Tagged: Yankees
Simply Put . . . Shocked
Do the additions of Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon make the Rays contenders again? My answer is no.
After losing Grant Balfour, Jason Bartlett, Joaquin
Benoit, Randy Choate, Carl Crawford, Matt Garza, Brad Hawpe, Dioner Navarro, Carlos
Pena, Fernando Perez, Chad Qualls, Rafael Soriano, and Dan Wheeler the Rays
think that by signing two outfielders, one 37 and the other 38, they along with
the rest of America thinks they are “good” again.
I mean I think that the Rays’ general manager, Andrew
Friedman, is one of the best in baseball. However, what the heck is he
thinking!
First off, the Rays didn’t really need any more
outfielders/ designated hitters. I mean Desmond Jennings, B.J. Upton, and Ben
Zobrist make up maybe one of the best outfields in baseball, even without
Crawford. Now, either Johnny Damon or Desmond Jennings will have to sit on the
bench. That is, unless, Jennings gets sent down to AAA.
However, Zobrist could also be moved to shortstop,
second base, and first base. If Zobrist does get moved to the infield, in my
opinion he would most likely take Dan Johnson’s spot at first.
Then at D.H. you have Matt Joyce and/or Dan Johnson
(depending on Zobrist) who aren’t the best players in the world, but they both
are capable of being an everyday D.H.
The problem with me is that I don’t understand why
they signed both Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Their outfield has enough
depth with Justin Ruggiano as to fourth outfielder and Joyce can play the
corner spots.
Jennings is ready for the majors so he shouldn’t be
sent down to AAA. I understand signing Damon or Ramirez to D.H. Yet, I think
signing both of them may have been the Red Sox’s “fault.”
Everyone knows that they Rays have had a pretty bad
offseason. I mean just look at the first sentence of this article. The Red Sox
on the other hand “stole” Carl Crawford and Dan Wheeler. So, I’m assuming that
these moves were made to say that they Rays aren’t just going to roll over.
Also, another obvious reason is attendance. I mean
the Rays have always had low attendances. Heck, Carl Crawford said he signed
with the Red Sox in part to the fact that he knows that there is going to be a
full house every night. I mean Damon has an “attendance clause” for crying out
loud.
However, from Damon and Ramirez’s point of view this
is the perfect team. Damon could be “getting back” at the Yankees for not
resigning him. Also, I’m not exactly sure Damon likes Beantown anymore. Manny
might be trying to “get back” at Boston. I mean that’s just not how you want to
end your stay anywhere. Most likely though, both of those things are false.
But what can you expect from the two of them. Well, I
believe player A, will hit fifteen-twenty home runs, drive in over
seventy-five, and bat anywhere from .250 to .290. Player B will hit ten to
twenty homeruns, drive in either around fifty or eighty, and bat around .250.
Who do you think are player A and B? Player A is
Johnny Damon. Player B is Manny Ramirez. Damon has the potential to have some
nice power numbers this year while the odds are he’ll have a higher batting
average then Ramirez.
Manny though, has an injury history. If he stays
healthy though I think you might be able to see some of his old form return.
Regardless of the performance, baseball fans need to
play close attention to the Rays this year. It could be the last year that two
of baseball’s greatest players play.
Also, in a completely off topic story, am I the only
one that found it ironic that Tom Brady got foot surgery after playing the
Jets?
Photo Credits
1.) http://carolsxsblog.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_archive.html
2.) http://blog.mlive.com/cutoffman/2010/03/detroit_tigers_links_johnny_da_1.html
3.) http://www.loudsportsshorts.com/baseballs/manny/manny-ramirez.html
Spending Limit
* Here is my persuasive essay for school and as you can imagine, I wrote it about sports.
Spending
Limit
Small market teams don’t stand a chance against
the big spenders in Major League Baseball.
At New Yankee Stadium,
Yankee fans cheer for “their” team, a team that had a payroll of $206,333,389
in 2010. One of their many star players, Alex Rodriguez, made thirty-three
million dollars last year.
However, at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pirate
fans don’t cheer for a star player, because they don’t have one. In fact their
payroll last year was “just” $34,943,000. Is it fair that Alex Rodriguez made
nearly as much money as the entire Pittsburgh Pirates last year?
Much like their
payroll, the Yankees were at the top of the list when it came to winning. The
Pirates on the other hand, had one of the worst records in baseball. Major
League Baseball needs a salary cap.
A “salary cap” is a
limit on how much money teams can spend and/or how much money a player can
earn. It would level the playing field, increase fan attendance, and increase
team and league revenue.
However, if a salary cap was implemented, the
large market teams wouldn’t have enough money to have ten superstars on their
team. As a result of this, more superstars would have to play on “bad” teams
and the overall talent level would become more evenly divided among all thirty
teams.
Many casual baseball fans go to a game to see the
superstars. With the talent being more evenly divided, fans in Baltimore,
Pittsburgh, etc. will get to see more superstars play; thus increasing fan
attendance. Due to this increased interest and attendance of the game, the
league’s revenue would increase.
Personally, I’m a fan of the Boston Red Sox, who are a big
spender. With that said, is it fair that the Red Sox can out spend the Pirates
by over 160 million dollars?
Not everyone agrees on the topic of a salary cap. Some say
the fact that some teams can spend ridiculous amounts more money than other
teams is just a part of the game.
On one side, just because you have a high payroll doesn’t
mean you are going to be good. Despite having the third highest payroll in
baseball last year, the Cubs finished fifth in their division.
Then there are always teams like the Rangers and Rays, who
despite being in the bottom ten in payroll, made the playoffs.
However, there is one roadblock, the Players Association.
They would most likely reject anything about lowering player salaries. However,
I’m sure Alex Rodriguez can afford to give up a couple million dollars.
So, Bud Selig (the commissioner of the MLB), if you
know what is good for the league you need to try to implement a salary cap
immediately.
R-Y-A-N K-A-L-I-S-H
He
was born in Northridge, California and raised in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. His
name is probably the second most mispronounced name on the Red Sox behind
Jarrod Slatalamacchia. But, Ryan Kalish (KAY-lish) is making a name for himself
self in Bean town. He may have only eighty-four major league at-bats under his
belt, two home runs (one of which I saw, his first, in New York), a .238
batting average, and just ten RBIs but the outfielder deserves to be starting
in left fielder on Opening in 2011.
First
off, I’m not turning the page for the year the Red Sox can and will make the
playoffs. I’m simply just looking at the potential roster next year. Both J.D.
Drew and Mike Cameron will most likely be gone after the 2011 seasons is over.
So the obvious choice would be to trade one of those two players in the
offseason. It would make more since to trade Cameron as that allows Ellsbury to
move back to center, where he has played most of his career.
While,
Jacoby does not have the best arm for an outfielder his speed would be wasted
were he to play in left with the Green Monster as his backdrop. Which is why he
never should have moved to left in the first place.
Anyway, while Daniel Nava, Darnell
McDonald, and Bill Hall have had nice seasons there simply is not enough room
and are simply not better then Kalish, Cameron, Ellsbury, or Drew.
The point is though someone is
going to get traded. I doubt Ellsbury would get traded partially because I am
not sure there would be an takers till we know he can still play ball. Cameron
would most likely be a one-year rental as I expect him to retire after his
current deal. As for Drew, he is often regarded as one of the most overpaid
players in major league baseball, meaning the Red Sox would most likely have to
toss in some money.
So what can we expect for Mr.
Kalish in the future? Well, in that very bright future I can see him hit .325
with fifteen homeruns, and 100 RBIs. Eventually, I think he’ll be a line drive
machine and hit doubles off the monster every game. However, next year I think
maybe a .290 average with five-ten home runs with any where from 60 to 85 runs
batted in.
He could see time in the two, five,
six, or seven holes depending on injuries. He will most likely play all three-outfielder
spots. But at the end of the day the most important thing is that Kalish is
nearly a five-tool player. He can hit for contact, field (he has one error and
44 put outs), he can throw (he has two outfield assists), he has decent speed
(he’s faster then Big Papi J),
and the power will come as he reaches his prime.
He might turn out to be a six-tool
player, meaning he can hit in the clutch. I have said it before and I will say
it again, some players, like Alex Rodriguez just can’t hit in the clutch and
choke up. And for the record I think A-‘Roid last year in the postseason was a fluke.
Kalish’s first homerun was at Yankee
Stadium and the other was a grand slam. In his first game against the Tigers he
had two hits in four at-bats with an RBI and a run. Is that a sign of greatness
in the clutch or just a fluke? I believe the answer is greatness.
Kalish
was often over shadowed in the minors by prospect Josh Reddick but know with
the opportunity to play full time Kalish is showing he is just as good if not
better then Reddick.
Photo Credits
Nice Way To Start
We Better Not Have Another Traitor
Card because Boston has already won the East. (Wow that was one of my best sentences ever in my opinion) Once your a Red Sox your a Red Sox for life, Pedro is not going to the Yankees. (Sorry but man I’m on a roll) Even though the Rays are rivals with Boston as of the 2009 season I do not care if a former Red Sox player that is 37 played for the Rays. Okay I do and Pedro would kill me but I want Pedro to be back and I want him to pitch and I want him to be happy even if he does play with the Rays. Now if it was with the Yankees well we might have some issues. (Dang best paragraph of my blogging career. 🙂
A Bad Day In Baseball
The Rivalry Continues Part-1
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.
Guess Who’s Back . . .
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!
Bostonball 