Third base might be the most interesting position on the field this spring. Last year it was Kevin Elster. This year, the Dodgers dusted Mark Lewis off and handed him a contract and a shot at a position where they’re way short on contributing talent. Of course, that’s where the similarities end. The Dodgers have…
Last week Gary Sheffield whined about his contract, griped about respect, and completely negated his team’s ability to abide by his wishes and trade him by stating he’ll only go to one of three teams, and that he doesn’t want to be traded for a superstar. Now, Frank Thomas has gotten into the act, missing…
I wondered if any of you had any opinion on Scott Boras’s assertions that Alex Rodriguez will hit 778 HR. Rob Neyer pooh-poohed the idea in his column, but I don’t think it sounds unreasonable at all in today’s climate. –DS Well, as I’m sure you know by now, Rob has explained his take on…
Previous articles in this series: Rotation of the Decade MVP of the Decade Outfield of the Decade Infield of the Decade Fittingly, we end our yearlong Team of The Decade extended coverage with your choices for the bullpen. Winning more than double the points of the second place finisher, the Reliever of the Decade is…
HACKING MASS | Team-by-Team Results | 2000 Rosters | Results By Position It’s that time of year again: the leaves are turning, the chill of autumn is in the air, and the stiffest of the stiff are being recognized for a job vigorously done. Here are the results of this year’s HACKING MASS extravaganza. Roundup…
I first became really interested in Andujar Cedeno‘s career when I opened the paper one morning in December of 1994 and saw the Padres and the Astros had swapped rosters. Sure, Steve Finley and Ken Caminiti were the big names coming to town, and I was glad I would no longer have to watch Derek…
Every year at around this time, the staff of Baseball Prospectus likes to engage in a complete exercise in futility. I’m not talking about Somersizing, resolving to balance the checkbook for the rest of the year or attempting to teach Derek Zumsteg the wonders of laying off the curve ball. What we end up doing…
Over the weekend, I read some news that really made me wonder what kind of a world we live in. I am speaking, of course, of Pierce Marshall announcing he will appeal the $450 million dollar decision in the Anna Nicole Smith inheritance case last week. Scratch that. I am speaking, of course, of the…
Just in time for this year’s Internet Baseball Awards, we’ve stumbled upon the remaining data from the Team of the Decade voting. Previous articles in this series: MVP of the Decade Outfield of the Decade Infield of the Decade The rotation of the Decade is set. Greg Maddux missed out on MVP of the Decade,…
Just in time for this year’s Internet Baseball Awards, we’ve stumbled upon the remaining data from the Team of the Decade voting. Without further ado… In the end, the competition for the Player of the Decade came down to the decade’s best pitcher versus its best position player–a competition Barry Bonds won with relative ease….
Dodger Blues As we predicted at the start of the season, the race in the NL West is tighter than Pamela Anderson's wardrobe, with only two and a half games separating the two contenders. What we failed to predict is who the contenders would be, again giving the Los Angeles Dodgers more credit than they…
Lynched When the other shoe dropped in Chicago, it wasn’t a Sammy Sosa deal. General Manager Ed Lynch was awarded the famed Pink Slip and one month’s salary and benefits as this year’s Snuggly Cubbie Scapegoat. Team President Andy MacPhail will assume the duties of the general manager until a new warm body is found,…
Questions to Ponder As we make our way to the All-Star break, there’s a heck of a dogfight at the top of the AL East. The perennial division champion Yankees lead the Red Sox by a single game…and both teams are looking up at the Blue Jays. Overall, just 1 1/2 games separate these teams,…
Rocky Mountain High Heading into action on May 27, it was shaping up to be another thouroughly mediocre season for the Colorado Rockies. The team sat just over .500 with a record of 23-22, and rivals Arizona and Los Angeles were running away from the pack in the NL West. Despite first baseman Todd Helton‘s…
Big Mouth For most of the past decade, the Atlanta Braves have been about two things: winning, and winning quietly. The Braves made a postseason appearance an event as unremarkable as a Pedro Martinez shutout, a Felix Martinez rabbit punch or a security violation at Los Alamos; it’s almost more interesting when it doesn’t happen….
The Series–and you know what I’m talking about: The Series–is over. Throughout the New York/Boston media axis, sportswriters are returning to their blissful slumber, and as we enter the month of June, the New York Yankees find themselves in unfamiliar territory: second place. It’s really fairly incredible that a three-game series in late May can…