Jun 13
JonathanSports baseball
As I woke up, full of joy on June 13th, with my Boston Red Sox enjoying a 9 ½ game lead over the soap opera that is the 2007 New York Yankees (despite their 10-2 run to the .500 mark in the past 2 weeks,) I realized that something isn’t quite right. Now, I know, being a New England baseball fan, that I am prone to panic and fear that somehow the Yankees will come back and take the division title again, just like they did in 2005 after an 11-19 start. I’m thrilled to be so far ahead and I don’t think it’s 1978, and while I fear choking up a big lead, that’s not what’s throwing me off. And no, I’m not one of the pathetic fans who thinks it’s only fun when the battle between the two teams is a tight race. I’d laugh myself silly if the Yankees could go back to the team from a couple weeks ago that was falling apart at the seams. A 30-game lead by Labor Day sounds just peachy to me. What’s wrong here is that, though there was supposed to be a lot more, there just aren’t a lot of good major league baseball teams this year.
For starters, 2007 was supposed to be a revival of power in the American League East, the division considered the best in baseball only a few years ago. Toronto, fresh off their first finish in a decade higher than 3rd place, added a big bat in Frank Thomas, and continued to increase payroll to compete with the big boys from the Big Apple and the Bay State. Baltimore was a trendy pick to surprise some folks after spending on the pitching staff. But, here we are in mid-June and not a single team, other than the Red Sox at an impressive 41-22, is above the break-even mark (damn the Yankees for winning Tuesday night and reaching 31-31!) The mediocre records don’t even tell the story of the lifeless seasons put in so far by Toronto, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay.
Out in the National League, it’s even worse. The two best teams appear to be the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres. Of course, both teams, entering Wednesday’s play, have lost 4 games in a row and share a 36-27 record, far from dominating even their uninspiring NL competition. The Padres boast good pitching with Jake Peavy and Greg Maddux guiding the rotation and they have the best bullpen ERA in the game, but they are very limited at the plate. The Mets might be the closest thing to a balanced team, boasting a powerhouse lineup with David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran, that will only get better when Carlos Delgado gets hot. With Tom Glavine, Oliver Perez, and John Maine, they look strong in the starting rotation. But, other than Glavine, no starter has any proven track record. And good friend Pedro Martinez remains on the shelf while he recovers from surgery.
Beyond New York and San Diego, it’s a real crapshoot in the NL. Wait, I mean crapfest. Seriously, who else would you be scared to see in the opposing dugout on any given night? Look no further than the NL Central. Even the Cinderella-rags-to-riches-feel-good-out-of-nowhere-Chariots-Of-Fire team of the year (or at least of April), the Milwaukee Brewers, have come spiraling down to earth and are now the owners of a 34-30 record. That puts them 7 ½ games behind the Red Sox. Of course, in their division, it puts them 5 ½ games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals (last year’s World Series Champion Cardinals, mind you) for 1st place. That’s right, being 4 games over .500 leaves them as runaway leaders in the worst division in baseball where the 2nd place teams are each 7 games below .500. Not a single team in the division broke even in the month of May.
Even the current best division in baseball, the American League Central, is off its game. While we knew Kansas City would comfortably lounge in the basement yet again (and they have…I think they’ve redecorated down there, added a couch, a TV, really made it livable so they could stay for the long haul,) the other four were all thought to be championship-caliber teams. The Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers have both looked good (though the Indians have lost 3 straight and 7 of 10,) and mostly lived up to expectations, but the Minnesota Twins have floundered and sit at 31-31, needing back to back wins just to get there. The Chicago White Sox, meanwhile, are falling apart. Manager Ozzie Guillen was angry that they were broadcast nationally on ESPN this past Sunday because he said he didn’t want everyone to see how bad they are. Having lost 8 of 10 and sitting 9 games out of 1st place, I’d say that’s about right.
Even the Red Sox, with the best record in baseball, have holes on their roster that haven’t cost them many games just yet, partly because other teams simply have more holes themselves. But, the good news is that baseball is still baseball and, unlike the other major sports, the worst teams will beat the best teams somewhat frequently, so there will always be more parity and more competitive games than in the NBA and even the NFL. But, for me, it’s a little disappointing that while there are as many unbelievable individual players as ever, most teams just aren’t very well constructed and aren’t performing the way good teams should. Of course, I say that in June. We’ll see what tune I’m singing in October.
More Notes from the Cheap Seats
As we head down the first stretch, 60+ games into the season, the Texas Rangers appear to be ahead by a nose in the horse race for the worst debacle of a baseball season. Standing at 23-41, they own the worst record in the league, edging out the Kansas City Royals. Not even a hot start from Sammy Sosa could avert this train wreck. Sosa, meanwhile, has reverted to the Sosa of 2005 after looking like the Sosa of 1998 throughout April. He’s been stuck on 10 home runs, 598 for his career, for weeks, though his RBI total of 46 is still very impressive. Come on Griffey, you can catch him!
Speaking of Griffey, he’s been one of very few bright spots on a disappointing Cincinnati Reds team that owns a record of 26-39. His 15 home runs and Josh Hamilton’s solid performance in his first big-league season after years of drug problems are about the only things worth watching on this team. That and maybe watching to see if Adam Dunn will strike out 200 times this season. He already has 85. But, weak hitting and bad pitching have sunk this team early and now there are even talks of Griffey being traded. When your “ace” pitcher is Bronson Arroyo (does anyone know if he still has the white guy dreadlocks?) who is a solid 2 wins and 7 losses with a 5 ERA, you know it’s going to be a long summer.
This last spot was reserved for our beloved New York Yankees, but unfortunately they are on a 7 game winning streak, Roger Clemens has returned, Bobby Abreu is hitting like A-Rod and A-Rod is still hitting like A-Rod. All that said, they just reached the .500 mark, so are still far under-performing for the year. But, anyone who didn’t think this team would go on at least one of these runs was caught in some sort of delusional euphoria. I’m hopeful that their age catches up with them again in the dog days of summer, but they look strong now. That better happen because the Yankees fans are already insufferable and the team is still a mile from first place. Just imagine if this thing gets closer come fall.
Jun 06
JonathanSports baseball
Scribbles in the Notepad
So, the Red Sox bailed on Johnny Damon, which now looks wise, and traded Edgar Renteria to Atlanta, which now looks stupid, for Andy Marte. Then, they traded the highly-touted prospect Andy Marte to Cleveland, which now looks wise, for Coco Crisp, which now looks stupid. So, in the end, they’re not paying $13 million per year for Damon, but they are paying a part of Renteria’s salary while he hits over .300 for the Braves. And Coco Crisp remains an absolute disaster at the plate. Though he’s made several brilliant diving catches, he’s gone from a leadoff hitter to a #2 hitter to an 8th spot hitter, to an afterthought. Minus one point for Theo Epstein on this one.
Gary Sheffield, king of misery, not a week from volunteering to befriend thug and criminal Elijah Dukes (who threatened to kill his wife and kids on a voicemail), gave an interview where he essentially stereotyped blacks, whites, and Hispanics, managing the difficult achievement of disparaging all three groups. Calling whites in management bigoted, Hispanics easily controlled and servile, and blacks angry and out of control, his logical next step is to remind us all yet again that the world is out to get him. This despite a $13 million per year salary guaranteed for the next few years, until he’s 40 years old. I can’t wait until he retires.
Is there any pitcher who is more fun to watch on the mound when he’s on his game, but more annoying to listen to whenever he opens his mouth than Pedro Martinez? Maybe Randy Johnson, but I’ll get to him later. Rehabbing a surgically-repaired shoulder, Martinez threw from a mound for the first time this week. Prior to that, he announced that he would be better than Roger Clemens and taunted the baseball world with his giant ego again. It was nice not to hear from him for a few months. He’s not even pitching and he’s already talking. Curt Schilling has been supplanted. Meet the new Red Light.
Most people don’t realize that the all-time saves leader in Major League Baseball is Trevor Hoffman, who is still pitching effectively and closing games for the San Diego Padres at age 39. He’s been at it since 1993. He just got his 499th save on Tuesday, his 17th of the year. He has never quite received the same recognition as other closers due to being on the west coast, not having an overpowering fastball (his big out pitch is a devastating change-up), and having limited postseason exposure. But, he’s one of the best and is on the brink of being the first ever to 500 saves.
Also thriving in San Diego, Jake Peavy has returned from a subpar year in 2006 to post a 7-1 record so far, with an invisible 1.68 ERA. At only 26, now he’s back to being considered one of the best in the National League. He’s dominated NL hitters, striking out 92 in 80 innings and allowing only a single home run this year. He’s the fashionable pick as the early Cy Young leader.
The past month has filled me anew with a sense of false hope that maybe Barry Bonds‘ body will break down and he just won’t hit those last 10 home runs he needs to break Hank Aaron’s record of 755. Bonds has struggled mightily of late, hitting only one homer in the 30 days. He also sat out Tuesday night’s game with shin splints. Though it looked like he would be knocking on the door by now, having hit 11 homers by May 8th, he has fallen on hard times. And let me just say, it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Okay, I am from Boston and even I think it’s enough of the Red Sox-Yankees games! The ridiculous 2007 schedule saw the two teams play 12 times in the first 55 games. That leaves only 6 games for the remaining 2/3 of the season. With a big Boston lead and a disastrous New York season so far (it is not over, so don’t bother saying so), it’s made these games even less interesting. And since each one tends to last almost 4 hours, it’s downright exhausting, just way too much for two months. And we haven’t played a single game against the Devil Rays yet. So, at least we have 19 of those to look forward to.
By your 60′s, we all hope we will have acquired a little more wisdom and developed a little more dignity than Lou Piniella has. This past weekend, he went on another one of his patented tirades, screaming in the face of an umpire, kicking dirt on him, storming around the diamond, and getting perilously close to a coronary attack. Does anyone else think it looked exactly like some footage of him from 20 years ago? Lou, grow up. This screaming, kicking, whining, surly bastard act is really old.
Chase Utley, second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, is the best player you’ve never heard of (though if you’re a devout baseball fan, you’ve definitely heard a lot about him.) While he’s nowhere close to a household name, he’s the best second baseman in all of baseball. Currently, he has 11 homers and 47 RBI, on a pace to drive in more than 130. He’s coming off back to back 100 RBI seasons, including a 2006 where he hit over .300 and slugged more than 30 homers.
Don’t look now, but the other incredibly irritating but fabulously entertaining pitcher is back on track. At 74 years old (or at least looking it), Randy Johnson is back pitching with authority in the NL, logging 61 strikeouts in 47 innings with a 3.78 ERA. He’s been dominating at times. He just passed Roger Clemens for 2nd all time in strikeouts. With all the Yankees’ pitching troubles so far this year, you have to wonder, why can’t they get guys like that?
The senior citizen injuries really just keep coming for the poor, poor, rich Yankees. Best buddies Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens both hit snags this week. Pettitte left the game against the Red Sox after suffering back spasms. Pitching well so far this year, Andy says his back feels better and he’s going to try to make his start this Friday. Beware the recurring back problems. And beware the recurring groin problems (no, not A-Rod). The Rocket had to further postpone his dramatic return after suffering from what he termed a “fatigued groin” (I said this isn’t about A-Rod!) a term none of us have ever heard before. He’s had groin injuries many times over the past half dozen years. We’ll have to see if this one lingers or if he and good pal Pettitte can stay healthy the rest of the way. What are the odds?
Jun 04
JonathanSports baseball
On Monday night, several teams hit the 81 game mark of the baseball season. The Red Sox and Angels lead the way in winning percentage, as they have for well over a month, both on pace for about 100 wins apiece. Boston has been floundering of late, going 13-14 in June. Cleveland, only a game off the pace, has been hot the last week, but despite their potent lineup, doesn’t match the pitching of the other two.
Los Angeles of Anaheim, like the Red Sox, have been hovering at about 20 games over .500 for weeks, but they are still my choice for the best team of the first half. The Angels have a solid lineup, with Vladimir Guerrero and Orlando Cabrera having strong seasons, but they dominate on the mound, which is what matters most come October. With a pitching staff that includes John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Bartolo Colon in the rotation, and Francisco Rodriguez and Scot Shields in the bullpen, they will hard to beat in a short series.
Who will dominate the second half? Well, I may be biased to suggest it, but I think the Red Sox have a good chance of putting up the best record, and not because I think they will be the best team. It’s their schedule. Tuesday night is their first game of the season against the widely-heralded Tampa Bay Devil Rays, meaning that 18 of the final 81 games are to be played against the perennial cellar-dwellers. Sprinkle in about a dozen remaining with the Orioles, a few each with the Royals and White Sox, and even those few series with the Indians and Angels don’t seem so scary. In all, about half of those remaining 81 games will be played against AL East teams not named the Yankees. That bodes well, even if Julio Lugo is hitting .154 by then and if Alex Rodriguez still has more homers than David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez combined. Unfortunately for the Indians, Tigers, and Angels, the Central and West divisions are too strong, and they spend too much time playing each other during the dog days while the Boston boys will be racking up frequent flier miles to Baltimore and St. Petersburg, Florida.
In the NL, the same unfair advantage seems to go to the Cinderella story of the year, the Milwaukee Brewers. Looking at what lies ahead, there’s an awful lot of Cincinnati, Houston, and Pittsburgh on their calendar. Mix in some struggling St. Louis and a series with Washington and they, too, are in good shape. Just like the Red Sox enjoy the good fortune of playing in a weak AL East, the NL Central doesn’t have much to show beyond the Brewers. San Diego may have the league’s best pitching, but there are too many games left with the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks, and a strong-hitting Rockies team. The strength of the NL West will cost the Padres in the final three months.
The two best pitching stories of the first half will turn into the battle for AL Cy Young award in the second half. CC Sabathia and Josh Beckett, two men that had been “future aces” for half a dozen years each, have both finally started to live up to their potential. After a strong rookie season in 2001, Sabathia was little more than a strong contributing starter from 2002-2006, unable to take the next step towards dominance. But, in 2007, he already has 12 wins and only 2 losses and is certainly the best choice as the All-Star starting pitcher. Just behind him, mainly due to two poor outings in the past couple weeks, is Josh Beckett. Thought to be the next Roger Clemens when the Marlins drafted him in 1999, Beckett struggled with injury and inconsistency over four plus years in Miami before coming to Boston in 2006. Though he won 16 games, many were the result of high run support. His 5.01 ERA screamed mediocrity. But, this year he looks like a completely different pitcher. He shows poise, confidence, and maturity on the mound and, with 11 wins and 2 losses, has featured a knee-buckling curveball more often, allowing him to punctuate at bats with his 97 mph fastball. He’s shown himself to be a prime Cy Young contender.
The obvious offensive story of the year so far is Alex Rodriguez, who got off to a scalding start with 14 homers in April. He still leads the league in home runs and RBIs, but his pace has slowed to merely unbelievable from previous levels of inhuman. But, to me, there are two other amazing stories. In Milwaukee, Prince Fielder has launched himself into the stratosphere of sluggers and, though few people realize it, is only 1 home run behind Rodriguez for the Major League lead.
My favorite story, however, is Ichiro Suzuki. Coming up on his first shot at free agency in the U.S. (Theo Epstein better be at the All-Star game reeling off all the Japanese culture we’ve developed this year in Boston!) Ichiro has been on fire of late and is doing what he seems to do every year: he’s hitting nearly .370. With over 120 hits this year, he’s on pace to rack up well over 200 hits again, a number he has reached each of his six previous seasons in the league. Amazingly, Ichiro already has 1,475 hits in MLB. Adding his 1,278 from his seven plus seasons in Japan, where he racked up a .353 average (he’s at .333 in the U.S.,) he has over 2,750 total hits. He’s only 33 and still at the very top of his game. Most hitters don’t get to 3,000 before age 40. He’ll do it in 2008. He’s a good candidate to reach 3,000 hits in the U.S. alone and it’s a distinct possibility that, if you combine his Japanese and American totals, he might eclipse Pete Rose’s untouchable record of 4,256, a feat that, until now, would have seemed impossible for any mere mortal to even consider. If he keeps up his current hitting, which would be highly unlikely, he’d pass Rose in 2014 at age 40.
From the Cheap Seats
On my favorites from the first half
It’s time for yet another few words of praise for Ken Griffey Jr. At midseason, Griffey is 3rd in the NL in home runs with 22. He led the NL in All-Star votes this year with just under 3 million. There’s nothing better, in the season with Bonds and Sosa milestones, than for Griffey to reclaim his throne as the face of the game. It won’t happen in Cincinnati, but nothing would make me happier than to see Griffey accept a trade to a contender and take the field this coming October in the playoffs for the first time since 1995.
Frank Thomas, while the owner of a reputation for being surly, is another player who has earned every single one of his 501 homers. One of very few early critics of steroids in baseball (easy to do when you’re 280 pounds of muscle and have been since playing tight end in college,) Thomas is another who was dominant in the 90′s but faded in popularity during several years of injury. He’s still one of the most powerful bats in the league and incredibly fun to watch. He’s so big, it looks like he’s swinging a chop stick at the plate.
Matt Holliday of the Rockies now leads the National League in batting average at just under .350. If you’re not a big baseball fan, you don’t even know who he is, but he’s a great hitter. How does it work like that? How come there are a few players who, despite incredible statistics, just don’t get known? Well, for whatever that reason, here’s to other perennial stars who just aren’t quite stars; Michael Young, Chase Utley, Victor Martinez, and Joe Nathan.
May 16
JonathanSports baseball, Free Agency
This past off-season, the booze was flowing and the music was blaring. Baseball’s general managers made the winter of 2006-2007 into their very own raucous casino, placing bet after enormous bet on free-agent pitchers, infielders, relievers, you name it. I think I described it at the time as the end of the world. Sparing no expense, baseball took inflation levels back to the late 1970′s (long gas lines, 15% interest rates, stagflation… anybody?) Completely ordinary big league players signed for twice their anticipated price and their previously assessed value. We knew at the time that there would be some winners and some losers, even though many of us still can’t imagine how some of those players will possibly live up to their bloated contracts.
Time after time this past winter, fans rolled their eyes, but the marketplace spoke clearly; it was Rain Man in Vegas. They just felt like they couldn’t lose. So, each GM announced signings with confidence and excitement. Well, how is it going so far? After a quarter of the season, it’s time to check back with the free-wheeling gamblers and big-spenders from the off-season and see how some of those expensive bets are paying off through the first 40 games.
Gil Meche: Kansas City Royals, 5 years at $55 million
So, who’s laughing now, punks? Dayton Moore, Royals GM, was ridiculed when he signed Meche, a career .500 pitcher, for so much money. I admit that I identified the deal as one sign of the apocalypse. But, let’s compare his start to the other big pitching free agents. Meche is 3-1 and second in the American League with a 1.91 ERA. He has been brilliant. He leads the league in innings pitched, pitching at least 6 innings in every single one of his 9 starts. That beeping you hear is the sound of every single big mouth baseball writer backing away from their pre-season comments.
Carlos Lee: Houston Astros, 6 years at $100 million
In another signing I thought was insane, Carlos Lee has started off his Astros career with a bang. Leading the National League with 37 RBI, he’s earning his money so far. Lee also has 9 home runs and is hitting .336, which is good for 6th in the league. For a guy that seemed like a glorified DH with one or two good seasons under his belt, he certainly is playing like a premier slugger in the National League.
Alfonso Soriano: Chicago Cubs, 8 years $136 million
After a slow start, Soriano has hit a little better of late. He’s suffering from a hamstring injury that’s bothered him most of the season. At this point, his .301 average with 4 homers and only 8 RBI are well short of expectations. He’s a contender for the Bust of the Year award if he doesn’t pick it up during the summer months.
J.D. Drew: Boston Red Sox, 5 years at $70 million
Drew is incredibly lucky that the Red Sox have played so well in April and May. If they hadn’t, he’d already be getting pelted with boos and booze at Fenway Park. After a hot first few games that placated fans who didn’t like the Sox signing him to such a large deal in the first place, Drew has been terrible at the plate for the past month. He’s now hitting .250 with only 2 home runs while batting in the 5 spot in the powerful Boston lineup. After hurtling himself into the right field fence on Tuesday night, Drew may need some time to heal. There’s an outside chance he’ll head to the D.L. What a surprise that would be.
Jason Schmidt: Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 years at $47 million
Wait, did I say Soriano was a candidate for Bust of the Year? Never mind. Right now, it’s Jason Schmidt in a landslide. The Dodgers, looking for an ace, signed an injury-prone 34 year-old instead. And they are paying him a fortune for the next 3 years. They’ll be lucky if they get a Pavano-like half dozen wins out of the deal at this pace. Schmidt has thrown only 3 games, pitching terribly in that time, logging a 7.36 ERA and a 1-2 record. On the bright side, he pitched off a mound on Tuesday in his effort to rehabilitate his injured shoulder. So, he may be back in a game by July.
Barry Zito: San Francisco Giants, 7 years at $126 million
Barry Zito has come exactly as advertised. That is to say, he’s been a pretty average pitcher with a good curveball who has great nights and awful nights. He sports a pedestrian 4.29 ERA and a 3-4 win-loss record. Nothing great, nothing awful (though he stunk in his first few starts.) But, for $126 million, you really need to get far better results than this. I’ll tell you, $126 million just doesn’t buy what it used to.
Gary Matthews, Jr.: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 5 years at $50 million
There was really little doubt that this was a stupid signing and the Angels got suckered by Matthews’ good performance in a contract year. He’s hitting .301 with 6 homers and 21 RBI, which is definitely better than some guys making more money, but I’m still convinced that he’s going to be just another average outfielder for the bulk of this contract.
Juan Pierre: Los Angeles Dodgers, 5 years at $44 million
I guess that the Dodgers are getting what they wanted from Pierre so far. He’s stolen 15 bases, which is 2nd in the National League. But, a .281 average and miserable .307 on base percentage means he’s just not on base enough. Despite that, he still has scored 26 runs and is on pace for over 100. So, this one is still very much up in the air.
Vicente Padilla: Texas Rangers, 3 years at $34 million
Seriously, who is Vicente Padilla? At least I knew a little about Gil Meche when he got his big contract. I swear, Padilla would have been just another end of the rotation starter to me if he hadn’t gotten such a surprisingly large amount of money. I mean, Josh Beckett is getting paid less and he’s a legitimate Cy Young contender (if his finger is okay.)
Barry Bonds: San Francisco Giants, 1 year at $15.3 million
And then there’s Barry. We all laughed at the Giants, bidding against themselves for the services of the surly home run king. No one else would have come within a mile of his cartoonish physique and train wreck of a reputation. Media analysts taunted Barry, sure that he would be injured and unproductive. But, here we are: He’s 2nd in the national league with 11 home runs, and sports an on-base percentage over .500 and a slugging percentage over .700. So, we might all have to eat our words, but it doesn’t matter, we’re just hoping he break’s Aaron’s record on the road so that we’ll always have footage of Bonds rounding the bases to a chorus of boos and a shower of soda cups and popcorn.
After 40 games, I’d say the Royals are making us all eat the most crow. And the Dodgers look the worst. The Giants balance it off and go 1-1 on their two big signings. But, it’s early and we’ll have to check back at the end of the year to see which GMs will be counting their chips and throwing tips to the dealers and which will milking the free drinks so they don’t have to think about all the money they just lost.
May 09
JonathanSports baseball, National League
In less than a month, it will be the 20th anniversary of the 1987 baseball amateur draft, in which the first pick was 17 year old, George Kenneth Griffey, Jr. Within half an hour of the announcement, Ken Griffey Jr. signed with the Seattle Mariners for $160,000. At the time, it was the biggest news in baseball. He was a phenom and everyone expected greatness. For a decade, he was considered the best player in the game.
But, these days, amidst the chaos surrounding Barry Bonds, the circus around Sammy Sosa, and with media hogs Daisuke Matsuzaka and Alex Rodriguez soaking up the limelight, Griffey is somewhat of a forgotten story.
Having reached the major leagues at age 19 after setting Mariners’ spring training hitting records in 1989, Griffey has played through the darkest years of baseball’s steroid era and is still “The Kid” that we fell in love with back when the Die Hard sequel and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were in movie theaters (hey, wait a second!) With a sweet swing, a glowing smile, never even a hint of an accusation of steroids (he’s got the “Will Clark body” of a guy born to hit, but not born to pose shirtless on the cover of Sports Illustrated, thank you very much, Nomar!) and without so much as a drop of illegal help, he is closing in on 600 home runs for his career (it may take until next year, but it may not) the old fashioned way.
Let’s get this out of the way: The two knocks on Griffey are that he can be moody and sour behind the scenes and that he is injury-prone. As for having an attitude, all I can say is that he’s always gracious in public and has been one of the great public faces of baseball his entire career. He plays the game of baseball the right way and he always plays hard, sacrificing his body to make any play he can. And that factors in to the second criticism. When you play hard and don’t cheat in order to recover faster from injuries, you’re bound to get hurt. Though it’s true that he’s had far more health issues than his share, to his credit and as a testimony to his persistence and talent, he has always battled back. Where most players with his run of injuries in his mid-30s would have hung up the cleats by now, Griffey hits like an all-star, even now in his 19th season.
So, acknowledging that he’s not perfect, his on-field resume is still one of the best of all-time. On his trophy shelf, he can brag about: An all-star game MVP award, a Home Run Derby trophy, an American League MVP award, 10 gold gloves, seven Silver Slugger awards, 12 all-star appearances, 4 home run titles, and was named to the All-Century Team in 1999. He’s hit 40 home runs in a season 7 times, hitting 56 homers in back to back seasons in 1997 and 1998 (though his achievements in 1998 were far overshadowed by the pharmaceutically-fueled home run chase between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire), and also batted .300 or higher in eight seasons. With one of the most poetic left-handed swings since Ted Williams and remarkable grace in center field, Griffey dominated throughout the 1990′s. And it was after he chose to return home to Cincinnati to play for the Reds in 2000 that the injuries really piled up.
He missed significant time during his rookie season of 1989 with a finger injury and after he returned, he struggled at the plate. He also had a serious injury in 1995. Until 2000, that was pretty much the extent of his injury problems. But, after his first season with the Reds, hitting 40 home runs and driving in 118 runs, he hasn’t played a single full season since. Between 2002 and 2004, he played only 206 games, averaging fewer than 70 per year. But, even during that time (amounting to a little more than a single full season of games), he produced, hitting 41 home runs and driving in 109. He missed time again in both 2005 and 2006, but in somewhat limited duty, hit 35 and 27 home runs, respectively. No matter how many times he has gotten hurt, when he is on the field, he is a star. And so far, 2007 is no different. After starting spring training late due to a broken hand in the off-season, entering Wednesday night, Griffey is hitting .326 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI. Don’t look now, but he’s hit 3 homers in the past week, batting over .400 in that time.
Since I was young, I found it exceedingly easy to love and root for Ken Griffey Jr. Even at 37, he still looks young, while still reminding me of the time when baseball players looked like the rest of us instead of being oversized cartoon characters. And he plays with the grace that I associate with all the greats gone by who I never got to watch in person. Ten years ago, we thought Griffey was going to be the one to break Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. And if it weren’t for injuries, he probably would have. But, now it will be Barry Bonds and it will be a very sad moment for lifelong baseball fans. So, instead, I choose to ignore Bonds’ home run chase as much as I can and try not to forget “The Kid,” who’s still out there in the heartland closing in on what has always been the most elite of clubs, the men with 600 home runs. For me, Griffey’s chase is a bigger accomplishment than what’s happening in San Francisco. After Aaron, Ruth, and Mays, I hope we can soon add Griffey to that trio, in a stark contrast to the man who will have finished sneaking over the top of all of them by then. After well over 2,000 big league games and despite the statistics, Griffey remains the greatest outfielder of his generation. And he’s just 32 homers away from 600. I just hope he doesn’t get hurt.
More Notes from the Cheap Seats
On July 20, 1993, Griffey began a streak where he hit home runs in 8 consecutive games, tying the all-time record. The record is shared by Dale Long and Don Mattingly. Griffey finished the 1993 season with 45 homers.
Most people forget that when the 1994 season ended prematurely due to a player’s strike on August 12th, Griffey had already hit 40 home runs and had an outside chance at breaking Roger Maris’ then single season record of 61. He wasn’t quite on pace, but one can only imagine what might have happened. After all the mess through which they have dragged the sport, I’ll bet the players’ union wishes they could go back and delay the strike, play the season, and have Ken Griffey Jr. as the single season home run king. Then, they would implement steroid testing ten years earlier than they did so McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds would never have entered the record books ahead of Roger Maris and Babe Ruth. Right. Proactive? The players’ union? Fat chance. But, wouldn’t it have been great.
In 1998, Griffey turned down an invitation to participate in the home run derby during the all-star game festivities. But, at the last minute, after getting booed during batting practice, he relented and participated so as not to anger the 4 million fans who voted for him as an all-star. He proceeded to win the home run derby.
After battling through three straight seasons of injuries (2002-2004) that limited him to 70, 53, and 83 games, Griffey logged 128 games and 491 at bats in 2005. Though the end of the season was yet again cut short by injury, he was selected as the National League Comeback Player of the Year. Though not an award for which any player even wants to be eligible, it speaks to his grit and the power of his love of baseball that he fought through so much and came out on the other side batting over .300 and slugging 35 home runs.
May 02
JonathanSports baseball, Braves, John Smoltz
This past week, the Atlanta Braves re-signed their ace pitcher to a one year contract extension for $14 million, with options for 2009 and 2010 (at $12 per season, with $1 million in incentives for 2010.) This would be unremarkable except for that the pitcher in question is John Smoltz.
Smoltz came up to the big leagues with Atlanta in 1988, at 21 years old. Beginning in 1991, the Braves went on an incredible run, winning their division every single season from 1991 through 2005 (1994 had no division winners when the season ended early because of a player strike.) The foundation of the streak was their devastating starting pitching, the backbone of which was the famed trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Smoltz (Steve Avery tried in the early 90′s to make it a foursome, but to no avail.) The first two are surefire first ballot Hall of Famers, Maddux with well over 300 wins, and Glavine within 7 victories of that mythic number. Smoltz won’t get to 300 unless he pitches until he’s 50, but he is a rarity and an interesting case, and a definite Hall of Famer from where I sit.
He pitched throughout the 1990′s as the #3 starter in the best rotation in baseball, winning 15 games in a season 5 times, and winning 24 in 1996. He never threw even a single inning in relief in the major leagues prior to 2001. Elbow issues required surgery after 1999 and he missed the entire 2000 season. He emerged in 2001 primarily as a reliever (health reasons,) eventually ascending to the closer’s role. From 2002-2004, he was used exclusively out of the bullpen, a shut-down, lights out closer, getting remarkably close in 2002 to the single season save record (set by Bobby Thigpen, with 57 in 1990,) ending with 55.
And just like that, he announced that he wanted to move back to the starting rotation. Since the start of 2005, he’s pitched exclusively as a starter again. Along with Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, Smoltz is one of only 2 pitchers in big league history to have 150 career saves and 150 career wins, and also to have a 20 win season as a starter and a 50 save season as a closer. Eckersley finished with nearly 400 saves and will be known mostly as the dominant closer of the late 1980′s and early 1990′s. But, Smoltz is the ace of the Atlanta Braves at age 40, still throwing 97 mph, and is 4 wins away from his 200th.
What is also unusual is that John Smoltz, as a pitcher, has remained with the same team for his entire 20 year career. Of the modern era pitchers inducted to the Hall of Fame in the past 20 years, none of them have spent their entire careers with a single team. And few of the current crop of future Hall of Famers have either: Roger Clemens (Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros,) Randy Johnson (Mariners, Astros, Diamondbacks, Yankees,) Greg Maddux (Cubs, Braves, Dodgers, Padres,) and Tom Glavine (Braves, Mets.) Mariano Rivera is one that has spent his full career with one team, but with an expiring contract at the end of the year, even that isn’t certain to last.
What’s even more exceptional is his ability to successfully switch twice between starting and closing. Very few pitchers are able to excel at both ends of the pitching staff. Eckersley set the standard, becoming a dominant closer after a successful starting career. Today, there are many that have gone from starter to closer. Tom Gordon was a passable starter for several years before becoming a reliever, and eventually a closer. Eric Gagne was a disaster as a starter before making the switch. Curt Schilling tried and failed at closing in an injury-riddled 2005 season (the bloody sock took its toll.) This year, Braden Looper and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals are trying to go from relievers to starters. But, the closest comparison to Smoltz may be Jonathan Papelbon, and even that’s quite a stretch. Drafted as a closer, the Red Sox converted Papelbon to a starter, and he rose rapidly through the minor leagues, arriving in Boston in late 2005. After making several starts, he was moved to the bullpen down the stretch, becoming a primary setup man towards the end of the year. In 2006, he was the best closer in baseball until an injury ended his season at the beginning of September. He arrived in 2007 spring training as a starter again. That lasted all of a month, before he returned to his role as closer (even though he blew his first save and allowed his first runs of the season Tuesday night.) But, his brief yo-yo routine pales in comparison to Smoltz, who spent a dozen years as a power starter, 3 years as a dominant closer, and now on his 3rd year back in the power starter mold.
It’s that incredible talent that will make for interesting discussion when he eventually becomes eligible for Cooperstown. From where I’m sitting, he’s closing in on 20 years of excellence. The rare ability to both start and to close shouldn’t be overlooked or undervalued simply because the results are measured in different statistics. His unique ability, perseverance, and longevity should earn him a seat along side the other baseball immortals.
More Notes from the Cheap Seats
It’s hard not to root for the Atlanta Braves, who are trying to restart their streak of consecutive division titles after the Mets prevailed in 2006. At 16-10, they are off to a solid start, led on offense by a resurgent Chipper Jones, who already has 10 home runs. They have 4 players hitting over .300 and Brian McCann, their talented young catcher, just under at .298. With Smoltz and Tim Hudson, who is off to an incredible start on the mound, anchoring the rotation, the Braves may already be prepared to again battle the Mets for the division title.
But, the feel-good story of 2007 so far is the case of the Milwaukee Brewers. At 17-9 heading into Wednesday night, they own the best record in baseball. Though you may not have heard of many of them, they have a strong lineup of solid hitters, and a solid top three in their pitching rotation. Geoff Jenkins, Kevin Mench, J.J. Hardy, and Johnny Estrada are all hitting over .300. And Jeff Suppan and Chris Capuano are anchoring the rotation, though Ben Sheets is still the ace (at 2-2 with an ERA over 4.00, he has had a mediocre start.) Following the modern formula for a small market team, they are stocked up with inexpensive young stars in the making and a few mid-level veterans.
Then, there’s the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. Though they are on completely opposite ends of the salary structure, they both are sad stories so far in 2007. The Royals, at 8-19, are simply getting beat up by the American League, despite a strong first month by the often derided free agent pitching acquisition, Gil Meche, who sports a 2.18 ERA. The young hot-shots appear to still be just a little too young. As for New York, they still have an terrifying lineup, but picking up where the injury bug left off last week, 20 year-old phenom Phil Hughes went down on Tuesday night with a hamstring injury, 7 innings into a no-hitter in just his second big league start. He’s thought to be out for 4-6 weeks, but as always, hamstrings can be tricky. Just when it looked like something might be going the Bombers’ way, down goes another pitcher. You almost feel bad for them. Almost.
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