Roids anyone?

It's been awhile since we heard from the anonymous straw man in possession of the list of players that tested positive in the 2003 voluntary test. 104 names are on the list and we've already heard about Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz.
What's interesting is the timing of the name drops. They seem to be occurring right before a significant event on the MLB calendar. A-Rod was exposed right during spring training and Big Papi was "outed" at the All-Star break. As we sit on the cusp of the postseason tournament, it's reasonable to expect that a name or two is going to leak again. Rest assured, it will be a prominent player on one of the playoff teams. Be it Vlad Guerrero, Albert Pujols or Todd Helton, someone is going to be named as having tested positive six years ago. Six years ago when it was not against MLB rules to use performance enhancers. The entire story is mind-numbingly boring. Each new name brings with it the customary mock outrage by the mainstream media. The same people that are paid to cover the teams and make their livings from baseball feign outrage and demand action be taken.
The problem is the person or people behind the leaks will never be revealed. That's because it's Major League Baseball behind the leaking of names. MLB and Bud Selig are so intimidated by the U.S. Congress that they are slowly releasing the names of the high-profile players in an effort to punish them with the notoriety the leak brings. It's ridiculous, petty and plainly obvious.
So instead of focusing on the playoff matchups next week, we're going to get a New York Times special report on the latest player from MLB's "secret" list. Now if anyone listens to the story, that's their fault.
Personally, I'll be getting my snacks ready for game time.

Angels celebration inappropriate?

The Angels clinched the American League West Division Championship on Monday night and proceeded to celebrate as tradition dictates, by pouring champagne and beer over themselves, each other and presumably, into their bellies.  Thats all well and good, however they created a mild firestorm by including Nick Adenhart in the party.  Adenhart, a promising young pitcher with the Angels was killed in April after a game by an alleged drunk driver (who we kidding with this alleged business?  The dude was hammered.)  To their credit, the Angels players persevered and played championship baseball from about May on and all the while, bringing Adenhart's jersey to every game, whether home or away.  It was hung with care in the dugout and players would pay respects prior to games by gently placing a hand on the jersey.  All of this was looked upon with admiration, sadness and respect for the organization and their players.  But on Monday night during the celebration, the inclusion of Adenhart took an awkward turn, as the team heavily doused the jersey with champagne and beer.  Now fans around the country are voicing their opinion that this was an inappropriate and insensitive act, considering the nature of his death.  

Personally, I feel bad for the players.  They certainly loved and missed their fallen teammate.  I'm 100% certain they meant no disrepect to Adenhart or his family or the legions of families who have been directly affected by drunk driving.  However, my reaction is with the masses in that it took my brain about 2 milliseconds to register a feeling of uneasiness when I first watched the Angels pouring booze on his jersey and that feeling remains with the second, third and fourth viewing of said celebration.  The man died as a result of excessive alcohol and the players poured buckets of the stuff all over his "tribute" jersey.  Any reasonable person can see the sad irony in this picture.  Again, I would not accuse any of the players of intent and I believe them when they say they were treating him like a teammate.  But let me leave you with this:  The Angels are a well run organization, with involved ownership, a squadron of front office people and multiple experienced coaches.  The Angels have been in 1st place for a long time and had a sizeable lead over the Rangers and were certain to win the Division to advance to the playoffs.  Are you telling me no one saw this coming?  A gentle suggestion to some of the more sage veterans of the team like Tori Hunter to respect the nature of Nick's death would have gone a long way to making this a non issue.  

Then we could instead discuss the appropriateness of the team going through 210 bottles of champagne and 22 cases of beer during Monday's celebration.

Will blue snow fall again?

In 1964, Philadelphia Phillies fans witnessed one of baseball's greatest collapses when their beloved Phils blew a six and a half game lead with 12 games to play. The meltdown was even more dramatic than the 2007 Mets, who squandered a seven game lead with 17 games remaining.
That fall in '64, the Phillies and their fans rode a wave of confidence and momentum right up to the door of the postseason. Philadelphians were so sure the Fightins would play in October that Philadelphia's mayor famous proclaimed that "blue snow" would fall in Philadelphia before the Phillies lost the pennant.
The rest was history, and an unpleasant one for the Phillies faithful.
Monday night, the Atlanta Braves won their seventh straight to move within two games of the wildcard-leading Colorado Rockies. That's been the story everyone is focused on but the Bravos also cut the Phillies NL East lead to four. With just six games left, Atlanta overtaking Philadelphia would be a tremendous longshot. But mathematically, it could happen and both teams are moving in the directions it would require to make it possible.
The Phillies pitching is faltering at the wrong time. Their bullpen has been shaky all year and now their starting pitching has become somewhat suspect. Midseason acquisition Cliff Lee has struggled in his most recent starts and ace Cole Hamels has felt the effects of 2008's increased workload this season.
Meanwhile the Braves have won 14 of 16 and are enjoying some of baseball's best starting pitching. Even with their mediocre offense, the Braves pitching is so exceptional that it has carried the team. It remains a tremendous longshot for the Braves to overtake Philadelphia, but it's still possible. Anything can happen and baseball and the NL East race bears watching.

Squeeze Play?!?!

The Twins, who are playing for their post-season lives, just botched a
squeeze play against the 1st Place Tigers. Here's the question: 1
out, man on 3rd.............why oh why do you not give your batter a
chance to drive in the run?!?!?!?!

A look at the 2010 free agents

Every offseason, teams are presented with the opportunity to improve their clubs by signing players that are no longer under contract. These free agents come in all talent levels and pricetags. Traditionally, almost every free agent class was packed with high-impact players just entering their prime performance years. However, the renewed focus by teams to secure young talent beyond arbitration has depleted the free agent pool. Now, teams are offering longterm contracts to players before they are arbitration-eligible, thereby pushing back the date they become free agents. In addition, this ensures that the players signed early play their prime seasons with their original team. Therefore, by the time they enter free agency, the players are usually entering the decline phase of their careers.
This winter we again see a shallow free agent class, with just two premier hitters and one legitimate frontline starting pitcher. Leftfielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay join pitcher John Lackey as the best of the available players this offseason. All three can expect hefty contracts. Holliday and Bay will seek - and probably get - about five years at $17 million per season. Lackey will probably command about $15 million a year for at least four years.
Holliday and Bay are expected to draw interest from their current teams, the Cardinals and Red Sox. I would guess that both clubs will be the early favorites to secure the rights to each player, with the wildcard being the New York Yankees. The Yanks will be free of Hideki Matsui's contract and will be looking at acquiring a leftfielder. We already know they can outspend any team if they choose too, so it's just a matter of what they want to do. The Mets have been linked to both players, but I can't see them overspending and that's probably what it would require.
Lackey will also have plenty of suitors. The Angels appear to be somewhat indifferent, leading many to believe he will not be returning to Anaheim. Look for teams like Dodgers, Mets, Orioles and Tigers all to show some level of interest. Lackey appears to be a good fit in Texas with the Rangers, but their financial troubles probably remove them from the hunt.
One free agent that will fly under the radar but would be a tremendous addition to any team is the Angels' Chone Figgins. Figgins will probably not return to the Angels with Brandon Wood ready to replace him, but he will certainly find many clubs vying to sign him. The Cubs, Giants, Yankees and White Sox will all take a look. Figgins plays excellent defense at third or in the outfield, hits for contact and has the speed to steal 30 bases. He's a prototypical top-of-the-order bat that will command at least $12 million over three or four years.

The lefty Strasburg

A significant development occurred this week in MLB when Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman with granted residency in Andorra and declared an international free agent. Chapman, a 6'4" lefthanded pitcher, is considered the best arm to come out of Cuba in twenty years. Reported to be 21 (he looks more like 27), Chapman is essentially a two-pitch pitcher. He throws a 97-98 mph fastball and a tight slider that sits around 92. He's reached 100 mph several times during game action. Several scouts and baseball pundits have compared him to Steven Strasburg based on the sheer velocity of his fastball and his ability to completely overwhelm hitters. Watching Chapman pitch, you see an athletic young man with fairly smooth mechanics for someone so tall. I was reminded a bit of Dontrelle Willis, aside from the absence of the signature leg kick. Chapman has easy velocity and the tailing movement on his fastball is incredible. The ball literally breaks in to righthanders just as it crosses the plate. His slider has tight downward movement and is a second plus-pitch.
Not surprisingly, teams are now lining up to make offers to Chapman and his agent. The reported asking price is a contract worth a guaranteed $50 million, basically the same deal offered to Diasuke Matsuzaka. With this winter's free agent market light on frontline pitching, it's easy to imagine Chapman reaching his asking price.
So who's going to be involved? As one might expect, the usual big-market suspects are showing interest. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets and Angels have all confirmed their interest in Chapman. Some reports suggest Chapman prefers to play on the West Coast, leaving the Dodgers and Angels as frontrunners. Nevertheless, you can expect at least a dozen teams to make serious inquiries.
Scouts are quick to point out that, unlike Strasburg, Chapman is not MLB ready. Concerns about his fastball command lead many to believe that Chapman will need to spend some significant time in AA or AAA to hone his delivery and become accustomed to professional baseball.
Still, when you see him pitch, it's easy to picture Chapman striking out MLB hitters next summer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbAYAeb7xc&feature=related

Will Atlanta rise again?

Braves rookie righthander Tommy Hanson wasn't sharp Saturday afternoon, but it didn't matter. Yunel Escobar and Brian McCann combined for 5 rbi and the Braves beat the Nats 11-5 in D.C. to move within three games of the wildcard-leading Colorado Rockies. With just eight games left, the Braves will have to stay white-hot to tie the Rox but there's a valid reason why they might just do that.
The Braves boast one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball, led by the aforementioned Hanson and veteran Javier Vazquez. Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens and Tim Hudson round out the starting five and give the Bravos a slew of arms that induce groundballs, miss bats and - perhaps most importantly - pitch deep into games.
Atlanta sits at 84-70 and has won 9 of their last 11 games. Uncharacteristically, they're also scoring runs of late thanks in large part to McCann.
The remaining schedule is kind to Atlanta, with five games versus Washington, three against Florida and their last six contests in Turner Field. Meanwhile, Colorado plays St. Louis and Milwaukee in Colorado before finishing up with three in Chavez Ravine against the Dodgers.
Despite the hot streak, Atlanta will wake up Sunday morning no better than two and half games out. With a handful of games left to play, that is a significant gap. In a September devoid of drama, baseball fans have to be praying for a tie so we're treated to a one-game playoff between the two on Oct. 4.
It's ironic to consider that the Braves are following a similar path to the postseason that the Rockies did just two years ago when they won 20 of 21 en route to the National League pennant. With the arsenal of pitching the Braves have on board, it's not hard to envision them heading to the Fall Classic either.
Still, if you play the odds, the Rox remain the favorites. If all they do is play .500 baseball starting tonight, the Braves will still have to go 7-2 to force the playoff game.

A giant death knell

Playoff hopes of San Francisco Giants fans were effectively vanquished Thursday night by the usual suspect - a putrid offense.
Clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the ninth against the Cubs, closer Brian Wilson yielded a go-ahead, two-run bomb to Jeff Baker. It would be easy to blame Wilson for the loss, but he's actually been one of the better stoppers in the league in 2009. Instead, the culprit reared its head in the bottom of the inning. The Giants already knew that the wildcard leaders - the Colorado Rockies - had lost. Rally for a simple two runs and they'd be just three games out. The inning had promise. The Giants put a man on with one out against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol. Just as quickly, the next batter, Aaron Rowand, fell behind 0-2. What happened next epitomized the Giants offensive futility. Marmol chucked a waste pitch - a slider - about two and a half feet up the first base line. Inexplicably, Rowand flailed at the offering to record the second out. Boos reigned down on Rowand as Fred Lewis pinch hit for the Giants in their final attempt at glory. Almost predictably, Lewis was struck out on three pitches.
The Giants will miss the postseason because they failed to address their offensive shortcomings. At the trade deadline, the Giants insisted on trading for slap-hitting Freddy Sanchez and the underwhelming Ryan Garko. This despite having chips on the farm to trade and legitimate bats like Matt Holliday available. With Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum already in tow, wouldn't it have made sense to lure the A's into dealing Holliday for lefthander Madison Bumgarner? But alas - GM Brian Sabean decided to fill the cupboard with more of what he already had - replacement level batters that fail to support a tremendous pitching staff.
Now, as Friday's action looms, the Giants remain four games behind Colorado with just nine games remaining.

One to watch

Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane is known for his trading acumen and ability to recognize young talent. These skills have helped him transform the A's from the Hudson-Mulder-Zito era into a new age also founded on strong starting pitching.
In 2007, Beane traded ace righthander Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks for six players, one of whom was lefthander Brett Anderson. At the time, Anderson was a mid-level prospect with considerable upside. Two short years later, Anderson is one of the game's most promising young pitchers. Thursday night, the lefty turned in another fine performance against Texas in what has been a tremendous second half of the season.
Just 21 years old, Anderson has won 11 games with an ERA of 4.12 and a robust strikeout rate of 7.6 per nine innings. Walks, usually the Achilles' heel of young hurlers, haven't been much of an issue for Anderson. He's allowed 2.4 per nine innings and just 2.2 over his last 90 innings of work. The fact that he's increased his strikeout rate while simultaneously shaving walks is a great indicator of future success. Just as AL hitters should be figuring him out, Anderson has instead kicked his game up and become more dominant.
Scouts attribute the improvement to a simple increase in velocity. Anderson began the year working his fastball at about 90-91 mph. By June, he was throwing it at 94-95. That heater, coupled with a devastating slider, has made Anderson exceedingly difficult to hit. Once he begins to incorporate an effective change, this young man will dominate the American League.
Billy Beane doesn't always get his man. But this time, with young Brett Anderson, Beane has found a building block for the A's next postseason run.

Roll of the Dice-K

Diasuke Matsuzaka had become a forgotten man in the Boston Red Sox starting rotation. Worn down from the World Baseball Classic, Dice-K performed nowhere near his career norms prior to being sent to the disabled list at mid-season. Matsuzaka returned with a sharp performance last week and followed that up with another solid start Sunday night.
The impact of Dice-K's return cannot be over stated - the Red Sox are now the favorites to win the American League pennant. A four-man front of Dice, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz far exceeds that of the other three playoff teams. In addition, the Red Sox have hit at a .287 team clip over the last month and have scored almost five runs per game. Boston is on fire and only stellar pitching by their opponents stands between them and the World Series.

Return of the Jake

28-year-old righthander Jake Peavy returned to the mound Saturday night and made his debut with the Chicago White Sox. Peavy got the win in a solid if unspectacular outing. He threw 73 pitches over five innings allowing three runs on three hits and striking out five. One of the hits was a bomb off the bat of Kansas City's Billy Butler. Still, Peavy looked good. He topped out at 91-92, down about 4 mph from his usual self. But his fastball had its signature late life, inducing a fair amount of swings and misses. Most importantly, number forty-four looked confident and pitched aggressively, several times brushing batters away from the plate. Word is the White Sox will give him about 75 pitches a start in his next three outings to close out the season. Peavy is poised to become Chicago's ace in 2010, moving lefty John Danks down to the number two slot in the rotation and Mark Buehrle to the third spot. With Gavin Floyd perhaps the major's best number four starter, the ChiSox have the makings of an excellent rotation next year. They have to be considered one the favorites heading into the season. Look for GM Ken Williams to trade closer Bobby Jenks for a bat, possibly a first baseman. With the Sox' payroll expected to be high next season, the team could use a bat that won't add much to payroll. An potential match might be the Texas Rangers who could send free-swinging slugger Chris Davis to the south side for Jenks.
Either way, seeing Peavy attack hitters as he's done for six years was an encouraging sign for White Sox fans and fantasy owners lucky enough to own "Peav."

September Drama

At the beginning of the month, it appeared that baseball fans would have plenty of time to adjust their fantasy football rosters since the MLB playoff scene appeared set. However, with 15 games left, two races have jumped into the picture.
In the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers are trying their hardest to relinquish what was once a commanding lead. Entering play on the 19th, the Tigers' lead had been cut to three games thanks to a loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. The Tigers pitching staff has been dreadful over the last month, which Jim Leyland able to count on ace Justin Verlander and no one else. The Detroit bullpen is terrible, Edwin Jackson has regressed and mid-season acquisition Jarrod Washburn has underwhelmed. The Twins still face an uphill climb without slugger Justin Morneau, who is out for the season with a back injury. It's been a season of disappointment for Minnesota as their once-vaunted pitching staff has been pedestrian at best. The Twins will need to split the weekend games and keep the margin at three games in order to have a chance. If the Tigers can win both - and stretch the lead to five - it's over.
In the National League, the Colorado Rockies recently enjoyed a six-game advantage in the Wild Card race. Pitching woes have haunted them as well and their lead over the San Francisco Giants has been whittled to a mere two and a half games. The Rox have the edge as they are a more-complete team than the Giants. The absence of closer Huston Street has thinned out the Colorado bullpen and pushed lefty set-up man Franklin Morales into the stopper's role. Ultimately, this race will come down to San Francisco's pitching. If they excel and keep the Giants in every game going forward, they may be able to sneak by the Rockies despite having an offense that has been on life support all season. My guess is the Rox have just enough to hold off the Giants and earn a playoff berth for the second time in three seasons.