We have become so stat conscious that we forget the teams still have to play each other on the field.
Some of the things I have learned since playing in the playoffs and World Series is the importance of having a solid game plan and sticking to it. Let's just take the Tigers and A's in Game 1 of the ALCS.
What many people may not know is that both teams have been scouting each other for a month leading up to the series. Teams that think they may be going to the playoffs send out advance scouts a month before the end of the season in preparation for the postseason. Knowing that might help you understand why the Detroit batters knew exactly what to look for and how to attack Barry Zito and the A's at the plate.
It's the little things that may help you win a ballgame … what count Zito throws his curve the most, what count he throws his changeup, etc. Not that you want your players to overthink while they are in the middle of the game, but prior knowledge is huge when you're in a seven-game series. Much of this information isn't as easily obtained during the course of the year.
Yes, we've all heard about Kirk Gibson knowing when Dennis Eckersley was going to throw his backdoor slider. To get tiny but important details like that, as many as three scouts per team follow possible playoff teams for the last month of the season.
I spoke with Phil Garner yesterday about last year's NLCS and the Astros' approach to beating his opponent. As it turned out, it was very much like our team approach when the Reds faced the Pirates and A's back in 1990. It's not just formulating a game plan. It's making adjustments on the fly because every out, every pitch can have such a huge impact on one week in your baseball life.
Against Pittsburgh, we wanted to take Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Andy Van Slyke out of the equation. If we could stop them, we would take our chances with the rest of their lineup. Against Oakland it was Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Carney Lansford and Dave Henderson. We knew Ricky Henderson would do his thing, so we let him. We knew we had to get to Dave Stewart and Bob Welch early to take their bullpen out of play.
The numbers are great to know, but knowing how to pitch to someone, how to set up your defense and make sure you pitch to the other team that way are things that can win you a championship. I know, I was blessed to be a part of such a team.
Just so you know, Bonds, Bonilla and Van Slyke went 12-for-63 against us in the World Series. Canseco went 1-for-12 with a home run and McGwire was 3-for-14 with no homers or RBIs. Lansford went 4-for-15 and Dave Henderson went 3-for-13. Rickey Henderson went 5-for-15 with three stolen bases.
Greg Maddux may prove to be the best trade deadline move of them all.
I've known Greg for more than 20 years going back to when we played against each other in the minor leagues. It's funny to hear people only talk about how professional he is. The Greg Maddux that I know has always been one of the most fun-loving, off-the-wall people that I've ever met. I only mean this in a good way.
When most teams are as boring as watching the paint dry, Greg will keeps things loose in L.A., as well as provide the Hall of Fame leadership that he is known for. For a player with four Cy Young's, 20 postseason series appearances and 15 Gold Gloves, and all his wins, the one thing I respect the most about Greg is that he has never taken himself too seriously.
When he was traded to L.A., everyone was like, "great, he can teach all these guys how to be like Greg Maddux." Please, there is only one Greg Maddux. And even Greg said, "I'm not here to coach, I'm here to pitch and win ball games for The Dodgers."
For Brad Penny, Derek Lowe and the other pitchers and position players to learn from him, is to have fun. Yes, give yourself every chance to succeed by being ready, but don't be a gloomy jerk like Jeff Kent, the man who has said he doesn't want to have any friends when he leaves baseball. Hey Jeff, I think you have that one covered.
Greg Maddux leads by example, but he also has a heck of a time playing the game too. This should be the best example of one of the greatest players ever to play baseball, being one of the best guys you'll ever meet.
With two months of the season to go, and between 13 and 18 teams still having a real shot at the wild card race, teams were willing to go after players. Granted, they weren't the big name players that many people speculated would be traded, but some outstanding players nonetheless.
Carlos Lee was huge for the Texas Rangers, who got him from the Milwaukee Brewers. They have a better chance of winning their division outright then they do of winning the AL wild card. They are only four games out of first in the AL West, so why not go for the win?
The Yankees lead the AL in the wild card race, but they want their ninth straight AL East title. Cory Lidle and Bobby Abreu for four minor leaguers, that's a steal.
Greg Maddux will be a great fit in LA and credit Jim Hendry of the Cubs with having a lot of class; he let Maddux have some meaningful starts down the stretch and he got a Gold Glove infielder in Cesar Izturis in return.
Now for the almost trades, don't believe the hype, Everyone can be had for the right price, but not too many GMs are going to give up the moon and the stars for rental players. Soriano, Zito, Clemens, Oswalt, Tejada (just to name a few) came with hefty price tags and I'm sure their GMs were asking for ridiculous scenarios in return.
With some of the free agents, you may as well keep them and get a compensatory draft pick in return when they sign with someone else during the off-season. Plus they might help you win now without losing your future.
The trade deadline always looks to good to be true, and usually is. That being said, the grade I give this year was an A, because almost every team was helped in almost every trade. Isn't that the way it should be? Help all the teams, not just the powerful ones.
Baseball is very strong right now because everyone involved wants to see it continue to prosper and let all the teams have a chance to win.
Maybe you don't remember the trade between Montreal and Seattle about 18 years ago but I do. I was playing for the Reds and there was a 6-10 fellow named Randy Johnson playing for the Montreal Expos, who was a little erratic but looked like he could have a great career.
Then there was an All Star pitcher named Mark Langston playing for the Seattle Mariners. The Expos wanted to win NOW and rent Langston for the rest of the year knowing they could lose him to free agency at the end of the year. The Mariners knew they probably couldn't re-sign Langston, so they took the chance on Johnson and did the deal.
As it worked out, Langston would help the Expos to 12 wins and then go free agent at the end of the season. The Expos did not bring home a championship. Now for the Mariners, they got an amazing young pitcher that would win 137 games for their club and get them close to a championship more than a few times.
When Randy was almost a free agent, the Astros traded for Randy and he won 10 games for them, and then went free agent at the end of the year. The Astros sent Freddie Garcia and Carlos Guillen to the Mariners.
Randy would go free agent after the season was over. The Astros didn't win and Johnson went to Arizona. The D-Backs would win a World Championship with Johnson. Now what about the two guys in the Seattle deal for Johnson?
Well, the Mariners would trade Freddie Garcia to Chicago and the White Sox would win a title with Garcia pitching against the team that traded him for Randy Johnson. And what happened to Carlos Guillen, he was traded to the Tigers a few years ago and they now have the best record in baseball.
I guess you may think this is six degrees of Randy Johnson, but I just wanted to show how one player can impact so many teams at the trade deadline. Sometimes the best trade you make is not making one at all.
I know Roger Clemens is back, and some of the older players are doing very well. But in a few years, The Big Unit will be gone, so will Barry Bonds, and Ken Griffey Jr.
Who will carry on? I'll give you just a few names that will be great for a long time:
Joe Mauer, Twins: He's the best hitting young catcher in the show. He's 23 years old and leading the A.L. in hitting right now, hitting .368 in 66 games played. Mauer may never be a great power threat, but he's already one of the toughest outs in the bigs. He has an OBP of .438, has only struck out 27 times in 247 at bats with 33 walks. That's awesome
Matt Holliday, Rockies: How about this 6-4, 26-year-old hammer? He's second in the NL in hitting at .353, has smacked 15 homers and driven in 54 runs. His batting average on the road is at .326 and he's got one less home run on the road than at Coors Field. So don't say it's just because of the thin air....
Ryan Howard, Phillies: The 2005 NL rookie of the year from 2005 is not having a sophomore slump, he's killing the ball. He's getting better and better every day. Hitting .291 with 25 jacks and 66 RBIs, when he gets a little more patient up there his .OBP and batting avg. will go way up. This kid is a Monster.
Alex Rios, Blue Jays: All this 25 year old has done so far is hit .323 with 15 homers and 51 RBI. He's on a pace to triple his output from 2005. The knock on him was potential. Not anymore, he's arrived.
Others to watch: Oakland's 25-year-old left fielder, Nick Swisher, looks everything like Jason Giambi when he was an Athletic: Great eye, great power, and one hell of a clutch bat. He's hitting .286 with 19 long balls and 49 RBIs, with an OBP of .402. Swisher is like Adam Dunn of the Reds, who has 63 strikeouts and 50 walks. When the K's go down, the average and OBP will jump up even farther. I saved the best for last right now: Mets third baseman David Wright. He is a star right now. He's hitting .336 with 18 HRs and 64 RBIs. His OBP is .402 and he's only made eight errors in 70 games. When you talk about big plays, his name always comes up. Wright should be the starting third baseman on the NL All-Star team for years to come.
The future is now and that's just a few names. I've got a lot more for you coming soon.
Back 12 years ago when we almost killed the game, the issue of testing came up at a player representatives meeting and when I stood up and asked for better testing throughout Major League Baseball, I was shot down by many other player reps. They spoke of privacy issues and many other stupid reasons for not testing.
Well look at the sport now. People doubting the records, Fans doubting the players, and everyone making excuses.
Thank God for Jose Canseco. And no, I don't think ratting out players was right, but what if he didn't get the ball rolling, where would we be? Who the hell cares how long some #### player gets suspended when the entire sport looks bad.
Enough is enough.
Start testing everyone across the board with the most extensive program you all can find. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stick to my guns, but hopefully the majority of the players will stand up and take back their union and get honesty back in the game. If heads have to roll to get what you want, then stop protecting the minority of players who don't care what happens to the future of the game.
It's the way of the world these days: over-hype the guys who haven't earned it and expect the older players to pick up the pieces.
Yes Albert Pujols is amazing, so is David Ortiz..Yes Ballparks are smaller and baseballs are harder and home runs are up 20% this season already. How about we pay tribute to some older but still awesome pitchers who are still kicking #### and taking names. They haven't heard that offense is king in baseball these days
Greg Maddux of the Cubs: He's the King with Roger Clemens on vacation right now. in 4 starts, Greg is 4-0 with a league-leading ERA of 0.99 and in 27innings pitched he's given up only 15 hits while walking only 5 and striking out 18.
Curt Schilling of the Red Sox: The guy with the bad ankle! He's also 4-0 in 4 starts and has just blown away hitters this season. In 28 innings pitched he's allowed only 17 hits. Talk about command, only 4 walks and 23 strikeouts and a tiny 1.61 ERA...
Tom Glavine is off to a great start with The Mets, 2-1 in 4 starts and a 1.38 ERA with only 6 walks to 26 strike outs.
Mike Mussina on the other New York team is 2-1 in 4 starts and has a very nice 2.67 ERA with only 6 walks to 23 strikeouts.
A couple things these guys have in common are age and greatness. Yes they are old, but they still throw nothing but strikes and of the 16 games these 4 men have started all 16 have been quality starts. Some things do get better with age.
What I hear so often to describe Barry Bonds is not how amazing he is, or how he would have blown away pitching back when Babe Ruth played, but how he must have cheated to become this good.
When people talk about the end of Roger Clemens' career, all I hear is how he must have had help doing what he has done.
Enough already.
One thing the people who actually played in the last 20 years with these two men would know is how amazing their feats have been. Forget the cheating stuff because it's all nonsense anyway. It's never been proven that taking anything, whether it be steroids or vitamins, can make you into a Hall of Famer. If it were, more players and non-players would be lining up to #### every pill on the planet.
What we should be doing instead of bashing greatness, is appreciating it for what it is. When Barry is gone and Roger throws his last pitch, two of the greatest players that ever played will be gone.
Let me just tell you from listening to the critics what they haven't really said: To play today, you have to face the world's best every day. Do you think the Babe, smoking and drinking the way he did back in the day, would've survived today's best? Have you ever seen Barry and Roger work out? I have, and that's why today's ballplayers should get way more respect then they do.
Pills don't make the players. Hard work, passion and a huge gift from God make the players. Let's just love the game in 2006. Stop the hating.
Today more than 25% of all the MLB Players are Latin American. This year three of the four major awards were won by Latin American players. The AL MVP was won by Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, the AL CY Young Award was won by Bartolo Colon of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the NL MVP Award was won by Albert Pujols of the St Louis Cardinals.
I wanted to take a little time to talk about the players as people as opposed to them as players since it's so close to Thanksgiving. I guess I can start this by saying, during my first year in the minor leagues up in Eugene, Oregon, I lived above two players from the Dominican Republic.
As the season wore on I really got to know both of them. They ate hot dogs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. What money they saved, they sent back to their families in their native land. Now being from a middle class family in Connecticut, I was really impressed.
As I rose to the Major Leagues I played Winter baseball in Puerto Rico a couple of times, and it made me really understand why these players had such devotion to their families ... I saw families living in shacks made of tin with no floors and the sides of the shacks didn't touch the ground.
I saw poverty at it's worst but I also saw many players who would do anything to give back to their families and towns because just being able to play baseball, they knew they had really been given a blessing.
We all know the story of Roberto Clemente; he died trying to help total strangers in Nicaragua who had been devastated by an earthquake ... His plane carrying much needed medical, food and clothing supplies crashed and his body was never found. So let's talk about this year's MVPs.
Alex Rodriguez, a 2-time Award winner, has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to many charities. Let's just tell you about a couple of them. He gave $750,000.00 to the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Dominican Republic Relief Effort.
He also spends much of his time helping the youth of this country to improve their mental health ...His wife Cynthia, who has a Masters degree in Psychology, also helps Alex in many charities and says, "It's a lifelong effort to help children improve their mental health".
Your NL MVP Albert Pujols is just as giving. He has the Pujols Family Foundation that donates money to three or four charities including one very close to his heart, the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St Louis.
It's very close to him because Albert and his wife Deidre have a 7-year-old daughter named Isabella who has Down Syndrome. And what has Albert said besides being so giving, "I hope in 5 years we are helping 15 or 20 charities like this".
These are just two Latin American players. How about this year's AL MVP runner-up David Ortiz and last year's AL MVP winner Vladimir Guerrero. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they both donated $ 50,000 dollars to the relief effort.
When asked why, David responded, "When we were younger, Vlad and I remember when we were hit with a hurricane and America was so generous. It was just the right thing to do".
The world not just America needs role models like these. I hear all the time how greedy baseball players are. I just wanted you to know, that there are many players who give back, not because they have to, but because they want to.
Have you ever heard that old saying? Well, maybe the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees should write it down somewhere to remind themselves in the off-season, that you should be happy with who's on your team, not whoever's on the free-agent market.
Just look at the case of the defending world champions: The Red Sox let Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Orlando Cabrera go in favor of David Wells, Matt Clement and Edgar Renteria. Pedro won 15 for the Mets, Derek won 12 for the Dodgers and Orlando made only seven errors in Los Angeles with the Angels and he's still playing in the playoffs.
Now Wells won 15 and Clement won 13, but Renteria committed 30 errors in his first season with the Sox. I think it's safe to say that the Red Sox didn't get past the division series this year because of Wells and Clement and had they had Martinez and Lowe, I think they would still be playing.
Now as for the Yankees, remember when you had Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte? I do. How about Jon Lieber? Clemens the past two years has been, well, Cy Young. Meanwhile, a now healthy Andy Pettitte won 17 games this year and was 11-2 after the All-Star break with a 1.69 ERA. As for that old guy Jon Lieber, you waited a year to get healthy, then you let him go as a free agent to the Phillies. He also won 17 games and was 4-1 in September and was the ace of the Phillies all year.
What I'm saying now, I said before the season started. You didn't know when Curt Schilling would be ready, but you would have known about Lowe and Pedro and how they pitch in the playoffs. As for the Yankees, just think of the headaches you would've stopped had you held onto your players and not wasted money on Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, and Randy Johnson.
Now the Yanks may still pull it out, but it will be because Brian Cashman bailed the Yanks out with Aaron Small, Chien-Ming Wang and Shawn Chacon.
The Yankees and Red Sox should stop trying to top each other and be happy with the players who brought you championships, not the ones who didn't.
Since John Schuerholz took over The Atlanta Braves in 1991, they have finished first every year. And this year will be no different.
They have a five-game lead with six to play. So let's just say they've got an excellent chance of winning their 14th straight division title.
Now people will say, but they only have one world championship and five pennants. Well, that's one more world championship and five more trips to the World Series than most teams, so just drop that #### right now.
What the Braves have done behind Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz is amazing, and while they have done this they have been as classy and creative as you can be.
This just may be their best year. When Raul Mondesi hit .211 through 41 games, he was sent packing. When Brian Jordan struggled or got hurt, Cox and Schuerholz went to work. They were able to bring in players like Jeff Francoeur, Ryan Langerhans, Kelly Johnson, Wilson Betemit, Brian McCann and Pete Orr. They also traded for players like Jorge Sosa, Todd Hollandsworth and Kyle Farnsworth.
This doesn't make them great on its own. But their ability to evaluate talent, put it together with the existing club, and their awesome minor league system, which they use to replace injured or old players ... that's what makes them great.
Then they give the players a place to thrive, and a chance to succeed. You know why you never hear players moan and complain after playing in Atlanta? Because Schuerholz, Cox and pitching coach Leo Mazzone have made Atlanta the closest thing to home as you can have in the major leagues.
As for winning in the postseason, John Smoltz said this a few years ago. "Once the regular season is over, it's up to the players to win a championship."
I agree with you totally John. To the Atlanta fans, please support your dynasty, they deserve it.
It's great to have Barry back, it really is. I liken it to when Babe Ruth played, or Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays. You don't want to miss a second. It's like the stories I hear about people who grew up watching Mickey Mantle play, oh man, he was unbelievable.
Well I'm here to tell you, Barry is the same guy. How else can you explain, how after almost a year, Barry steps to the plate two games ago and hits like he's been doing it all year? I can't either.
What I saw him do when I played against him made me respect him; what I've seen him do since I retired has simply blown me away. We look at other athletes like Walter Payton and Jerry Rice and say, they played well into their 30s because of the work ethic off the field. I can tell you Barry works just as hard off the field as on, and has done so since joining the San Francisco Giants back in 1993. Gary Sheffield said a couple of years ago that he couldn't keep up with Bonds and his off-season workouts, and I played with Gary in Florida and I know how hard he works to stay in shape.
Barry made himself into a hitting machine by what he has done off the field. You may want to cut him some slack, because if you don't know greatness when you see it and you want to keep saying he cheated or something stupid like that ... well then, I can't help you. But if you are like me, and you know players do work hard and can make themselves better, then just enjoy his greatness and don't question things that don't matter.
And the past two nights I've been glued to the TV, waiting for every at-bat, because I know I won't see another player like him in my lifetime, and I don't want to miss my chance to see him play. You may want to do the same. Because 20 years down the road, you'll be saying, I could've seen the best ever, but I was just too stupid to do it.
How can teams that have so much trouble scoring runs still be in the playoff hunt? That's simple. It's pitching, my friend.
The Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and Florida Marlins all have the same problem, yet they are still in the wild-card hunt in the National League. ...
The Nationals are the worst offensive team in baseball, dead last, 30th. They've only scored 542 runs this year. Yet because of their pitching, they still have a chance with 24 games remaining because they can get people out.
The Nats have one of the best bullpens in the game — 46 saves and 63 holds, led by Chad Cordero with 43 saves and a 1.30 ERA, Hector Carrasco (61 innings pitched and 43 hits), Gary Majewski (one HR in 71 innings pitched) and Luis Ayala (14 walks in 71 innings pitched).
The latter three guys all have ERAs in the low twos.
The Houston Astros have the best pitching staff in the game while boasting the 26th-best offense in baseball.
Led by Hall of Famer Roger Clemens and his 1.57 ERA, Roy Oswalt and a healthy Andy Pettitte, these guys are great (61-46 as a rotation). Throw in a solid bullpen with Brad Lidge and his 35 saves in 38 chances, and that's why they lead the NL wild-card race. But the Florida Marlins are right on their heals.
The Marlins have the 19th-best offense in the Majors, yet they have the sixth-best pitching staff in the NL.
Dontrelle Willis is having a Cy Young year, winning his 20th game last night, along with Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett. This will be one tough rotation if they make the playoffs.
And one last note ... Marlins closer Todd Jones has been nothing less than amazing this year (35-37 in saves, a 1.15 ERA and 12 BB's in 63 innings pitched).
Are you kidding me? And he's only making $1.1 million? What a bargain!
So you see, it's not about $200 million offenses; it's about pitching and defense.
Do you think your team let you down by not trading for that high priced help? If you are a White Sox fan, do you think getting Ken Griffey Jr. was going to guarantee you a championship? If you're an Angel fan, now that you didn't get Mike Sweeney are your playoff hopes shot?
Is the fact that the Baltimore Orioles couldn't land A.J. Burnett back in June the reason they have just imploded?
Don't be too sure.
Baseball is a very complicated, yet very simple sport, all at the same time. 15 years ago when I was a part of a World Championship team, we didn't get a big name guy at the trade deadline, in July or August, and I can honestly say we didn't need one, either. It may have done more harm than good.
You see, there is a very delicate balance in a major-league clubhouse, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that you trust each other and love each other. That started back in the minor leagues for some of us, back in spring training for others, but sometimes bringing in that NEW guy may just send you in the wrong direction.
Just look at the moves the Red Sox made last year. Before the 2004 season they picked up Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke, then later that season picked up a couple small, but important pickups like Dave Roberts, Orlando Cabrera, and Doug Mientkiewicz. All of which are great guys.
Not one of those new guys hurt the team and what they meant to each other and what they were trying to do.
It's a simple plan, but every team has a different way of looking at it. You have your own jokes, your own teammates who keep things loose, make things fun. Sometimes when you change just the smallest thing, the team goes down the drain.
So don't be so sad, the White Sox are still good, so are the Angels, and so are the other teams still in the playoff hunt. Trust me, I know. 15 years ago, even though we had been in first place the entire season, everybody (except us) said it couldn't be done.
Chicago has been a great story all year, only the season isn't over yet and the White Sox better start picking it up a notch or they might get caught from behind.
Who will catch them you ask? The Cleveland Indians, that's who. Since the All-Star break, the Indians have made up a lot of ground, going 22-15, but in August are 14-5 and are only eight games back with 37 to play. Included in this final stretch are six more with the Sox and the last three games of the season in Cleveland.
Yes, the White Sox have been great, but not since the break — they are only 18-17 and just 7-11 in August. And the Big 2 — Jon Garland and Mark Buehrle — are both 3-3 since the break and the 25-year-old Garland has been hit hard in August, going 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA while having the league hit .330 off of him.
Yes, it's a stretch to think that Indians can catch the White Sox, but when you look at an offense that has nine players in double figures in home runs, a starting rotation that has been awesome in August — C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee are a combined 6-0 — it's not out of the question.
When you start to break down the two bullpens, Cleveland's may be better, I know their numbers are — so make sure you finish what you start. The race is only three-quarters of the way over, so don't get caught looking over your shoulder.
This is going to be an amazing finish in the AL Central. Oh, and don't forget the Twins; they are 12-8 in August and always finish strong.
Rob Dibble was named a full-time co-host of BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD in April 2005. The outspoken, all-star reliever is a perfect fit for the most irreverent sports show on television.
Dibble, who is best known as one of the Reds' hard throwing "Nasty Boys," along with Norm Charlton and Randy Myers, won a World Series with the Reds in 1990.
Today more than 25% of all the MLB Players are Latin American. This year three of the four major awards were won by Latin American players. The AL MVP was won by Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, the AL CY Young Award was won by Bartolo Colon of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the NL MVP Award was won by Albert Pujols of the St Louis Cardinals.
Maybe the grass isn't always greener.
Since John Schuerholz took over The Atlanta Braves in 1991, they have finished first every year. And this year will be no different. 
It's great to have Barry back, it really is. I liken it to when Babe Ruth played, or Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays. You don't want to miss a second. It's like the stories I hear about people who grew up watching Mickey Mantle play, oh man, he was unbelievable. 
How are you feeling today? 
Chicago has been a great story all year, only the season isn't over yet and the White Sox better start picking it up a notch or they might get caught from behind.
