One of the stranger stories of the summer occurred this weekend when the Baltimore Orioles‘ Luke Scott cited Proverbs during an interview criticizing Tampa Bay Rays‘ pitcher for violating the Biblical prohibition against pride. It rubbed Garza the wrong way who responded that Scott was hypocritical for making gestures and actions that likewise showed his own self-indulgence.
As an aside, is it worth pointing out that the Tampa team until recently boasted “devil” in its name? All kidding aside, it appears that this feud has Garza red hot, most likely as a result of his own recognition that Scott was deliberately trying to goad him with his Christian beliefs. Look, Garza’s right that Scott unfairly brought religion into the mix. However, whether religion has no place in baseball is a question worth discussing. Read more
While all sports have players that hang on for years upon years thanks to the sheer joy of playing, baseball’s the only sport that can offer them access to stick around in a minor league role while awaiting a call-up. In some ways, the system is flawed and unfair because it leaves so many minor league players clinging to false hope that they’ll some day get their shot. At the same time, however, it makes it possible for players like Max St. Pierre who don’t ever give up hope to achieve something memorable. Read more
In recent years, Manny Ramirez has become a forgotten star. Just a little while ago, it would have been unfathomable to see Manny on waivers and joining another team mid-season, as he now embarks on the next portion of his career with the Chicago White Sox. “Manny Ramirez wasn’t a star, he was a supernova,” says Ray Ratto at CBS Sports. But Manny’s story unfortunately, doesn’t end with success on his terms (as he’d carried himself for much of his career). “Then he landed, hard, and face-first,” says Ratto.
What changed? He had injuries, for starters. But unlike most other aging veterans who find themselves landing on the D.L., Manny had to also shoulder the weight of scrutiny over a past with performance enhancing drugs. He’d gone from one of the most beloved members of the baseball clubhouse to someone we shied away from, even shunned. Then it got even worse for Manny: The Los Angeles Dodgers figured out how to play without him in their lineup. Young players started to hit their strides, and eventually Manny wasn’t all that missed. He became expendable, and he’s on his way out now. Read more
Last night after Ryan Howard (rightfully) flipped out at an umpire and got himself ejected from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 14th inning, the team fielded pitcher Roy Oswalt in left field which left many observers chuckling at the sight of a pitcher playing the field. We’re more accustomed to the opposite – position players who take over pitching duties in late, runaway games. But Oswalt’s example is significantly less common. Read more
Sean Forman has a great piece on The New York Times site today about the upcoming problems that baseball will have to face when more eligible and deserving players turn up on ballots than the hall is prepared to accept. Guys like Fred McGriff and Barry Larkin were great in their day, yes, though nobody would argue they have the credentials and following that Hall of Famers boast. Obviously there are going to be players who are best appreciated in their time whose legacies don’t live on nearly long enough to merit the honor (the biggest argument against this year’s recipient, Andre Dawson, by the way). Larkin and McGriff were two of the greats at their positions in their eras, but they don’t rank nearly high enough all time to get the recognition Read more
On Sunday, Minnesota Twins‘ pitcher was smoking hot, allowing no hits through seven innings. But he had thrown 106 pitches, exceeding the pitch count his manager Ron Gardenhire had allotted for the afternoon, and Gardenhire decided to pull Slowey in favor of letting him go for the glory. It was a tight game at the time, and perfectly understandable as a managerial decision for Gardenhire to want to get a fresh arm on the mound instead if risking the game on a fatigued Slowey. A disappointed Slowey fell short of saying he agreed with the manager’s call to pull him, but he did say he was at peace with it. Read more
Whenever a franchise starts from nothing after a change of cities, the prior history becomes a point of conflict. Should they start from scratch completely, as the Baltimore Ravens did, or should they welcome the team’s past, as the Lakers did? Since they took over the Expos a couple years back, the Washington Nationals have been in a strange place, unsure whether to retain Montreal’s history or to go back a generation and to adopt the Washington Senators’ tradition. In a way, the Nats lost in both directions since Montreal fans weren’t on board with the new franchise, nor were the older Senators fans who didn’t recognize this franchise from any other. So the Nats waited…until now.
They’ve decided to draw from both. When you have to choose one or the other, there’s no good solution. But the Nats have resolved the issue in a way few could have predicted. They’ve put up tributes to some of the great players inside their stadium, welcoming both Andre Dawson and Walter Johnson to their club. But they had to cut the cord somewhere: Read more
Baseball’s been dogged this season by the constant complaining that players and managers are making about poor officiating by umpires. Since there’s no reason to believe that umpires are performing worse this year than any other (if there is such an opinion, I’d love to hear it), the only thing that seemed to be way up this year is the amount we’re hearing about it. Jim Joyce’s infamous bad call during Armando Galarraga’s no-hit bid earlier this summer has only led to more bickering between players and umps, and more meticulous sightings of perceived infractions. Read more
Yesterday afternoon, A-Rod made history when he belted his 600th career homer. Outside of New York, this doesn’t seem like much of a story. After all, A-Rod cheated and we haven’t yet decided to forgive him for his past indiscretions. Which is a sensible and legitimate reaction to take except for the fact that we may have just scoffed at a big moment in baseball history.
In recent years, we got lucky when we got to see Bonds, Sosa, and Griffey get there. With A-Rod now, that’s four of the great modern sluggers who got where only Aaron, Ruth, and Mays had gone before. But those seven may stay the complete list for a long time coming. You see, this may be the last time for a while – if not ever – that we see a player eclipse that coveted mark. If you look down the list of the next active players in line to make a run at the 600 mark, you’ll find a less than impressive cast of characters. Read more
You want sports to be about winning. You want sports to be about being better than the other team, about exerting all your resources on Championship. You want sports to be about winning.
But as a Pittsburgher, and by extension a Pirates fan, I have learned that sports is not all about winning; it is a business not unlike any other, whose sole goal at the end of the day is to make money. Normally, this is most efficiently achieved through awards and trophies, but last month’s Forbes report reveals that the most profitable teams are far from the winningest.
A couple of weeks ago, the Texas Rangers surprised everyone by sneaking in and grabbing Cliff Lee ahead of the Yankees. It was particularly noteworthy because the Rangers seemed to be making a statement more than anything that they were going to make this year the one where they stayed in contention through and through, even at the risk of stepping on New York’s toes. The trade carried some weight in balancing out the heavy swinging teams with those who seemed to fade just before making it to the top. This, it stood to reason, was a sign that other teams were trying to join the upper echelons.
Then yesterday rolled around and we were reminded that the same old standard teams were going to be the big wheeler and dealers at the deadline, anyway. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals, Phillies, and Braves were the big winners this weekend with their deadline deals that snatched up available talent in order to patch up starting rotations, bullpens, and benches as they charge toward the post-season. That’s the nature of how baseball’s been for some time now; the superpowers can gamble with mid-season trades that won’t set them back too much if the players fail to produce. You do have to feel for teams like San Diego, Tampa, Cincinnati and others that are at the top of their divisions and inevitably wind up watching their competition grow better and better around them. Read more
The Tampa Bay Rays‘ pitcher Matt Garza tossed a no-hitter the other night, the 5th so far this season. We’ve never seen numbers like this stack up so quickly, and many are talking about what’s changed about the game to allow for more dominant pitching performances. No-hitters, for them to be special and noteworthy, don’t happen too often. When they do, the pitchers receive the honor and recognition that we award for such an accomplishment. The problem now though is that with so many of them coming all at once, it’s hard to hold onto the esteem that comes with it. Read more
Every year around this time, speculation centers on available players who could be dealt to contenders. Pitchers in particular are in high demand each summer because teams believe that they’re just a solid starter away from securing that playoff spot or going deep into the postseason. This year’s candidates to be dealt are Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren, two players who have big names but may have already seen their best days. It makes you wonder then if these deals are really about making a better team or about appeasing a fan base that is urging the franchises to do something at the deadline and thus grab whatever player they can. Read more
The Tampa Bay Rays use a sports psychologist. That headline grabbed my attention not because I think it’s revolutionary and want to learn more about the way this therapist practices in the clubhouse, but because I’m surprised this is news at all. Shouldn’t all ball clubs have someone on staff – or close by – to speak to the players about what’s going on in their heads, especially available for those who are struggling to make contact or to find the strike zone. I expect this to be standard for all teams in all sports. A consultant like this one would surely do the team good, even if players are hesitant to speak up about their problems. Read more
Recently, a friend of mine was explaining why so many former NBA players go on to become scouts and lower-level coaches once their playing careers end. While some players retire with the earnings they’ve brought in during their professional days, many others have to go on working to support themselves afterward. For them, my friend reasons, there isn’t much choice in terms of the industry they’re choosing from, for all they’ve known to this point of their lives is one thing: Basketball. He believes that these players work in the industry of basketball.
And I’m inclined to agree. We associate sports with the playing side when in reality there are plenty of other jobs to be had in the massive industry of professional sports. That’s why it comes as no surprise to me that Cal Ripken is reportedly mulling a return to the Orioles as an adviser to the team. And if experience is a factor here, then Ripken’s decades of experience working in the industry of baseball will make him a great candidate to help turn the struggling franchise around. In fact, he’d be the perfect person to become the face of an overhaul for the team. Not only because he’s got the playing experience and the fans behind him, but he’s got so much wisdom to impart that he’s a commodity the team should continue to chase. Read more
