A Random Question

Question while sitting in Hooters (the unofficial restaurant of this blog) in Islandia, New York: Why would anyone in New York be a fan of the Jets and/or Mets, when they could be fans of the Giants and Yankees? Inquiring minds want to know.

There are Jets and Mets signs in here, but none for the Giants or Yankees. I know the Jets train on Long Island for now, and used to play in Queens, while the Mets still play in Queens. But, why choose them over the Giants or Yankees? I have no clue.

Just a rambling thought on a Thursday night in New York....

Drugs, Drugs

Baseball is a talking sport. This blog didn’t even acknowledge the Red Sox’s recent sweep of the Rockies in the World Series because, well, frankly, it was such a dud. However, baseball is now on front pages everywhere due to yesterday’s Mitchell Report.

Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell was commissioned by Major League Baseball to investigate the prevalence of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in baseball during the last two decades. Mitchell released his report yesterday, with much fanfare and many familiar names. Among the names mentioned in the report were Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Barry Bonds, Miguel Tejada, and Eric Gagne.

My first reaction to the report was: Duh! Of course these guys are doing the juice. How else would statistics be flying through the roof, and older players would be having career years in their 40’s?

The Mitchell Report was primarily based on the testimony of Kirk Radomski, a former Mets clubhouse attendant, and Brian McNamee, a former strength and conditioning coach for the Yankees. These guys were compelled by the federal government to spill the beans, as they are under investigation for drug trafficking. Most players, obviously, were not cooperative with the Mitchell investigation. Only two of 750 active players cooperated with the investigation. The players’ union, not unexpectedly, was a roadblock to any more meaningful results of the investigation. That’s not the first time the players’ union has blocked progress in the great game of baseball.

It is obvious, after the lockout of 1994, that the lords of baseball looked the other way as players were juicing their way into the record books. Attendance skyrocketed and TV rights were selling for record prices. The owners were making money hand over fist. It was not in their best interest to police the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs.

There were 89 players named in the Mitchell report. The majority of them were role players, some marginal players doing whatever it took to stay in the major leagues. For most of these players, the health risks of steroids were outweighed by the potential of big contracts. A player can make more money off of one contract in major league baseball than they could make for the rest of their lives. So, the players took the risk. There’s a big difference between playing for the New York Yankees and making a Triple-A salary playing for the Columbus Clippers, or being stuck on an independent league team somewhere.

As Sen. Mitchell said yesterday, this was just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many more players guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. We’ll never know the extent of the usage of such drugs. We may not want to know.

I’m afraid this report is just window dressing, designed to make the commissioner look good. There are changes being made to baseball’s drug policy, but the union will stonewall most reasonable changes for the benefit of the game. The players’ union does not have the best interests of baseball in mind, but only exists to protect the players’ gravy train.

Baseball is a great game. If nothing else, it is resilient. It has survived a point-shaving scandal, two world wars, clueless commissioners, numerous strikes, and a lockout. It will survive this. It is yet to be determined in what shape the sport will survive.

Baseball Is A Talking Sport..

...and I'm not very good at predicting it.

This blog predicted a Yankees-Phillies World Series. That prediction was blown to smitherines. So, we have the Rockies and the Diamondbacks in the National League, and the Red Sox and the Indians in the American League.

The National League matchup begins tonight, and has been looked upon as the Ugly Duckling of the two series. Both teams are young. They are also both recent expansion teams, though the Diamondbacks won a World Series in 2001. This series is already getting grief, as Game 1 is not a sellout in Phoenix. The Division Series games there last week were sold out with the help of a lot of Cub fans.

In a way, I can't really blame the people of Phoenix for not jumping on the bandwagon. First, the fan base was burned by the results of the 2001 championship. The team overspent on a lot of veteran players, then had to dump a ton of contracts and start over in building their team. Six years later, they have a very good young team, but the fans haven't identified with them yet. Second, Phoenix is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. There are tons of transplants there. Thus, loyalties in Phoenix are spread all around the country. A lot of people simply aren't going to jump on the bandwagon, at least where their time and money are concerned. As for me, I'm for the Rockies. They've been in the baseball wilderness for all but one year of their existence.


In the American League, the Red Sox and Indians begin their series Friday night in Boston. The Red Sox are slightly favored. I was listening to a radio show out of Boston last night, and everyone called in to analyze the National League teams as future Red Sox opponents. I have to admit that I was impressed with their baseball knowledge. However, I have one thing to say to Red Sox Nation: YA GOTTA LOOK OUT FOR CLE! Go Tribe!

MLB Projections

It’s Actober. I don’t know what Actober is supposed to mean, but Major League Baseball has been using that as their slogan to promote the postseason, which begins Wednesday. By the way, why does baseball insist on calling it the postseason? Why can’t they just call it what they are: the playoffs? Yes, it is postseason play. But, those who make a living off the Great Game insist on calling it the postseason. Just a little rant.

If the rest of the baseball playoffs are like Monday night’s National League wildcard tiebreaker, we are in for a lot of fun. It’s a pretty familiar cast of characters in the American League, while the National League features some teams treading where they haven’t tread in a long time.

Now, for some fearless predictions of this year’s baseball playoffs. This blog blew it last year, big time, in predicting the Cardinals to go out quickly in the first round. St. Louis went on to win the World Series. So, don’t go out to Nevada and bet money based on these picks.

Because baseball is a talking sport….

American League

Division Series
Boston vs. Los Angeles of Anaheim, Irvine, Santa Ana, and all of Orange County: The Angels cruised to the AL West title, while the Red Sox led most of the season in the East. Boston was hampered by injuries late in the year, but chose to play the series with three built-in off days. This will help the boys from Beantown. Pick: Boston in 5.

New York (AL) vs. Cleveland: The Yankees tore it up in the second half of the season, and are playing as well as anyone. You always have to look out for CLE. But, how can anyone pick against a team with a guy named Joba? Pick: Yankees in 4.

Championship Series
As if anyone else even plays in the American League. Fox will love having a series featuring Boston and the Yankees. The Yankees are playing better. Things return to their natural order. Yankees in 5.

National League

Division Series
Arizona vs. Chicago (NL): The Cubs struggled for part of the year, but they won a weak NL Central, and are here. The Diamondbacks have a good young team, featuring P Brandon Webb. But, guess what? Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs in 4.

Philadelphia vs. Colorado: Who would have predicted this two weeks ago? The Phillies were down by 7 games with 17 to play. The Rockies have won 13 of their last 14 to make it here in an improbable way. There will be very little pitching in this series. The Phillies will hit one more home run than the Rockies. Pick: Phillies in 5.

Championship Series
Will the Cubs exorcise all of their past demons? I don’t think so. Something really strange will happen to them in this series as well. Pick: Philadelphia in 6.

World Series
Yankees vs. Phillies: Just when the Mets weren’t any sicker, they’ll have to watch their division rival Phils play in the World Series against their hated city rival Yankees. Winner wins a lot more than a service area on the New Jersey Turnpike. The Curse of A-Rod is broken. Pick: Yanquis in 6.

Silver Boot, Part 2

It should be an interesting series this weekend at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The mediocre Houston Astros visit the Temple for a three-game series with the sorry Texas Rangers.

My Rangers have the worst record in the American League. Until recently, they had the worst record in baseball, before the Cincinnati Reds assumed rock bottom.

But, throw the records out, because the Silver Boot is on the line. The Rangers won last month's series in Houston, 2 games to 1, and have an 11-run lead on the Astros, thanks to a 14-1 win in the teams' last meeting. The Astros need a sweep in Arlington, or at least two wins including a one-sided thrashing, to put a trophy on owner Drayton McLane's shelf.

Tom Hicks may stink as an owner, but he has a good chance for one trophy this year. How bad would it be for the Astros, if they lost this trophy to a team on track to lose 100 games?

At least Sammy Sosa has 600 career home runs. Even if he was on the juice, he probably would have still hit 500 without performance-enhancing supplements. Good for Sammy.

The Silver Boot

This weekend brings us interleague play in Major League Baseball. With that, comes the annual renewal of the battle for the Silver Boot, between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros.

The Rangers and Astros did not play each other in the regular season in the first four years of interleague play, because the Rangers were in the American League West, and the Astros are in the National League Central. Major League Baseball adjusted some schedules to allow the teams to play every year. Of course, the Rangers were promised the opportunity to move to the American League Central, but Tom Hicks chose not to hold baseball to that, and to remain in the American League West..I guess he doesn't mind staying up until 9:30 to watch his team play road games..but I digress. Anyway, the teams play three games this weekend in Houston, and will play three more later this season in Arlington. The Rangers won Friday night's game, 7-4.

The teams have played for the Silver Boot trophy for the last six years. It sounds and looks kinda silly, but if the owners like it, then we'll roll with it. Each team has won the Silver Boot three times. If the teams split the series, the boot goes to the team with the most total runs in the series. Ironically, the Rangers won the Silver Boot in 2005. The Astros went on to the World Series. I think the Rangers would rather go to the World Series than win a little trophy. Last year, the Astros won the trophy.

Though I now live in Houston, my loyalties are still with the Rangers. They may be forever mediocre, but they're still my team. Let's go win that Silver Boot!

A Two-Team League

Baseball's biggest rivalry has been on stage this weekend, as the hated Yankees have invaded Fenway Park in Boston. Fox and ESPN have been all over this, as would be expected.

Both franchises view themselves as the most popular teams in baseball. The networks definitely view them that way. Both teams do have legions of fans, both in the Northeast, and across the country.

On the other hand, when baseball was attempting geographic realignment a few years ago, there were no volunteers to go to the American League. Only the Milwaukee Brewers changed leagues, and they went to the National League. (I'm too young to remember the Milwaukee Braves in the NL, but it's still unstable to see the Brew Crew in the NL-they belong back in the AL)

An off-the-wall suggestion, that will never see the light of day: Let every team, except Boston and the Yankees, move to the National League. Then, let Boston and the Yankees have the American League to themselves, and play every game against each other. The networks would jump at the chance to show Boston vs. New York every night. Plus, one of them would be guaranteed a spot in the World Series, increasing the value of the major leagues' TV contract.

Most teams would probably rather be in the National League anyway, so this will satisfy some franchises on that end, as well.

I hate both the Red Sox and the Yankees. I've always hated the Yankees, but I'm getting to where I despise the Red Sox even more.

This is a silly idea, but one that some in baseball would probably like. TV executives would love it.

Baseball is a talking sport.

The Cleveland Indians of Milwaukee (at least for three days)

One of the drawbacks of the 162-game, 162-date schedule is that baseball season starts really, really early. The regular season began last week, on April 2. While that's not a problem in places like southern California, it can raise some issues in other parts of the country.

The Seattle Mariners and the Cleveland Indians attempted to play a four-game series this past weekend in Cleveland. Attempt is the operative word here. The city of Cleveland got hit by a massive snowstorm over the weekend. The teams played Friday night into the top of the 5th inning, but, with Cleveland leading 4-0, but with the bases loaded for Seattle, Mariners manager Mike Hargrove complained to the umpires about visibility in the falling snow. So, the game was wiped away, to be rescheduled for Saturday. They didn't play Saturday, as there were three inches of snow and ice on the field. So, they tried to play a doubleheader on Sunday. No luck. Finally, they had a scheduled doubleheader for today. Still snowed out.

There is no word on make-up dates for this series. This was Seattle's only scheduled trip to Cleveland this season.

To add insult to injury for the fans of CLE, the Indians have moved this week's Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to Milwaukee. It seems Milwaukee has a retractable roof over their park. This is also the only scheduled visit by the Angels to Cleveland this season. On top of that, the fans of CLE lose three opportunities to see their team this season.

Baseball has an absolutely absurd schedule. I understand that both the players' union (due to rest) and the owners (more playing dates=more money) desire to stay away from the scheduled doubleheader. This forces the regular season into early April. Also, the regular season currently ends at the very end of September, with three rounds of playoffs extending through the entire month of October. All of this leads to some crazy weather at both the beginning and end of the season. Baseball games should not be in a position to be snowed out.

There are two simple solutions, neither of which will happen in my lifetime: 1) Go back to the 154-game schedule, and sprinkle a few doubleheaders into the calendar. This will allow for opening day to be held no earlier than mid-April. 2) Play all games in the first two weeks of the season in covered ballparks or warm-weather cities. There is always the possibility of freak weather such as last weekend's snow flurries and freezing weather in Arlington, Texas. However, it is not fair to the players, or even the fans, in places like Cleveland or Chicago to play or watch in almost guaranteed frigid conditions.

To add another lack of sense to the situation, this is the only visit by both the Mariners and Angels to Cleveland this year. I have no problem with the unbalanced schedule, allowing teams to play more games against division rivals. However, the lords of baseball can at least schedule these games at both the beginning and end of the season. Scheduling division games early can at least offer more opportunities for make-up later in the season.

As it is, the Mariners could spend two or as many as four off-days making road trips into Cleveland to make up this series. Good luck working all that out.

And baseball wonders why it is no longer this country's leading sport.