Category: MLB (Page 412 of 448)

I don’t know about anybody else, but I for one, am sick and tired of being lied to by Major League Baseball players.

In the constant barrage of steroid stories that have engulfed the MLB over the past decade, why do these athletes continue to think that we as a general public are stupid? Barry Bonds thought it was flax seed oil he was taking and not steroids. Sammy Sosa all of a sudden can’t understand English when he was probed in court over his steroid involvement. And now Kenny Rogers “thought it was dirt” that magically wound up on his left hand (his pitching hand mind you) in Game 2 of the World Series. Come on Kenny, it wasn’t dirt. The Scores Report’s own David Mesker said it best in his recap of the game Sunday night: ‘dude’s got pin tar on his hand.’

Would someone please stand up and be a man after you get caught? Or better yet, don’t cheat! When reporters asked if home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez asked him to rub the “dirt” off of his hand after the first inning, Rogers responded by saying: “no, I noticed it and rubbed it off.” Yet, MLB umpire supervisor Steve Palermo said after the game that Marquez asked Rogers to wash off the “dirt”. So, which was it Kenny?

This is utter crap in a long line of bull from yet another MLB cheating situation. Granted, Rogers still pitched a great game after he wiped the crud of his hand and has now amassed 23 scoreless innings in the postseason. But since when did Kenny Rogers turn into Cy Young all of a sudden? ESPN has aired shots of the mysterious dirt being on Rogers’ hand in each of his previous two-playoff outings too.

Hmm, if that is dirt that keeps showing on only Rogers’ left hand – then that my friends, is one magic piece of dirt.

The camera doesn’t lie. Fox caught a shot of Kenny Rogers’ pitching hand that spoke a thousand words. Analyst Tim McCarver seemed to be giving Rogers the benefit of the doubt at first, calling it “discoloration,” but we were all thinking the same thing: dude’s got pine tar on his hand. The only way this gets better is if George Brett leaps from the stands to get in the face of the umpires.

Not that it would have mattered if Rogers left a jar of Vaseline on the mound next to him: the Gambler was, um, dealing tonight, limiting the Cardinals to two hits over eight innings (he washed his hands after the first inning, so even if he was cheating in the first, the Cards still couldn’t hit him for seven “clean” innings) and running his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 23. Jeff Weaver, to his credit, pitched very well, striking out five and walking one. But he basically lost the game the second that Craig Monroe hit that towering home run in the first inning, Monroe’s fifth of the postseason. One run was all that Rogers needed, though the Tigers added an RBI double by Carlos Guillen and an RBI single by Sean Casey.

Speaking of Rogers, every time they showed a close-up of him on that camera behind home plate, I thought of Henry Rollins. I half expected him to say, “I’m Kenny Rogers, and this is Off-Road Tattoo!” The close-up shots of Weaver, on the other hand, were like watching the Honkey Cam. He made a face that, to paraphrase Bill Hicks, was the human equivalent of showing a dog a card trick. Durrrr.

When Casey was in the batter’s box, I kept thinking, “What’s with the tongue?” He’s got some Michael Jordan thing going. Then Fox cut to a shot of four men wearing baseball-shaped masks over their faces, and I thought, “Hey, Los Straitjackets is here!” A very entertaining game all the way around, even if very little happened on the field until the ninth, when Todd Jones nearly blew the game after recording two quick outs and then giving up a single, booting a routine grounder, coughing up a double and then plunking a guy. Yadier Molina, the ninth inning hero of Game 7 against the Mets, grounded out weakly to shortstop. Game over. Yikes. Maybe send Joel Zumaya out for the next game that’s on the line?

Monroe gave a Yogi-ish quote in the post-game interviews, saying, “Living out this dream is what every kid dreams about.” No kidding?

There’s an old saying that goes with gambling that would apply to the first game of the World Series and it goes a little like this: If it looks to good to be true – it probably is.

The Tigers weren’t supposed to lose on Saturday. The Cardinals weren’t supposed to win. But hey, that’s why they play the game and that’s why all the pre-game hype and predictions fly right out the window after St. Louis mounts a 4-1 lead not three innings into Game 1. Detroit starter Justin Verlander (1-1) got smacked around pretty good against a fairly “talent less” Cardinals lineup, while Anthony Reyes (1-0) went eight solid innings and only allowed two runs on four hits. Besides giving up a double to Carlos Guillen in the first and a solo shot by Craig Monroe in the ninth, the Cardinals pitching staff keeps overachieving in the postseason. Nice night from Jim Edmonds (2 for 4, one run, one RBI) and Scott Rolen (2 for 4, two runs, one RBI).

Granted, it’s only one game. But didn’t the Tigers only take “one game” from the Oakland A’s at the start of the ALDS? Then it turned into two and all of a sudden Detroit turned out to be the team of destiny. If St. Louis takes Game 2 in Motown tomorrow night, then all of a sudden this series has been turned on its head.

Game 2 starters: Jeff Weaver (2-1) vs. Kenny Rogers (2-0).

At last, the Big Show has arrived and, despite the predictions of many, it is 100% New York-free. Anthony Statler and David Medsker break down each team, position by position, and offer their brilliant, armchair expert analysis on who takes the prize. (Keep in mind that at the beginning of the season, Medsker predicted the White Sox would beat the Mets in the World Series. Whoops.)

Catcher: Yadier Molina vs. Ivan Rodriguez
Johnny Bench is in hog heaven. Pudge and the youngest Flying Molina Brother are the hardest catchers to run against in baseball. The similarities, however, end there. Despite Molina’s heroic two-run homer in Game 7 of the NLCS, he’s actually a lousy hitter (.216-29-6-49). Look at that batting average again: it’s 84 points below Pudge’s average during the regular season. Plus, Pudge has been here before, winning it all as a member of the 2003 Marlins. He’ll be the calm in the storm for the Tigers youngsters.
Edge: Tigers

First Base: Albert Pujols vs. Sean Casey
If Casey is healthy (he missed the final two games of the ALCS), he is extremely hard to strike out and provides the Tigers a nice line-drive hitter from the left side of the plate. With no disrespect to Casey, however, Pujols is the best pure-hitter in this series and possibly in all of baseball. Pujols can hit for power, average and is amazing in the clutch (he hit .397 with runners in scoring position in the regular season).
Edge: Cardinals.

Second Base: Ronnie Belliard vs. Placido Polanco
Polanco has the edge in terms of batting average and fielding percentage (six errors to Belliard’s 11), but Belliard has considerably more pop than Polanco, hitting 13 home runs this season to Polanco’s four. The Cards get another edge, but this Series will not be won or lost by who’s playing second base.
Edge: Cardinals

Shortstop: David Eckstein vs. Carlos Guillen
Eckstein is a gritty player who will do whatever he has to do to make a play both in the field and at bat. Although he struggled in the ALCS (hitting just .180), Guillen led Detroit in batting average, runs scored, stolen bases and on base percentage in the regular season. He is also one of the most underrated middle infielders in the game.
Edge: Tigers.

Third Base: Scott Rolen vs. Brandon Inge
File this one under who’d a thunk it: Brandon Inge actually outslugged Scott Rolen this year, hitting 27 home runs – in the 9-hole, no less – to Rolen’s 22. However, in every other category, both offensive and defensive, Rolen wipes the floor with Inge. He strikes out almost half as often, hits for higher average, and is a multiple Gold Glove winner. Inge, um…hey, look! Another dinger! To Inge’s credit, at least he’s healthy enough to play every day. But the Cardinals aren’t nearly as worried about facing Inge as the Tigers are about facing Rolen.
Edge: Cardinals

Outfield: So Taguchi/Preston Wilson, Jim Edmonds, Juan Encarnacion vs. Craig Monroe, Curtis Granderson, Magglio Ordonez
When Edmonds is healthy, he has the ability to do it all at the plate. St. Louis has also found a nice balance with Taguchi and Wilson, but Encarnacion has lacked power and will chase pitches. Even though he hit the home run to send the Tigers into the WS, Ordonez struggled at the plate for much of the ALCS. However, he can get hot at any moment and if Monroe can continue is tear (.429, one HR, four RBI in the ALCS), Detroit is going to be lethal. Defensively, Edmonds and Granderson (who has tons of speed) are the best out of this group, while Ordonez and Encarnacion have had their fair share of issues in right field (although Ordonez has played well defensively in the postseason).
Edge: Tigers, slightly.

Starting Pitching: Kenny Rogers, Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Zach Miner vs. Chris Carpenter, Jeff Weaver, Jeff Suppan, Jason Marquis, Anthony Reyes
The Tigers’ ERA was seven tenths of a point better than that of the Cardinals. Opponents batted 11 points lower against the Tigers than the Cardinals (.257 to .268). The Cardinals gave up 104 more earned runs than the Tigers. And those are the regular season numbers. The Tigers’ playoff pitching line? 7-1 record, 2.92 ERA, 52/22 K/BB ratio. The Cardinals have pitched great this postseason too (7-4, 2.97, 70/40), but the bloom finally comes off of Jeff Weaver’s rose.
Edge: Tigers

Bullpen:
Former Brave Adam Wainwright, Tyler Johnson and Randy Flores have overachieved thus far for the Cardinals, but they are about to play on quite another different level. The Tigers have an overpowering pen that has really come together through the playoffs. Rookie flamethrower Joel Zumaya has the ability to shut down top hitters while closer Todd Jones has been lights out after an up and down regular season. Detroit has also gotten quality outings from Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker and Wilfredo Ledezma.
Edge: Tigers.

Bench Players:
Aside from So Taguchi and his gaudier-than-gaudy line (1.000, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3.750 OPS), the Cardinals bench is hitting between .000 (John Rodriguez) and .227, and that hitter is…wait for it…Scott Spezio? That’s right, the alleged Mr. Clutch is actually hitting near the Mendoza line, though I suppose that lends credence to Reggie Jackson’s claims that batting average is overrated. Taguchi’s heroics aside, I’d still rather face him than Marcus Thames and his 26 home runs.
Edge: Tigers

Manager: Tony LaRusa vs. Jim Leyland
The two friends have enough postseason experience to make Tommy Lasorda blush. Despite having possibly the least talented Cardinals team in recent years, LaRusa keeps getting the most out of his players every time they take the field. The job that Leyland has done in Detroit has been nothing short of remarkable. Leyland has a nice mix of young and veteran players that he knows how to use in all situations. His players have learned how to win and have the utmost respect for Leyland.
Edge: Even.

Anthony’s prediction:
I guess the old adage of the hottest teams at the end of the season usually win the World Series. Both of these teams were left for dead at the end of the regular season – and rightfully so – as both squads stumbled into the postseason. However, credit must be given to both of these teams, because all that matters in the end is winning ballgames. Sorry St. Louis, your time is up though. I’ve never seen a team of destiny quite like the Detroit Tigers, and their pitching will be too much for the Cards.
Tigers in 4.

David’s Prediction:
What Anthony said. Detroit’s had a chance to rest at the time when they needed it the most, while St. Louis had to beg, borrow and steal to make it this far. Say goodnight, Tony.
Tigers in 5