And Down the Stretch They Come...

Hey Leatherheads, it seems like the only thing you can count on these days are triple-digit moves in the stock market. With the exception of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, most teams in playoff races have been very inconsistent.

Manny being Manny has helped the Dodgers take control of the NL West

In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquisition of Manny Ramirez has dramatically changed the division. Before the season, it appeared the Arizona Diamondbacks would win the division in a tight race. But with how weak the NL West was, all it took was one move to change the team attitude. So much so, that not many people realize the Dodger record at the time of the trade (54-53) is not much worse then where the team is at now (81-75). But that modest improvement has been enough to stake themselves to a two-and-a-half game lead over the D-Backs. The strong backend of the bullpen along with the team's above average bats should keep them on top to finish out the year.

In the AL Central, the Chicago Cubs have maintained the second best record in baseball and yesterday were able to clinch the division for the second consecutive season. This is the first time for the Cubbies since 1907 that they have finished consecutive seasons in first place. Manager Lou Pinella owes the team success to what he likes to call "Cubby occurances."

This year those "Cubby Occurances" have included Geovanny Soto's amazing year, contributions from castoffs Jim Edmonds and Reed Johnson, and Kerry Wood being able to successfully trade places with Ryan Dempster. A far cry from the "Cubby Occurances" of yesteryear, like the "Bartman Incident" or maybe Ronny Cedeno getting thrown out stealing second on a walk. There was also that game in 2006 when Andrew Jones tagged up to score, from 2nd base. There was also that time in 2004 when the Chicago Cubs almost weren't able to sign Greg Maddux, that is because GM Jim Hendry tripped on a dustpan while carrying his son's birthday present down the stairs, requiring immediate reconstructive knee surgery.

My personal favorite was how the Chicago Cubs made it a point to monitor Glenallen Hill's severe arachnaphobia. This was because back in 1990 Hill ended up on the 15-day DL as a result of a violent nightmare about spiders. He popped out of his bed, bumped into a glass table, and plunged down a staircase all happening while he was asleep.

But I digress, I do actually like the Cubs chances this year. The Milwaukee Brewers looked, for a little while, like they might give the Cubs a run for their money. After the Brewers acquired CC Sabathia at the trading deadline they were on fire. But they have severely fallen off and have fallen one-and-a-half games back of the New York Mets for the NL wildcard.

In the NL East the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies are in a two team battle for first place. As it stands the Phillies are one-and-a-half games ahead of the Mets after their win and the Mets loss today. Like Casey Stengel used to say, the Mets continue to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory and it seems this may ultimately cost them the division. But I do believe they'll take the NL wildcard.

In the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have long run away with the division. With the best record in baseball and the Texas Rangers twenty-one-and-a-half games back, the Angels wrapped this up a long time ago.

In the AL Central the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins fight it out atop the division. As it stands the Sox are two and a half games up with six left to play. The Twins have stayed
competitive throughout the year and have outplayed everyone's expectations. They have a great core of young players, but they will eventually lose the Central to the White Sox.

Then you have the AL East where the Tampa Bay Rays have shockingly locked up the division. The Boston Red Sox are one game from locking up the wildcard. It was always in the back of every baseball fan's mind watching all the great players come up with the Tampa Bay Rays that you just knew their time was coming. For the first time since 1993, the Yankees will be missing the playoffs but it's about time another franchise got it's chance to shine.

That's it for now Leatherheads. Stay tuned for the playoffs!

Cy Young Had the Most Wins by Any Pitcher / Cy Young Had the Most Losses by Any Pitcher

Hey Leatherheads,

Just calling out to everyone for what their picks (not predictions for the Baseball Writers Association of America . . . screw anyone who says that Jimmy Rollins was MVP last year!) for some of the major awards for this year are.

There's always a ton written about the MVP and Cy Young awards, and we can cover those, for sure (and sort of did a couple weeks ago), but how about the less talked-about awards like Manager of the Year (my guess: Willie Randolph!) and Comeback Player of the Year. While we're at it, why not pick the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards as well? If you'd like to take this opportunity to combine the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards to create All-Star Teams at the end of the season, then that's cool, too. Up to y'all.

I'll wait on you all to see what you've got to say, but it's probably pretty obvious (based on my last post) who I'd pick for AL Comeback.

Here's your chance to be heard (at least by us)!

Finally, post title brought to us by the Dan Bern song "Cy Young" -- a great folk tune.

Rocco's Modern Life

Okay, you all may have already heard about this, but Rocco Baldelli is back in the majors after a pretty serious scare with Mitochondrial myopathy, a condition that causes extreme muscular fatigue with normal or light exercise. Baldelli, who was a budding superstar just a few years ago, has battled injuries since then until finally being diagnosed (sort of) with the mitochondrial disorder. The condition is life-altering and in many cases is even life-threatening.

Now, I am really happy for Josh Hamilton, battling addiction is a tough thing and hopefully something none of us Leatherheads ever have to deal with. However, I am kind of curious about why the same people who make Hamilton out to be a hero have made Baldelli seem like some kind of wuss. To be sure, it is difficult to battle addiction, but Hamilton brought his condition upon himself, while no one really knows what caused Baldelli's.

In ranking shortstops historically based on worth, Bill James brought up an interesting point. People make Buck Weaver out to be some sort of screwed-over victim of the 1919 Black Sox scandal, but no one seems to care about Ray Chapman, who was not only killed, but was also clearly the superior player.

I think the same argument can be made here for Baldelli. People just don't really care. And that's really too bad because as a rookie, Baldelli was an all-around player, but he was best known for his speed and his fielding. Times change, and in his modern life, he can barely run enough to start at designated hitter. Well, this is probably the only time you'll ever hear me say anything good about the DH, but for Rocco, I'm glad that it's there. Hopefully he can help the Rays in October.

Closers

Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Tonight I shall be writing about closers. I was going to write about the AL West or NL Central (until I saw that Anthony wrote a post about it) but then I just suddenly thought about this topic, and it's something I've always been wondering about. A few times I've heard Anthony say that Mariano Rivera is the best closer to ever play the game, and of course millions of other people share that same opinion. I don't disagree, but I don't know if I agree either.

I'm not really sure how you can ever say that so and so is the best closer ever, I just don't get it. Mariano is the best closer ever, but Trevor Hoffman has over 500 saves, by far the most saves ever. Then you've got Francisco Rodriguez who may set a new major league record for most saves in a season. How can we say one is better than the other? The way I see it, it all depends on the team you're on. I think Rodriguez will be considered the best closer of the 2008 season when it ends, but why? Because he saved 60 games or whatever? I think its great he might break the record, but it's not like he's saving so many games because he's so great, but because he gets a lot more opportunities than others. Of course that means he's reliable, but I feel there are other closers that could do what he's doing if they had the chances.

Rivera isn't going to be doing that as long as he's on the Yankees, since they mostly win with a score 17-5 and ridiculous stuff like that. If you're on a team with great pitching and a great offense, then you most likely aren't going to get as many chances to save a game as other closers may get on a team with great defense and pitching with no offense, or great offense with ok/bad pitching. I feel like there are too many factors to determine who is a better closer, when it comes to the really good ones. It's kinda like saying Robin Ventura is better than David Wright because he has more grandslams; that all depends on a specific situation and how often you're placed in that spot. Just like saves, you have to have a team that can reach the (potential) last inning of play with the right conditions for a save, which doesn't happen all the time.

Those camo Padres uniforms are butt ugly!

Second Half Keys for Success- NL Central

Hello Leatherheads! How are things? It's been a good time to be a baseball fan (well unless your a Yankee fan). But we do have our first confirmed use of instant replay. Alex Rodriguez hit a drive deep down the left field line in the 9th inning off of Tampa Bay Rays closer Troy Percival. The initial call was home run. If you looked quick it did seem possible that the ball could have careened off of the second deck in foul territory, when the ball clearly hit that deck causing it to change direction. Rays manager Joe Maddon argued that he thought the play should be reviewed, umpiring crew leader Charlie Relaford agreed. Upon taking a two minutes and twenty second look at a monitor in the third-base dugout, the original call was confirmed. It's better to get the call right then not, especially when there are playoff implications on the line. A good first for Major League Baseball, the first use of instant replay a success.

So let's get to the best division in all of baseball, the NL Central

Aramis Ramirez is a big reason why the Chicago Cubs are
the best team in the major leagues

Milwaukee Brewers: Here's a team that historically has been either terrible or mediocre. Even heading towards the trading deadline, this team didn't seem all that great. But the acquisition of CC Sabathia gave the Brewers a spark that set them on fire. In his first game he pitched a complete game and hit a home run. That was followed by two more complete games. Since the deal, Sabathia is 9-0 with a 1.43 ERA with a total of an astounding six complete games (nine in total, five shutouts). Only Roy Halladay comes close with eight complete games, but only two shutouts.

Hitting and on the field, the Brewers look pretty good. Ryan Braun is a masher but has his adventures in left. Mike Cameron is an above average center fielder, always keeps a .250 AVG but shows power at the plate. Corey Hart is having a nice year both offensively and defensively in right. Prince Fielder is having a nice power year and better than you would expect at first base. Rickie Weeks has been below average at the plate and average at second. J.J. Hardy is one of the streakiest players in baseball but is having a very nice year for himself. Jason Kendall is a shell of what he used to be behind the plate.

On the pitching front, CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets are the best 1, 2 combination in the major leagues. The rest of the rotation is average at best. The bullpen has been shaky. Eric Gagne has been awful and has been pitching middle relief of late. But Solomon Torres has stepped up as closer and Ben Shouse as the set-up man. They have really anchored the back-end of the bullpen.


Chicago Cubs: As what seems to happen every year, baseball fans are looking for something to go wrong to throw a wrench in what has been a great season for the Cubbies. Alfonso Soriano has been having an above-average year, but has been hot of late. Jim Edmonds and Kosuke Fukudome are having rather pedestrian years in center and right. Aramis Ramirez has been having a great year, like he always does. Ryan Theriot has been a good leadoff hitter and played a good shortstop, providing nice speed and contact hitting atop the lineup. Mark DeRosa has been having a very good year at second base. Derrek Lee's been having a nice year, showing flashes of 2005 when he hit .335 with 22 home runs and 82 RBIs. Geovany Soto is the undisputed NL Rookie of the Year (.294 AVG, 21 HRs, 80 RBIs) behind the plate.

The Cubs have been led by their outstanding rotation. Their top four of Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, and Ted Lilly is the best in the majors. No one in their rotation has less than nine wins. Ryan Dempster has been a big part of the rotation's success, his 15-6 record and 2.99 ERA with 167 strikeouts has him in CY Young consideration (he doesn't hold a candle to CC Sabathia or Tim Lincecum though). In the bullpen Kerry Wood was shaky early but rebounded nicely to have 28 saves and a 2.81 ERA on the season. Carlos Marmol has been lights out at his set-up man. The rest of the bullpen has been below average, but the back-end is one of the best in baseball.

At this point, you can count out the St. Louis Cardinals. They kept it close but have really fallen off of late, they are not catching either of these two teams. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, and Cincinnati Reds have long been out of contention.

Analysis: I'm surprised the Brewers have kept it as close as they have. They have been losing steam of late, the recent sweep by the New York Mets hasn't helped. The Brewers have remained resilient all season and I expect that to continue though I do not expect them to catch the Cubs. Though the Cubs have also been slipping of late, they will win the NL Central. The Brewers will take the Wild Card. Nothing could possibly happen to keep the Cubbies from the NLCs, but then again they still are the Cubs.


Take care all and as always.....Comment!!!!

Two Guitars, Bass and Drums / Yeah, Our Lineup Was the Same Then

Greetings, Leatherheads!

I had a visitor from the Left Coast last week, which was an enjoyable time, as we drank a few Siberian Nights. He also smuggled several Oregonian, Washingtonian and Californian beers onto the plane, which were all quite excellent. We also got to watch one of the worst baseball games I've ever seen, where a fan was ejected for trying to use the restroom during "God Bless America".

Anyway, more to the point, he also alerted me to a recently released album, Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails by a group called The Baseball Project. As this is supposedly a baseball blog, I think it is probably appropriate to do a quick review.

The album runs the gamut from sad melodies like "Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays" to basic grooves like "Gratitude (For Curt Flood)" to the Latin "Fernando." Aside from its obvious appeal to baseball fans, this album stands on its own as a great rock record. For baseball fans, especially fans of baseball history, the album is a must-listen, with tracks about Ed Delahanty, Harvey Haddix, Curt Flood, Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson, amongst many others.

The album begins with "Past Time," sort of an introduction to baseball and the importance of its interweaving with America history. The next song is "Ted Fucking Williams," which takes a potshot at the great slugger's well-known arrogance. "Gratitude (For Curt Flood)" is all about the plight of the gold glove centerfielder. "Broken Man" is sort of a jangly song, which belies its cynical, biting lyric.

"Satchel Paige Said" is probably the best crossover-type song on the album, as it is simply a great song about a famous American hero that isn't just about baseball. "Fernando" is a sad Latin tune (sung in Spanish) about Fernando Valenzuela. "Long Before My Time" is another nice crossover-type song, that really isn't exactly about baseball so much as it is about aging, but I don't like it as much as "Satchel Paige Said."

"Jackie's Lament" is spun from Jackie Robinson's point-of-view. Most people think of Jackie as more being in the right place at the right time, but that's not how it was, and this song does a good job of telling, at least what I think, was going through his head as he broke the color barrier. "Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays" is about watching your heroes grow old, but remembering them in their prime. "The Death of Big Ed Delahanty" is an ode to a great, but often forgotten, Hall of Famer, who lived hard and died young.

"Harvey Haddix" is a great song that pays tribute to one of the most impressive pitching performances of all time, but the only problem is that more people probably know about Haddix's than half of the others mentioned. It's also a great testament to those of us who've come up just short, through no fault of our own -- as they say, "A perfect game, if nothing else, 'cause perfection's always flawed."

"The Yankee Flipper" is about a pitcher I haven't thought about in years, Jack McDowell, who I didn't realize was also a big rock music fan (apparently, he loved the Replacements). Unfortunately, his career went downhill pretty quickly, but at least he lives on in song. The album ends with the appropriately titled "The Closer," a song about the mentality of relief pitchers (as I write this, the Arizona Diamondbacks just tied the score in the bottom of the ninth . . . let's see what Adam Dunn does . . . he doubled, game over D'backs win. Also, I was just informed that Adam Dunn was traded for "some jackass [my aforementioned visitor] went to high school with"). I'm not a big fan of closers in general and this is probably my least favorite song on the album, though it really may be more of tongue-in-cheek look at them and how they're probably taken way too seriously.

Anyway, if you got through this, you might as well check out the album. If you're a fan of baseball (and you probably are if you're reading this) and rock music (and if you're not, you should be!), it's really kind of essential.

Rank: A-