Category: MLB (Page 161 of 448)

      Dodgers Assistant GM interviews with Padres

      October 18, 2009 /

      Kim Ng

      Most of us aren’t familiar with Kim Ng, the Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that Ng recently interviewed for the position of San Diego Padres General Manager, now vacant after the firing of Kevin Towers. Although Ng is one of various candidates, that isn’t stopping Dodger enthusiasts from speculating what could happen to their team if Ng were to leave.

      Ng has interviewed for other general manager positions before and isn’t necessarily the favorite to get this one (which incidentally could make her the boss of her former boss at the Dodgers, Padres executive vice president Paul DePodesta, who is not a candidate for the job). But she certainly has a fan club in Los Angeles that holds its breath each time she talks to another team.

      Is there any chance Ng could ascend in Los Angeles? Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti and the Dodgers have a mutual option for 2010, and after winning three division titles and two National League division series in four years, Colletti’s return for 2010 (and perhaps years to come) would seem to be a formality. What could disrupt it?

      Colletti is the general manager, but he doesn’t work alone. He has Ng, he has assistant general manager/scouting Logan White, he has a host of scouts and advisors, and he also no doubt has the McCourts weighing in on the biggest deals. (Manny Ramirez, anyone?) Yes, in most player transactions, the buck has stopped with Colletti since the end of 2005, but we really don’t know how much of the past four years is uniquely Colletti.

      If Ng leaves, I’ll fear the Dodgers have lost a great executive. But I’ll console myself with how well the Dodgers have done under the current regime, and with the knowledge that Ng deserves her moment in the sun, wherever that sun is determined to shine.

      Before joining the Dodgers organization, Ng was the Assistant GM for the Yankees, and worked in the White Sox front office before that. If Ng were to land the coveted position with the Padres, Ng would become the first female General Manager in the history professional sports. Still, her chances are slim as Jed Hoyer, assistant GM of the Red Sox, is viewed as the favorite.

      In the end, Colletti will receive a contract extension next year. While Ng has a positive reputation throughout the MLB, I doubt she’ll get the job in San Diego. Unless the Dodgers completely collapse over the next two seasons, she will remain as their Assistant GM. Unfortunately, if she really wants to become a GM of a big league club, she’ll have take a similar position to the one she already has with another team. There, she’ll have to wait till the front office becomes dissatisfied with their current GM. With Ng’s past experience and determination, she’d naturally get the gig. However, I doubt Ng has the patience for this strategy.

      MLB

      A-Rod redemption

      October 18, 2009 /

      It’s been a surreal year for Alex Rodriguez. It began with disgrace, as he joined the club of major league players implicated in the never-ending steroids scandal. He was never a fan favorites in New York, and now he had sunk to a new low. His reputation would be forever tarnished.

      Yet after watching A-Rod’s postseason performance so far, this may be the best thing that ever happened to him. Last night, A-Rod rose to the occasion again to provide a dramatic home run to save the day for the Yankees in Game 2.

      • To be honest, for all his remarkable numbers, A-Rod has never inspired legend quite like a Williams or Ruth, a Bonds or a Mantle. Yet through five postseason games, he now has three home runs that have either tied or put the Yankees ahead. One off Joe Nathan and another off Brian Fuentes, two pretty darn good closers, too. Here’s the reaction from The LoHud Yankees Blog:

      • His story of exorcising October demons has almost become old hat. Four times he has been asked the same questions and four times he has continued to repeat what he said in St. Pete. “I know you guys are probably looking for something profound. I’m just in a good place. I’m seeing the ball and I’m hitting it. That’s about it.” Rodriguez now has an RBI in each of the first five postseason games, setting a new Yankee record. Here’s audio from Rodriguez:

      • Burnett said he, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Joba Chamberlain were in the clubhouse watching the 11th inning unfold. People would never believe the scene they made after Rodriguez hit the tying homer. “We were like little kids,” Burnett said, “jumping around and hugging.”

      • In the dugout, Mark Teixeira couldn’t fathom that Rodriguez had done it. Again. “I just kept yelling, ‘He did it again! He did it again!” Teixeira said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

      It’s amazing what a great athlete can do when he just focuses on the job at hand. A-Rod has admitted to being so self-absorbed that he put tremendous pressure on himself. The scandal seems to have forced A-Rod to grow up and develop a more mature approach to the game. If he keeps this up and the Yankees win the World Series, this will be one of the fastest and most dramatic image turnarounds we’ve ever seen in sports.

      MLB

      Yankees capitalize on Angels’ bonehead play, win Game 2

      October 18, 2009 /

      Game 2

      “It’s very difficult, when you’re looking up at all those raindrops and trying to find the biggest one. And Jeter did.”

      – Tim McCarver commenting on Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter catching a pop fly in the rain.

      I needed to laugh. After watching nearly 13 innings of enthralling play, I was absolutely infuriated with the outcome of this game. I’m not even rooting for either team — I was just screaming at the television because the ending was bad baseball. Luckily, Tim McCarver delivered countless lines of nonsense to keep things light. The gem I’ve included above was easily his best.

      It’s a damn shame this game ended because of an error. Both teams played their hearts out and gave fans five hours or grueling, yet exciting competition. The players, coaches, and fans deserved a walk-off hit or a final strikeout. With one out, Jerry Hairston Jr. on second, and Robinson Cano on first in the bottom of the 13th, Melky Cabrera hit a routine ground ball to Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis. All he had to was make the easy out at first. Then, with two outs and runners on second and third, Ervin Santana would have faced Jorge Posada. Instead, Izturis attempted a double play and completely missed the glove of shortstop Erick Aybar. Granted, there was a slim chance that they would have turned two, as Cabrera isn’t the fastest guy in pinstripes. Still, why risk it? Get the easy out and try your luck against the next batter.

      While this game was filled with clutch pitching and hitting, the Angels and Yankees were both sloppy on defense. Robinson Cano, Chone Figgins, Derek Jeter, and Macier Izturis all committed errors (Cano had two). I know the rain didn’t help, but some of these mishaps were inexcusable. You know the overall defense was brutal when Johnny Damon made the best grab of the night.

      Joe Saunders and A.J. Burnett both provided solid starts for their clubs. Saunders went seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits, while Burnett powered through six with two earned runs on three hits. As the game progressed, the Yankees almost went through every pitcher on their roster, excluding the starters. Surprisingly, the Angels looked to Ervin Santana in the game’s late innings. Santana, a starter who spent most of the year battling injuries, managed to control the Yankees during his time on the mound. Although he’s credited with the loss, he won’t take the blame. Maicer Izturis and Brian Fuentes should have a rough flight back. With the Angels up by one run, Fuentes gave up an 11th inning home run to Alex Rodriguez. Mike Scioscia had decided to reserve Fuentes until the Angels took the lead, and it cost him. Fuentes, who led the American League in saves, looked very nervous out there, and A-Rod read him like a book.

      With the Yankees up two games to none, the series now heads to Anaheim. Jered Weaver is set to pitch for the Angels against veteran Andy Pettitte of the Yankees in Game 3.

      MLB

      So much for Sabathia being a postseason choke

      October 17, 2009 /

      Remember all the talk before the playoffs started about how CC Sabathia couldn’t hack it in the postseason? Well, apparently Sabathia took it to heart because so far the Yankees’ ace has been dominant.

      Sabathia limited the Angels to one run on four hits over eight innings in the Yankees’ 4-1 Game 1 victory in the ALCS Friday night. Sabathia also struck out seven and walked just one as he threw 76 of his 113 pitches for strikes.

      Of course, New York was helped dramatically by L.A.’s inability to make routine plays. The Halos played a brutal game, committing three errors and allowing a routine popup fall between Eric Aybar and Chone Figgins between shortstop and third base in the third inning. The play allowed two runners to score and the Yankees never looked back after that.

      The only good thing that can come out of this loss for the Angels is that they played so bad that it could re-focus them for the rest of the series. It’s hard to get over a tough loss when you played well and just didn’t execute in the end. It’s a little easier to chalk up a loss and move on when you make a bunch of routine errors and overall just had an off night.

      We’ll see how the Halos respond in Game 2.

      MLB

      CC Sabathia freezes Angels, Yankees take Game 1

      October 17, 2009 /

      What a day for pitching. Vicente Padilla goes seven and a third for the Dodgers, surrendering one run; the Phillies’ Pedro Martinez throws seven shutout innings on two hits; CC Sabathia wows his fans at Yankee Stadium in a marvelous eight-inning performance; Angels starter John Lackey is…not good. Sadly, Lackey couldn’t treat baseball fans to a pitching clinic — it’s practically impossible against the Yankees. Over five and two thirds innings, the Angels ace gave up four runs (two earned) on nine hits. This was hardly an outing typical of Lackey’s stature, but his supporting defense was even worse. In their 4-1 loss to the Yanks in Game 1 of the ALCS, the Halos committed three errors and were absolutely clueless up at the plate against CC Sabathia.

      The Angels, who set a franchise record for fewest errors this season with 85 and played flawlessly against Boston in the division series, were horrible on defense. . Only twice this season did the Angels commit three errors in a game; they made three Friday night.

      t appeared Lackey would minimize damage in the first inning when, with runners on second and third and no out, he got Mark Teixeira to fly to shallow left, the runners holding, and Alex Rodriguez to hit a sacrifice fly to center.

      Hideki Matsui hit a towering popup to the left side of the infield. Third baseman Chone Figgins and shortstop Erick Aybar converged, both looked at each other thinking the other would catch it, and the ball dropped for a single, allowing Johnny Damon to score.

      This exciting postseason has witnessed some horrific defense by otherwise Gold Glove-caliber fielders. Considering crucial errors by Matt Holliday, Chase Utley, and almost the entire Angels roster, something seems out of whack. After skating by against the Red Sox, one would think the Angels knew how to communicate on the diamond. With A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixiera, and the Yankees rotation in the groove, the Angels have their work cut out for them. They need to quickly forget this embarrassment and give starter Joe Saunders some solid support in Game 2.

      MLB

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