time I'm going to use this term, but he deserves it. Lights out. Season totals: 8-1, 2.78 ERA, 57 strikeouts.

Trevor Hoffman (MIL)- Why did San Diego give up on this guy? Dumb move! Hells Bells v. 1.0 is on fire. 16 years experience-564 saves and soon to be 1000 innings pitched. This guy is awesome. If Milwaukee can bring it to Hoffman 4 times a week. They are in the playoffs hands down. Season Totals: 11 games, 10 saves, 9 strikeouts, 0 ERA. Amazing

Zack Greinke(KC)- I'm still expecting this young kid to lose a few more games, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Every start is a gem. Seriosuly. 7-1, .60 ERA. This is getting old! Come back to normal-Join the crowd already! His last 24 Innings: 2 earned runs. It's funny: When he doesn't get an earned run... they provide run production. When he gives up just one earned run.....just one.... the Royals put up a zero. Come on... give this video game cheat code a break!

Who's Boiling Hot?
The New York Yankees- Finally.... I have been waiting for this. Currently on a 7-game winning streak. A-Rod 4 straight games with a home run. You can't have it a better time...before interleague play... to get HOT and beat up on your division. For some reason A-Rod is making everyone better. Why? Clueless.

Milwaukee Brewers- "The Brew Crew" Are on a 7 game winning streak, holding opponents below 6 runs per game. Ridiculous! They are proving why making the playoffs last year wasn't a fluke. Therefore proving me wrong. I love it. And fun fact about the Brewers right now: 159 runs against....Awesome. 2nd in the league. Not only they are hitting the ball extremely well, Because of their lumberjack looking hitters, but they are playing great defense. Great Pitching/Defense+ Lumberjacks= Divison title? No. Wild Card. It's definitely coming out of the NL Central. Why not the Brewers!

Who's Freezing Cold?
David Ortiz(BOS/DH)- See... Usually I have teams on here. Come on! .203 batting average. No Home Runs. Former MVP. "You No Big Papi!"(New Era commercial) He does have 15 RBi's. But homerless in 133 at bats. I expect him to find a groove and get back to normal. He has proven to me that he's not on steroids.... I'm thinking it's mental, but you have to think what could you be doing with $13,000,000 right now. He sure is eating well.

Last week I supported Breast Cancer. -->Time to Share the Love<-- So this week I'm supporting the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Join the Fight To learn more about how you can help...Please Visit:

http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/site/c.itIWK2OSG/b.47476/k.17A/Major_League_Baseball.htm
Don't forget to Twitter and/or text. To win Reds Tickets and Concert tickets. MLB New ERA hats, CD's, Itunes gift cards, and tons of Food/Entertainment Gift Cards. Rack up points.... to win raffles.......to get stuff. Simple
Tune into Next Week's blog: Titled; "Let Interleague Play Begin"

MLB Week 5: Let Them Eat Cake (May 5-11)

2009-05-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

Week 5 in Major League Baseball can be summed up with one word. "Cake".
I know you're asking yourself.... why 'cake'?
With the All-Star ballots printing out earlier than usual now, everyone is trying to get their share of cake before July 14, 2009. And this season will be the most unusual All-Star game I will ever see.

I'll tell you why in a minute.
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Also this week, there was 'Cake' in the headlines.
1. Manny was suspended 50 games.
2. A-Rod came back homering on his first pitch...... Please... Tipping the pitcher....(No way)
3. And Ryan Zimmerman has his hitting streak extended to 28 games. "Half Way There"(eh Bon Jovi).... He's going to need to live on a prayer...
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Back to the Summer Classic.

It's going to be fun. I swear.

You're going to see Kansas City Royals pitchers and maybe reserve players. You might or might not see Manny or A-Rod. Your going to see premium players. This year the league is so balanced. Every team has 'exponential potential.' With Albert Pujols highlighting the whole show in the Home Run Derby and in the All-Star Game and don't forget on the verge of a mid-season triple crown, you can only pray for clear skies.

Just when you make you picks . Make the right decision. If you need help ask someone. Look up stats. Ask Questions. "Let everyone eat cake"

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2009/ballot_reg.html

My Top 5 Sluggers
1. Ryan Zimmerman(Was/3B)- In this league you have to be consistent. You can just ask Alex Rodriguez. Fans in Major League Baseball fall of the bandwagon quickly, especially when you start slumping. There is one exception: When you on a 28-game winnning streak, everyone is on the bandwagon. Including players around the league. The only exception is the pitchers giving up these hits and homers. This season Ryan has a .346 batting average.... He punched 24 runs and drove in 22(RBI). Keep the streak alive.

2. Albert Pujols(STL)- The Machine had 6 hits this week. 3 of them were homers. He will be on this list until he stops leading 2 of the top 3 batting categories in the National League..... 12 homers, 33 rbi's and a .330 batting average.

3. Evan Longoria(TB/3B)- Take a look at my current 2009 AL MVP. He took home the ROY(rookie of the year) last year. And he's making a serious impact with his bat. If there was on word to describe this kid: It's "Productive". Through 31 games... he has 44 RBI's(MLB leader). Also, this little guy has a ton of power... 11 homers. And if those numbers weren't impressive enough. .358 batting average with 27 runs.

4. Jason Bay(BOS/LF) This kid was on his way to becoming a Hall Of Fame Pittsburgh Pirate....until they traded him to Boston. And he exploded thereafter. Last season stats: 31/101(hr/rbi) This season: 9 homers, 33 rbi's, and 28 runs scored w/.324 BA. If you look closely at his stats last year and this year.... you will see that he's exactly on pace with a 1/3 of the 2009 season being over with. Very consistent.

5. Johnny Damon(NYY LF) I have no clue what got into the 36 year old man. And it has nothing to do with PED's. He's in love with hitting the ball to the short porch in the new digs(yankee stadium). And people are really strating to notice his resurgence. 9 hr's, 33 rbi's, .314 batting average w/28 runs scored. Keep it up "Old Man" (jk).

Honorable Mention:
Jay Bruce(Cin/RF) I remember it was a sunny day, last year(can't remember the date). I was coming home from work and I decided to make a bet on the Reds losing to the Braves. To my dismay, this kid hits his first home run...oh sorry...his first walk-off home run. I was very upset, but since then he's been such "the looker". In the past 5 games he's hit 4 home run's and drove in 7 rbi's. He's stock is definitely on the rise. But he's not going anywhere. 2009 season totals: 10 hr's, 21 rbi's w/.262 BA.

My Cy Young Candidates

Johan Santana(NYM)- Ridiculous numbers, seriosuly. Last week, I called him Relentless. We might have to put him up to Robot status. I can tell you right now, that on his pace, he is a sure fire hall of famer. One thing is for sure. He's not going to pitch 25 years and he's not going to get 300 wins. But if he stays in the National league for the next 10 years, he will rack up at least 4-6 Cy Young Awards and you will have to put him in. In the last 20 innings, he has given up 3 earned runs and 27 strikeouts. Every other start he's had this year, he has had 10+ strikeouts. 2009 stats: 4-1, .91 ERA, and 54 strikeouts.

American League

Zack Greinke(KC The Untouchable, Unstoppable force in Kansas City. He's turning heads and making it amazingly fun to go to a Royals game. His starts are well under 3 hours. Funny ... seriously. Without his league leading 6 wins, the Royals wouldn't be sniffing first place right now. If he gets 11 wins before the break. I will count him a lock for the AL Cy Young. In the last 17 innings, he has given up 1 earned run. In his last start he gave up that earned run, along with four hits, and it was a shame to watch his team not give him two runs. But he's definitely a pearl on the mound. 6-1, 59 strikeouts, and a .51 ERA. Insane!

Who's Hot/Who's not

Hot

National League
The Mets were perfect this week. Perfect as in...they haven't lost a game this week. Sweeping the 2 game series in Atlanta and sweeping the Phillies and Pirates at home. Watch them go 14-0. With Atlanta at home and San Fran away.

American League
When you score 50 more runs than your opposers, you should be the hottest team in the league. It starts with Halladay and Scott Richmond and it trickles to Alex Rios and Adam Lind with their bats.

Not

YOU ARE.....Yes You! Because You Haven't Filled Out An All-Star Game Ballot

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2009/ballot_reg.html

Outro: This past Sunday was Mother's Day, and as much as my mom gives me a hard time.... I love her more and more every single day. From teaching me how to catch a bus at 6. To becoming who I am today. If it wasn't for her,I wouldn't be where I am today. If she didn't force me to play baseball and force me to study math. I wouldn't be spitting numbers on the air waves today. I want to thank my mother publicly for giving me a hard time because she wants me to become the best "Jerry" that I can be. To all my fans: If it wasn't for my mother.... 'I wouldn't know what's best'. Thanks Mom.

Join The Fight Against Breast Cancer

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jspymd=20090507&content_id=4617366&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

MLB Week 4: You Had Me At Hello... (Apr 28-May 4)

2009-05-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

... (Cont. Heading) At least that's what all the women are saying, because chicks dig the long ball.. In a week that has been so improbable... the impossible hasn't happened.... yet at least? (Right Vin Scully). Let me get to the point. April 2009 was filled with great baseball. And I can only assume that the other 6 months will gradually get better and better. Especially when you have 2 walk-off walks to win a game in a week.

----Don't you just love 'Walk-Off Walks'.... I mean instead of running... shouldn't you walk down the 3rd base line or at least dance or skip.

Besides that....And putting April in the past already... We had a great week of baseball...and it was a great way to set up May baseball. Ryan Zimmerman(WAS 3B) has a 22 game hitting streak going. I mention him because I thought "Streak Week" was over...but I hope he keeps it up.

Also this week, There was great base stealin' and for some odd reason the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays are still in first place. If you missed out of the end of April....I feel sorry for you because it was special....and this week is off to a great start with the last place Washington Nationals planing to draft in June the best pitcher in college baseball...San Diego State's Stephen Starsburg(SP). This kid has range. and I'm talking he changes speed in the strike zone like no one I've seen. His fastball clocked at 102....then he throws a 72 charlie, and breaks the ball 12-6 from pits to knees... It's a thing of beauty. Prepare for a great Week 5 and 6. Not too many days off...for a lot of teams...but Mother Nature hasn't been kind to baseball this year...neither has the Swine Flu or A-Rod....yes.... Mother Nature's "Teddy Pickers" (media) have been ripping him to pieces. I feel bad on what his bat about to these wind tunnel ballparks. (Hint Hint)

My Top 5 Sluggers

1. Carlos Pena(3)(TB 1B)- Last week I question myself about putting Carlos on my page. But obviously he has been hitting the ball well. This week, he has improved his batting average 17 points, hit 2 extra dingers, and brought in 4 mates. Hitting 11 home runs in 26 games..... Is ridiculous. MVP type stuff. I feel bad because last week I didn't believe in this kid's power. And honestly, I still don't (lol). His team is struggling...but coming around the bend. Having Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford pumps this kid up to hit the baseball well as long as they are doing their jobs. I expect a 45/115 (hr/rbi) season out of this guy.

2. Albert Pujols(4)(STL/1B). Being Honest, Because I could get in a lot of trouble by being biased. Albert had better numbers than Carlos this week. But not by much. The only reason he's not number one is because the past couple of weeks.... St. Louis Cardinal players have had the top spot. Funny thing is I'm not a Cardinal fan. But Albert's week has been phenomenal...improving his batting average 23 points. That's impressive. It's May People! This is strange! Batting Averages should be coming down! Why are they at the Ted Williams level of .349-.407. Albert's week consisted of again 2 homers and 4 rbi's and 20 plus bases...yes bases is a stat. Improving his overall season numbers to 9hr, 29 rbi's (league leading) with a .344 batting average. Can you say "Triple Crown"? Or am I being pushy. And I'm not talking about Horse Racing. There is a good reason why they call him "The Machine". Robot Status? Not Yet

3. Ian Kinsler(3)(TEX/2B)- "Big Kinsler" I'm telling you his power...is astonishing. His first at bat in the CWS/TEX series on Friday. I was texting a friend(who was at the game) and I said, watch him punish the ball. Bottom of the first he comes up and I swear I heard the baseball cry.....And I was tearing up too, because you shouldn't be doing bad things to baseballs(yeah sorry). His power is a mixture of Jason Giambi and Mark McGwire. He sees a pitch and thinks meatball. And you can blame the pitchers because if you're throwing a 'breaking ball' and you let it hang in the air instead it actually breaking....it's just like a batting practice fastball and I never believed that until I saw Bronson Arroyo pitch.
Back to Kinsler: This week, he lost some percentage points in his batting average pushing him to a whopping .321 (still consistent). But just like the rest...2 homers, 5 rbi's. Typical Kinsler week. (Lol).

4. Raul Ibanez (PHI/LF). His MLB service: 13 years. Seattle--->Kansas City---> Back to Seattle-->to Philly. I'm kinda confused to why this guy has been traveling. He's been a steady .287 hitter...he's hit over 20 homers and 100+ rbi's the past 3 seasons. Hmm.. Kinda fishy, but compared to his numbers last year in Rainy Seattle... to Greasy, windy and cold Philly...I'm looking at a 30/110 year. He's definitely off to a great start. 8 wing dingers, 21 rbi's and a ridiculously looking .344 BA. Also he averages 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 rbi a game. Pretty awesome. Not many people can say that.
Also...he's Triple Crownin' too. He's top 5 in every category. Watch out Pujols!

5. Evan Longoria(2) (TB/3B) Haven't seen this kid in 4 weeks on my blog. I didn't forget about him, he just was bland at the time, but he stayed consistent and currently leading the major leagues in "batting in mates"(30). He's only played 24 games. C'Mon!. He really doesn't care about his numbers. He cares about his team performance. True American Hero! With a .365 batting average, and 7 dingers expect wonders. I just don't know how the Tampa Bay Rays are in 4th place.

Honorable Mention:
Ryan Zimmerman (WAS/3B). I mentioned this guy earlier. It's funny that he isn't on my slugger list, but when you sign a contract or at least an extension
and you get paid that day you should produce.....Besides Adam Dunn hitting 40 HR's in Washington..... This guy is the next best thing and the face of the franchise through 2013. The Nationals are looking to rebuild, and why not build around a guy that's on a 22 game hitting streak. He's shown nothing but promising stuff.... Including "Web Gems" (trademark of Baseball Tonight®). I hope he keeps the streak alive. You should hope too.

It's breakout time. It's funny because All-Star balloting starts on June 6th. Pitchers are really getting their act together. And thank God with revenue sharing in the majors, every team is finally focused on building a team with great pitching. Like I said earlier with the Nationals making a huge move.

My Top 5 Pitchers

1. Dan Haren(ARI). I knew this stud was going to make this list sometime, better late than never. With All-Star ace Brandon Webb(SP) out on the disabled list, Mr. Haren had to step up and take that role. Dan's past four seasons have been nothing but perfect. 14+ wins and 160+ strikeouts in each of them and in the past 2 years he has appeared in both All-Star games. Dan started the 2009 season off to a shaky start. But don't put any blame on him at all. His first 3 starts against the Rockies, Dodgers and Giants. He gave up a total of 4 earned runs. In those starts he lost all 3 games...3-0(COL 7 innings pitched 3 hits. He gave up one HR), 3-1(LAD 6 innings pitched. 4 hits 2 runs), 2-0(SF 5 hits. 1 earned run). Obviously, He's got great stuff. He just needs run production. His last 3 starts have been literally perfect. In the past 24 innings against the Rockies, Cubs, and Brewers...he has given up 3 earned runs. 2 of them were home runs. In those past 3 games he posted 3 wins, a 1.46 ERA, with 30 strikeouts.

2. Zack Greinke(4)(KC)- You can't say too much about this kid, but he has officially given up his first 'earned runs'...... Against Toronto(4/29). Too bad that the Royals gave him 11 runs to work with. But all-in all. 7 innings pitched he gave 5 hits and 2 walks. Big Deal! (joking). Monday, Zack was nothing but flawless in his outing against the White Sox....he had a complete game, 6-hitter with 10 strikeouts. Now with a 6-0 record, he has a .40 ERA and 54 strikeouts. Impressive. All-Star lock? I sure hope so. It would be nice to see a Royal on the mound.

3. Frank Francisco(TEX/CP)- Meet Mr. Francisco. He's been with the Rangers for 4 years making the transition from starting pitcher to reliever. And now in his 5th year, he's making the transition from reliever to closer. And what a job he has done. Through 11 games, he has pitched 11.2 innings...Check this out. 7 saves, 1 win, 10 strikeouts, no earned runs... 5 hits, and 1 walk. C'Mon.

4. Johan Santana(4) (NYM)- 2 words. Persistent and Relentless. 44 strikeouts through 32 innnings. He's only given up 6 runs, 4 of them earned. He has a 5-0 record win a 1.10 ERA. Ridiculous

5. Heath Bell(2)(SD)- Hell's Bell's Version 2.0. Start it up, Close em' down
8 saves thorough 8.2 innings, 9 walks, 0 earned runs. 0.00 ERA. Future Stud

Honorable Mention:
Chad Billingsley(LAD): I kinda feel bad he's not in my top 5,....I want him to be there. This guy has great stuff. Now with Kershaw coming back to normal, the Dodgers have a one-two punch. 5-0, 2.21 ERA, 44 strikeouts

Who's Hot/Who's Not

Hot (NL/AL)
The Los Angeles Dodgers- No Doubt... The hottest team in baseball. 11-0 at home and 8-8 on the road. They lead the National League in run production with 148. And I listened to Tim Kurkjian (Baseball Tonight/ESPN Writer) this morning and I heard him say they're on pace to score 880 runs which is ridiculous. Every opponent they play they crush. And now with a dominant pitching staff and a fired up Manny. This team will win the division. Through 27 games they have a run differential of +46 and a 5.5 game lead in the NL West. That's just 1st-2nd.

Toronto Blue Jays- When you score the most runs in the league, and have a team batting average of .293...you should be the best team in your division. The Jays are making a huge statement not only in the division, but in the league. It shows that loading up and spending a lot of money is not how you win division titles. I hope they keep playing well. I also like their one-two punch.... Pitchers Roy Halladay and Scott Richmond. Together they are 9-1 with a 3.17 ERA. One of them will be an All-Star... I just can't wait to find out which one.

Not (AL/NL)
Baltimore Orioles-Fun Story: Every run that scores in major league baseball I get a text message. And when I see a Baltimore text message. The only names I see is something that Outfielders Nick Markakis and Adam Jones have done..... either they're knocking in a run or scoring a run. They can't win games by themselves.

Houston Astros- To get this team back to their winning ways....and lets not forget...they were in the World Series not too long ago.(2005). They have get their pitching in order. Roy Oswalt has to find his stuff. Maybe it's his age showing. But this team has no excuse for playing poorly. Pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is playing steady and Lee, Pence, Bourn and Berkman are swinging but not at a wild-card berth level. They need to get on a roll before Chicago and St. Louis rip it up in the NL Central. Don't forget about the Reds and Pirates. You can forget the Brewers doing it again. That would make me feel uneasy.

My Surprises:
New York Yankees: Monday's 6-4 loss to Red Sox was the Yankees 4th straight loss against them. If I'm wrong, and I might be, but that hasn't happened since you know when. And being a Yankee fan, that scares me. Besides that: I heard this fun fact yesterday. Yankee Satdium has the most home runs 'launched' in a 10-day start to any new stadium in baseball history. And with the welcoming of A-Rod, hopefully on friday, that new billion dollar stadium should have more dents...not only in the stadium but in the history books.

MLB Week 3........Gone Streakin' (Apr 21-27)

2009-04-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Week 3 in Major League Baseball was filled with streaks.
Streaks that are beginning , ending and continuing. It was tough for me, to really come up with an opening picture. Honestly, it was the hardest thing I had to do this week.
The Marlins and Yankees had a tough week. While, the Cardinals and Red Sox had an awesome week.
With "Streak Week" finally coming to a close, we found out what teams and players are for real.

Batting averages preparing to come down to normal, slumpers bringing out their bats, farm system phone calls and managers losing their minds. The Real Baseball Season is finally here.

My Top 5 sluggers
1. Albert Pujols(2)(STL/1B)- There's no question that once A-Rod hits his 800 home runs that Albert will be right behind him. His reading ability against opposing pitchers is ridiculous....it's the only reason why he is getting a hit every 3 at bats. If he keeps batting like this consistently he will be on this list weekly. His great start to the season is one of the reasons why the NL Central leading Cardinals are making a break to a division title.

Pujols' year consists of a .333 BA , 7 home runs and 25 RBI's. His league leading 20 runs this year is about 1/6 of the Cardinals run production. Without Pujols, the Cardinals would not be leading the league in runs scored (118).

2. Ian Kinsler (2)(Tex/2B)- Ian is furiously, consistently hitting the ball well. Why isn't he number one on this list? Because Cardinals hitters... Ludwick and Pujols are hitting the ball better. Sooner or later he'll be better than Pujols. Not Really...
His numbers: 7 homers, 20 RBI's, and a .340 BA.

3. Carlos Pena(TB/1b)- It's very hard for me to do this. You can make a case about this all you want but if you look at his projected stats on ESPN.com it says that he's projected to hit 76 homers and bring in 203 RBI's. Yeah Right. He's definitely off to a great start by leading in the AL in home runs and runs batted in, 9HR, and 24 RBI. The only thing that scares me about this guy is his batting average. .257. It's not top 5 quality...Ya know

4. Kevin Youkilis(BOS/1B)- "Youk" in German means 'The Greek God of Walks'. "Youkii" must means God of Runs. This guy is all power. He's played his entire 5 year career at Boston and his biggest year was last year with 29 HR's and 115 RBI's.. There is no way he gets below those numbers this year. He's off to a great start with 5 home runs, 13 RBI's. Those numbers aren't eye-popping compared to everyone else's. What is-is his 29 hits, 20 runs and .414 batting average.

5. Brandon Inge (DET/3B)- I call him 'fearless'. The only time I've seen this guy smile is in this picture to my left. He plays the game so serious. I really think playing 3rd base (the hot corner) is stressful. But playing 3rd base and putting up unbelievable numbers is just as hard. He's played his entire 8 year career in Detroit and his biggest year was in 2006 when he hit 27/83(hr/rbi). He's on track to stomp those numbers in 2009. He's got 7 HR's, 17 RBI's, and a .328 BA.

Honorable Mention
Nick Markakis(RF) and Adam Jones(CF)-The Baltimore Orioles should be thankful they have two of the hottest outfielders in baseball. They both combine with 52 hits and 42 runs (21 a piece). Also they both have a batting average above .340 and batted in 17+ RBI's this season.

My Top 5 pitchers

1. Zack Grienke(3)(KC)- This kid's stuff is INSANE. His scoreless innings streak ended on an error. Typical Royals.... Or Not so Typical? Is this kid a fluke? With 4 wins, 29 innings and giving up 1 run....no earned runs. Is this kid the truth? I think so. He has a WHIP(walks+hits/inning) of .86, 39 strikeouts and an ERA of 0. If he keeps this up...he will be an All-Star game starter.

2. Johan Santana(2)(NYM)- Mr "Lights Out". 25 2/3 innings...37 strikeouts. He's only given up 4 runs in 4 games (2 earned). There's no question he's winning 20 games this year. 4-0 with a .70 ERA.

3. Chad Billingsley(2) (LAD)- With Clayton Kershaw acting up on the mound...giving up too many home runs and earned runs.....Chad has really stepped up and taking that roll as head man. He's 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA, 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. This stud is amazing with a baseball.

4. Roy Halladay(2) (TOR)- Roy doesn't deserve to be this high on the list, but he has 4 wins. The only reason why he's on this list is because his wins are due to his team bailing him out. If Zack Grienke trails out in the AL Cy Young Race.... Halladay will be your winner. But he has to find his spots. He can not be on 'Holiday'...it's that simple. Giving up 15 runs in 5 games scares me..only because his ERA is high through 36 innings(3.75)....mind you that he has 32 stirkeouts which helps his 4-1 record look appealing...or worth looking at.

5. Javier Vazquez(ATL)- Through 11 years of his career...the last 9 years he has had 10+ wins. There's no doubt that he is reliable...we just need some control. Through 24 innings he has given up 7 earned runs...that's the down-side. Javier has a 2-1 record...with a 2.60 ERA with 34 strikeouts.

Honorable Mention
Armando Galarraga(ATL) By the starts...He is becoming more and more impressive. Through 4 starts, 24 innings pitched, 24 strikeouts, 3-0 record with a 1.85 ERA. He has only given up 5 earned runs.

Who's Hot/Who's Not

Hot

Boston Red Sox- They're on a 11 game winning streak ....outscoring opponents 83-37. Playing in the toughest division in baseball. There's no way that they should be sweeping the Yankees at Fenway with their so called dominant pitching staff. But with great run production and staying aggressive on base...(i.e. stealing home base). They might be making a statement for a division crown.

St. Louis Cardinals- Like I said last week, the objective of the game is to score runs. Scoring the most runs in the league and having a run differential of +31... there's no doubt that they are the hottest team in the National League, but watch out for those Dodgers in the West.

Not

'The' New York Yankees- When you commit 441 million dollars to your team in the offseason you should be winning the division. Actually, you shouldn't lose a game. But for some reason, having the worst ERA in the league.....7+ runs a game from their starting pitching. Having a 9-10 record sounds normal to them, but there is no excuse for playing crappy baseball. Their offense is awesome, but C.C Sabathia and his 161 million dollars needs to step up.... having a 4.73 ERA is not going to win a divison title. He needs to act like an ACE.

Florida Marlins- Last week, I was all over this team. They were 11-1 heading into Pennsylvania, facing the Phillies and the Pirates.. and they got swept. They fell off the radar that fast. During their 7 game losing streak they have given up 51 runs. Also, during that stretch they have scored 16 runs. Pathetic. And that my friend is how you go from Hot-to-Not within a week.

My Surprises

Toronto Blue Jays: I'm surprised of this team because to maintain and to be composed to being atop the AL East division...through the Red Sox's 11 game win streak...is tough. Very tough. Once you hit rock bottom in that division, there is no coming back. Their Adversity and Integrity is intense and I hope it shows all year. Yeah Right... (lol)

MLB Week 2: Grand Slam Week (Apr 14-20)

2009-04-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

One thing is for sure.... This will be an amazing baseball season. A lot of surprises.
Teams that are at the top...... shouldn't be there....
Teams that shouldn't be at the bottom......Are at the bottom.
Or is this a glimpse of the future?
Is this alll hype? Or is it still too early to make sane assumptions?

As we head into week 2. Players and teams woke up.. Grand Slams galore, Cycles, almost no hitters, Stadium debuts, wind tunnels and a heartbreaking 14-run 2nd inning.

Let's kick it off....

My Top 5 Sluggers
1. Ryan Ludwick(STL/RF). So, I'm trying to look this kid up and I have a tough time trying to locate this guy's numbers. So, I'm asking questions looking in magazine's and browsing the internet. And I found out that he has been in the league for 6 years...techinically since 2002 with Texas and Cleveland. And I say, "no way". Because if he was in Cleveland I would have heard about this guy's power. Mr. Ludwick's first full season was 2 years ago. He hit about 14 homers and drove in about 52. He broke out last year with 37 dingers and 113 RBI's. I don't know if it was being in the minors or off season training, maybe the hitting coach...whatever this kid did.... It's working.....because he's triple crownin'. Leading the NL with 5 homers, 15 RBI's, and a .405 BA. He only needs one more run batted in for the overall lead. He's got a lot more work to do, but with his power, his potential is exponetial.

2. Ian Kinsler(TEX/2B). Hey, Meet Mr. Compliment....to who?....Josh Hamilton of course. This is Ian's fourth year in the league. He has been consistent all 3 years ....especially with his batting average. Look for him to post up amazing numbers this year because everyone knows that the fourth season is the breakout season.
This year Ian has 23 hits(hint), 4 homers, 14 RBI's..... with a whopping .460 BA.

3. Miguel Cabrera(2)(DET/1B). The object of the game of baseball is to: Get on base and score. There is no question why he is second on my list. And notice why he has a 2 by his name. This is his second week on the list. Last week he was a #5. The reason why he jumped so high is because he has a .489 BA, also he is tied for first the league with 23 hits. Oooh by the way he has scored 11 times and has 4 home runs and 12 RBI's. The only reason why he is not #2 is because Ian Kinsler has 2 more runs and rbi's

4. Aaron Hill(TBJ/2B). 2nd baseman in the majors had a great week. And one of the reasons why Toronto is in first place in the AL East. This man. Aaron is having one his best starts this season than he has in his 4 year career. He should be heathly and very consistent. This year, he is also tied for the lead in hits in the majors with 23. He 'also" has 4 HR's and 14 RBI's.

5. Carlos Quentin(CWS/LF). Don't question me please! I'll make it up to you. It was tough picking a #5. But I had to choose someone. And it's a honor to put him on my list. This week Carlos has not been playing baseball....He's been golfing. I told you earlier there is something about the fourth year of players. Last year, Carlos had a 36/100 (hr/rbi) year. This year, he's bound to get way better numbers... By having the major league lead with 7 home runs. His production is average and his batting average looks like what everyone else should have. 13 RBI's and .302BA

Honorable Mention:
Evan Longoria(TB/3B) could have easily hit my list again...(5/12/.391) also Carlos Pena (TB/1B) with 6 home runs and 15 RBI's. but his batting average is too low. (.280) and Tampa Bay is not doing so well.
I need more players in the NL to make my list. I have heard some complaints, but you have to understand that you're going to have better numbers in the AL . In general, because of the DH or Does the pitching stink in the AL? We will answer that shortly.

You might have known this by know, but pitching wins championships, but obviously you can't win a championship without a division title or a wild card berth. These 5 pitchers need 20 win seasons to get their team to the promise land 'hopefully'. Or at least.... hope for free agency.

My Top 5 Pitchers
1. Donald "Zack" Greinke(2)(KC). Now last week, I told you something that sure made your head itch. This week is no different. I told you this kid was lights out. But you didn't believe me. Trust me "Jerry Knows Best". I got a lot of crap, putting him at 5. But here is the perfect reason why the Royals are the Truth....at least right now....
Yes, he is the real deal. It was smart that Kansas City kept him....but who would've "thunk' it. Zack's year has consists of 20 perfect innings, 3 wins, 26 strikeouts, 5 walks. No runs or earned runs allowed. 1 complete game shoutout. Ridiculous.

2. Chad Billingsley(LAD). Fourth year big leaguer (again). With time this stud gets better and better. His last 3 seasons, 7-4, 12-5, 16-10. His ERA those past 3 years, 3.8, 3.3, 3.1. So, I can assume he will be a 20 game winner with a 2.7. So far this he is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA with 21 strikeouts through 19 innings. Pretty Awesome.

3. Heath Bell (SD/CP). I shouldn't throw closers on here, but why not....... right? I can make a case for Heath Bell. It's funny because I watched him on a segment on Baseball Tonight and his proudest accomplishment was being on baseball tonight. Weird. With Heath...He's replacing a legendary closer in San Diego(Trevor Hoffman). He has HUGE shoes to fill. and why not fill them without throwing runs on the board. 7 saves, 8 strikouts and 0.00 ERA. Do we have Hell's Bells v. 2.0

4. Armando Galarraga(DET). I might be the master of hype. But I watch every baseball game...or I try to. I know talent when I see it. Watch out for this kid. he's in his 2nd full year. Last year he finished 13-7 with a 3.7 ERA. He's off to a great start with 2 wins, 13 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts.....just 1 earned run-with an average of .68. Trust me: "Lights out"

5. Johan Santana(NYM). The only reason he dropped 2 spots is because he has one loss, but obviously it wasn't his fault. Through 19-2/3 innings he has thrown 27 strikeouts. INSANE. 1 earned run and 5 walks. ERA of .46.

Honorable Mention:
Roy Halladay(TBJ)- Ok Check this out. Other pitchers on other MLB teams....on their day off.... travel to see him pitch. Need I say anymore. I know he's going to make this list...at least 10 times this year. He has 3 wins .....In 21 innings pitched...he has 17 strikeouts, and 3 waks...What disappoints me about his stats is.... 7 earned runs and a 3.00 ERA

Who's Hot
NL/AL

Florida Marlins: This is really funny, Because I had the Marlins and the Braves on the honorable mention list last week. This is Hands Down one of the most special clubs we have in baseball and maybe, major league baseball history. The Marlins are for real. They have the 2nd best run differential in the league with +32. They are 3rd in the majors with only giving up 45 runs through 12 games. I told you 3 or 4 blogs ago.... Every 6 years the team shows up...just go back 12 years.

Toronto Blue Jays: I really thought this team was going to suck. I might be wrong, but I think their average finsh is 3rd in the division the past 7 seasons. With the loss of A.J. Burnett, I thought their picthing would hurt....instead, pitchers Ricky Romero, Jason Frasor and, of course, Roy Halladay have at least 3 wins. Look out for the Blue Jays.

Honerable Mention:
National League: Los Angeles Dodgers....Obviously... 12-3 record.. Pitching is awesome Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are on fire.... and Hitters are on a tear. They have the 3rd most runs scored and their in 2nd in the league with the least amount of runs given up. Run differential is ridiculous +42.

American League: Detroit, Chicago, and Kansas City. The American League Central will be fun to watch if the Royals stay in it. Pitching will be a factor...and right now. The Royals are all over that category 38 runs against. Also the Red Sox have won 5 straight

Who's Not
NL/AL
Arizona Diamondbacks: I expect this team to be in the playoffs. No one's clicking. I think once Brandon Webb gets back this team should make a run but it's not looking so good. **By the way...I could put the Nationals up her every week. but it's not going to fly... Blame My Boss. Also, The Braves..What happened.... 5 straight losses.

Tampa Bay Rays: I know....... you're thinking what I'm thinking....Fluke. Maybe.
What they did last year was special...Let's hope they can find that spark again.
But I'm going to keep that word..."Fluke' in the back of my head. Hitters are on fire, Their pitchers on the other hand are struggling

Depressing News

We lay to rest one of the greatest baseball characters of our time.

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych- His career was short., but it was magical. if it weren't for injuries. He would be a legend.
He used to talk to the ball right before he pitched as if it were alive. .... He will go down as a great in Tigers history....as an amazing human being...who always brought you a laugh and your money's worth.
Mark Fidrych
August 14, 1954- April 13th 2009 (54)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6spUPSxhBqc

MLB Week 1: Opening Week. (Apr 6-13)

2009-04-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

In this blog:
My Top 5 players and 5 pitchers.
Who's Hot/Who's Not
My surprises of the week.
Honorable mention in every segment.
(hr-home run, rbi-runs batted in, ba-batting average)

Top 5 Players Of The Week

1. Evan Longoria(TB/3B)Picture above: Ridiculous numbers for a week. .467 BA, 5 hr, 12 RBI's. It honestly doesn't look like he is slowing down anytime soon. He is the reason why his team has a good chance to make the playoffs again this year. That's why he is my player of the week.

2. Albert Pujols(STL/1B): This guy has never averaged below 30 hr's a year. He's healthy and is breaking out to a good pace to at least 81HR(lol). In 8 games, he has a .357 BA, 4hr, and 10 RBI's.

3. Adam Lind(TBJ/LF). This 4th year stud has only been playing 3 seasons. Within those seasons he has only played 195 games, with a .295 average, with 22 homers and 94 RBI's. He averages at least a hit a game.
This kid this week. Has 3 homers, 12 RBI's and batting .400. Looking at these stats he should play the whole year and will show how he belongs in the big leagues.

4. Nick Swisher(NYY/CF). Being a Yankee CF is an honor. And boy did the Yankees choose a good one. In his first 4 full seasons in the major leagues he averaged 25 hr
and 79 RBI's. This week Swish is off to an amazing start with 3 hr's, 10 RBI's, and .450 BA. Look for these numbers to improve, but don't expect him to hit .500.

5 Miguel Cabrera (DET/1B) It was tough putting him at #5 on the list. But if he wasn't so consistent he would not be on this list. In 5 full seasons in the majors he has averaged at least 30+ hr's, 110+ RBI's, and approximately a .300 BA. This week looks like he will easily get those numbers and more with a .467 BA, 3 hr's, and 10 RBI's

Honorable Mention:
Alfonso Soriano(CHC/LF)-Eventually he will be on this list a lot this year. But if it wasn't for everyone else's ridiculously looking batting averages he would be on the list. This week he has 4 homers, 7 RBI's and a .313 BA.

Leading On the Mound...
(ERA-Earned Run Average)

1. Josh Johnson(FLA)- In 53 games over a 4 year career, This youngling on the mound is looking pretty promising. He has 19 wins and 11 losses. Mind you that those aren't perfect numbers but this week this kid was lights out. In 15 innings, 2 wins and 15 strikeouts. He has only given up 1 earned run and 12 hits. In that period, he has only given up one walk. If he can consistently do this....Looking at it inning by inning. It's a strikeout, a grounder, and a pop fly. Occasionally a run, and a walk every other game. There's no way he could do this, but it's fun to make that outlook very early in the year. Great numbers kid.

2. Aaron Harang(CIN)-Well he's not had a spectacular career, but he has had a great week. Over the past 7 seasons, his greatest year was 2 seasons ago where he went 16-6 with a 3.73 ERA. As far as this week is concerned. He's dead on with 2 wins and 11 strikeouts and a .64 ERA in 14 innings. He has only gave up 10 hits, 1 earned run and 3 walks. That hit he gave up was a homer. Of course, The opposing team has to go yard sometime.

3. Johan Santana(NYM)- He's 30 years old, he's been in the majors 9 seasons and he has been lights out every where he goes. If he has a bad game he follows up by winning the next 5 or 6. Over the past 5 years he has won 86 games, over that period he has 15 or more per year. He is consistently around the 2.5 ERA range but this year should be better than the 16-7 year he had last season. This week: Through 12-1/2 innings pitched..2 wins, 20 strikeouts, 1 earned run and a .71 ERA and gave up 6 hits.

4. Kevin Millwood (TEX)- In 12 years, Kevin Millwood has been labeled inconsistent. And there's no doubt that he is. His career is as follows: first 2 full seasons(Atl) 17-8, 18-7, then 2 bad years. 2002-2003(Atl/Phi) 18-8, 14-12, then 2 bad years. (2006-2007) 16-12, 10-14. Right now he is in the middle of the two bad year stretch... but not this week. Through 14 innings, 2 wins, only gave up 1 earned run and 9 hits, 11 strikeouts and an ERA of .64.

5. Donald "Zack" Greinke (KC)- Now you're going to wonder why he is on this list. Bare with me. Zack has been with the Royals 5 seasons and he has a record of 36-45. I think this year might be his breakout year. The Royals have a lot to look forward too this year. And the reason for the Royals being in first place right now is because of this kid's great week. Zack could have been number #1 this week on the list. He has 2 wins, 16 strikeouts, and a ERA of 0.00. Through that stretch he has only given up 9 hits and 5 walks. The reason he is not #1 is because he has only pitched 11 innings.

Honorable Mention:
Zach Duke(PIT)- Great week. Through 15-1/3 innings pitched...2 wins, 9 strikeouts, with a .59 ERA. The reason why he didn't make the list is because I don't have 6 players on my list. If he stays consistent he will be.

Who's Hot/Who's Not
In this segment of my blog, I will tell you what I think are the hottest teams in the league and who are the coldest teams in the league and what surprising team in the middle to look out for in the MLB.

Who's Hot
National League/American League
St. Louis Cardinals. The reason why this team is #1 is because of pitching with Chris Carpenter, again, this team should be dominant and it shows with a 6-2 record and by only giving up 23 runs. Mind you, that they were at home let's see if they take this surge on the 7 game road trip against the Diamondbacks and Cubs.

Toronto Blue Jays. This was tough, because other teams are doing so well in the league. The reason why they are the hottest team is because... They have most runs scored in the majors with 54. Also, they have the fourth best run differential(runs scored/runs against) with +13. Hopefully their offense will stay hot while playing in the toughest division in baseball.

Honorable Mention:
National League-It's tough to pick one. So I picked 2-1/2. San Diego finishes with a mean 2nd. but it depends this week against the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves. The funny thing is they match up this week. Pitching is the 'Key' to a division title for all these teams.

American League- Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. The Mariners without Ichiro are getting it done. And Baltimore because they won the opening series against the Yankees. On top of that, they roughed up C.C. Sabathia.

Who's Not
National League/American League
Washington Nationals. This one is really obviously. These guys are playing every game to lose. This might be our new Royals team, but I honestly will think that they will honestly invest in Adum Dunn. He's the best thing running for this team. They're 0-7 and they have given up the 2nd most runs in the league, with 54.

Cleveland Indians. Now I haven't gave up believing yet. If you read my MLB predictions blog(hint hint). I had them up in 2nd in the AL Central. I said they have to pretend to want to contend. And this past week they got off to a bad start. This team is 1-6 and they have given up 55 runs in 7 games. That's the most in the league. They're offense is off. Hafner is on. It comes down to pitching. Cliff Lee has to turn it on. He was the CY Young award winner last year, finishing 22-3. He's starting off this year 0-2 and he has given up 11 earned runs. so he's has to work on that ERA.

My Surprises Of The Week
It's good to try to come out of the gate hitting and pitching well. But who expected the Royals to be in first place in the AL Central. There's a couple of things that shock me about this club.
1. They close-close games. When they are winning late in a ball game, they can easily rope it up by bringing in closer Joakim Soria. 2. I'm shocked because they leading the race in the division with 18 runs scored total. That's the lowest number of runs scored in the league. And they have a run differential of -3. If you add 3+18...you get (see below)
I'm trying to understand, They have the least runs scored in the league with 18 and they have least allowed of runs scored with 21. That's INSANE. If you read my blog about my MLB Predictions(hint hint). I gave the Royals their props. WATCH OUT FOR THE ROYALS!

Depressing News

1. I give my condolences to Nick Adenhart's(Pitcher for the LA Angels) family. Losing his life less than 12 hours after he pitched a brilliant perfomance the night before. According to ESPN. "He scattered seven hits over six scoreless innings and escaped a pair of bases-loaded jams. He struck out five and walked three in his fourth major league start".
2. The legendary broadcaster of the Philadephia Phillies, Harry Kalas. He will be known for his great call last year when the Phillies won the World Series. "The Philadelphia Phillies are Champions of Baseball".

3. There will be a tribute to former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych on next week's blog, but I do send my condolences.

Please pray for the families or at least a moment of silent.

To Be Valuable or Most Valuable? That is the Question.

2009-04-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

For those that are clueless about the picture above. That is an olympic photo of respectively the best 3 NBA players in the league this year. (Left->Right) Dwayne Wade(MIA) "Dwayde", LeBron James(CLE), and Kobe Bryant(LAL). I'm sorry Chris Paul(NO) "CP3", Dirk Nowitzki(DAL), Dwight Howard(ORL)... and the rest that didn't make the list. I'm sorry this is my opinion and the rest of the country and I didn't mean to offend NBA players that worked hard and didn't make the list.

The purpose of this blog today is to define whose the Most Valuable Player in the NBA.
The Most Valuable Player award si the best overall player in the NBA. This means: You are vaulable to your team in respects of making the playoffs and having a phenomenal season or an awesome year.

My objective in this blog is to teach you the difference between the words 'valuable, invaluable, and unvaluable'.....in the NBA.

First let's define the words:

Valuable:
1. Having considerable monetary or material value for use or exchange.
2. Of great importance, use, or service.
3. Having admirable or esteemed qualities or characteristics.

Invaluable:

Priceless

Unvaluable:

1. Invaluable; being beyond price.
2. Not valuable; having little value.

Let's take the players and define them with these terms.

All of these players are 'valuable' to not only the team, but the NBA. They all have qualities and characteristics that are needed to make their team better and have the skills of getting their team to the playoff.

Also, they're contracts respectively:

Dwayne Wade: 14.4 million dollars.

Lebron James: 14.4 million dollars.

Kobe Bryant: 21.2 million dollars.

So they're definitely valuable to not only their clubs, but in general, in pawn shops.

It's pointless to say that they're unvaluable or invaluable. You can ask yourself if they're priceless. or being beyond in price. Honestly, I don't believe they're worth that much. But you can make your own opinion.

--------------

Let's take an alternative route.

No we know their actual value, we can find whose more valuable to their team and the league.

1. Kobe Bryant(SG) of the Los Angeles Lakers:

He is currently the reinging MVP of 2007-2008 season. Also, arguably the best player of the NBA. He is in his 12th year of his career with the Lakers. He has a career average of 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists(pts,reb,ast) a year. He's current average this year is 27pts, 5 reb, 4ast. Kobe is a very consistent guy. His devine right as a LA Laker is to bring people in the building, win a championship and give the fans a show. He'[s done it for 12 years and he will do it for about 5-7 more. The past couple of years the front office of the Lakers have been trying to find the key ingredients(players) to fit and work around Kobe in bringing a championship back to LA. Yes, I said back because those who are reading that don't know Kobe; he has already won 3. Getting back to my point..... He has value. He is worth a lot of money, he's very consistent, and his current players bring enough to his team where Kobe Bryant can relax. He's playing 36 minutes a game and he's turning into a bland player. They have the tools in winning a championship...whereas last year they really worked on bringing in components to work around the system that coach Phil Jackson has influenced. They brought in a great forward/center from Memphis/Spain(lol), Pau Gasol, to definitely helped Kobe to win the MVP award last year. Not only that, they made the NBA Finals. This year, they have 5 players in double figures(pts). Pau Gasol is averaging 18pts, 9reb, and the rest of their supporting cast of Lamar Odom(PF), Derek Fisher(PG), and Andrew Bynum(C) helps out a ton with 35 pts, 18reb, and 6 assists. With the Lakers bench supporting Kobe, with 40 points a game.... it sounds like not only Kobe is vaulable, but the team is working together to collectively bring in a title.

Another fun fact: They have the best record in the Western Conference. I guess what I'm trying to say is he's not winning another MVP award....well this year. If he didn't have those players and the best record in the west. I would make a case. Not happening. OK great.

2. Lebron James(SF) of the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Lebron will be one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. He brings a fire to the NBA like no other. He leads most of his categories on his team. His work ethic is beyond any man I have ever seen. If you look at any Lebron James highlight he is defying the evolution of man.

Like Tiger, He is also a robot. Something we haven't seen in sports, but in basketball something we haven't seen, since umm.......Jordan.

Here's what we know. We know how much he's worth to his team. Not to count the 10 year, 100 million dollar deal with NIKE®. We don't know the player.

He's in his 6th year in the league, He averages 27 points in both his career and in this year season. I said earlier he leads his 'team' in some other categories. Rebounds with 7 and Assists with 7. These are his career averages also.

So, I know Kobe fans are guessin'. What's the difference?

The difference is what you bring to your team which makes you "Valuable". Basically, if your team does not have this player....Does that team win or make the playoffs.

With Kobe that team kmakes the playoffs. They have the best record in the Western conference. If they didn't have Kobe. I guess they would be in 8th fighting for a playoff spot. But they make the playoffs. Because they are playing amazing team ball.

With Lebron, His team currently has the best record in the league..................WAIT. The Cavaliers do not have 5 players in double figures. They have 4. So Lebron has to work a touch harder. What they Cavaliers do have an amazing bench.

Breakdown:

The Cavaliers starting '4'. (bare with me) of Lebron James, Mo Williams(PG), Zydrunas Ilgauskas(C), and Delonte West(SG). They average 70 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists a game.

Their bench racks up between 30-36 points depending on whether they are playing a western conference team or not. It doesn't matter how much they score because they have the best team in the league.

So let's add it up. Kobe and Lebron both are very vaulable to their respective teams. Lebron works harder but Kobe doesn't have to play as much. Both of their teams are first place in their conferences. I point out these facts about both because when the committee sits down at the end of the year. They first look at these stats to figure out how valuable a player is to his team. If they make the playoffs. Then they do not win MVP awards. The Cavaliers and the Lakers make the playoffs without Lebron and Kobe.

The formula to winning an MVP award is to have one of the 3 highest scoring averages in the league, but you also have to be valuable enough that your team doesn't not make the playoffs.

Meet.....

3. Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat:

Wade is known for his amazing scoring ability. His nickname is "Flash". There is a great reason why he's called that because it's impressive how he can work a ball in the lane to create a score.

Wade scores 30 points agame. He also averages 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and he plays 38 minutes a game. If he averaged 3 more rebounds he would lead all categories on his team. It's unquestionable how he is the Most Valuable player. Let me give you a breakdown and make my case.

Breakdown:

The Miami Heat have 4 other players averaging in double figures, but they just acquired one of those players*. Jermaine O'Neal(C), Michael Beasley(PF), Udonis Haslem(PF), and Mario Chalmers(PF) average 46 points, 20 rebounds and 7 assists. There is something wrong with that picture. That is not their starting lineup with Dwayne Wade. Because you would definitely need 2 guards in the Eastern Conference. The Heat's bench players don't score much. And again the Heat don't play defense. The Heat scores 98 points a game.....they also give up 98 points a game. They are 6th in their conference and barely holding on to a playoff spot right now.

With Wade's 30 points per game this Miami Heat club is barely making the playoffs. What if they took this valuable player off the team? They wouldn't be in the playoffs.

That's what a Most Valuable Player award winner is. They have to take a monkey and put it on his shoulders and play to win basketball games. The monkey is the team.

And that's ridiculous. But you can't give it to a player that is amazing and put him on a team that's going to get in the playoffs regardless of the ability.

Kobe last year had the deal with injured players on his team and without the addition to Pau Gasol they don't get into the playoffs last year. That's why he won.

Steve Nash won it back to back before that. Because he averaged a 10+ points and 10+ assists per game. The assists are points. If you take the points off assists which are between 20-30 points a game on top of the 10 points he's averaging. The Suns don't get into the playoffs because Steve Nash is generating 30-40 points a game.

Wade's points plus points off assist contribute almost 50% of the team's total points per game and that is most valuable not only to the team but in the NBA.

Meet Mr. Ovechkin Now Before It's Too Late

2009-03-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hi, My name is Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin. I am 23 years old and I will eventually become the 2nd greatest hockey player of all-time.

Now that you have met him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf20WDhZgJg

Watch Him

If you don't want to watch. I totally understand. And I'm not expecting the readers of this blog to be hockey fans.

But for a little boy out of Moscow, Russia picking up pee-wee hockey equipment and never letting go at the age of 2 was the beginning of his dream and now long gone to a 13-year $124 million dollar contract.

So how good is this kid at the age of 23? Why was he on the cover on of every sporting magazine this past year?

Answer: Hard work + Passion + A ton of "Enthusiasm"= Dominance

Alexander is so special because if you are going to at least make an attempt to mention Gretzky and Ovechkin in the same sentence, you're going to have to do it maybe in goals.

in 4 NHL seasons he has 163 goals and counting (season isn't over).

Gretzky on the other hand has 894 regular season golas and 122 playoff goals in 20 years.

Ovechkin can get real close, but when you're referring to robots(i.e. T. Woods, W Greatzky). Compute Error, Epic Fail.

----------

So big deal, he's a great hockey player.

I know I tried to say the same thing until he scored on his back and on one knee.

It's his passion for the sport. There is a big difference when you know your opponent is incapable of stopping your shot(Gretzky).

If you honestly look at Gretzky highlights. It's pathetic. After he scores, he congratulates the assisting teammates gives a grin and a chuckle and pats their heads.

When Ovechkin scores it's like watching an earthquake, or a conscious man seize. It's funny, but it's entertaining. If you think about it, and I'm not a scientist or an Anatomy major, but when you score a goal in hockey or soccer the body gives off a release. A weight off your back. Which causes the brain to relapse into a physical, visual meltdown. Trust me these people are sane when they score, unless you're Wayne Gretzky and you're not reaching a milestone. (nice)

Alex brings a presence to the game that attracts people. The fan base of the Washington Capitals has increased because of him. Ratings increase because of him. Honestly, the only thing I don't see Ovechkin pulling off is 10 minute standing ovations(again, Gretzky)

For some reason people think it is frowned upon. But if you watch a game and see him score, you see that weight lift off his shoulders every time. It brings light to the game of hockey again and makes it enjoyable not only to watch in person but on television.

That 'light" plus having 3 straight 50 goal season, only inches him closer of becoming the 2nd greatest of all time.

163 goals in 4 seasons....multiply that 5x. you get 815. Minus injuries, but include playoff goals. It would be really depressing when he gets close and not succeed. Anything's possible but Gretzky set the bar toooooo high.

3-Time Sprint Cup Champion's First Win of 2009

2009-03-29T18:50:00.001-07:00

Last year, I did a paper about Jimmie Johnson. I was talking mostly about his dominance in his "Sport".... Nascar(yes this is a sports).
I got laughed at twice, actually three times.
Reasons
1. I was a black guy(almond brown, African-American) talking about Nascar. Funny because more minorities invest in Nascar than any other sport.
2. I was talking about how he was going to dethrone Richard "The King" Petty's Nascar wins record of 200. I was almost shot mentioning this feat to two people in Norwood, Ohio. A lot of Nascar fans reside there. And being black (A-A-A Almond...Afr. Amer) just made it worse.
3. I cried talking about Jimmie Johnson. Honestly, that blue car is a work of art. And he deserves more respect.

----------
I know you're wondering why I'm telling you this story. Also, I know you're wondering why I am shooting the breeze about Jimmie Johnson when the Final Four stage is set in Detroit.
Answer: He's on the verge of eclipsing sports history.

He is on the verge of winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title. Something that no man has ever done. Just tying Carl Yarborough for winning 3 championships wasn't enough. He's going to do it one race at a time at his pace.

And it showed Sunday @ Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virgina.

This is where Johnson captured his first win of the year.
And this quietly made 2 statements in Nascar.
1. He's making his run to the championship 6 races in.
2. He is exactly on pace to own Richard Patty's record. Something ESPN has not mentioned . yet at least.

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Another Note: Fox mentioned earlier about Gordon winnning at Martinsville 7 times. They showed him in a segment on the pregame show with a ton of women around him with champagne and it was rediculous. Mind you that I like Gordon. I'm a Rick Hendrik believer.
But also, mind you that the guy in second place at Martinsville is Jimmie. And with the win today would give him 6 at Martinsville. If you look at the headline for ESPN it says, "Mr. Martinsville". Wow so much for hyping up Gordon. But he should bounce back.

Hmm. Since I mentioned Gordon here's a fun fact.

Jeff Gordon was introduced to Sprint/Nextel/Winston Cup play in 1994. Since then, there have been 15 Nascar seasons.** He has captured 81 wins. Oh yeah he is on a 47 race losing streak.

Jimmie Johnson was introduced to Sprint/Nextel Cup play in 2001. Since then, there have been 8 Nascar Seasons.** He has captured 41 wins. And again he won today
Jimmie is exactly half way on being just as good as Gordon, if not better.
----------
This win at Martinsville was HUGE.

He is in fourth place in the standings and only 142 points back.
Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth have the most wins this year with 2 and they are behind Johnson in the standings. Busch in 6th and Kenseth in 12th.
His teammate and buddy Jeff Gordon is in first place in the standings with no wins.
Johnson is creeping and preparing to dominate race by race. Coasting in the top 5 is his game all year long....every year. Winning the race is the topping.

He will be the greatest driver in the history of Nascar. And by looking at the standings this week. He leads the pack with the beat of his drum. Everyone else.... will just have to follow.

** Both drivers have started in Busch/Nationwide series races before their first actual Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup races.

No Cinderella....No Story.

2009-03-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm five days late on the blog.
I have an excuse.
Most exciting moment in the tournament. Villanova's buzzer beater. It was a great moment in tournament history (this year) and Villanova's history. Other big stories in this years tournament. Seriously, let's name them:
1. Siena def Ohio St. (not really...big, but news worthy)
2. Arizona...(meh) They didn't deserve to be in the tournament but got and made a scare. Also they were a 12 seed.
3. Cleveland St.. Whatever. Wake wasn't prepared as usual. They figured they would coast
4. Kansas. They lose all of their players and try to repeat as national champions. They struggle but give their all to Louisville.
5. Dayton def West Virginia: Huggins meltdown.
6. Missouri... I'll talk about them later.
7. Memphis. Their 27 game win streak had to end sometime. Just like the one they had last year. I'm not surprised.
8. Xavier. It was depressing for me, but it had to end in the Sweet 16 or the Elite 8. It was a just matter or time. Bad ball handling. and FOOT ON THE LINE. Watch the highlight. Whatever
9. Villanova. Talked about it.
10. Western Kentucky. 12 seed.
11. Syaracuse. Boehiem's still trying to create a team like he had a couple of years ago. It's almost there. Tried to do it with McNamara, now doing it with Jonny Flynn.
12. Michigan St. Can Tom Izzo and his "worn-down, great broadcaster" voice win another tournament?
13. Oklahoma. Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin. I'm tired of hearing it. He's dominant and he works hard. But please quit "Meat Hopping".
14. The Italian Mob. Izzo(MSU), Pitino(UL), Calhoun(UCONN)...Calipari(Mem)
-----Almost made the list.
Michigan (Don't ask me)

Honestly these stories would be better than having all number one seeds make the final. I guess the only other big story is The Big East run in the tournament. You have to give props to them. The conference has really improved. And after this year. The Big East should be a ligit powerhouse. Honestly, I didn't think so until now. Sorry. I feel bad now. I know. UCONN, Pitt, Syracuse, Lousiville.....and it goes on. Honestly, I'll say this... It's fun watching the Big East conference duel it reminds me of watching a Fencing match or Curling.
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As we head out of the weekend in to a new week, we find out in college basketball that what was so hyped up to be a great 64-team tournament. Should have been a 16-team tournament.

The only surprising story was If little Xavier or Arizona could pull off the upset. As we got closer to the Elite 8, we looked at Missouri to see if they knocked on heaven's door hard enough. No Answer.

Which brings me to my point. Yeah it's great to see the big teams duke it out. But it only raises the question.... If the committee and media is thinking about expanding the tournament, you're only delaying the top teams time of winning it sooner.

I made 2 brackets. It had a lot of upsets. One bracket had teams that my heart wanted to win. The other bracket had what was actually going to happen.

I was a little off but I had it almost right. Honestly. My point is.... That is boring. I don't want to know what's actually going to happen. I want to be surprised. I want CBS to add some outside stories about these other schools. I want to make popcorn. I want to know more about these young players from little towns. That's why this blog is 4-5 days late. It's pointless to talk about The "same ole' -same old"(yes...ole and old) stuff. It's not news worthy. You can say it's common knowledge.

I'll let ESPN or CBS take that garbage.

And if you're listening to the podcast or The Dan Patrick on JKB you'll find out that we're not talking about it that much. It's not that special. Maybe, The potential Big East duel at the end.
I'm not happy. I'm getting ready for the NFL Draft, a New MLB season, Nascar, The Masters.

But if you want my picks.... wait until the April 3rd. I will still be blogging don't worry. Keep voting and listening.

Great Coach... Bad Loss

2009-03-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

Pat Summitt's resume at the University of Tennessee, not only among women but coaching in general, is impressive.

If you ask me, Impressive is the wrong word.

I don't understand why not many networks are talking about this bad loss. Is this not news?

I understand that it is not a good thing to talk about a loss. But she had an amazing year. Not only that a career that is better than any coach or manager known to man and woman.

Pat Summitt's record in a 35 year coaching career is 1005-192.

Looking at this record makes you want to swear. Because to keep college students around, coming back to your school and recruiting amazing basketball players around the country over and over for 3 1/2 decades. That's rediculous and shocking. I think she has the hardest coaching job in the country. And she consistently does a damn good job. (sorry for my language)

So WHAT... She has a great resume...

Yeah sure....

Pat Summitt's resume excluding the almost perfect record. (She wins 5 out of every 6 games in her career in 35 years.................I'm about to go insane ahhhhhhhhhhhhh ugghhhhhhhhhh)

Whatever.. Here it is.

8 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championships

1987,1989,1991,1996,1997,1998,2007,2008)

14-time SEC Champions(1980, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007)

13-time SEC Tournament Champions(1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008)

Awards
7 Time SEC Coach of the Year (1993,1995,1998,2001,2003,2004,2007)7 Time NCAA Coach of the Year (1983,1987,1989,1994,1995,1998,2004)Naismith Coach of the 20th Century

7-time NCAA Coach of the Year (1983, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2004)

On top of that amazing garnage she has lying around her house. (Or plantation, because she "breeds" amazing talent)

She has 2 streets in her name and 2 courts named after her. .....Whatever.

They inducted her into the Basketball Hall Of Fame in 1999. Because she was no where near planning to retire. (They do that to all coaches...Coaches tend to come back and coach more).

Final Note: She is the first coach (Man or Woman, though she's only coached women) in NCAA history to reach 1000 wins as a head coach.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well the news I wanted to break to you is that she is the first NCAA womens coach to lose a first round tournament game after winning a championship the previous year.

Monday, I called in to The Dan Patrick show to give my "Best and Worst Of The Weekend". A segment he has every Monday. I sat on hold for an hour right before Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) was on air (Yes on hold with Coach K) and I was listening to the Fox Sports News Report and they didn't mention it.

So I get on air on Dan's show and I forgot to mention it. I finished listening to DP and he didn't mention it. I even emailed him afterwards. And they weren't planning to talk about it.

This was a huge loss, a colossal upset, which involved a 5th seed Tennessee vs. 12th seed Ball State(Fun fact: The 12 seed for some reason beats the 5 seed every now and then....Do not ask me why). And Coach Summitt did something no other coach has done before and we didn't hype it up.

Was it because she was a woman? Or did the media finally do a good job for once? And I'm including myself. I didn't report it either on my show.

Pat Summitt is an amazing coach. One bad loss for her is not that big of a deal. She has done so much for not only women, but i guarantee you that she gives advice to men that are coaches.

And I mean IN GENERAL. I'm not talking basketball.

How do you get your team to focus every year, knowing that you're going to have new players eventually? I don't understand.

She is the ultimate coach. When you rank coaches of all-time, you have to put her name up there. Because if you don't your defying history. She changed women's basketball and I'm assuming that more women play basketball because of her.

45 of her former players have gone on to become coaches. And I'm thinking that other women outside of her program wants to become coaches. People sellout to see her. There is actually a waiting list to see her coach. And wherever she goes people follow. If it wasn't for Pat, women's basketball wouldn't be as huge today.

Pat Summitt, You can lose as many games as you want. Even though it was a HUGE LOSS in Women's Basketball history.........I won't report it. And I won't give a damn. (again sorry for my language)

Again Sorry for my typos. and sorry this wasn't a big story. The NCAA tournament starts back up tomorrow. so hold on to your Dockers.

Great Job Japan.... Let's Play Baseball Now

2009-03-24T09:16:00.001-07:00

Ok Japan......
What was this..... another lesson?
You have shown the US and the rest of the world why you dominate baseball.
Sooner or later Major league Baseball will be full of Ichiro's or in other words freaks of baseball.

But is this a good thing or a bad thing for baseball? Kinda Both. But it depends on your mood. Your baseball mood

Well first fans, Let me ask you a question. Did you watch any of the World Baseball Classic? Because I sure as hell didn't. I think i watched a total of 13 innings.... Seriously. I saw the US get smacked 9-4. And i saw Ichiro's great performance last night.
Folks, I can tell you I wasn't surprised.

I called it. But hold on... You called it too. Is that the reason why you didn't watch. Yeah I know.

I think everyone knows that. Not only the country of Japan, But the Japanese will be.....WILL BE a powerhouse in baseball in the future. Filled with legendary hitters and pitchers.

Ichiro Suzuki alone. Alone! Has been in the league, the MLB, 8 years. He's 35 years old, 5'11', a mean 172 pounds. And folks... his numbers are astonishing. He has 1805 hits. He averages at least 210 hits a year. That's rediculous. In the past 15 years, including his stats in Japan, he hasn't "thought" about batting below .300 average. His full season in 1994 in Japan he hit .385. His first year in the majors he hit .350. Both his career batting average and his career in the MLB is serparated by a meer .022 points. Yeah a .331 average.

Now come on. Did we really need to watch the World Baseball Classic? If one man on Japan's squad posts up numbers like that. Seriously, It's a waste of my time.
Here's a bold statement. Americans will never dominate Baseball. Not Possible. Impossible.

But you the people that were excited about the WBC. The owners of our Major League baseball teams and their goons....General Managers and Scouts.

Have you seen a bucket of honey barbecue chicken wings from KFC? Picture 82 buckets and 64 people and no paper towels. Rediculous.
You get a mess. Checkbooks flying, pens running out of ink, and tons of sweat.

They take advantage of these amazing players in Japan.... because they have no time to breed amazing talent in the US. These owners pony up, out of the lent of their pockets, 50 million dollars just to negotiate "contracts" with again.....these amazing Japanese players. Not mention Korea came in a mean second against Japan.

Honestly, here's what I think. We have the WBC every two or fours year... I don't even know. Seriously. Honestly, do you think Bud Selig makes an event so that the world can get together and play a friendly game? An again...Honestly, Do you think that Japanese and Korean players are doing their normal jobs today.
Yes and No.
Some players are hanging by their phones today. Some players are not even thinking about the game anymore. Honestly....and I'm getting tired of saying the word honestly....
With the economy today, I should hope that not all these winners in the WBC even think about coming over to the states. Let's get back to playing baseball. Real baseball. The way it was meant to be played. Yeah bring some players from other countries over, but don't make them our puppets and fool them with our cruel antics.

Point number two.

I don't plan to watch an event to see my favorite players in my home country and watch them get hurt. Because they're straining themseleves to perform well for their home country.
Not only that..... They are getting ready to play a 162 games season in less than 2 weeks.

It's fun to see these rosters for these different countries. But it's not worth seeing them hurt when I want them to do well in the MLB.
I made that short and sweet.

In conclusion.....forget it. Play Baseball...... and my listeners and fans, just live with it and watch. We don't have a say anyway... right?

So what- this was a Pointless Blog entry. College Basketball doesn't start for another 2 days. I had to rant about something.
And be patient the audiocast as well as the simulcast will be on here soon.

***If there are typos I'm sorry. I kinda have someone on that. Thanks Brandi
***VP of Gram. & Punc. -Fill in the dots.

A New Sports Year Brewing

2009-03-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year.
Yes, my new year starts now. Tax season is here, baseball is around the corner, the NBA and NHL season is ending, spring football players are prepping and shining the pads and Nascar drivers are loose after a few races.
Why does my season start now? When we just got done with the BCS and its problems, the Super Bowl and March Maddness is boiling over.

It's about timing.

In the month of April we sports fans have a lot to cheer about.
The NCAA Championship game
Baseball Season begins
The Masters
NBA and NHL Playoffs
The NFL Draft
Please be mindful of all the headlines about everything that could possible happen in the wide world of sports.
Folks, It's not just a month. I treat April as an event.

Not only on my blog, but on my website and my brewing podcast. You will get my opinions and views about sports. I'm blatant... I'm mean. But I'm to the point. I'm open minded and I am funny. That's the only reason why I got into the business and why my producer signed me. Because I'm hilarious.
This blog and my podcast is all about the fan. It's all about you. and "hopefully" with my amazing friends we will achieve sports sanity. Which means we are all insanely in love about sports, but we all can become one with each others help.
My Starting Lineup
Anthony Suttinger-Soccer, NHL, NFL, other
Rodney Dunlap-Everything sports related
Shawn Pinkston-NFL, NBA
"My 6th Men"
Michael Kaser
Josh "DJ Shutdown" Kimber
Lance "Bull" Durham
TBNL- (To be named later)
Those are just a few of the finest minds in sports in Cincinnati.
I only have about 150 fans. But week to week it has increased. We can do this. Let's start the new year off right in April.
My facebook page has a link to my website. and blogspot will carry a link to the audiocast---> soon to be podcast. It's downloadable so quit your crying and enjoy.