June 2009 Archives

Ken Rosenthal has joined the MLB Network.
Rosenthal has an impressive resume as a newspaper reporter, even spending time here at the York Daily Record. More recently, he is known for his on air reporting for Fox Sports' baseball coverage.

Joe Posnanski, one of our favorite writers, teams up with Bill James and comes up with another brilliant look at our favorite numbers.
This time it's 33.
No, not jersey numbers.
It could be known as the cliff. It's where dominant players' talents seem to drop off.
Check out the column.

We take a look at one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball.
Cubs fans are fed up with Carlos Zambrano.

I"M NOT ON STEROIDS.
Then, why are you yelling?
Anyway, we've got tons of good stuff for you. Lots of nutrition. And tastes good too.

Earlier this week, we gave you our selections for the American League.
Now, without further delay, is our NL squad.

1B Albert Pujols. We admit our bias. We really want to pick Ryan Howard, but just can't justify it over Pujols. We don't have to tell you Pujols is the best hitter in the game. If you didn't know that, you don't know that you probably think a warning track is "Stop in the name of love." Another tough person not to vote for was Adrian Gonzalez
2BChase Utley. How could we pick anyone else? Only Freddie Sanchez and Orlando Hudson have higher batting averages. No one has more home runs or runs driven in.
3BDavid Wright. This is surprisingly a deep position. Mark Reynolds has 21 home runs. That's insane. But Wright is batting .359 with 19 stolen bases. It was also hard not to vote for Ryan Zimmerman
SSHanley Ramirez. This was another tough call. We wanted to go with Christian Guzman, but Ramirez' numbers are just too impressive. He has a .339 average and 12 home runs.
C Benji Molina. It's hard to call him a star, but he belongs on this team. He's got 10 home runs and he's so good behind the plate.
OFRaul Ibanez - He carried the Phillies. Until his injury he was a big-time MVP candidate.
OFRyan Braun - He's quickly becoming one of the premier players in the game. He's got 16 big flys and a .321 average.
OF Justin Upton - He's the only outfielder with at least a .300 average, 10 home runs and 10 runs driven in.

He sold so many records, yet sadly became a tabloid joke at the end of his career and life.
So The Southpaw has his own take.
Michael Jackson has died. That leaves four men left who wear a glove on one hand for no reason whatsoever. They are the Washington Nationals infield.
Thank you. Thank you.
We're here all week.

Eric Hinske tackles runningback Andrew McCutchon. Oh wait. That's a baseball picture. Hinske celebrates with the Pirates outfielder after a big win.
We've got more Manny fallout. And what it means to other big leaguers.
One player leads the American League in batting, on-base and slugging. Who is he?
Which All-Star catcher is caught in a drug scandal.

If you're a baseball fan you cry at the end of "Field of Dreams," worship Roy Hobbs and still laugh at "Jaa-ust abitoutside."
Those movies, characters and lines are classics.
These films? Not so much.

Another tragedy in Anaheim.
How is it possible a night in front of 4 TVs with 4 games could be bad for The Southpaw's health? They had the Nationals, Pirates, Orioles, and Orioles again on.
How is Jose Canseco helping Barry Bonds?

The Southpaw just joined Technorati. It's a cool Web site for bloggers. If you have one we recommend you check it out.
To do so, though, we had to post this code - a9efux8r54 - on our blog. Don't pay attention to it. We have no clue what it means. Nine could be for Ted Williams, 8 for Yogi Berra and 54 for Randy Wolf. Wolfie threw lefty while Williams and Berra hit lefty. Coincidence. We think not.

The Southpaw loves voting for the All-Star team, repeatedly voting online and at the stadium.
Our vote isn't always the same, but it's pretty close.
Here now, is our 2009 ballot.

1B: Justin Morneau. Mark Teixeira probably deserves it more, but if you think we're voting for him, you're crazy. We've got a soft spot for the Twins, and he is batting .322 with 16 homers and 57 runs driven in.

2B:We really wanted to pick Placido Polanco. Other than Ian Kinsler this is a very weak position. Polanco's pedestrian .264 averaged pushed the mouse to Kinsler.
3B:Evan Longoria. He's the man. Best player in the American League
SS: Marco Scutaro. What a surprise he's been. Derek Jeter is going to get this spot. Remember when this position was stacked. Not so more. However, we live by the phrase: "Yankees, we don't need no stinking Yankees." So we didn't vote for Jeter.
C: Joe Mauer. The Twin is the head of a tight crop that includes Victor Martinez and, amazingly, Miguel Olivo.
OF: Ken Griffey Jr. Until he retires, he will always get a selected. Don't care about the .225 average. Don't care about the bad range. If the southpaw had his choice, Steroid Bonds or Prime Griffey Jr., he'd pick The Kid every time.
OF: Carl Crawford. He's got 37 steals. THIRTY FREAKING SEVEN. He's also batting .306.
OF: Torii Hunter. He's having a fantastic year, batting .311 with 16 with 52 runs batted in.

Troy Tulowitzki likes the high ones. Here he blasts a two-run homer on a pitch that's well above the letters.

CC Sabathia has a big test today.
Is David Ortiz cured?

Ryne Sandberg is talking smack about Sammy Sosa.

So many players have missed significant amounts of time, however several players are coming back tonight.

1. Grady Sizemore - The Indians are dead last in the American League Central, but Sizemore could have a huge impact. In the last three seasons, the center fielder has finished 11th, 12th and 10th in MVP voting. He averages 27 homers and 27 stolen bases a season. That should provide Cleveland with a major boost.
2. Ryan Howard - While the Big Fella hasn't been on the disabled list, he ended his consecutive games streak while being hospitalized. We all know how big he's been for the Phillies during the past four seasons.
3. Joey Votto is a young thumper for the Reds. Votto is batting .357 this season and bashed 24 homers last year. He's missed time to deal with the death of his father.

Watch where you walk. You could trip over a Phillies pitcher. They're dropping like flies.
Somebody's about to lose an eye in the Yankees broadcast booth.
It's the anniversary of the Ryne Sandburg Game.

Today is a fantastic day for baseball fans.
Donald Fehr has announced his retirement as head of the Major League Baseball Players Union.
One could argue Fehr was a fantastic representative for the players, especially in what he was able to do for them.
However, a more compelling argument is that his clashes with Bud Selig came within a warning track of crippling Major League Baseball.
Both sides were so short-sited in their vision, they produced a strike that stopped the 1994 World Series from happening. Sure, revenues and salaries are up, but at what cost? An era of great players have been marred by steroid scandals because the dynamic duo put money ahead of health, integrity and honor.
It is quite ironic that, if one reads between the lines, Fehr fought so hard to keep steroid testing out, that the leaking of names from baseball's first round of testing lead to his demise.

The Orioles completed a sweep of the Phillies.
John Gonzalez takes on The Herd.
And CC says Seeya in the second.

Which player reached base more times than any other player in Major League history?

A. Barry Bonds
B. Rickey Henderson
C. Ty Cobb
D. Pete Rose
E. Carl Yastrzemski

The Yanks are eyeing Pedro Martinez.
Patience is big right now in the Mid-Atlantic region.
And Trey Hillman says, "Be a man." And no, he's not talking to Chastity Bono.

From the AP:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Phillies left fielder Raul Ibanez has gone on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin.
John Mayberry Jr. was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday to take Ibanez's roster spot. Ibanez is batting .312 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs, ranking second in the NL in homers and RBIs.
Mayberry was 2 for 9 with a double, homer and three RBIs in his first stint with the Phillies last month. He was hitting .257 with eight homers and 31 RBIs for the IronPigs.

We've got Pedro news.
Has anyone noticed Omar Vizquel is still suiting up?
Oh, and what are apecrackers?

Justin Morneau helped the Twins win, sparking one of four Mid-Atlantic losses Wednesday.
We're chock full 'o Sammy.
The Phils suffer a 10th inning knockout.
And there was some bizarre news this morning. Bulldog attacks. Toby Harrah sightings.

The New York Times has two anonymous sources who say Sammy Sosa tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003.
Steve Rosenbloom wonders if anyone's attending Sosaholics meetings anymore.
We admit it, we used to be in that group.

The title "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived" does not belong to Ty Cobb. Nor is it Barry Bonds to hold. It's hard to believe, but it's not even Babe Ruth's.
"The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived" is, however, a two-time Triple Crown winner, the last hitter to bat .400 in a single season, and the holder of the highest batting average of any member of the 500 home run club.
His swing was damn-near perfect.
He spoke in CAPITAL LETTERS.
He served his country during two wars, giving up, in all probability, at least 150 career home runs during that time. He was John Glenn's wingman and was honored by Douglas MacArthur.
He is Thumper, The Kid, The Splendid Splinter and Teddy Ballgame.
He is Theodore Samuel Williams.

John Lackey got a season-high 10 whiffs.

Bill James and Joe Posnanski take a ride on the Ryan Express to attack pitch counts.
Tom Gordon's best pitch for the World Champs didn't come from the mound. But Ryan Madson took it.
The Rockies are dominating.

According to Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez is plummeting in the all star balloting.
Ahead of Manny are: Raul Ibanez, Ryan Braun, Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano and Shane Victorino.

Who was fighting in the outfield?
Yorvit Torrealba speaks out about his son's kidnapping.
And how come no one cares about Ivan Rodriguez anymore?

On Oct. 7, 1991, David Cone took the hill against Jim Fregosi's Philadelphia Phillies and already had a 3-run lead.
The Phillies were barely ahead of the Mets in the standings going into that final day, but both squads were 20 games back of first place.
No one expected anything special in this game.
Especially not with the Phillies starting lineup of shortstop Kim Batiste, second baseman Mickey Morandini, left fielder Wes Chamberlain, right fielder Dale Murphy, third baseman Dave Hollins, first baseman Ricky Jordan, center fielder Braulio Castio and catcher Doug Lindsey.
Then again, maybe fans should have expected something special. Dale Murphy was aging more quickly than an apple slice on an August day. Hollins and Morandini would each make all-star teams for weak National League squads in the future, but the Phillies' real offensive thunder of Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra and John Kruk were MIA.
David Cone, however, was concerned he was going to be arrested. He knew he was under investigation for rape. He didn't know, at the time, that the police would find the woman's allegations to be unfounded.
All David Cone could do on the mound that day was ecape from fear.
And he did.

Say it with me folks: RAAUUUL. IBANEZ.
Games were tight Thursday. Real tight. Tighter than the Orlando Magic.
And happy birthday to the Hall of Fame.
Oh yeah, there's no way you'll believe how the Indians won.

Baseball's had it's fair share of fads.
There was the mullets of the 90s, teal and magenta uniforms in the 90s, and of course bullpen carts in the 70s.
But one thing that hasn't been a fad is facial hair.
It's always been there.
It's been worn by those like Rollie Fingers, who ended up in the Hall of Fame, guys like Tom Marsh, who sipped a cup of coffee, high character guys (Doug Glanville) and villains (Goose Gossage).
Here's our list of the best mustaches, beards and the like ever to find a ballfield. It's a bakers' dozen.

York Daily Record/Sunday News Editor Jim McClure has a post on York Town Square about the first night baseball game in York County.
Two interesting things to note:
1. It happened in 1901, more than 30 years before the first Big League game under the lights.
2. Any balls that went past the lights were ground-rule doubles.

Oh God. We can't believe we're saying this, but Jimmy Rollins needs to collect some walks.
And Harrisburg Senators fans have Stephen Strasburg in their sights.

Do we know whether or not Raul Ibanez has ever taken a performance enhancing drug? No. And I'll let my bias out there known that I am a Philadelphia Phillies fan.
That said, what was written on a sports blog about Ibanez and his fantastic season at the age of 37 was absolutely correct.
Jerod Morris runs the Midwest Sports Fan Web site. He never said he thought Ibanez took drugs, let alone that he had evidence of him doing so. However, Morris actually defended Ibanez with his post.
And while we think Ibanez has a right to be angry, we think he's being very ignorant if he's pushing his anger toward Morris.
The slugger, if he's innocent, should be putting all of his resentment at the feet of Major League Baseball, the Commissioner's office, and the Players' Union.
If it wasn't for their 20 years willful, near criminal negligence, this wouldn't be an issue.
However, because steroids and performance enhancers were never addressed when they should have been, none of us should trust any player who stepped on a field in the past 25 years.
Not a one.
That's hard for us to say.
And we watched with interest this exchange on ESPN.com but think Ken Rosenthal is dead wrong.
And here's why.

Man was it a busy day in the Big Leagues.
Did David Ortiz right him self?
Manny Spoke to teammates.
Oh and there was the little thing of the draft.

Stephen Strasburg is about to get a big pay day.
It really is amazing when you think about it. Major League Baseball continues to be relevant despite the actions of those who run it.
The bozos in charge have allowed steroids to tarnish the sport, late playoff starts to keep a generation of fans from seeing the end of the World Series, and teams in contention to trade players for money's sake.
So we here at The Southpaw have to give Bud and the boys a hand.
It's time for them to bring their draft up with the big boys of the NBA and NFL. And since they boys in the home office are too busy counting cash we'll show them a way they can make more of it.
All the Big Leagues have to do is make these five small changes to their amateur draft.

Another stadium that should have been saved.

The draft seems to be on everybody's mind.
Who was the first player to get 3,000 hits?
Oh yeah, Ozzie Guillen went crazy again. That's always fun.
BREAKING: Mo won't go against the Bo Sox tonight.

The Phillies and Yankees bounced back from blown saves on Saturday.
Shea Stadium has a musical legacy.
And we're still mad about the Nate McLouth trade.

Of course, we have to talk about Randy Johnson even if he once was called Rando Grando.
Cole Hamels was on. He owns L.A. more than Brangelina does.
And don't forget to drink your Melk. It does a Yankee good.
Is Carlos Beltran beginning to hate his teammates?

Randy Johnson, one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in history, reached the 300-win plateau on his first try today.
Congratulations are in order for the big man.
Many pundits believe he is going to be the last pitcher to reach the milestone.
Remember when everyone said that after Tom Glavine got there?
Admittedly, there's a distinct possibility Johnson and Glavine will be the last of their kind.
However, we think there are five active pitchers with a very good shot at reaching the mark.

Sure, 10 years ago, getting the Hall of Fame-bound lefty would have been brilliant.
But with the state of the team's pitching today, it still would be.
Here's the link.

Who has the most career home runs of any player who went on to win the World Series as a manager?

We can't figure out what should we be more irate about. That the Pirates are officially striving for ineptitude? Or is it worse that the Braves released one of the biggest names in franchise history?

We're sold. Hook, line and sinker.
Matt Wieters is the best catcher in baseball right now.
OK, that's a bit of an overstatement even though there's not that there's much competition at the position.
However, the best aspect of the Matt Wieters is the Matt Wieters Facts Web site. Daily Record assistant sports editor Matt Kinnear pointed this site out to us.
It includes such gems as:
"Matt Wieters Is Such A Dangerous Hitter He Even Gets Intentional Walks In Batting Practice."
"Matt Wieters Was Once Plunked. Neither The Pitcher Nor The Ball Were Even Seen Again."
And, "Matt Wieters Can And Does Assume The Double Play."

Yer out! Casey Blake nips Ryan Roberts to get an out in Tuesday's Dodgers-Diamondbacks game. Joe Torre's squad rallied with a 5-run eighth to win.
Can a saint get demoted? In Washington they can.
Was it really six years ago that Sammy Sosa's bat shattered and cork flew out.
Happy birthday, Raul.

From 1988 to 2004, Greg Maddux won 15 games every season.
Only seven pitchers have current streaks of at least two seasons of 15 wins or more.
Who are they?

The Mariners had a tough Hill to climb.
The Nationals have some good news.

A moment in Saturday's Orioles-Tigers game was glaringly awkward.
The hometown O's were trailing. But a rally was brewing. The Tigers' 3-1 lead seemed razor thin, while the O's loaded the bases with nobody out.
Then Adam Jones grounded into a 1-2-3 double play. Deflating, yes. Crippling, no.
But the air shouldn't have been knocked out of the stadium yet.
That's because Nick Markakis, the Orioles best player, stepped up to the plate.
Camden Yards should have been rocking. Or wrapping. Or something.
Hyped up fans should have been clapping.
However, country music blared of the public address system.
And the mood was killed.

Today is the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Lou Gehrig's 2,131 consecutive games.
Speaking of the Yankees, they did something they haven't done in almost three weeks.
Oh, and how about that Jamie Moyer?