The Tampa Bay Rays didn't get sucked into the high cost, low return July MLB trading frenzy and I'm here to say that it is absolutely the best thing that could have happened. Why? Well first and foremost by not trading for Jason Bay or Ken Griffey Jr. or whoever else had been bantied about prior to yesterday's dreaded trade deadline, the Rays held onto their promising young ball players (that all happen to be under contract into the foreseeable future) and they have set the stage for calling up players rather than introducing outsiders to the team.
Let's face it, the Rays are a young team that has been on an expedition to a place in the major leagues where they have never been before. Now, with two months left to go before the end of the 2008 season, the Rays find themselves, for the first time in their history, in first place. Heck, they only need three more wins to equal their highest win total ever! This has occurred while not one of the Rays' hitting stars has enjoyed what most would call a great year. Run production has been pedestrian at best. So all the so-called experts began pointing to the fact that the team's hitters are predominately strong on the left side of the plate. Alright, the Rays could use a power hitting right hander. In addition, they have used a committee to play in right field all season. Yes, the right field position has been used to adjust the righty-lefty hitter-pitcher balance by Joe Maddon this season. So all the so-called experts begin pointing to that fact and spout off that the Rays need an everyday player in right. The Rays' middle relief pitchers have been hot and cold all season and sometimes they seem to be just cold. So all the so-called experts begin pointing to the fact that the team could use more consistency in that portion of their pitching staff. Here again, the Rays would do well to improve their middle refief. And the team's woes continue to be pointed out by the so-called experts. It goes on and on...
Please, let me reiterate. Now, with two months left to go before the end of the 2008 season, the Rays find themselves, for the first time in their history, in first place.
How can this be with a team that has so many glaring problems? Folks, it's called team chemistry. This is a rare commodity in team sports. It normally can only be found on the teams that annually compete for championships. Ask any of the Rays' players if they feel the team has a good chemistry and every one of them will tell you it does. This is the acid test. The players and nobody else have got to feel that way... The people that live and work in Major League Baseball can see this. They realize that something special is going on with this team and in my opinion they will do everything they can to put a stop to it.
If the Rays' management had taken that very inticing bait and made an expensive trade (expensive in terms of losing one or more of their good young prospects), the team's chemistry would have been the first thing to change. Why would they want to do that?
Next, the so-called experts have begun pointing at the Rays' management, saying they have jeopradized the team's chances to make the playoffs by not making a trade. I call this BS and I'll tell you why. If the reason given above isn't enough to stay the course, then you need to take a look at the talent waiting in the minor league wings that most likely will be called up in the next week or two. First, the team's 2007 number one overall draft pick, the left handed fireballer out of Vanderbilt University, David Price will be pushing his 98 MPH fastball at opposing hitters. Where better to begin this future starter's MLB career than in the middle relief role on a first place team? Next, the Rays' one time star outfielder Rocco Baldelli, who has been playing ball once again in the minor leagues as he recovers from a rare mitochondrial abnormality that effected his endurance, is said to be ready for the most important call up of his life. The 26 year old right hand hitting Baldelli, who finished second to Hideki Matsui for Rookie of the Year honors in 2003, was noted for his power with the bat and speed in both the outfield and on the basepaths. He had been favorably compared to the Yankee Clipper, Joe Dimaggio before a string of injuries continually sidelined him. Baldelli currently appears to be ready to step back into the Rays' lineup playing his natural centerfield position, thus moving B.J. Upton into right. Rocco's last extensive playing time was in 2006 when he hit .302 with 16 homers and 57 RBI in just 364 at bats. He also scored 57 runs and stole 10 bases in that time span. The mitochondrial abnormality had affected his muscles and is now said to have been the primary reason for his many injuries during his playing time in the bigs. It is now cautiously hoped that Rocco, during the final year on his contract, will be able to resume his very promising career and put up numbers similar to those Tampa fans became familiar with early on. If Rocco can make the comeback and help the Rays in their first pennant drive, what a story that will be!
Finally, for all the Red Sox and Yankee fans out there that have consistently pooh-poohed the Rays' chances at winning the AL East, just exactly what has been done during the MLB trading period that has put your team in an improved position to overtake the Rays? The Yankees needed pitching help. Well? The Red Sox shipped off the best clutch hitter in the major leagues, the guy that protected David Ortiz in their batting order for a .260 hitter, and why did they do this? Manny Ramirez was destroying their team chemistry. Kind of important isn't it...
There are still a lot of games to be played, but I've got to believe that with their pitching, defense, the potential for one or more of their young hitters to get hot, and finally with their team chemistry intact, the young Rays' are now the bonafide favorites to win the AL East.
With over half of the 2008 MLB season in the books I thought it was appropriate to figure out which teams have the easiest time of it as they proceed through the next couple of months trying to make the playoffs…
I took the current MLB Power Rankings and then tied that to each team’s remaining schedule of games to come up with a Strength of Schedule (SOS) ranking similar to what is used in football.
Here was the situation through the games played on the Fourth of July…
Power American League Record Remains
Rank East W – L H – A
1 Tampa Bay Rays 53-32 34-43
5 Boston Red Sox 52-37 40-33
16 Baltimore Orioles 44-41 42-34
10 New York Yankees 45-42 36-39
13 Toronto Blue Jays 41-46 40-35
9.0 Division Rank-1 235-198
Rank Central W – L H – A
2 Chicago White Sox 49-37 40-35
4 Minnesota Twins 48-38 30-46
14 Detroit Tigers 43-43 42-34
22 Kansas City Royals 39-48 38-37
27 Cleveland Indians 37-49 40-36
13.8 Division Rank-3 216-215
Rank West W – L H – A
3 Los Angeles Angels 52-34 37-39
7 Oakland Athletics 47-39 33-43
12 Texas Rangers 44-43 36-39
26 Seattle Mariners 34-52 37-39
9.6 Division Rank-2 177-168
* * * * *
Now for a look at each team’s SOS… These were determined by using the opponent’s Power Rank and multiplying by the number of games played against each opponent, with one variation. One point in the rankings was subtracted from the home team’s Power Rank to weight the results in favor of the home team, just as in reality the home team has a certain advantage. Hopefully this will yield more realistic results to these findings. Finally the results were then tallied and divided by the number of remaining games to be played…
Here is the Strength of Schedule determined by this method: (the easiest schedules are listed first)
Power Current
Rank Team SOS Rank Standing Games Out
4 Minnesota Twins 13.92 1 2nd-Cent. 1
2 Chicago White Sox 13.11 2 1st-Cent. -
1 Tampa Bay Rays 12.84 3 1st-East -
14 Detroit Tigers 12.58 4 3rd-Cent. 6
3 Los Angeles Angels 12.28 5 1st-West -
7 Oakland Athletics 11.49 6 2nd-West 5
27 Cleveland Indians 10.68 7 5th-Cent. 12
5 Boston Red Sox 10.58 8 2nd-East 3
22 Kansas City Royals 10.39 9 4th-Cent. 11
16 Baltimore Orioles 10.34 10 3rd-East 10
12 Texas Rangers 10.05 11 3rd-West 8
26 Seattle Mariners 9.46 12 4th-West 18
13 Toronto Blue Jays 8.93 13 5th-East 13
10 New York Yankees 8.49 14 4th-East 10
Here is how it appears, and always with the injury disclaimer, if these teams play as they have and considering the quality of their competition:
In the East, the strongest division in baseball, Tampa Bay has the inside track towards winning the AL East. Let’s face it, if the Rays just play .500 ball the rest of the season, they will end up with over 90 wins. With their pitching and defense coupled with an awakening offense, this team will not play at or below .500. This is a young, low paid team that now knows it is a force to deal with and they are playing with confidence. The Red Sox are going to have to hustle to make it into the playoffs as a Wild Card and I expect to see them doing whatever they can as they open their wallet to once again shore up their chances. Competition will come from the AL Central for the Wild Card berths. Like it or not, the Yankees chances are slim and none…
The West division is actually considered the second strongest in baseball and it is shaping up to be a race to the finish. Here is another example of a young, low salary team challenging the established team with a big salary and older players. Can the Angels stay healthy and withstand the Athletics as they attempt to force the issue? The Rangers have been playing better ball lately as well, but they face a tougher schedule. The Rangers will have something to say about who eventually wins this division. I look for the Angels to end up winning this race with no candidate here for the Wild Card…
The Central division rounds out the top three of the six divisions in baseball coming in third in the divisional Power Rankings. I look for a real shootout here as the White Sox, Twins and Tigers will go toe to toe through the final three months of the season. In this case, the Minnesota Twins represent the youthful, lower salary team trying to take the division from two older, much more well healed teams from Chicago and Detroit. What in the world happened to the Indians? When it’s all said and done, I look for the Twins to come out on top and the White Sox to be a strong Wild Card team out of a division that was all but handed to the Tigers at the start of the year…
Yes, the three strongest divisions all reside in the American League. Wonder who will win the All-Star Game???
Tomorrow, look for a similar rendition of the Senior Circuit.
the Columbia Broadcasting System known as the New York Yankees...
This new owner forced life into a team that had floundered rudderless for a period of years. He demanded, no that's not right, he absolutely required perfection, and if he didn't get what he wanted, heads would roll. George Steinbrenner consolidated his ownership of the team and then was responsible for implementing the era of free agency in professional baseball by signing several high profile players away from other teams. Charlie Finley's Oakland Athletics were hit time and again as Steinbrenner made his first major acquisition by luring All Star pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter and then a power hitting outfielder named Reggie Jackson away from the A's to join the Yankees. These occurences coupled with the managerial talents of former Yankee second baseman Billy Martin led the team to winning two world champsionships in Steinbrenner's first five years as the Yankee owner. Then, much to his chagrin, the team went through thirteen consecutive seasons without qualifying for the playoffs. It was unbearable for George as he continually tinkered with the team's management and tested his coach's and player's sanity in the process. Finally the years of misery came to an end in 1993 when the Yankees were once again participating in the playoffs. Joe Torre came onto the scene in the early 1990s and led George's teams to four World Series championships from 1996 through 2000. It was through these successful years that the term "Evil Empire" was laid on the organization by a Boston Red Sox part owner, John Henry. With Steinbrenner's meddling ownership and free wheeling money spending ways, the name has stuck ever since...
Today, George Steinbrenner, also known as the Emperor and as King George, is approaching 80 years of age. Many said that his allowing Joe Torre to stay on for six seasons without winning another World Series championship was testiment to the fact that George was quietly getting soft in his old age. As the 2008 baseball season gets underway, George Steinbrenner has publicly relinquished control of the Yankees to a consortium led by his two sons, Hank (in charge of baseball operations), and Hal (in charge of business operations). Both sons willingly acknowledge that although they have taken on expanded roles within the organization now valued by Forbes to be in excess of 1.2 billion dollars, George continues to be "The Boss"
.
Hank Steinbrenner began his time as Baseball Operations Manager by quietly overseeing a delicate situation releaving the team of former Field Manager Joe Torre, hiring Joe Girardi over Yankee icon Don Mattingly, and by keeping Andy Pettite in the fold even as his elicit performance enhancing drug (PHD) use came to light. The Pettite resolution was very important as pitching continues to be the Yankee's prime concern. Pundits in New York's oppressive print media were so pleasantly surprised with the ease displayed by Hank Steinbrenner's handling of these potential hot buttons that several glowing articles were written in praise of Hank. Since then, almost as if to prove that he is still a chip off the old block, Hank has publicly opened his mouth and placed his foot firmly in it...
Late last month, at a time when Andy Pettite and former Yankee Roger Clemens were headline news throughout the country concerning PHDs, Hank, in what I'm sure was an effort to deflect attention away from baseball in general and the Yankees in particular, commented: "I don't like baseball being singled out," the Yankees' senior vice president said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press Monday night. "Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs. I don't know how they managed to skate by. It irritates me. Don't tell me it's not more prevalent. The number in football is at least twice as many. Look at the speed and size of those players." And then the following was said about the Yankee's primary competitor, the Boston Red Sox: 'Red Sox Nation?' Hank says. 'What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won’t see Red Sox hats and jackets, you’ll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We’re going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order." And as if that wasn't enough, Hank was then quoted as saying a couple of days later: "I don't think they would want to be hollering too loud at Andy (about his PED use) up in Fenway. They had plenty of players doing this stuff, too. It's just that those players weren't mentioned in the Mitchell Report."
In addition, "Boss Steinbrenner, Jr." has assumed his father's old role as the Yankee's great second guesser when it comes to the deals the Yankees have made as well as the deals they haven't. Reports are that Hank has displayed buyer's remorse after opening the team's purse to new multi-year, multi-million dollar deals with Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera. While on the other hand, he has lamented allowing Johan Santana to sign with their in-town rival Mets. Hank has let it be known that if Santana turns out to be as productive as another player the Yankees let get away, the Red Sox "Big Papi" David Ortiz, it will not be his fault. The fault has already been assigned to Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman.
Yes, it appears the Yankees are in good hands with Hank. The Steinbrenner tradition lives on and the New York media is having a difficult time hiding their gleeful anticipation...
I'm a sports fanatic living on the west coast of Florida. I'm a rare bird that moved here from the left coast a couple of years ago. I advocate an even playing field in all of life's endeavors.
best slot
the left handed fireballer out of Vanderbilt University, David Price will be pushing his 98 MPH fastball at opposing hitters. Where better to begin this future starter's MLB career than in the middle relief role on a first place team? Next, the Rays' one time star outfielder Rocco Baldelli, who has been playing ball once again in the minor leagues as 
he recovers from a rare mitochondrial abnormality that effected his endurance, is said to be ready for the most important call up of his life. The 26 year old right hand hitting Baldelli, who finished second to Hideki Matsui for Rookie of the Year honors in 2003, was noted for his power with the bat and speed in both the outfield and on the basepaths. He had been favorably compared to the Yankee Clipper, Joe Dimaggio before a string of injuries continually sidelined him. Baldelli currently appears to be ready to step back into the Rays' lineup playing his natural centerfield position, thus moving B.J. Upton into right. Rocco's last extensive playing time was in 2006 when he hit .302 with 16 homers and 57 RBI in just 364 at bats. He also scored 57 runs and stole 10 bases in that time span. The mitochondrial abnormality had affected his muscles and is now said to have been the primary reason for his many injuries during his playing time in the bigs. It is now cautiously hoped that Rocco, during the final year on his contract, will be able to resume his very promising career and put up numbers similar to those Tampa fans became familiar with early on. If Rocco can make the comeback and help the Rays in their first pennant drive, what a story that will be!
play .500 ball the rest of the season, they will end up with over 90 wins. With their pitching and defense coupled with an awakening offense, this team will not play at or below .500. This is a young, low paid team that now knows it is a force to deal with and they are playing with confidence. 
The Red Sox are going to have to hustle to make it into the playoffs as a Wild Card and I expect to see them doing whatever they can as they open their wallet to once again shore up their chances. Competition will come from the AL Central for the Wild Card berths. Like it or not, the Yankees chances are slim and none…
example of a young, low salary team challenging the established team with a big salary and older 
players. Can the Angels stay healthy and withstand the Athletics as they attempt to force the issue? The Rangers have been playing better ball lately as well, but they face a tougher schedule. The Rangers will have something to say about who eventually wins this division. I look for the Angels to end up winning this race with no candidate here for the Wild Card…
real shootout here as the White Sox, Twins and Tigers will go toe to toe through the final three months of the season. 
In this case, the Minnesota Twins represent the youthful, lower salary team trying to take the division from two older, much more well healed teams from Chicago and Detroit. What in the world happened to the 
Indians? When it’s all said and done, I look for the Twins to come out on top and the White Sox to be a strong Wild Card team out of a division that was all but handed to the Tigers at the start of the year…
Mattingly, and by keeping Andy Pettite in the fold even as his elicit performance enhancing drug (PHD) use came to light. The Pettite resolution was very important as pitching continues to be the Yankee's prime concern. Pundits in New York's oppressive print media were so pleasantly surprised with the ease displayed by Hank Steinbrenner's handling of these potential hot buttons that several glowing articles were written in praise of Hank. Since then, almost as if to prove that he is still a chip off the old block, Hank has publicly opened his mouth and placed his foot firmly in it...
from baseball in general and the Yankees in particular, commented: "I don't like baseball being singled out," the Yankees' senior vice president said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press Monday night. "Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs. I don't know how they managed to skate by. It irritates me. Don't tell me it's not more prevalent. The number in football is at least twice as many. Look at the speed and size of those players." And then the following was said about the Yankee's primary competitor, the Boston Red Sox: 'Red 
Sox Nation?' Hank says. 'What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won’t see Red Sox hats and jackets, you’ll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We’re going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order." And as if that wasn't enough, Hank was then quoted as saying a couple of days later: "I don't think they would want to be hollering too loud at Andy (about his PED use) up in Fenway. They had plenty of players doing this stuff, too. It's just that those players weren't mentioned in the Mitchell Report." 
