This week I will give my July Awards. The awards are for who I think should win if the season ended today.
Rangers:
MVP: Michael Young, TEX (.313 AVG, 13 HR, 39 RBI): Michael is the only Ranger with at least 300 AB’s to be hitting above .280, which is really pretty sorry. He also has a solid amount of home runs. I think that definitely makes him Rangers MVP.
Runner-up: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.268 AVG, 23 HR, 55 RBI)
Cy Young: Kevin Millwood, TEX (9-7, 3.44 ERA, 82 K): He is tied for the Rangers lead in wins, but leads the team in innings pitched, and leads the starters in ERA. I think that’s pretty deserving of being the Rangers Cy Young.
Runner-up: Scott Feldman, TEX (9-3, 3.59 ERA, 53 K)
Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.254 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI): He’s my Runner-up of AL ROY and he’s definitely my Rangers ROY.
Runner-up: Darren O’Day, TEX (2-1, 1.99 ERA, 30 K)
AL:
MVP: Justin Morneau, MIN (.313 AVG, 24 HR, 79 RBI): Justin is leading the American League in RBI’s, is tied for 3rd in home runs, and is hitting over .310. He’s also struck out just 11 more times than he has walked. He’s the only top 10 home run hitter in the AL hitting over .290. That, to me, makes him an easy choice for AL MVP through July.
Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera, DET
Cy Young: Zack Greinke, KC (10-6, 2.04 ERA, 146 K): Even though he’s fallen to a tie for seventh in wins with only ten, he is still 1st in ERA by 0.41 points. That’s a pretty large margin, not to mention the fact that he is tied for 2nd in the AL in strikeouts.
Runner-up: Felix Hernandez, SEA (11-3, 2.45 ERA, 137 K)
Rookie of the Year: Jeff Niemann, TB (9-4, 3.61 ERA, 59 K): Jeff is tied for 11th in the AL in wins with an ERA well below 4.00, which ranks 15th in the AL. With his weak competition, to me, he’s pretty obviously ROY so far.
Runner-up: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.254 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI)
Comeback Player of the Year: Jarrod Washburn, SEA (8-6, 2.71 ERA, 78 K): Jarrod went 5-14 with an ERA over 4.50 last year, striking out only 87 batters all season long in 153.2 innings pitched. This year he is 8-6 and is 5th in ERA with 78 strikeouts.
Runner-up: Victor Martinez, CLE (.287 AVG, 14 HR, 64 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Jim Leyland, DET (52-44, 1st place): This year the Tigers have gone from last place last year to first place this year. That is pretty deserving of Manager of the Year.
Runner-up: Ron Washington, TEX (53-42, 2nd place)
NL:
MVP: Albert Pujols, STL (.325 AVG, 34 HR, 91 RBI): Albert is going for the NL triple crown, and is only two spots away in batting average from doing so. I think when you’re doing that, you have to be the MVP, no matter how good the other players in the league are doing.
Runner-up: Prince Fielder, MIL (.308 AVG, 24 HR, 86 RBI)
Cy Young: Matt Cain, SF (12-2, 2.27 ERA, 108 K): Even though Matt is only 14th in the National League in strikeouts with 108, he is tied for first in wins with 12 and 2nd in ERA. In my opinion, he is the most balanced pitcher among all three stats and deserves the Cy Young Award.
Runner-up: Tim Lincecum, SF (10-3, 2.45 ERA, 168 K)
Rookie of the Year: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.324 AVG, 15 HR, 58 RBI): Pablo is 4th in the NL in batting average, which, if that was all he did, should get him ROY, anyways. But that’s not all he does, as he’s also tied for 21st in RBI’s and tied for 22nd in home runs.
Runner-up: JA Happ, PHI (7-1, 2.97 ERA, 71 K)
Comeback Player of the Year: Todd Helton, COL (.321 AVG, 11 HR, 60 RBI): Todd was injured for much of last year, but is still hitting 57 points higher than last, and has hit 4 more home runs and gotten 31 more RBI’s than last year in only 7 more games.
Runner-up: Felipe Lopez, MIL (.306 AVG, 6 HR, 25 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, COL (35-15, 2nd place): Since Tracy took over as Rockies manager, he has been 35-15, and has taken them from 18-29 to the NL Wild Card leader. That’s a pretty good coaching job there.
Runner-up: Bruce Bochy, SF (52-45, 3rd place)
Come back next week for a summary of Newberg Night at the ballpark. Since Newberg Night is not until Sunday, next week’s post will be out a day later than usual, on Monday.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
T.R. Sullivan Interview
On July 7th, I interviewed MLB.com reporter and Rangers beat writer T.R. Sullivan. TR does great work covering the Rangers for MLB.com and you can read his articles on texasrangers.com. He also writes one of my favorite Rangers blogs, Postcards from Elysian Fields (http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com/). TR has written a book, with Mel Didier, called ‘Podnuh, Let Me Tell You a Story’, which I’ve read and recommend. You can buy it at http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3002543. TR is a friend of mine and has helped me a lot over the last few years since I started writing this blog. I would like to thank TR for taking the time for this interview.
Me: When did you decide that you wanted to cover sports for a living?
TR: I went to the University of San Francisco as a business major. When I came home for the summer after my freshman year, my father and I were casually talking in the kitchen one day. He looked out the window and simply said, “With your knowledge of sports, you should be a sportswriter.” I didn’t say anything back. But I agreed with him and when I went back to school, I joined the school newspaper.
Me: How did you prepare yourself to be a journalist?
TR: I only had one journalism class in school but I worked on the school newspaper for three years. I read newspapers, mainly the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sporting News, and I studied the work of many great sportswriters. The three best were Glenn Dickey of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jimmy Cannon from New York and of course Peter Gammons. When I got to Texas, there were many good ones to study including Jim Reeves, Randy Galloway, Gil LeBreton, Blackie Sherrod and many others. My all-time journalism hero is Dan Rather of CBS. I loved his book, ‘The Camera Never Blinks’. It’s my journalism bible.
Me: What led you to working at the Fort-Worth Star Telegram?
TR: My first job was at the Denison Herald, a small town on the Red River. I loved it there but after four years, I wanted to move to a bigger paper. With my future wife Helen’s help, I sent my resume and clips to 17 papers in Texas and Oklahoma. The Star-Telegram hired me in 1985 to do high school statistics for them.
Me: What led to you leaving the newspaper business to work for mlb.com?
TR: It was made clear to me at the Star-Telegram that they wanted me to cover the Rangers forever. That was fine with me but I decided that if I was going to do that, I should do it for an Internet company and one that would ensure my family’s future.
Me: What are the major differences between writing for MLB.com versus the newspaper?
TR: Not much, other than the deadlines are easier working for MLB.Com. In both places, there are good and bad, but I pretty much write the same way for both entities. The three things I miss about the newspaper is that many old-time baseball guys don’t read me as much, I can’t help cover other sports in the winter, and I don’t have columnists behind me. Plus I really love the city of Fort Worth.
Me: What is a typical day like in your job?
TR: Usually I am at the Ballpark at 2 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game. But there are a lot of phone calls, e-mails and text messages sent all through the day, plus surfing the Internet. The clubhouse is open at 3:30 to interview players and we usually talk to Ron Washington at 4:15 or so. From 5-7 p.m. I am writing my pre-game stuff. After the game, it’s another 60-90 minutes of writing before I head home. I usually get home after midnight.
Me: What are the three most fun things about your job?
TR: 1. Watching a Major League baseball game every night. After 21 years, that never gets old.
2. Covering big events like the All-Star Game and World Series, or watching a historical event like a no-hitter. I miss covering the World Series with Jim Reeves at the Star-Telegram.
3. Hanging out with writers from other cities. I am fortunate to have a great group of colleagues at MLB.com and many friends at other newspapers. Plus guys around here like Jeff Wilson, Anthony Andro and my old pal Evan Grant.
Me: What are the three toughest things about your job?
TR: 1. Standing around a Major League clubhouse waiting to talk to players. I like interviewing players but there is an awful amount of time standing around and waiting for people. I hate that worse than anything in my life. After 21 years, I am still very uncomfortable walking into a Major League clubhouse.
2. Stupid mistakes in my stories like misspellings. All writers do it but it still bothers me greatly.
3. Being away from my family, especially during Spring Training. I love the regular season – 162 is my favorite number - but I’m not a big fan of Spring Training. Much of the stuff written in Spring Training ends up being totally irrelevant once the season starts.
Me: How has the sports writing business changed since you started your career as a journalist?
TR: The internet changed everything. Now you have to rush everything onto the Internet rather than do a much more thorough job of reporting. Blogs also changed everything. Opinion, commentary and promotion have become more important than journalism. Fan blogs like you, Jamey and Eleanor are great – a huge boost for the game and fun to read - but too many “professional” journalists in all areas prefer the shrill of blogging to old-fashioned journalism.
The other thing has been the proliferation of statistics. That’s not a bad thing but what bothers me greatly is the disdain that numbers crunchers and baseball writers have for each other. It’s like both sides consider themselves far smarter and far superior to the other side instead of mutual respect.
Me: What is your best memory of being a journalist?
TR: Having the honor as BBWAA President of inducting Peter Gammons into the Hall of Fame in 2005 in Cooperstown. I remember standing in the tent behind the stage waiting for the event to begin. There were Peter, myself, a couple of Hall of Fame officials and 50 of the greatest baseball players in history. Nobody else.
Me: What is the most fun season you’ve covered and why?
TR: The 1996 season – the first division title – was far and away the best season ever.
Me: What is the most fun game you’ve covered and why?
The four division series games against the Yankees in 1996. Those were the four best games I’ve ever watched. I have never been so caught up in a baseball game as I was for those four games. I didn’t want that series to end.
Me: Which players have been the most fun to interview and why?
TR: He’s not a player but I enjoyed talking to Doug Melvin more than anybody. When the Rangers trained in Port Charlotte, I used to do my work in a work room just down the hall from Doug’s office. Late in the day, after everybody had gone home, he would come by and we’d talk baseball for an hour or so. Every day. We’d talk about what I was writing, what was going on with the Rangers and what was happening in baseball. Right now, I follow the Brewers very closely.
Me: What would be your advice to someone who wants to get into sports journalism?
TR: Read as much as possible and learn to ask good questions. You’d be surprised some of the terrible questions asked of people. Dan Rather said that good journalists should spend their time crafting good questions in their heads. I tell young reporters to always have good questions ready because you never known when you’ll have access to somebody.
Me: What do the Rangers need to do to win the division this year?
TR: Beyond maintaining what has gone well so far, I think they need a strong second half from Vicente Padilla, Hank Blalock and Josh Hamilton. They need the bullpen to hold up. They need one more starter to emerge.
Me: What do you think the Rangers need to do at the trading deadline?
TR: I’ve heard they want a right-handed bat, a right-handed reliever and another starting pitcher. If they can make one big trade, I would prefer it be for a starting pitcher.
Me: With all of the praise for the Rangers farm system, it seems like they might be poised for a long-term run of success. What’s your opinion on that and what do they need to do to turn that potential into reality?
TR: I think they have a tendency to rush players through the system and to the big leagues before they are ready. Certainly there have been players like Mark Teixeira and Ivan Rodriguez who have flourished but that still bothers me. I was once told young players should get 2,000 at-bats or 500 innings in the minors before coming to the big leagues. I think that’s a good benchmark.
Me: Who are the next players in the Rangers’ minor league system that will make an impact with the Rangers at the major league level?
TR: I’ve heard great things – who hasn’t - about Martin Perez at Class A Hickory but I don’t consider anybody a serious prospect until they succeed at the Double A level. I think Neftali Feliz and Julio Borbon are the closest. Personally I really like catcher Manuel Pina and pitcher Omar Poveda. I was impressed with Poveda in Spring Training.
Me: How will the Rangers make room for Justin Smoak when he’s ready?
TR: Hank Blalock is a free agent at the end of the season. If the Rangers don’t re-sign him, I think that will take care of that issue.
Me: Do you think Josh Hamilton should move to one of the corner outfield spots long term? If so, who’s the Rangers’ center fielder of the future?
TR: Borbon is the early favorite to be the Rangers center fielder of the future but I would still try to keep Marlon Byrd when he becomes a free agent. Yes, Hamilton should move to one of the corners.
Me: Who do you think should be the Rangers’ closer?
TR: You can’t go wrong either way but I’d say Frank Francisco because C.J. Wilson can go multiple innings earlier in the game.
Me: Which Rangers do you think should have made the All-Star team that did not make it?
TR: Kevin Millwood, although I am a great admirer of Tim Wakefield. I don’t think people realize how close Scott Feldman came to putting up the kind of numbers that would have deserved at least consideration. If he had started the season in the rotation…
Me: What was your favorite team growing up and why?
TR: The Boston Red Sox. My all-time favorite player was Carl Yastrzemski. My dad was from Massachusetts and I was eight years old when the Red Sox won the pennant in 1967. That’s when I really fell in love with baseball. Yastrzemski’s season in 1967 is the single greatest ever by a Major League player.
Me: Did you play baseball growing up? If so, for how long and at what position?
TR: I played first base and outfield into high school. I got to try out with the Cincinnati Reds and didn’t do well. I was a much better softball player than a baseball player.
I would like to thank TR again for giving me so much of his time and for the great answers.
Come back next week for a trade deadline special.
Me: When did you decide that you wanted to cover sports for a living?
TR: I went to the University of San Francisco as a business major. When I came home for the summer after my freshman year, my father and I were casually talking in the kitchen one day. He looked out the window and simply said, “With your knowledge of sports, you should be a sportswriter.” I didn’t say anything back. But I agreed with him and when I went back to school, I joined the school newspaper.
Me: How did you prepare yourself to be a journalist?
TR: I only had one journalism class in school but I worked on the school newspaper for three years. I read newspapers, mainly the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sporting News, and I studied the work of many great sportswriters. The three best were Glenn Dickey of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jimmy Cannon from New York and of course Peter Gammons. When I got to Texas, there were many good ones to study including Jim Reeves, Randy Galloway, Gil LeBreton, Blackie Sherrod and many others. My all-time journalism hero is Dan Rather of CBS. I loved his book, ‘The Camera Never Blinks’. It’s my journalism bible.
Me: What led you to working at the Fort-Worth Star Telegram?
TR: My first job was at the Denison Herald, a small town on the Red River. I loved it there but after four years, I wanted to move to a bigger paper. With my future wife Helen’s help, I sent my resume and clips to 17 papers in Texas and Oklahoma. The Star-Telegram hired me in 1985 to do high school statistics for them.
Me: What led to you leaving the newspaper business to work for mlb.com?
TR: It was made clear to me at the Star-Telegram that they wanted me to cover the Rangers forever. That was fine with me but I decided that if I was going to do that, I should do it for an Internet company and one that would ensure my family’s future.
Me: What are the major differences between writing for MLB.com versus the newspaper?
TR: Not much, other than the deadlines are easier working for MLB.Com. In both places, there are good and bad, but I pretty much write the same way for both entities. The three things I miss about the newspaper is that many old-time baseball guys don’t read me as much, I can’t help cover other sports in the winter, and I don’t have columnists behind me. Plus I really love the city of Fort Worth.
Me: What is a typical day like in your job?
TR: Usually I am at the Ballpark at 2 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game. But there are a lot of phone calls, e-mails and text messages sent all through the day, plus surfing the Internet. The clubhouse is open at 3:30 to interview players and we usually talk to Ron Washington at 4:15 or so. From 5-7 p.m. I am writing my pre-game stuff. After the game, it’s another 60-90 minutes of writing before I head home. I usually get home after midnight.
Me: What are the three most fun things about your job?
TR: 1. Watching a Major League baseball game every night. After 21 years, that never gets old.
2. Covering big events like the All-Star Game and World Series, or watching a historical event like a no-hitter. I miss covering the World Series with Jim Reeves at the Star-Telegram.
3. Hanging out with writers from other cities. I am fortunate to have a great group of colleagues at MLB.com and many friends at other newspapers. Plus guys around here like Jeff Wilson, Anthony Andro and my old pal Evan Grant.
Me: What are the three toughest things about your job?
TR: 1. Standing around a Major League clubhouse waiting to talk to players. I like interviewing players but there is an awful amount of time standing around and waiting for people. I hate that worse than anything in my life. After 21 years, I am still very uncomfortable walking into a Major League clubhouse.
2. Stupid mistakes in my stories like misspellings. All writers do it but it still bothers me greatly.
3. Being away from my family, especially during Spring Training. I love the regular season – 162 is my favorite number - but I’m not a big fan of Spring Training. Much of the stuff written in Spring Training ends up being totally irrelevant once the season starts.
Me: How has the sports writing business changed since you started your career as a journalist?
TR: The internet changed everything. Now you have to rush everything onto the Internet rather than do a much more thorough job of reporting. Blogs also changed everything. Opinion, commentary and promotion have become more important than journalism. Fan blogs like you, Jamey and Eleanor are great – a huge boost for the game and fun to read - but too many “professional” journalists in all areas prefer the shrill of blogging to old-fashioned journalism.
The other thing has been the proliferation of statistics. That’s not a bad thing but what bothers me greatly is the disdain that numbers crunchers and baseball writers have for each other. It’s like both sides consider themselves far smarter and far superior to the other side instead of mutual respect.
Me: What is your best memory of being a journalist?
TR: Having the honor as BBWAA President of inducting Peter Gammons into the Hall of Fame in 2005 in Cooperstown. I remember standing in the tent behind the stage waiting for the event to begin. There were Peter, myself, a couple of Hall of Fame officials and 50 of the greatest baseball players in history. Nobody else.
Me: What is the most fun season you’ve covered and why?
TR: The 1996 season – the first division title – was far and away the best season ever.
Me: What is the most fun game you’ve covered and why?
The four division series games against the Yankees in 1996. Those were the four best games I’ve ever watched. I have never been so caught up in a baseball game as I was for those four games. I didn’t want that series to end.
Me: Which players have been the most fun to interview and why?
TR: He’s not a player but I enjoyed talking to Doug Melvin more than anybody. When the Rangers trained in Port Charlotte, I used to do my work in a work room just down the hall from Doug’s office. Late in the day, after everybody had gone home, he would come by and we’d talk baseball for an hour or so. Every day. We’d talk about what I was writing, what was going on with the Rangers and what was happening in baseball. Right now, I follow the Brewers very closely.
Me: What would be your advice to someone who wants to get into sports journalism?
TR: Read as much as possible and learn to ask good questions. You’d be surprised some of the terrible questions asked of people. Dan Rather said that good journalists should spend their time crafting good questions in their heads. I tell young reporters to always have good questions ready because you never known when you’ll have access to somebody.
Me: What do the Rangers need to do to win the division this year?
TR: Beyond maintaining what has gone well so far, I think they need a strong second half from Vicente Padilla, Hank Blalock and Josh Hamilton. They need the bullpen to hold up. They need one more starter to emerge.
Me: What do you think the Rangers need to do at the trading deadline?
TR: I’ve heard they want a right-handed bat, a right-handed reliever and another starting pitcher. If they can make one big trade, I would prefer it be for a starting pitcher.
Me: With all of the praise for the Rangers farm system, it seems like they might be poised for a long-term run of success. What’s your opinion on that and what do they need to do to turn that potential into reality?
TR: I think they have a tendency to rush players through the system and to the big leagues before they are ready. Certainly there have been players like Mark Teixeira and Ivan Rodriguez who have flourished but that still bothers me. I was once told young players should get 2,000 at-bats or 500 innings in the minors before coming to the big leagues. I think that’s a good benchmark.
Me: Who are the next players in the Rangers’ minor league system that will make an impact with the Rangers at the major league level?
TR: I’ve heard great things – who hasn’t - about Martin Perez at Class A Hickory but I don’t consider anybody a serious prospect until they succeed at the Double A level. I think Neftali Feliz and Julio Borbon are the closest. Personally I really like catcher Manuel Pina and pitcher Omar Poveda. I was impressed with Poveda in Spring Training.
Me: How will the Rangers make room for Justin Smoak when he’s ready?
TR: Hank Blalock is a free agent at the end of the season. If the Rangers don’t re-sign him, I think that will take care of that issue.
Me: Do you think Josh Hamilton should move to one of the corner outfield spots long term? If so, who’s the Rangers’ center fielder of the future?
TR: Borbon is the early favorite to be the Rangers center fielder of the future but I would still try to keep Marlon Byrd when he becomes a free agent. Yes, Hamilton should move to one of the corners.
Me: Who do you think should be the Rangers’ closer?
TR: You can’t go wrong either way but I’d say Frank Francisco because C.J. Wilson can go multiple innings earlier in the game.
Me: Which Rangers do you think should have made the All-Star team that did not make it?
TR: Kevin Millwood, although I am a great admirer of Tim Wakefield. I don’t think people realize how close Scott Feldman came to putting up the kind of numbers that would have deserved at least consideration. If he had started the season in the rotation…
Me: What was your favorite team growing up and why?
TR: The Boston Red Sox. My all-time favorite player was Carl Yastrzemski. My dad was from Massachusetts and I was eight years old when the Red Sox won the pennant in 1967. That’s when I really fell in love with baseball. Yastrzemski’s season in 1967 is the single greatest ever by a Major League player.
Me: Did you play baseball growing up? If so, for how long and at what position?
TR: I played first base and outfield into high school. I got to try out with the Cincinnati Reds and didn’t do well. I was a much better softball player than a baseball player.
I would like to thank TR again for giving me so much of his time and for the great answers.
Come back next week for a trade deadline special.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Anthony Andro Interview
On June 29th, I interviewed Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Anthony Andro. Anthony is one of the beat writers for the Rangers and his material is now carried in the Dallas Morning News as well. He also does a blog with Jeff Wilson at http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/foul_territory/. Anthony does great work and I’ve really enjoyed getting to read his Rangers coverage in the Morning News. I would like to thank him for giving me so much of his time for this interview.
Me: When did you decide that you wanted to cover sports for a living?
Anthony: Probably when I was sixteen, when I was a junior in high school. I started working for my school paper in Plano and then I started working for the city paper in Plano when I was about seventeen. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since.
Me: Did you cover sports for your school paper and the city paper in Plano?
Anthony: That’s all I covered. The name of the school paper at Plano East was The Panther Print and then I also covered sports for the Plano Star-Courier. They used me on weekends. And then my senior year of high school, I was the sports editor at the school paper and I worked for the city paper then as well.
Me: That’s pretty cool.
Anthony: Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Me: How did you prepare yourself to be a journalist?
Anthony: My major in college at Texas A&M was journalism and it was a lot of English. My minor was English because you obviously have to do a lot of writing. And I worked at the school paper at Texas A&M, The Battalion, for two years. I was a sports writer at The Battalion too. So from the time I was sixteen, all I’ve ever done is written sports. So when I graduated from college, I took a job as a sports writer in Port Arthur, which is a little town, and all I did there was cover sports. In a little town like that you cover everything. And then I went from Port Arthur to Fort Worth.
Me: Good school choice (A&M).
Anthony: Thanks.
Me: What led you to working at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram?
Anthony: My wife was also a journalist and in 1999, she got a job offer from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. We were both in Port Arthur and so we basically found a job for me up here with the Home Town Star, which was a little community paper they used to do. So I came up here with her in 1999 and worked on the Home Town Star and then in 2000, they moved me over to the regular Star-Telegram ,working on high school sports.
Me: Is your wife still working for the newspaper?
Anthony: No, my wife’s a teacher. She quit the newspaper business last summer.
Me: Have you done anything different in your writing since your stories began being carried by The Dallas Morning News as well as the Star-Telegram?
Anthony: No, the way it works, whatever we write for the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, the Morning News takes too, so we don’t get any assignments from the Dallas Morning News. Basically they just take whatever we write and they use that if they want to. They don’t have to use any of our stuff but it seems like they use almost all of it. We don’t get any assignments from them and they’re not allowed to assign us anything to do.
Me: What is a typical day like in your job?
Anthony: It depends. If it’s a Rangers home game, I get to the park about 3 o’clock and the locker room opens at 3:35 and we’re typically downstairs from about 3:35 until about 5 o’clock. And then we come upstairs and put a lot of stuff on the blog for both papers and then we have to do pregame notes for espn.com; we send in stuff to ESPN for them to use. Then we work from about 5 until 6 and then we eat and then at about 6:30 we sit down to get ready to watch the game. If I’m writing the lead, I wait until the game’s over to write my story. If I’m doing the notes and the spotlight, I write all that stuff during the game and normally have to send that in around 9:30. If we’re on the road, the Rangers hit later, so you arrive at the park at the same time but you’re at the locker room later. If I’m at a NASCAR race, it’s different because you’re at the track all day. You get to the track about 9 in the morning and you leave about 10 o’clock at night. So NASCAR’s a lot longer. That’s where I’m going Wednesday (July 1). I need to go to Orlando for the Daytona race this weekend.
Me: Which sport do you like covering better?
Anthony: I think the Rangers. I grew up in Plano and Richardson and I’ve always been a Rangers fan so I used to go to Rangers games as a kid. It’s a lot of fun for me now to get to cover the team I grew up watching. It’s cool to talk to Jim Sundberg, who used to be one of my favorite players when I was a kid. I get to talk to him almost every day now and it’s just different. So it’s a lot of fun to get to do something that you wanted to do your whole life.
Me: What are the three most fun things about your job?
Anthony: The number one thing is I get paid to watch baseball. You can’t beat that. The number two thing is probably interacting with players. This is my third year to do it, so you have an idea what they’re like and you get to know them a little better. And the third thing is the writing. Writing on deadline is a lot of fun. The pressure of doing it is a lot of fun.
Me: How long does it normally take you to write a story?
Anthony: If a game ends at 10 o’clock, we have to have the game story in by 11. A lot of the time, towards the end of the game, you’ll start writing it because you have a pretty good idea where the game is going, so you have a little bit of a head start. If the game ends at 10:45, you have 15 minutes to write it so you don’t always get quotes for the paper.
Me: Wow, that’s not much time.
Anthony: No but like I said, it’s one of the more fun things about it.
Me: What are the three toughest things about your job?
Anthony: Being away for spring training for six weeks, being away from your family, is tough. Also, it’s kind of like the movie Groundhog Day – you do the same thing every day. You’re there at 3 o’clock, you’re in the locker room at 3:30, you watch baseball, so if you’re really not into doing that, I could see how it could get boring. And then the toughest thing now is the way the newspaper business is with layoffs and that kind of thing. There’s just a little bit of uncertainty in journalism and the newspaper business right now.
Me: How has the newspaper business changed since you started your career as a journalist?
Anthony: There’s a lot less people working the newspaper business because of all of the layoffs. The online stuff has changed everything because you don’t write for the morning paper a lot of the time anymore. You write for blogs and you like to get stuff online as quick as you can. It’s about breaking stories because it’s not an am news cycle anymore – it’s a 24-hour news cycle. So that’s probably the biggest change – you’re constantly writing stuff because you don’t want to get beat on something and because online you have the opportunity to break stuff a little easier.
Me: Do you like writing online or for the paper better?
Anthony: I think I still like writing for the paper better because it’s still fun to get up in the morning and get the paper and see your name in the paper. Online can be a little more gratifying because if you break something, you’re really first to have it out there. But the difference is, in the old days with the newspapers, if you beat somebody you could have the whole day before them. Now if you beat somebody online, you might only beat them by five minutes because they can see your story and they can chase for that same story.
Me: What is your best memory of being a journalist?
Anthony: The best memory for me was when I first started working in Fort Worth, one of the first things I covered was the Dallas Desperados, the Arena Football League team when they had their first year here, and I got called by Roger Staubach, who was my favorite athlete growing up. He called me on the phone and he said, ‘Hey Anthony, this is Roger Staubach’, and to me that was the coolest moment because you’re actually talking to someone who you grew up idolizing.
Me: Wow, that’s one more call from Roger Staubach than I have.
Anthony: (laughs)
Me: What is the most fun season you’ve covered and why?
Anthony: You know, this season has been a lot of fun just because the Rangers have been in first place so much. It’s a good clubhouse to deal with to begin with, but since they’re doing so well, they’ve had a lot more attention, which has made it a lot more fun. And everybody’s in a good mood when they’re winning, so it’s made it a lot of fun.
Me: What is the most fun game you’ve covered and why?
Anthony: The best game I ever covered was a high school basketball game when I was in Port Arthur. It was I think the 1995 Class 4A State Championship with Port Arthur Lincoln against Austin Anderson. They had Stephen Jackson, who plays for Golden State, on that team. There were like five guys who went on to play Division 1 college basketball. Also, it was an overtime game that Port Arthur Lincoln won. It was a great game.
Me: That’s some good talent there.
Anthony: Yep.
Me: Which players have been the most fun to interview and why?
Anthony: On the Rangers right now, the best guy to talk to is probably Eddie Guardado, just because he’s so funny. The best people for just honest answers are probably Kevin Millwood and Marlon Byrd because they’re just going to tell you how things really are. There’s not a bad interview in that clubhouse right now. But Eddie’s the most fun and Marlon and Kevin are going to be the most upfront people with you.
Me: What would be your advice to someone who wants to get into sports journalism?
Anthony: You have to be ready to be online. You have to know how to do different things with multi-media like shooting videos and putting audio online. You have to be ready to be very versatile. When I started I didn’t know how to do any of that stuff but now I shoot videos and we stick audio on there, stuff that I wouldn’t have even thought about doing a couple of years ago but that you have to do now. You just have to be prepared to be able to do a lot of different things.
Me: Do you like to do videos or just the sound bites more?
Anthony: Well the videos are fun. We had a lot of success with them in spring training when we shot a lot of batting practice and pitching videos. Readers seemed to like that a lot, so that made it fun. The audio clips are a lot of the same things we’ll use in the paper but the videos you’re only going to see online.
Me: What do the Rangers need to do to win the division this year?
Anthony: Before the season I would have said that they’d need to pitch better but right now their pitching is great. They’ve got to start being a little more consistent on offense. They’d probably tell you that too. They’re just not hitting the ball well as a team. Maybe when Josh Hamilton comes back that will be the difference, but as long as their pitching pitches like they have been and their defense stays steady, if they can find a way to hit, they can beat the Angels and Seattle pretty easily.
Me: What do you think the Rangers need to do at the trading deadline?
Anthony: Because of the way the payroll works out, I don’t think that they can do much. It may be calling up Neftali Feliz and a small move to get another arm in the bullpen. They’ve been really lucky with Darren O’Day and Jason Grilli, the guys they didn’t have to pay much to get at all, so that’s two good arms in the bullpen. If CJ’s good and Frankie’s good and Jason Jennings, that’s five solid arms in the bullpen, Maybe they need one more. Everybody needs starting pitching but I don’t know that they can afford to go out and get starting pitching. I wouldn’t trade away much to get it right now, that’s for sure.
Me: Speaking of CJ and Frankie, which one do you think is the better closer?
Anthony: I’ll tell you what, CJ’s looked really good this year and so has Frankie, so it’s a hard call. They’ve both looked so good. Right now, CJ’s pitching better, but Frankie’s still got to get some more innings under his belt. Frankie was the best closer in baseball I think the first month and a half of the season.
Me: With all of the praise for the Rangers farm system, it seems like they might be poised for a long-term run of success. What’s your opinion on that and what do they need to do to turn that potential into reality?
Anthony: I wouldn’t rush them. I wouldn’t rush Feliz, I wouldn’t rush Manny Pina, I wouldn’t rush Justin Smoak. Let those guys get their time in the minor leagues because you don’t want them to come up here and struggle. You want them to come up here and have the best chance at success that they possibly can. If you bring people up too early, that tends to mess people up. There’s no reason to rush it. Let things play out the way they’re supposed to play out and don’t push things.
Me: So if the Rangers traded Blalock, would you rather have them call up Smoak or someone else and what do you think they would do?
Anthony: Well, if they traded Blalock, I’m sure what they’d probably do is give Andruw Jones a lot of the DH at-bats and leave Chris Davis at first base. I don’t think they would call up Smoak. I don’t know what they would do, if they would bring up another outfielder or utility infielder, but I don’t see there’s a reason to call up Justin Smoak this year.
Me: Who are the next players in the Rangers’ minor league system that will make an impact with the Rangers at the major league level?
Anthony: The two obvious ones would be Smoak and Feliz. I’m sure Feliz will be up here sometime this year and probably pitching in the bullpen, so he could be that arm they need at the trade deadline. He could be like Joba Chamberlain was for the Yankees a few years ago. I think Smoak could help this year but I just don’t know that there’s really a need to push it.
Me: How will the Rangers make room for Justin Smoak when he’s ready?
Anthony: Well, Hank Blalock’s probably going to be gone after this year. If that’s the case, you have Smoak and Chris Davis. You could let Smoak DH. You could let Chris DH.
Me: Do you think Josh Hamilton should move to one of the corner outfield spots long term? If so, who’s the Rangers’ center fielder of the future?
Anthony: Right now, if he moves – which he doesn’t want to do, he wants to play center field – I guess Borbon would be the center fielder of the future. He’s hitting pretty well in the minors but I don’t think that’s anything that’s going to happen this year. The Rangers are going to have an outfield spot to fill after this year because Marlon Byrd will be a free agent, depending on how Nelson Cruz and David Murphy develop this year. Because if Nelson Cruz is your every day right fielder, you have a problem with Hamilton if he wants to play center next year. My guess though is that the next outfielder that comes up that makes an impact will be Borbon, and Hamilton needs to move, just because he’s getting older and it will be less taxing on his body to move to a corner spot. (Note: this interview took place before Borbon was called up to the majors.)
Me: If he did move to one of the corner spots, do you think he would play left or would they move Nelson Cruz to left?
Anthony: I don’t know. I don’t know what kind of arm Nelson Cruz has for left field. He has a strong arm but it’s not the most accurate so far. That’s a question I don’t think I can answer. I don’t know what they would do. It really depends on what Josh wants to do. If Josh wants to play center field, they’re going to have a hard time convincing him to move to one of the corner spots.
Me: What was your favorite team growing up and why?
Anthony: My two favorite baseball teams growing up – I had two – were the Chicago Cubs and the Rangers. The Rangers because I grew up here. The Cubs because I was born in Chicago and it was my dad’s favorite team growing up.
Me: That’s not that good because over the last 100 years you’ve had zero World Series championships.
Anthony: That’s right but I did get to watch all three of the Cubs/Rangers games here at the ballpark two years ago, so that was kind of like my World Series.
Me: So you got to see Sammy Sosa’s 600th.
Anthony: I got to see Sammy’s home run. We were in the stands for that game – my wife, my son, and I.
Me: Yeah, we were there the night before he hit it.
Anthony: We were down the third base line when it happened.
Me: Did you play baseball growing up? If so, for how long and at what position?
Anthony: I played for like two years when I was 7 and 8. I played every position but I was not any good at it.
Me: Thanks again for doing this interview.
Anthony: No problem.
I would like to thank Anthony again for giving me so much of his time and for giving such great answers.
Come back next week for an interview with mlb.com reporter and Rangers beat writer TR Sullivan.
Me: When did you decide that you wanted to cover sports for a living?
Anthony: Probably when I was sixteen, when I was a junior in high school. I started working for my school paper in Plano and then I started working for the city paper in Plano when I was about seventeen. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since.
Me: Did you cover sports for your school paper and the city paper in Plano?
Anthony: That’s all I covered. The name of the school paper at Plano East was The Panther Print and then I also covered sports for the Plano Star-Courier. They used me on weekends. And then my senior year of high school, I was the sports editor at the school paper and I worked for the city paper then as well.
Me: That’s pretty cool.
Anthony: Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Me: How did you prepare yourself to be a journalist?
Anthony: My major in college at Texas A&M was journalism and it was a lot of English. My minor was English because you obviously have to do a lot of writing. And I worked at the school paper at Texas A&M, The Battalion, for two years. I was a sports writer at The Battalion too. So from the time I was sixteen, all I’ve ever done is written sports. So when I graduated from college, I took a job as a sports writer in Port Arthur, which is a little town, and all I did there was cover sports. In a little town like that you cover everything. And then I went from Port Arthur to Fort Worth.
Me: Good school choice (A&M).
Anthony: Thanks.
Me: What led you to working at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram?
Anthony: My wife was also a journalist and in 1999, she got a job offer from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. We were both in Port Arthur and so we basically found a job for me up here with the Home Town Star, which was a little community paper they used to do. So I came up here with her in 1999 and worked on the Home Town Star and then in 2000, they moved me over to the regular Star-Telegram ,working on high school sports.
Me: Is your wife still working for the newspaper?
Anthony: No, my wife’s a teacher. She quit the newspaper business last summer.
Me: Have you done anything different in your writing since your stories began being carried by The Dallas Morning News as well as the Star-Telegram?
Anthony: No, the way it works, whatever we write for the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, the Morning News takes too, so we don’t get any assignments from the Dallas Morning News. Basically they just take whatever we write and they use that if they want to. They don’t have to use any of our stuff but it seems like they use almost all of it. We don’t get any assignments from them and they’re not allowed to assign us anything to do.
Me: What is a typical day like in your job?
Anthony: It depends. If it’s a Rangers home game, I get to the park about 3 o’clock and the locker room opens at 3:35 and we’re typically downstairs from about 3:35 until about 5 o’clock. And then we come upstairs and put a lot of stuff on the blog for both papers and then we have to do pregame notes for espn.com; we send in stuff to ESPN for them to use. Then we work from about 5 until 6 and then we eat and then at about 6:30 we sit down to get ready to watch the game. If I’m writing the lead, I wait until the game’s over to write my story. If I’m doing the notes and the spotlight, I write all that stuff during the game and normally have to send that in around 9:30. If we’re on the road, the Rangers hit later, so you arrive at the park at the same time but you’re at the locker room later. If I’m at a NASCAR race, it’s different because you’re at the track all day. You get to the track about 9 in the morning and you leave about 10 o’clock at night. So NASCAR’s a lot longer. That’s where I’m going Wednesday (July 1). I need to go to Orlando for the Daytona race this weekend.
Me: Which sport do you like covering better?
Anthony: I think the Rangers. I grew up in Plano and Richardson and I’ve always been a Rangers fan so I used to go to Rangers games as a kid. It’s a lot of fun for me now to get to cover the team I grew up watching. It’s cool to talk to Jim Sundberg, who used to be one of my favorite players when I was a kid. I get to talk to him almost every day now and it’s just different. So it’s a lot of fun to get to do something that you wanted to do your whole life.
Me: What are the three most fun things about your job?
Anthony: The number one thing is I get paid to watch baseball. You can’t beat that. The number two thing is probably interacting with players. This is my third year to do it, so you have an idea what they’re like and you get to know them a little better. And the third thing is the writing. Writing on deadline is a lot of fun. The pressure of doing it is a lot of fun.
Me: How long does it normally take you to write a story?
Anthony: If a game ends at 10 o’clock, we have to have the game story in by 11. A lot of the time, towards the end of the game, you’ll start writing it because you have a pretty good idea where the game is going, so you have a little bit of a head start. If the game ends at 10:45, you have 15 minutes to write it so you don’t always get quotes for the paper.
Me: Wow, that’s not much time.
Anthony: No but like I said, it’s one of the more fun things about it.
Me: What are the three toughest things about your job?
Anthony: Being away for spring training for six weeks, being away from your family, is tough. Also, it’s kind of like the movie Groundhog Day – you do the same thing every day. You’re there at 3 o’clock, you’re in the locker room at 3:30, you watch baseball, so if you’re really not into doing that, I could see how it could get boring. And then the toughest thing now is the way the newspaper business is with layoffs and that kind of thing. There’s just a little bit of uncertainty in journalism and the newspaper business right now.
Me: How has the newspaper business changed since you started your career as a journalist?
Anthony: There’s a lot less people working the newspaper business because of all of the layoffs. The online stuff has changed everything because you don’t write for the morning paper a lot of the time anymore. You write for blogs and you like to get stuff online as quick as you can. It’s about breaking stories because it’s not an am news cycle anymore – it’s a 24-hour news cycle. So that’s probably the biggest change – you’re constantly writing stuff because you don’t want to get beat on something and because online you have the opportunity to break stuff a little easier.
Me: Do you like writing online or for the paper better?
Anthony: I think I still like writing for the paper better because it’s still fun to get up in the morning and get the paper and see your name in the paper. Online can be a little more gratifying because if you break something, you’re really first to have it out there. But the difference is, in the old days with the newspapers, if you beat somebody you could have the whole day before them. Now if you beat somebody online, you might only beat them by five minutes because they can see your story and they can chase for that same story.
Me: What is your best memory of being a journalist?
Anthony: The best memory for me was when I first started working in Fort Worth, one of the first things I covered was the Dallas Desperados, the Arena Football League team when they had their first year here, and I got called by Roger Staubach, who was my favorite athlete growing up. He called me on the phone and he said, ‘Hey Anthony, this is Roger Staubach’, and to me that was the coolest moment because you’re actually talking to someone who you grew up idolizing.
Me: Wow, that’s one more call from Roger Staubach than I have.
Anthony: (laughs)
Me: What is the most fun season you’ve covered and why?
Anthony: You know, this season has been a lot of fun just because the Rangers have been in first place so much. It’s a good clubhouse to deal with to begin with, but since they’re doing so well, they’ve had a lot more attention, which has made it a lot more fun. And everybody’s in a good mood when they’re winning, so it’s made it a lot of fun.
Me: What is the most fun game you’ve covered and why?
Anthony: The best game I ever covered was a high school basketball game when I was in Port Arthur. It was I think the 1995 Class 4A State Championship with Port Arthur Lincoln against Austin Anderson. They had Stephen Jackson, who plays for Golden State, on that team. There were like five guys who went on to play Division 1 college basketball. Also, it was an overtime game that Port Arthur Lincoln won. It was a great game.
Me: That’s some good talent there.
Anthony: Yep.
Me: Which players have been the most fun to interview and why?
Anthony: On the Rangers right now, the best guy to talk to is probably Eddie Guardado, just because he’s so funny. The best people for just honest answers are probably Kevin Millwood and Marlon Byrd because they’re just going to tell you how things really are. There’s not a bad interview in that clubhouse right now. But Eddie’s the most fun and Marlon and Kevin are going to be the most upfront people with you.
Me: What would be your advice to someone who wants to get into sports journalism?
Anthony: You have to be ready to be online. You have to know how to do different things with multi-media like shooting videos and putting audio online. You have to be ready to be very versatile. When I started I didn’t know how to do any of that stuff but now I shoot videos and we stick audio on there, stuff that I wouldn’t have even thought about doing a couple of years ago but that you have to do now. You just have to be prepared to be able to do a lot of different things.
Me: Do you like to do videos or just the sound bites more?
Anthony: Well the videos are fun. We had a lot of success with them in spring training when we shot a lot of batting practice and pitching videos. Readers seemed to like that a lot, so that made it fun. The audio clips are a lot of the same things we’ll use in the paper but the videos you’re only going to see online.
Me: What do the Rangers need to do to win the division this year?
Anthony: Before the season I would have said that they’d need to pitch better but right now their pitching is great. They’ve got to start being a little more consistent on offense. They’d probably tell you that too. They’re just not hitting the ball well as a team. Maybe when Josh Hamilton comes back that will be the difference, but as long as their pitching pitches like they have been and their defense stays steady, if they can find a way to hit, they can beat the Angels and Seattle pretty easily.
Me: What do you think the Rangers need to do at the trading deadline?
Anthony: Because of the way the payroll works out, I don’t think that they can do much. It may be calling up Neftali Feliz and a small move to get another arm in the bullpen. They’ve been really lucky with Darren O’Day and Jason Grilli, the guys they didn’t have to pay much to get at all, so that’s two good arms in the bullpen. If CJ’s good and Frankie’s good and Jason Jennings, that’s five solid arms in the bullpen, Maybe they need one more. Everybody needs starting pitching but I don’t know that they can afford to go out and get starting pitching. I wouldn’t trade away much to get it right now, that’s for sure.
Me: Speaking of CJ and Frankie, which one do you think is the better closer?
Anthony: I’ll tell you what, CJ’s looked really good this year and so has Frankie, so it’s a hard call. They’ve both looked so good. Right now, CJ’s pitching better, but Frankie’s still got to get some more innings under his belt. Frankie was the best closer in baseball I think the first month and a half of the season.
Me: With all of the praise for the Rangers farm system, it seems like they might be poised for a long-term run of success. What’s your opinion on that and what do they need to do to turn that potential into reality?
Anthony: I wouldn’t rush them. I wouldn’t rush Feliz, I wouldn’t rush Manny Pina, I wouldn’t rush Justin Smoak. Let those guys get their time in the minor leagues because you don’t want them to come up here and struggle. You want them to come up here and have the best chance at success that they possibly can. If you bring people up too early, that tends to mess people up. There’s no reason to rush it. Let things play out the way they’re supposed to play out and don’t push things.
Me: So if the Rangers traded Blalock, would you rather have them call up Smoak or someone else and what do you think they would do?
Anthony: Well, if they traded Blalock, I’m sure what they’d probably do is give Andruw Jones a lot of the DH at-bats and leave Chris Davis at first base. I don’t think they would call up Smoak. I don’t know what they would do, if they would bring up another outfielder or utility infielder, but I don’t see there’s a reason to call up Justin Smoak this year.
Me: Who are the next players in the Rangers’ minor league system that will make an impact with the Rangers at the major league level?
Anthony: The two obvious ones would be Smoak and Feliz. I’m sure Feliz will be up here sometime this year and probably pitching in the bullpen, so he could be that arm they need at the trade deadline. He could be like Joba Chamberlain was for the Yankees a few years ago. I think Smoak could help this year but I just don’t know that there’s really a need to push it.
Me: How will the Rangers make room for Justin Smoak when he’s ready?
Anthony: Well, Hank Blalock’s probably going to be gone after this year. If that’s the case, you have Smoak and Chris Davis. You could let Smoak DH. You could let Chris DH.
Me: Do you think Josh Hamilton should move to one of the corner outfield spots long term? If so, who’s the Rangers’ center fielder of the future?
Anthony: Right now, if he moves – which he doesn’t want to do, he wants to play center field – I guess Borbon would be the center fielder of the future. He’s hitting pretty well in the minors but I don’t think that’s anything that’s going to happen this year. The Rangers are going to have an outfield spot to fill after this year because Marlon Byrd will be a free agent, depending on how Nelson Cruz and David Murphy develop this year. Because if Nelson Cruz is your every day right fielder, you have a problem with Hamilton if he wants to play center next year. My guess though is that the next outfielder that comes up that makes an impact will be Borbon, and Hamilton needs to move, just because he’s getting older and it will be less taxing on his body to move to a corner spot. (Note: this interview took place before Borbon was called up to the majors.)
Me: If he did move to one of the corner spots, do you think he would play left or would they move Nelson Cruz to left?
Anthony: I don’t know. I don’t know what kind of arm Nelson Cruz has for left field. He has a strong arm but it’s not the most accurate so far. That’s a question I don’t think I can answer. I don’t know what they would do. It really depends on what Josh wants to do. If Josh wants to play center field, they’re going to have a hard time convincing him to move to one of the corner spots.
Me: What was your favorite team growing up and why?
Anthony: My two favorite baseball teams growing up – I had two – were the Chicago Cubs and the Rangers. The Rangers because I grew up here. The Cubs because I was born in Chicago and it was my dad’s favorite team growing up.
Me: That’s not that good because over the last 100 years you’ve had zero World Series championships.
Anthony: That’s right but I did get to watch all three of the Cubs/Rangers games here at the ballpark two years ago, so that was kind of like my World Series.
Me: So you got to see Sammy Sosa’s 600th.
Anthony: I got to see Sammy’s home run. We were in the stands for that game – my wife, my son, and I.
Me: Yeah, we were there the night before he hit it.
Anthony: We were down the third base line when it happened.
Me: Did you play baseball growing up? If so, for how long and at what position?
Anthony: I played for like two years when I was 7 and 8. I played every position but I was not any good at it.
Me: Thanks again for doing this interview.
Anthony: No problem.
I would like to thank Anthony again for giving me so much of his time and for giving such great answers.
Come back next week for an interview with mlb.com reporter and Rangers beat writer TR Sullivan.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
My All-Star Teams
This week I’m providing my All-Star teams. The stats are as of Thursday, July 2nd. The All-Star Selection Show will be Sunday at noon on TBS.
AL:
Starters:
Catcher:
My pick: Victor Martinez, CLE (.313 AVG, 14 HR, 57 RBI): Even though Victor’s batting average is well below Joe Mauer’s .392 batting average, Victor has 13 more RBI’s and 96 more at-bats. Both Mauer and Martinez have 14 home runs, so if Mauer wasn’t injured at the start of the season, he would almost surely be the starter, and not Victor.
It will be: Joe Mauer, MIN
1B:
My pick: Justin Morneau, MIN (.309 AVG, 19 HR, 64 RBI): Justin is 3rd among balloted AL first basemen in batting average, and is tied for 3rd in home runs, but he leads them all in RBI’s with 64, and that is the most important one, in my opinion. He is very good in all three major hitting categories, and I think that is worthy of being the starting first baseman in the All-Star Game.
It will be: Either Kevin Youkilis, BOS or Mark Teixeira, NYY
2B:
My pick: Aaron Hill, TOR (.301 AVG, 19 HR, 56 RBI): Aaron leads all AL second basemen in RBI’s with 56, and is tied with Ian Kinsler for 1st in home runs with 19. Also, out of all the AL 2nd basemen on the ballot with at least 225 at-bats, he leads them in batting average at .301. So he is either in first or tied for first in all three major hitting categories, so that makes him the obvious choice here.
It will be: Either Dustin Pedroia, BOS or Ian Kinsler, TEX
SS:
My pick: Jason Bartlett, TB (.362 AVG, 7 HR, 36 RBI): Jason obviously leads all balloted shortstops in batting average at .362, and then just to add to that, he is second only to Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox in RBI’s among AL shortstops. He is also 3rd in home runs. There isn’t too much competition at the shortstop position when it comes to All-Stars this year, which just makes this decision that much easier.
It will be: Derek Jeter, NYY
3B:
My pick: Evan Longoria, TB (.297 AVG, 16 HR, 63 RBI): Evan leads all AL third basemen in RBI’s by 11 and is 2nd in home runs, not to mention the fact that he is 4th in batting average. When you add all three of those things together, it sums up to an All-Star starter.
It will be: Evan Longoria, TB
OF:
My pick: Torii Hunter, LAA (.305 AVG, 17 HR, 59 RBI): Torii is 2nd among all AL outfielders in RBI’s, and leads the guy ahead of him in that category in batting average by 43 points. He also is in the top 5 in home runs among outfielders. He also is an outstanding defensive player. So far he has been the best all-around American League outfielder on the ballot, in my opinion, and so I think that definitely makes him a starter.
It will be: Jason Bay, BOS
OF:
My pick: Jermaine Dye, CWS (.294 AVG, 18 HR, 48 RBI): Jermaine is 4th among balloted AL outfielders in RBI’s with 48 behind Bay, Hunter, and Markakis, and is tied for 3rd in home runs with Curtis Granderson. And of those people ahead of him (or tied with him) in those two categories, only Hunter has at least 10 home runs and a better batting average than Dye.
It will be: Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
OF:
My pick: Jason Bay, BOS (.262 AVG, 19 HR, 69 RBI): Even though Jason is only hitting .262 so far this year, his power numbers make up for that, as he leads all American League outfielders in RBI’s by 10, and is tied with Nelson Cruz for the lead in home runs with 19. If it weren’t for his batting average, he’d probably be the top AL outfielder, but instead, he is only 3rd.
It will be: Josh Hamilton, TEX
Starting Pitcher:
My pick: Zack Greinke, KC (10-3, 1.95 ERA, 114 K): Zach leads all of baseball with a 1.95 ERA, and is tied for first in wins with 10 (and only three losses, which is really good). He is also tied for 2nd in the AL in strike-outs with Jon Lester. When you are only 16 strike-outs away from a pitching triple crown, like Grienke is, you’ve got to start in the All-Star game.
Reserves:
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.392 AVG, 14 HR, 44 RBI)
1B: Kevin Youkilis, BOS (.314 AVG, 14 HR, 47 RBI)
Miguel Cabrera, DET (.331 AVG, 16 HR, 47 RBI)
2B: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.263 AVG, 19 HR, 51 RBI)
Robinson Cano, NYY (.300 AVG, 12 HR, 42 RBI)
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY (.307 AVG, 9 HR, 32 RBI)
3B: Michael Young, TEX (.315 AVG, 10 HR, 30 RBI)
Brandon Inge, DET (.275 AVG, 18 HR, 52 RBI)
OF: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.264 AVG, 19 HR, 47 RBI)
Adam Jones, BAL (.305 AVG, 12 HR, 44 RBI)
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (.368 AVG, 6 HR, 18 RBI)
Nick Markakis, BAL (.298 AVG, 8 HR, 52 RBI)
Pitchers:
Roy Halladay, TOR (10-2, 2.56 ERA, 95 K)
Felix Hernandez, SEA (8-3, 2.54 ERA, 104 K)
Kevin Millwood, TEX (8-5, 2.80 ERA, 74 K)
Justin Verlander, DET (8-4, 3.54 ERA, 130 K)
Edwin Jackson, DET (6-4, 2.49 ERA, 84 K)
Dallas Braden, OAK (6-7, 3.13 ERA, 67 K)
Brian Fuentes, LAA (3.49 ERA, 23 SV, 30 K)
Joe Nathan, MIN (1.44 ERA, 21 SV, 39 K)
Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (1.80 ERA, 20 SV, 34 K)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (2.76 ERA, 20 SV, 40 K)
David Aardsma, SEA (1.45 ERA, 16 SV, 47 K)
George Sherrill, BAL (2.51 ERA, 17 SV, 31 K)
Players per Team:
Detroit Tigers – 4
Texas Rangers – 4
Baltimore Orioles – 3
Boston Red Sox – 3
Minnesota Twins – 3
New York Yankees – 3
Seattle Mariners – 3
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 2
Tampa Bay Rays – 2
Toronto Blue Jays – 2
Chicago White Sox – 1
Cleveland Indians – 1
Kansas City Royals – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1 (and I only have 1 because it’s required)
NL:
Starters:
Catcher:
My pick: Brian McCann, ATL (.310 AVG, 8 HR, 33 RBI): McCann leads all National League catchers on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats in batting average by far, and is 2nd only to Bengie Molina of the Giants in RBI. Even though his stats aren’t that good, his poor competition makes him All-Star-starter worthy.
It will be: Yadier Molina, STL
1B:
My pick: Albert Pujols, STL (.337 AVG, 30 HR, 77 RBI): Albert leads all of baseball in both home runs and RBI’s, which is enough to make you an All-Star even if you were hitting .200, but he’s not doing that. He’s got the 4th best batting average in all of baseball at .337. That makes him a very, very obvious choice here.
It will be: Albert Pujols, STL
2B:
My pick: Chase Utley, PHI (.301 AVG, 17 HR, 52 RBI): Chase leads all NL 2nd basemen in home runs with 17 and is tied for the lead in RBI’s with Brandon Phillips with 52. That’s pretty good even without the .301 batting average, but with it, it pretty much makes him an All-Star lock, and a probable starter.
It will be: Chase Utley, PHI
SS:
My pick: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.348 AVG, 13 HR, 58 RBI, 12 SB): Hanley leads all balloted NL shortstops in batting average. And in home runs. And in RBI’s. And in stolen bases. That is pretty amazing. And not only does he lead shortstops in batting average, he leads the entire National League in it. That is definitely the equation of an All-Star starter.
It will be: Hanley Ramirez, FLA
3B:
My pick: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.332 AVG, 11 HR, 40 RBI): Pablo is 2nd among NL 3rd basemen on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats in batting average at .332, only behind David Wright of the Mets. He is also tied for 3rd in that category in home runs and 5th in RBI’s. Even though he doesn’t lead any of those, he is the most balanced throughout those categories.
It will be: David Wright, NYM
OF:
My pick: Raul Ibanez, PHI (.312 AVG, 22 HR, 59 RBI): Raul leads all NL outfielders in home runs and RBI’s, and he is 4th in batting average among NL outfielders with at least 100 at-bats. That is definitely All-Star starter worthy.
It will be: Raul Ibanez, PHI
OF:
My pick: Ryan Braun, MIL (.330 AVG, 16 HR, 57 RBI): Ryan is 3rd among NL outfielders with at least 100 at-bats in batting average at .330, only 6 points behind the leader. He is also 3rd in home runs and 2nd in RBI’s behind only Raul Ibanez. To me, he pretty obviously deserves to start in the All-Star game.
It will be: Ryan Braun, MIL
OF:
My pick: Brad Hawpe, COL (.333 AVG, 13 HR, 56 RBI): Brad Hawpe is 2nd among NL outfielders with at least 100 at-bats in batting average behind only Carlos Beltran of the Mets (who is hitting .336), is 10th in home runs, and is tied for third in RBI’s with Adam Dunn.
It will be: Either Carlos Beltran, NYM or Alfonso Soriano, CHC (probably Beltran)
Starting Pitcher:
My pick: Tim Lincecum, SF (8-2, 2.37 ERA, 132 K): Tim Lincecum is 2nd in the National League in ERA, and leads all of baseball in strike-outs. He has a very good record to go along with that, too, as he’s tied for 5th in wins in the National League. To me, that is an All-Star starting pitcher, even though there are many deserving pitchers for this spot.
Reserves:
C: Bengie Molina, SF (.259 AVG, 10 HR, 46 RBI)
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL (.306 AVG, 20 HR, 74 RBI)
Todd Helton, COL (.312 AVG, 9 HR, 53 RBI)
2B: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.268 AVG, 11 HR, 52 RBI)
Freddy Sanchez, PIT (.315 AVG, 6 HR, 33 RBI)
SS: Miguel Tejada, HOU (.331 AVG, 6 HR, 42 RBI)
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.296 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI)
Mark Reynolds, ARI (.270 AVG, 22 HR, 57 RBI, 13 SB)
OF: Carlos Beltran, NYM (.336 AVG, 8 HR, 40 RBI)
Adam Dunn, WAS (.260 AVG, 20 HR, 56 RBI)
Justin Upton, ARI (.309 AVG, 14 HR, 45 RBI)
Matt Kemp, LAD (.302 AVG, 10 HR, 41 RBI, 19 SB)
Pitchers:
Matt Cain, SF (9-2, 2.48 ERA, 88 K)
Dan Haren, ARI (7-5, 2.19 ERA, 113 K)
Johnny Cueto, CIN (8-4, 2.69 ERA, 78 K)
Jason Marquis, COL (10-5, 3.87 ERA, 51 K)
Josh Johnson, FLA (7-1, 2.76 ERA, 97 K)
Ted Lilly, CHC (7-6, 3.35 ERA, 88 K)
Heath Bell, SD (1.34 ERA, 22 SV, 36 K)
Francisco Rodriguez, NYM (1.59 ERA, 21 SV, 40 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (2.15 ERA, 19 SV, 62 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (1.85 ERA, 19 SV, 29 K)
Ryan Franklin, STL (0.87 ERA, 19 SV, 22 K)
Huston Street, COL (2.91 ERA, 19 SV, 39 K)
Players per Team:
Colorado Rockies – 4
San Francisco Giants – 4
Arizona Diamondbacks – 3
Cincinnati Reds – 3
Florida Marlins – 2
Los Angeles Dodgers – 2
Milwaukee Brewers – 2
New York Mets – 2
Philadelphia Phillies – 2
St. Louis Cardinals – 2
Washington Nationals – 2
Atlanta Braves – 1
Chicago Cubs – 1 (and I only have 1 because it’s required)
Houston Astros – 1
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1
San Diego Padres – 1
Come back next week for an interview with Fort Worth Star-Telegram Rangers beat writer Anthony Andro.
AL:
Starters:
Catcher:
My pick: Victor Martinez, CLE (.313 AVG, 14 HR, 57 RBI): Even though Victor’s batting average is well below Joe Mauer’s .392 batting average, Victor has 13 more RBI’s and 96 more at-bats. Both Mauer and Martinez have 14 home runs, so if Mauer wasn’t injured at the start of the season, he would almost surely be the starter, and not Victor.
It will be: Joe Mauer, MIN
1B:
My pick: Justin Morneau, MIN (.309 AVG, 19 HR, 64 RBI): Justin is 3rd among balloted AL first basemen in batting average, and is tied for 3rd in home runs, but he leads them all in RBI’s with 64, and that is the most important one, in my opinion. He is very good in all three major hitting categories, and I think that is worthy of being the starting first baseman in the All-Star Game.
It will be: Either Kevin Youkilis, BOS or Mark Teixeira, NYY
2B:
My pick: Aaron Hill, TOR (.301 AVG, 19 HR, 56 RBI): Aaron leads all AL second basemen in RBI’s with 56, and is tied with Ian Kinsler for 1st in home runs with 19. Also, out of all the AL 2nd basemen on the ballot with at least 225 at-bats, he leads them in batting average at .301. So he is either in first or tied for first in all three major hitting categories, so that makes him the obvious choice here.
It will be: Either Dustin Pedroia, BOS or Ian Kinsler, TEX
SS:
My pick: Jason Bartlett, TB (.362 AVG, 7 HR, 36 RBI): Jason obviously leads all balloted shortstops in batting average at .362, and then just to add to that, he is second only to Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox in RBI’s among AL shortstops. He is also 3rd in home runs. There isn’t too much competition at the shortstop position when it comes to All-Stars this year, which just makes this decision that much easier.
It will be: Derek Jeter, NYY
3B:
My pick: Evan Longoria, TB (.297 AVG, 16 HR, 63 RBI): Evan leads all AL third basemen in RBI’s by 11 and is 2nd in home runs, not to mention the fact that he is 4th in batting average. When you add all three of those things together, it sums up to an All-Star starter.
It will be: Evan Longoria, TB
OF:
My pick: Torii Hunter, LAA (.305 AVG, 17 HR, 59 RBI): Torii is 2nd among all AL outfielders in RBI’s, and leads the guy ahead of him in that category in batting average by 43 points. He also is in the top 5 in home runs among outfielders. He also is an outstanding defensive player. So far he has been the best all-around American League outfielder on the ballot, in my opinion, and so I think that definitely makes him a starter.
It will be: Jason Bay, BOS
OF:
My pick: Jermaine Dye, CWS (.294 AVG, 18 HR, 48 RBI): Jermaine is 4th among balloted AL outfielders in RBI’s with 48 behind Bay, Hunter, and Markakis, and is tied for 3rd in home runs with Curtis Granderson. And of those people ahead of him (or tied with him) in those two categories, only Hunter has at least 10 home runs and a better batting average than Dye.
It will be: Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
OF:
My pick: Jason Bay, BOS (.262 AVG, 19 HR, 69 RBI): Even though Jason is only hitting .262 so far this year, his power numbers make up for that, as he leads all American League outfielders in RBI’s by 10, and is tied with Nelson Cruz for the lead in home runs with 19. If it weren’t for his batting average, he’d probably be the top AL outfielder, but instead, he is only 3rd.
It will be: Josh Hamilton, TEX
Starting Pitcher:
My pick: Zack Greinke, KC (10-3, 1.95 ERA, 114 K): Zach leads all of baseball with a 1.95 ERA, and is tied for first in wins with 10 (and only three losses, which is really good). He is also tied for 2nd in the AL in strike-outs with Jon Lester. When you are only 16 strike-outs away from a pitching triple crown, like Grienke is, you’ve got to start in the All-Star game.
Reserves:
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.392 AVG, 14 HR, 44 RBI)
1B: Kevin Youkilis, BOS (.314 AVG, 14 HR, 47 RBI)
Miguel Cabrera, DET (.331 AVG, 16 HR, 47 RBI)
2B: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.263 AVG, 19 HR, 51 RBI)
Robinson Cano, NYY (.300 AVG, 12 HR, 42 RBI)
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY (.307 AVG, 9 HR, 32 RBI)
3B: Michael Young, TEX (.315 AVG, 10 HR, 30 RBI)
Brandon Inge, DET (.275 AVG, 18 HR, 52 RBI)
OF: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.264 AVG, 19 HR, 47 RBI)
Adam Jones, BAL (.305 AVG, 12 HR, 44 RBI)
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (.368 AVG, 6 HR, 18 RBI)
Nick Markakis, BAL (.298 AVG, 8 HR, 52 RBI)
Pitchers:
Roy Halladay, TOR (10-2, 2.56 ERA, 95 K)
Felix Hernandez, SEA (8-3, 2.54 ERA, 104 K)
Kevin Millwood, TEX (8-5, 2.80 ERA, 74 K)
Justin Verlander, DET (8-4, 3.54 ERA, 130 K)
Edwin Jackson, DET (6-4, 2.49 ERA, 84 K)
Dallas Braden, OAK (6-7, 3.13 ERA, 67 K)
Brian Fuentes, LAA (3.49 ERA, 23 SV, 30 K)
Joe Nathan, MIN (1.44 ERA, 21 SV, 39 K)
Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (1.80 ERA, 20 SV, 34 K)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (2.76 ERA, 20 SV, 40 K)
David Aardsma, SEA (1.45 ERA, 16 SV, 47 K)
George Sherrill, BAL (2.51 ERA, 17 SV, 31 K)
Players per Team:
Detroit Tigers – 4
Texas Rangers – 4
Baltimore Orioles – 3
Boston Red Sox – 3
Minnesota Twins – 3
New York Yankees – 3
Seattle Mariners – 3
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 2
Tampa Bay Rays – 2
Toronto Blue Jays – 2
Chicago White Sox – 1
Cleveland Indians – 1
Kansas City Royals – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1 (and I only have 1 because it’s required)
NL:
Starters:
Catcher:
My pick: Brian McCann, ATL (.310 AVG, 8 HR, 33 RBI): McCann leads all National League catchers on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats in batting average by far, and is 2nd only to Bengie Molina of the Giants in RBI. Even though his stats aren’t that good, his poor competition makes him All-Star-starter worthy.
It will be: Yadier Molina, STL
1B:
My pick: Albert Pujols, STL (.337 AVG, 30 HR, 77 RBI): Albert leads all of baseball in both home runs and RBI’s, which is enough to make you an All-Star even if you were hitting .200, but he’s not doing that. He’s got the 4th best batting average in all of baseball at .337. That makes him a very, very obvious choice here.
It will be: Albert Pujols, STL
2B:
My pick: Chase Utley, PHI (.301 AVG, 17 HR, 52 RBI): Chase leads all NL 2nd basemen in home runs with 17 and is tied for the lead in RBI’s with Brandon Phillips with 52. That’s pretty good even without the .301 batting average, but with it, it pretty much makes him an All-Star lock, and a probable starter.
It will be: Chase Utley, PHI
SS:
My pick: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.348 AVG, 13 HR, 58 RBI, 12 SB): Hanley leads all balloted NL shortstops in batting average. And in home runs. And in RBI’s. And in stolen bases. That is pretty amazing. And not only does he lead shortstops in batting average, he leads the entire National League in it. That is definitely the equation of an All-Star starter.
It will be: Hanley Ramirez, FLA
3B:
My pick: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.332 AVG, 11 HR, 40 RBI): Pablo is 2nd among NL 3rd basemen on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats in batting average at .332, only behind David Wright of the Mets. He is also tied for 3rd in that category in home runs and 5th in RBI’s. Even though he doesn’t lead any of those, he is the most balanced throughout those categories.
It will be: David Wright, NYM
OF:
My pick: Raul Ibanez, PHI (.312 AVG, 22 HR, 59 RBI): Raul leads all NL outfielders in home runs and RBI’s, and he is 4th in batting average among NL outfielders with at least 100 at-bats. That is definitely All-Star starter worthy.
It will be: Raul Ibanez, PHI
OF:
My pick: Ryan Braun, MIL (.330 AVG, 16 HR, 57 RBI): Ryan is 3rd among NL outfielders with at least 100 at-bats in batting average at .330, only 6 points behind the leader. He is also 3rd in home runs and 2nd in RBI’s behind only Raul Ibanez. To me, he pretty obviously deserves to start in the All-Star game.
It will be: Ryan Braun, MIL
OF:
My pick: Brad Hawpe, COL (.333 AVG, 13 HR, 56 RBI): Brad Hawpe is 2nd among NL outfielders with at least 100 at-bats in batting average behind only Carlos Beltran of the Mets (who is hitting .336), is 10th in home runs, and is tied for third in RBI’s with Adam Dunn.
It will be: Either Carlos Beltran, NYM or Alfonso Soriano, CHC (probably Beltran)
Starting Pitcher:
My pick: Tim Lincecum, SF (8-2, 2.37 ERA, 132 K): Tim Lincecum is 2nd in the National League in ERA, and leads all of baseball in strike-outs. He has a very good record to go along with that, too, as he’s tied for 5th in wins in the National League. To me, that is an All-Star starting pitcher, even though there are many deserving pitchers for this spot.
Reserves:
C: Bengie Molina, SF (.259 AVG, 10 HR, 46 RBI)
1B: Prince Fielder, MIL (.306 AVG, 20 HR, 74 RBI)
Todd Helton, COL (.312 AVG, 9 HR, 53 RBI)
2B: Brandon Phillips, CIN (.268 AVG, 11 HR, 52 RBI)
Freddy Sanchez, PIT (.315 AVG, 6 HR, 33 RBI)
SS: Miguel Tejada, HOU (.331 AVG, 6 HR, 42 RBI)
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.296 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI)
Mark Reynolds, ARI (.270 AVG, 22 HR, 57 RBI, 13 SB)
OF: Carlos Beltran, NYM (.336 AVG, 8 HR, 40 RBI)
Adam Dunn, WAS (.260 AVG, 20 HR, 56 RBI)
Justin Upton, ARI (.309 AVG, 14 HR, 45 RBI)
Matt Kemp, LAD (.302 AVG, 10 HR, 41 RBI, 19 SB)
Pitchers:
Matt Cain, SF (9-2, 2.48 ERA, 88 K)
Dan Haren, ARI (7-5, 2.19 ERA, 113 K)
Johnny Cueto, CIN (8-4, 2.69 ERA, 78 K)
Jason Marquis, COL (10-5, 3.87 ERA, 51 K)
Josh Johnson, FLA (7-1, 2.76 ERA, 97 K)
Ted Lilly, CHC (7-6, 3.35 ERA, 88 K)
Heath Bell, SD (1.34 ERA, 22 SV, 36 K)
Francisco Rodriguez, NYM (1.59 ERA, 21 SV, 40 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (2.15 ERA, 19 SV, 62 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (1.85 ERA, 19 SV, 29 K)
Ryan Franklin, STL (0.87 ERA, 19 SV, 22 K)
Huston Street, COL (2.91 ERA, 19 SV, 39 K)
Players per Team:
Colorado Rockies – 4
San Francisco Giants – 4
Arizona Diamondbacks – 3
Cincinnati Reds – 3
Florida Marlins – 2
Los Angeles Dodgers – 2
Milwaukee Brewers – 2
New York Mets – 2
Philadelphia Phillies – 2
St. Louis Cardinals – 2
Washington Nationals – 2
Atlanta Braves – 1
Chicago Cubs – 1 (and I only have 1 because it’s required)
Houston Astros – 1
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1
San Diego Padres – 1
Come back next week for an interview with Fort Worth Star-Telegram Rangers beat writer Anthony Andro.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
New York Trip Report
Last week, my mom, my dad, my little sister, my grandma, my granddad, and I took a baseball-centered trip to New York City. This was my second trip to New York. I also went in 2002 when I was 6 and my parents took me to Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium and Fenway Park. With the opening of the new Yankees and Mets stadiums, it was time to go back. Following is the report on our trip.
Wednesday June 17
We flew out of Dallas at around 10 in the morning and got to New York with no delays. The plane ride went very smoothly, and we landed at LaGuardia Airport right on time. We grabbed a couple of taxis and went to our hotel, getting to experience some gridlock New York traffic on the way. I was in a taxi with my grandparents and one of the traffic delays we experienced was some police officers stopping a car in front of us, placing three people from the car against a wall, and arresting them. Just another day in New York I think. We stayed at the Double Tree Suites right on Times Square, and it was awesome. We had a great view, because right outside of our window was the north end of Times Square, with all of the big screens they have there. My little sister Kate particularly liked the M&M’s World video screen we could see from our room. We got two suites, one for my grandparents, and one for my parents, my sister, and me, and the suites had two rooms each. Since we got connecting rooms, for Kate and me it was like having four rooms and two bathrooms.
Once we checked in to our hotel, my dad, my granddad and I left almost immediately to take the subway to the New Yankee Stadium (the rest of the family came later, closer to game time). The new stadium is amazing. You walk out of the Subway station and it’s right there. The outside is great. They’ve made it look like old Yankee Stadium, before the mid-70’s renovations messed it up. On the side where we came out, the sidewalk right by the stadium is called Babe Ruth Plaza, and it has a bunch of different signs and plaques about the Babe and the things he did. Another cool thing is that old Yankee Stadium is still standing, so we got to see the two stadiums side-by-side.
When you enter the stadium, you’re in the “Great Hall”, which has pictures of all the Yankee greats on huge banners on the wall. We went straight to Monument Park, and the line really wasn’t that bad (at this point it was about 4:30 and game time was 2.5 hours away). But the New York Giants were at that game and decided they wanted to see Monument Park, and so of course nobody could get in until they were done. So we waited for 20 minutes or so for the Giants to be done, and then they crammed in twice as many people into the park as could fit to make up for that. But it was great. They moved all the stuff from the old Yankee Stadium to the new one, so it’s pretty much the same thing (which is a good thing). They have all of the retired numbers, with plaques underneath the numbers about those players. They have the five free-standing monuments (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Miller Huggins). And they have plaques on the wall for other Yankee greats (like Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson). It’s a great area and we spent a lot of time there reading all of the information. It’s more compact than the Monument Park at the old stadium, where the retired numbers were basically in a walkway leading to a separate area with the monuments and other plaques. Another neat thing is that, when you’re done looking at the plaques and monuments, you can turn around and watch batting practice (Monument Park is located in center field). Basically, it’s one of the neatest areas at any ballpark anywhere.
After Monument Park, we tried to go to the Yankees Museum, a small museum at the ballpark about the Yankees and their history. But there was a huge line to get in and it didn’t seem to be moving. My dad asked an employee what was going on and, guess what, the New York Giants decided they wanted to see the museum too, so again everyone else had to wait for them to be done. Since the museum is open all through the game, we decided to leave and come back later.
We took a walk around the rest of the ballpark. The Yankees have done a great job celebrating their history. For example, as you walk along the main concourse, you see pictures from each of the Yankees’ 26 world championships above the concession stands (in order, basically walking you through their history). And on the mid-level concourse, they have pictures of every Yankee that’s been named AL MVP, from Babe Ruth to A-Rod. Those sorts of things were great touches.
It was around game time, so we headed to our seats. It was tough to get tickets to the game so we had to use StubHub and weren’t able to get great seats or anything. We sat on the second row from the top of the stadium, but we were right behind home plate, so it wasn’t too bad. We got lucky, and we saw the Nationals beat the Yankees 3-2. It was a really good game. Jon Lannan pitched for the Nationals, and did great, going 8 and a third, allowing only two runs on four hits, and improving his record to 4-5 (even though he had a 3.38 ERA). Mike MacDougal got his first save since July 16th, 2006, going two-thirds of an inning, and allowing no runs. Chien-Ming Wang pitched for the Yankees, giving up all three Nationals runs in five innings of work, giving him another loss to make his record 0-5, but lowering his ERA to a mere 12.30. Phil Hughes pitched two good innings after him. Adam Dunn had a solo home run in the 4th to give the Nationals a one-run lead, which they then expanded to 3-0 in the 5th with a 2-run triple by Nick Johnson. But in the bottom of the inning, Robinson Cano hit a solo homer to cut the lead to 3-1. The final run was a solo shot by Johnny Damon in the bottom of the 9th to lead off the inning.
After the game, we went back to the Yankees Museum. It’s smallish but is a nice extra touch to the stadium, especially since there’s no extra charge for admission. It’s just one room. In the middle are hundreds of baseballs signed by various Yankees. Along the walls are a tribute to Babe Ruth, Thurman Munson’s locker, seats from different eras of the old Yankee Stadium, and information and artifacts about each of the Yankees’ World Series championships. They have the championships divided up between what they call the Babe Ruth Era, the Joe DiMaggio Era, the Mickey Mantle Era, the Reggie Jackson Era, and the Derek Jeter Era.
After we were done with the museum, we hit the subway and headed back to the hotel.
Thursday June 18
On Thursday it was rainy, wet, and cold all day, but we still took the subway to Coney Island. It was very disappointing because all the rides were closed. We got to see the Cyclone roller coaster but couldn’t ride it. We went to the aquarium, but a lot of the best stuff (the walruses, sea lions, and penguins) weren’t out because of the rain. But we still had a good time there. After the aquarium, we went to eat lunch at the original Nathan’s Famous (hot dog place), which was excellent. They were definitely some of the best hot dogs I’ve ever had. Even though it wasn’t the perfect Coney Island experience, it was good to see it and we had fun with the things we did.
We were glad that we picked Wednesday to go to the Yankees game. Thursday’s game had a 5.5 hour rain delay. We were a little worried about our Friday Mets game because it was supposed to rain the whole time we were there.
After Coney Island, we hung out at the hotel for a while before walking Times Square and going to the three-story Toys R’ Us they have there. My dad took Kate on the huge Ferris Wheel that goes through all three floors, which she enjoyed.
We ate dinner at the Stardust Diner on 51st Street, where the waiters and waitresses sing songs every few minutes. It was really fun. If you’re ever in New York, I recommend it.
We then went to M&M’s World (a store). It’s actually a good store and isn’t just a bunch of candy or anything. They do have a lot of candy though, including M&M flavors and colors that you can’t get anywhere else.
Friday June 19
We got lucky Friday and the rain held off all day. We went to Central Park, which, amazingly, has no signs except for “Stay off grass”. There are no signs to help you find anything. We pretty much went straight to the Central Park Zoo, and had good timing, as we got there right before the sea lion feeding show. They had the sea lions do tricks for fish. They also had penguins, polar bears, snow leopards, snow monkeys, birds, leaf-cutter ants, tortoises, a red panda (panda-face, lemur-body), and other stuff. Overall, I was amazed by how big and nice Central Park was.
Afterwards we went to eat at Mickey Mantle’s, which is right by Central Park. It was really cool (but really expensive), as it had sports memorabilia all over the place and good food.
After that, we went back to the hotel for a couple of hours before taking the 7 train to the Mets game at their new ballpark, Citi Field.
Citi Field was very nice, although not as good as the Yankees’ new stadium. The outside was based on Ebbets Field, which was a nice touch. They have some banners outside the ballpark with pictures of past Mets greats. Shea Stadium has already been torn down and turned into a parking lot. My dad and I walked to the spot in the parking lot where the field used to be and found plaques marking the former locations of home plate, each base, and the pitchers’ mound. That was a good touch too.
Inside the stadium, the best part is the entryway, called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. It’s a huge area, all of which is a tribute to Jackie, both as a player and as a person. Walking around the stadium, there’s not too much to see and they didn’t do anywhere near as good a job of celebrating their history as the Yankees did. They had the old apple from Shea and that was about it. Above the old apple are pennants for the Mets’ various playoff appearances and championships but you can’t even see those from the seating area. There’s also a good kids’ play area, which is something that the Yankees didn’t have.
Our seats were in the upper deck, on the third base side. The Mets won the game 5-3 over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a Brian Schneider home run, his 1st of the year, to deep right-center. We were glad to see a home run so that we could see the new apple come up. The Mets scored another in the bottom of the 3rd on a David Wright RBI-double to give them a 4-0 lead. BJ Upton scored on a fielder’s choice in the top of the 6th to cut the Mets’ lead to 4-1, and then in the top of the 7th BJ cut the Mets’ lead to 4-3 with a 2-out, 2-RBI double to score Gabe Gross and Jason Bartlett. But Ryan Church put the Rays away in the bottom of the 8th with an RBI single to give the Mets a 5-3 lead, which would end up being the final score. Andy Sonnanstine was the starter for the Rays and got the loss to make him 5-7, as he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in just 6 innings. Fernando Nieve pitched for the Mets, and he pitched well, going 6 innings, allowing only 1 run and 3 hits. K-ROD recorded his 18th save of the year, pitching a perfect 9th.
After the game, we beat the crowd to the subway and headed back to the hotel.
Saturday June 20
On Saturday morning, my grandparents went to Rockefeller Center while the rest of us went to the World of Disney store, which is really, really cool, and is three floors just like Toys R’ Us. It used to have character appearances, which my little sister would’ve enjoyed, but since they’re about to go out of business they stopped doing those in February. The World of Disney store isn’t like the Disney Stores in the malls. It has merchandise from the theme parks that you can’t get anywhere else. They’re closing sometime next year when their lease expires, which is a shame.
After that we went to the hotel to get ready to go to a Broadway play, The Little Mermaid, which was very good. It was my second Broadway play (we saw The Lion King in 2002) and Kate’s first. The whole family really enjoyed it.
After that, we were supposed to go see the Staten Island Yankees (Short-Season A Yankees minor league team), but the game got rained out at 4:00 PM for a 7:00 PM game. It was good we didn’t take the ferry ride out there just to see that it was cancelled, but I was still really disappointed. Instead, we went around Times Square again, and ate at John’s Pizzeria, which had great food, but the worst service I’ve ever seen (and I’m not exaggerating). We also went to the Hershey Store, which was very disappointing (especially compared to M&M’s World), because there was nothing to it, so we were in and out of there within a few minutes. After picking out some Christmas ornaments, we went back to the hotel, and stayed there for the rest of the night.
Sunday June 21
On Sunday morning, my dad and I took the subway and PATH trains to Hoboken, New Jersey in order to try to find Elysian Fields, the site of the first organized baseball game. When we came up from the train station, we were about 14 blocks from the site, so we got to see a lot of the city walking there and back. Hoboken actually seemed pretty nice, with lots of shops and restaurants along Washington Street (their main street). When we got to the former site of Elysian Fields, they had a plaque marking it as the site of the first organized baseball game in 1846, a baseball painted in the middle of the intersection, and then a marker at each of the four corners of the intersection marking the former location of the bases (home plate, first base, etc.). It was really cool, and they did a really nice job with it. They also had a logo at the Hoboken City Hall declaring Hoboken as the birthplace of baseball. We then walked back to the train station, picking up some hot chocolate at Starbucks along the way (it was cold and raining again), and took the train back to Manhattan.
After that we went to the airport (JFK this time), and got out with just a minor rain delay. It was a great trip and we really got pretty lucky that the rain didn’t impact more of our plans. I’ve now seen games at 29 major league ballparks (23 current, 6 retired) and my dad’s been to 45 (30 current, 15 retired). Minnesota is the next target when they open their new stadium next year.
Results of the last poll:
Of the players numbers 31-35 on my All-Time Rangers List, which one do you think had the best Rangers career?
Hank Blalock – 43%
Bert Blyleven – 43%
Steve Comer – 14%
Jon Matlack – 0%
Doc Medich – 0%
Come back next week for my All-Star Teams through June.
Wednesday June 17
We flew out of Dallas at around 10 in the morning and got to New York with no delays. The plane ride went very smoothly, and we landed at LaGuardia Airport right on time. We grabbed a couple of taxis and went to our hotel, getting to experience some gridlock New York traffic on the way. I was in a taxi with my grandparents and one of the traffic delays we experienced was some police officers stopping a car in front of us, placing three people from the car against a wall, and arresting them. Just another day in New York I think. We stayed at the Double Tree Suites right on Times Square, and it was awesome. We had a great view, because right outside of our window was the north end of Times Square, with all of the big screens they have there. My little sister Kate particularly liked the M&M’s World video screen we could see from our room. We got two suites, one for my grandparents, and one for my parents, my sister, and me, and the suites had two rooms each. Since we got connecting rooms, for Kate and me it was like having four rooms and two bathrooms.
Once we checked in to our hotel, my dad, my granddad and I left almost immediately to take the subway to the New Yankee Stadium (the rest of the family came later, closer to game time). The new stadium is amazing. You walk out of the Subway station and it’s right there. The outside is great. They’ve made it look like old Yankee Stadium, before the mid-70’s renovations messed it up. On the side where we came out, the sidewalk right by the stadium is called Babe Ruth Plaza, and it has a bunch of different signs and plaques about the Babe and the things he did. Another cool thing is that old Yankee Stadium is still standing, so we got to see the two stadiums side-by-side.
When you enter the stadium, you’re in the “Great Hall”, which has pictures of all the Yankee greats on huge banners on the wall. We went straight to Monument Park, and the line really wasn’t that bad (at this point it was about 4:30 and game time was 2.5 hours away). But the New York Giants were at that game and decided they wanted to see Monument Park, and so of course nobody could get in until they were done. So we waited for 20 minutes or so for the Giants to be done, and then they crammed in twice as many people into the park as could fit to make up for that. But it was great. They moved all the stuff from the old Yankee Stadium to the new one, so it’s pretty much the same thing (which is a good thing). They have all of the retired numbers, with plaques underneath the numbers about those players. They have the five free-standing monuments (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Miller Huggins). And they have plaques on the wall for other Yankee greats (like Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson). It’s a great area and we spent a lot of time there reading all of the information. It’s more compact than the Monument Park at the old stadium, where the retired numbers were basically in a walkway leading to a separate area with the monuments and other plaques. Another neat thing is that, when you’re done looking at the plaques and monuments, you can turn around and watch batting practice (Monument Park is located in center field). Basically, it’s one of the neatest areas at any ballpark anywhere.
After Monument Park, we tried to go to the Yankees Museum, a small museum at the ballpark about the Yankees and their history. But there was a huge line to get in and it didn’t seem to be moving. My dad asked an employee what was going on and, guess what, the New York Giants decided they wanted to see the museum too, so again everyone else had to wait for them to be done. Since the museum is open all through the game, we decided to leave and come back later.
We took a walk around the rest of the ballpark. The Yankees have done a great job celebrating their history. For example, as you walk along the main concourse, you see pictures from each of the Yankees’ 26 world championships above the concession stands (in order, basically walking you through their history). And on the mid-level concourse, they have pictures of every Yankee that’s been named AL MVP, from Babe Ruth to A-Rod. Those sorts of things were great touches.
It was around game time, so we headed to our seats. It was tough to get tickets to the game so we had to use StubHub and weren’t able to get great seats or anything. We sat on the second row from the top of the stadium, but we were right behind home plate, so it wasn’t too bad. We got lucky, and we saw the Nationals beat the Yankees 3-2. It was a really good game. Jon Lannan pitched for the Nationals, and did great, going 8 and a third, allowing only two runs on four hits, and improving his record to 4-5 (even though he had a 3.38 ERA). Mike MacDougal got his first save since July 16th, 2006, going two-thirds of an inning, and allowing no runs. Chien-Ming Wang pitched for the Yankees, giving up all three Nationals runs in five innings of work, giving him another loss to make his record 0-5, but lowering his ERA to a mere 12.30. Phil Hughes pitched two good innings after him. Adam Dunn had a solo home run in the 4th to give the Nationals a one-run lead, which they then expanded to 3-0 in the 5th with a 2-run triple by Nick Johnson. But in the bottom of the inning, Robinson Cano hit a solo homer to cut the lead to 3-1. The final run was a solo shot by Johnny Damon in the bottom of the 9th to lead off the inning.
After the game, we went back to the Yankees Museum. It’s smallish but is a nice extra touch to the stadium, especially since there’s no extra charge for admission. It’s just one room. In the middle are hundreds of baseballs signed by various Yankees. Along the walls are a tribute to Babe Ruth, Thurman Munson’s locker, seats from different eras of the old Yankee Stadium, and information and artifacts about each of the Yankees’ World Series championships. They have the championships divided up between what they call the Babe Ruth Era, the Joe DiMaggio Era, the Mickey Mantle Era, the Reggie Jackson Era, and the Derek Jeter Era.
After we were done with the museum, we hit the subway and headed back to the hotel.
Thursday June 18
On Thursday it was rainy, wet, and cold all day, but we still took the subway to Coney Island. It was very disappointing because all the rides were closed. We got to see the Cyclone roller coaster but couldn’t ride it. We went to the aquarium, but a lot of the best stuff (the walruses, sea lions, and penguins) weren’t out because of the rain. But we still had a good time there. After the aquarium, we went to eat lunch at the original Nathan’s Famous (hot dog place), which was excellent. They were definitely some of the best hot dogs I’ve ever had. Even though it wasn’t the perfect Coney Island experience, it was good to see it and we had fun with the things we did.
We were glad that we picked Wednesday to go to the Yankees game. Thursday’s game had a 5.5 hour rain delay. We were a little worried about our Friday Mets game because it was supposed to rain the whole time we were there.
After Coney Island, we hung out at the hotel for a while before walking Times Square and going to the three-story Toys R’ Us they have there. My dad took Kate on the huge Ferris Wheel that goes through all three floors, which she enjoyed.
We ate dinner at the Stardust Diner on 51st Street, where the waiters and waitresses sing songs every few minutes. It was really fun. If you’re ever in New York, I recommend it.
We then went to M&M’s World (a store). It’s actually a good store and isn’t just a bunch of candy or anything. They do have a lot of candy though, including M&M flavors and colors that you can’t get anywhere else.
Friday June 19
We got lucky Friday and the rain held off all day. We went to Central Park, which, amazingly, has no signs except for “Stay off grass”. There are no signs to help you find anything. We pretty much went straight to the Central Park Zoo, and had good timing, as we got there right before the sea lion feeding show. They had the sea lions do tricks for fish. They also had penguins, polar bears, snow leopards, snow monkeys, birds, leaf-cutter ants, tortoises, a red panda (panda-face, lemur-body), and other stuff. Overall, I was amazed by how big and nice Central Park was.
Afterwards we went to eat at Mickey Mantle’s, which is right by Central Park. It was really cool (but really expensive), as it had sports memorabilia all over the place and good food.
After that, we went back to the hotel for a couple of hours before taking the 7 train to the Mets game at their new ballpark, Citi Field.
Citi Field was very nice, although not as good as the Yankees’ new stadium. The outside was based on Ebbets Field, which was a nice touch. They have some banners outside the ballpark with pictures of past Mets greats. Shea Stadium has already been torn down and turned into a parking lot. My dad and I walked to the spot in the parking lot where the field used to be and found plaques marking the former locations of home plate, each base, and the pitchers’ mound. That was a good touch too.
Inside the stadium, the best part is the entryway, called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. It’s a huge area, all of which is a tribute to Jackie, both as a player and as a person. Walking around the stadium, there’s not too much to see and they didn’t do anywhere near as good a job of celebrating their history as the Yankees did. They had the old apple from Shea and that was about it. Above the old apple are pennants for the Mets’ various playoff appearances and championships but you can’t even see those from the seating area. There’s also a good kids’ play area, which is something that the Yankees didn’t have.
Our seats were in the upper deck, on the third base side. The Mets won the game 5-3 over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a Brian Schneider home run, his 1st of the year, to deep right-center. We were glad to see a home run so that we could see the new apple come up. The Mets scored another in the bottom of the 3rd on a David Wright RBI-double to give them a 4-0 lead. BJ Upton scored on a fielder’s choice in the top of the 6th to cut the Mets’ lead to 4-1, and then in the top of the 7th BJ cut the Mets’ lead to 4-3 with a 2-out, 2-RBI double to score Gabe Gross and Jason Bartlett. But Ryan Church put the Rays away in the bottom of the 8th with an RBI single to give the Mets a 5-3 lead, which would end up being the final score. Andy Sonnanstine was the starter for the Rays and got the loss to make him 5-7, as he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in just 6 innings. Fernando Nieve pitched for the Mets, and he pitched well, going 6 innings, allowing only 1 run and 3 hits. K-ROD recorded his 18th save of the year, pitching a perfect 9th.
After the game, we beat the crowd to the subway and headed back to the hotel.
Saturday June 20
On Saturday morning, my grandparents went to Rockefeller Center while the rest of us went to the World of Disney store, which is really, really cool, and is three floors just like Toys R’ Us. It used to have character appearances, which my little sister would’ve enjoyed, but since they’re about to go out of business they stopped doing those in February. The World of Disney store isn’t like the Disney Stores in the malls. It has merchandise from the theme parks that you can’t get anywhere else. They’re closing sometime next year when their lease expires, which is a shame.
After that we went to the hotel to get ready to go to a Broadway play, The Little Mermaid, which was very good. It was my second Broadway play (we saw The Lion King in 2002) and Kate’s first. The whole family really enjoyed it.
After that, we were supposed to go see the Staten Island Yankees (Short-Season A Yankees minor league team), but the game got rained out at 4:00 PM for a 7:00 PM game. It was good we didn’t take the ferry ride out there just to see that it was cancelled, but I was still really disappointed. Instead, we went around Times Square again, and ate at John’s Pizzeria, which had great food, but the worst service I’ve ever seen (and I’m not exaggerating). We also went to the Hershey Store, which was very disappointing (especially compared to M&M’s World), because there was nothing to it, so we were in and out of there within a few minutes. After picking out some Christmas ornaments, we went back to the hotel, and stayed there for the rest of the night.
Sunday June 21
On Sunday morning, my dad and I took the subway and PATH trains to Hoboken, New Jersey in order to try to find Elysian Fields, the site of the first organized baseball game. When we came up from the train station, we were about 14 blocks from the site, so we got to see a lot of the city walking there and back. Hoboken actually seemed pretty nice, with lots of shops and restaurants along Washington Street (their main street). When we got to the former site of Elysian Fields, they had a plaque marking it as the site of the first organized baseball game in 1846, a baseball painted in the middle of the intersection, and then a marker at each of the four corners of the intersection marking the former location of the bases (home plate, first base, etc.). It was really cool, and they did a really nice job with it. They also had a logo at the Hoboken City Hall declaring Hoboken as the birthplace of baseball. We then walked back to the train station, picking up some hot chocolate at Starbucks along the way (it was cold and raining again), and took the train back to Manhattan.
After that we went to the airport (JFK this time), and got out with just a minor rain delay. It was a great trip and we really got pretty lucky that the rain didn’t impact more of our plans. I’ve now seen games at 29 major league ballparks (23 current, 6 retired) and my dad’s been to 45 (30 current, 15 retired). Minnesota is the next target when they open their new stadium next year.
Results of the last poll:
Of the players numbers 31-35 on my All-Time Rangers List, which one do you think had the best Rangers career?
Hank Blalock – 43%
Bert Blyleven – 43%
Steve Comer – 14%
Jon Matlack – 0%
Doc Medich – 0%
Come back next week for my All-Star Teams through June.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
#31-35 Top 50 All-Time Rangers List
This week the Rangers had an awesome draft. Their first two picks were Matthew Purke in the first round and Tanner Scheppers in the supplemental round. Both were steals. Baseball America had Purke (P) as the #10 talent in the draft, and the Rangers got him with the 14th pick, and Baseball America had Scheppers (P) as the #9 talent in the draft, and the Rangers got him with the 44th pick. It’s fun to watch the Rangers continue to stock the best farm system in baseball. If you want to see full details on the Rangers draft, Eleanor Czajka has the best coverage anywhere on her Minor Details Page at http://www.dickiethon.com/eczajka/draft_2009.htm. Also, if you’re not already reading it, Eleanor has one of the best baseball blogs anywhere (Girls Don’t Know Anything About Baseball) at http://emcmlb.blogspot.com/.
Also, they traded cash for Jason Grilli (majors) and picked up El Duque (minors). Jason had a 6.05 ERA in 19.1 innings this year for the Rockies before he got traded, and has only pitched 3 innings as a Ranger so far. But even though he has struggled so far this year he has done well in the past. Just last year for the Rockies, he had an ERA as low as 2.93 in 61.1 innings pitched, and had a total ERA for the year of 3.00 (he also played for the Tigers last year). Jason has been in the majors off and on since 2000 and has a career ERA of 4.75. In order to make room for Grilli, the Rangers sent Kris Benson to triple-A. I like this move. Grilli has good upside and we didn’t lose anything to get him. If he works out, great. If not, no loss. An added bonus was that it caused them to make a move with Benson, who was really struggling in the long relief role (8.46 ERA). But they kept Benson in the organization and will have him working as a starter in the minors, which gives them extra depth in case they have more injuries in the rotation.
El Duque (or Orlando Hernandez) hasn't played since 2007, but played well in '07, as he had a 3.72 ERA and a 9-5 record in 147.2 innings. He has a career record of 90-65 and a career ERA of 4.13. Since it was a minor league contract, it's a low risk, high reward signing, so I like it.
This week I will give numbers 31-35 on my Top 50 All-Time Rangers List. See my May 9th entry for the previous installment.
Note: stats do not include the Washington Senators, just the Rangers.
35. Bert Blyleven: 11 shut-outs (t-3rd), 2.74 ERA (best, min. 400 IP), 23-23, 326 K, 437 IP,
Even though Bert only spent two seasons as a Ranger, he still pitched 437 innings, had 326 strikeouts (24th in Rangers history), and, most importantly, has the best ERA in Rangers history, at only 2.74. Not to mention that he is tied for 3rd in shutouts with 11 and pitched a no-hitter against the Angels on September 22, 1977.
34. Steve Comer: 3.80 ERA (11th, min .400 IP), .574 W% (3rd, min. 400 IP), 39-29, 205 K, 575.2 IP
Steve has a very good ERA at 3.80, 11th in Rangers history, to go along with a great record at 39-29. Among all Ranger pitchers with at least 400 innings pitched as a Ranger, Steve has the 3rd best winning percentage at .574. But just like Doc Medich, he didn’t strike out very many batters, as his K/9 IP is only about 3.2. But, anyway, his ERA and record pretty much make him a clinch for the list.
33. Hank Blalock: .273 AVG, 140 HR, 499 RBI, All-Star (‘03, ‘04)
Hank is a two-time All-Star, and he’s also a guy with the 9th most home runs in Ranger history and counting. He’s also 10th in Ranger RBI’s. Even though his batting average isn’t too great, all his other stats (in the three major categories) are pretty good, and good enough to get him into the All-Star game twice.
32. Doc Medich: .538 W%, 50-43, 3.95 ERA, 790.1 IP, 322 K
As a Ranger, Doc had a .538 winning percentage with a 50-43 record, and had a pretty good ERA to go with that (3.95 ERA, 16th in Rangers history). He didn’t strike out many people, as he had only 3.7 K’s per 9 innings. But that doesn’t take anything away from his record or his ERA, and so it doesn’t keep him off this list.
31. Jon Matlack: 3.41 ERA (3rd, min. 400 IP), 43-45, 493 K, 915 IP
Even though Jon has a losing record with the Rangers, he’s still on this list. He shouldn’t have a losing record because he has the 3rd best ERA in Rangers history with a minimum of 400 innings pitched at 3.41. In 1978 alone, he had 18 complete games, and has 32 complete games total as a Ranger, 6th in Rangers history. His 493 strikeouts rank 14th in Ranger history and his 915 innings pitched rank 8th. I think all that makes up for the losing record.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which of my MVP’s or MVP Runner-up’s do you think has had the best year so far?
Nelson Cruz – 37%
Evan Longoria – 25%
Raul Ibanez – 18%
Ian Kinsler – 12%
Albert Pujols – 6%
Justin Morneau – 0%
Next week I will be taking a break, so come back in two weeks for my All-Star Teams through June.
Also, they traded cash for Jason Grilli (majors) and picked up El Duque (minors). Jason had a 6.05 ERA in 19.1 innings this year for the Rockies before he got traded, and has only pitched 3 innings as a Ranger so far. But even though he has struggled so far this year he has done well in the past. Just last year for the Rockies, he had an ERA as low as 2.93 in 61.1 innings pitched, and had a total ERA for the year of 3.00 (he also played for the Tigers last year). Jason has been in the majors off and on since 2000 and has a career ERA of 4.75. In order to make room for Grilli, the Rangers sent Kris Benson to triple-A. I like this move. Grilli has good upside and we didn’t lose anything to get him. If he works out, great. If not, no loss. An added bonus was that it caused them to make a move with Benson, who was really struggling in the long relief role (8.46 ERA). But they kept Benson in the organization and will have him working as a starter in the minors, which gives them extra depth in case they have more injuries in the rotation.
El Duque (or Orlando Hernandez) hasn't played since 2007, but played well in '07, as he had a 3.72 ERA and a 9-5 record in 147.2 innings. He has a career record of 90-65 and a career ERA of 4.13. Since it was a minor league contract, it's a low risk, high reward signing, so I like it.
This week I will give numbers 31-35 on my Top 50 All-Time Rangers List. See my May 9th entry for the previous installment.
Note: stats do not include the Washington Senators, just the Rangers.
35. Bert Blyleven: 11 shut-outs (t-3rd), 2.74 ERA (best, min. 400 IP), 23-23, 326 K, 437 IP,
Even though Bert only spent two seasons as a Ranger, he still pitched 437 innings, had 326 strikeouts (24th in Rangers history), and, most importantly, has the best ERA in Rangers history, at only 2.74. Not to mention that he is tied for 3rd in shutouts with 11 and pitched a no-hitter against the Angels on September 22, 1977.
34. Steve Comer: 3.80 ERA (11th, min .400 IP), .574 W% (3rd, min. 400 IP), 39-29, 205 K, 575.2 IP
Steve has a very good ERA at 3.80, 11th in Rangers history, to go along with a great record at 39-29. Among all Ranger pitchers with at least 400 innings pitched as a Ranger, Steve has the 3rd best winning percentage at .574. But just like Doc Medich, he didn’t strike out very many batters, as his K/9 IP is only about 3.2. But, anyway, his ERA and record pretty much make him a clinch for the list.
33. Hank Blalock: .273 AVG, 140 HR, 499 RBI, All-Star (‘03, ‘04)
Hank is a two-time All-Star, and he’s also a guy with the 9th most home runs in Ranger history and counting. He’s also 10th in Ranger RBI’s. Even though his batting average isn’t too great, all his other stats (in the three major categories) are pretty good, and good enough to get him into the All-Star game twice.
32. Doc Medich: .538 W%, 50-43, 3.95 ERA, 790.1 IP, 322 K
As a Ranger, Doc had a .538 winning percentage with a 50-43 record, and had a pretty good ERA to go with that (3.95 ERA, 16th in Rangers history). He didn’t strike out many people, as he had only 3.7 K’s per 9 innings. But that doesn’t take anything away from his record or his ERA, and so it doesn’t keep him off this list.
31. Jon Matlack: 3.41 ERA (3rd, min. 400 IP), 43-45, 493 K, 915 IP
Even though Jon has a losing record with the Rangers, he’s still on this list. He shouldn’t have a losing record because he has the 3rd best ERA in Rangers history with a minimum of 400 innings pitched at 3.41. In 1978 alone, he had 18 complete games, and has 32 complete games total as a Ranger, 6th in Rangers history. His 493 strikeouts rank 14th in Ranger history and his 915 innings pitched rank 8th. I think all that makes up for the losing record.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which of my MVP’s or MVP Runner-up’s do you think has had the best year so far?
Nelson Cruz – 37%
Evan Longoria – 25%
Raul Ibanez – 18%
Ian Kinsler – 12%
Albert Pujols – 6%
Justin Morneau – 0%
Next week I will be taking a break, so come back in two weeks for my All-Star Teams through June.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
May Awards
This week I did my May Awards. These are who I would give my awards to as if the season ended today.
I’d like to wish a speedy recovery to Eric Nadel and Josh Hamilton. Also, I’m interested to see how Padilla responds tomorrow to being putting on waivers and being left unclaimed. I predict a strong game from Padilla.
Rangers:
MVP: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.286 AVG, 16 HR, 41 RBI): Nelson is tied for second in the American League in home runs, and first among Rangers. Also, he has a good batting average and is 9-for-10 on stolen base attempts and has a chance to be in the 30-30 club.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.281 AVG, 15 HR, 44 RBI)
Cy Young: Kevin Millwood, TEX (5-4, 2.96 ERA, 48 K): Kevin is tied for 7th in the AL in ERA and has a winning record. Not only that, but he has been an innings-eater, throwing the 3rd most innings in the AL.
Runner-up: Scott Feldman, TEX (5-0, 3.79 ERA, 31 K)
Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.278 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI): His defense has saved so many runs and saved the pitchers so many pitches, he would probably be here if he didn’t even bat at all. The fact that his offense has been above expectations is just a bonus.
Runner-up: Darren O’Day, TEX (2-0, 1.06 ERA, 15 K)
AL:
MVP: Justin Morneau, MIN (.344 AVG, 15 HR, 51 RBI): Justin is tied for 1st in batting average among the top 10 RBI leaders in the AL and is 3rd in RBI’s in the AL. That doesn’t even mention the fact that he is tied for 5th in the AL in home runs with Ian Kinsler.
Runner-up: Evan Longoria, TB (.322 AVG, 13 HR, 55 RBI)
Cy Young: Zach Grienke, KC (8-2, 1.55 ERA, 91 K): Even though Grienke’s ERA has skyrocketed from April, he still leads the majors in ERA by almost half a run per game. He also is 2nd in the American League in strikeouts and is tied for 2nd in wins.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, TOR (9-1, 2.77 ERA, 82 K)
Rookie of the Year: Rick Porcello, DET (6-4, 3.70 ERA, 34 K): Rick is tied for 18th in the AL in ERA, and has 6 wins on the year. Even though most years that might not be ROY worthy, there is very weak competition this year.
Runner-up: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.278 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI)
Comeback Player of the Year: Jason Bartlett, TB (.373 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI): After having an on-base percentage of just .329 last year, Bartlett is leading all of baseball in batting average at .373, and has already hit 6 more home runs than last year and is closing in on his RBI total.
Runner-up: Victor Martinez, CLE (.344 AVG, 9 HR, 40 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, TEX (32-22, 1st place): The Rangers are tied for the best record in the American League and lead their division, and with the Rangers having a losing record last year, that should get him the award.
Runner-up: Terry Francona, BOS (32-23, 2nd place)
NL:
MVP: Raul Ibanez, PHI (.332 AVG, 19 HR, 54 RBI): Raul is dominating National League pitching, as he is well over the century mark in batting average at .332, is leading the NL in RBI’s, and is 2nd in the NL in home runs.
Runner-up: Albert Pujols, STL (.344 AVG, 18 HR, 49 RBI)
Cy Young: Matt Cain, SF (7-1, 2.27 ERA, 53 K): Matt is 7-1, and is tied with four other pitchers for the National League lead in wins, but among that group, Cain has the least amount of losses. Plus, Matt is 2nd in the NL in ERA, behind only Johan Santana of the Mets.
Runner-up: Johan Santana, NYM (7-3, 2.00 ERA, 89 K)
Rookie of the Year: Chris Volstad, FLA (4-5, 3.65 ERA, 59 K): Don’t let the record betray you. Volstad has done great this season and just hasn’t gotten the run support. When you have a 3.65 ERA, you shouldn’t have a losing record.
Runner-up: Dexter Fowler, COL (.256 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 11 SB, Terrible Competition)
Comeback Player of the Year: Nick Johnson, WAS (.323 AVG, 4 HR, 27 RBI): After injuries held Johnson to just 109 at-bats last season, where he hit just .220, Johnson has been able to stay healthy so far this year, and is hitting .323.
Runner-up: Michael Bourn, HOU (.302 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Ken Macha, MIL (32-23, 1st place): It’s pretty amazing that the Brewers are in first place in their division with their pitching staff. Really, I would’ve been less surprised if they were in last place at this point, so I think that Macha deserves this award.
Runner-up: Joe Torre, LAD (38-19, 1st place)
Come back next week for numbers 31 through 35 on my Top 50 All-Time Rangers list.
I’d like to wish a speedy recovery to Eric Nadel and Josh Hamilton. Also, I’m interested to see how Padilla responds tomorrow to being putting on waivers and being left unclaimed. I predict a strong game from Padilla.
Rangers:
MVP: Nelson Cruz, TEX (.286 AVG, 16 HR, 41 RBI): Nelson is tied for second in the American League in home runs, and first among Rangers. Also, he has a good batting average and is 9-for-10 on stolen base attempts and has a chance to be in the 30-30 club.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.281 AVG, 15 HR, 44 RBI)
Cy Young: Kevin Millwood, TEX (5-4, 2.96 ERA, 48 K): Kevin is tied for 7th in the AL in ERA and has a winning record. Not only that, but he has been an innings-eater, throwing the 3rd most innings in the AL.
Runner-up: Scott Feldman, TEX (5-0, 3.79 ERA, 31 K)
Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.278 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI): His defense has saved so many runs and saved the pitchers so many pitches, he would probably be here if he didn’t even bat at all. The fact that his offense has been above expectations is just a bonus.
Runner-up: Darren O’Day, TEX (2-0, 1.06 ERA, 15 K)
AL:
MVP: Justin Morneau, MIN (.344 AVG, 15 HR, 51 RBI): Justin is tied for 1st in batting average among the top 10 RBI leaders in the AL and is 3rd in RBI’s in the AL. That doesn’t even mention the fact that he is tied for 5th in the AL in home runs with Ian Kinsler.
Runner-up: Evan Longoria, TB (.322 AVG, 13 HR, 55 RBI)
Cy Young: Zach Grienke, KC (8-2, 1.55 ERA, 91 K): Even though Grienke’s ERA has skyrocketed from April, he still leads the majors in ERA by almost half a run per game. He also is 2nd in the American League in strikeouts and is tied for 2nd in wins.
Runner-up: Roy Halladay, TOR (9-1, 2.77 ERA, 82 K)
Rookie of the Year: Rick Porcello, DET (6-4, 3.70 ERA, 34 K): Rick is tied for 18th in the AL in ERA, and has 6 wins on the year. Even though most years that might not be ROY worthy, there is very weak competition this year.
Runner-up: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.278 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI)
Comeback Player of the Year: Jason Bartlett, TB (.373 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI): After having an on-base percentage of just .329 last year, Bartlett is leading all of baseball in batting average at .373, and has already hit 6 more home runs than last year and is closing in on his RBI total.
Runner-up: Victor Martinez, CLE (.344 AVG, 9 HR, 40 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, TEX (32-22, 1st place): The Rangers are tied for the best record in the American League and lead their division, and with the Rangers having a losing record last year, that should get him the award.
Runner-up: Terry Francona, BOS (32-23, 2nd place)
NL:
MVP: Raul Ibanez, PHI (.332 AVG, 19 HR, 54 RBI): Raul is dominating National League pitching, as he is well over the century mark in batting average at .332, is leading the NL in RBI’s, and is 2nd in the NL in home runs.
Runner-up: Albert Pujols, STL (.344 AVG, 18 HR, 49 RBI)
Cy Young: Matt Cain, SF (7-1, 2.27 ERA, 53 K): Matt is 7-1, and is tied with four other pitchers for the National League lead in wins, but among that group, Cain has the least amount of losses. Plus, Matt is 2nd in the NL in ERA, behind only Johan Santana of the Mets.
Runner-up: Johan Santana, NYM (7-3, 2.00 ERA, 89 K)
Rookie of the Year: Chris Volstad, FLA (4-5, 3.65 ERA, 59 K): Don’t let the record betray you. Volstad has done great this season and just hasn’t gotten the run support. When you have a 3.65 ERA, you shouldn’t have a losing record.
Runner-up: Dexter Fowler, COL (.256 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 11 SB, Terrible Competition)
Comeback Player of the Year: Nick Johnson, WAS (.323 AVG, 4 HR, 27 RBI): After injuries held Johnson to just 109 at-bats last season, where he hit just .220, Johnson has been able to stay healthy so far this year, and is hitting .323.
Runner-up: Michael Bourn, HOU (.302 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI)
Manager of the Year: Ken Macha, MIL (32-23, 1st place): It’s pretty amazing that the Brewers are in first place in their division with their pitching staff. Really, I would’ve been less surprised if they were in last place at this point, so I think that Macha deserves this award.
Runner-up: Joe Torre, LAD (38-19, 1st place)
Come back next week for numbers 31 through 35 on my Top 50 All-Time Rangers list.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Michael Young Interview
This week, I interviewed 5-time All-Star Michael Young. I would like to thank Michael for doing the interview and his wife, Cristina Barbosa-Young, for working with me to set up the interview.
Me: Which one means more: the batting title, the multiple 200-hit seasons, the All-Star game MVP, or the Gold Glove? Why?
Michael: That’s a good question. I think the one that means the most to me is the multiple 200-hit seasons because I think that the really good players mostly are the ones that do it year in and year out. I think that only one middle-infielder had done that before and one right-handed hitter had ever done that before besides me, so that means a lot. But the Gold Glove isn’t too far behind.
Me: What was the key to your success in 2003 when you hit .306 (starting your string of 200-hit seasons) after hitting .262 the season before?
Michael: I think 2003 was the year where I kind of figured myself out a little more. I don’t think there’ll ever be a day where I have the major leagues completely figured out, but that was the year where I knew myself a little bit more. I knew what my strengths were. I knew what my weaknesses were. I got into a routine that allowed me to have success for a whole season. And I was surrounded by a bunch of great players. That was the first year where I actually felt completely comfortable and confident in what I was able to do at the plate.
Me: What was your reasoning for not signing with the Orioles when they drafted you in 1994?
Michael: For one, I wanted to go to college. When I was in high school, it was a huge priority for me to make sure I could go to college and finish my education. And from a baseball standpoint, I wasn’t ready physically. There’s no way I would have been productive in the minor leagues coming straight out of high school. I just wasn’t ready.
Me: Why?
Michael: Well, I was young. I was only 17 years old. Physically I was still really really skinny. I grew a lot in college. And going from a metal bat to a wood bat at that point in my life wouldn’t have worked. Emotionally I was still a little immature. I was just a boy. I think that when you play professional sports, it takes a certain maturity to be able to handle yourself and I just wasn’t ready to do that.
Me: Did you work on something specific over the 2007-2008 offseason to make you a better base-stealer in 2008, when you went 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts?
Michael: No, I still think of that as a big weakness in my game actually. It’s something that I’m still trying to make better. I know that I have the speed to steal bases but I think stealing bases has been a weakness in my game. I think I’m a good base runner but when it comes to base stealing, I’m still trying to get better at that every day. You know, pick the spots where I know I can make it. The last thing I want to do is get thrown out a lot because I know I have good hitters behind me. But I also want to make sure I’m aggressive and I give our team a chance to score runs so it’s still something I’m trying to get better at.
Me: What’s the major difference between base running and base stealing?
Michael: There are so many things involved in base running – you know, going from first to third on base hits and going from first to home on balls in the gap, knowing when to be aggressive and when to stay put, knowing what the situation is in the game. Whereas base stealing is going from bag to bag. There are a lot of things involved in base running that people don’t understand. It’s a big, big part of the game.
Me: What was the key for your power numbers jumping up so much in 2004 (22 home runs) and 2005 (24 home runs)?
Michael: I think I’ve always been capable of hitting for power but I don’t consider myself a power hitter. I think power hitters are the guys who go out and hit 30 home runs consistently every year. I’m a line drive hitter and my job is to hit balls as hard as I possibly can all the time. I might run through stretches of my career where those balls just get up a little more. I think those two years and this year too, my swing is such that the balls are getting up in the air a little more often than they did in the past. I don’t really know the explanation. It’s not something I try to work on specifically. Like I said, my only goal when I go to hit is to hit the ball as hard as I possibly can, and if it stays up a little longer, then great.
Me: What were some of the things that factored into your decision to sign a long-term deal with the Rangers?
Michael: Well, this is the only team in the major leagues that I’ve ever known. I’ve only been a Ranger since I’ve been in the major leagues. And I wanted to stay here. My family’s comfortable here, my son was born here, we live here year-round, this is the place where we were going to be and I felt like our team was headed in the right direction where we can have the chance to have a lot of long-term success. That was the primary reason. We made a couple of trades after that that were kind of shocking at first but they’ve turned out to be great for the team. I’m glad I’m here. I don’t ever want to leave.
Me: Which trades are you talking about?
Michael: Well, Mark Teixeira was my long-time teammate and friend and I was really surprised to see him traded. But through time, I think we’ve all seen that Tex is in a place where he’s happy and our team got some really great young players for him, so I think it’s a situation that really worked out well for everybody. Like I said, right after I signed my contract, to see a guy who I considered to be one of my favorite teammates and a friend of mind get traded, it was a little shocking.
Me: What was your initial reaction when you heard about the A-Rod/Soriano trade?
Michael: I wasn’t too shocked at the time because Alex had already been rumored to be traded to the Red Sox. So when he was traded to the Yankees, I wasn’t shocked at all. At that point, it was just a matter of thinking about what position I was going to play. The team at the time said that they were going to give Soriano a shot to play shortstop and me as well, and they were going to do a thing in spring training where we both played both spots. They were going to use all of spring training that year to figure out what was going to work best. Well, I knew that heading into that season, if I was going to be playing shortstop, I wanted all the work I could possibly get in spring training in order to get ready for the season. I didn’t want to just be there half the time because I knew that would affect my play once the season started. So, my biggest thing was to let the team know that I’d do it and they could go ahead and leave Sori at second base. That way I could put all my work in in spring training and make sure I’m ready to play once the season starts.
Me: Is there any specific thing you worked on in the off-season to get ready to play third base, and if so, what was it?
Michael: No, not really. I did my offseason program like I usually do and when I got to spring training, I just went to work. My biggest thing was making sure I trusted my eyes and trusted my instincts and kind of went at my own pace. You know, spring training was a little different. It was a completely different position, a different angle, but toward the last week of spring training or so, I really started to settle in and get more comfortable. I feel very comfortable over there right now. I still think I can get a lot better at it, but I feel real comfortable right now.
Me: What has been the most surprising thing about moving to third?
Michael: To be honest with you, I haven’t really been surprised by anything. Everything at third base has pretty much gone exactly as I thought it would. There haven’t been many things that are shocking to me at all. Everything that I thought would happen has happened and there haven’t been too many surprises.
Me: They call third base the hot corner – how much harder is the ball actually hit to third than short?
Michael: You get smashes hit to you at both spots but at third obviously you have less time to react to it. I think the biggest thing that I was able to realize is that those hard hit smashes, you can’t really prepare for. They just happen. The ball’s hit and all of the sudden you’re diving and the ball’s in your glove. I really wanted to make sure I focused on those plays that are similar to shortstop, those routine ground balls. I wanted to gobble all those up, make all those plays. And the really tough plays on those hard hit smashes are going to take care of themselves. That’s pretty much the way it’s happened so far.
Me: Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
Michael: Wow, that’s a good question. Ian Kinsler. Mark DeRosa. And Mark Teixeira.
Me: What’s been the best game so far of your professional career and why?
Michael: Wow, that’s a good one. I think in my second year in the league, in 2002, I went 5-for-5 with two home runs in Houston. That was probably the best game of my career.
Me: Speaking of good games, what did it feel like hitting a walk-off homer earlier this year?
Michael: It felt good. That was the first time I ever had a walk-off home run. I had some walk-off hits but I’d never had a walk-off home run. When you have your teammates waiting for you at home plate, it’s a really exciting feeling. At the time, the Royals had just beaten us two in a row, so we really needed to get that win the last game of the series so it felt really, really good.
Me: How much more exciting is it to get a walk-off homer than a walk-off hit?
Michael: Oh, it’s way more exciting because you’re on your way to home plate and you’ve got your teammates waiting for you at home plate ready to jump on you, punch you, hug you, and give you high-fives. It’s a pretty cool feeling.
Me: Out of all the minor league stadiums you’ve played in (both Rangers and Blue Jays), what were your favorite and least favorite and why?
Michael: My favorites were Oklahoma and Knoxville, Tennessee. Those were my two favorites stadiums. They’re brand new parks and the people there are really cool. My least favorites are just the ones that are really old. My first year I went to St. Catherines in Canada and my second year I was in Hagerstown, Maryland. Looking back, they were just old ballparks but the cool thing about it was I didn’t know any better. Those were the first two parks I played in. I just thought they were great because I was playing pro baseball so I was just excited to be playing at the time. But looking back, those were probably the two toughest parks, just because they were the oldest.
Me: What ballpark is your favorite to play in throughout the majors and why (not including the Rangers)?
Michael: My favorite ballpark is Fenway Park in Boston for a lot of reasons. The fans are just really intense and enthusiastic and they have a lot of energy and passion for the game. Obviously there’s a ton of history in that ballpark. That park’s been there for almost a hundred years. It’s old and it’s beat up and it’s run down, but the people still make it really exciting to play there. And the Red Sox are always a really good team so there are really competitive games every time I play there. I think it’s a fun place to play just because of the history.
Me: I went there a few years ago and it was really cool.
Michael: Yeah, I’m sure it’s a great place to watch a game too.
Me: What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
Michael: Growing up, I played all the sports that most kids play. I played baseball, my first love. I played basketball, I played football, I played soccer. I would say that basketball was my second favorite sport. When I got to high school, I was playing a ton of baseball at the time and I was hoping to play baseball and basketball. Basketball didn’t work out as well as I thought it would. I played baseball pretty much year-round by the time I got into high school. I still love all sports. I love watching football and basketball on TV and obviously I’m a baseball junky.
Me: What was your favorite team growing up and why?
Michael: My favorite baseball team was the New York Mets. I was growing up in LA and I think I was the only Mets fan out there. Everyone was a huge Dodgers fan in LA. By the time I really started to love baseball, I was around 8, 9, 10 years old. By the time I was 8 years old, I already knew how to fish around the sports page, look at every box score. And right when I was around 8 years old is when Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden were just getting to the Mets and they generated just tons of excitement. The Mets were really starting to become a fun team to watch so I kind of just gravitated towards them. And that was the team I loved actually until I signed. I was still a huge Mets fan.
Me: What was it about the Dodgers that made you not want for them to be your favorite team?
Michael: I still like the Dodgers too. I love the Dodgers. I used to go to Dodger games all the time. Loved to go to Dodgers games. The Mets were just my favorite. The Dodgers were in second but the Mets were my favorite.
Me: What is the toughest thing about major league life and why?
Michael: The toughest thing about major league life is the travel because I have a family. I have a wife and a little boy and I miss them when I’m gone. We have a six month season so for three months, I’m in a hotel somewhere else. That’s a lot of time away from my family. That’s by far the most difficult part about playing in the major leagues.
Me: Do they go with you sometimes and if so, how often?
Michael: Yeah, they do, they travel. Every now and then, we’ll pick a couple of cities. It depends on how my son’s school schedule works out. We set some time aside where they can come on a trip and we can have some fun and relax. Usually it’s at a place where they have a swimming pool at the hotel and the weather’s going to be nice. We try to plan it around those kinds of things.
Me: What was the worst injury you’ve ever had and why?
Michael: The worst injury I’ve ever had was probably last year when I broke two fingers during the season. It’s one thing to break one but I broke two. That was difficult. I’ve been really fortunate. I’ve been really, really lucky to not have any serious injuries. I haven’t spent one day on the disabled list so I’m really lucky to have stayed away from that. I’ve been really lucky never to have had any serious injuries so, as far as my career goes, that’s probably the one thing I’ve been the most happy with.
Me: I would consider breaking two fingers pretty serious.
Michael: Yeah but it didn’t cost me any time on the disabled list. It wasn’t bad enough that I had to really miss any time. It hurt to play but I knew it wasn’t going to be a situation where I had to miss any games. I didn’t miss many games at all. I still played I think 155 games last year and I was really happy with that, considering that I did have two broken fingers for four months out of the year.
Me: Thanks again for doing the interview.
Michael: Alright. You’re welcome.
I would like to thank Michael and Mrs. Young once again for being so nice about this whole interview and making it happen. I really appreciate the time they gave me.
Come back next week for my May Awards.
Me: Which one means more: the batting title, the multiple 200-hit seasons, the All-Star game MVP, or the Gold Glove? Why?
Michael: That’s a good question. I think the one that means the most to me is the multiple 200-hit seasons because I think that the really good players mostly are the ones that do it year in and year out. I think that only one middle-infielder had done that before and one right-handed hitter had ever done that before besides me, so that means a lot. But the Gold Glove isn’t too far behind.
Me: What was the key to your success in 2003 when you hit .306 (starting your string of 200-hit seasons) after hitting .262 the season before?
Michael: I think 2003 was the year where I kind of figured myself out a little more. I don’t think there’ll ever be a day where I have the major leagues completely figured out, but that was the year where I knew myself a little bit more. I knew what my strengths were. I knew what my weaknesses were. I got into a routine that allowed me to have success for a whole season. And I was surrounded by a bunch of great players. That was the first year where I actually felt completely comfortable and confident in what I was able to do at the plate.
Me: What was your reasoning for not signing with the Orioles when they drafted you in 1994?
Michael: For one, I wanted to go to college. When I was in high school, it was a huge priority for me to make sure I could go to college and finish my education. And from a baseball standpoint, I wasn’t ready physically. There’s no way I would have been productive in the minor leagues coming straight out of high school. I just wasn’t ready.
Me: Why?
Michael: Well, I was young. I was only 17 years old. Physically I was still really really skinny. I grew a lot in college. And going from a metal bat to a wood bat at that point in my life wouldn’t have worked. Emotionally I was still a little immature. I was just a boy. I think that when you play professional sports, it takes a certain maturity to be able to handle yourself and I just wasn’t ready to do that.
Me: Did you work on something specific over the 2007-2008 offseason to make you a better base-stealer in 2008, when you went 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts?
Michael: No, I still think of that as a big weakness in my game actually. It’s something that I’m still trying to make better. I know that I have the speed to steal bases but I think stealing bases has been a weakness in my game. I think I’m a good base runner but when it comes to base stealing, I’m still trying to get better at that every day. You know, pick the spots where I know I can make it. The last thing I want to do is get thrown out a lot because I know I have good hitters behind me. But I also want to make sure I’m aggressive and I give our team a chance to score runs so it’s still something I’m trying to get better at.
Me: What’s the major difference between base running and base stealing?
Michael: There are so many things involved in base running – you know, going from first to third on base hits and going from first to home on balls in the gap, knowing when to be aggressive and when to stay put, knowing what the situation is in the game. Whereas base stealing is going from bag to bag. There are a lot of things involved in base running that people don’t understand. It’s a big, big part of the game.
Me: What was the key for your power numbers jumping up so much in 2004 (22 home runs) and 2005 (24 home runs)?
Michael: I think I’ve always been capable of hitting for power but I don’t consider myself a power hitter. I think power hitters are the guys who go out and hit 30 home runs consistently every year. I’m a line drive hitter and my job is to hit balls as hard as I possibly can all the time. I might run through stretches of my career where those balls just get up a little more. I think those two years and this year too, my swing is such that the balls are getting up in the air a little more often than they did in the past. I don’t really know the explanation. It’s not something I try to work on specifically. Like I said, my only goal when I go to hit is to hit the ball as hard as I possibly can, and if it stays up a little longer, then great.
Me: What were some of the things that factored into your decision to sign a long-term deal with the Rangers?
Michael: Well, this is the only team in the major leagues that I’ve ever known. I’ve only been a Ranger since I’ve been in the major leagues. And I wanted to stay here. My family’s comfortable here, my son was born here, we live here year-round, this is the place where we were going to be and I felt like our team was headed in the right direction where we can have the chance to have a lot of long-term success. That was the primary reason. We made a couple of trades after that that were kind of shocking at first but they’ve turned out to be great for the team. I’m glad I’m here. I don’t ever want to leave.
Me: Which trades are you talking about?
Michael: Well, Mark Teixeira was my long-time teammate and friend and I was really surprised to see him traded. But through time, I think we’ve all seen that Tex is in a place where he’s happy and our team got some really great young players for him, so I think it’s a situation that really worked out well for everybody. Like I said, right after I signed my contract, to see a guy who I considered to be one of my favorite teammates and a friend of mind get traded, it was a little shocking.
Me: What was your initial reaction when you heard about the A-Rod/Soriano trade?
Michael: I wasn’t too shocked at the time because Alex had already been rumored to be traded to the Red Sox. So when he was traded to the Yankees, I wasn’t shocked at all. At that point, it was just a matter of thinking about what position I was going to play. The team at the time said that they were going to give Soriano a shot to play shortstop and me as well, and they were going to do a thing in spring training where we both played both spots. They were going to use all of spring training that year to figure out what was going to work best. Well, I knew that heading into that season, if I was going to be playing shortstop, I wanted all the work I could possibly get in spring training in order to get ready for the season. I didn’t want to just be there half the time because I knew that would affect my play once the season started. So, my biggest thing was to let the team know that I’d do it and they could go ahead and leave Sori at second base. That way I could put all my work in in spring training and make sure I’m ready to play once the season starts.
Me: Is there any specific thing you worked on in the off-season to get ready to play third base, and if so, what was it?
Michael: No, not really. I did my offseason program like I usually do and when I got to spring training, I just went to work. My biggest thing was making sure I trusted my eyes and trusted my instincts and kind of went at my own pace. You know, spring training was a little different. It was a completely different position, a different angle, but toward the last week of spring training or so, I really started to settle in and get more comfortable. I feel very comfortable over there right now. I still think I can get a lot better at it, but I feel real comfortable right now.
Me: What has been the most surprising thing about moving to third?
Michael: To be honest with you, I haven’t really been surprised by anything. Everything at third base has pretty much gone exactly as I thought it would. There haven’t been many things that are shocking to me at all. Everything that I thought would happen has happened and there haven’t been too many surprises.
Me: They call third base the hot corner – how much harder is the ball actually hit to third than short?
Michael: You get smashes hit to you at both spots but at third obviously you have less time to react to it. I think the biggest thing that I was able to realize is that those hard hit smashes, you can’t really prepare for. They just happen. The ball’s hit and all of the sudden you’re diving and the ball’s in your glove. I really wanted to make sure I focused on those plays that are similar to shortstop, those routine ground balls. I wanted to gobble all those up, make all those plays. And the really tough plays on those hard hit smashes are going to take care of themselves. That’s pretty much the way it’s happened so far.
Me: Who are your three favorite teammates since you joined the Rangers organization and why?
Michael: Wow, that’s a good question. Ian Kinsler. Mark DeRosa. And Mark Teixeira.
Me: What’s been the best game so far of your professional career and why?
Michael: Wow, that’s a good one. I think in my second year in the league, in 2002, I went 5-for-5 with two home runs in Houston. That was probably the best game of my career.
Me: Speaking of good games, what did it feel like hitting a walk-off homer earlier this year?
Michael: It felt good. That was the first time I ever had a walk-off home run. I had some walk-off hits but I’d never had a walk-off home run. When you have your teammates waiting for you at home plate, it’s a really exciting feeling. At the time, the Royals had just beaten us two in a row, so we really needed to get that win the last game of the series so it felt really, really good.
Me: How much more exciting is it to get a walk-off homer than a walk-off hit?
Michael: Oh, it’s way more exciting because you’re on your way to home plate and you’ve got your teammates waiting for you at home plate ready to jump on you, punch you, hug you, and give you high-fives. It’s a pretty cool feeling.
Me: Out of all the minor league stadiums you’ve played in (both Rangers and Blue Jays), what were your favorite and least favorite and why?
Michael: My favorites were Oklahoma and Knoxville, Tennessee. Those were my two favorites stadiums. They’re brand new parks and the people there are really cool. My least favorites are just the ones that are really old. My first year I went to St. Catherines in Canada and my second year I was in Hagerstown, Maryland. Looking back, they were just old ballparks but the cool thing about it was I didn’t know any better. Those were the first two parks I played in. I just thought they were great because I was playing pro baseball so I was just excited to be playing at the time. But looking back, those were probably the two toughest parks, just because they were the oldest.
Me: What ballpark is your favorite to play in throughout the majors and why (not including the Rangers)?
Michael: My favorite ballpark is Fenway Park in Boston for a lot of reasons. The fans are just really intense and enthusiastic and they have a lot of energy and passion for the game. Obviously there’s a ton of history in that ballpark. That park’s been there for almost a hundred years. It’s old and it’s beat up and it’s run down, but the people still make it really exciting to play there. And the Red Sox are always a really good team so there are really competitive games every time I play there. I think it’s a fun place to play just because of the history.
Me: I went there a few years ago and it was really cool.
Michael: Yeah, I’m sure it’s a great place to watch a game too.
Me: What sports did you play growing up and which were you best at?
Michael: Growing up, I played all the sports that most kids play. I played baseball, my first love. I played basketball, I played football, I played soccer. I would say that basketball was my second favorite sport. When I got to high school, I was playing a ton of baseball at the time and I was hoping to play baseball and basketball. Basketball didn’t work out as well as I thought it would. I played baseball pretty much year-round by the time I got into high school. I still love all sports. I love watching football and basketball on TV and obviously I’m a baseball junky.
Me: What was your favorite team growing up and why?
Michael: My favorite baseball team was the New York Mets. I was growing up in LA and I think I was the only Mets fan out there. Everyone was a huge Dodgers fan in LA. By the time I really started to love baseball, I was around 8, 9, 10 years old. By the time I was 8 years old, I already knew how to fish around the sports page, look at every box score. And right when I was around 8 years old is when Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden were just getting to the Mets and they generated just tons of excitement. The Mets were really starting to become a fun team to watch so I kind of just gravitated towards them. And that was the team I loved actually until I signed. I was still a huge Mets fan.
Me: What was it about the Dodgers that made you not want for them to be your favorite team?
Michael: I still like the Dodgers too. I love the Dodgers. I used to go to Dodger games all the time. Loved to go to Dodgers games. The Mets were just my favorite. The Dodgers were in second but the Mets were my favorite.
Me: What is the toughest thing about major league life and why?
Michael: The toughest thing about major league life is the travel because I have a family. I have a wife and a little boy and I miss them when I’m gone. We have a six month season so for three months, I’m in a hotel somewhere else. That’s a lot of time away from my family. That’s by far the most difficult part about playing in the major leagues.
Me: Do they go with you sometimes and if so, how often?
Michael: Yeah, they do, they travel. Every now and then, we’ll pick a couple of cities. It depends on how my son’s school schedule works out. We set some time aside where they can come on a trip and we can have some fun and relax. Usually it’s at a place where they have a swimming pool at the hotel and the weather’s going to be nice. We try to plan it around those kinds of things.
Me: What was the worst injury you’ve ever had and why?
Michael: The worst injury I’ve ever had was probably last year when I broke two fingers during the season. It’s one thing to break one but I broke two. That was difficult. I’ve been really fortunate. I’ve been really, really lucky to not have any serious injuries. I haven’t spent one day on the disabled list so I’m really lucky to have stayed away from that. I’ve been really lucky never to have had any serious injuries so, as far as my career goes, that’s probably the one thing I’ve been the most happy with.
Me: I would consider breaking two fingers pretty serious.
Michael: Yeah but it didn’t cost me any time on the disabled list. It wasn’t bad enough that I had to really miss any time. It hurt to play but I knew it wasn’t going to be a situation where I had to miss any games. I didn’t miss many games at all. I still played I think 155 games last year and I was really happy with that, considering that I did have two broken fingers for four months out of the year.
Me: Thanks again for doing the interview.
Michael: Alright. You’re welcome.
I would like to thank Michael and Mrs. Young once again for being so nice about this whole interview and making it happen. I really appreciate the time they gave me.
Come back next week for my May Awards.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
All-Star Teams for May
This week I determined my All-Star teams through May for both the AL and the NL. The AL stats are as of May 22nd and the NL stats are as of May 23rd.
AL All-Star Team:
Starters:
1B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.381 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI): Cabrera is tied for the 4th most RBI’s among all AL first basemen on the ballot. And he has the highest batting average of AL first basemen on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats. The only stat that isn’t in the top five is home runs, where he is tied for 7th. Also, he is one of only three 1st basemen with at least one stolen base this year. Justin Morneau is really his only competition.
2B: Aaron Hill, TOR (.351 AVG, 11 HR, 35 RBI): Aaron Hill has been by far the most dominant second baseman this year in batting average, hitting .351, with the second highest one on the ballot being .327, 24 points lower than Hill’s. And he hasn’t stopped at average; he has shown good power, too, tied for the AL 2nd base lead in home runs with Ian Kinsler with 11, and leading all AL second basemen in RBI’s with 35.
SS: Jason Bartlett, TB (.376 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI): Bartlett leads all AL shortstops on the ballot in batting average by 65 points. And he leads them in home runs. And in RBI’s. And in stolen bases with 12. That’s pretty good, and a pretty good sign that he deserves to start at short. When you lead in the all three triple crown categories at your position, you deserve to start.
3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.329 AVG, 11 HR, 46 RBI): Longoria leads all of baseball in RBI’s, and isn’t too shabby at either batting average or home runs, as he is doing well in both those categories. When you lead the major leagues in RBI’s you should be an All-Star starter unless you’re hitting under .200, but when you have an average over .300 and lead the majors in RBI’s, you’re an automatic starter, in my opinion.
C: Victor Martinez, CLE (.400 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI): Victor is having a great comeback year, hitting .400, with 7 HR’s (tied for second most among AL catchers) and 30 RBI’s (most among AL catchers). It’s hard to argue with those numbers. When you hit .400 and have the power, it makes you an All-Star starter. Easily.
OF: Jason Bay, BOS (.295 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI): Jason is 2nd among all major league hitters in RBI’s, behind only Evan Longoria of the Rays. He is also 2nd among all hitters in the American League in home runs, behind only Carlos Pena in that category. And his batting average isn’t letting him down, as he is hitting .301 so far this year and that stat pretty much solidifies his spot in the starting line-up for the All-Star game.
OF: Adam Jones, BAL (.372 AVG, 9 HR, 30 RBI): Even though Adam doesn’t lead AL outfielders in RBI’s or home runs, he does lead them in batting average and is tied for 5th in AL outfielders in home runs and is 5th in RBI’s.
OF: Nick Markakis, BAL (.315 AVG, 7 HR, 35 RBI): Nick is second among all the AL outfielders on the All-Star ballot in RBI’s, and he isn’t letting down in the two other major categories, as he is batting over .300 so far this season, and has a decent amount of home runs. In my opinion, he should be a pretty obvious choice for a starter as of right now.
SP: Zack Grienke, KC (7-1, 0.82 ERA, 73 K): Zack Grienke has dominated so far this year. He is second in the major leagues in wins (behind Roy Halladay), he leads the major leagues in ERA, and his 0.82 ERA is the highest it’s been all year by far, and he is second in the American League in strikeouts (tied for third overall). I don’t see how anybody could argue with him.
Reserves:
1B: Justin Morneau, MIN (.327 AVG, 12 HR, 33 RBI)
Russell Branyan, SEA (.308 AVG, 10 HR, 20 RBI)
2B: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.295 AVG, 11 HR, 32 RBI)
SS: Marco Scutaro, TOR (.280 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI)
3B: Brandon Inge, DET (.280 AVG, 11 HR, 29 RBI)
Michael Young, TEX (.335 AVG, 7 HR, 17 RBI)
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.417 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI)
Rod Barajas, TOR (.309 AVG, 3 HR, 23 RBI)
OF: Michael Cuddyer, MIN (.291 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI)
Torii Hunter, LAA (.305 AVG, 9 HR, 31 RBI)
Carl Crawford, TB (.322 AVG, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 25 SB)
Matt Holliday, OAK (.270 AVG, 6 HR, 27 RBI)
P: Roy Halladay, TOR (8-1, 2.78 ERA, 57 K)
Mark Buehrle, CWS (6-1, 2.77 ERA, 33 K)
Kevin Millwood, TEX (4-4, 3.12 ERA, 35 K)
Edwin Jackson, DET (4-2, 2.55 ERA, 48 K)
Joe Saunders, LAA (6-2, 3.17 ERA, 29 K)
Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (0.95 ERA, 11 SV, 21 K)
Brian Fuentes, LAA (4.30 ERA, 11 SV, 19 K)
Frank Francisco, TEX (0.00 ERA, 9 SV, 13 K)
Bobby Jenks, CWS (2.57 ERA, 9 SV, 13 K)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (2.89 ERA, 9 SV, 23 K)
Francisco Rodney, DET (3.50 ERA, 8 SV, 13 K)
Players per Team:
Texas Rangers – 4
Detroit Tigers – 4
Toronto Blue Jays – 4
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 3
Minnesota Twins – 3
Tampa Bay Rays – 3
Baltimore Orioles – 2
Boston Red Sox – 2
Chicago White Sox – 2
Cleveland Indians – 1
Kansas City Royals – 1
New York Yankees – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1
Seattle Mariners – 1
NL All-Star Team:
Starters:
1B: Albert Pujols, STL (.329 AVG, 14 HR, 38 RBI): Even though Pujols is only 4th in NL first basemen in batting average, and doesn’t lead them in either homers or RBI’s (Adrian Gonzalez has 16 home runs and Prince Fielder has 39 RBI’s), the people ahead of him in each of those three categories don’t have the consistency throughout all their stats like Pujols does.
2B: Chase Utley, PHI (.293 AVG, 11 HR, 31 RBI): Even though Utley is only tied for 4th in batting average among NL second basemen on the ballot, he leads them in home runs and is 2nd in RBI’s behind only Brandon Phillips of the Reds. In my opinion, when you have a solid batting average and the best power numbers at your position in your league, you deserve to start in the All-Star game.
SS: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.325 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI): Even though Ramirez is leading in only one of the three major hitting categories among shortstops, nobody else is better than that. He is tied for second in batting average, 1st in home runs, and 3rd in RBI’s although only two RBI’s away from the NL shortstop leader, Miguel Tejada, in that category.
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.348 AVG, 11 HR, 34 RBI): Amazingly, Ryan’s .348 batting average is only second among NL third basemen on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats for the season. He is also second in home runs and first in RBI’s. And it’s pretty hard not to make the All-Star team when you’ve had as long a hitting streak as Ryan Zimmerman has.
C: Bengie Molina, SF (.276 AVG, 8 HR, 30 RBI): Out of all the catchers on the NL All-Star ballot, Molina is tied for 1st in batting average with his brother, Yadier Molina, at .276. Not to mention the fact that he leads all NL catchers on the ballot in both home runs and RBI’s. That’s All-Star starter worthy.
OF: Raul Ibanez, PHI (.353 AVG, 16 HR, 41 RBI): Ibanez is tied for the major league lead in home runs with 16, and he leads all NL outfielders in RBI’s with 41. That doesn’t even say the fact that he is hitting over .350, more than 50 points higher than the century mark.
OF: Carlos Beltran, NYM (.367 AVG, 6 HR, 29 RBI): Carlos is leading all NL outfielders in batting average, and that’s dropped 48 points since the last time I did this. He’s also got pretty decent power numbers, with almost 30 RBI’s.
OF: Brad Hawpe, COL (.336 AVG, 6 HR, 34 RBI): Brad has dominated the National League pitching so far this year, as he is 4th among National League outfielders on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats in batting average at .336. He also is second in RBI’s in that category.
SP: Johan Santana, NYM (6-2, 1.50 ERA, 75 K): Johan Santana leads the National League pitchers in ERA with just a 1.50 ERA, and he leads them in wins alongside Bronson Arroyo of Cincinnati and Chad Billingsley of Los Angeles with 6 of them. That doesn’t even mention that he is 3rd in the NL in strikeouts with 75. When you’re in the top three in each of the three major pitching categories, you deserve to be the starting pitcher for your league.
Reserves:
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, SD (.280 AVG, 16 HR, 30 RBI)
Joey Votto, CIN (.366 AVG, 5 HR, 27 RBI)
2B: Orlando Hudson, LAD (.343 AVG, 3 HR, 27 RBI)
Brandon Phillips, CIN (.269 AVG, 7 HR, 34 RBI)
SS: Miguel Tejada, HOU (.325 AVG, 4 HR, 24 RBI)
3B: David Wright, NYM (.362 AVG, 3 HR, 29 RBI)
C: Pudge Rodriguez, HOU (.270 AVG, 5 HR, 19 RBI)
OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.331 AVG, 8 HR, 31 RBI)
Carlos Lee, HOU (.327 AVG, 8 HR, 29 RBI)
Justin Upton, ARI (.304 AVG, 9 HR, 26 RBI)
Nate McLouth, PIT (.277 AVG, 7 HR, 29 RBI)
P: Jair Jurrjens, ATL (4-2, 1.96 ERA, 32 K)
Wandy Rodriguez, HOU (5-2, 1.83 ERA, 53 K)
Johnny Cueto, CIN (4-2, 2.35 ERA, 40 K)
Chad Billingsley, LAD (6-1, 2.51 ERA, 63 K)
Ted Lilly, CHC (5-3, 3.35 ERA, 43 K)
Heath Bell, SD (0.49 ERA, 12 SV, 23 K)
Francisco Rodriguez, NYM (0.87 ERA, 12 SV, 20 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (1.29 ERA, 11 SV, 32 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (2.00 ERA, 11 SV, 20 K)
Ryan Franklin, STL (1.53 ERA, 11 SV, 15 K)
Chad Qualls, ARI (2.50 ERA, 10 SV, 22 K)
Players per Team:
Cincinnati Reds – 4
Houston Astros – 4
New York Mets – 4
Los Angeles Dodgers – 3
Arizona Diamondbacks – 2
Philadelphia Phillies – 2
San Diego Padres – 2
St. Louis Cardinals – 2
Atlanta Braves – 1
Chicago Cubs – 1
Colorado Rockies – 1
Florida Marlins – 1
Milwaukee Brewers – 1
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1
San Francisco Giants – 1
Washington Nationals – 1
Results of last week’s poll:
Which AL 1st place team do you think has had the best year so far?
Texas – 72%
Toronto – 28%
Detroit – 0%
Come back next week for my May Awards.
AL All-Star Team:
Starters:
1B: Miguel Cabrera, DET (.381 AVG, 8 HR, 32 RBI): Cabrera is tied for the 4th most RBI’s among all AL first basemen on the ballot. And he has the highest batting average of AL first basemen on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats. The only stat that isn’t in the top five is home runs, where he is tied for 7th. Also, he is one of only three 1st basemen with at least one stolen base this year. Justin Morneau is really his only competition.
2B: Aaron Hill, TOR (.351 AVG, 11 HR, 35 RBI): Aaron Hill has been by far the most dominant second baseman this year in batting average, hitting .351, with the second highest one on the ballot being .327, 24 points lower than Hill’s. And he hasn’t stopped at average; he has shown good power, too, tied for the AL 2nd base lead in home runs with Ian Kinsler with 11, and leading all AL second basemen in RBI’s with 35.
SS: Jason Bartlett, TB (.376 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI): Bartlett leads all AL shortstops on the ballot in batting average by 65 points. And he leads them in home runs. And in RBI’s. And in stolen bases with 12. That’s pretty good, and a pretty good sign that he deserves to start at short. When you lead in the all three triple crown categories at your position, you deserve to start.
3B: Evan Longoria, TB (.329 AVG, 11 HR, 46 RBI): Longoria leads all of baseball in RBI’s, and isn’t too shabby at either batting average or home runs, as he is doing well in both those categories. When you lead the major leagues in RBI’s you should be an All-Star starter unless you’re hitting under .200, but when you have an average over .300 and lead the majors in RBI’s, you’re an automatic starter, in my opinion.
C: Victor Martinez, CLE (.400 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI): Victor is having a great comeback year, hitting .400, with 7 HR’s (tied for second most among AL catchers) and 30 RBI’s (most among AL catchers). It’s hard to argue with those numbers. When you hit .400 and have the power, it makes you an All-Star starter. Easily.
OF: Jason Bay, BOS (.295 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI): Jason is 2nd among all major league hitters in RBI’s, behind only Evan Longoria of the Rays. He is also 2nd among all hitters in the American League in home runs, behind only Carlos Pena in that category. And his batting average isn’t letting him down, as he is hitting .301 so far this year and that stat pretty much solidifies his spot in the starting line-up for the All-Star game.
OF: Adam Jones, BAL (.372 AVG, 9 HR, 30 RBI): Even though Adam doesn’t lead AL outfielders in RBI’s or home runs, he does lead them in batting average and is tied for 5th in AL outfielders in home runs and is 5th in RBI’s.
OF: Nick Markakis, BAL (.315 AVG, 7 HR, 35 RBI): Nick is second among all the AL outfielders on the All-Star ballot in RBI’s, and he isn’t letting down in the two other major categories, as he is batting over .300 so far this season, and has a decent amount of home runs. In my opinion, he should be a pretty obvious choice for a starter as of right now.
SP: Zack Grienke, KC (7-1, 0.82 ERA, 73 K): Zack Grienke has dominated so far this year. He is second in the major leagues in wins (behind Roy Halladay), he leads the major leagues in ERA, and his 0.82 ERA is the highest it’s been all year by far, and he is second in the American League in strikeouts (tied for third overall). I don’t see how anybody could argue with him.
Reserves:
1B: Justin Morneau, MIN (.327 AVG, 12 HR, 33 RBI)
Russell Branyan, SEA (.308 AVG, 10 HR, 20 RBI)
2B: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.295 AVG, 11 HR, 32 RBI)
SS: Marco Scutaro, TOR (.280 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI)
3B: Brandon Inge, DET (.280 AVG, 11 HR, 29 RBI)
Michael Young, TEX (.335 AVG, 7 HR, 17 RBI)
C: Joe Mauer, MIN (.417 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI)
Rod Barajas, TOR (.309 AVG, 3 HR, 23 RBI)
OF: Michael Cuddyer, MIN (.291 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI)
Torii Hunter, LAA (.305 AVG, 9 HR, 31 RBI)
Carl Crawford, TB (.322 AVG, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 25 SB)
Matt Holliday, OAK (.270 AVG, 6 HR, 27 RBI)
P: Roy Halladay, TOR (8-1, 2.78 ERA, 57 K)
Mark Buehrle, CWS (6-1, 2.77 ERA, 33 K)
Kevin Millwood, TEX (4-4, 3.12 ERA, 35 K)
Edwin Jackson, DET (4-2, 2.55 ERA, 48 K)
Joe Saunders, LAA (6-2, 3.17 ERA, 29 K)
Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (0.95 ERA, 11 SV, 21 K)
Brian Fuentes, LAA (4.30 ERA, 11 SV, 19 K)
Frank Francisco, TEX (0.00 ERA, 9 SV, 13 K)
Bobby Jenks, CWS (2.57 ERA, 9 SV, 13 K)
Mariano Rivera, NYY (2.89 ERA, 9 SV, 23 K)
Francisco Rodney, DET (3.50 ERA, 8 SV, 13 K)
Players per Team:
Texas Rangers – 4
Detroit Tigers – 4
Toronto Blue Jays – 4
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 3
Minnesota Twins – 3
Tampa Bay Rays – 3
Baltimore Orioles – 2
Boston Red Sox – 2
Chicago White Sox – 2
Cleveland Indians – 1
Kansas City Royals – 1
New York Yankees – 1
Oakland Athletics – 1
Seattle Mariners – 1
NL All-Star Team:
Starters:
1B: Albert Pujols, STL (.329 AVG, 14 HR, 38 RBI): Even though Pujols is only 4th in NL first basemen in batting average, and doesn’t lead them in either homers or RBI’s (Adrian Gonzalez has 16 home runs and Prince Fielder has 39 RBI’s), the people ahead of him in each of those three categories don’t have the consistency throughout all their stats like Pujols does.
2B: Chase Utley, PHI (.293 AVG, 11 HR, 31 RBI): Even though Utley is only tied for 4th in batting average among NL second basemen on the ballot, he leads them in home runs and is 2nd in RBI’s behind only Brandon Phillips of the Reds. In my opinion, when you have a solid batting average and the best power numbers at your position in your league, you deserve to start in the All-Star game.
SS: Hanley Ramirez, FLA (.325 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI): Even though Ramirez is leading in only one of the three major hitting categories among shortstops, nobody else is better than that. He is tied for second in batting average, 1st in home runs, and 3rd in RBI’s although only two RBI’s away from the NL shortstop leader, Miguel Tejada, in that category.
3B: Ryan Zimmerman, WAS (.348 AVG, 11 HR, 34 RBI): Amazingly, Ryan’s .348 batting average is only second among NL third basemen on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats for the season. He is also second in home runs and first in RBI’s. And it’s pretty hard not to make the All-Star team when you’ve had as long a hitting streak as Ryan Zimmerman has.
C: Bengie Molina, SF (.276 AVG, 8 HR, 30 RBI): Out of all the catchers on the NL All-Star ballot, Molina is tied for 1st in batting average with his brother, Yadier Molina, at .276. Not to mention the fact that he leads all NL catchers on the ballot in both home runs and RBI’s. That’s All-Star starter worthy.
OF: Raul Ibanez, PHI (.353 AVG, 16 HR, 41 RBI): Ibanez is tied for the major league lead in home runs with 16, and he leads all NL outfielders in RBI’s with 41. That doesn’t even say the fact that he is hitting over .350, more than 50 points higher than the century mark.
OF: Carlos Beltran, NYM (.367 AVG, 6 HR, 29 RBI): Carlos is leading all NL outfielders in batting average, and that’s dropped 48 points since the last time I did this. He’s also got pretty decent power numbers, with almost 30 RBI’s.
OF: Brad Hawpe, COL (.336 AVG, 6 HR, 34 RBI): Brad has dominated the National League pitching so far this year, as he is 4th among National League outfielders on the ballot with at least 100 at-bats in batting average at .336. He also is second in RBI’s in that category.
SP: Johan Santana, NYM (6-2, 1.50 ERA, 75 K): Johan Santana leads the National League pitchers in ERA with just a 1.50 ERA, and he leads them in wins alongside Bronson Arroyo of Cincinnati and Chad Billingsley of Los Angeles with 6 of them. That doesn’t even mention that he is 3rd in the NL in strikeouts with 75. When you’re in the top three in each of the three major pitching categories, you deserve to be the starting pitcher for your league.
Reserves:
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, SD (.280 AVG, 16 HR, 30 RBI)
Joey Votto, CIN (.366 AVG, 5 HR, 27 RBI)
2B: Orlando Hudson, LAD (.343 AVG, 3 HR, 27 RBI)
Brandon Phillips, CIN (.269 AVG, 7 HR, 34 RBI)
SS: Miguel Tejada, HOU (.325 AVG, 4 HR, 24 RBI)
3B: David Wright, NYM (.362 AVG, 3 HR, 29 RBI)
C: Pudge Rodriguez, HOU (.270 AVG, 5 HR, 19 RBI)
OF: Ryan Braun, MIL (.331 AVG, 8 HR, 31 RBI)
Carlos Lee, HOU (.327 AVG, 8 HR, 29 RBI)
Justin Upton, ARI (.304 AVG, 9 HR, 26 RBI)
Nate McLouth, PIT (.277 AVG, 7 HR, 29 RBI)
P: Jair Jurrjens, ATL (4-2, 1.96 ERA, 32 K)
Wandy Rodriguez, HOU (5-2, 1.83 ERA, 53 K)
Johnny Cueto, CIN (4-2, 2.35 ERA, 40 K)
Chad Billingsley, LAD (6-1, 2.51 ERA, 63 K)
Ted Lilly, CHC (5-3, 3.35 ERA, 43 K)
Heath Bell, SD (0.49 ERA, 12 SV, 23 K)
Francisco Rodriguez, NYM (0.87 ERA, 12 SV, 20 K)
Jonathon Broxton, LAD (1.29 ERA, 11 SV, 32 K)
Francisco Cordero, CIN (2.00 ERA, 11 SV, 20 K)
Ryan Franklin, STL (1.53 ERA, 11 SV, 15 K)
Chad Qualls, ARI (2.50 ERA, 10 SV, 22 K)
Players per Team:
Cincinnati Reds – 4
Houston Astros – 4
New York Mets – 4
Los Angeles Dodgers – 3
Arizona Diamondbacks – 2
Philadelphia Phillies – 2
San Diego Padres – 2
St. Louis Cardinals – 2
Atlanta Braves – 1
Chicago Cubs – 1
Colorado Rockies – 1
Florida Marlins – 1
Milwaukee Brewers – 1
Pittsburgh Pirates – 1
San Francisco Giants – 1
Washington Nationals – 1
Results of last week’s poll:
Which AL 1st place team do you think has had the best year so far?
Texas – 72%
Toronto – 28%
Detroit – 0%
Come back next week for my May Awards.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Standings and Placement Analysis
This week I will cover all the teams in the AL and where they are in the division and analyze why they are there.
AL East:
1. Toronto Blue Jays (25-14) – The reason the Blue Jays are doing so well right now is pretty much everything. They have the 2nd best ERA in the AL (3.97) behind the Kansas City Royals, and they have scored the most runs in the AL (223), by 17. Also, they’re tied for the 3rd least amount of errors in the AL (19) with Texas, behind only Detroit (18) and Minnesota (13). They have dominated in close games, too, as they are 8-3 in 1-run games, and against righties, as they are 17-8 against them. When you put all that together, that’s a first place team.
2. Boston Red Sox (22-15) – The reasons for the Red Sox not being in first are:
#1: David Ortiz, he is hitting .208 with no home runs, only 15 RBI’s, and is only hitting .136 when leading off an inning, and only .163 in the month of May.
#2: Their pitching is 9th in the AL with a 4.82 ERA, and they have walked the 3rd most amount of batters in the AL with 146 walks this year.
#3: Their fielding, as they are tied for the 3rd most errors in the American League with 24, behind only Oakland (26) and Seattle (31).
The reasons that the Red Sox aren’t farther down that 2nd:
#1: Jason Bay, he is hitting .305 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI’s. The 40 RBI’s is 2nd in the majors behind only Evan Longoria.
#2: Their offense, the Red Sox are tied for 2nd in the AL with the Rangers in runs scored with 206 of them.
#3: Their home record is 13-4, more than making up for their 9-11 road record.
3. New York Yankees (19-17) – They are 7-12 against the East, and have allowed 15 more runs than they have scored, and have the 3rd highest ERA in the American League at 5.41, so they really should not have a winning record, or be 3rd in their division.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (18-20) – Unlike the Yankees, the Rays should not have a losing record, as they have scored 14 more runs than they have allowed, are 12-10 against the East, and are 15-11 vs. Righties. It’s been the lefties that have killed them, though, as they are 3-9 against them.
5. Baltimore Orioles (16-21) – They have the 2nd highest ERA in the AL at 5.43, and haven’t done that well on offense or defense to make up for that.
AL Central:
1. Detroit Tigers (19-16) – The Tigers haven’t hit terrifically, just solid, as they are 7th in the AL in runs and home runs and 10th in the AL in batting average. But their pitching and defense have been terrific. Their pitchers have a 4.07 ERA, 3rd in the AL, and their defense has made only 18 errors, 2nd least in the AL, and has a .986 fielding percentage, tied for 3rd best in the AL. Also, the Tigers pitching has the 2nd lowest batting average against in the AL, and future phenom Rick Porcello has pitched well with a 3.86 ERA and a 4-3 record in his rookie season.
2. Kansas City Royals (19-18) – The Royals have had the best pitching by far so far this year in the entire major leagues, with a 3.63 ERA, the next lowest anywhere at 3.75 (Dodgers) and the next lowest in the AL at 3.97 (Blue Jays). That’s a pretty big difference. They have the 2nd most quality starts in the AL with 20 (in just 37 games) and have allowed the least amount of runs and earned runs in the AL. The only reason they aren’t in first is their hitting. They have scored the 4th fewest amount of runs in the AL, and have the 4th lowest batting average in the AL, due in large part to Alex Gordon being put on the DL after just 7 games. If it weren’t for Zach Grienke’s seven wins and 0.60 ERA, this team would probably have a losing record because of their hitting.
3. Minnesota Twins (18-19) – The Twins are only 4-10 on the road, and even though they’ve been great at home (14-9), that still doesn’t even make up for it enough to get them to even .500. The road record is the only reason they aren’t doing better this season.
4. Chicago White Sox (15-20) – The White Sox have scored the least amount of runs in baseball. It’s pretty much impossible to win when you’re doing that.
5. Cleveland Indians (14-24) – The Indians have the worst record in the AL, and are tied for the most runs allowed in the AL. They are actually 5-4 against lefties, but the 9-20 record against righties more than cancels that out. Also, they’re almost as bad at home (7-11) as they are on the road (7-13). Those are all signs of losing teams, and that’s why they are one.
AL West:
1. Texas Rangers (22-14) – The Rangers have been good just about everywhere so far this year. Here is their good list:
#1: They are 6th in the AL with a 4.66 ERA.
#2: They are tied for the 2nd most amount of runs scored in the AL with 206.
#3: They have the 3rd highest batting average in the AL.
#4: They have hit the most home runs (62) in all of baseball by 8. They have 43 more home runs than the Oakland Athletics.
#5: They are tied for the 3rd least amount of errors in the AL with 19.
#6: They are tied for the 3rd highest fielding percentage in the AL with the Tigers at .986.
#7: They have three of the top seven AL home run leaders (Ian Kinsler, Hank Blalock, and Chris Davis).
#8: Kevin Millwood has turned it on with a 2.93 ERA this year, which is 5th in the AL and better than Roy Halladay (2.95).
Here is their bad list:
#1: Brandon McCarthy has a 5.92 ERA.
#2: Frankie Francisco is on the DL.
That is why they are a first place team, the good outweighs the bad 8 to 2.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (18-17) – Here is the Angels starting pitching so far this year:
John Lackey – On the DL, then got thrown out of his 1st game after two pitches.
Kelvim Escobar – On the DL.
Ervin Santana – On the DL.
Dustin Moseley – On the DL.
Shane Loux – 5.40 ERA.
Anthony Ortega – 0-2 with a 9.24 ERA.
When you add that to a 6-9 road record, being outscored, and a 5-8 record in the West, the Angels are lucky to have a winning record.
3. Seattle Mariners (17-20) – The Mariners started off the season great, but are 4-12 in their last 16 games.
4. Oakland Athletics (13-20) – The A’s have scored the 2nd fewest runs in the AL, and are just 8-10 at home, 5-10 on the road, 3-11 vs. lefties, and 2-7 in one-run games.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which of these five players do you think had the best Rangers career?
Jeff Burroughs – 66%
Aaron Sele – 25%
Steve Foucault – 8%
Mickey Rivers – 0%
Bump Wills – 0%
Come back next week for my All-Star teams through May.
AL East:
1. Toronto Blue Jays (25-14) – The reason the Blue Jays are doing so well right now is pretty much everything. They have the 2nd best ERA in the AL (3.97) behind the Kansas City Royals, and they have scored the most runs in the AL (223), by 17. Also, they’re tied for the 3rd least amount of errors in the AL (19) with Texas, behind only Detroit (18) and Minnesota (13). They have dominated in close games, too, as they are 8-3 in 1-run games, and against righties, as they are 17-8 against them. When you put all that together, that’s a first place team.
2. Boston Red Sox (22-15) – The reasons for the Red Sox not being in first are:
#1: David Ortiz, he is hitting .208 with no home runs, only 15 RBI’s, and is only hitting .136 when leading off an inning, and only .163 in the month of May.
#2: Their pitching is 9th in the AL with a 4.82 ERA, and they have walked the 3rd most amount of batters in the AL with 146 walks this year.
#3: Their fielding, as they are tied for the 3rd most errors in the American League with 24, behind only Oakland (26) and Seattle (31).
The reasons that the Red Sox aren’t farther down that 2nd:
#1: Jason Bay, he is hitting .305 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI’s. The 40 RBI’s is 2nd in the majors behind only Evan Longoria.
#2: Their offense, the Red Sox are tied for 2nd in the AL with the Rangers in runs scored with 206 of them.
#3: Their home record is 13-4, more than making up for their 9-11 road record.
3. New York Yankees (19-17) – They are 7-12 against the East, and have allowed 15 more runs than they have scored, and have the 3rd highest ERA in the American League at 5.41, so they really should not have a winning record, or be 3rd in their division.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (18-20) – Unlike the Yankees, the Rays should not have a losing record, as they have scored 14 more runs than they have allowed, are 12-10 against the East, and are 15-11 vs. Righties. It’s been the lefties that have killed them, though, as they are 3-9 against them.
5. Baltimore Orioles (16-21) – They have the 2nd highest ERA in the AL at 5.43, and haven’t done that well on offense or defense to make up for that.
AL Central:
1. Detroit Tigers (19-16) – The Tigers haven’t hit terrifically, just solid, as they are 7th in the AL in runs and home runs and 10th in the AL in batting average. But their pitching and defense have been terrific. Their pitchers have a 4.07 ERA, 3rd in the AL, and their defense has made only 18 errors, 2nd least in the AL, and has a .986 fielding percentage, tied for 3rd best in the AL. Also, the Tigers pitching has the 2nd lowest batting average against in the AL, and future phenom Rick Porcello has pitched well with a 3.86 ERA and a 4-3 record in his rookie season.
2. Kansas City Royals (19-18) – The Royals have had the best pitching by far so far this year in the entire major leagues, with a 3.63 ERA, the next lowest anywhere at 3.75 (Dodgers) and the next lowest in the AL at 3.97 (Blue Jays). That’s a pretty big difference. They have the 2nd most quality starts in the AL with 20 (in just 37 games) and have allowed the least amount of runs and earned runs in the AL. The only reason they aren’t in first is their hitting. They have scored the 4th fewest amount of runs in the AL, and have the 4th lowest batting average in the AL, due in large part to Alex Gordon being put on the DL after just 7 games. If it weren’t for Zach Grienke’s seven wins and 0.60 ERA, this team would probably have a losing record because of their hitting.
3. Minnesota Twins (18-19) – The Twins are only 4-10 on the road, and even though they’ve been great at home (14-9), that still doesn’t even make up for it enough to get them to even .500. The road record is the only reason they aren’t doing better this season.
4. Chicago White Sox (15-20) – The White Sox have scored the least amount of runs in baseball. It’s pretty much impossible to win when you’re doing that.
5. Cleveland Indians (14-24) – The Indians have the worst record in the AL, and are tied for the most runs allowed in the AL. They are actually 5-4 against lefties, but the 9-20 record against righties more than cancels that out. Also, they’re almost as bad at home (7-11) as they are on the road (7-13). Those are all signs of losing teams, and that’s why they are one.
AL West:
1. Texas Rangers (22-14) – The Rangers have been good just about everywhere so far this year. Here is their good list:
#1: They are 6th in the AL with a 4.66 ERA.
#2: They are tied for the 2nd most amount of runs scored in the AL with 206.
#3: They have the 3rd highest batting average in the AL.
#4: They have hit the most home runs (62) in all of baseball by 8. They have 43 more home runs than the Oakland Athletics.
#5: They are tied for the 3rd least amount of errors in the AL with 19.
#6: They are tied for the 3rd highest fielding percentage in the AL with the Tigers at .986.
#7: They have three of the top seven AL home run leaders (Ian Kinsler, Hank Blalock, and Chris Davis).
#8: Kevin Millwood has turned it on with a 2.93 ERA this year, which is 5th in the AL and better than Roy Halladay (2.95).
Here is their bad list:
#1: Brandon McCarthy has a 5.92 ERA.
#2: Frankie Francisco is on the DL.
That is why they are a first place team, the good outweighs the bad 8 to 2.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (18-17) – Here is the Angels starting pitching so far this year:
John Lackey – On the DL, then got thrown out of his 1st game after two pitches.
Kelvim Escobar – On the DL.
Ervin Santana – On the DL.
Dustin Moseley – On the DL.
Shane Loux – 5.40 ERA.
Anthony Ortega – 0-2 with a 9.24 ERA.
When you add that to a 6-9 road record, being outscored, and a 5-8 record in the West, the Angels are lucky to have a winning record.
3. Seattle Mariners (17-20) – The Mariners started off the season great, but are 4-12 in their last 16 games.
4. Oakland Athletics (13-20) – The A’s have scored the 2nd fewest runs in the AL, and are just 8-10 at home, 5-10 on the road, 3-11 vs. lefties, and 2-7 in one-run games.
Results of last week’s poll:
Which of these five players do you think had the best Rangers career?
Jeff Burroughs – 66%
Aaron Sele – 25%
Steve Foucault – 8%
Mickey Rivers – 0%
Bump Wills – 0%
Come back next week for my All-Star teams through May.
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