Tagged: Cardinals
Remember This Guy?
Okay I was about to start a Young Guns for the Brewers when I saw Trot Nixon’s name on the roster. At first I thought it was a different one then I clicked on him and it was the same guy!
Trot Nixon was drafted by the Red Sox with the seventh pick in the 1993 MLB draft. He paved the way for Red Sox to wear go-tees (your welcome Youk 🙂 during the eleven seasons he spent in Boston. On September 21, 1996 he made his major league debut with the Red Sox. He became the starting right-fielder in 1999. That year he hit .270 with fifteen home runs, 103 hits, 52 RBI’s, and three stolen bases. In 2001 he had his breakout year with Boston hitting .280 with 88 RBI’s, 27 home runs, 150 hits, and seven stolen bases. Two years later in 2003 he had his best season ever batting .306 with 87 RBI’s, 28 home runs, 135 hits, and four stolen bases. The next year he helped the Red Sox come back against the Yankees in the ALCS going six for 29 with one home run and three RBI’s in that series. In the World Series he helped Boston sweep the Cardinals going five for 14. He only played in 48 games because he had a herniated disc. His carer then became a downward spiral after that. In 2006 he had only eight home runs and 102 hits. Nixon was not offered salary arbitration and the Red Sox signed J.D. Drew to take the right field spot. In January 2007 he signed a one year three million dollar deal with the Cleveland Indians. He batted .251 with three home runs that season. In the 2007 ALCS Nixon faced of against his former team the Boston Red Sox. Through the first four games Cleveland had a big lead three games to one but we all know how that season ended. The Red Sox came back to win the series and then sweep the Rockies in the World Series. In the ALCS he went three for seven with one RBI. In the 2008 offseason he signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. On June, 13 he was traded to the New York Mets for money. In 2008 he batted .171 with one home run, one RBI, one stolen base, and six hits in 35 at bats. On December 18 he signed a minor league deal with the Brewers with an invitation to spring training. It is very unlikely that he will get a starters sport since Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron, and Corey Hart are all in the outfield but he could get the role of the forth outfielder beating out Tony Gwynn Jr. Nixon is now 34 years old. This story shows how stardom doesn’t not last. Just like Andruw Jones. One minute you could be a star the next a nobody. So Mr. Nixon and Mr. Jones I hope you prove me wrong by having a great season.
Photos
1- sportsillustrated.com
2- boston.com
3- azcentral.com
4- wikipedia.com
#4- Joe Cronin
Before I start this is my 99th entry! I want to do something special for my 100th so do you guys have any ideas?
Joe Cronin
whenitwasagame.net
Joe Cronin was born on October 12, 1906 in San Francisco, California. He batted right handed and threw right handed. He was a player/coach who had a carer batting average of .301 with 170 home runs, 1,424 RBI’s, 2,285 hits, and 87 stolen bases. He played with the Pirates for two season, seven seasons with the Washington Senators, and played the last eleven seasons of his carer with the Red Sox. Joe played five different positions in his carer; second base, shortstop, third base, first base, and outfield. He played mostly shortstop and second base though. He had a carer fielding average of .953. He was a seven time all-star playing with the Senators and Red Sox. He managed the Washington Senators from 1933-1944 and managed the Boston Red Sox from 1935-1947. The last two years he managed he wasn’t a player. He went to the 1946 World Series but sadly didn’t win against the St. Louis Cardinals. From 1947-1959 he was the general manager of the Boston Red Sox. Then from 1959-1973 he was the American League President. In 1956 he mad it into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Hank Greenberg, on his tenth try with 152 votes out of 193, 78.76% of the vote. On May, 29 1984 his number four was retired. Then on September 7, 1984 Cronin died at age 77. In 1999 he was named a finalist on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Jackie Robinson and Roger Hornsby made it at second and Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks, and Honus Wagner made it at shortstop.
sonsofanhorn.net
The Steelers and Big Game Ollie
Last night the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. I thought the score would be 34-21. I was pretty close. I don’t really like either teams but I kind of like Pittsburgh. If Arizona won then I could say my Patriots beat the NFL champions by 40! I was cheering for whoever won me money. I ended up making twenty dollars! In the first quarter Pittsburgh was very close to scoring a touchdown then the Cardinals challenged the play and got it so the Steelers settled for a field goal. In the second quarter Pittsburgh scored two touchdowns and two extra points, which are the stupidest thing in football. The Cardinals scored one touchdown and it would have been two if James Harrison, a linebacker didn’t intercept the ball in the end zone and then run 100 yards to score a touchdown with no time left! I think Harrison should have been MVP for that play. In the third quarter the only thing that happened was the Steelers kicked a field goal. Then in the forth quarter Kurt Warner and the Cardinals come back, scoring 16 points, two touchdowns, two extra points, and a safety. The Steelers though scored a touchdown in the last minute and Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers were off to Disney World and Antoine Homes won Super Bowl MVP.
yahoosports.com
Oliver Perez resigned with the New York Mets today one a three year, $36 million dollar contract. The deal is still pending a physical though. In 2008 Perez went ten-seven with a 4.22 ERA, 180 strikeouts, and 17 no decisions. His carer stats include a 55-66 record, with a 4.39 ERA, and 1,027 strikeouts. Big Game Ollie had 105 walks, the most in baseball last year. Perez has played seven carer major league seasons with the San Diego Padres, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the New York Mets. Perez has played the last two seasons with the Mets. I thought Perez would sign with the Brewers. The Brewers are a good team and lost both of their aces, Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia signed with the Yankees and Sheets is rumored to be going to the Texas Rangers. The Sheets move would be a great one by the Rangers. The Mets rotation looks like Johan Santana as the ace, Perez, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, and Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia, and Jonathan Niese will compete for the fifth spot in Spring Training. Redding and Garcia were signed this offseason. It is possible that the Mets will resign Pedro Martinez. That is a very unlikely move though. Pedro is old and doesn’t fit the Mets’ plans. If I had to rate the Oliver Perez move I wold rate it a 8 out of ten. Sure Perez is inconsistent but the Mets needed some help with their starters and Big Game Ollie could be that help they needed.
newyorkdailynews.com
diehardsportsfan.net
Also tomorrow I have my play, The Magician’s Nephew so I might not have time to blog and Wednesday I have my championship basketball game so I might not have time then. Sorry.
-Bob
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.
Random Junk
Okay it is really not junk.
1. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day everyone. I think it is fitting to have Barack Obama go in to office the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I must say I supported John McCain, but we must congratulate Mr. Obama on his historical achievement. We also must support him on being the next president of the U.S.A. So congrats Mr. Obama I hope you do well.
2. The teams for the Super Bowl are set. Yesterday the Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25. The Cardinals were 9-7 in the regular season while the Eagles were 9-6-1. My Patriots were 11-5 and didn’t make the playoffs. The other team that got in was the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-14. A while back I said the Steelers would beat the Giants in the Super Bowl. I still think the Steelers will win it all. I can’t wait for the Super Bowl and the commercials!
3. The Chicago Cubs traded outfielder, Felix Pie to the Orioles. In exchange the Cubs got Garrett Olson and prospect Henry Williamson. I think the Orioles got the better of the deal. Last season Pie hit .241, with one home run, ten RBI’s, and stole three bases. Olson had a record of nine-ten, with a 6.65 ERA, and 83 strike outs. Williamson in A ball had a record of zero-one, an ERA of 3.72, with three saves, and 42 strikeouts. Olson could compete with Sean Marshall for the fifth spot in the rotation.
4. The World Baseball Classic Rosters will be announced this evening. Some players who will play for team U.S.A. are Dustin Pedroia, Derek Jeter, Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Brad Hawpe, Grady Sizemore, Ryan Braun, and David Wright. For team Canada Justin Morneau will play. I think Jason Bay will play for team Canada too. For team Dominican Republic Alex Rodriguez will play and David Ortiz will try to play. For team Japan Dice-K and Ichiro will play. The classic looks like a good one. I think team U.S.A. will win though.
5. Today in the NBA America will find out who will be the forth dunker in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk challenge. For the first time ever America got to vote for who should be the forth dunker, Joe Alexander, Rudy Fernandez, or Russell Westbrook. I voted for Russell Westbrook because I think Alexander needs to work on just being a better player than a better dunker. Fernandez plays on the Portland Trail Blazers and I don’t like the Trail Blazers that much. Another reason I voted for Westbrook is because the team he plays on, the Oklahoma City Thunder, as of January 19th has a record of eight-34. I think it could make the Oklahoma City Thunder feel a lot better. The winner will face off against Rudy Gay, Nate Robinson, and defending dunk champion “Superman” Dwight Howard.
Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 7
First- The Marlins aren’t really interested in Pedro after all.
Lee Smith, No, Eventually
Lee Smith is on the ballot for the sixth year. He has a carer record of 71-92, an ERA of 3.03, 1,251 strike outs, and 478 saves. Smith played 18 seasons with the Cubs, Red Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Reds, Expos. Smith will probably go in as a Cub. Closers Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage waited a while but finally got in. Smith is third on the all time saves list behind Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. Smith will get 50% of the votes and will get in with 78% of the votes.
Alan Trammell No, Never
Alan Trammell is on the ballot for the eighth year. He hit .285, with 185 home runs, drove in 1,003, scored 1,231 times, stole 236 bases, and was caught stealing 109 times. He made 235 errors at shortstop, third, second, and outfield. Trammell played twenty seasons all with the Tigers. Trammell was a six time all-star who also won four golden gloves. Last year Trammell got 18.2% of the vote. This year he will get 20% of the vote and his best will be 40% of the vote.
Greg Vaughn No, Never
Greg Vaughn is on the ballot for the first time. He hit .242, with 355 home runs, drove in 1,072, scored 1,017 times, had 1,475 hits, stole 121, and was caught stealing 59 times. Vaughn played 15 seasons with the Brewers, Padres, Reds, Devil Rays, and Rockies. Vaughn if he does go in will probably go in as a Brewer. In 1998 he hit 50 home runs while the Padres went to the World Series. Vaughn will get 5% of the vote and his best will be 20% of the vote.
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 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.
NFL Playoff Predictions
Yesterday was a slow news day, but MLB Network did show the 2004 World Series along with part one of five Red Sox memories.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will win the Super Bowl. They have lock down defense and defense beats offense (most of the time). If the don’t get Big Ben then well they will lose in the first game. Here is my bracket.
Colts- The Colts will beat the Chargers because Peyton Manning is riding high after winning MVP and they will beat the Titans because the Titans don’t have that quarterback that can handle Peyton Manning. They will lose to the Steelers because defense beats offense most of the time.
Chargers- The Chargers shouldn’t even be in the playoffs.An eight and eight team shouldn’t even be in the playoffs. LT is great and same thing with Rivers but an eight and eight team shouldn’t be in the playoffs.
Titans- I still don’t think the Titans are real. They don’t have a pro bowl QB like the Colts which in the playoffs you have to have a great QB to survive.
Steelers- The Steelers have one of the best defenses ever thats right ever. They have Big Ben at QB which also helps. If Big Ben is out his back up isn’t that bad, but then the Steelers will lose to the Colts.
Dolphins- The Dolphins are young and haven’t been in the playoffs much. They don’t have enough experience to be a real contender in the playoffs but hey look at the Tampa Bay Rays. The Dolphins had the easiest schedule in the NFL, because they did so badly last year.
Ravens- Baltimore has Michael Phelps, the Ravens, and some really bad teams. The Ravens have a great defense just not as good as Pittsburgh. Look for Ray Lewis to have a big game against the Dolphins and the Steelers. In the game against the Steelers it will come down to offense.
Cardinals- The Cardinals are pretty good. They have a .563 winning percentage. They shouldn’t be in while Tampa Bay, Chicago, Cowboys, and the Jets have the same record and play in a harder division and the Patriots have a better record and blew out the Cardinals when they played them. Kurt Warner has to have a big game if they want to beat Matt Ryan.
Falcons- Matt Ryan is the next hall of fame quarterback. When the Falcons lost Vick it looked like they where going to need a few years. When they started Ryan it was a huge gamble that payed off. Ryan needs a HUGE game to upset the Giants though.
Giants- Eli is no long Peyton’s little brother, Eli is Peyton’s little brother. (Okay maybe that’s a little far.) The Giants have a great offense and have been here before. They have a good punter and a good kicker along with a pretty good defense.
Panthers- The Panthers are the most over rated team in the NFL. They will get “upset” by the Eagles. If they don’t want to get upset then they need to have a huge game from Steve Smith, the Pro Bowl Wide Receiver.
Vikings- Minnesota is like Baltimore. They have a good baseball and football team while they have a bad basketball and hockey team. The Vikings will get upset by the Eagles. If they want to avoid getting upset then they will need to have a big game from Adrian Peterson and great defense from Jared Allen.
Eagles- The 2008-2009 Eagles are last years 2007-2008 Giants, unless they face the New York Giants. The Eagles are the hottest team in the NFL. They have a good QB being Donovan McNabb and pretty good defense.
Bostonball 