|
What to do? With Scott Boras asking for an astronomical extension for Arod, perhaps he will opt-out to be a free agent. What will the Yanks do in that case? There are basically two options with a dream third option that’s unlikely to ever happen.
1. sign Mike Lowell
He’ll be a free agent this off-season, is coming off his best year yet and is a better defender than Arod. The caution flags arise when we realize that Lowell had his best year in his contract year (danger! danger!) and had huge home/road splits. His Fenway OPS was .226 higher than his road OPS. His career OPS at the Stadium is a sub-par .786 and he’ll turn 34 next year. I say stay far away.
2. play Wilson Betemit everyday at 3b
A far more efficient use of resources, considering Betemit’s salary isn’t even $400 K and he’s just 26 years old. His career OPS+ is just 98, but perhaps with regular playing time (something he’s rarely received) he could post numbers that more accurately reflect his immense talent. I could potentially see .270/.350/.450. His defense is about average for a third-baseman but his arm rivals Cano’s for the best in the infield.
3. trade for Miguel Cabrera
How much would it take to get the hefty 3b/OF slugging phenom from Florida? A lot. The 24 year old Cabrera (career 144 OPS+) would cost a lot of prospects, but Florida is open to the idea of dealing him, as they can probably only afford one of Dontrelle Willis and Cabrera. Apparently they want young, ML ready starting pitching, and since I’m totally unwilling to give up Hughes or Joba, what about Melky, Kennedy, Horne, Tabata/AJax and Betances for Miggy? It could turn out to be way too much or not nearly enough. A lot of it depends on Cabrera’s ability to get and stay in shape and how close Betances comes to reaching his mammoth potential. And the nice part is that Cabrera is actually a versatile (though poor) defender – he could play a below average 3b and OF, or be taught to play 1b and probably be just fine.
4. just sign Arod
The most risk-free option. I believe Arod wants to stay a Yankee and the Yanks obviously want him. If he bolts for the 4th team of his career, he’ll always (if not already) be seen simply as a mercenary/gun-for-hire type with no sense of loyalty or tradition and will go into the Hall of Fame never having a ‘true’ team or fanbase.
PS: Joba will enter Spring Training as a starter. Nice!
Miami(0-5) plays at the Cleveland Browns(2-3) this afternoon. Cleo Lemon will get his second ever start as an NFL Quarterback.
I’m not going to beat around the bush on my prediction this week. Cleveland marks the end of the ‘easy’ part of the Dolphin schedule. The Dolphins have been dreadful, but remember they have lost three games by just a field goal. Greg Stoda says there is no reason to pick Miami until they actually win a game. Call it a side effect of the interferon treatment I’m undergoing at present if you want, but I disagree. My prediction- Miami 27, Cleveland 21. Will I still be perfect predicting winners this year? Stay tuned.
The latest news on the Miami Dolphin Quarterback-
DAVIE — Quarterback Trent Green is “very encouraged” by the results of tests performed on him four days after his second severe concussion in 13 months, leaving the 37-year-old quarterback hopeful he’ll return to the field, coach Cam Cameron said.
Cameron said Green was evaluated in Kansas City twice on Wednesday to determine the impact of the concussion he suffered on Sunday during the first quarter of a 22-19 loss at Houston.
Cameron said he spoke with Green Wednesday afternoon shortly before the 37-year-old headed to a second round of tests.
The first-year head coach said Green sounded “really upbeat” and left the impression he looked forward to returning to the field.
“That’s what makes those guys who they are and what they are,” Cameron said. “They’re competitors. They think a little differently than the rest of us sometimes. They can’t imagine not playing and want to be up playing as quickly as possible.”
No question in my mind that Green is in need of urgent medical care. Trent really wants to come back and play more football after suffering two severe concussions in a little over a year just so he can lead a team to a 4-12 or worse season?
Please say a prayer for Trent Green’s full recovery. He is certainly in need of them.
She is playing at this weekend’s Samsung World Championship.
PALM DESERT, Calif. – Michelle Wie is playing her final LPGA Tour event of the year.
She wishes it were her first. After a disastrous season filled with wrist injuries, a feud with Annika Sorenstam and only one round under par, Wie said Tuesday her biggest mistake was not taking the year off to get healthy.
“The only thing that I would do differently (is) I wouldn’t have played this year. It’s as simple as that,” she said at the Samsung World Championship. “The only thing that I did wrong this year is that I did not take my injuries as seriously as I should have.”
1- I’ve always felt Michelle needed a long rest after injuring her wrists. Her playing in tournaments while hurt was certain to exacerbate the injuries.
If Michelle didn’t want to play, why did she play? I’m sure her parents and IMG had something to do with it. The athlete has to make the final decision as to if they are physically able to play, rather than having the decision made by others for them.
As of today, Michelle is an adult and can legally make her own decisions. Will she begin making her own schedule?
2- The AP article makes no mention of Michelle’s birthday. Here is an article acknowledging the significance of today.
Wie is no longer the wunderkind who was – and many people forget this – recording never-before-seen accomplishments on the golf course on a regular basis, from age 12 through 16. She’s not even a kid anymore; as of today, she’s an adult.
Compare Wie at age 12, at age 13, 14, 15 or 16, to Paula Creamer or Morgan Pressel at the same age, and Wie was far ahead of each. But compare them at age 17, and Wie – through injuries, incomplete swing changes, and terrible decisions – is no longer in the same ballpark.
Now, Wie is just another 18-year-old golfer – and as it stands today, not even a particularly good one – in an LPGA Tour environment where other 18-year-olds are winning majors (Pressel) or running away with rookie of the year (Angela Park) .
While Michelle is no longer a kid, she is a still a draw on tour. Thousands of people come to see her play. While 2007 has been a disaster, I expect Michelle to have an excellent LPGA career. One better than Pressel, Creamer, or Angela Park.
3- Is this really Michelle’s last LPGA event of 2007? There is one scenario, far fetched as it may sound that would allow Michelle to play on tour one more time in 2007. Michelle would have to win the Samsung this weekend, and that would earn her a spot in next month’s Tournament of Champions.
In 2003, 2005, and 2006 non-LPGA tour players, won the late October early November tour stop in South Korea. Their names were Shi Hyun Ahn, Jee Young Lee, and Jin Joo Hong. Each of these three South Korean ladies were then given spots in the Tournament of Champions. The tournaments being played only two weeks apart.
So Michelle isn’t out of the running to play again this year, though the chances appear slim. Stranger things have happened in Ladies Professional Golf.
In the meantime, she appears to love life as a college student.
Wie said she thought about going to LPGA Tour qualifying school now that she is old enough to become a member, but it was the same time as orientation at Stanford.
I’m glad she is enjoying college. Michelle needs to take an extended break from golf after this weekend. This in order for Wie to return to form in 2008.
 |
| Thursday, October 11, 2007 |
An era is ending for the Braves. John Schuerholz is stepping down. The team’s venerable general manager will announce this afternoon that he’s resigning after 17 seasons with the Braves, and handing over the reins to top assistant Frank Wren, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Manager Bobby Cox is returning for at least one more season, but his longtime boss is not.
Schuerholz, 67, has been a baseball GM for 26 seasons with Kansas City and Atlanta, and had the longest tenure among major league GMs. He presided over the Braves’ run of 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005, an unprecedented run in North American major professional sports. The only disappointment of the era was that the Braves won just a single World Series title (1995) in those 14 postseason trips. He also won a World Series ring with Kansas City in 1985. The Braves missed the playoffs in 2006 and again this year, finishing in third place in the National League East division standings both of those seasons.
Cox, 66, has said he intends to return at least for the 2008 season, which would his 27th as a major league manager and 23rd with the Braves. He indicated this month that he might also manage beyond next season.
Wren, 49, has been a Braves assistant GM for seven seasons, after serving as Baltimore Orioles GM in 1999 and as Florida Marlins assistant GM for eight seasons through 1998.
Jeff Quinton notes (via IM) that Scheurholz is from Baltimore and that there’s an opening there. But I can’t imagine he’d want to start over with a much less promising team at this stage of his career.
That’s why baseball needs a first round ‘best of seven’ series. Cleveland was a little better during this four game stretch, but I still think the Yanks were the better overall team (best record in the second half anyone?).
The sad thing is that we would have given Boston much more of a run for their money. Cleveland is highly unlikely to continue their insane hitting with runners in scoring position while the Yanks would be unlikely to continue their woeful RISP hitting. After all, during the 162 game regular season the Yankees OPS with RISP was .829 compared to Cleveland’s .743. Boston must be ecstatic to face the Tribe (5-2 in 2007) instead of us who went 10-8 against them.
I won’t kill Torre for deciding to start Wang over Moose because I agreed with it for several reasons: 1) Wang pitches much better at home, 2) short rest can be a blessing for a sinkerballer who tries to keep the ball down, 3) he only threw 94 pitches in Game 1, 4) I just didn’t trust Mussina. He sucked though and was one of the main culprits behind the series loss: 5.2 ip, 19.06 era. When your ‘ace’ gets shelled like that it’ll be tough to win any series – throw in the poor hitting (Jeter hit .176, Posada .133, Matsui .182, Melky .188) and that’s the series.
The bad news:
1. Obviously, the season’s over and the guys deserved a better ending.
2. At least a month of speculation about Mo, Pettitte and Jorge… oh wait, and a guy named Alex.
3. Boston has a better chance to win the LCS.
4. If they do win the series, I’ll have to listen to a lot of shit from my New England relatives at Thanksgiving.
The good news:
1. A far less stressful October from this point on.
2. Guys like Joba, Phil and Shelley got valuable postseason experience (and showed they could succeed) which should help them next year.
3. The possibility of bringing in a new manager. I like Joe but as some of the postgame guys said, the players have to raise their intensity level in the playoffs and it seemed like they were simply duplicating their regular season approach.
4. Their resiliency – this team seemed dead in late May (I was 80% sure they’d miss the playoffs) only for them to turn around the season and nearly clinch the best record in baseball.
4. Four months until pitchers and catchers report.
|
| Wednesday, October 10, 2007 |
There are still three undefeated teams going into Week 6 of the NFL season: the New England Patriots, defending champion Indianapolis Colts, and the surprising young Dallas Cowboys. They top this week’s Power Rankings as determined by the analysts at ESPN.
| 2007 Power Rankings: Week 6 |
| |
RK (LW) |
TEAM |
REC |
COMMENT |
 |
1 (1) |
Patriots |
5-0-0 |
The Pats and Cowboys have met just nine times, so history doesn’t figure to influence Sunday’s game. But if it means anything (OK, it really doesn’t), Bill Belichick is just 1-3 vs. Wade Phillips. |
 |
2 (2) |
Colts |
5-0-0 |
Raise your hand if you figured Kenton Keith and Craphonso Thorpe (hey, no snickering!) would be integral parts of the Colts’ pummeling of the Bucs. Indy has made a habit of these 5-0 starts. |
 |
3 (3) |
Cowboys |
5-0-0 |
Can a kicker be rookie of the year? Not only did Nick Folk nail the 53-yarder (twice) to beat Buffalo but his execution of the onside kick was flawless. His only missed FG this season was a block by the Bears. |
 |
4 (6) |
Steelers |
4-1-0 |
Want to see a textbook example of how to protect a lead? Check out what the Steelers did Sunday, holding the ball for nearly 25 of the 30 second-half minutes in their 21-0 win over the Seahawks. |
 |
5 (4) |
Packers |
4-1-0 |
The Packers, like most teams, aren’t good enough to turn the ball over five times, commit 12 penalties and still win. ‘We’re not a bad football team, but we’re not great either,’ said Brett Favre after the loss to the Bears. |
 |
6 (8) |
Jaguars |
3-1-0 |
QB David Garrard is doing the things that make coaches sleep easier — basically, he’s not screwing up. Garrard has yet to throw an interception this season, which helps explain why he ranks 4th in QB ratings. |
 |
7 (7) |
Titans |
3-1-0 |
For the fourth time since Jeff Fisher became head coach, the Titans have started 3-1. Good news for Tennessee: On those three previous occasions, they made the playoffs. |
 |
8 (13) |
Redskins |
3-1-0 |
The 144 yards allowed to Detroit was the lowest total given up by a Redskins defense in 15 years. It helped that Washington enjoyed a nearly 10-minute edge in time of possession. |
 |
9 (11) |
Ravens |
3-2-0 |
For the first time since their 2000 Super Bowl season, the Ravens won a game despite scoring only field goals. Injuries to the offensive line might force Baltimore to keep relying on Matt Stover for all its points. |
 |
10 (5) |
Seahawks |
3-2-0 |
Will having a new lead blocker get Shaun Alexander untracked? Leonard Weaver will be the new lead blocker for Alexander now that 15-year vet Mack Strong is retiring after suffering a herniated disc in his neck. |
 |
11 (9) |
Buccaneers |
3-2-0 |
If the Bucs are going to be playoff contenders in the second half, they must find a solution (re: trade) to their RB injury woes. Names being mentioned by the Tampa Bay media: Vikings’ Mewelde Moore, Chargers’ Michael Turner, Broncos’ Mike Bell. |
 |
12 (16) |
Chargers |
2-3-0 |
There are confidence boosters. And then there are CONFIDENCE BOOSTERS. The Chargers got the latter in routing the Broncos and can now move into at least a tie for the AFC West lead by beating the Raiders on Sunday. |
 |
13 (15) |
Cardinals |
3-2-0 |
With Matt Leinart out and 36-year-old Kurt Warner now the full-time QB, the Cards need a solid backup. But The Arizona Republic reports that it won’t be ex-Cardinal Jake Plummer, who has retired. |
 |
14 (18) |
Giants |
3-2-0 |
The Giants go into Monday night’s game at Atlanta having won three straight. Inconsistent play is still a troubling sign, though. Eli Manning on Sunday: 22 yards passing in first half, 164 in second half. |
 |
15 (20) |
Bears |
2-3-0 |
Although the Bears knocked the Packers from the ranks of the unbeatens, just how impressive was the win? The Chicago defense was steamrolled in the first half, and the rushing game produced only 82 yards on 33 attempts. |
 |
16 (17) |
Texans |
3-2-0 |
Will Kris Brown’s 5-FG performance go down as the greatest kicking day in NFL history? It should. He nailed three from 50-plus yards, including the winner from 57 with one second left to beat the Dolphins. |
 |
17 (14) |
Panthers |
3-2-0 |
The Panthers are in a precarious state at quarterback. Jake Delhomme is out for the rest of the season. David Carr is banged-up. Undrafted rookie Matt Moore is now the backup. The phone lines will be heating up in Charlotte. |
 |
18 (12) |
Lions |
3-2-0 |
Take away the fourth-quarter, 34-point explosion against the Bears, and this much-ballyhooed Lions offense has been held out of the end zone in its past 10 quarters. But hey, it can’t be Mike Martz’s fault. After all, he’s an offensive genius. |
 |
19 (10) |
Broncos |
2-3-0 |
Life figures to get worse before it gets better for the Broncos. They’ve been humiliated at home, have lost three straight and will come out of the bye week with games against Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Detroit. |
 |
20 (24) |
Raiders |
2-2-0 |
Don’t look now, but your AFC West leaders are … the Raiders, the only team without a losing record. The next two games (San Diego, Kansas City) should provide a better picture of just how seriously we should take Oakland. |
 |
21 (19) |
49ers |
2-3-0 |
The 49ers rank last in the league in time of possession, and with QB Alex Smith hurt, it doesn’t figure to get better. RB Frank Gore ranks 36th in the league in yards per carry (3.6). |
 |
22 (22) |
Eagles |
1-3-0 |
Only Detroit (27) has allowed more sacks than the Eagles’ 19, but despite facing intense pressure, quarterback Donovan McNabb has thrown just one interception this season. |
 |
23 (23) |
Bengals |
1-3-0 |
The Bengals hope to repeat their post-bye-week success of 2003 (when they won six of seven after going into the bye 1-4) and 2004 (when they won five of eight after going into the bye 1-3). |
 |
24 (25) |
Browns |
2-3-0 |
The last time the Browns won two consecutive games was 2003, and they sure weren’t going to do it Sunday at New England. But give the Browns credit for putting up a fight, even though, as 16-1/2 point underdogs, they still failed to beat the spread. |
 |
25 (21) |
Chiefs |
2-3-0 |
How bad has it gotten in K.C.? Tight end Tony Gonzalez is hoping the final-play TD the Chiefs scored to avoid being shut out by the Jags is ‘something we can build from.’ Well, might be easier if the Chiefs had a running game. |
 |
26 (30) |
Bills |
1-4-0 |
The Bills fortunately have a bye week to deal with the anguish of losing a game they should’ve won. But as many big plays as Buffalo made against the Cowboys, Dick Jauron correctly pointed out that it needed just one more. |
 |
27 (27) |
Vikings |
1-3-0 |
A tough stretch awaits the Vikings coming out of their bye week. They face four consecutive playoff teams from 2006, starting with Sunday’s game at Chicago, then must travel to Green Bay in Week 10. Minnesota needs to improve in a hurry. |
 |
28 (26) |
Jets |
1-4-0 |
Is Chad Pennington on a short leash? The Jets quarterback has thrown five interceptions in the past two weeks, prompting some discussion that backup Kellen Clemens should start warming up. The Jets need a turnaround. Quick. |
 |
29 (28) |
Falcons |
1-4-0 |
Warrick Dunn is expected to reach the 10,000-yard career rushing mark this season. But at this rate, it won’t be anytime soon. He gained just 27 yards in the loss to Tennessee, giving him 9,710 for his career. |
 |
30 (29) |
Saints |
0-4-0 |
Odds are against the Saints’ returning to the playoffs this season. Since the NFL increased the playoff teams to 12 in 1990, just one team — the ’92 Chargers — has made the playoffs after an 0-4 start. |
 |
31 (32) |
Rams |
0-5-0 |
If St. Louis loses at Baltimore on Sunday, this squad will tie the ’62 Rams for the worst start (0-6) in franchise history. And 0-7 is a distinct possibility, given that the Rams must travel to Seattle in Week 7. |
 |
32 (31) |
Dolphins |
0-5-0 |
How soon will the John Beck era begin Miami? Trent Green is out, and his career might be over. Cleo Lemon is now the starter, but it’s Beck, the second-round draft pick from BYU, who’s pegged as Miami’s future QB. The future might be now. |
|
| Wednesday, October 10, 2007 |
Sunday’s game pitting the Dallas Cowboys against the visiting New England Patriots will be the early Game of the Year in the NFL.
Rare are the NFL teams that win their first five games. Rarer still is when those undefeated teams actually play each other this late in the season.
That’s why the New England-Dallas matchup Sunday at Texas Stadium will be so massively overhyped. It will be just the fifth time in NFL history — and just the third in the past 84 years — that two teams with 5-0 records or better will meet. The last time it happened was three years ago when the 5-0 Patriots met the 5-0 Jets (with New England winning 13-7).
Certainly, the outcome of Sunday’s game will shake up the top part of next week’s rankings. Of course, Cowboys QB Tony Romo did his best to wreak havoc with this week’s rankings by committing six turnovers in the near-loss at Buffalo on Monday night. But that merely adds more intrigue to Sunday’s game. Have the Cowboys and Romo gotten their bad game out of the way, or did the Bills expose a flaw that the Patriots will exploit on their way to another lopsided victory this season?
Now throw in the Randy Moss factor. In six career games against Dallas, Moss has never lost. What’s more, he seems to have made playing the Cowboys a personal vendetta. His totals in those six games: 29 catches, 675 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But with all the attention this game will get, there might be a bigger one on the horizon: On Nov. 4, New England will face Indianapolis at the RCA Dome. The Patriots could go into that game 8-0, and the Colts (who have a bye this Sunday) could be 7-0. Should that happen, it would be the biggest collision of undefeated teams in NFL history.
My wife and I are flying to Dallas to see the game. I fear that the young Cowboys will be overmatched in this one, going up a talented, veteran team.
Bill Parcells, the former Dallas coach who picked out most of the groceries on this team thinks his old defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick, will take away most of Romo’s options:
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3054986&n8pe6c=2
If Romo and company can find a way to win, it’ll be really something.
|
| Wednesday, October 10, 2007 |
A Texas Tech student designed a t-shirt using the Michael Vick controversy to make fun of the visiting Texas A&M Aggies. His school’s administration was not amused.
Texas Tech has banned the sale of a T-shirt bearing the likeness of Michael Vick hanging the dog mascot of rival Texas A&M. The red and black shirts, with text that says “VICK ‘EM” on the front in an apparent reference to the Aggies’ slogan “Gig ‘em,” was created by a Tech student who was trying to sell them before Saturday’s game in Lubbock. The back of the shirt shows a football player wearing the No. 7 Vick jersey holding a rope with an image of the mascot Reveille at the end of a noose. Vick, who faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal dogfighting charge, is suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
Tech officials late Tuesday announced the fraternity that sold the shirts was suspended temporarily and will face judicial review for allegedly violating the solicitation section of the students’ code of conduct. The school said it wouldn’t allow the sale on campus of items that are “derogatory, inflammatory, insensitive, or in such bad taste.” No more shirts are being produced, the school said in a release.
A&M officials, in a statement, thanked Tech administrators for “their response and action regarding this matter.”
Good for Texas Tech, which showed class and sensitivity here. Hopefully, they won’t overreact in their punishment of the student and/or fraternity; kids do dumb things. It’s the job of the adults running the place to help them grow up.
The ALCS will pit the Boston Red Sox against the Cleveland Indians for the honor of facing the National League Champion. Or Manny Ramirez’s current team vs. his first team.
Manny Ramirez, 16 years ago, was quite a sensation at the high school level (he played for George Washington High School in Washington Heights)and the New York Times gave him quite a bit of coverage as he was a highly regarded prospect. I suppose there was some hope he might get drafted by the Yankees and play just a few miles from his home.
Manny Ramirez, who plays center field and third base, batted .633 last season and is rated the best high school player in the city and one of the best in the country (he made USA Today’s top 25), will hit balls out of the park. He hit 16 homers last season.
His teammates say they admire Manny, the son of a cab driver, for not acting cocky. But he would like to be identified in the newspaper as the Hitman. The big-league scouts are following the Hitman; so is Washington Heights. Even the neighborhood’s greatest baseball success story — a Panamanian immigrant named Rod Carew who graduated from Washington in 1964 and was recently elected to the Hall of Fame — says he has heard of Manny Ramirez’s bat.
But the coverage continued even after he was drafted by Cleveland.
In many ways, Ramirez hasn’t left Washington Heights, the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Dominican immigrants where he rose from the Alexis Ferreira Little League to become a local hero as the star third baseman on the George Washington High School team. Last spring, with a .650 average and 14 home runs in 22 games, he was the best high school ballplayer in New York City.
Now, as the No. 1 draft pick of the Cleveland Indians, he has shown similar strengths in the Appalachian League. Batting third in the lineup, he leads the rookie league in home runs, with 14 in 49 games — including two grand slams in one week — and in runs batted in with 52.
But while the center fielder with the quicksilver swing feels at home within the confines of Burlington Athletic Stadium, the shy teen-ager from teeming, close-knit Washington Heights feels marooned here, in small-town America.
(Realizing that Manny was special, the Times followed the George Washington High School baseball team during his senior year as well as his development through the Indians’ organization.)
Manny was one of the centerpieces of a revitalized Cleveland Indians organization that was rebuilt through drafting excellent young players and retaining them. Under John Hart the team developed stars such as Ramirez, Albert Belle, Jim Thome, and Carlos Baerga, reaching the World Series twice (once in 1995 and once in 1997).
In the winter of 2000, Ramirez was lured to the Boston Red Sox as a free agent where he would become their new star. Cleveland was in decline and would start a new rebuilding era under John Hart’s successor, Mark Shapiro, which has now led the Indians back to the postseason.
Ramirez helped the Red Sox win their first World Championship in nearly a century in 2004 and, this year, to their first first place finish in nearly 20 years this year. Ramirez has been regarded as something of a flaky fellow. It was perhaps because of this perception that Boston was prepared to trade him for Alex Rodriguez prior to the 2003 season. (He still had a lot fans among his former teammates.)
By now Manny Ramirez is a great ballplayer and he’s reaching the age where a player’s skills often decline. So how does he retain his skills? Rob Bradford of Boston Herald uncovered some of his preparation in Manny has Plan.
The media, whose job it is to uncover every nook and cranny concerning each player’s makeup, is left living in the world of the fans for whom they write. This is the mystery of Manny, by all accounts one of the smartest, best-prepared hitters in the history of the game.
Few people know about the extra hand-eye coordination exercises Ramirez has added to his routine since the middle of the 2004 season. Strength and conditioning coach Dave Page fires golf ball-like spheres at the slugger’s strike zone, where they are caught by Ramirez’ right hand, acting as a bat.
Later in the workout, which is done 30 minutes before every game, Page throws four rings at Ramirez. Each ring has a different colored ball attached to it, and Page calls out the color of the ball Manny has to grab out of mid-air.
One of the toughest aspects of hitting is deciding what pitch is coming at you in a fraction of a second. So in order to maintain his skill Manny spends extra time honing that decision making. (It reminded me of Obi-Wan training Luke, without the blindfold.) It may very well be that at the end of next year, when his current contract expires, that Manny will once again be highly sought after. If so, it will be a testament, to his dedication to his job.
Friday night, the team that drafted the promising 19 year old will face the team that signed their star away. It will be the battle of Manny’s teams.
Crossposted at Soccer Dad.
|
 |
Permalink
| Send TrackBack
-
Soccer Dad linked with How manny became a jedi...
|
|
