Sooooo Truuuue. The Yanks are having issues, too. Their starting rotation, which looked good until August, is having problems getting innings and wins out of the starters. Colon has an 0-3 record in his last 7 starts and hasn't posted a win since the end of July. Garcia has posted only 1 win since the end of July. Burnett is even worse at 1-5 in his last 12 starts since the end of June. Not a very impressive starting rotation right now. It is CC and Nova and pray for multi-day downpours. I don't see anyone taking that Phils staff to the woodshed. The AL is still a toss-up but not the WS title, unless something really weird happens. -- Al
Baseball 2011 (2 Viewers)
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Peter Reuss
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Last weekend the Brewers purposely 'gave' the games to the Phillies so the Phils would be overconfident once they playoffs started.
It can't be that they took us behind the woodshed. Nah, not possible
It can't be that they took us behind the woodshed. Nah, not possible
DMNamiot
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Oh How I would love to see the Brewers make the series! So Peter please put in an extra good word for them over the next few sundays...
You guys are also right about the pitching for the sox and the Yankees. Not sure who will be at the top of the pile when it is all settled. I certainly hope the Yankees can clean house on the Mariners and put a little more distance between them and the sox but its baseball so almost anything could happen.
Dave
You guys are also right about the pitching for the sox and the Yankees. Not sure who will be at the top of the pile when it is all settled. I certainly hope the Yankees can clean house on the Mariners and put a little more distance between them and the sox but its baseball so almost anything could happen.
Dave
Sahara
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I just wanted to throw it out there that my beloved Detroit Tigers are currently on a 10 game winning streak and looking to make it 11 tonight. I know there are plenty of haters that believe that the Central is just a joke and doesn't stand a chance but just beware Yankee fan ^&grin the Tigers are not a team to be dealt with lightly.
Warrior
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They are my pick to get to the World Series, let's see if the Phillies can beat Verlander 3 times in a 7 game series, should be a great World Series if those two teams get in............
Oh and you're welcome for Victor Martinez, a guy who the genius we have running the Red Sox decided not to sign so we're stuck with 200 year old Varitek and Salty, another bust this year.
I'm bginning to suspect that Verlander might have a chance at winning the Cy Young Award this season
. The Tigers are hotter than a frying skillet and are not the team to face in the playoffs right now. Even the starters behind Verlander, Scherzer (14 wins), Porcello (14 wins), and Penny (10 wins), have picked up their games since the end of July and have become a viable playoff rotation. Bad news for every opponent. -- AlWant to congratulate Mo Rivera on his 41st save of the season which just happens to be #600 for his career, only 1 behind the all time record held by Hoffman. Rivera will have the record by seasons end.{bravo}} Also want to say that the "good" Burnett finally showed his stuff last night (about time) and we NYY fans can only hope he can repeat it for the next month or so. And, having watched him for so long, congratulations to "Knucks" Wakefield for getting (after several tries) that 200th career win last night. -- Al
Louis Badolato
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Mariano Rivera is without question the greatest closer of all time, and no one else is even in the discussion. 600 regular season saves, and 41 at the age of 41, still pitching dominantly (his ERA is either at or just under 2.00 this season), a 90% save conversion average, plus 42 post season saves with a 0.71 ERA. I stayed up to 1:00 a.m. just to see #600. If he plays out his contract (one more season) he will finish with 650 saves in the regular season. If the Yankees can find a way to win a divisional round series this year or next, he could easily finish his career with 50 post season saves. The first save opportunity of the season after he finally retires will be a rude awakening for Yankees fans, as there will never be another Mariano.
Heck, Louis. Don't bring up retirement. I still haven't recovered from Mantle's retirement. When Posada, Jeter, and Rivera retire, an era has ended. -- Al
Ok gang, who gets the MVP award in the AL this year? Some worthy candidates but I have 4 who are a cut above at the current moment. I would say it is almost a "pick 'em" between Cano, Granderson, Gonzalez, and Verlander. Without these guys, their clubs are a lot closer to the pack. I lean towards Cano, who should have won last year (finished third in the voting), and is having an equally great season this year. It will be a hard decision. Tough to give the MVP to a pitcher, but Verlander has separated himself from all the other pitchers by a large margin and will win the Cy Young in what will probably be a unanimous vote, so an MVP would be like a double award. We shall see. Gonzalez and Granderson have strong cases as well, as both have been catalysts to their teams success. Cano, by a whisker. -- Al
Warrior
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Verlander will win the Cy Young award, should also get the MVP, but he won't because that is the way baseball does things.
You forgot about Ellsbury, who is having a monster year for the Red Sox.
Gonzalez has done squat vs the Yankees, Tigers, Rangers and Rays, he's no MVP.
The Grandyman will get it because he's a Yankee and again, that's how they do things in baseball.
Imagine if the Tigers weren't dumb enough to trade him away, they'd have the best record in the AL and the Yankees would be battling Tampa for the wild card.
Another great move for Cashman, the guy Louis wants to run out of town on a rail.
You're right, George. Forgot Ellsbury. Also have a suspicion that the Granderson choice is correct, though Cano has been consistent all year. That was the deal of the decade for the NYY. -- Al
Louis Badolato
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Pitchers should not win the award, but its going to go to Verlander. He is going to win 25 games, and without him the Tigers are a .500 team. He leads the league in wins, strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, and innings pitched.
Granderson should have won, but his average dropped from the high .270's to the mid .260's, and the writers just aren't going to vote for him with that batting average. However, he leads the league in runs scored, RBI's, and is second to Bautista in Homers (three back). He also has 24 stolen bases and has played terrific defense this season in centerfield.
Cano is batting .305, but that is down 15 points from last season. He already has a career high in RBI's (111), should match his home run total from last season (he has 26, 29 last year), and already has an many doubles (42) as he had last year, and has again played stellar defense at second base.
Gonzalez is leading the league in batting average, and is in the top five in RBI's (along with Granderson, Cano and Teixiera), and has played gold glove caliber defense at first base (the Gold Glove will go to him or Teixiera, and both are deserving), but his home runs are down from last season. Plus his team is in a free fall, and may miss the playoffs.
You didn't mention Pedroia, who I think has played himself into consideration (he hit has 19th and 20th homers last night, and has similar qualifications to Cano in terms of batting average and stellar defense).
I think Granderson and Cano will split the vote, Gonzalez and Pedroia will split the vote, and, despite the fact that pitchers shouldn't win this award, Verlander (who will rightfully run away with the Cy Young) will win the MVP.
Louis Badolato
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George, to get Granderson, Cashman gave up Ian Kennedy, the pitcher who is going to win the National League Cy Young (I think he won his 20th game last night), along with the teams best lefty reliever, and top centerfield prospect (who is starting for the Tigers in centerfield). I think a Cy Young award winning pitcher, starting centerfielder and a solid lefty reliever are a bit too much to pay for Granderson, who despite his otherwise excellent numbers, has more strike outs this season than any other player in a single season in Yankee history.
Cashman is also responsible for taking a run at Carl Pavano instead of Beckett, signing A.J. Burnett, a career .500 pitcher with a 4.00 career ERA to that ridiculous contract, bringing in Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson when they were way past their prime for insane money, the original A-Rod deal, and the Giambi deal. Every steroid disgrace that has tarnished the Yankees was signed or traded for by him. He refused to add Nunez, a .250 hitter with a less than .300 on base percentage who despite limited play as a utility infielder, has the most errors in the major leagues this year, to the trade deadline deal for Cliff Lee last season, thereby costing us the championship and the services of Cliff Lee, who undoubtedly would have signed an extension with the Yankees if he had experienced winning a title in New York.
With the players he is responisble for (the team from 1995 though 2000 is composed principally of players drafted or signed by Gene Michael) the team has won one World Series championship in ten years, despite having far and away the highest payroll in baseball.
As far as Granderson winning the MVP, because he's a Yankee, and that's the way baseball does things, George, I love you, but you are out of your mind. The MVP is way more likely to be given to any player not a Yankee unless the Yankee's numbers are worlds better than everyone else's. Look at the numbers Pedroia had when he won the MVP, and then compare them to the seasons Jeter and Cano (who has never won the MVP) have posted, with higher batting averages, more hits, more homers and more RBI's, and tell me how the baseball writers favor the Yankees. Jeter finished 6th in the MVP voting in 1998 (when his team went 125-50 in winning the World Series) with a .334 batting average, 24 Homers and 104 RBI's. Cano finished third in the MVP voting last year with a .320 batting average, 29 homers, 42 doubles, and 110 RBI's. Pedroia is a terrific player, right up there with Cano for best second baseman in the league, but there is no way he has posted a season even close to Jeter best 4 seasons or Cano's best 2, but, because they are Yankees, and the baseball writers who vote for the MVP assume you are not as valuable as a Yankee because you play in such a deep lineup, Pedroia has an MVP, while Jeter and Cano don't.
Cashman is also responsible for taking a run at Carl Pavano instead of Beckett, signing A.J. Burnett, a career .500 pitcher with a 4.00 career ERA to that ridiculous contract, bringing in Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson when they were way past their prime for insane money, the original A-Rod deal, and the Giambi deal. Every steroid disgrace that has tarnished the Yankees was signed or traded for by him. He refused to add Nunez, a .250 hitter with a less than .300 on base percentage who despite limited play as a utility infielder, has the most errors in the major leagues this year, to the trade deadline deal for Cliff Lee last season, thereby costing us the championship and the services of Cliff Lee, who undoubtedly would have signed an extension with the Yankees if he had experienced winning a title in New York.
With the players he is responisble for (the team from 1995 though 2000 is composed principally of players drafted or signed by Gene Michael) the team has won one World Series championship in ten years, despite having far and away the highest payroll in baseball.
As far as Granderson winning the MVP, because he's a Yankee, and that's the way baseball does things, George, I love you, but you are out of your mind. The MVP is way more likely to be given to any player not a Yankee unless the Yankee's numbers are worlds better than everyone else's. Look at the numbers Pedroia had when he won the MVP, and then compare them to the seasons Jeter and Cano (who has never won the MVP) have posted, with higher batting averages, more hits, more homers and more RBI's, and tell me how the baseball writers favor the Yankees. Jeter finished 6th in the MVP voting in 1998 (when his team went 125-50 in winning the World Series) with a .334 batting average, 24 Homers and 104 RBI's. Cano finished third in the MVP voting last year with a .320 batting average, 29 homers, 42 doubles, and 110 RBI's. Pedroia is a terrific player, right up there with Cano for best second baseman in the league, but there is no way he has posted a season even close to Jeter best 4 seasons or Cano's best 2, but, because they are Yankees, and the baseball writers who vote for the MVP assume you are not as valuable as a Yankee because you play in such a deep lineup, Pedroia has an MVP, while Jeter and Cano don't.
The AL continues to be interesting. The Bosox won a huge game last night to put the Rays 4 back in the wildcard. I think the Rays needed to sweep and they didn't. With just 12 games remaining it is going to be hard for any of the current standings to change drastically, not impossible, mind you, but really hard. Barring complete collapse by anyone involved, the playoff teams appear settled. There is a slight chance the Angels might catch Texas but the task is going to be tough. At this point, and having changed my attitude towards the Tigers pitching staff, I think the Tigers have the inside track to the AL title. I hope I'm wrong and that the NYY's come thru, but I am leary of the starting pitching for them. NYY has the definite offensive edge, but as has been said by everyone, for ever, it's pitching that is the crucial factor. I am now of the belief that it will be Phillies vs Tigers in the WS with the Phillies taking it all. But I will continue to root for NY and hope that their pitching can somehow keep them in the playoffs. -- Al
Peter Reuss
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An interesting race is shaping up between the Brewers and Diamondbacks for home field advantage in the NL. The 'Backs lost last night, leaving the Brewers one game up.
I'm hoping the day off on Thursday will help the 'Crew to relax a bit. They put up 6 runs last night...about time they started to hit again!
I'm hoping the day off on Thursday will help the 'Crew to relax a bit. They put up 6 runs last night...about time they started to hit again!
Look out for the O's. They are currently playing the part of dream-squashers. First they damaged the Rays playoff hopes when they recently won 2 out of 3 games, helping Boston keep them at bay. Now the O's have won the first 2 games of a 3 game series with the Angels, seriously damaging their chances of catching the Rangers. Boston is next. Will the O's ruin their dreams as well? Stay tuned "As the world turns". -- Al
-- Al
