It seems much of the mainstream media is up in arms over the continued surge in offense. It’s just three weeks into the season, and we’re hearing about how the ball needs to be changed, the mound needs to be raised, the bats need to be checked, the hitters need to be tested…pretty much everything…
Not too long ago, a panel of "baseball experts" were interviewed on WBEZ, Chicago’s National Public Radio affiliate. All three sang the praises of what stadiums "do" that makes some teams more profitable than others. Bringing up Jacobs Field, they couldn’t help but enthuse about how much money the mallpark makes for the Indians, which…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Activated RHP Matt Mantei off of the DL; designated RHP Darren Holmes for assignment. [4/21] Darren Holmes is almost certain to be claimed by a team like the Cubs or Astros, so it will be interesting to see if the Snakes pull off a trade while they can. Mantei’s absence didn’t hurt the…
They’re Similar in Everything but Religion With Randy Johnson‘s torrid start, his career won/lost record is now 164-88. There are those who think that despite his terrific winning percentages and his two Cy Young Awards, Johnson simply hasn’t won enough games to merit Hall of Fame consideration yet. To that, I say, "phooey." Check out…
Periodically, I’ll be taking a look at the 30 teams as a whole and ranking them based on where they stand at that moment in time. These rankings will be based primarily on the the team’s truest indicator of actual ability–runs scored and allowed–but will also take into account other factors. Take these rankings with…
Yesterday, I talked about the long winning streaks assembled by the Braves and Mets. The Mets stretched theirs to eight games Monday by beating the Dodgers 1-0, while the Braves had the day off. But even with that success, neither team is the best story in the division. The best story in the division is…
No sooner did I finish reading an e-mail Friday night from Paul Covert, with an excellent analysis of the relative chances of Ryan Klesko and Orlando Cabrera, than Klesko drew his first walk of the season and effectively ended the inaugural DiSar Awards competition. Benji Gil‘s Cinderella run at Jacque Jones had ended earlier that…
Mark Wolfson has been a television producer and director since 1969, and has worked in sports television since 1976, when he set up his own production company in Los Angeles. In the ensuing 24 years, he’s worked on just about every sport, even the World Wrist Wrestling Championship from the Queen Mary. Mark produced and…
HOME OPENERS “I don’t think I’ve ever had an opening day with snow. It was fun.” — Shane Andrews, Cubs infielder “A guy hits three homers to initiate the park. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. That’s a lot of home runs in one day. Maybe we ought to look for somebody that’s been…
Anaheim Angels You don’t need to look any further than the top of the Angels’ lineup to find one of the main reasons for the team’s unexpectedly good start, as Darin Erstad (.492/.548/.738) is reestablishing himself as one of the toughest outs in the game. Less than a month ago, some pundits were questioning his…
Your friendly neighborhood columnist had one too many Cadbury Creme Eggs–thank god these things are seasonal–while watching Randy Johnson, so he’ll send you into the weekend with whatever random things pop into his head: A number of you have written in to let me know that Jacque Jones walked twice on Tuesday night. Jones’s first…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Acquired 2B/3B Javier Fuentes from the Red Sox for OF Garry Maddox Jr. [4/19] Neither Javier Fuentes nor Garry Maddox Jr. are prospects. This is simply an exchange from depth; the Red Sox are short of true outfielders throughout their system, not just on the major-league level, while Fuentes will be the oldest…
For your enjoyment, here are two pitching performances: Pitcher A: 4 IP, 2.25 ERA Pitcher B: 5 1/3 IP, 11.81 ERA Sure, it’s a small sample size, so maybe it doesn’t mean that much. Let’s look at a larger sample: Pitcher A: 73 IP, 5.47 ERA Pitcher B: 147 1/3 IP, 5.62 ERA Hmmm…not much…
News and notes from the division’s affiliates: Baltimore: Two pitching prospects who had poor springs on and off the field are going in opposite directions at Triple-A Rochester. Jason Johnson is trying to reclaim is spot in the Birds’ rotation, allowing just runs in his first three starts. With neither Jose Mercedes nor Calvin Maduro…
If you missed the last Transaction Analysis, you can find it here. ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed OF Garret Anderson to a four-year contract extension through 2004. [4/14] Garret Anderson had already made it clear he planned on sticking around, and now that he’s proven he’s a better-than-average center fielder, he’s a valuable guy to have. It’s…
With last night’s dismantling of the Rangers, the Yankees have won seven straight games. Five of those wins have been over the Texas Rangers, who really have to be considering the merits of the National League, or the Mexican League, or the League of Nations–hell, any league that doesn’t include the Yankees–at this point. The…