A couple of weeks ago a buddy and I were talking about the NFL lockout and then we immediately shifted the conversation to our upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.

For whatever reason it didn’t hit me until then (probably because I’m not that smart) but I realized just how much Major League Baseball stands to gain if the players and owners continue to ruin the NFL.

It hasn’t even been a week, but already several MLB teams have set local TV ratings records. According to SportsBuinessDaily.com, the Orioles’ 4-0 start has translated to booming ratings for MASN. The network posted a 12.2 rating and 135,000 HHs in the Baltimore market for Monday’s home opener against the Tigers. For sake of comparison, the team averaged a 3.4 rating in Baltimore last season.

The site also mentions that last Friday’s game between the Astros and Phillies set an opening-day rating record and Sunday’s matchup broke the record for a regular-season telecast. The Rangers, Blue Jays, FOX and ESPN all did very well over the weekend, too.

Granted, it was opening weekend and the cold weather certainly encouraged people to stay indoors and flip on the tube. I’d like to see what the numbers look like in a couple of weeks when fans realize that there are still 140-plus games left to be played this season. Will the interest still be high in Baltimore if the Orioles go on a six-game losing streak? Will ESPN start to lose viewers when they begin showing only the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies and Mets on a weekly basis like they have over the past couple of years? (Furthermore, how long before people start to pass on the ESPN Sunday Night broadcast because they can’t stand Bobby Valentine and Orel Hershier, both of whom are atrocious in the booth.)

That said, without daily NFL free agent news, I wouldn’t be shocked if people had a renewed sense of focus on baseball. The CBA mess has sucked most of the fun out of the NFL draft this year, so maybe fans (who are no doubt tired of the constant negative commentary surrounding the lockout) will stick with baseball long after the excitement from opening weekend fades away.

Either way, Bud Selig and Co. have to love the early TV numbers and probably wouldn’t mind seeing the lockout go well into August or September. Not having to compete with the NFL (even its offseason) has to be a plus for Selig’s league.

There’s a good chance that this post will be irrelevant in the next couple of weeks but I’m going to write it anyway. You can’t tell me what to do.

Here are five things we learned about opening weekend in MLB.

1. The Orioles are for real.
I’m kidding – relax. The Orioles are for real after just three games? That’s an over exaggeration on my part, although who can blame the Baltimore faithful for being excited about the start of the season? Their team just swept the Rays on the road and did so in rather convincing fashion, limiting Tampa to just three runs in three games. Considering how brash Buck Showalter was this offseason in his comments about Theo Epstein and Derek Jeter, it has to be refreshing for fans that the O’s came out of the gates hot. It’s also nice to see Brian Roberts (4-for-13, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 runs) get off to a good start after injuries limited his production last year, and guys like Nick Markakis make plays both offensive and defensively (what a catch he had over the weekend when he crashed into the wall). Given the young talent that this club has, it’s not a stretch to think that they could surprise this year in the AL. But if nothing else, at least there’s a little excitement in Baltimore again.

2. The Red Sox’ pitching is still a concern.
Again, again, again: It’s early. Just because the Rangers swept the Red Sox over the weekend doesn’t mean that the BoSox won’t make the playoffs or that they’re overrated. That said, this was about as bad of a start for the Red Sox as Yankee fans could ask for. They dropped three consecutive games to open a season for the first time since 1996, they were outscored 26-11 and their pitchers surrendered a whopping 11 home runs in just three games. Jon Lester gave up a career-high three home runs, while John Lackey served up two and Clay Buchholz gave up four solo shots. Granted, pitchers know that when they travel to Texas their chances of serving up a long ball are great. But 11 home runs in three days? Yikes. This was an ass kicking to say the least and one that brings Boston’s pitching concerns back into focus.

3. The Giants’ defensive issues are concerning.
Everyone knew there was going to be a bit of a transition period for Aubrey Huff when he moved from first base to the outfield to make room for rookie Brandon Belt. But considering he logged about 500 innings in the outfield last year, nobody thought he would make right field look like he was playing in the freaking Amazon or some foreign, unknown patch of land. The Giants committed five errors in the first two games against the Dodgers this weekend, and Huff had two foul-ups on Sunday night that cost his team runs. (On one, he turned a single into a triple when he miscalculated on a diving attempt and on the other, he spun around so much on fly ball over his head that you thought he was practicing a dance routine.) Granted, when Cody Ross comes off the DL the Giants can shift Huff to left field and Pat Burrell to the bench. That should, at the very least, limit Huff’s destruction in the outfield. But Huff wasn’t the only one made costly errors in L.A. Buster Posey, Miguel Tejada and Pablo Sandoval all had throwing errors, while pitcher Jonathan Sanchez couldn’t handle a routine comebacker on Friday, which essentially cost the Giants Game 2 of the series. Sloppy doesn’t even begin to describe the defending champ’s play to start the season.

4. Matt Kemp is on a mission.
Kemp was routinely criticized in L.A. last year from anything from his weak batting average to his laziness on the basepaths. But if the first four games are an indication of whether or not he’s motivated to rebound, then he could be in store for a MVP-type performance. Kemp has started the year hitting .417 after going 5-for-12 at the dish this weekend. He drove in three runs, scored four times and hit a home run off Barry Zito on Sunday night that still hasn’t landed yet. He also swiped a bag and scored on a throwing error by catcher Buster Posey to help the Dodgers win Game 1 of the series. Simply put, the guy looks focused again.

5. The Reds aren’t going to just hand over the NL Central.
There were many pundits (this one included) who thought that Adam Wainwright’s injury opened the door for the Brewers to eventually seize the NL Central. But if their play in Cincinnati this weekend is any indication of how the Brewers’ season will play out, then the Reds should have no trouble defending their division title. In Cincy’s three-game sweep over Milwaukee, the Reds scored 23 runs and hit eight dingers. There’s a long way to go but considering Cincinnati essentially returned the same roster as it did a year ago, maybe people should have given the Reds more respect this offseason.

Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse reports that Buck Showalter will take over as the next manager of the Orioles by this weekend.

Showalter is 882-833 in his career as a manager, a winning percentage of .514. But he inherits a monumental challenge in Baltimore.

The Orioles haven’t had a winning season since 1997, and despite a strong core of young talent that features Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Brian Matusz and others, they must deal with life in baseball’s toughest division, the AL East.

Eric Wedge, Rick Dempsey and Bobby Valentine are among the other candidates reportedly to have interviewed for Baltimore’s managing vacancy.

Assuming he is hired, Showalter has his work cut out for him in Baltimore, which went into the All-Star break with baseball’s worst record at 29-59.

As the article indicates, the O’s have a solid young core in Jones, Wieters, Matusz and Nick Markakis. But they’ve under performed (even for the Orioles) the entire year and it appears as though the younger players need a fire lit under their asses.

We’ll see if Showalter can bring the strong, reputable presence that the club has desperately needed for years.

Update: The Baltimore Sun is now reporting that while Showalter is still the leading candidate to take over as the next manager of the Orioles, the club is not set to hire him by this weekend as Price suggests.

Despite going the distance and throwing only 95 pitches, Cliff Lee took the loss in his Rangers’ debut on Saturday, dropping a 6-1 decision to the Orioles. Nick Markakis, Cesar Izturis and Adam Jones all took him deep in his first experience playing in Arlington.

From SI.com:

” It was an electric atmosphere. They got a lead early and never lost it. That kind of kills that a little bit,” Lee said. ” They came out swinging. You have to tip your hat to them for their approach.”

Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young winner the Rangers got from Seattle in a six-player deal Friday, still threw his AL-best sixth complete game.

” It was just one of those weird games, every swing they took turned into a run somehow,” said Ian Kinsler , the Rangers’ All-Star second baseman.

” Cliff showed exactly what he’s capable of doing,” Michael Young said. ” He had to be tired from all the travel and all that’s been going on for the last couple of days, but he showed exactly what he’s capable of giving us. … We’re all excited about what we have.”

If this game were in Seattle, I highly doubt Lee would have given up six runs, but them are the breaks pitching in Texas. While the score suggests otherwise, he was highly efficient, striking out two and walking none. The complete game was his fourth in his last five starts.

Depending on how manager Ron Washington sets his rotation after the All-Star break, Lee will face either the Red Sox or Tigers in his next outing.

Following the club’s 6-3 loss to the Yankees on Thursday night, the Orioles fired manager Dave Trembley. The O’s currently sit in last place in the AL East with a 15-39 record. They’re off to the worst start in club history since the 1988 team began the year 0-21.

From the Baltimore Sun:

“I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to Peter Angelos and Andy MacPhail for the opportunity to serve as manager for the Baltimore Orioles for the past three years. The results on the field were not what any of us would have hoped for, and I understand that the organization felt the time was right to move in a different direction. While I am disappointed at the outcome, I feel it was a privilege to wear the Orioles uniform each day and I thank all the fans for their tremendous support. I hope the team will soon return to the winning tradition they enjoyed for so many years.”

Trembley, who took over as Orioles manager on an interim basis on June 19, 2007, after Sam Perlozzo was fired, compiled a 187-283 record guiding the club. The .398 winning percentage is second-worst of any manager in Orioles history, better only than Jimmy Dykes (.351 in 1954).

The fans and media often criticized Trembley for the way he didn’t hold his players accountable for their poor play. His handling of the bullpen has also come under criticism.

It’s easy to see that Tremebly couldn’t motivate his players. For as young as the Orioles are, they’re not improving and that’s a problem. Angelos and MacPhail would be best served finding a young, energetic coach that the players will play for.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/06/04/orioles-fire-manager-dave-trembley/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/29/top-10-active-innings-eaters/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/29/top-10-active-innings-eaters/#comments Sat, 29 May 2010 13:00:02 +0000 Mike Farley http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=40426

Chances are, you need a few pitchers on your fantasy baseball roster that can eat up innings. You know, that silly rule that prevents you from loading up on closers? Well, here is a list you could use, especially if your team if floundering and you need some steady pitchers to deliver quality innings of work. This is the list of active leaders in innings pitched. Some of the names will surprise you, but certainly not all of them:

1. Jamie Moyer, Philadelphia Phillies (3966 innings)—Remember when Jamie Moyer pitched for the Cubs? Yeah, neither does anyone else. He was a rookie in 1986, the year Mookie Wilson hit the ball through Bill Buckner’s legs. I know, most of you don’t remember that, either.

2. Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (2984)—Though it’s early, Andy Pettitte is having a career year at age 38. And I’m just glad I had the foresight (errr, luck) to draft him for my fantasy team.

3. Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox (2980)—Remember when Tim Wakefield pitched for the Pirates? Seriously, he started out there in 1992 and joined the Sox in 1995. And dude is still beloved by the chowder heads.

4. Livan Hernandez, Washington Nationals (2795)—Two things are baffling. One, that Livan’s age is listed as 35. Thirty-freaking-five! Um, no. And two, that this guy is still getting hitters out with that blistering 80 mph fastball of his.

5. Javier Vasquez, New York Yankees (2532)—So this guy has banked $92 million in his career to date for losing as many games as he wins (145-144). That’s proof right there that innings eaters are worth something, but still sounds like highway robbery to me.

6. Jeff Suppan, Milwaukee Brewers (2437)—He’s relegated to the bullpen for the most part, but still racking up innings of work.

7. Kevin Millwood, Baltimore Orioles (2382)—Remember when Kevin Millwood was the fourth starter behind Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine in Atlanta? That was in 1997 but seems like it was 50 years ago.

8. Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves (2191)—He may have peaked a few years ago, but this guy still has some of the nastiest stuff in the game.

9. Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves (2124)—Through all of the injuries, it’s truly amazing that Tim Hudson has pitched that many innings. And hey, Javier, put this in your pipe and smoke it—a 153-79 career record.

10. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (2123)—This dude just keeps winning, but even he’s only got 154 wins to date. Does that seem right?

Source: Baseball Reference

Going into the new baseball season, all eyes were once again set to watch the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays duke it out in the AL East. As it’s become customary, we assumed the division would deliver both the AL leader in wins, but also the Wild Card. Of course, this will probably still happen, but the hallowed division has turned into a head-scratcher given Boston’s poor start. I’m not lamenting this by any means (I’d love to see the Blue Jays in the playoffs, actually), but I’m here to tell you that there’s another division worth your interest: the NL East.

What? The NL East doesn’t just consist of the the Phillies and a handful also-rans? Well, not yet, anyway. Currently, three of the the division’s five teams have winning records (Mets, Phillies, Nationals), and the two others (Braves, Marlins) have enough talent to contend for the rest of the year. While I’d like to provide high-brow sabermetrics and detailed graphs, it’s really quite simple: The pitching and hitting on each of these teams are both decent at the very least. That’s it really, just decent. As long as one of these components isn’t woeful, a club should expect to hover above a .500 winning percentage. That may not satisfy a die-hard fan who has everything riding on their team making it to the World Series, but it sure does encourage neck-and-neck competition.

This is what we have in the NL East — an intriguing balancing act. The Mets surprisingly sit atop the leaderboard in the division, on the strength of their pitching no less. Mike Pelfrey has been sensational — who knows how — boasting a 4-0 record and a 0.69 ERA. With Johan Santana, Jon Niese and Oliver Perez performing well on the mound, the Mets have reason to be feel comfortable. And look, the hitting has not been phenomenal — merely decent. Jason Bay isn’t knocking blasts out of the park left and right, but guys like David Wright, Jose Reyes, Jeff Franceur and Ike Davis are getting on base. On base percentage can sometimes be the most feared statistic in the game. The Mets may not keep it up for long — there’s far too many question marks. Still, it’s nice to see the Phillies getting some guff from within.

Now, the Phillies will make the playoffs — there’s no way around it. Roy Halladay tops an intimidating rotation, and not even Brad Lidge or Ryan Madson will be able to consistently blow the countless leads provided by their hitting. I just think the NL East went a bit overlooked during the offseason. If it continues to play out as it has, this division could yield two playoff teams. None of the other teams look entirely vulnerable: the Braves quietly put together a solid unit during the offseason; the Nationals are stunning opponents with both power and unheard of pitchers; the Marlins are the Marlins, meaning we know nothing about them and they’ll still finish with a winning record.

I know, it’s strange, but the NL East had us fooled from the start. There’s some dramatic baseball in there.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/05/01/nl-east-providing-some-exciting-baseball/feed/ 1