Tagged: Jose Valverde

The Big Puma Goes To The Big Apple

*Sorry I forgot to post this a few days ago.

After 1,648 hits, 326 home runs,
1,090 runs batted in, 1,592 games, and parts of twelve seasons, Lance “The Big
Puma” Berkman is leaving Houston to play with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez,
Mariano Rivera and the rest of the New York Yankees in the Big Apple.

It’s a bittersweet day in Houston.
On one side, the team is starting over and getting younger. On the other side,
you are losing a franchise player who played his college career (with the Rice
Owls) and pro career in Houston. Berkman has given the city of Houston so many
memories, good ones and bad ones.

Personally, I have two distinct
memories about Lance Berkman. The first autographed baseball I ever got was
Lance Berkman’s on my ninth birthday. However, In spring training of 2008,
while I was trying to get autographs, he went off the field, in a golf cart,
into the clubhouse, (the Astros clubhouse at their spring training park,
Osceola County Stadium, is on the other side of the left field fence) totally
ignoring the fans.

That day, Miguel Tejada, Jose
Valverde, Hunter Pence, and Wesley Wright, among others came a signed for the
me and the rest of the fans. I understand that fans do get a little crazy
sometimes. Ex-Astro Roy Oswalt use to only sign to small groups of fans while
with the Astros but spring training is different. Which, I understand.

Anyway, it has been a gradual
decline in power since 2006 when “Fat Elvis” hit 45 home runs. Since then, he
has hit 34, 29, 25 and 13 (in 85 games this year). And with the exception of
2008 when he drove in 106 runs his RBI totals have gone done every year since
2006 when he had 136 of them.

Now, I expect his power numbers to
increase with the dimensions of Yankees stadium and not having to face Josh
Johnson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Roy Hallady, or Mat Latos (who has a 0.99 WHIP) along
with the rest of the National League pitchers. However, the one thing that
could make his disappointing season even more disappointing would be if he
can’t play ball in the spotlight of New York City.

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Fantasy Baseball Help- Tip 2

Before I begin I would like to say a few things.
–My Play was AWESOME! We did very well. I was Uncle Andrew in the Magician’s Nephew. I used a can of hair gell, a bottle of hair dye,and a ton of hair-spray for my hair. I got flowers and chocolate, it’s a weird thing we do to the star at the theatre, and by weird I mean awesome. So if the sports carer doesn’t work I’ll have acting to do.
-Also my championship basketball game got moved to six o’clock so I might get to blog tomorrow.
– I moved the front page of MLBlogs! Congrats Cob for making it also and Hyun Young for being the featured blog.

Closers End The Game and End the Draft


When drafting for your team draft closers at the end or middle, unless you play some weird league where saves are worth more then wins. Closers don’t pitch as much as starters and don’t play as much as position players. The only exceptions would be to Jonathan Papelbon, Brad Lidge, and Francsico Rodriguez and some could argue Marino Rivera, Joe Nathan, and Jose Valverde. Closers get the least amount of point on your team except for benchwarmers. The closer is the most overrated position in all of baseball. All they do is pitch one inning. Yes their is a ton of pressure and not everyone can do it but at the end of the day all it is is pitching one inning. I should know I’m the closer on my baseball team. Unless you don’t blow a one save, save sixty, or are the next Trevor Hoffman you are most likely overrated. I know I will get some really bad comments about this but I really don’t care. The most overrated closer? Francsico Rodriguez. Brad Lidge goes perfect with the exception of the all-star game and all we hear is K-Rod this, K-Rod that. Don’t get me wrong K-Rod is one of the games best at closer but he blew seven games last year. The save really just means how many closer games you won. So in a way you don’t want to have a closer come in and pitch because you want to have a blow out. Sarters pitch 200+ innings if you great and closers pitch about 70 at the very most. Position players play sometimes the whole season. While I respect closers and I think they are a huge part of a teams success they are overrated. 
Francisco Rodriguez
sportsnet.ca

blog.pennlive.com
Closer Jonathan Papelbon gives the Red Sox a vital weapon in the postseason.
sportsillustrated.com
Note- This may have been the stupidest entry I’ve ever written because since I’m the closer for my team i just dissed myself.