Latest Blog Entries
"I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" If the great Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken taught us anything in their 2000 Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper" Saturday Night Live skit, it was that you can never have too much of a good thing (knock, knock, knock, knock). With that in mind, I present you with the following collection of fantasy sleepers knowing full well you've probably already seen 100 such lists. Because as Walken said, "I think we got a dynamite sound here." By SEAN RAPOSA
137 Shares
It's been a long, cold winter, but now that the 2009 Major League Baseball season is in full swing, it's time to kick off another summer of Cooperstown Bound? columns. We had a great inaugural season in 2008, and the debate was closed on one of last year's subjects in January when Jim Rice was finally elected on his 15th and final year on the ballot. But while we addressed the Hall of Fame worthiness of 17 other very good and possibly great players last year, there are still plenty of guys on the Cooperstown bubble. So without further ado, let's take a closer look at the resume of Jeff Kent, who announced his retirement less than three months ago after 17 mostly stellar big league seasons. By NICK LECO
137 Shares
I grew up in Massachusetts and agonized along with the rest of Red Sox Nation as the Yankees time and again snuffed out Boston's hopes of ending its championship drought. I was close to tears when Grady Little painfully left an out-of-gas Pedro Martinez in too long in the 2003 American League Championship Series and would have cried tears of joy when the 86-year drought ended the following year if I wasn't in the company of several lifelong friends who would have understood but ragged on me anyway. But with the first pitch of the 2009 Major League Baseball season just hours away, I'm having more trouble than ever before coming to terms with the current state of my fanhood.
137 Shares
Just three days after the Tigers decided to release Gary Sheffield and eat his $14 million contract for this season, the 40-year-old has found a home. The Mets agreed to a deal with the nine-time All-Star on Friday afternoon that will pay him the major league minimum of $400,000. The right-handed Sheffield will likely platoon with left-handed hitters Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church at the corner outfield spots. Sheffield's signing makes it possible that the Mets' new stadium, Citi Field, won't have to wait long for its first significant milestone, as his next home run will make him the 25th member of the exclusive 500-home run club.
137 Shares
In case you were wondering, the title of this post doesn't refer to the Tony Dungy-inspired zone defense, but rather to the tantalizing possibility of another annual bottom-feeder going Cinderella on us like the 2008 Rays, who shocked everyone but themselves by capturing the A.L. pennant. The clock struck midnight on everyone's favorite underdogs in last year's Fall Classic, but it did little to diminish their feel-good turn-around story. Only a downtrodden franchise that hasn't been on the radar for a long, long time could even attempt to pull onto the glory road those pesky Rays traveled last season. By SEAN RAPOSA
137 Shares
Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann's outstanding spring has earned him a spot in the Nationals rotation, The Washington Times' Mark Zuckerman reported this morning. The 2007 second-round pick will make the jump from Double-A after going 15-5 with a 2.74 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 205 K's in 187 minor league innings over the past two seasons and posting a 3.14 ERA this spring. Nats manager Manny Acta said Zimmermann will be the team's No. 5 starter, and since they don't need a fifth starter until April 19, he'll likely begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse.
137 Shares
Despite a .343 batting average this spring, 22-year-old catcher Matt Wieters was informed by the Orioles on Thursday that he'll begin the season with the team's triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. According to the Baltimore Sun, manager Dave Trembley informed Wieters of the club's decision after Thursday's exhibition loss to the Marlins. He'll remain with the big league team through the weekend and his reassignment will become official on Monday. Orioles officials say they want Wieters to experience success in triple-A before joining the O's for good, but their true motivation is to keep him under club control for a seventh year.
137 Shares
The Nats struggled in every phase of the game in 2008, scoring the third fewest runs in the N.L., posting its third-worst team ERA and committing more errors than any other Senior Circuit club as they slumped to a major league-worst 59-102 record. It was their worst showing since relocating from Montreal prior to the 2005 season, and the Esmailyn Gonzalez age scandal proved to be the last straw for GM Jim Bowden, who resigned under pressure last month. There is reason for optimism, however, as Adam Dunn brings sorely needed punch to the lineup and several promising youngsters will occupy spots in the rotation.
137 Shares
The Orioles ranked near the middle of the A.L. pack in most of the major hitting categories last season, but horrendous pitching - only the Rangers allowed more runs or posted a worse team ERA than Baltimore's 5.13 - resulted in a disappointing 68-93 record and a last-place finish in the ultracompetitive A.L. East. Andy MacPhail has improved the lineup through free agency and the bullpen is stocked with a good mix of reliable veterans and promising youngsters, but several question marks remain at the back end of the rotation. Help is on the way from the restocked farm system, but most of the team's best prospects are at least a year away.
137 Shares
Curt Schilling hadn't pitched since 2007 because of shoulder troubles, but despite his age - 42 - and the fact that he's already hoisted the World Series trophy on three occasions, he still held out hope of a return - until Monday, that is. Schilling used his blog, 38pitches.com, to call it a career, writing, "The party has officially ended. After being blessed to experience 23 years of playing professional baseball in front of the world's best fans in so many different places, it is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official." There's no question Schilling has a place in baseball history, but will he have a place in Cooperstown?
137 Shares
Ichiro Suzuki's two-out, two-run single off Chang Yong Lim in the top of the 10th inning proved to be the difference as Japan defeated Korea 5-3 to repeat as World Baseball Classic champions. Ichiro's clutch hit - his fourth of the game - capped an eight-pitch at bat and made a winner out of 22-year-old Yu Darvish, who allowed Korea to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth but used his mid-90s fastball and devastating slider to secure the victory in the bottom of the 10th. Daisuke Matsuzaka, who went 3-0 in the tournament, repeated as MVP of the Classic.
137 Shares
Japan capitalized on an error by USA second baseman Brian Roberts to push five runs across in the fourth inning and never looked back, beating the Americans 9-4 on Sunday to advance to the finals of the World Baseball Classic. All that stands between Japan and its second WBC title is Korea, which defeated Venezuela by a 10-2 score Saturday night. Monday's championship game - scheduled for 9 p.m. - should feature a highly competitive matchup between the defending champs and their main rival, which won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
137 Shares
The Dominican Republic fizzled out quickly in the World Baseball Classic, inexplicably losing a pair of games to a Netherlands team featuring Sidney Ponson and only a handful of other players that even the most ardent baseball fan has ever heard of, but don't blame Pedro Martinez. The future Hall of Famer used the tournament to showcase the fact that he's still got some gas left in the tank by pitching six scoreless innings in two relief appearances, fanning six and allowing just one hit. But a week and a half after the Dominicans were eliminated from the WBC - and just two weeks before Opening Day - Martinez remains unsigned.
137 Shares
The Dominican Republic fizzled out quickly in the World Baseball Classic, inexplicably losing a pair of games to a Netherlands team featuring Sidney Ponson and only a handful of other players that even the most ardent baseball fan has ever heard of, but don't blame Pedro Martinez. The future Hall of Famer used the tournament to showcase the fact that he's still got some gas left in the tank by pitching six scoreless innings in two relief appearances, fanning six and allowing just one hit. But a week and a half after the Dominicans were eliminated from the WBC - and just two weeks before Opening Day - Martinez remains unsigned.
137 Shares
I traveled to Massachusetts on Monday for my fantasy baseball draft and got back in the early morning hours Thursday, which explains my lack of posts the past few days. The draft is one of my favorite days of the year, not only because it's such a blast to hand-pick your team for the upcoming season, but also because I get to see all my friends from up north that I don't get to see all that often. One of the local bars up there lets us have the draft in their function room upstairs, and we all toss back a few, catch up between picks and have some good laughs. It's like a high school reunion, limited to the people I actually want to see.
137 Shares
