Mikey’s MLB power rankings Posted by Mike Farley (07/17/2010 @ 6:10 am) 
The all-star game is behind us now, which means pennant races are about to heat up for real. And there are so many teams in contention this season, it really promises to be a wild rest of the summer. Here is a look at our post-all-star-game power rankings….. 1. New York Yankees (57-32)—Playing with heavy hearts this week after the passing of George Steinbrenner, but nothing else has changed. They just keep winning, and for the Yankees, that’s just what they do. 2. Tampa Bay Rays (54-35)—David Price is the real deal, and one of many reasons this young Rays team is battling the Yankees for AL East supremacy. They’re one of a handful of teams that can compete with the boys from Gotham, but they’d better not get swept this weekend. 3. Atlanta Braves (53-37)—They suddenly have a 5-game lead over the slumping Mets (and 5.5 over the Phils), and have the look of a team that wants to send Bobby Cox out on top. 4. Texas Rangers (52-38)—Cliff Lee and that lineup? The Rangers can start printing playoff tickets now. 5. San Diego Padres (52-37)—At this point, you can’t call it smoke and mirrors. Just like the Rays, this young team plays hard, manufactures runs and keeps games close with solid pitching. 6. Boston Red Sox (51-39)—Someone has awoken the beast that is David Ortiz. Home run derby was just a tease of what’s to come at Fenway this summer. 7. Chicago White Sox (50-39)—A 9-game winning streak was snapped yesterday, but the south side of Chicago is beaming. Too bad Jake Peavy is out for the year, but that doesn’t seem to matter much right now. 8. Cincinnati Reds (50-41)—See Padres, San Diego. Dusty Baker is one heck of a manager, and that is showing again now. Of course, when you have Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen in the middle of your lineup, all is right with the world. 9. Colorado Rockies (49-40)—This year, the Rockies won’t wait to make their move until September. They have already started making it, and the Padres had better watch their collective back 10. Detroit Tigers (48-39)—They have quietly kept right up with the White Sox, just one game back and now 2.5 ahead of the Twins. And Jim Leyland is still one of the best managers in the game. Posted in: MLB Tags: AL East, All-Star break, All-Star Game, Atlanta Braves, Baseball Power Rankings, Bobby Cox, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Phillips, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cliff Lee, Colorado Rockies, David Price, Detroit Tigers, Dusty Baker, Fenway Park, George Steinbrenner, Gotham, home run derby, Jake Peavy, Jim Leyland, Joey Votto, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, pennant races, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Scott Rolen, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers
Should Braves consider Gonzalez as Cox’s replacement? Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/19/2010 @ 6:30 pm)  Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the Braves should look to bring back Marlins’ manager Fredi Gonzalez when Bobby Cox steps down at the end of the season. Gonzalez was Atlanta’s third base coach for four years prior to his first season with the Marlins in 2007. Back to Gonzalez. It shouldn’t take much convincing for him to come back to Atlanta. In his four seasons as Marlins manager, the team’s payroll has ranked 29th, 30th, 30th and 26th (this season). Yet, Florida is over .500 for the third straight season, is coming off a second-place finish and in 2008 he was voting The Sporting News Manager of the Year in the National League for an 84-74 finish despite the majors’ smallest payroll. The Marlins have little fan support. They have a kooky owner, Jeffrey Loria, who actually balked at bringing Gonzalez back this season. Loria denied an ESPN report in October that he was exploring hiring Bobby Valentine to manage. But given that the report came from the nation’s best baseball reporter, Buster Olney, I know who I’m siding with.
The problem, as Schultz notes in his article, is that Gonzalez’s contract runs through 2011. That doesn’t mean he’s untouchable until then, but it does make things a little more difficult from the Braves’ perspective. Plus, the Marlins and the Braves play in the same division, so I wonder how that would work. (Although Bruce Bochy went from San Diego to San Francisco in the same type of scenario and the Giants and Padres play in the same division.) That said, Brave fans have to at least like the thought of Gonzalez winding up in Hotlanta. Cox will go down as one of the most respected skippers in all of baseball and the Braves would be wise to hire someone with experience to fill his shoes. Gonzalez has done an admirable job in Florida and might be able to give Atlanta the shot in the arm that it needs. Of course, it’s only May. Who knows what will happen over the course of the next four and a half months leading up to Cox’s retirement. Photo from fOTOGLIF
Mikey’s MLB power rankings Posted by Mike Farley (09/26/2009 @ 7:30 am) 
There are only eight days left in the regular season, barring any one-game playoffs, and aside from the AL Central, most races are all but over. The Red Sox have a chance to make up ground on the Yankees, but the Yanks have already clinched a playoff berth. Here are your power rankings this week…. 1. New York Yankees (98-56)—If they sweep the Sox this weekend, the AL East race will officially be over. But both teams appear certainly headed to the big dance. 2. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-62)—Quietly moving up and close to clinching the NL West while their cross-town pals are struggling. 3. Boston Red Sox (91-62)—This team has got to be making the Yankees and their fans nervous, even if the Yanks have made the playoffs, because they just keep winning. But, see #1. 4. Los Angeles Angels (90-63)—It’s a good thing the Rangers are playing like crap, otherwise the Angels would be looking in the rear view mirror. 5. Philadelphia Phillies (89-64)—Getting hot as the weather cools down. 6. St. Louis Cardinals (89-65)—The magic number still at one. 7. Colorado Rockies (87-67)—Some days the Rockies look like they might catch the Dodgers, but lately they are trying to fend off the Braves and Giants for that wild card. 8. Detroit Tigers (82-71)—The Twins remain 2 games back, and the Tigers have not exactly set the world on fire the past month. 9. Atlanta Braves (83-70)—Bobby Cox’s teams never quit and they are hanging tough in the wild card race. 10. San Francisco Giants (82-72)—Now the clock is really ticking. The Cubs, of all teams, hurt the Giants’ chances badly again last night. Posted in: MLB Tags: Atlanta Braves, Bobby Cox, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Jeff Baker, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals
Braves manager Bobby Cox to retire in 2010 Posted by Anthony Stalter (09/23/2009 @ 4:29 pm) 
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that long-time Braves manager Bobby Cox will retire following the 2010 MLB season. Cox, 68, was given a one-year extension for next season as manager and then he has a five-year consulting agreement from 2011-15 to serve in an advisory role with the Braves. “I’m very excited and honored to be making plans for next year,” Cox said in a statement. “While I’ve decided 2010 will be my last season in the dugout, I want to make it clear that we will all be working hard as hard as ever to win another world championship for the city of Atlanta and our great fans.” The Braves announced the entire coaching staff will be back next season.
If you can’t appreciate what Cox has meant to the game then you don’t appreciate baseball. He’s fourth on the list of all-time wins by a skipper and has been named Manager of the Year four times (1985, 1991, 2004 and 2005). He’s only won one World Series in his career, but to take away his accomplishments because he hasn’t won more championships would be a mistake. Plus, how can you not love the guy that holds the all-time record for most ejections? Awesome. |
