MLB 2009 Season

[ghost of miles]

Unbelievable! A-Rod goes into today's game needing two home runs and seven RBI to keep his 30/100 streak intact (11 seasons in a row going into 2009, but this season looked very iffy, given his missing the entire first month)...and he hits a three-run homer and a grand slam in the SAME INNING! Takes some of the sting out of having gotten knocked around by TB for the past two games, and helps end the regular season on a nice high note.

Edited October 4, 2009 by ghost of miles

[Matthew]

Unbelievable! A-Rod goes into today's game needing two home runs and seven RBI to keep his 30/100 streak intact (11 seasons in a row going into 2009, but this season looked very iffy, given his missing the entire first month)...and he hits a three-run homer and a grand slam in the SAME INNING! Takes some of the sting out of having gotten knocked around by TB for the past two games, and helps end the regular season on a nice high note.

Typical of ARod -- do the spectacular when it doesn't mean a darn thing! Let's see if he hits above .200 in the playoffs....

[GA Russell]

Twins win 13-4. Playoff game Tuesday in Minnesota.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/twin...article1311650/

[Quincy]

Twins win 13-4. Playoff game Tuesday in Minnesota.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/twin...article1311650/

Yay! More fodder for the SI cover jinx too. I hope this puts Mauer over the top for MVP, since there are some voters who insist that a team make the playoffs for a player to be considered.

[ghost of miles]

Congrats to the Twins and their fans on mounting such a great chase over the past couple of weeks... I love tiebreaker playoff games, great for adding to the October drama. Hoping I can get away from production work for a bit Tuesday evening to catch some of the showdown.

[Matthew]

Hey Ghosty, did you notice I'm starting to get my I HATE THE YANKEES 'tude going for the playoffs?

Edited October 4, 2009 by Matthew

[Dan Gould]

Unbelievable! A-Rod goes into today's game needing two home runs and seven RBI to keep his 30/100 streak intact (11 seasons in a row going into 2009, but this season looked very iffy, given his missing the entire first month)...and he hits a three-run homer and a grand slam in the SAME INNING! Takes some of the sting out of having gotten knocked around by TB for the past two games, and helps end the regular season on a nice high note.

Let's not forget how lucky A-Rod was that he got that opportunity to hit with the bases loaded: If Sonnanstine doesn't drop the nubber for the easy out at home, he doesn't even face Mrs. Leigh Texeira and walk him to get to A-Roid the Fraud.

Typical of ARod -- do the spectacular when it doesn't mean a darn thing! Let's see if he hits above .200 in the playoffs....

Indeed!

Twins win 13-4. Playoff game Tuesday in Minnesota.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/twin...article1311650/

Yay! More fodder for the SI cover jinx too. I hope this puts Mauer over the top for MVP, since there are some voters who insist that a team make the playoffs for a player to be considered.

Let's just hope that by the same token, Verlander doesn't take votes away from Grienke just because he came up big in a must-win final game situation. There are a lot of idiot sportswriters who are going to vote for Verlander - or Sabathia which is even worse - for Cy and Jeter for MVP.

As for my team, I am glad they got the Indians for four at the end and that the rain didn't wash any games out. 95 wins and a playoff berth are Theo's stated goals, so I'm glad they reached that level, even as it tells me that with just a bit less bad luck and frustration, like Wakefield pitching three times after the ASB and that brutal loss to Baltimore, this team could have easily won 100.

And how about Jacoby Ellsbury? First full year as a starter in CF, he provides strong defense and becomes only the eighth player in league history (sorry I didn't catch if that was A.L. or MLB) to steal 70 with a BA of .300. He also ranks in the top five for multi-hit games, and after his early season OBP struggles, once he was returned to the top slot, he OBP'd .370 or so. If that's what we see going forward, the only thing missing in his game is power, and everyone seems to agree that's the last thing to develop for a player like that.

[Tim McG]

Why on God's green Earth is MLB Network broadcasting this "I Breathe Baseball" show with that walking & talking asshole Yankee fan? That's a freaking YES production if I ever saw one. There are millions of Yankee haters out there and surely in the top three reasons why they hate the MFY, Asshole Obnoxious New Yorker Fans is one of them. With all of these promos they are running, do they really think his ugly ass face (not to mention New YAWK accent) is going to find any viewers outside of the tri-state area?

Geez, Dan. Are you never happy?

Your guys are in the playoffs and you still find time to bitch about some program nobody is watching...really?

And yet you get on me about the Giants vs Dodgers rivalry

[Dan Gould]

Lester pitches Game 1, Beckett pitches Game 2 and in what I think could be a huge mistake, Buchholz goes in Game 3. Now, if Francona announced that Dice-K goes in Game 4, that's fine - assuming its going to take at least four games, the order that you use your 3 and 4 starters doesn't matter.

The thing is, Francona didn't announce that Dice-K would start Game 4, in fact he specifically mentioned the possibility of Lester coming back on three days rest and Beckett going in Game 5 on regular rest.

With Buchholz sucking for his last two starts and Dice-K pitching quite well since his return, why make a crucial start like Game 3 in a five game series to Buchholz? Makes no fucking sense.

Dice-K in his last three starts:

1.96 ERA in 16 1/3 innings

Buchholz in his last three:

7.98 ERA, 13 ER in 14 2/3 innings.

There is no way to avoid using Buchholz if they reach the LCS but after two horrid starts in a row - five home runs allowed to Toronto, 6 ER to Cleveland - why entrust Game 3 to Clay when Dice-K has pitched better than he ever has in a Red Sox uniform?

Edited October 5, 2009 by Dan Gould

[Quincy]

Let's just hope that by the same token, Verlander doesn't take votes away from Grienke just because he came up big in a must-win final game situation. There are a lot of idiot sportswriters who are going to vote for Verlander - or Sabathia which is even worse - for Cy and Jeter for MVP.

Hear hear! Greinke has been in the neighborhood of "Pedro in his prime." I suppose I have some hope that the writers are less concerned about Cy Young coming from a playoff team. I mean can you imagine the stupidity if they applied that sort of argument for Carlton in '72? But when it comes to the voters one should expect the worst.

And how about Jacoby Ellsbury? First full year as a starter in CF, he provides strong defense and becomes only the eighth player in league history (sorry I didn't catch if that was A.L. or MLB) to steal 70 with a BA of .300.

I saw that the pride of Oregon State started the day at 69. Nicely done!

[Tim McG]

I mean can you imagine the stupidity if they applied that sort of argument for Carlton in '72?

Yeah.

He'd need some catsup on his sock in order to get the sympathy vote.

[Soulstation1]

Thanks

Baseball Gods

[Matthew]

Before we move on to the playoffs, I want to give huge props to my favorite team: The Seattle Mariners. Great season coming off the absolute disaster that was 2008. Felix Hernandez turned into the real King that he kept on showing promise of over the years. 19-5, era. 2.49, 217ks, 238.2ip, what a fantastic year! Probably won't win the Cy Young, but anything below second place for that award would be a rank injustice. Ichiro, of course, just keeps playing great, and this year he recaptured his enthusiasm for playing for the Mariners. Last year was a tough year for him, but with the turn around this year, he came alive and he'll probably end his career with Seattle. 242 hits, over 200 hits for nine years in-a-row is an amazing stat, sure fire Hall of Famer. Ken Griffey surprised me, I was against his signing, thinking he was way past his prime, and would not help out too much this year -- was I ever wrong on that. It seems as if from the first day he showed up at spring training, the whole attitude of this team turned around, and the clubhouse was a fun place again. He and Mike Sweeney provided great leadership for this team, and I hope they both come back for 2010. Franklin Gutierrez blossomed as the everyday center fielder, who provided outstanding defense, which was a great need for the Mariners because last year, their outfield defense was hopeless. Jose Lopez, at second, had the unheralded season in all of MLB. 25hr, and 96rbi for a second baseman is not too shabby at all. Beltre is okay, I'm not too excited with him, but he does provide good defense at third, and I hope he is wearing some "protection" now. Pitching was a strong point, Felix, of course, is the number one starter for years to come, Brandon Morrow closed the season on a high note, and I hope he can keep it going for 2010. Ryan Rowland-Smith showed some nice flashes, plus, he's a lefty, so he's a plus; David Aardsma came out of nowhere to record 38 saves, just hope he's not a flame out; Holy Cow! Ian Snell was 5-2 as a Mariners starter, we'll see about next year though; Bedard is hopeless, and I hope he is traded to anyone over the winter. What do the Mariners need for next year? They need two things. 1. A power bat in the line-up. If they want to go anywhere next year, they need a player who can supply power, and scare a pitcher even a little bit. Jermaine Dye would be a good player to look at in this context. 2. Another quality starter. I think Morrow will put it together next year, and be a very good starting pitcher, but the Mariners need one more guy that they can get quality starts from, but one of the drawbacks of this team is that they are still suffering from the mistakes Bavasi made when he was general manager, in terms of money they can spend, they cannot do too much. Don Wakamatsu did a great job as manager, though I would like to see a little more passion from him and by the players, they struck me as a little too laid back at times. 2009 was a great year for Mariners fans, and I can't wait for the 2010 season to start!

Edited October 5, 2009 by Matthew

[Dan Gould]

Well I'm glad you're pleased and excited. A few observations:

Isn't Beltre done (finally) and isn't that a good thing? (Can I interest you in a possibly broken down Mikey Lowell? )

The Mariners remind me of the Tigers, so you better hope they don't have the roller coaster ride Detroit has had lately.

The odds are not remotely in Aardsma's favor that he has somehow turned a corner. If he somehow keeps throwing strikes, maybe you've lucked into something. At least he's under team control, I'd just seriously wonder what it is the team controls.

Bringing back Sweeney and Junior (as a DH platoon, I assume?) runs a substantial risk of catastrophic age-related decline.

[Matthew]

Well I'm glad you're pleased and excited. A few observations:

Isn't Beltre done (finally) and isn't that a good thing? (Can I interest you in a possibly broken down Mikey Lowell? )

The Mariners remind me of the Tigers, so you better hope they don't have the roller coaster ride Detroit has had lately.

The odds are not remotely in Aardsma's favor that he has somehow turned a corner. If he somehow keeps throwing strikes, maybe you've lucked into something. At least he's under team control, I'd just seriously wonder what it is the team controls.

Bringing back Sweeney and Junior (as a DH platoon, I assume?) runs a substantial risk of catastrophic age-related decline.

1. Beltre's a free agent this winter. I think Beltre is happy in Seattle, and I think management is okay with him. I don't see anyone out there who's a better replacement.

2. I'm not sold on Aardsma either. I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude with him next year.

3. I have a feeling that Junior will retire in the off season. He just didn't want to go through the hassle of the "retirement gig" in the final game. I would not be surprised to see Griffey out of uniform, being honored by the Mariners opening day next year. If that happens, Sweeney might stay around, who knows? One of the great what ifs for me is: What if Junior never went to Cincinnati? Griffey, in Seattle before he left, he was the greatest player I ever saw, he could do everything, and his swing was a thing of beauty -- he made the Kingdom an enjoyable place.

4. I forgot to mention what a great year that Russell Branyan had, though he's another one I'm not too confident about for 2010.

It was a fun year to follow the Mariners, and I'm very optimistic about 2010.

Edited October 5, 2009 by Matthew

[Dan Gould]

You'd really prefer to re-sign a guy whose OPS+ was 82? Wouldn't his defense have to be good enough to cover SS too to make up for that? And he's heading into his age 31 year and he'll probably want three or four years on his next deal. Beltre was a bad signing then, doing it again should get a GM fired.

YMMV of course.

[Dave James]

Beltre has been such a disappointment that resigning him would represent a commitment to mediocrity. If the M's are going to move ahead, it's time to cut ties with guys like this

Up over and out.

[Matthew]

Beltre has been such a disappointment that resigning him would represent a commitment to mediocrity. If the M's are going to move ahead, it's time to cut ties with guys like this

Up over and out.

An option could be to let Beltre go as a free agent, move Jose Lopez to third base, and hope that Matt Tuiasosopo can handle handle second base full time next year. Might work, Beltre is not one of my favorites, even though Dave Niehaus & Mike Blowers keep pumping him up as a "gamer." A weak hitting, good fielding third baseman are a dime-a-dozen in baseball.

[Quincy]

. Might work, Beltre is not one of my favorites, even though Dave Niehaus & Mike Blowers keep pumping him up as a "gamer." A weak hitting, good fielding third baseman are a dime-a-dozen in baseball.

I hated the Beltre signing and thought it would likely go down as one of the worst of all-time. I've come around a little at least to the degree that I think he's played through a lot of pain and that's not easy. So dagnabbit, that's the dreaded overused "gamer" tag and I've bought it a little. I never expected that to happen. That said I'd let him go, but I don't feel any hatred towards him like some people do.

With Jr. it's pure emotion. A part of me would like to believe he could hit closer to .260 with just a touch more pop and maybe 100 less AB for just one more season. And all without hurting the future of the team! Yeah yeah, I know, it's silly. It sounds like he doesn't want to give it up, and he was such a good teammate this past season. If he does retire without all of that nonsense more power to him! So many of those players who have the blasted roadshow salute then unretire anyway.

I enjoyed seeing Sweeney play as I saw him dominate in short-season Class A games. He'd probably be more useful as a PH for a contender, but there's a lot of competition for guys with doubles power who can't run to second anymore. (Actually he's not that bad.) Maybe he'll finally sign with a club that wasn't in the old AL West.

[Tim McG]

Twinkies vs Tigers on Tuesday.

Any bets on who wins?

I'm pulling for the Tigers.

[BERIGAN]

Twinkies vs Tigers on Tuesday.

Any bets on who wins?

I'm pulling for the Tigers.

I am pulling for the Tigers too. Still have some bitterness about the Twins beating the Braves in 1991. Hrbek's lifting Ron Gant off of 1st, (how come that's not considered a pussy move years later, but guys knocking a ball out of a 1st baseman's glove is???) having the air blow for the home team's A.B's, deaking Lonnie Smith at 2nd base(Ok, I guess that was his fault) Ok, a LOT of bitterness! Plus, they have always been cheap, and even drawing tons of fans, and having one of the richest owners in baseball....they are cheap!

So, GO TIGERS!!!!!!

[Chalupa]

Man Bud Selig had better be praying that the Dodgers and either the Twins or the Angels make it to the Fall Classic. Remember how lousy the weather was last year in Philly?? Well that was a week earlier then this season's WS. Boston, Denver, Detroit, New York, St. Louis, & Philly in November?? HA! The weather guys are calling for rain and 40 -50 MPH winds on Wednesday in Philly and Saturday/Sunday in Denver they're talking highs in the low 40's with a chance of snow both days.

[Brad]

I think Twins will win. The two teams seem to be heading in opposite directions, plus I'd like the Tigers to join my Mets as biggest choke artists.

[Dan Gould]

I think Twins will win. The two teams seem to be heading in opposite directions, plus I'd like the Tigers to join my Mets as biggest choke artists.

You're probably right but the beauty of baseball is that anything can happen. Leeland was quoted heading into September that nothing is guaranteed, considering how many inter-division games they had. Boy was he right.

Either way this is a gift to the MFY. I can only hope that the "anything can happen" applies to the DS too.

[Dan Gould]

Great game so far and in extras I am sure the end will be even more exciting. But what a ridiculous gift the umps gave Nathan and the Twins with runners at first and third and no outs. I'm not even sure Eric Gregg calls that a strike.