Skip to content

MLB: 2011 Comeback Players Of The Year Award Winners

Posted by on 15 October 2011, 3:16 am
Jacoby Ellsbury 01:32, 23 July 2008 . . Phredd...

Image via Wikipedia

MLB announced that Red Sox’s Jacoby Ellsbury (AL) and Cardinals Lance Berkman (NL) as the winners of the 2011 Comeback Player of The Year Awards.

LANCE BERKMAN:

Berkman would have gotten my vote as his career looked to be in the toilet the moment he got traded from the Astros to the Yankees.

Berkman was useless in the Bronx, maybe being a two-month rental and not playing in the field hurt his routine because he is thriving in St. Louis.

In 2011, Berkman was voted to the All-Star team after hitting 31 home-runs, 94 RBIs, 92 walks and posting a .301 batting average. He is certainly in the 2011 MVP discussion and should get some votes, but it is doubtful he will win.

Still, it is a far cry from the Berkman of 2010 so the award is well deserved.

JACOBY ELLSBURY:

I do not feel the same way about Ellsbury, who only played 18 games in 2010 because of an injury.

Also, what exactly is Ellsbury coming back from?

He put up the best numbers of his five-year career in 2011, with 32 home-runs and 105 RBIs. In the four years earlier, Ellsbury hit 20 homers and drove in 125 RBIs in total.

Ellsbury’s 364 total bases was the highest number across both leagues this season, but it was another career best for the just turned 28-year-old outfielder.

Doesn’t this seem more like a first-time than a comeback for such a young player with just five seasons under his belt?

Where was the love for Yankees Bartolo Colon? Continue reading ‘MLB: 2011 Comeback Players Of The Year Award Winners’ »

Tagged , , , , , ,
Comments Off

New York Yankees Fans Are You Ready For Some Baseball

Posted by on 28 September 2011, 2:31 pm
Bench-clearing brawl on June 5, 2008 game betw...

Image via Wikipedia

Tonight baseball nation will be watching, as four teams will be battling but not against each other for the last two coveted Wild Card postseason spots.

In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays (90-71) are tied with the Boston Red Sox (90-71) so if both teams win or lose there will be a sudden death game played tomorrow between these to AL East powerhouses.

Same scenario in the National League, as the Atlanta Braves (89-72) and St. Louis Cardinals (89-72) are both striving to clinch a playoff berth tonight, but if tied the two will also duel it out against each other tomorrow to determine the winner.

This is about as good as it gets for baseball fans, and if you have any friends who are on the fence about loving America’s Pastime this would be the night to make sure they are tuned in.

Here is the TV schedule for tonight’s match-ups courtesy of MLB.com (EST listed):

Wed, Sep 28 7:05 pm Boston Red Sox Baltimore Orioles ESPN
Wed, Sep 28 7:10 pm Philadelphia Phillies Atlanta Braves

ESPN2
Wed, Sep 28 7:10 pm New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays ESPN
Wed, Sep 28 8:05 pm St. Louis Cardinals Houston Astros ESPN2

As the best athlete of out generation once said:

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordon

Related articles

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

New York Yankees: Spoke Too Soon

Posted by on 6 September 2011, 12:38 am

Who spoke to soon?

Just about everyone did at the start of the MLB Season when the subject was the 2011 New York Yankees. Described by most, as being way to old, not being a playoff contending team and the never-ending payroll can’t buy championships was the overall theme by most baseball experts. So it was nothing new for us Yankee fans, as the negativity is what we expect and are used too.

Just as a quick refresher, here are a few pre-season quotes from around the web about the state of the Yankees heading into 2011:

“The New York Yankees? Reaching the postseason is anything but guaranteed. Age isn’t just creeping up on them — it’s an undeniable detriment: Mariano Rivera, 41; Jorge Posada, 39; Derek Jeter, 36; Alex Rodriguez, 35.” – Tony DeMarco; NBC SPORTS

“Yankees: Only question is which starting pitcher — or two — they will acquire.” – Ken Rosenthal; FOX SPORTS

“I’d give the A’s an edge over the Yanks in a potential Division Series matchup.” – Dan Flarety; Real Clear Sports

Sean Casey, MLB Network pre-season picks for the AL division winners: Red Sox, White Sox and A’s

Mitch Williams, MLB Network pre-season picks for AL division winners: Red Sox, Tigers and Rangers

“They’re (Red Sox) the Phillies of the American League and the Yankees of recent history.” – Alden Gonzalez; MLB.com

“Having lost out on Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee, the rapidly aging New York Yankees will not reach the postseason… Without the Yankees to lose to in the division series, the Twins will win the World Series.” – Jim Caple; ESPN Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Spoke Too Soon’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
9 Comments

Bronx Bombers Not Scared Of Anyone Especially Not Rangers

Posted by on 23 August 2011, 2:08 am

The New York Yankees are now a game ahead in front of the Boston Red Sox thanks to the Texas Rangers, who shut them down 4-0 yesterday, as the Bombers were enjoying their last off day.

The next seven days for the Yankees start off in the Bronx with three against the Oakland A’s, before heading to Camden Yard to play the perpetually awful Orioles five times.

This is the last part of the schedule that the Yankees could really put some space between them and the Red Sox in the AL East.

The Yankees need to take advantage of this open door as winning the division historically works in their favor.

Since 1996, the Yankees have a handful of World Series rings, but not one of the five championships was earned when entering the postseason as the Wild Card team.

Just to even the score some, the Yankee have also lost six times in the playoffs coming in as the AL East Division winner.

So the underlining fact is losing can come in all forms, but winning seems to follow a trend and that makes winning the AL East in 2011 almost a necessity on their road to #28.

Also, the Wild Card more than likely will head to Arlington, Texas to face the Rangers and MLB Network claims that is not the place either team wants to be.

In my opinion, over the last two seasons the Rangers have been way over-hyped. If the Los Angeles Angels had 1B Kendry Morales back this season, the Rangers would not be leading the AL West.

The Angels have not been as dominate the last two seasons, but they always remained within striking distance of the Rangers. Sans the Angels, the Rangers should win their respective division considering the other two teams consist of the A’s and Mariners.

So, please shake the idea that Yankee fans want to win the AL East to avoid Ron Washington and his Rangers, because nothing could be further from the truth. Continue reading ‘Bronx Bombers Not Scared Of Anyone Especially Not Rangers’ »

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

New York Yankees: Bombers Vs. Bottom Feeders

Posted by on 22 July 2011, 1:44 am

The New York Yankees are back in the Bronx after splitting series against their AL East foes, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays.

After losing the first two games vs. the Blue Jays coming home 4-4 is a miracle, not ideal but keeps the Bombers just two games behind the Boston Red Sox.

Next up, the Yankees will host a 10-game homestand against the three bottom feeders in the American League, the Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles.

The A’s and Mariners have same 43-55 records, the second worst in the AL but still a lot better than the Orioles.

Once again the O’s are posting a 39-56 record (=19.5 games back in AL East), making the Birds not only the worst team in the AL, but in all of baseball. Well you can’t call Baltimore inconsistent, as the O’s continually find a way back down to the basement, season after season.

Still, don’t get any ideas that this homestand will be a breeze because it actually is the opposite.

HUH? WHY VS. THREE-BOTTOM-FEEDERS?

The reason is not one of these teams has anything left to play for this season; and that can be lethal. This theory applies even more so for the Yankees for three reasons:

1)   The line-up is still sans Alex Rodriguez, which is once again sending Mark Teixeira into a slump.

2)   Swisher and Posada are not hitting, again.

3)   The starting rotation is inconsistent, minus Sabathia who finished the road trip with a 1-2 loss to the Rays Thursday night; which was also his 31st birthday.

HOMESTAND SERIES PREDICTIONS:

Vs. Athletics 07-22/07-24:

First up is the A’s who come to town beat-up like you read about, and the Yankees should sweep them right back to Oakland. Yankees win series 3-0.

Vs. Mariners 07-25/07-27:

Next series is against Seattle. Everyone knows the strength of the Mariners is pitching, and it gives them a legit chance to win each night. So, the Yankees bats needs to wake-up ASAP. Even though the Mariners have lost their last 12 games in a row, the tides are bound to turn. ESPN reported that manager Eric Wedge held a closed-door team meeting following #12 with hopes to motivate his players, at least initially by lighting the first match. Yankees win series 2-1.

Vs. Orioles 07-29/07-31:

And lastly, Buck Showalter’s Orioles, who scare me the most. Hard to believe when Baltimore is awful more often than not. Problem is when it is the later; the O’s can beat anyone. Yankees win series 2-1.

WHY THIS HOMESTAND IS SO IMPORTANT:

Fact is the Yankees need to pounce because the schedule gets a heck of a lot harder. In August the Yankees will play 29 games, with 21 on the road. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Bombers Vs. Bottom Feeders’ »

Tagged , , , , , , ,
2 Comments

MLB: Interleague Play Debate Continues

Posted by on 20 June 2011, 1:07 am

There has been a continuing debate between media, fans, players etc. whether MLB should change the rules that apply during Interleague Play about the Designated Hitter and strength of schedule.

Just in case let’s look at the factors:

What is interleague play?

Interleague play is a Major League Baseball term that indicates when regular season games are played between teams that live in different leagues, so American League Teams play National League Teams.

  • Started in 1997 but was limited to divisions playing their counterparts in the opposite league only. (i.e. AL West vs. NL West; flip-flopping home field site)
  • Five seasons later, in 2002 the rules expanded which allowed for the divisions to rotate playing each other. This meant that one year the NL West would play the AL Central teams, the next year the AL East and then the AL West.
  • All interleague games are played in June, but the scattered series between cities with more than one team. (i.e. Chicago, New York, Los Angeles etc.).
  • The rules used during Interleague regular season games are the same as the World Series and the All-Star game that is, the home team’s league rules apply. So, when an AL team visits an NL Stadium, there is no designated hitter and the pitcher bats, as National League rules dictate.
  • The scheduling for Interleague Series is very unbalanced due to the unbalanced in the two leagues, with 14 in the AL and 16 in the NL; and the inter-city rivalries each are featured to play six games (or two series) against each other.

What is the Interleague Play debates or biggest complaints?

There are two issues that are complained about year after year, but both are relevant and have legit reasoning on either end:

1) The scheduling is very unfair, as it is lopsided. ESPN reporter Jayson Stark sums up the scheduling issues, which are quite complicated in an article written called Interleague play’s greatest problem. It has to do with the AL West having just four teams and the NL Central having six ball-clubs; as well as making sure city’s with two teams, in opposite leagues play each other six times for fans, which makes sense.

2) The rule that AL teams cannot a DH in NL stadiums, which in turn means the pitcher has to bat. It makes injuries are a major concern because AL pitchers do not take BP (batting practice) and are not used to running the bases, something NL pitchers are accustomed too. The All-Star Game and the World Series play by the rules of the hosting team, so why should Interleague Play be any different?

What is your opinion on Interleague Play?

Do you think it should stay as is, or that changes need to be made?

Should the DH be implemented in National League Parks during Interleague games? Basically, should AL rules be used across the board?

Should MLB Commissioner move one of the NL Central teams into the AL West? Or what is the alternative to keeping it unbalanced?

Opinions From Around The League:

Mark Gonzales of Chicago Tribune reported that White Sox slugger Adam Dunn had this to say about Interleague Play:

“It does suck, yes. But that’s another reason why I’m anti-interleague. It’s not fun … The interleague thing is just awful. It just ruins everything. Especially if you look at Boston. People like Ortiz. He’s having a great year, but now he’s going to have to sit a couple of games and screw up the mojo.”

Detroit Tigers skipper Jim Leyland made his opinion clear to Tom Gage of the Detroit Free Press:

“It has run its course. I just don’t like it. First of all, at some point we have to get baseball back to the same set of rules. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about it. No other sport plays different rules (regarding the DH). I don’t care what they do. Whatever way they go is fine with me, but the rules should be the same.”

 

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Comments Off

New York Yankees: Coming Home To No Relief

Posted by on 6 June 2011, 1:32 am

What started out with two avoidable losses against the Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees are returning to the Bronx with a respectable 6-3 record from their West Coast road trip.

Well, things don’t get much easier for the Bombers who’s first task is to host their rival Boston Red Sox for a three-game set.

The last meeting between baseball’s most famous rivals was back on May 13th where Boston swept the Yankees at the stadium. So far the Red Sox have won five of six on the season, and trust me that is not sitting well with Yankee fans.

As usual, ESPN has hailed Boston the hottest team in baseball, even though the Red Sox have failed to take over first place from New York, who are currently ahead by one game in the AL East standings. This is typical for ESPN but when your main analysts consist of two ex-Red Sox (Garciaparra, Schilling) and one angry ex-Yankee (Boone) what else can you expect. Now the Yankees can numb my pain and not let the BBTN guys be right by winning…please.

Now it doesn’t take a genius to realize that the Yankees June schedule provides absolutely zero relief, as the team will be tested to the core. Just take a look for yourself:

Anyone who wants to know a hell of a lot more about the Yankees watch the next two weeks. Things are about to get even harder and questions will be answered as the top teams in the American League will be visiting the Bronx.

Here are three questions that will be answered:

  1. Are the first placing Indians for real?
  2. With both teams playing good baseball, who is hotter Red Sox or Yankees?
  3. Will the Rangers pitching hold up much longer? And can Josh Hamilton stay healthy for a full month?
Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Tagged , , , , , , ,
4 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7