Swing For The Fences ………..
By tophatal ……… 05/04/12 …. 00:45 AM
A month into the MLB season and things seem to be faring well for a number of teams while others continually struggle . Opening Day , 4th April and all thirty teams within baseball started off alike , well so much for that premise as we have seen several teams simply play themselves out of contention as it relates to their respective divisions . Does anyone truly believe that the Minnesota Twins (6-17) , Kansas City Royals ( 7-16) , Chicago Cubs (8-15) and the San Diego Padres (9-17) will be part of baseball’s postseason fare at the culmination of the regular season ?
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Slide show for your perusal .
The fast rising Washington Nationals (14-8) sit atop of the NL East and it’d be fair to say that they might just be the surprise team in baseball as the season is still in its infancy . At this time last season the Nationals were a far cry away from where they are today , in so many ways. in the infancy of the season . And while there has been praise for starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and teammate Bryce Harper , it has to be said the awe and praise while at this moment it may well be justified in part. Let’s see where the season takes Davey Johnson and his coaching staff as he seeks to guide this team during the “dark days” of Summer . Harper brought up from the minors to add some much-needed “pop” to the Washington Nationals’ offense .
The Nationals for their part are on a five game losing streak stretching back to the latter part of April and the team has lost ( 4-6 ) of their last ten games . Get the feeling that those buying into the idiocy of the ascent of the Nationals is like that of a Phoenix rising out of the ashes ? If by late August the team is in the mix for the division then by all means , run with that premise but as of now let’s take a step back and simply watch the events unfurl .
Well just as injuries have blighted the aspirations of the teams participating in the NBA postseason . The same malady has seemingly struck baseball so early into the season . While the Texas Rangers are intent on repeating as the ALCS champions and they have flown out of the gate , posting the joint best record in baseball alongside the Los Angeles Dodgers (17-8) . And while the talk has been of the struggles of Albert Pujols and the fact that he hasn’t hit a home run in over 50 at-bats . For Mike Sciocsia and his coaching staff there doesn’t appear to be a sense of urgency at present but it is clear that should this slump be prolonged then some decision has to be made as to how best to aid this formidable hitter. The great players seemingly are able to play themselves out of such slumps , and Pujols is no different from the other hitters in the game.
The Texas Rangers for their part under Ron Washington are simply going through the motions , as they are by far in a way the most balanced team in the game . And though they are coming off a 11-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays , it may well be seen as something of a slight bump in the road for the team . Clearly the Rangers are getting the best out this staff and with the acquisition of Yu Darvish it would appear that the pitching rotation hasn’t really missed a beat in comparison to last season .
In spite of the plaudits and what many felt would be the dawn of a ” new era” with regard to the Chicago Cubs . It has to be said that the hiring of the Theo Epstein to head the Baseball Operations and GM Jed Hoyer the Cubs’ organization , it would appear that not much has changed with regard to the anemic issues that have faced this ball-club in recent years . It is hard to see how Dale Sveum can guide this team in what appears to be the midst of another woefully inept season. At 8-15 the only other team in the NL baseball with a comparably anemic record are worse record in the NL just happens to the cellar dwelling Miami Marlins (9-14) and the San Diego Padres (9-17). It is hard to envisage how the Cubs can play themselves out of this slump when the team has been performing so poorly . Granted , it would be foolish to think Epstein would be able to change the fortunes of this team overnight . But with so many bad contracts and no apparent leadership from any of the seasoned veterans on the roster . The lone sign of life on the team might just be the play of Starling Castro from an offensive standpoint who’s batting a team leading .333 which would place him amongst the top five within the NL at present (batting average). .
However, if the Chicago Cubs are to have any semblance of a decent season within the NL Central then the Cubs will have raise the level of their play over the course of the remainder of the baseball calendar year. For Theo Epstein in resurrecting this organization , this becomes a work in progress which may well at minimum for to five years. And though the Cubs has a wealth of resources at their disposal , with their billionaire owner Thomas “Tom” Ricketts at the helm the family’s ownership group in this renowned organization. Alfonso Soriano remains the highest paid player on the team but his productivity for the Cubs remains inconsistent .
For the Chicago Cubs to do battle against their fellow residents within the NL Central it is hard to see how they can overcome the division leading St Louis Cardinals (15-8) , Cincinnati Reds (11-11) and the Milwaukee Brewers (11-14) . Mike Matheny who succeeded Tony La Russa as the manager of the reigning World Series champions . Series MVP … David Freese doesn’t seemed to skipped a beat as he continues show why he was a hero in the ” Fall Classic” . Freese and an injury free Carlos Beltran are spearheading the attack for the St Louis Cardinals , while the pitching staff are slowly finding their groove . Things could get rather ominous for the Cardinals’ opponents in the ensuing months should this really find some semblance of consistency from the pitching staff , should Kyle Lohse continue with his rich vein of form alongside his teammates . I am sure that team GM John Mozeliak and team owner Bill De Witt would like nothing better than to see the organization make a quick return to the World Series and making a successful run , in repeating as title-holders .
They remain the organization against which all others have to be adjudged and that’s certainly why the New York Yankees remain perennial contenders for the World Series . The names may change as time goes by concerning the managers and players but winning remains a their top priority. For Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman theirs is not an enviable task but somehow they will have to endure and prove themselves worthy . And though it’s still early days yet but even with a 13-10 record within the AL East the Yankees are looking to play their way into contention amongst the elite within the AL .
Derek Jeter seems to have a new lease on life as his career is on the rebound , as he leads the AL with a .400 batting average . But their problems may well have significantly taken a turn for the worse with the reported loss of Mariano Rivera with a possible torn meniscus or ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee . The injury could very well threaten his career and a formidable one that it has been . Alternatives , as it relates to the Yankees’ bullpen gives Girardi the choice between David Robertson and Rafael Soriano . The all-time career saves’ leader , Rivera’s statistics in this particular category leaves that of his teammates , Robertson and Soriano trailing in the dust . Needless to say Joe Girardi has a decision to make and it will have the Yankees’ fans on edge.
And while there has been a great deal of speculation as to how tenuous the pitching remains for this team . Now their situation becomes even more dire as the rest of their season beckons , especially against their divisional counterparts and the fact that the AL East remains the most competitive division within all of baseball .
The injury that occurred to Mariano Rivera happened during the team’s warm-ups prior to their game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Park , Kansas City , Missouri. This game will be the first of a three-game series against the Royals that will really test the mettle of the Yankees , after this immeasurable loss to the organization. And while the Tampa Bay Rays (16-8) leads the AL East , and they possess 2 1/2 game lead over their divisional rivals .
For Joe Maddon , in knowing that this injury befell the Yankees , it certainly as such opens an even greater opportunity for his team this season . But their situation certainly hasn’t been helped by the two-month loss of Evan Longoria , and what this may well mean by way of the productivity for the Tampa Bay Rays during this time-span. Certainly , the pitching for the Rays this season has been amongst the very best that the AL has to offer , in a rotation headed by James Shields , Jeremy Hellickson , Wade Davis and David Price .
Amongst the Tampa Bay Rays’ fans there’s no denying that this division has to be viewed as winnable and for the games at Tropicana Field , St Petersburg over the course of this season . All the support that this organization can muster for those games must be shown with the all-out support by their hard-core fans. The fans crave the success and what Joe Maddon has done during his tenure has been astonishing . The team’s exploits during the final month of the 2011 regular season speaks volumes as to the tenacity of the organization under their manager. Joe Maddon has been by far the most successful coach (manager) that the Rays have had during their entire existence and that most definitely includes those years of futility. The question now must be , will this be the year where the Tampa Bay Rays finally get over that last remaining obstacle on their way to their first World Series win ? Chances this question will be answered one way or another for this team.
Now while the season is still in its infancy , off the field the game still remains with seen its integrity and image further tarnished . The Shyam Das’ arbitration decision in overturning Ryan Braun’s 50 game mandatory suspension for what was an alleged abuse of the league’s steroid abuse mandate . Well the asinine outcry from the league hierarchy and the statements attributed to Bud Selig , seemingly shows how out of touch the commissioner just happens to be ! Selig and his subordinate Rob Manfred have shown about as much intelligence as one would expect from two individuals who earn a combined $40 million annually but simply have no damn idea as to how best deal with the financial imbalances that effects the vast majority of the teams within the game. Selig’s ire was drawn by the arbitrator’s decision but by no means did he question the very fact that the testing facility that handled Braun’s test specimens did not follow the proper protocols as laid out by the league , itself . And one wonders why the commissioner is often viewed as a complete buffoon and an ass ? Repeatedly, Bud Selig opens his mouth and continues to make the most asinine of statements , and he’s yet to explain his actions as it relates to the behind-the-scenes allegations as to his interference in the sale ($2.15 billion) of the Los Angeles Dodgers to a consortium led by Magic Johnson , Stan Kasten , Peter Guber and the senior partners of the venture capital firm Guggenheim Partners LLC . If ever there was a time for Selig to step down from his current position then now would be it _______ but unfortunately that is unlikely to be the case . God knows , a chimpanzee could probably perform this task a great deal better than the incumbent !
One cannot ignore Roger Clemens and his antics as he looks to clear his name , while he and his lead defense attorney Rusty Hardin and Hardin’s associate Michael Attanasio , simply look to make a mockery of the judicial system . At the same time the inescapable fact has been that the US Justice Department has done little justify their avarice in chasing down Clemens for what they believe to be perjury after his sworn testimony under subpoena in-front of a Congressional Committee . Unless I’m mistaken , there are members of the US House and Senate who have done far more egregious acts than the former big league pitcher ! But somehow they are able to escape the grasp of the Attorney General Eric Holder and his office . Now the full wrath of that office and the money spent chases after Roger Clemens for lying under oath to the congressional committee , and we are told investigative members of the FBI . Oops !
Clemens’ case is currently in session and being presided over by Federal Court Judge Reggie Walton . And the player’s former teammate Andy Pettite’s testimony may well go a long way in either clearing the player or quite possibly proving to be the “nail in his coffin” as the government looks to make its case . The reliability and integrity Clemens’ former strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee by no means the biggest advantage in the government’s case could very well sink it altogether . As McNamee in his own testimony to the congressional committee was literally filled with so many misnomers half-truths . Lobbing claims of deceit and deception against one another , McNamee and Clemens are in essence the “poster children” as to what was rife within the baseball during the 90’s as the game was beset by the whole ” steroid abuse era” . Records were being shattered and the league hierarchy and the game’s most prominent analysts and journalists were simply nowhere to be seen or heard from on the matter ! Suffice to say , any statement now being made by the likes of Buster Olney , Tim Kurkjian , John Kruk , Rob Dibble , Skip Bayless , Orel Hershiser , Joe Buck and Joe Morgan has to be taken at face value ………. in effect they simply have nothing meaningful at all to say on the subject !
I’m not averse to the Justice Department going after criminals , hardened violent criminals or those white collar-criminals who in the last decade has cost this nation billions of dollars . Case in point , the executives who sit atop of such financial institutions as Goldman Sachs , AIG , Bank of America , Wells Fargo Inc and the now defunct Lehman Bros whose $300 billion ($300,000,000,000) bankruptcy was the largest in US corporate history . There is enough evidence to suggest that these executives misled the government and in particular the senior principals within the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission) as well as that impish clown , Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner as to the financial irregularities and the fact that many of those financial institutions used surreptitious and illegal accounting practices to hide and transfer assets to off-shoots across the globe _____ to inflate , and then deflate their balance sheets . But to date , not one of those executives has yet to be arraigned or prosecuted to the full extent of the legal system , with impunity . Less we forget , the financial industry has been the recipient of over $275 billion ($275,000,000,000) in taxpayers’ monies as part of a government bailout but somehow Eric Holder’s office is intent on punishing Roger Clemens for lying ? How fu_ked up is that situation ? Should this not have been down the MLB hierarchy , to question and perhaps mete out some form of punishment to the player , as they deem fit ? Selig’s intellect has to come into question but those are merely my own thoughts on the matter ! What thoughts , if any , do you have on these set of circumstances ?
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Picture gallery for your perusal .
As the first month of the baseball season has passed what if anything has been the biggest surprise to you as an observer ? And what if anything do you feel will happen as it pertains to Clemens’ ongoing trial ? By all mean simply chime in with a comment as you see fit and once again thanks for the continued support of this site as it is and has always been greatly appreciated !
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Picture and slide show details below .
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(1) FILE – This Sept. 14, 2005 file photo shows Hall of Fame baseball player Stan Musial and his wife, Lillian , waving as they are taken around the field at a baseball game between the Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates in St. Louis. The Cardinals said Lillian Musial died on Thursday, May 3, 2012. She was 91. AP Photo/Tom Gannam ….
(2) Ian Desmond (20) of the Washington Nationals slides into second base as Willie Bloomquist (18) of the Arizona Diamondbacks turns a double play in the eighth inning at Nationals Park on May 3, 2012 in Washington, DC. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images …
(3) Bryce Harper (34) and Rick Ankiel (24) of the Washington Nationals celebrate after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park on May 3, 2012 in Washington, DC. Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images …
(4) Texas Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman reaches for a new ball as Toronto Blue Jays’ Edwin Encarnacion rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Wednesday May 2, 2012. AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn …
(5) ST. PETERSBURG, FL – MAY 3: Infielder Alex Liddi (16) of Seattle Mariners bats against the Tampa Bay Rays May 3, 2012 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images …
(6) NEW YORK – FILE: Derek Jeter (2) , Mariano Rivera (42) and Robinson Cano (24) of the New York Yankees celebrate with the trophy after their 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six of the 2009 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on November 4, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. According to reports, Rivera suffered a tear to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee as well as a partially torn meniscus while shagging balls in the outfield during batting practice on May 3, 2012 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images …
(7) Former all-star baseball pitcher Roger Clemens (2nd L) and his attorney Rusty Hardin (L) leave the U.S. District Court after a day of hearing of his perjury and obstruction trial May 1, 2012 in Washington, DC. New York Yankees pitcher and longtime friend of Clemens, Andy Pettitte took the stand today, and said Clemens had told him that he had used human growth hormone. Getty Images North America / Alex Wong …..
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MLB Draft 1995 the year Mariano Rivera hit the big leagues .
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