Category: MLB (Page 78 of 448)

      Mikey’s MLB power rankings

      September 25, 2010 /

      Things have shifted a lot in MLB since I took a hiatus last weekend. Wow, have they ever shifted. The Rockies have now lost 5 in a row and are fading out of the race. The Phillies have won 11 in a row to take over the top spot. The Rays are ahead of the Yankees now in the AL East and the Twins are as hot as the Phils. The Braves are whopping 7 games back of the Phillies now. Damn, this is getting fun.

      1. Philadelphia Phillies (93-61)—Peaking but maybe too soon. Still, when you have Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels, it’s not really fair. And everyone else is getting healthy now.

      2. Tampa Bay Rays (92-61)—They finally overtake the Yanks, but have company up here. Still, they’ve been consistent all year and they have David Price at the top of their rotation.

      3. Minnesota Twins (92-61)—Even without Justin Morneau, this is a very dangerous team. But are they peaking too soon as well?

      4. New York Yankees (92-62)—When I heard the New York sports talk guys being all gloom and doom after a split with the Rays this past week, I didn’t understand it. But when you look at the remaining schedules of both teams, you get it. A loss to Boston last night probably didn’t do much for Yankees fans’ confidence.

      5. San Francisco Giants (87-67)—Making for one of the most compelling pennant races, because the winner will move on while the loser may not even take the wild card.

      6. San Diego Padres (86-67)—Looking back, that long losing streak came at the right time, and the wrong time, at the same time.

      7. Cincinnati Reds (86-68)—The magic number is 3. I wonder if Brandon Phillips will get a Christmas card from the Cardinals’ organization this year.

      8. Atlanta Braves (86-68)—Now trailing in the wild card race by a half-game. This is another compelling race that shouldn’t have been so compelling, but seriously, how do you hold off the Phils and that pitching staff?

      9. Texas Rangers (85-68)—Magic number is 2, will they be the second team to clinch?

      10. Boston Red Sox (85-68)—I don’t think they’ve officially been eliminated yet, but it’s getting very, very late. And what a shame for a team that really is as talented as most of the teams on this Top 10 list.

      External Sports, MLB

      Ichiro becomes first player with 10 straight 200-hit seasons

      September 23, 2010 /
      Seattle Mariners fans hold up signs for Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki as he trots out to right field in their MLB American League baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto September 23, 2010. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill (CANADA - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      In what can only be described as a horrific year for the Seattle Mariners, at least Ichiro Suzuki gave them something to celebrate on Thursday…albeit in another loss.

      Ichiro became the first player with 10 straight 200-hit seasons in a 1-0 loss to the Blue Jays today. He reached the milestone with a single (how fitting) to center in the fifth inning off Shawn Hill, which was the first pitch he saw in the at bat.

      Ichiro now has more 200-hit seasons than any player in American League history, which breaks the record he shared with the Tigers’ Ty Cobb. Pete “Tha Gambla” Rose is the only other player to record 200 hits in 10 seasons.

      Baseball fans will always love the long ball, but it’s easy to appreciate what Ichiro has done over the years when you look at his numbers. He’s led the majors in hits in each of the past four seasons and has done so a total of six times in his 10-year career. He’s been the model of consistency since he came over from Japan and his stats don’t waver too much from year to year.

      Too bad the M’s can’t field a better lineup behind him so all of those singles stop going to waste.

      External Sports, MLB

      David Wells calls Joe Torre a “coward” and a “liar”

      September 23, 2010 /
      17 Oct 1998: Pitcher David Wells #33, catcher Joe Girardi #25 and manager Joe Torre of the New York Yankees walk off the field during the 1998 World Series Game 1 against the San Diego Padres at the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Yankees defeated the Padres 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Laforet /Allsport

      While appearing on a recent podcast for Y! Sports Blogs’ “Why Is This News?” David Wells called his former Yankee manager Joe Torre a “coward” and a “liar.”

      “I had [Yankees pitching coach] Mel Stottlemyre come up to me in ’97 and tell me they were going to sit me out in the first round against Cleveland,” Wells told us. “I said, ‘If you’re going to sit me out the first round, you might as well just send me home.’ That pissed me off because I won like 15, 16 games for them. […] That’s pretty degrading when you have your manager tell your pitching coach to tell you, ‘Hey, you’re going to sit out,’ rather than telling you himself. That’s what Joe Torre is to me, a coward.

      “I don’t like him at all. As a manager, I think he’s terrible. He wasn’t a fair manager. He didn’t treat people the same. He definitely didn’t treat me the same. […] If he tells you anything else, he’s a liar.”

      Joe Torre isn’t immune to criticism for some of his managerial decisions and trust me, I’ve questioned some of the moves he’s made over the years. But he’s won four World Series titles in his career and is a two-time AL Manager of the Year. He may have had some great times while in New York, but they won under his direction.

      Wells has the right to his opinion and hey, maybe everything he’s saying is true. That said, I find his complaints about the Stottlemyre-Torre situation in ’97 a little childish. After all, Wells was a pitcher and Stottlemyre was the pitching coach. Maybe Torre should have told Wells himself after making a big decision like that, but I’m sure managers have done much, much worse than tell their pitching coach to deliver a message to one of their pitchers.

      Besides, isn’t Wells the same clown who left Game 5 of the 2003 World Series after just one inning because of a bad backache and stuck Torre with having to use his bullpen for the rest of the game? (A game the Yankees eventually lost in a Series they eventually lost.)

      Again, Wells has the right to his opinion but people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. He comes off looking like a baby here.

      External Sports, MLB

      Despite lack of experience, Mattingly to replace Torre as Dodgers’ skipper

      September 17, 2010 /
      Aug. 02, 2010 - Los Angeles, California, United States of America - 2 August 2010: Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly (R) talks to Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Loney.

      The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Don Mattingly will replace Joe Torre as the Dodgers’ manager for the 2011 MLB season.

      An official announcement will be made Friday before the Dodgers’ game against the Colorado Rockies.

      Mattingly has been the Dodgers hitting coach since the middle of the 2008 season, which was Torre’s first with the team. Before that, they were together with the New York Yankees.

      The Dodgers announced earlier this season that Mattingly, who has never been a manager, would guide a team in the Arizona fall league, fueling speculation he was being prepared to take over the major league club.

      The article reports that Torre may stay with the Dodgers organization in some capacity, although nobody knows at this point what role he would have with the club.

      It’s been long believed that Mattingly would take over for Torre some day, but there has been recent speculation that the Dodgers were considering Tim Wallace for the position. L.A. hasn’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut under Mattingly’s instruction this year and considering he doesn’t have any managerial experience on any level, this could prove to be a bad move in the long run.

      Although hey, he has been learning under Torre for the past couple of years, so maybe “Donny Baseball” will surprise.

      External Sports, MLB

      Report: Mets to oust Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya after season

      September 15, 2010 /
      New York Mets Fred Wilpon sits while Omar Minaya (R) reacts in a game against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field in New York City on July 30, 2009. The Mets defeated the Rockies 7-0. (UPI Photo/John Angelillo) Photo via Newscom

      Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse is reporting that the Mets will rid themselves of not only manager Jerry Manuel by the end of the season, but general manager Omar Minaya as well.

      There has been little doubt for a while the Mets will not bring back Jerry Manuel as manager, and a source confirmed reports that general manager Omar Minaya is likely out as well. Ownership seems to be leaning toward hiring an experienced GM, as they are not inclined to promote assistant GM John Ricco, and Wally Backman — a popular ex-Met who was nearly manager of the Diamondbacks before the team discovered some off-field issues he didn’t disclose — as manager.

      Manuel is 197-203 (.461) in New York since first taking over as the interim manager in 2008. Under Manuel, the Mets went from being a second place finisher in the NL East to a fourth place finisher last year and as it currently stands, a fourth place finisher this year as well.

      Minaya’s best season with the club came in 2006 when the Mets lost to the Cardinals in the NLCS, but outside of that he’s been the man in charge of putting together a roster of underachievers. Injuries have played a part in that, but enough is enough.

      It’s time for the Mets to move in another direction.

      External Sports, MLB

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