Second Half Keys to Success- AL Central

Hey Leatherheads, how are things? I hope you've been reading Jesse's articles about his recent stadium visits, if not, you've been missing out.

As we watch the summer wind down the races are becoming more clear. Up next is the two team race that is the AL Central:

In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Minnesota Twins
find themselves only one game behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

At the beginning of these season I thought that the White Sox and the Twins would be where the Tigers and Indians are respectively and vice versa. Baseball can be a funny sport, as you see how that prediction has turned out.

Minnesota Twins: Here's a team that lost one of their best hitters and their best pitcher in the offseason but are still eighteen games over .500 and are one of the most exciting teams to watch in baseball. Led by their three stars, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Nathan, the Twins find themselves fighting for the AL wildcard spot with the Boston Red Sox. All three have had great years thus far but this team's story has been some of the lesser known players stepping up, bringing consistency to their respective positions. Mauer has been solid at catcher and Morneau very solid at first. Nick Punto has been a pleasant surprise at second base by hitting .280 with 2 HRs and 23 RBIs in the absence of the injured Alexi Casilla. Casilla comes back this week which will once again make Punto a utility player, but this time he'll be the first bat off the bench. In what was supposed to be a platoon situation between Brandan Harris and Adam Everett at shortstop is slowing becoming a full-time position for Everett. Before Everett's recent hand injury that has left him day-to-day, Harris had been relegated to more of a utility infield position. Also, with the offensive emergence of Brian Buscher at third base, the Twins haven't minded using the light hitting, but gold-glove caliber Everett at shortstop. Buscher recently took the third base job from Mike Lamb who has been slumping all year, hitting .236 with 1 HR and 32 RBIs. Delmon Young has been average, .286 AVG with 7 HRs and 53 RBIs. Carlos Gomez has been very good in centerfield, using his speed much to his advantage tracking down fly balls. But his .251 AVG, 6 HRs, and 37 RBIs show that his still getting used to the major leagues. He was leading off but his abysmal .286 OBP has left Ron Gardenhire to go with right fielder Denard Span atop the lineup. He became a major part of the Twins plans when Michael Cuddyer was reinjured during a rehab stint and looks like will be out for the year. Span has gotten everyone's attention because of how he has stepped up over the past few months. On the year, he's hitting .314 with 2 HRs and 21 RBIs with a .396 OBP.

The Twins' starting rotation is not much different from the season's beginning with the exception of Livan Hernandez being released. Francisco Liriano, who recently got recalled from the minor leagues, has solidified himself as being the staff ace in only four starts. This is because the Twins four other starters have ERAs between 3.50 and 4.20. But each also have win totals between 7 and 10. They don't have even a number two starter, but when a team has four number 3 starters, it almost makes up for it. In the bullpen, you know Joe Nathan. But it's really been Jesse Crain and Dennys Reyes that have solidified the bullpen. When Pat Neshek went down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in May, the bridge to Nathan looked iffy. But Reyes and Crain have done respectable jobs in the 7th and 8th innings respectively.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox have gotten by much of the same way the Twins have with a good degree of consistency throughout the year. AJ Pierzynski has had a good year behind the plate, putting up around the same numbers he always does each year by hitting .294 with 12 HRs, and 53 RBIs. Paul Konerko has been putting up the same power numbers he usually does but with a significantly lower average, .228. Orlando Cabrera has also been hitting consistently with his career numbers. Alexei Ramirez has been a nice surprise at second base, giving the bottom of the line up some pop with his 14 HRs thus far this season while hitting .309. Joe Crede has been on the DL since June 22 with a back lumbar inflammation, but wasn't having too great of a year before his DL stint, hitting .254 with 17 HRs and 54 RBIs. Uribe has been playing 3rd in his absence but hasn't been doing too much out of the 9 hole in the lineup. Much of the White Sox's offense comes out of the outfield. Carlos Quentin (35 HRs and 97 RBIs), Nick Swisher (20 HRs and 61 RBIs), and Jermaine Dye (29 HRs and 79 RBIs) are having great power years. If you throw in designated hitter Jim Thome's 26 HRs and 73 RBIs, along with newly acquired Ken Griffey Jr.'s 16 HRs and 60 RBIs, the Sox's 3 to 6 six hitters can drive in a great deal of runs. But Cabrera and Pierzynski at the top of the lineup have produced OBPs of only .324 and .321 respectively, otherwise their RBI numbers would be even higher than they already are.

When it comes to pitching, the White Sox remain inconsistent as they have throughout the season. All four starters in the rotation (the fifth has been a merry-go-round the past month or so) have all posted at least 10 wins. But the top two, Mark Buerhle and Javier Vazquez have also posted 10 losses. John Danks and Gavin Floyd have been good especially Danks who has a 3.11 ERA. Bobby Jenks has been almost lights out in the bullpen. Octavio Dotel and Matt Thornton have done a good job with getting the game to Jenks. Dotel has struggled a bit of late, but should come around in a few more appearances.

Analysis: At the beginning of the season, no one would have thought the Twins would be where they're at right now. It is going to be a lot of fun to watch the Twins and the Chicago White Sox fight it out down the stretch. I'd love to see them make the playoffs but it remains to be seen if they can keep the pace while the White Sox have been here plenty of times before. I'd say unfortunately the Twins lose the division by 2 to 3 games or so and the Boston Red Sox take the Wildcard.

Shockingly, the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians remain 11.5 and 14.5 games back respectively. I never thought I'd be counting them out early but injury and ineffectiveness have ravaged both teams. They still have the pieces to contend next season, but lets see if that actually happens. And the Kansas City Royals, well, let's just say some predictions you can always count on.


All is good Leatherheads. Comment! Show us your out there!

Check it out

Since Jesse is motoring across the country checking out a bunch of stadiums and giving us the scoop on the stadiums themselves and the immediate surrounding areas, I read this article today and figured it relates somewhat. It focuses on every team and examines exactly how much they try to screw (or in a few rare cases, not-screw) us dear loyal fans. It's located at The Hardball Times which is in my opinion one of the best baseball sites around. At any rate, here is a link to the aforementioned article. It's really an interesting read on something I never thought much about. I encourage everyone to read it and if nothing else understand how the Mariners manage to suck off the field as well. Alrighty, that's all. Keep up the good work Jesse, I'm digging it.

Going Down to Cincinnati, Ohio . . .

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Hey Leatherheads, still at the hotel in Florence, Kentucky, a touching suburb a short ride across the river from Cincinnati. Post title comes from the song "Cincinnati, OH" by the Morris/Sussex County, New Jersey-based band Annoying Customer. So here's the review of Great American Ballpark.

The stadium scores major points because, like PNC Park and the new Nationals Stadium, it's on the banks of a river (the Ohio), with a beautiful panoramic view of the river as it passes by. I'd also like to stress that this is a corporate-sponsored stadium. I really wish more teams tried to work in at least a decent sounding name to their corporate-sponsored parks, for example, when the San Francisco Giants approached Ralph Lauren about sponsoring "The Polo Grounds." I completely understand why it's good to have a corporate sponsor (it basically pays for a superstar every year), but it would be nice if the names weren't quite as contrived as U.S. Cellular Field.

Great American is another open-space walk-around stadium. They shoot off something or other (cannons?) when homeruns are hit (Brandon Phillips hit one), which is pretty sweet. Edinson Volquez managed to pitch through quite a bit of trouble and it was a pretty exciting game (though that should not necessarily be included in the review).

As far as grabbing a bite before or after the game, we went to some restaurant/bar called "In Betweens," not a great place, but the waitress was nice enough. They also charged for water. We were hoping to just grab a slice, but no such luck. Also, no street meat outside, but there were quite a few people selling $1 bottles of Ice Mountain Water ("pure as the driven snow") and $3 bags of peanuts.

Similar to the rest of the stadiums we've been to, no one ushered you along if you stopped somewhere to take in a bit of the game. I feel like this freedom to wander around the parks at your leisure is so amazing, and yet it is present everywhere we go. It really drives home how crappy Shea is, and especially how crappy the people who run it treat us fans.

All in all, Great American Ball Park was simply a good experience. I feel, unfortunately, like I'm becoming desensitized to how great these new parks are (this year was also the first time I've seen games at the new Nationals and Phillies arenas) and I'm going to want to electrocute myself when I get back to New Jersey. I should have realized I'd feel this way because it's how my roommate, Shaun, felt when he came back from a vacation in Michigan a month ago.

It probably hurt the experience that we didn't get to see Adam Dunn or Joey Votto (though he did pinch hit). Newport on the Levee was a decent enough place to go out, kind of reminded me and Andrew of Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, for those of you who've been there. $1 Miller Lites is always nice. We ate at Montgomery Inn, a very nice place with good ribs, but post-date your check for your next paycheck.

Great American Ball Park Grades:

Biggest Advantages: Walking around, Friendly service,
Biggest Drawbacks: Nothing special in comparison to the other stadiums we've been to
Overall Grade: B/B+

Up Next: Busch Stadium in Saint Louis, Missouri

In Detroit 442 / Maybe, Baby, I Could Ride With You

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What's up, Leatherheads? No time for an update this morning, as we were on road early in the a.m. to get to Cincinnati in time for today's 1:15 start. More on Cincinnati a little later, as this review is for Comerica Park in Detroit.

By the way, as a quick aside, I'd just like to update it that we attended Cleveland's Feast of the Assumption, which was a good time. Much lower key than New York's San Gennaro Festival, if any of you have been there. Additionally, Cleveland's West Side Market was a pretty fun place, kind of similar to Pike Place in Seattle, but different in many ways as well. Maybe Ichiro should check it out the next time he's in town.

So Comerica Park is another new stadium in the Jacobs Field mold. Like PNC Park and "The Jake," it was not designed to give a feel for the old-time ballparks, but instead to give a more modern sense. Another similarity to Jacobs Field is its openness and view of the city nearby, as well as the entrance being in the outfield.

Speaking of the city nearby, we arrived in Detroit with just enough time to take a little walk around and see some of the city. There was a park just a few blocks away (Mauritius Something or other Park) that wasn't too bad, but seemed kind of small. Additionally, a five- or ten-minute walk can take you to "GreekTown," which is a little neighborhood with a bunch of Greek restaurants where you can grab a gyro before the game (although we did not). GreekTown is pretty small, but if you have the time, it's kind of cool to see how close it is to the stadium. I feel like areas like that really suffer when parks come in and the corporate world takes over, but I guess that's not necessarily true (Little Italy and Camden Yards in Baltimore, for example).

Comerica is also another park where you can walk around the whole stadium to get different vantage points, which -- as I pointed out before -- is a really nice feature. We had standing room only tickets for the outfield balcony (a great view), which placed us in the vicinity of statues of past Tigers greats (and there have been a bunch). The only time we were asked to move on was when we accidentally stumbled into what I guess was a private event. The usher was less than polite, but then again, we were in Detroit.

Another great feature of Comerica was that they played pretty good music throughout. Even Curtis Granderson bats to Bell Biv Devoe. Oh yeah, and it was pretty cool to see the American League's Speed King, Justin Verlander.

Comerica Grades:

Biggest Advantages: Tigers statues, Great views of the game from almost every section, GreekTown
Biggest Drawbacks: No one sells $5 hats outside the stadium
Overall Grade: B+

Up Next: Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio

1-http://sylviagarza.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/2003-comerica-park.jpg

If I ever saw myself saying I'm excited going to Cleveland, I'd punch myself in the face, because I'm lying.

Today's title comes, of course, from Ichiro's famous lambasting of Cleveland, Ohio, home of Progressive (formerly Jacobs, named after the current Marlins first baseman, perhaps?) Field and the second stop on my stadium tour. I'm transmitting my thoughts via World Wide Web from Lakewood, just outside of Cleveland.

In order to fulfill the conditions of my parole, as well as my love of public service, I'll review the ballpark. But I'm going to call it Jacobs Field. So, without further ado, let's get to the nasty.

Jacobs Field opened in the early 90's, a few years after Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore (as long as I can remember). I'm not 100% sure why, but I feel very much like Camden started the idea of getting ballparks away from boring, drab, cookie-cutter stadiums and going back to the olden times or forward to the 21st Century. Any look is better than the Shea Stadium/Philadelphia Veterans Stadium look of the 60's/70's.

While Camden Yards sought progress through embracing the looks of the old-time ballparks, Jacobs Field sought progess through a new look, which has now become relatively commonplace. Like Camden Yards, PNC, Citizen's Bank and many others, visitors to Jacobs Field are treated to a view of the city's skyline. This is a great feature and one that I know my friend Craig favors.

There is a nice little Indians Hall of Fame section near the entrance to the park (which is in the outfield, kind of like the new Nationals Park). One thing I will complain about is that we came into the Stadium while the first inning was just beginning and as we were walking to our seats (watching Vlad Guerrero bat) an usher told us we had to walk to our seats from the inside, where we couldn't actually watch the game.

Cleveland was an okay city, probably not quite as bad as Ichiro would have you believe, but there also wasn't an incredible amount going on for a Friday night. $4 32 oz. Labatt Blues at the Winking Lizard is a nice touch. Oddly, it seems like no one in Cleveland knows how to cross the street, because there seem to be cops on every corner. It's sort of like being in elementary school.

Jacobs Grades:

Biggest advantages: Nice park, Good area nearby to hang out, Cheap parking
Biggest drawbacks: Not quite as nice as some of the other new stadiums (still very nice)
Overall mark: B+

Up Next: Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan

Come Put Me Out of My Misery / 'Cause I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh)

Greetings, y'all, I am communicating with you via world wide web from beautiful Harmarville, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. Today's title comes from Frank Black's song which you can listen to at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDLqJndTdQY -- a chill, laid-back song which makes me wonder where in tarnation Debaser came from.

Anyway, a quick review of PNC Park for all the Leatherheads that haven't had the good fortune to visit it. If you're in the area, definitely stop by. The stadium is situated in such a way as to overlook a couple of really sweet bridges. The seats were incredible (just a few rows off the field down the rightfield line) and were so affordable (just 20 bucks) that being a Mets fan makes me want to cry. Another great feature of the arena (and this is beginning to be customary for all the new ballparks) is that you can walk around the whole stadium. Citizens Bank Park (the new Phillies stadium) was constructed likewise.

In fact, PNC very much reminded me of CBP, except everything was so much lower, so much closer to the field. At the risk of alienating all the Phillies fans who read this, I have to give credit where it is due. PNC Park came first -- and it's better.

The seats were not situated perfectly for sight-lines, which was kind of annoying because you were sort of craning your neck the whole game to see the pitches, but other than that I really don't have any complaints.

Plus, there was a fireworks show with REO Speedwagon performing following the game (if that's what you're into. For me, it's not. No offense to all you REO Speedwagon Leatherheads out there).

Since this is a baseball site, I'm not going to review the city, and I really didn't have enough time to get to know it well, but the folks that I did meet (everyone from the ushers at the stadium to the bartender after the game) were all very nice. The title of this post is not indicative of the experience I've had here whatsoever.

PNC Grades:
Biggest advantages: Beautiful park, very affordable
Biggest drawbacks: Having to watch the Pirates play
Overall mark: A-

Four Kids on Tour, Three Thousand Miles

Hey . . . Leatherheads . . .

Just wanted to let you all know that a few high school friends and I are about to head out on a baseball stadium road trip. We'll be catching games in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago (Wrigley) and Milwaukee. Since I just got this laptop (big shout out to the good people at Wal Mart (is that an oxymoron?)!) and I (supposedly) blog about baseball, I think I ought to bring it along and do an update in each city.

So keep checking, as I'll be submitting entries almost every day for the next two weeks.

First up, Pittsburgh!

By the way, Flashing the Trivia: What song did this post come from? Follow-up: Whose story does the song tell?

Second Half Keys for Success- NL West

Hello Leatherheads, the trade deadline has came and passed so I'm here to give you the second half keys for success. In this post, I'll be doing the teams in the running for the National League West division.

Eric Gagne, the prize of last year's trade deadline acquisitions

So I present to you, the NL West:


Arizona Diamondbacks: The D'Backs have been playing better ball of late winning seven out of their last ten, but overall, they've just been a mediocre team. Left Fielder Connor Jackson has been the brightest spot of the offense hitting .321 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .404 OBP. At second base Orlando Hudson does what he always does, hit slightly above .300 with little power and an average OBP. Over at third base, Mark Reynolds is all or nothing, hitting .246 with 21 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .330 OBP. At first base Chad Tracy is a decent contact hitter, not much more than that. I could picture him being more in a platoon at first. In center, Chris Young covers a lot of ground out there but hasn't been doing much at the plate, hitting .236 this season. In right, Chris Burke has been a terrible option as Justin Upton remains on the DL. In their rotation, Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have been their usual great selves as Webb has 14 wins while Haren has so far posted a 2.36 ERA. In the bullpen, Brandon Lyon hasn't done a great job holding games down blowing five saves thus far this season. Middle relief hasn't been good either but Jon Rauch (4-2, 2.84 ERA, 46Ks in 50 innings) show be great in the 8th and maybe even the 9th inning down the stretch.

Analysis: The D'Backs mediocrity sadly makes them just good enough to win the division. The team has a lot of needs. They missed out on the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, he would have fit well at first base once again making Chad Tracy a right fielder. They still need another bat to help protect Connor Jackson in the lineup, Reynolds does not cut it. Hopefully Chad Qualls will step up becoming the 7th inning guy. One more pitcher in the rotation would help too because Doug Davis will not hold up in the playoffs. Maybe Micah Owings will find himself again after being optioned to AAA. Or maybe he'll go all the way back to A to become an outfielder. Any one of these scenarios will ice the division for the D'Backs, but will they make a move?


Los Angeles Dodgers: For teams in the NL, especially in the West, all it may take is a move or two to push your team out of the chasm of mediocrity. The Dodgers have done just that, effectively assuring they will be battling for the NL West crown as opposed to falling apart like they did last year. They still won't overtake the Diamondbacks, but they should keep it interesting. First, the acquisition of Casey Blake for two minor leaguers. GM Ned Colletti wanted to acquire a shortstop, as he pushed hard for Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson, Toronto's David Eckstein, and Washington's Cristian Guzman. But when talks deteriorated, Colletti acquired Blake who was having a decent year in Cleveland (.296 AVG, 12 HRs, 60 RBIS). They hope Nomar Garciaparra can come back and play a respectable shortstop, but that will be a stretch, and it's also at least a month away from happening. Colletti also found away to erase the gamble they took on Andruw Jones who's career has crashed and burned over the past two seasons. They acquired the embattled, but overpowering offensive force that is Manny Ramirez. With the team hoping Matt Kemp can cover massive amounts of ground in center, the team is currently sending out Ramirez in left, Kemp in center, and Andre Ethier in right. The team also got an unexpected boost from set-up man Jonathan Broxton when closer Takashi Saito went on the DL with a elbow sprain. He has been five for five in save opportunities and only letting up one run since taking over as closer on July 18th.


Analysis: I do praise these moves that Colletti made. After a few seasons of having mediocre to just outright terrible seasons, he saw that this would be the best time to take a shot at the division. It also appears that though Manny will still be Manny, he does seem to have great respect for Joe Torre and has repeatedly said he will do anything Torre wants him to do for the best interest of the team. Though it remains to be seen if these recent comments are just Manny being Manny (aka bullshit). While I like the back-end of their bullpen with Saito (when he comes back) Broxton and Joe Beimel, I do not like their rotation at all. It's pretty much the veteran Derek Lowe and four unproven pitchers. That will not get you to the postseason.


Colorado Rockies: Normally I wouldn't even mention a team that is eight games out of a terrible division but in lieu of what the Rockies did last year, you can't count them out. Even though they didn't make a significant move at the deadline, they didn't last year either. But until they can get hot, injuries and inconsistencies are plaguing this sub-.500 team. Wily Taveras is not having a good year at the plate, Brad Hawpe is solid in right but I know the team had to have been expecting better than the .282 AVG, 17 HRs, and 56 RBIs he has this season(decent OBP at .383 though). Matt Holliday remains the only positive consistent element of this squad, doing his MVP thing he does every year (.346 AVG, 21 HRs, and 67 RBIs). In case your wondering he is hitting .317 on the road so there isn't much of a Coors Field effect. Garrett Atkins has been playing a serviceable first base and hitting like he always does (.294 AVG, 15 HRs, and 68 RBIs), filling in for the injured Todd Helton who is suffering from a "degenerative back condition." Ian Stewart is doing okay, but not providing much pop at the hot corner (.297 AVG, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs). He has also been tearing lefties up to the tune of a .526 AVG. Troy Tulowitzki is still trying to find himself after being injured most of last season. The bullpen is very streaky. Brian Fuentes is closer once again after faltering in the position last year and has been very good (2.86 ERA, 49 SO, 20 saves, in 44 IP). Manny Corpas is back to his set-up role again after serving as closer from the end of last season through the first few months of this season. In terms of middle relief Luis Vizcaino and Matt Herges have decent stuff but have not shown it this season. The starting rotation is unproven after Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook. Those two are always good but Ubaldo Jimenez, Glendon Rusch, and Jorge De La Rosa will not get you very far.


Analysis: I've learned to never count out the Rockies but I'm not sure how they will come back this year, especially with how strong the NL Central has turned out to be. I see the Cubs or Cards taking the wildcard, whoever doesn't win the division. Unless their pitching goes on a ridiculous run like they did last year the Rockies don't have a shot at the postseason.

Obviously, at this point, you can count out the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres.



Thanks for reading Leatherheads!! Up next for me, the AL Central.