Tagged: Blue Jays
Rival Races And Some Off Topic Stuff
Okay so tomorrow is a big day. The Red Sox will play the Yankees for the first time this year. Tim Wakefield will be on the mound for Boston while Chien-Ming Wang will be starting for the Yankees. So far the Red Sox have gone one and one against the Rays and zero and two against the Orioles. Now Spring Training does not reflect how a team will do because most of the players are prospects. Most of the Red Sox’s prospects are very promising but it could be up to three years till we see some of them in the majors. One good things about tomorrow is David Ortiz and Jason Bay will be back. I am sure they would rather be playing with their respected countries in the World Baseball Classic but I am happy to see them back. The only bad thing is Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis will be playing for team U.S.A. I would rather see Youk and Pedroia playing for team U.S.A. then the Red Sox and I am sure they feel the same way. When you play for your country it makes you feel special. When you play for your team it is your job. It is a privilege to play for your team but even a bigger one to play for your country. After the Yankee game in the next three days the face the Orioles Saturday and Sunday then the Blue Jays Monday. Sure the Orioles are not as big rivals and same thing with the Blue Jays but I think that any team in you divison is your rival and for that matter any team in your league is your rival. I am a little sad because I will miss the game tomorrow. I will be on a plane going to France for Spring Break tomorrow morning. I am sure going to check the score as soon as we land on my Dad’s phone though. Also I am sorry If I can not be on my blog and yours the next few days. I will try though. This should be a great game. This is the first test for many young players with the Red Sox. To be with the Red Sox you must have to deal with the pressure and beat the Yankees or I guess the Rays now. The Rays are becoming more of a rival to the Red Sox because for the next few years the Yankees will be eating the Red Sox’s dust. So far in the Spring Training standings the Rays are a game and a half above the Yankees and two games over the Red Sox.
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All right tomorrow night is the deadline to answer my super hard trivia question, “Who threw the first no-hitter under lights” So far the hints are . . .
1- It could have been in any league or country.
2- I have known the answer my whole life.
3- He does not have a wikipedia page.
4- He has a common last name.
5- He played for the Kansas City Blues and the Indianapolis Indians.
6- He was in the Yankees’ and Mets’ farm system at the same time.
7- He played for two different Yankee farm system teams.
8- He stopped playing in 1935 to work on a railroad so he could make more money during the great depression.
9- He played for the Quincy Gems.
10- The league he played in was the American Association.
Today’s hints are, he has the same name as a golfer and that golfer hit a double boggy boggy on hole two in round two at the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach.
Photo Credits
1- sawxblog.com
2- a11news.com
Who Will Win What- My 2009 A.L. East Predictions
Wow, that was quick. I already stumped you guys. The question was, “Who was the first man to bat for the American League in an All-Star game.” The answer was Ben Chapman. I only had one guy guess! Come on guys! At least try!
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I just got back from my baseball game and we got killed. Anyway since today was the first game of spring training I thought I would give you my standing predictions.
A.L. East
1- Red Sox, 98-64, Boston has it all; ton of pitching, sluggers, fielders, prospects, and chemistry. Chemistry wins championships. You can have guys that stink but have great chemistry and you can have guys you are all all-stars but no chemistry. Guess you would win? Thats right, the bad team with chemistry. Big Papi, Josh Beckett, and Jason Varitex will all have comeback years and lead Boston to first place in the American League East. Big Papi will have another Big Papi season hitting 45 home runs. Look for Jason Bay to have a great year. I mean how will playing with the Red Sox for a full season not help?
2- Yankees, 96-66 Just like I said it before chemistry wins championships. Money can not buy a championship. The Yankees need to figure out who will be in the outfield. The only lock in the outfield is Johnny Damon is going to be in left field. Will Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady platoon in right? What will Brett Gardner do? Another question is the catcher. Is Posada healthy? Will Kevin Cash even be in the majors? Then the biggest question is how will Alex Rodriguez fare? Will all the steroids talk go to his head? Or will he have another A-Rod type season and hit his 600th carer home run? No one knows.
3-Rays, 94-68, The Rays are now playing with every ones eyes on them. Evan Longoria is probably going into a sophomore slump and B.J. Upton will be pitched more carefully this year now that everyone knows how good he is. The Rays young pitching staff should improve. James Shields is one of the most underrated player in baseball and this season that will all change. Matt Garza also will be looked at more. Overall the Rays will almost stay the same, except for losing three more games from last year. For every negative there is a positive. They just do not have the money to keep up with the Red Sox and Yankees.
4-Orioles, 75-86, The Orioles aren’t ready yet by will be soon. They have young talent and have a few veterans. If they do want to compete they need a few more veterans. Maybe go out and try to get Ken Griffey Jr. or they could go get Pedro Martinez. The biggest reason the Orioles will compete in maybe 2010 is due to catching prospect Matt Wieters. Wieters has not even played a major league game and is being compared to Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, and Carlton Fisk. Wieters should start this season. Greg Zaun should be the backup catcher and if Wieters for some reason can not handle major league pitching then Zaun can step back in.
5- Blue Jays, 70-92, The Blue Jays had a bad offseason. They lost A.J. Burnett to the Yankees and Vernon Wells is out for a while. Alexis Rios should have a better year then last season maybe hitting thirty home runs. Roy Halladay should have yet another fantastic season maybe even winning twenty games. Lastly Travis Snider and Adam Lind should have a good year possibly having his breakout year. Now to the negatives. Behind Roy Halladay the Blue Jays rotation is to things. It is a big fat question mark and they stink. No one really knows how Matt Clement will fit in with the team. Probably he will be the fifth guy. The other negative you might ask? There are few positives.
Programing Note- Look for more predictions to come during spring training and tomorrow look out for a recap of the Red Sox versus Twins game.
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Now to today’s question. When Connie Mack retired as manager of the Athletics following the 1950 season, who replaced him? Hopefully I will get more then one answers for this one.
Photos
1- wikipedia.com
2- tomseasoltz.wordpress.com
3- ballhype.com
4- oriolesstrength.com
5- kristopherkrawiec.mlblogs.com
And I Thought The Yankees Were Stupid and Greedy!
The Dodgers signed second baseman Orlando Hudson to a one year, $3.38 million dollar contract pending a physical. If Hudson reaches all of incentives he could get an extra $4.6 million. In High School he was a three sport standout in baseball, basketball, and football. Hudson attended the Spartanburgh Methodist college where he played baseball. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 43 round in 1997. He made his major league debut on July 24, 2002. He played with the Blue Jays till 2005 when Hudson won his first of three Golden Gloves. In the 2005 offseason Hudson was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Miguel Batista, third basemen Troy Glaus, and prospect Sergio Santos. 2005 was Hudson’s best year. He set a carer high in batting average with a .287 batting average. He also set carer highs in home runs with 15, RBI’s with 67, runs with 87, games with 157, at bats with 579, hits with 166, doubles with 34, triples with nine, total bases with 263, walks with 66, stolen bases, on base percentage with .354, and slugging percentage with .454. All of them are still carer highs except for walks, stolen bases, and on base percentage. He never got any MVP votes that year though as Ryan Howard won it. Hudson became the sixth infielder to win a Golden Glove in both leagues on November 3, 2006. In 2007 he made his first all-star game. He had a walk and a strikeout. That year the Diamondbacks made the playoffs but Hudson didn’t play a single game and as of today has never had an at-bat in the postseason. Later that year the “O-Dog” won yet another Golden Glove stretching his streak to three consecutive Golden Gloves at shortstop. In 2008 Hudson missed about fifty games due to a dislocated left wrist. Due to the injury he did not win a Golden Glove and lost out to Brandon Phillips of the Reds. This deal means a couple of things first he will have big holes to fill. Hudson is replacing future hall of famer Jeff Kent who retired this offseason. Kent has hit the most home runs in baseball by any second basemen. Second, Manny Ramirez is less likely to sign with the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez will get a lot less then he wants. The Dodgers just spent three million on a with a great glove. The Dodgers don’t need Manny and the Hudson deal sends that message to him. Third, the Dodgers are greedy. This signing was a total waste of money the Dodgers already have a great second baseman in Blake DeWitt aka the future Dustin Pedroia. This deal really hurts the development of him and this could be bad for DeWitt and the Dodgers. The also already have three good outfielders in Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp, and rising star Andre Ethier. Why need Manny? Sure he is a force in the lineup but having Pierre a guy who could start on most teams in stupid. Lastly the most obvious one Blake DeWitt is the new utility infielder. So having Mark Loretta was not enough for a utility guy? At least they have depth. Now before I end I want to say I am fine having Hudson start over a older guy but not a rising prospect. So now when I say stupid Dodgers I really mean it and I don’t care that the Dodgers are my third favorite team they are greedy, stupid, and idiots for wanting Manny.
Photos
1- upi.com
2- sportshubla.com
3- latimes.com
Hey I just thought of something. Manny Ramirez is greedy, the Dodgers are greedy, and Scott Boras is greedy obviously greedy does not work with greedy. Maybe That is why Manny is taking so long.
Fantasy Baseball Help- Tip 1
I know Cob is starting a fantasy baseball league so I thought for all you first timers I thought I would give you some tips.
Draft Players on Good Teams
When drafting your team try to draft great players on average or great teams. The Mariners lost 101 games in 2008 year. In 2007 years ago they won 88 games. In 2007 Felix Hernandez won 14 games an in 2008 he won nine and lost 14. For pitchers run support is key. A baseball team with great sluggers and average pitchers will do fine. In 2007 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays won 66 games. In 2008 the Rays won 97 games. Every single one of their pitchers did better because of run support. When drafting sluggers you can afford to break this rule for a really good player. Playing on a better team for a slugger means more runs, RBI’s, and a higher on base percentage. You get more runs because people will drive you in more. You get more RBI’s, because more people will be standing at third base. Lastly you will get a higher on base percentage because if a pitcher walks someone they will then have to face a better hitter next. Lets use the Mariners and the Rays again. In 2007 Ichiro hit had 111 runs, 68 RBI’s, and a .396 on base percentage. In 2008 he had 103 runs, 42 RBI’s, and a .361 on base percentage. Akinori Iwamura, of the Rays had 82 runs, 34 RBI’s, and a .359 on base percentage in 2007. In 2008 he had 91 runs, 48 RBI’s, and a .349 on base percentage. Sure his on base percentage dropped by .010 but he had a much better year. When you drafted players on good teams their confidence is higher which means a better year most of the time. So my list of teams I would draft from are the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Twins, White Sox, Indians, Angels, A’s, Rangers, Braves, Marlins, Mets, Phillies, Astros, Cubs, Reds, D-Backs, Giants, and Rockies. I don’t plan on drafting any one from the Rays or Yankees though. Also I left the Brewers and Cardinals off for two reasons their pitchers and the fact that their not that heathy.
Style Statements
First before I begin I know nothing about style like the pink hats. Why would I, Bob wear a pink hat. I know nothing about style unless it has to do with a baseball cap and a Red Sox jersey. I have no future in fashion. No the real reason I’m blogging about this is due to a blog, Girly Baseball Chick: A’s All the Time. Not a bad read if you haven’t checked it out yet. She talked about the pink hats. I support the pink hats. Yes, their not the team colors but their different. Sometimes people just want something different. Wouldn’t it be kind of boring if the only hat you could find was a green and gold A’s hat or a white and blue Padre hat? I know one of my readers, Julia wears a pink Red Sox hat. I can not stand the all white hats though you can’t see the logo or anything. That is why I support the pink hats.
Another thing I support is the green Red Sox uniforms. Yes the Red Sox colors are red and dark blue but the green is cool. Now I don’t mean to say I want the Red Sox to change their name to the Green Sox just wear the cool green hats and jerseys a little more. The only reason they wear the green uniforms is because of the Boston Celtics, the NBA team in Boston. When Kevin Garnett threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park the Red Sox wore their green uniforms. When the Celtics won the NBA championship the Red Sox wore the green uniforms. As you see the green uniforms is just showing respect to the Celtics. Even Manny liked them.
Another thing I like are the style caps. Some people say that only thugs were them. That is not true those are so cool. I don’t have one though. One game players should play with style caps. Their just so unique and different then the one we see David Ortiz, Ryan Braun, David Wright, and Andre Ethier wear on the fields. Another cool style cap are the stars and strip caps. They wore them on 9-11. I also think they wore them on the Fourth of July but I was at summer camp then. I really think the Blue Jay Canada hat. Those are so random, awesome, and cool. I bought one for no reason. I know it was a waist of money. I mean like I said about the pink hats sometimes people just want something different. Like the flat lids. I love those. My Red Sox hat has a flat lid. I only can think of one person who wears a flat lid, Joba Chamberlain who plays for the Y-. I told you I don’t like to say the Y word in my blog.
Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 6
Dan Plesac- No, Never
Dan Plesac is on the ballot for the first time. he has a carer record of 65-71, with 158 saves, an ERA of 3.64, and 1,041 strike outs. He made three errors at pitcher. He had a .973 fielding percentage. He played 18 seasons with the Brewers, Cubs, Pirates, Blue Jays, D-Backs, and Phillies. He was with the Blue Jays two different times. Plesac I think is the worst player on the ballot this year, no offense. He doesn’t have 500 saves or even 300 for a matter of fact. He did strike out a pretty good amount of guys. Plesac will get 3% of the vote this year which means he will not be on the ballot next year.
Tim Raines No, Eventually
Tim Raines is up for election for the second year. Raines hit .294, with 170 home runs, drove in 980, had 2,605 hits, scored 1,571 times, stole 808 bases, and was caught stealing 146 times. He played 23 seasons with the Expos, White Sox, Yankees, A’s, Orioles, and Marlins. In 2000 he did not play. He played with the Expos two different times. He and Andre Dawson could be the last Expos in the hall of fame. Tim Raines was the second best leadoff hitter ever behind Rickey Henderson. Raines will get 30% of the vote this year and will get in with 80% of the vote.
Jim Rice, Yes
Jim Rice is on the ballot for his 15th and final time. He hit .298, with 382 home runs, drove in 1,451, had 2,452 hits, scored 1,249 times, stole 58 bases, and was caught stealing 34 times. He made 66 errors in the outfield. He also had a .980 fielding percentage. Jim Rice played 16 seasons all with the Boston Red Sox. Rice was an eight time all-star, won two silver sluggers, and won the 1978 A.L. MVP. I have this gut feeling that Rice is going barely make it or miss it. Last year Rice missed the hall of fame by sixteen votes, 72.2%. Rice will get 77% this year and finally make it into the hall of fame, where he belongs. Look out Boston a new retired number is coming your way.
Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 5
Dale Murphy No, Never
Dale Murphy is on the ballot for the eleventh time. He hit .265, with 398 home runs, drove in 1,266, scored 1,197 times, had 2,111 hits, stole 161 and was caught stealing 68 times. Murphy played for 18 seasons with the Braves, Phillies, and Rockies. If he does go in it will be as a Brave. In just an eight span Murphy won two MVP’s, along with six golden gloves, four silver sluggers, the Lou Gehrig award, and the Roberto Clemente award. In that same span he was elected to seven all-star games. This year he will get 15% of the vote and at his best 45% of the vote.
Jesse Orosco No, Never
Jesse Orosco is on the ballot for his first time. He has a carer record of 87-80, with an ERA of 3.16, and 1179 strike outs. Orosco, a relief pitcher is the all-time leader in appearances. He played 24 seasons with the Mets, Dodgers, Indians, Brewers, Orioles, Cardinals, Twins, Yankees, and Padres. He played with the Dodgers two different times. He made four errors at pitcher. He had a great .984 fielding percentage. Orosco is my favorite player on the ballot to not play for the Red Sox because in 2003 in 15 games for the Yankees he had a 10.38 ERA. Orosco will get 7% of the vote this year and his high will be 45% of the vote.
Dave Parker, No, Never
Dave Parker is on the ballot for his 13th year. He hit .290, with 339 home runs, drove in 1,493, scored 1,272 times, had 2,712 hits, stole 154, and was caught stealing 113 times. He made 144 errors at first, second, and in the outfield. He has a .966 fielding percentage. Parker played 19 seasons with the Pirates, Reds, A’s, Brewers, Angels, and Blue Jays. Parker if he goes in will go in as a Pirate. He won two batting titles, three golden gloves, three silver sluggers, and a MVP. He also was elected to eight all-star games. I think Parker should go in. He just missed 3,000 hits and had great stats otherwise, but I don’t think he will. Last year he got 15.1% of the vote I think this year he will get 17% of the vote and his best will be 24.5% of the vote back in 1998.
Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 4
Don Mattingly No, Never
Don Mattingly is on the ballot for the ninth time. He had 222 home runs, had 2153 hits, with a .307 batting average, he drove in 1,099, stole fourteen, and was caught stealing nine times. He made 68 errors at first base and in the outfield. He played fourteen seasons all with the New York Yankees. While Mattingly was good he didn’t have a hall of fame carer. He didn’t hit 500 or get 3,000 hits. Maybe if he played longer he would be in the hall. Mattingly got 15.8% of the vote last year. This year he will get 20% of the vote and at his best 55% of the vote.
Mark McGwire, No, Never
Mark McGwire is on the ballot for his third year. He hit .263, with 583 home runs, drove in 1,414, scored 1,167 times, had 1,626 hit, stole twelve and was caught stealing eight times. McGwire played sixteen seasons with the A’s and Cardinals. While McGwire has great numbers (half of his hits were home runs) his carer will remembered by one word, steroids. This is an important election because Clemens, Bonds, and others don’t stand a chance if McGwire doesn’t get in. It would send a message, if you used steroids you will not get in. McGwire will get 25% of the vote and at his best 35% of the vote.
Jack Morris, No, Never
Jack Morris is up for election for his tenth year. Morris had a carer record of 254-186, an ERA of 3.90, and 2,478 strikeouts. Morris played 18 seasons with the Tigers, Twins, Blue Jays, and Indians. He will probably go in, if he goes in as a Tiger.In 1986 and 1992 he won 21 games. He pitched 28 shutouts and 175 complete games. He made 29 errors with a .965 ERA. Last year he got 42.9% of the vote. This year he will get 50% of the vote and at his best 70% of the vote. He will never get in to the hall because you need 75% to get in.
Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 3
First- My Celtics won!
Mark Grace No, Never
Mark Grace is on the ballot for the first time. He hit .303, with 173 home runs, drove in 1,146, stole 70, and was caught stealing 48 times. He played 16 seasons with the Cubs and D-Backs. Grace won the World Series with the D-Backs against the Yankees in 2001. Grace will probably go in as a Cub. Grace was a first baseman who made 110 carer errors. In 2002 he played pitcher for one inning. He gave up a home run. Grace had a great fielding percentage, .995. He will probably get around 5% of the votes this year and at his best 60% due to his great fielding.
Rickey Henderson, Yes
Rickey Henderson is on the ballot for his first time. He hit .279, with 297 home runs, scored 2,295 times, had 3,055 hits, drove in 1,115, stole 1,406, and was caught stealing 335 times. He played 25 seasons with the A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, Padres, Angels, Mets, Mariners, Red Sox, and Dodgers. He played with the A’s for different times and the Padres two different times. He will probably go in as an A’s. He had more stolen bases and runs then any other player in the history of baseball. He had 3,000 hits too. He is one of the best leadoff hitters ever. He will get 99% of the vote and get in to the hall of fame.
Tommy John No, Never
Tommy John is on the ballot for his 15th and final time. He has a carer record of 288-231, an ERA of 3.34, and 2,245 strike outs. He made 49 errors at pitcher and had a .963 fielding percentage. John played 27 seasons with the Indians, White Sox, Dodgers, Yankees, Angels, and A’s. He was with the Yankees two different times. John was the first player to get Tommy John surgery, which was named after him. In 1980 he won 22 games with an ERA of 3.43. John got 29.1% of the votes last year this year he will get 35% of the votes and will not make it in the hall of fame.
Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 2
David Cone, No, Never
David Cone is up for election for his first time. His carer record is 194-126, with an ERA of 3.46, and 2,668 strike outs. He played 18 seasons with the Royals, Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox. He played with the Mets two different times and the Royals two different times. If Cone does go in he will probably go in as a Met. Cone was traded twice in midseason. After playing with Boston in 2001 he didn’t play again till 2003 with the Mets. Cone won a Cy Young and four World Series. Cone was pretty good but only 194 wins as a starter. Yes, he was a relief pitcher his first few years in the bis but still. he doesn’t have 3,000 strike out or an ERA under 3.00. Cone will get 5% of the votes this year and at his best 25% of the votes.
Andre Dawson, No, Eventually
Andre Dawson is up for election for his eighth year. He hit .279, with 438 home runs, 1,591 RBI’s, had 2,774 hits, stole 314, and was caught stealing 109 times. Dawson had 93 carer errors in the outfield with a rocket for an arm. He played 21 years with the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox, and Marlins. He will probably go in as the last Expo in the hall of fame. If not an Expo then a Cub. In 1987 he hit 49 home runs, with 137 RBI’s, and 178 hits as a Cub that year. That year he also won MVP. Dawson was so close to 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. Last year he got 65.9% of the vote this year he will get around 70% of the vote. In 2010 he will get in with 76% of the vote.
Ron Gant, No, Never
Ron Gant is up for election for his first time. He hit .256, with 1651 hits, 321 home runs, drove in 1,008, stole 243, and was caught stealing 102 times. Gant played 17 seasons with the Braves, Reds, Cardinals, Phillies, Angels, Rockies, A’s, and Padres. He played with the A’s two different times. Gant was a great hitter before the dirt bike accident where he broke his leg before the 1994 season then he never was his old self again. Gant had back to back 30-30 seasons joining Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds as the only players to do that. Gant will probably get 5% of the votes this year and at his best 15% of the votes.
Bostonball 