Rob, I really hope you don't have to go. Sorry, but I don't really want any of my friends to go over there because I don't want any of them to be killed. I understand the duty that you have, but still, I'm selfish. So yes, if you go and start a blog over there, let me know and I'm up for doing the sister blogs or whatever you want to call it. I'm not sure what a cool name would be. I like my least of the east name. We'll have to think of something.
The yankees made some good moves, but you killed your bullpen for it. I don't know why you traded Farnsworth for pudge? That trade made no sense to me. I do like Bay in Boston, though. They have the whitest outfield ever with Bay, Drew & Ellsbury. I think the second most signifant trade at the deadline besides Manny was Teixeria going to the Angels. There lineup just got a lot better. It'll be interesting to see if the Angels can get over the hump again. They always seem to get taken out by some team from the East. But, I do think the Angels are the front runner to represent the AL in the World Series, but I wouldn't rule out the White Sox or the Rays. Even though knowing me they'll both fold like Koho in poker. We shall see.
But, I don't think the Angels are going to run away with it. In fact there are some pretty good teams in the NL that I think have a really good chance of winning it all. So, here's my list of the teams I think can win it all in the NL:
#1. Chicago Cubs - Yes, yes, yes, they're jinxed but whatever. That team is put together. They could easily in a seven game series have Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster & Rich Harden pitch twice. You don't think they can win it with that staff? Plus their bullpen is nasty. They have Carlos Marmel and will soon have Kerry Wood back, two flame throwers. Plus, they just called up Jeff Samardzija, one of my favorite football players of all time. And yes, he can throw 99. Just sick. The shark is hungry and the hitters are his food. Oh yeah, and their lineup is pretty sick with Alfsonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Fukudome, Soto, Theroit, and DeRosa. You either have guys who hit for power, guys who hit for average, or guys who can run. That's just a nasty lineup.
#2. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brew Crew are loaded with studs all around. There aren't really too many teams with a better 1-2 starting pitching like the Brewers with CC Sabathia & Ben Sheets. After that they also have Manny Parra, who's 9-4 on the year. Plus they can finish off the rotation with Jeff Suppan(remember him from his playoff run in 2004?) and Dave Bush, who had been pitching a lot better until last night. Plus, look at that lineup. Braun, Cameron, and Hart in the OF. Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy(who's been really strong the last month), and Bill Hall/Russell Branyan at 3rd. Just nasty. Yes, they just got swept by the Cubs at home, but so what. Every team struggles at some point. I think this team is built for September/October.
#3. Florida Marlins - You know what, I don't know what it is about this team. They just seem to just want to win. I can't really put my finger on it. They just have guys that seem to get hits in crucial times and can also pound the crap out of the ball. I'm not sure if they're still leading the league, but they're probably close to the tops in HR's(the Phillies might have passed them). They have a lineup that can crush the ball and they have decent pitching. Plus, they're young, which I think will help them on their part because they don't care what people think, they just want to win. Plus, they have the best all around player in Hanley Ramirez. Take a look at his stats(25hrs, 49 rbi's, 25 sb, .297 ba, .379 obp, .538 slug, 23 doubles, 86 runs) this guys does it all as a leadoff hitter. He should really be batting 3rd, but I don't think the Marlins have anyone who could do that. Plus, he's probably the best SS defensivly in the majors. (On a side note, I think one of the funniest things is when Jorge Cantu hits a homerun and someone says, "Jore Can not, Cantu!" I'm not sure why I find this funny, but I do.)
#4. New York Mets - There's one thing about a streaky team is that when they're on, they're on. I can see the same spark that this team had in 2006 and I'm hoping they can keep it up and make it too the playoffs. If they can, I think the Mets can be a very surprising team. They definitely have the starting pitching to get them to the World Series. With Johan Santana being Johan and Mike Pelfrey emerging finally, you have to like their chances. Plus, I'll never, ever forget what Oliver Perez and John Maine can do. I still remember Maine's last start last year, in a clutch situation with the season on the line and he pitches a shutout with 13 k's. Plus, he pitched well enough in 2006 playoffs for me to have faith in him with a couple more seasons under his belt. Plus Oliver Perez seems to have turned into a big game pitcher for some reason. He's like one of those pitchers that either pitches up to the quality of his opponent or down to the quality of his opponent. Oh yeah, and our fifth pitcher is Pedro Martinez. Not too shabby. Plus, the offense is pretty set. With Jose Reyes setting the tone for this team and then having David Wright be David Wright and getting Carlos Delgado to come out of his year and a half funk this team is pretty solid. We just need Beltran to be consistent and with Fernando Tatis taking 'roids again and hitting the poo out of the ball we've got a nice offense. Plus we'll have Church coming back for the stretch run. We also seem to get clutch hits from our bench. The one concern is the bullpen. Billy Wagner has been pretty good except for that little bump for a week. I like Duaner and Feliciano and Schoeneweis has pitched a lot better this year, but I don't trust Heilman and I'm still not completely sold on Joe Smith, so we'll see what happens. I think the worst decision Omar made was not to re-sign Sad Bradford and Darren Oliver. Both were key in 2006. The one wild card that the Mets have is El Duke, if he can come off the DL this year. He is probably the best big game pitcher the Mets have, even if he hasn't pitched in a big game in like 5 years. He could be the one Dark Horse that the Mets have.
#5. Philadelphia Phillies - We all know this about the Phillies, they can hit. And they can hit home runs. And they're passionate about everything. But there are two things that hurt them, big time. The first is Jimmy Rollins. I think Phillies fans have put out a missing person's notice for him. He's not the same guy he was last year. It's safe to say we'll have a new player of the year this year. Also, their starting pitching is horrible. Except for Cole Hamels the Phillies don't have good starting pitching. In fact, if you look at their website, they only have 4 starters! And #2 is Joe Blanton, who is D-U-N, DONE. This team is all hitting, but as they say, good pitching will beat good hitting. It's safe to say we'll have a great stretch run and I can't wait to see what happens.
5 comments:
I have to disagree re: the Pudge trade. Farnsworth has been OK, but I still have no faith in him in a pressure situation. He give up way too many home runs. It seems like once or twice an outing he throws a hard fastball directly down the center of the plate with no movement, and more often than not those pitches are sent over the fence. It's a shame, because if he wasn't such a head case, he's got the stuff to be an elite closer. I'm happier with him gone. I'll take my chances with Edwar Ramirez, Damaso Marte, Jose Veras, Dan Giese, etc... Look up Kyle Farnsworth's numbers this year vs. those of Edwar Ramirez, and Jose Veras and tell me who's been more effective. Farnsworth gives up a hit per inning, and has given up more home runs than both of them combined, in about the same # of appearances... Bottom line, he's expendable, and there are options that are as good, if not better to take his place.
I also would like to predict that Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano will contribute to the Yankee's playoff run this year. Remeber where you heard it. Well, that's if Pavano can make it back without another catastrophic injury... They both looked good in a rehab game the other day.
By the way, I think the only team in your list with a shot against a team like the Angels is the Cubs. The rest of them would suffer.
Ellsbury is not white, he is Native American, haha.
Anyway, on to the Manny trade. I think the trade is very good, so far.
In the clubhouse, I'm sure everyone has heard about how Theo met with all of the Boston veterans on Wednesday night and they told him that Manny should go. In years past, when Manny asked to be traded (it's happened like 4 or 5 years in a row), the same veterans felt that despite Manny's faults he was needed in Boston because of his productivity. Well, this year was different - he was really hurting the clubhouse with his antics. Off the field, this deal was a must. Theo Epstein and Terry Francona are the happiest guys in New England. Even Manny's friends like Mike Lowell and David Ortiz thought it was time to part ways. Off the field, the trade is not only good, it was necessary.
On the field and in the checkbook, Manny is 36 years old and his contract was up at the end of the season (with $20 million club options for each of the next 2 seasons). The Sox get a 29 year old All Star who is under contract for next season at only $7 million. Even though the Sox are paying Manny's remaining $7 million for this year, the deal still makes financial sense. Manny is hoping that he will get a 4 year, $100 million contract with Scott Boras' help on the open market - but he isn't.
I hope Jason Bay doesn't get the J.D. Drew syndrome of sucking in his first year in the AL. I think he will do very well offensively and his weak arm will be hidden by Fenway's short left field.
The two prospects Boston sent to Pittsburgh aren't special, and were definitely expendable. At one point a year or two ago, Hansen was looking almost as good as Papelbon, but now he can't even throw strikes. He might do well in the NL, but he was a spare part for the Red Sox. Brandon Moss is an entirely average outfielder who again was a spare part, especially on a team with Coco Crisp as their 4th outfielder.
I find it especially ironic that Manny is now playing for Joe Torre, and joins a Dodgers team with Nomar (injured of course) and Derek Lowe.
I don't like the Pudge for Farnsworth trade for the simple reason that the Yankees need pitching more than they need offense. Even Pettite is getting shelled nowadays. Yeah, Farnsworth was nothing amazing, but with Joba no longer in the bullpen Farnsworth was a somewhat reliable 8th inning man. I thought for sure the Yankees would get someone to beef up their bullpen (other than Marte), but they did the opposite. Pudge is a great player, but he's passed his prime and can't really make that big of a difference in an already stacked lineup. If you're giving up 9 runs a game it is still hard to win.
As for the Manny trade, I don't know how the Red Sox could be better this year without him. Obviously the trade had to be made, but it's just an unfortunate situation for the Sox. Arguably their best player just stopped caring and wanting to play. You can't do much about that, but I don't know how you can say you're better off the rest of the season with Bay over Manny. Yeah, in the long run it was absolutely the right move. Maybe they'll do what the Mets did when their distraction finally ended this season. Who knows.
I still like the Mets' chances at making the World Series. The Cubs are really good, but anyone in the NL is beatable. Plus, the Mets are one of the few NL teams that did well against the AL this year in interleague play, so I'd love to see them in the World Series.
Carl Pavano... what a terrible pickup.
Santana is susceptible to the long ball.
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