08/17/10
Just seconds before the signing deadline, the Nationals were able to sign the #1 draft pick Bryce Harper to a deal worth $9.9 million. Before you even ask, yes, his agent is Scott Boras. Many other draft picks signed on the last day before the deadline, and for those who didn't, they will go back in the draft next year. Any team not able to sign its first round pick (Arizona, San Diego, Milwaukee) will get a compensation pick in next year's draft right after that same pick. In other words, the Diamondbacks didn't sign their pick which was sixth overall, so next year they will get the pick right after #6.
08/11/10
This summer The Commish was fortunate to drive his lame self around in a convertible. Was it the mad rush he'd always hoped for, or did it fail to live up to expectations? Read the latest Foul Territory and find out why he calls convertibles display models.
08/10/10
The White Sox tied the Orioles in the 9th inning last night, but then played overly conservative, allowing A.J. Pierzynski to sacrifice bunt on a 2-0 count against the pitcher (Simon) who just gave up Konerko's game tying homer and Carlos Quentin's walk. A.J. was successful, but the free out let the O's off the hook. After a pitching change and another walk, Andruw Jones struck out on bad balls (no surprise there) and Brent Lillibridge grounded into a meek fielder's choice (again, no surprise).
I don't understand why managers insist on giving up outs only to leave the hard work to the lower part of the order. The result was a 3-2 win in 10 innings for Baltimore, but only after the White Sox successfully sacrifice bunted AGAIN in the 10th, this time with hot hitting Alexei Ramirez. Therein lies the problem with sacrificing: even when successful, the end result is still often failure. Instead, try to maximize the outs in an inning by letting good hitters hit when the situation is in their favor.
Tonight Minnesota and Chicago square up for a 3-game series with first place in the AL Central on the line. Expect to see plenty of sacrificing from both teams, some necessary and some only because the bench thinks its playing the proper percentages.
08/05/10
Alex Rodriguez finally eclipsed 600 home runs, becoming the youngest player ever to surpass that round number. And he used steroids. That's not a judgment, just a fact, and one that A-Rod will have to live with for decades when fathers tell their sons about the best players in this era. Even tale will have a disclaimer. I hope it was worth it.
07/30/10
The trade deadline is tomorrow, and while there hasn't been that big "wow" deal yet, I'm still amazed that heading into August the San Diego Padres are buyers and have upgraded the offense with Miguel Tejada. I'm not a Padres fan, but I'm hoping any success San Diego might have in the postseason translates into some well earned notoriety for Adrian Gonzalez because he is just a hair behind Albert Pujols in talent but miles behind as an acknowledged superstar.
07/27/10
Dallas Braden (perfect game)
Roy Halladay (perfect game)
Edwin Jackson
Ubaldo Jimenez
Matt Garza
Don't forget that Armando Galarraga's perfect game was also taken away, so we should be staring at two whole months left with 3 perfect games and 6 total no hitters.
07/23/10
Alex Rodriguez will soon be joining the elite 600 HR club, becoming the 7th member on his next home run. A-Rod, like Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, has been linked to steroids, so the luster on this once great record has dulled to something less than a glossy shine. It was once thought that, love him or hate him, A-Rod would eventually return the HR record to a "clean" state. At just 34, Rodriguez seems to have plenty of baseball left in him and five average seasons would get the job done.
Unfortunately, A-Rod has become another fallen hero with his admittance of steroid use, so the anxiousness of Bud Selig to wrestle the figurative crown away from Barry Bonds is a waste of tension and blood pressure pills because it's a long way from becoming a clean record again. Only Albert Pujols is currently setting a pace to potentially get there, and while Albert has never been linked to anything incriminating, he came on the scene as a physically mature monster at such a young age and hasn't let up. It seems almost too good to be true, and it's sad that our minds are now trained to speculate (fake birth certificate? PEDs from an outside source? secretly a robot?) rather than to enjoy, but that has become the nature of the game.
The game can still be appreciated as much as better, but some of the individual achievements, like the one A-Rod will soon earn, are met more with a passing clap than a standing ovation.
07/12/10
Time for everyone to take a breath because the All-Star Break is here. Year after year, the Home Run Derby is starting to feel more and more like the Slam Dunk Contest in that no one really wants to participate and viewing the overblown exhibition feels like a chore. 2010 doesn't get any better as big boppers (sarcasm) like Chris Young and Nick Swisher will be swinging for the fences. For what it's worth, my money is on Miguel Cabrera, if for no other reason than he can hit any type of pitch anywhere.
07/07/10
Here are the playoff teams if the season ended today:
NL: Braves, Reds, Padres, Mets (WC)
AL: Yankees, Tigers, Rangers, Rays (WC)
Like most, my preseason predictions missed the mark, specifically with the Mets and Padres. I expected good things from Cincy and Texas and mentioned that Detroit would have a chance, but I didn't think New York could emerge from their problems. Moreover, I saw absolutely no way that San Diego could sustain any kind of long term success with the roster it has. That's why we watch the games. You just never know.
Speaking of "you never know," Colorado made a franchise record comeback over St. Louis in the 9th inning last night, scoring NINE TIMES in the last inning to defeat the Cardinals 12-9, thanks to a Seth Smith 3-run shot to end it. Like I said, that's why we watch the games.