Category: MLB (Page 325 of 448)

      Top 10 Active MLB Windmills

      August 23, 2008 /

      Many power hitters in baseball also have a penchant for swinging and missing. While batters have evolved over the years into more complete players, and Dave Kingman types aren’t the norm anymore, there are quite a few that we can classify as “windmills.” Here is a list of the Top 10 active players in strikeouts in baseball today.

      1. Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox (2155)—Even though Mr. High Socks has a career batting average of .280, his 533 home runs are tempered by the air created when he swings and misses. Thome has struck out 2155 times in his 17-plus seasons, or roughly 30 % of his at-bats. Yikes.

      2. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets (1701)—Sitting comfortably behind Thome is Mets’ first baseman Carlos Delgado, who is a cool 454 strikeouts behind Jimmy. Delgado has clubbed 457 home runs, but he has now struck out 100 or more times for the thirteenth straight season.

      3. Ken Griffey Jr, Chicago White Sox (1669)—Around the time Griffey was tearing up the American League in the late ‘90’s with 209 home runs over four seasons, he also tallied 454 strikeouts. And with 1669 career windmills, Griffey strikes out about as often as he smiles.

      4. Jim Edmonds, Chicago Cubs (1656)—Edmonds has quietly amassed 378 career homers, and has also compiled 1656 career strikeouts. But he’s currently in one of the two places (other than Colorado) where his power more than makes up for his K’s.

      5. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (1643)—Will someone tell me how a career .313 hitter averages 102 strikeouts per season? Wait, let me guess — Manny being Manny?

      6. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (1614)–$22 million for a guy that fans 107 times per season and doesn’t produce in the postseason? Am I missing something?

      7. Mike Cameron, Milwaukee Brewers (1605)—Mike Cameron is a six-tool player—speed, average, power, glove, arm, and a penchant for missing the ball with his bat. That’s a very odd combination.

      8. Jeff Kent, Los Angeles Dodgers (1515)—Ripping on Vin Scully? In Los Angeles, that’s like the priest ripping on the pope. Yeah, Jeff….you are 40, and even though Manny Ramirez now hits behind you, you still have almost as many career K’s on the scorecard as he does.

      9. Andruw Jones, Los Angeles Dodgers (1468)—Seriously, now…..three of the current top ten windmills play for the L.A. Dodgers. No wonder this team can’t seem to catch the Diamondbacks.

      10. Frank Thomas, Oakland Athletics (1394)—Mr. Thomas has 521 career homers, and though he’s only struck out more than 100 times three times in his career, he has landed here mainly because of his longevity (currently in his 19th season).

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, MLB

      Bullz-Eye baseball prediction from 2007 looking eerily prophetic

      August 21, 2008 /

      When we assembled our annual piece on the year in sports for Bullz-Eye, the piece was coming along really well, but something seemed a tad off to me. It was too…serious. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. John and Anthony dissect sports as well as anyone. But one section of our year-in-review piece is dedicated to predicting what we think will happen. For me, that is a golden opportunity to let loose with the craziest idea you can think of, have a laugh, go all Onion on everyone.

      After hearing that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were changing their name, this is what I thought of.

      God anoints the ‘Devil’-free Tampa Bay Rays His new favorites; team wins World Series

      No song with the word “Devil” in the title has ever made it to Number One on the pop charts, and the Almighty has the same rules when it comes to baseball. (This mandate clearly does not apply to hockey, though that makes sense now that we think about it.) When pitchers and catchers report for spring training, God will hold a press conference, admitting that He had been punishing Tampa Bay for their transgression. “I really like that Crawford kid, and the way they stole Kazmir from the Mets…that was sweet,” God will be quoted as saying. “It actually bothered me to give them the smackdown year after year, but now that they’ve cleared their name, as it were, I see big things for this team.” The Rays will win the Series in a thrilling Game 7 comeback against the Chicago Cubs, who will have a 3-2 lead with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth, then proceed to walk in the tying and winning runs.

      It is now late-August, and with the Cubs’ win today, they have the best record in baseball. The Rays are a game behind them in the win column. Incredibly, this World Series match-up still has a chance of happening. Indeed, my joke prediction has come closer to fruition than some of our more right-minded declarations (see: “The Detroit Tigers will win the Al Central”). That scream you just heard, by the way, was Cubs Nation telling me to shut the hell up for jinxing their team. Anyone who saw Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS knows that my ‘walking in the winning run’ scenario is not that outrageous.

      Anyone wanting to know what tomorrow’s lottery numbers will be, give me a call. I’m feeling lucky.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, MLB

      Hey! Nielsen Ask A Blogger: The Scores Report

      August 19, 2008 /

      John Paulsen and I were recently interviewed for Hey! Nielsen’s “Ask A Blogger” feature. If you care to read our opinions (and really, why wouldn’t you care to read our opinions?) on this year’s Olympics, Manny Ramirez’s haircut fiasco and what we would do to add or change current sports network programming, then click on the link below.

      Read Hey! Nielsen’s “Ask A Blogger” feature on The Scores Report.

      College Football, Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Basketball, Fantasy Football, General Sports, Golf, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Super Bowl, Television, The Olympics

      Jeff Kent on Vin Scully: ‘He talks too much.’

      August 19, 2008 /

      During a recent broadcasting, Dodgers’ play by play announcer Vin Scully made reference that Manny Ramirez has helped Jeff Kent hit better since he was acquired from Boston at the trade deadline.

      But you see Jeff Kent doesn’t need help. Jeff Kent is the greatest baseball player known to man and how dare Vin Scully think other wise.

      Below is what Kent said to L.A. Times columnist T.J. Simers in response to Scully’s comments.

      “We all love you, Vin,” Kent added with a mischievous grin, “but you still talk too much.”

      “Scully is making the same point everyone else is making,” I said. “He says the stats indicate you are having success hitting behind Ramirez — tell me that isn’t the case.”

      “See my answer to the first question,” said Kent, and sometimes you wonder if he sleeps with his bed against a wall forcing him to always wake up on the wrong side. “Listen, I’m so tired of talking about this stuff. It diminishes my whole career and all the hard work. I take it as an insult.

      “I’m 40. You don’t get better when you are 40.”

      “It’s so pathetic,” he said. “You guys write about things happening in a week’s time. That’s why we don’t like you. Baseball is a six-month game.”

      “What did I hit last year? Without Manny? How do you explain that? What’s my career average? What will I be hitting at the end of this season?”

      “Manny was only hitting .300 in Boston with 20 home runs,” Kent said, as a prelude to the sarcastic kicker. “And he’s doing way better than that here — so I’m helping Manny.”

      “I’ve been here four years and I have never seen Vin Scully down here in the clubhouse,” Kent said. “How does Vin Scully know me? How does Vin Scully know Derek Lowe?”

      “Everyone says I’m hitting now because some guy says so on TV?” he says, and first time someone has ever called Scully “some guy.”

      Later in the article, Kent does say that there’s no question Manny “has given this team new life with another hitter in the middle of the lineup.” So if you’re Kent, why not say that first? Why be snarky and somewhat disrespectful to a legend like Vin Scully for making a simple observation? (Not only that, but a spot on observation, too.)

      Hey Kent, calling Vin Scully “some guy” diminishes his whole career and all of his hard work, too. But F Vin Scully right? The nerve of him to say you hit better with protection in the lineup…

      General Sports, MLB

      Sunday MLB roundup: Andre Ethier puts Dodgers in first place

      August 18, 2008 /

      -Dodgers’ Outfielder Andre Ethier hit a two-run walk-off homer on Sunday against the Brewers in a wild 7-5 game. The home run came in the bottom of the ninth after an error-filled top of the ninth that saw the Brewers come back from a 5-1 deficit. The win has put the Dodgers into a first place tie in the NL West with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were shutout in their game at Houston. Roy Oswalt was masterful, going eight innings, and allowing just one hit. The Astros scored all of their three runs in the first inning, and it was more than they needed.

      –The Cubs went on a hitting spree against the Marlins. They scored seven runs in the eighth inning, and were able to extend their lead over the Brewers in the NL Central.

      -Speaking of hitting sprees, the Baltimore Orioles were one of five teams in the American League Sunday to score in double figures. They managed to put 16 runs on the board. The Twins (11), White Sox (13), Yankees (15), and Blue Jays (15) round out the rest of the double-digit scorers.

      MLB

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