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On Valentine’s Day, the love comes out for the greatest game in the world -
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter: “I think because everybody can relate. You don’t have to be seven feet tall; you don’t have to be a certain size to play. Baseball is up and down. I think life’s like that sometimes, you know. Back and forth, up and down, you’re going through this grind. I think people like watching it. Baseball’s like a soap opera every day.”
Ernie Banks, Cubs legend and Hall of Famer: “It’s just life. When I think about baseball, it’s just life. It’s really the way life is. It requires a lot of mental capacity to be involved in it. It creates a lot of joy for people and memories for people who follow it. It’s a family. You like it because it’s a family. You started with it and know all these people — it’s family, it’s friends, it’s fun, it’s a beautiful game. All in all, baseball is amazing.
Joel Kweskin, 56, White Sox fan based in Charlotte, N.C.: “It’s unique unto itself. Football, basketball and hockey are variations of the same concept — back and forth in a linear progression to score a goal. Baseball, however, is mapped out on the field unlike any other sport. A running back or return specialist can run 100 yards, tops; a baserunner legging out an inside-the-park homer runs 20 yards farther. Baseball is the most democratic of sports — any size can play, and because the ball is not controlled by the offense but rather the defense, every player at any given time is involved in a play. Along with the anecdotally accepted premise that hitting a pitched baseball is the single most difficult thing to do in sports, so might be fielding a 175-mph line drive or grounder down the line. I love baseball because it is the greatest game ever invented.”
Former Royals star Willie Wilson: “The first thing is, I don’t think there’s any criteria for size, so anybody can play. I think people can relate. A lot of people never played football; basketball, you’ve gotta be tall and be able to jump. But baseball is a game where you pick up a bat and a ball, and you catch it, you swing the bat and you hit the ball. Most people have played softball or some kind of baseball, so they can relate to the sport. For me, that’s why I think America just embraces baseball, man.”
Baseball Blogger Travis G.: Where to start? I think better when I make a list.
1. Players. The requirements to be a good baseball player are very undefined. You can be short, tall, thin, chunky, anything really. You name the greats and you get tall and chunky (Ruth, Ortiz), short and chunky (Yogi, Gwynn), tall and thin (Sizemore, Jeter), short and thin (Reyes, Ichiro). They may not be the best athletes (e.g. David Wells), but when they’re playing the best game in the world, who cares?
2. The Mentality. Baseball requires more intelligence than any other sport (save for NFL QB). Simply put, every hitter that steps to the plate is trying to out-think the pitcher, and vice versa. 4-5 times a game, focus has to be completely on the man in front of him. Will he throw a fastball, curve, change? If you take an at-bat (or even a pitch) off, you’re toast. Same thing with the pitcher. The only other sport that comes close is football, but mainly just for the QB. Baseball requires every single player to have good mental capacity.
3. The Field. Football, hockey, basketball and soccer all use essentially the same type of field/playing surface: a rectangle. Baseball uses a diamond. It’s not only unique in that aspect, but every single ballpark is unique amongst the sport. Each park has its own quirks and intricacies that make it special. Not a single other sport can say that. Yankee Stadium has Death Valley, the short RF porch, and the facade. Fenway has the Monster. Shea has the apple. Wrigley has the ivy-covered brick. Pac Bell (or whatever it’s called now) has the bay in RF. Houston has the hill in center. Imagine if the RCA Dome’s field was only 95 yards; that’s the equivalent of Death Valley or the Green Monster.
4. One on One. Basically the speech DeNiro makes in The Untouchables. Baseball is a team game: 25 men. But each of them takes one turn – by themself – to help the whole team. Then the next batter gets a chance. Because of the batting order, a team can’t simply send its best hitter up every at-bat. You can’t just give the ball to Jordan or Shaq (Pujols or Ortiz) every time. A team’s best hitter will get 4-5 chances a game to help his team. That’s it. You need a complete team to win.
5. Substitutions. Once a player is removed, he’s done. You can’t just sub in the best defenders when you have a lead. You can’t take out Santana for an inning because he’s tired, then re-insert him. Could you imagine the way baseball would be played if there were no substitution restrictions? It would be bedlam. Players don’t get any breaks (outside of the DH) during the game. Even late inning defensive replacements are a gamble if the trailing team comes back. And substitutions play an ever bigger role in the NL.
6. No Clock. No running out the clock. It doesn’t matter what inning and what score it is, you still need 27 outs to complete the game. There’s no easy way to ‘seal’ a win. You still have to face every batter, and record every out.
7. History. When Japanese kamikaze pilots flew their planes into American ships, they would often yell ‘Fuck Babe Ruth!’ No other American sport has the history baseball does. Some of the most iconic figures in our culture are Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Ripken, McGwire, Bonds, Aaron, Clemens, Jeter. It’s goes all the way back to the 1830′s. The ‘Junior Circuit’ (AL) had been going strong for over 45 years before the NBA ever started. The Yankees had already won 20 World Series before the first Super Bowl was ever played. I just love that feeling of history when I watch a game.
8. Summer. What better sport to exemplify the feeling of summer than baseball. The only summer sport we have. Warm weather, kids are out of school; remember the day games with your dad, drinking a soda, eating a hot dog? No other sport lets you enjoy the weather. Hockey and basketball are indoors. And the football season lasts from September to February, nuff said.
9. Connection. This ain’t football where the most ardent fans get to see a maximum of just 24 games (including the pre and post-season). Baseball is 3 hours a day, 6 days a week for 6 months. You get a minimum of 162 games. That’s double basketball and hockey, and 10 times that of football. Not only do you get to see your ‘guys’ 162 times a season, but you actually feel close to them. They’re not wearing masks to cover their faces (football, hockey), so you see (and often share) their reactions and emotions. You don’t get that feeling of ‘closeness’ from other sports. And then when you add the fact that baseball plays 162 games, it’s easy to understand where the connection comes from. When the season is over, it’s like you not seeing your family for 5 months.
10. Home-field Advantage. Having the home team hit in the bottom of each inning assures that every team, every season (even Kansas City) will have its share of thrilling, bottom of the whatever, walk-off wins. It’s nothing like football where you squib kick it or have the QB kneel down, or in basketball where you dribble out the clock or foul the opponent 10 times.
Your thoughts?
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| Monday, February 12, 2007 |
This and next month, Outside the Beltway Sports will be taking a trip around the Major Leagues profiling the 30 major league teams. We begin today with the defending Champions.
St. Louis Cardinals
Last season: 83-78 First Place NL Central, Won World Series 4-1 over Detroit
Manager: Tony Larussa
Meet the new guys
RP Ryan Franklin, 2B Adam Kennedy, RP Russ Springer, SP Kip Wells, RF/1B Eli Marrero
Gone and hardly remembered
SP Jason Marquis (to Chicago Cubs), RP Jorge Sosa (to NY Mets), SP Jeff Suppan (to Milwaukee), SP Jeff Weaver (to Seattle), SS Jose Vizcaino (Free Agent), 2B Ronnie Belliard (Free Agent)
And now your starting lineup
- SS David Eckstein
- LF Chris Duncan
- 1B Albert Pujols
- 3B Scott Rolen
- CF Jim Edmonds
- RF Juan Encarnacion
- 2B Adam Kennedy
- C Yadier Molina
- Pitcher
Bench
OF Preston Wilson
OF So Taguchi
1B/3B Scott Spiezio
IF Aaron Miles
C Gary Bennett
The lineup is pretty very good. Eckstein is a steady table setter. The modest power punch is gone, but he gets on base at an acceptable clip and does not hurt the team in the field. Duncan, Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds can all thump the ball. Encarnacion’s on-base skills are lacking, but has enough pop in the bat to drive in some runs with the tablesetters in place. Adam Kennedy has a little more pop and a little less discipline than Eckstein and Yadier Molina is unacceptable any way you slice it.
Off the bench, So Taguchi is a good role player, but should not get the nearly 350 plate appearances he got last season. Scott Spiezio has nice pop off the bench and is a useful reserve. Preston Wilson redicovered his power stroke when he came to St. Louis, but struggled making contact and getting on base. At this point he is a useful spare part, most of the time and a hopelessly futile out the remainder of the time. Miles’ defense elevates him slightly above replacement level. Bennett defines replacement level.
Rotation
- Cris Carpenter
- Mark Mulder
- Anthony Reyes
- Kip Wells
- Adam Wainwright
- Ryan Franklin
Bullpen
Closer Jason Isringhausen
Randy Flores
Josh Hancock
Ricardo Rincon
Russ Springer
Braden Looper
The pitching staff does not have the same level of acceptable competence. Cris Carpenter is excellent. And Mark Mulder, if healthy can be quite effective. After that, the Cardinals are piecing together a rotation after the devastating defections of Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver and Jason Marquis. Anthony Reyes has carried the tag of can’t miss prospect for awhile. His K rates and walk rates were always good in the minor leagues. If his low walk rates can carry over to the bigs, which they haven’t yet, then he should be a solid middle of the rotation starter. Wells, Wainwright and Franklin are below average innings eaters. Those are okay on a team with a very good offense. The Cardinal offense is better than average, but not very good.
In the pen, it’s a little better, but not by much. If healthy, Isringhausen is effective closing down the game. Flores, Hancock, Rincon, Springer and Looper are okay at getting to Isringhausen, but are nothing like the more impressive bullpen in Queens or the one that the Braves are putting together in Atlanta. They will leak out a few games here and there. But they will steal a few here and there too.
Help is on the way…
Top prospect Colby Rasmus has been in the Cardinals system for two years. He’s a toolsy outfielder with nice speed, decent power and plenty of room to fill out his six-foot-one frame. Like most tools first players, he is very hit or miss. His Rookie ball and A ball results were solid hits. Advanced A though presented some problems. Fielding questions may push him to a corner, where he’d need a power surge to contribute as a regular. He’s still at least two or three years away. Repeating High A with a midseason promotion to Double A would be completely in order for him.
Other prospects who may be called on
None really. The rest of the Cardinals top prospects are also far away from the Majors. Cardinals GM Walt Jockety has typically used top prospects to acquire major league ready talent and the Cardinal development system is not inspiring. A number of last year’s Baseball America top ten prospects slipped out of the top ten, replaced by prospects who had not been previously noticed or ’06 draft picks. It is just as likely that St. Louis turns a prospect like Josh Kinney or Mark McCormick for a retread starter like Carl Pavano or Byung-Hyun Kim. Farm Director Jeff Lunhow has run the last two drafts and now controls the entire farm system. That may yield more talent.
Outlook
The success of the Cardinals last year was in overcoming adversity and getting hot in October. This team has too many holes to count on a post season appearance in 2007. But they cannot be counted out either. As improved as Chicago is, they are not run away division winners, either. The Astros and the Reds and the Brewers should all contend as well. How St. Louis does depends largely on Albert Pujols and his bat. The best hitter in baseball and one of America’s newest citizens carries the offense of his club. Albert can count on another good year, and if he stays healthy, that’s worth another couple of wins for the Cards. Besides Carpenter, who is capable of winning twenty games, the staff will be baling wire, bubble gum and duct tape for April and May. But once they get their legs underneath them, they should settle in. I do not expect a successful title defense, but they can make the playoffs, where it is anyone’s ballgame.
Predicted finish: 88-74 First place in a close NL Central race.
Albert Pujols has become a U.S. Citizen and he apparently prepared for the test like it was a World Series Game:
The St. Louis Cardinals’ star became a U.S. citizen Wednesday during a ceremony at the Eagleton Courthouse. Pujols’ wife, Deidre, arranged to have about two dozen relatives and friends watch U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber swear in Pujols.
Chester Moyer, the officer in charge of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service office in St. Louis, said Thursday that Deidre Pujols served as her husband’s tutor. Moyer said the 27-year-old Pujols spent about a year preparing for the citizenship exam.
“He even answered a bunch of additional questions and gave us more answers than we asked,” Moyer said. “He clenched his fist and said, ‘I got 100 percent!’
“He just had a grin from ear to ear,” Moyer said. “He was thrilled to become a citizen.”
Its no surprise given to competitive nature of many athletes, but it is always nice to see a story of who really values becoming a citizen and takes it seriously.
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — David Wells is all but penciled in as the No. 5 starter for his hometown San Diego Padres.
The Padres and Wells’ agent agreed in principle Friday to a $3 million, one-year deal that gives the 43-year-old left-hander the chance to make another $4 million in incentives.
Padres general manager Kevin Towers said the two sides need to finalize some contract language and Wells must pass a physical. He expects the deal to be finalized by Monday or Tuesday.
Wells’ agent, Gregg Clifton, said the deal was 98-percent done, but that he needed to talk with his client one more time.
Wells’ return comes a little more than a month after the Padres signed 40-year-old Greg Maddux to a $10 million, one-year deal.
Wells will anchor a rotation that includes Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Clay Hensley and Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner.
“I think it’ll give us one of our better pitching staffs probably since 1998, with a great blend of experience as well as young starters,” Towers said.
With Kevin Brown as their ace in 1998, the Padres reached the World Series before being swept by Wells’ New York Yankees. Wells won Game 1 at Yankee Stadium.
“It also gives us a left-hander, which we think was much-needed,” Towers said. “In talking to him last Thursday, I think this guy is dedicated and focused, somebody who can put together a good season for us.”
The Padres obtained Wells from Boston for the stretch run on Aug. 31. He went 1-2 with a 3.49 ERA in five starts for the two-time NL West champions before losing Game 2 of the division series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Wells said then he was leaning toward retirement, adding that it would take a “stupid” offer in terms of money for him to come back.
Besides his $3 million in base pay, Wells can earn $1 million in active roster bonuses, meaning he must avoid time on the disabled list, and another $3 million based on making starts 11 through 27.
When Wells pitched for the Padres in 2004, he earned $1.25 million in base pay plus $4.75 million in bonuses for making 31 starts.
Including his 2-0 loss to the Cardinals in October, Wells is 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 27 career postseason appearances, including 17 starts. He’s been to the World Series three times, winning it with Toronto in 1992 and the Yankees in 1998.
In a big league career dating to 1987, he is 230-148 with a 4.07 ERA with Toronto, Detroit, Cincinnati, Baltimore, the Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Boston and San Diego.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
The San Diego Padres are going to boast one of the best rotations in the entire Majors next year. Wells will join a staff that was already a top 10 rotation going into the season. The Rotation will look something like this:
1. Jake Peavy RHP
2. Chris Young RHP
3. Greg Maddux RHP
4. David Wells LHP
5. Clay Hensley RHP
I believe the 1-3 spots will each win atleast 45 games combined and as many as 55 combined. Add Wells and Hensley to those and you could see a rotation with possibly 70-75 combined wins.
This deal is neither a big one or a small one. It’s a low risk-medium or higher reward. A win-win situation for the Padres as long as Wells stays healthy.
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| Wednesday, January 17, 2007 |
President Bush sees some parallels between himself and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, Ken Herman reports.
 “They say in baseball, you know, in order to become the World Series champ you can’t have losing streaks of over two or three games. This club had losing streaks of one eight-game streak, another eight-game losing streak and a seven-game losing streak,†Bush said, “which really speaks to the character of the baseball team, doesn’t it?â€
“When you’re on one of those losing streaks, it’s easy to get down and to forget, you know, the goal,†said Bush, who periodically reminds the nation of his goals in Iraq.
Of course, slumps that last three years are pretty hard to overcome.
Peter Gammons
After weeks of speculation, Mark Mulder has finally decided where he will pitch next season.
ESPN’s Peter Gammons reported Wednesday that Mulder will return to the St. Louis Cardinals. The guaranteed deal is for two years and $13 million; if he makes 30 starts in 2007 and 2008, incentives can make the deal worth three years and $45 million.
Last month, Mulder’s agent told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the left-hander had narrowed his choices to the Cardinals, Indians and Texas Rangers.
“[Indians GM] Mark Shapiro does a great job selling what the Cleveland Indians have to offer,” agent Gregg Clifton told the Plain Dealer. “I think he’s in a good spot to get Mulder to come to Cleveland.”
Mulder, 29, is recovering from rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder. He was 6-7 in 17 starts last season for the Cardinals before having surgery. He has a career record of 103-57 and a 4.11 ERA in seven major-league seasons with the Cardinals and Oakland Athletics.
Well, it only took a couple of hours to come to a decision. Mark Mulder decides St. Louis. Good move on both sides. Great move by St. Louis if Mulder returns to form.
According to the Dallas Mornining News, Mulder has all the information about the three teams still in the running: Texas, Cleveland, and St. Louis. He plans to decide where he will play within the next 48 hours.
Mulder’s agent, Gregg Clifton, said all three clubs have offered similar two-year, incentive-laden contracts that could be potentially worth around $18 million.
“It’s not about money now because the offers are basically the same,” Clifton told the newspaper. “Mark has to make a baseball decision. There are many different factors he has to consider, and he wants to take his time and think it through.”
I personally think this puts Texas out of the running. Mulder is making a baseball decision, not a money decision. That is why I think he will kick Texas off his list. Texas offers him the worst ballpark to pitch in of the three teams and the worst chance of the three teams to make it to the playoffs.
Cleveland is looking to be a great destination. Their park leans slighty towards a pitcher’s park but some would consider it neutral and Cleveland has a great offense and an incredible rotation. They also have a tough division that will be up for grabs by 4 teams.
St. Louis is another great pick. He’s fimiliar with the team, city, and coaches. The park is smaller than that of Cleveland’s but the defense behind him is slightly better. St. Louis’ offense is also good but not as good as Clevelands. He would also get to stay in the National League if he chooses St. Louis. That would eliminate the DH from the lineup.
I would chose Cleveland myself. They offer him the best chance of rotaion protection and their offense is young and explosive. Not to mention that the defense is better with the addition if Josh Barfield at 2B. We have 48 hours to wait on a decision, but if I were a Texas fan I wouldn’t bet any money on this.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Mark Mulder’s agent, Gregg Clifton, could speak with the Cardinals as soon as Thursday, giving them a chance to re-sign the left-hander, who is considering offers from Texas and Cleveland.
The Rangers and the Indians have reportedly offered Mulder two-year deals. The Cardinals made a one-year offer with an option before Christmas.
“We’ve kept the Cardinals in the mix every step of the way and this is kind of stepping up, heating up in the last week,” Clifton told the Post-Dispatch. “Mark would like to make a decision, but we wanted to wait for the Cardinals.”
The deals from Texas and Cleveland are believed to guarantee Mulder, who’s coming off rotator-cuff surgery, about what he made in 2006, about $7.75 million, and they are laced with incentives, reports the Post-Dispatch.
If the salary numbers are true then this could end up as a horrible deal or a stroke of genius. If Mulder returns to form and posts a 12-7, 11-7, heck even a 10-8 record this could be a bargain. But if he goes 4-5 or gets injured again then this is a big bust.
Any deal for Mulder will most likely be for 2 years, allowing the signing team the possibility of a healthy Mulder for an entire season. Whoever lands Mulder will land a good pitcher in my opinion. I think he can return to form and hit the free agent market in 2 years and command big bucks!
A company that scans people’s brains peered into a 1998 baseball. They conclude Mark McGuire wasn’t the only one juiced when he hit 70 home runs:
A company that uses computer imaging claims baseballs had a larger rubberized core and a synthetic rubber ring in 1998, including the ball Mark McGwire hit for his 70th homer.
Universal Medical Systems Inc. said Wednesday that with the assistance of Dr. Avrami S. Grader and Dr. Philip M. Halleck from The Center for Quantitative Imaging at Penn State, it took images of 1998 baseballs.
“Examining the CT images of Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball one can clearly see the synthetic ring around the core — or ‘pill’ — of the baseball,” UMS president David Zavagno said. “While Mark McGwire may or may not have used illegal steroids, the evidence shows his ball — under the governing body of the league — was juiced.”
But Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer, said the core of the ball has been unchanged for decades. Rawlings has been the exclusive supplier of baseballs to the major leagues since 1977.
“All of our balls are subject to rigorous quality control standards and testing conducted by Rawlings,” DuPuy said. “No changes have been made to the core of the ball through the entire time they have manufactured it.”
Pete Rose endorses Mark McGwire for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The kiss of death?
CINCINNATI – Pete Rose thinks Mark McGwire should be in baseball’s Hall of Fame, and hasn’t given up hope that he’ll get there someday, too.
Baseball’s banished hits king said Tuesday that McGwire, who is on the ballot for the first time, ought to be voted in despite his refusal to discuss steroids. Rose isn’t eligible for the ballot because of his lifetime ban for gambling.
Rose made the case for McGwire by noting that baseball didn’t crack down on steroids until after the 2002 season, by which time McGwire had retired.
McGwire hit a then-record 70 homers in 1998, when his race with Sammy Sosa to top Roger Maris’ record drew huge crowds and helped the game reshape its image after labor strife.
“Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, I think they kind of saved the game in (1998) with the home run contest,” Rose said. “That home run derby kind of brought baseball back.”
True but if McGwire used drugs to assist him to get that record, why should the Hall of Fame award him for his cheating? Does integrity and playing by the rales mean anything to Rose or McGwire?
As for the HOF and Pete Rose.
Rose said he hasn’t lost hope.
“Sure I’d like to go into the Hall of Fame,” he said. “More important to me, I’d like to be back in the game. I’m a teacher of the game.”
Rose thinks that if baseball ever reinstated him, some owner would hire him as manager.
“I’m sure there are always going to be things about what I did in the past, but I’m not concerned about that,” Rose said.
What drugs is Rose taking? No one will ever hire him to hire in the Majors again. Besides the gambling baggage Rose posesses, there is the fact that few ML teams hire managers who are in their sixties. Pete will turn 66 next April.
Keep dreaming Pete.
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