There’s no doubt that the acquisition of Miguel Cabrera alone makes
the Tigers instant World Series contenders. Then you factor in that
they also got Dontrelle Willis, whose 2007 season might have just been
a fluke (though it’s not hard to fathom that, given his irregular
mechanics, he’s lost his touch).
In return for a top-three third baseman and a #2-esque left-handed
starting pitcher, the Tigers had to give up six — count ‘em, six —
prospects including Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.
Frankly, I’m surprised that the Tigers got them that cheaply. Think
about it — the Tigers get four collective arbitration-eligible years
with Cabrera and Willis, and if they walk to free agency afterwards,
they get four high draft picks as compensation, basically recouping
what they gave up to get them in the first place.
As for the Marlins, well, what reasons do they have left to convince
Floridians to show up to their games? For the team’s sake, I hope this
trade precedes a move out of Miami to somewhere where they get more
than a handful of fans per game and can afford to keep their star
players for more than a few years.
They are getting some good prospects in return, though, and could be
contenders as soon as 2009. Of course, they could also pull a 2006 and
contend in ‘08 (am I being confusing here?).
The Inge Effect
Now that Miguel Cabrera is taking over third base for the Tigers,
that likely makes Brandon Inge available. He’s owed about $17 million
over the next three years, which is affordable when you think about the
contracts that have been offered both this off-season and last. With
Pat Gillick urging Tadahito Iguchi (a second baseman) to re-sign with
the Phillies as their regular third baseman, he should take a look at
trying to acquire Inge instead.
Inge is exceptional with the glove and isn’t too shabby with the
bat. Rather than have Iguchi play a position he’s unfamiliar with and
might not be able to play, just trade a mid-level prospect to the
Tigers and third base is a problem solved. The only advantage Iguchi
has over Inge is his ability to get on base.
Body Image
With the controversy over some pictures of Jennifer Love Hewitt
resulting in her concern about other girls’ body images, I thought it’d
be funny to apply it to the one player in baseball that gets a lot of
heat about his weight: Miguel Cabrera.
Florida fans from Hialeah to Homestead are wondering if he’s eating his way out of an all-time great career.
I’m going to make a much-belated response to that on the behalf of Cabrera.
This is the last time I will address this subject.
I’ve sat by in silence for a long time now about the way
baseball players’ bodies are constantly scrutinized. To set the record
straight, I’m not upset for me, but for all of the baseball players out
there that are struggling with their body image.
250 pounds is not fat! Nor will it ever be. And being 222 pounds doesn’t make you beautiful.
What I should be doing is celebrating some of the best days of
my career and my fresh start in Detroit, instead of having to deal with
sports journalists writing invasive articles from bad angles. I know
what I look like, and so do my teammates and coaches. And like all
baseball players out there should, I love my body.
To all baseball players with butts, beer guts, flab and a waist, put on a uniform — put it on and stay strong.
Try Again, Mutts
The rumors have the New York Mets offering Phil Humber, Aaron
Heilman, and Carlos Gomez to the Baltimore Orioles. MLB.com’s Jim
Molony said that offer was “politely declined.”
That may be putting it nicely.
Given that Bedard is in demand, if I’m the Orioles, I’m asking the
Mets for Gomez (who compares to Willy Taveras), Pedro Feliciano (same
ceiling as Heilman but he’s left-handed), Humber, and Mike Pelfrey (who looks like a #4 pitcher at best). Still, that might not even be worth it.
Regardless, adding Bedard doesn’t really push the Mets too far in
the proverbial power rankings. They’ll need not only Bedard, but
another pitcher as well, to have a rotation that compares favorably to
that of the Phillies.
Those Crazy Zebras
The Baltimore Ravens have only themselves to blame for their last-minute loss to the still-unbeaten New England Patriots. That was a hold on fourth down by Jamaine Winborne. And that was unsportsmanlike conduct by Bart Scott.
But yes, it is questionable whether Jabar Gaffney had control of the
ball or not. Even if he didn’t, it still benefited the Ravens to get
the ball back with around 45 seconds left. If it’s second and goal,
assume another 8 seconds or so gets ticked off. Third and goal, another
8 seconds. Fourth and goal, another 8 seconds.
Now, it’s beneficial to the Ravens assuming the Patriots do get that
touchdown. Granted, the Ravens played decent defense on the Patriots
all night, but the only reason the Patriots were even behind with one
minute to go in the fourth quarter is because of so many dropped passes
by Patriots receivers. Given the Pats’ offensive proficiency, they’d
get that touchdown more often than not.
So, it was better for the Ravens to get it back with 45 seconds or
so instead of, perhaps, 20. It didn’t work out for them anyway, but the
ability to throw over the middle and subsequently call a time-out or
spike the ball was there, adding to the chance to score.
The referees did not cost the Ravens the game. And no, Tim Dahlberg and other conspiracy theorists, the NFL is not fixing games in the Patriots’ favor.
The Anthem (Warning: Soapbox)
There was some unrest
as a result of Pittsburgh’s failure to play the national anthem before
their rain- and mud-soaked fultili-fest with the Miami Dolphins on
November 26.
Can we please stop being so concerned with symbolism and ritual? The
national anthem has been played so much it has lost any meaning it may
have had, especially post-9/11. It’s simple economics, the more of
something you have, the less valuable it becomes.
I’m willing to compromise. Just play the anthem before the Super
Bowl, and cut it out of every other game. In baseball, play it on
Opening Day and before the first game of the World Series. Other sports
can follow suit. And for all sports, play the anthem on holidays like
Memorial Day.
As for the article I linked to concerning this subject, notice the bad logic used:
Bad enough football has taken away all our free time in the fall and early winter. Now, it’s going to take away our patriotism?
Now it’s unpatriotic to not play the national anthem? Sorry, you’re
not patriotic because you have an affection for a song, adhere
“Rah-rah, America!” bumper stickers to the back of your car, and fly a
flag in front of your house. True patriots don’t need quasi-religious
jingoism to reassure them of their allegiance to this country. True
patriots don’t follow the pack; true patriots question and hold
accountable those in charge instead of accepting the status quo in a
false hope that this makes them “real Americans.”
And personally, I refuse to honor The Star-Spangled Banner while
this current administration is in power (and probably the next, given
the dearth of good candidates running for the ‘08 presidency). Am I
unpatriotic for that — for not supporting the un-American,
unconstitutional, and inhumane policies of the Bush administration?
Following the New England Patriots’ complete destruction of the Buffalo Bills’ defense, we learned two things: Andrea Kremer would totally go out with Tom Brady, and the Patriots are offensive (pun!!1!) simply by taking the field and playing the game they’re paid to play.
It wasn’t the first time the Patriots have beaten an opponent as
severely as they beat the Bills, and, not surprisingly, it wasn’t the
first time they’ve been accused of “running up the score.”
24, 24, 31, 21, 17, 21, 45, 4, and 46. Those are the Patriots’
margins of victory in their ten games this season. That’s an average
margin of victory of over 23 points.
The latest wails of “running up the score” came after the Patriots
twice went for the touchdown on fourth down instead of settling for a
field goal in the Bills game. The oft-cited “unwritten rules” were
brought up, that it is unethical to go for it on fourth down if you’re
enjoying a comfortable lead.
This rule applies to almost any team sport, especially baseball,
where, if you’re up by about 8 runs or so, it becomes unethical to
steal bases, bunt, bring in your better pitchers, and try trick plays.
It’s just an example of how no one can be offended anymore in this
country. On this blog, as well as in many other venues, I’ve made what
some consider extremely liberal claims (e.g. drugs should be
legalized), but one liberal issue I completely abhor is political
correctness. It’s often hypocritical and almost always an infringement
on First Amendment rights. The Patriots didn’t even speak — they simply
played a game well.
Here’s a list of people you can’t offend in this country:
Homosexuals
Bisexuals
Transgenders
Christians
Jews
African-Americans
Women
Anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone who is in the armed forces
The Bush administration, and the government in general
The disabled (note: not referring to the Bush administration)
People who are squeamish when it comes to violence or “foul” language
NEW: Bad sports teams, or otherwise good teams simply getting demolished
It’s politically correct to not run up the score. It’s politically correct to not brag and to modestly acknowledge your success.
It’s politically incorrect to humorously reference a movie about
homosexuality — still a fine source of humor for many in the comedy
industry — and analogize it to basketball, as Phil Jackson did.
Back to the Patriots — what did the P.C. people want Belichick to do
instead? Kick a field goal and tack on more points? At least if he goes
for it on fourth down, he gives the Bills defense a chance to step it
up and prevent them from scoring any points. At that point, with the
Patriots leading as emphatically as they were, the difference between a
touchdown and a field goal (four points) was moot anyway.
Isn’t it more insulting to “play down” to your opponent after you
get out to a sizable lead? It says, at least to me, “I’m so good, I
don’t even need to try hard to beat you. I can take out all of our best
players and play second- and third-stringers.”
Don’t want the Patriots to run up the score? Keep them out of the end zone. That was the response Leon Grant of the Seattle Seahawks gave to reporters
when asked about Chad Johnson’s touchdown celebrations (another thing
you’re not allowed to do when the P.C. police are around):
And though none of the Seahawks wants to witness
one of Johnson’s elaborate celebrations, they are more concerned with
the reason it would occur rather than the act itself.
“My mentality is that if you don’t want a guy to do all of that on you, just keep him out of the end zone,” Grant said.
The Patriots will continue to win by at least three touchdowns, and
will kick sand in the face of their opponents as they go for the fourth
on fourth down.
March/April – .499 opponent ‘07 winning percentage over 10 series.
May — .484 opponent ‘07 winning percentage over 9 series.
June – .498 opponent ‘07 winning percentage over 8 series.
July — .506 opponent ‘07 winning percentage over 8 series.
August — .487 opponent ‘07 winning percentage over 9 series.
September — .480 opponent ‘07 winning percentage over 8 series.
OVERALL – .492 opponent ‘07 winning percentage over 52 series.
Before any off-season wheeling and dealing, and based solely on the
teams’ 2007 performances, the Phillies appear to have an easy schedule
ahead of them in 2008.
Interleague
Even though it’s not really special anymore, it is still worth noting which A.L. teams the Phillies will face.
May 16-18: Toronto Blue Jays (83-79, 3rd in AL East in ‘07)
June 16-18: Boston Red Sox (96-66, 1st in AL East in ‘07)
June 20-22: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (94-68, 1st in AL West in ‘07)
June 24-26: at Oakland Athletics (76-86, 3rd in AL West in ‘07)
June 27-29: at Texas Rangers (75-87, 4th in AL West in ‘07)
Those five series yield an average record of about 85-77 (.525).
The Phillies are home against the “good” teams, which bodes well
both from a perceived home field advantage standpoint, and from a
ticket sales standpoint.
Divisional Rivalries
The number of times the Phillies face division rivals by month…
March/April — 9 games out of 28 (32%)
May — 8 games out of 29 (27.5%)
June — 7 games out of 27 (26%)
July — 18 games out of 25 (72%)
August — 8 games out of 29 (27.5%)
September — 21 games out of 26 (81%)
I think it’s safe to assume that July and September are the most important months of 2008 for the Phillies.
Reservations
Finally, a look at the Phillies home/away match-ups…
March/April — 14 games home out of 28 (50%)
May — 15 games out of 29 (52%)
June — 11 games out of 26 (42%)
July — 13 games out of 25 (52%)
August — 15 games out of 29 (52%)
September — 13 games out of 25 (52%)
Every month, the Phillies have more home games than road games besides June, so that also bodes well.
The worst trips for Eastern teams like the Phillies, obviously, are westward. The Phillies head West four times:
April 21-22: Colorado for 2 games
May 5-11: Arizona and San Francisco for 7 games (4 ARI; 3 SF)
June 24-29: Oakland and Texas for 6 games (3 apiece)
August 11-17: Los Angeles and San Diego (4 LAD; 3 SD)
As mentioned, the Phillies’ 2008 schedule is tentative — it is subject to change.
Philadelphia is home to the least attractive people in the United States, a survey of visitors and residents showed on Friday.
The city of more than 1.5 million people was also found to be
among the least stylish, least active, least friendly and least
worldly, according to the “America’s Favourite Cities” survey by Travel
& Leisure magazine and CNN Headline News.
I was just getting some confidence in my self-image back, and then I hop onto the Internet and read this. That’s it! No more Pat’s and Geno’s cheesesteaks! No more Italian ice or pretzels! No more hoagies!
I think I’m going to start a group and go on a field trip to Los Angeles to get some plastic surgery, too.
Oh, nevermind, I just read more of the article and now I realize that while I’m not attractive, I’m also not unattractive:
[…] [Travel & Leisure senior editor Amy] Farley
pointed out the results don’t mean people in Philadelphia are ugly or
the city is a bad place to visit.
“We were asking people to vote on attractiveness, not
unattractiveness. Travel & Leisure editors believe there are a lot
of attractive people in Philadelphia,” she said.
Phew. I almost made a rash decision.
Blog Hoppin’
Check out these quality blogs:
Vancouver has a fool-proof plan to earn the right to host the 2010 Olympics. [100% Injury Rate]
Taco Bell is intensely patriotic with this new marketing ploy. [Babes Love Baseball]
The Eagles are so bad, Philadelphians are already counting down to Spring training. Only 115 days left! [Balls, Sticks, & Stuff]
Settle down, folks! We know it’s Willie Green season! [Broad Street ####s]
The guy responsible for the Indians’ seventh-inning baserunning
blunder is the leading candidate for the job as manager of the
Pittsburgh Pirates. [Bugs & Cranks]
How Scott Boras became the most hated man in baseball. [I’m Writing Sports]
It’s fun to blog when your favorite teams are winning. [Josh Q. Public]
Keyshawn Johnson’s interview with Chad Johnson is ironic. [Signal to Noise]
It’s almost time for regular season football, and you know what that
means. Predictions. These are my “incredibly genius now, incredibly
stupid later” picks (note: I’m pretty sure the records add up to
256-256). +/- of last season’s record in parentheses.
Visit my new website -- Crashburn Alley!>
Crashburn Alley is a fusion of the phrase "crash and burn" with Ashburn Alley, which is beyond the center field fence at Citizens Bank Park. You can read more about Crashburn Alley here.>
I'm a diehard Phillies fan who is still reeling from the 1993 World Series and Joe Carter's three-run homerun in Game 6.
