November 2009 Archives

That's it.
Now that Tim Lincecum has won the Cy Young award despite having just 15 wins, baseball fans are up in arms.
Either they believe it's an injustice that a pitcher could win the award without winning 20 games or it's an injustice because people still consider wins an important stat.
The rhetoric is getting as heated as the health care debate.
And I've had it.
The problem is these people not getting the point. And they're doing themselves and the game an injustice.
Wins are still a very valuable statistic. It's just one that has evolved over the years.
But more on that later.
What's most important is that we discuss the relevence of the big numbers (20 wins in a season, 500 home runs or 3,000 hits).
These are numbers that are benchmarks.
But, somewhere along the line their true meaning has been lost. We began thinking a pitcher needed 20 wins to be successful or that a slugger needed 500 home runs to reach the Hall of Fame.
Don't fear.
The Southpaw is going to straighten you out.
Let's start with 20 wins.

Mike Scioscia can calm down now. He's manager of the year. But you know he'd trade that award for the pennant or the Commissioner's trophy.
Bud Selig is making the right call. And no, that wasn't a misprint.
The voters got the manager of the year awards right.

The east coast could have it's first Negro Leagues museum, according to a the Baltimore Sun today.
It's interesting that this proposal has been made considering the struggles of the national museum in Kansas City.
While Kansas City is the best place to have the museum, other cities have rich history with the leagues. Pittsburgh was home to the Crawfords and the Grays. Chicago was pretty much where Rube Foster organized the American Giants and the Negro National League.
Baltimore itself has a strong history with the Baltimore Lord Baltimores, Baltimore Giants and so many other teams.
The Baltimore Black Sox boasted the Million Dollar Infield of Boojum Wilson, Ghost Marcelle, Frank Warfield and Sir Richard Lundy.
They were comparable to the dominant infield of the Philadelphia A's at the time.
Wilson is enshrined in Cooperstown.
Warfield supposedly bit off Marcelle's nose. Told you the league was full of good stories.
The history of the Negro Leagues is one that can at times be lost to the fog of the past.
There aren't as many records as you would like. But the stories and the characters are as rich as the other Major Leagues of the time.
There are many great books out there about the leagues and they're well worth the read.
But if you're going to read one, check out Buck O'Neill's "I was right on time."

So, Zack Greinke won the Cy Young. But can he slay a gnome?
An interesting look at Omar Vizquel and where he could end up.

An underdog Yankee. Yep.

And guess who might be heading to Cuba?

A Hanover graduate who earned two World Series rings has died.
Evening Sun Sports Editor Chuck Curley writes about John Neiderer Jr., who won rings as a scout for the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and 2002 Anaheim Angels.

The spotlight always seemed to shine near Jerry Koosman, but never on him.
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of the 10 most underappreciated players of all time. Guess who No. 10 was.
When you're second to Tom Seaver, you're doing something right.
And Jerome MarinKoosman was. He did win 222 games in the Major Leagues. He had an ERA 3.36 that was comparable to stars of his era. He pitched, and won, big games.
But he strangely never got credit for the career he had.
Then again he wasn't Tom Seaver.
Tom Terrific, after all, was approved by the most voters for enshrinement into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
That's right - more than Babe Ruth. More than Ty Cobb. More than Mr. Cy Young himself.
So Tom Seaver, his 311 wins, 2.86 ERA and 3,640 shutouts cast a long, dark shadow.
And that shadow fell one Koosman, a very reliable left-hander from Appleton Minnesota.
But Koosman didn't have just one shadow that blocked out the spotlight. He also had to deal with the flame-throwing Nolan Ryan, who scared hitters so much they would have rather faced John Wayne Gacy or John Wayne.
So they were somewhat relieved when the face Koosman.
Which was the wrong feeling.
They escaped the lion's den and the gorilla cage.
But they were still within range of a black bear.

The Koos was the oft-forgotten third man in the triumvirate of young hurlers who came up in the 1960s.
For his part, Tom Seaver was the ace with the sandy-haired, golden boy good looks, the affable smile and an unparalleled grace. He was Han Solo, without the attitude.
Nolan Ryan was Darth Vader. His blazing fastball and brooding glare menaced hitters in a way that made Bob Gibson and Don Newcombe proud. Ryan went on shatter so many records on his way to enshrinement in Cooperstown he became one of baseball's brightest stars.
Jerry Koosman was Luke Skywalker, playing the role of the young country bumpkin whisked from his uncle's farm and thrust into action well above his head. He wasn't ready to equal Ryan's heat or put hitters away with Seaver's calculating effort and tenacity.
But Koosman, like Skywalker, was perfect for the part.
One could say he was destined for it.

Chris Coghlan and Andrew Baily earned the Rookie of the Year honors.
Coghlan helped the Marlins finish in second place.
Coghlan batted a robust .321 with 84 runs scored while playing in 128 games.
Baily was 6-3 out of the bullpen with a 1.84 ERA and 26 saves.
He was one of the few bright spots for a struggling Athletics squad.
Even if you were a Pirates fan and rooted for Andrew McCutchen to win this award, or a Phillies fan who wanted J.A. Happ to take home the honors, you have to admit these guys deserved the award.
This year, was a very competitive year, especially in the National League. The senior circuit boasted fellow rooks Colby Rasmus and Dexter Fowler.
The American League had a stud shortstop in Elvis Andrus and an impressive ace in Rick Porcello.

While playing basketball at the Hanover YMCA Friday, the Southpaw played against a kid who was wearing a Nolan Reimold jersey.
Now, that's a fan.
Inside, we look at the National League's rookie class, remember Dwight Gooden and find out another team needs a third baseman.

The Orioles are hoping to trade for a second baseman who's last name starts with "U."
The Yankees wouldn't. Would they?
The Nationals are keeping Jim Wriggleman.

From the AP:

NEW YORK -- That travel team back in Virginia a decade ago must have played great defense on the left side of the infield.

Ryan Zimmerman succeeded boyhood friend David Wright as the National League's Gold Glove third baseman on Wednesday. In high school, when Zimmerman was a shortstop, the two played together on a youth team.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Derek Jeter sure is stuffing his trophy case this year.
The steady Yankees shortstop won his fourth Gold Glove on Tuesday, joining New York first baseman Mark Teixeira among the American League players rewarded for fantastic fielding.
"I've always taken a great deal of pride in my defense, and being honored with a Gold Glove is an accomplishment I will never overlook," Jeter said in a statement.

The best news so far this offseason: Tim Wakefield will be back in 2010.
The hot stove league is heating up.
The Red Sox are making moves. The Yankees are planning theirs.
There's a hole at third in Philly.
And, because we can: Yo, Adrian.

The biggest baseball news this weekend was the Twins acquiring JJ Hardy from Milwaukee.
But there was a lot of big news.
Check inside to find out why one New York columnist thinks the Yankees are about to cut payroll; why Joe Torre might really love L.A. enough to stay; who might be a good fit for the Orioles and why the Phillies serenaded a World Series hero with a Sting song.

It's tough to be the greatest Yankee of all time when you have to compete against these two.

For the past few days, The Southpaw has tried to find a reason to defend Chris Rose, the host of Fox's pregame show during the World Series.
You see, Rose made a mistake of monumental proportions and we here at The Southpaw can't figure out why.
Maybe Rose got caught up in the moment.
Maybe a producer fed him the line and he didn't think about it before speaking aloud.
Maybe he was dropped down a flight of stairs at birth.
Even if all three of those things happened, there's no excuse for what he asked during the Game 5 telecast: Is Derek Jeter the greatest Yankee of all time?
Even if Rose hadn't heard of Lou Gehrig or Joe DiMaggio, the question still wasn't defensible.
He has to have heard of Babe Ruth. Right? Otherwise, would he be qualified to even be on the set?
Asking the Jeter question is like asking if the Earth rotates around Venus.
So, this Top 10 list is dedicated to Chris Rose.
It is the 10 greatest Yankees of all time.

The Yankees celebrate a 27th World Series crown.
The Southpaw will admit he was biased in this series. The Phillies are the team he's always rooted for. And the Yankees, well they conspired with two politicians in Northeastern Pennsylvania and stole the team he grew up watching, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.
Of course, the problem there isn't that the Phillies weren't going to be associated with The Southpaw's hometown region, it's that the deal struck with the Yankees will probably end Triple-A baseball in the Dunder Mifflin region forever.
But that's another story for another day.
Today, and until a new champion is crowned, the New York Yankees get to be celebrated.

The New York Yankees are the 2009 World Series champions after fighting off the 2008 champion Philadelphia Phillies in a six-game series.
The Yankees, with baseballs biggest payroll, have won their 27th World Series and first under Joe Girardi.
This was also the first championship won in the new Yankee Stadium.
Check The Southpaw tomorrow morning for a recap.

The New York Yankees return home with a chance to clinch their 27th World Series championship. The Philadelphia Phillies, however, are playing to stay alive.

Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Vicente Padilla was reportedly shot.
It's surprising news and, for some, strange reason, not surprising at all.
Look, if you were going to pick someone in the Major Leagues to get shot, your best bet would be Padilla, whom Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster/peddler of doom Chris Wheeler somewhat affectionately dubbed, "A space cadet."
We don't know the reason for this name. But we know Padilla's roughshod ways have worn out his welcome with two franchises.

The Pirates, who've long been derided here, made a great move by bringing in Akinori Iwamura. He came at a cost: Jesse Chavez.

However, Iwamura is a good deal for the Pirates because of two reasons. First, he's a good piece to have around as they continue to rebuild. Second, he's a good piece to trade away as their trying to rebuild.

Look, If Iwamura plays well, he could be traded to a contender for a decent prospect. And if he's allowed to walk when he's a free agent, the infielder will probably bring the Pirates a compensation pick. His numbers aren't good enough to nab the Pirates a "Type-A" selection, but his .281 career batting average, steady defense and ability to play several positions, should merit a "Type-B" pick.

According to today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pirates might consider a contract extension.

New York Yankees fans hope Game 5 was just a blip on the radar.
Philadelphia Phillies fans hope that blip was the unnoticed warning of a coming attack.

Chat live with The Southpaw and friends during Game 5 of the 2009 World Series.

Chat live with The Southpaw and other baseball fans.

The Yankees prevailed on Halloween to take a 2-1 World Series win, but the Phillies will try to even it up at home with Joe Blanton on the mound.

Tweet your Series thoughts with the hashtag #yorksouthpaw. They'll show up here, and we'll include them in Pat Abdalla's chat later tonight.