Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team have become an unstoppable force in NASCAR. Winning the past two championships has put the No. 48 team on the verge of becoming a dynasty, the most recent since his teammate Jeff Gordon won three championships in four years from 1995-1998. Drivers like Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, who are go for broke kind of guys, have had their problems in the Chase. Neither is in the championship hunt right now, and you have to believe that putting one of those guys next to a more conservative guy like Johnson would increase the tension halfway through the Chase.
But instead, Jeff Burton has worked his way up to second in the standings, 69 points behind Johnson. We have two conservative veterans going head-to-head for the title 2008 champion. Johnson is going for his third consecutive championship, while Burton is going for his first championship. I think both drivers want it equally bad, as Johnson is on the brink of tying the legendary Cale Yarborough for most consecutive titles and the only thing that Burton is missing on his resume is a championship.
I know that a lot of people weren’t even picking Burton to make the Chase at the beginning of the year. But, like usual, Burton got off to a hot start, and he stood second in the standings through the first quarter of the season, all but guaranteeing himself of a spot in the Chase. But a mediocre summer stretch had people doubting that Burton could go out and contend for the championship. But now, on the brink of five top tens and a victory in five Chase races, Burton finds himself knocking on the door of Jimmie Johnson. Burton is the most consistent and conservative driver in the sport, and that has both helped him and hurt him in recent years. He has made the Chase the past three seasons, but he finished 7th in the standings in 2006 and 8th in 2007. Back in 2006, Burton was leading the Chase through five races, but bad luck sent him down to 7th. And Johnson went on to win the championship.
Two years later, Burton still has what it takes to win the championship. Burton doesn’t have a lot of speed, as his inability to qualify well indicates. But Burton is one of the smoothest and savviest drivers out there, and he usually finishes in the top ten. When he does qualify well, Burton contends for the win. He started fourth at Lowe’s, and he went on to win the race. I think that indicates that Burton, even at 40, is still one of the most talented drivers in the garage. I’m not saying that Burton is going to be in the title hunt come Homestead, but he is right there, and it is a three-man race as it stands.
Occasionally I enjoy watching old races on ESPN Classics. It seems like yesterday that it was 1999, the year that I began watching NASCAR. I knew exactly who Burton was back then, and ten years later, I’m happy that he’s still contending for championships. In 1999, though, I had no idea who Johnson was, or who Edwards or Busch was. Back then, Jeff Gordon was what Johnson is today, but now, it’s time for Gordon fans to face that he’s no longer the top dog in NASCAR. He and Burton have both been overcome by the younger drivers. But that doesn’t mean they’re still not competitive, and Burton’s style of racing has put him right in the thick of the championship. All sports are rapidly changing, but with NASCAR, a driver can be competitive until their 45 or 50, whereas a baseball player is usually done at 35 and a football player is often done at 30.
I honestly think that Johnson is on his way to a third consecutive title. But Burton is not going to go down easily. He always stays out of trouble and manages to finish out races with a top ten finish. Still, nobody steps it up at crunch time and performs better in the clutch than Johnson and the No. 48 crew.
I’d love nothing more than to see a veteran like Burton, who’s been trying for so long to win a championship, take it all home this year. When I think about Burton’s basic style of racing, I don’t really see a champion, but when I see Burton race like he did last Saturday night, I see a champion. It is still Johnson’s to lose, but Burton has put himself in place to become the points leader if the No. 48 team does slip up. That’s not a frequent occurrence, but nothing is impossible. Two years ago, when Burton had a 96 point lead going into Martinsville, people thought that the title was his to lose. And he did lose it. Johnson can just as easily lose it, and someone will be there to take it from him if he does.
It’s good for the sport when a veteran like Burton, Gordon, Tony Stewart, or Mark Martin does well. The traditional fans, at least, enjoy the fact those guys whom they rooted for ten years ago can still get it done on the racetrack. The wave of young talent over the last few years has been overwhelming, starting with Edwards, then Busch, and in 2006, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. But those aforementioned veterans have not gone away just yet, and one of those guys is standing second in the point standings. Burton is arguably the most well-respected driver by his peers, and he does not have any haters among the immense NASCAR fan base. Perhaps no driver other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. would benefit NASCAR as much by winning the championship. I’d like to see it happen. It can happen, but there’s a huge obstacle standing in the way: Jimmie Johnson, the greatest “postseason” driver in the history of the Chase.
Everything was great in the world of NASCAR until the afternoon of the 2001 Daytona 500. It was on that day that Earnhardt died in a head-on collision with the wall---on the last turn of the last lap. Earnhardt was so close to finishing out the race with a top-five finish. Instead, NASCAR lost one of the greatest drivers in history.
Earnhardt’s death on the racetrack can be compared to Brett Favre passing away playing football or Ken Griffey Jr. being killed in an accident on the baseball field. Those guys are legends in their respective sports, and they seem invincible in the eyes of the fans. Everyone knows that accidents do occur and professional athletes get killed playing sports. We just never expect it to happen to a guy like Earnhardt. We never expect it to happen to a legend. Considering his career statistics and the way he raced and intimidated drivers on the track, Earnhardt seemed invincible. Until that fateful afternoon, he was.
Every NASCAR fan mourned the loss of a legend that day and in the days following. Earnhardt was the face of a sport that had become immensely popular across the nation. Everybody knew who he was, but nobody knew what direction the sport would take following his death. But Earnhardt’s legacy carried on through Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), the organization that he had started up in 1980. What many people failed to notice the day Earnhardt died was that Michael Waltrip, in his first start with DEI, won his first career race. It doesn’t happen too often that a driver pushing the age of 40 wins their first race in their first start with a new organization, and that win just happens to be at the Daytona 500. The following race took place at Rockingham, North Carolina. Everybody still had heavy hearts about the loss of Earnhardt. But those thoughts took a brief hiatus when Steve Park, driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., took home the checkered flag. It all seemed too much like fate to be a coincidence. While NASCAR was going through a period of great sadness, Waltrip and Park’s back-to-back victories managed to become a huge feel-good story. Two races later, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick, the driver tabbed to replace Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing, scored a victory in just his third career start. Third, ironically the same number that Earnhardt had sported since 1984. Harvick barely edging out Jeff Gordon to win at Atlanta became as much of a feel-good story as DEI’s back-to-back victories. But the ultimate feel-good story came later that year, at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. overcame the grief of losing his father and scored a victory at the same place where his father had lost his life. Earnhardt and second-place finisher Michael Waltrip celebrated together in the infield under the lights, and that was arguably the greatest moment in the history of the sport.
In the same year that Earnhardt died, the organization that he had created rose to national prominence. On the brink of Earnhardt’s death, DEI managed to score three monumental victories. Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the most popular driver in the sport, and DEI became the most popular organization in the sport. The 2001 season was the most depressing season in NASCAR history, but unlike some sad stories, this one ended on a high note.
Throughout the years, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity became even more immense. Remarkably, Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity soared past his father’s own popularity. He was the most recognizable driver in the sport. But Earnhardt wanted a championship more than he wanted popularity. And the sad fact was, DEI’s success was dwindling downward. Earnhardt was up-and-down for years, and his shaky relationship with his step mom caused problems within the organization. In 2007, Earnhardt failed to land a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second time between 2005-2007. His teammate, sophomore driver Martin Truex Jr., did manage to land a spot in the Chase. It was in that summer that Earnhardt decided a change was necessary and left the organization his father had founded a long time ago. It was a sad moment for NASCAR fans everywhere. But ultimately, Earnhardt had to do it in order to achieve his goal of winning a title.
Earnhardt landed at Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 88 car. While Earnhardt soared as high as second in the point standings and recorded a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, his former organization was left to dwindle and die.
In 2008, DEI has fielded four teams and none of those four teams have scored a win. Martin Truex Jr. currently sits 15th in the point standings, a disappointment compared to his 2007 season. Mark Martin has been solid in the No. 8 car that Earnhardt left, but he hasn’t raced fulltime. Paul Menard and Regan Smith, driving the Nos. 15 and 01, respectively, have been mediocre at best. It gets worse, though. Martin, following in Earnhardt’s footsteps, is going to race for Hendrick Motorsports next season. Menard is bolting to Yates Racing. Truex is entering his contract year in 2009, and if the performance at DEI doesn’t improve, he’ll surely walk out the door, as well.
Let’s take a look at the 2009 roster for DEI: Martin Truex Jr. will for sure be in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. That is the only hope for DEI next year, as Truex is a top-notch driver, and the No. 1 car is the only one with guaranteed primary sponsorship. Aric Almirola, who is currently splitting time with Mark Martin, will drive the No. 8 fulltime. There’s a good chance that the inexperienced Almirola will experience growing pains next season, and it gets worse considering the team has no sponsorship lined up. Regan Smith may not return to the 01 car, and that’s another team that has no primary sponsorship. With Menard leaving the No. 15 and taking his sponsor, Menards, with him, there’s another team at DEI without sponsorship. Without a qualified driver, it’s hard to attract sponsors. And without sponsors, it’s hard to acquire a solid driver. It’s the vicious cycle of marketing and money that NASCAR has become. DEI has four cars, one primary sponsor, and two guaranteed drivers lined up for next year. That’s not pretty.
If Martin Truex Jr. somehow wins the championship next year, Almirola turns out to be a top twenty-five driver, and the organization acquires two solid drivers for the 15 and 01 cars, then DEI still has some life in them. But if Truex leaves, Almirola fails to do anything, and the organization can’t even get a hold of any sponsors for the other two cars, then it will be the end of one of the most recognizable organizations in NASCAR.
DEI has come a long way since the end of the 2000 season. They lost the founder and owner of the organization at the beginning of 2001. But the teams stayed on their feet, and by the end of the year, DEI”s success was a great story. Earnhardt Jr. is what kept DEI alive ever since that year, though. He had a few spectacular seasons, and he won a lot of races. But DEI just kept declining, and Earnhardt decided to go somewhere where he could win a championship. When Earnhardt left, fellow driver Tony Stewart claimed that “the organization would become a museum.” That comment might have been a little premature, but it’s looking like it will come true. Having the sport’s most popular driver racing for them kept DEI afloat. Losing him sunk them to the bottom. Losing both Truex and Martin would blow up their ship. Unfortunately, NASCAR has changed drastically since the death of Earnhardt. So has the organization that he founded. Without Earnhardt Jr. around, there’s not a quick fix for DEI. It’s sad to say, but the end came for Earnhardt and the end is coming for his organization, as well.
Dale Earnhardt was one of the greatest racers to ever drive on a NASCAR racetrack. Earnhardt won seven championships, which is tied for the all-time lead beside the legendary Richard Petty, and he also won 76 races en route to becoming one of the most hallowed names in the history of sports.
In the 1970s the Cincinnati Reds garnered the nickname “The Big Red Machine.” With an offense that consisted of Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, and Pete Rose, the 1970s Reds can almost be considered a dynasty. They appeared in four World Series throughout the decade, winning two of them. But in the opinion of most, that can’t even be considered a dynasty. When it comes to World Series wins, the last real dynasty was the New York Yankees, who won six World Series in seven years from 1947-1953. That was, of course, before the Yankees of the late 1990s, who the World Series in 1996 and then again from 1998-2000. On that note, here’s a fact to all you Yankee haters out there: think what you want, but the Yankees are and always will be the greatest franchise in Major League Baseball.
How about this for impressive? The Yankees have appeared in an outstanding 39 World Series, which is 21 more than the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are second on that list. And they’ve won 26 World Series, 16 more than the St. Louis Cardinals. The New York Yankees have more titles than any other sports franchise in North America. But now, at the end of the 2008 season, the Yankees’ dominance is officially over. It has been dwindling for the better part of the decade, but now, with their failure to make the postseason, it‘s over. But don’t worry Bronx fans, the Yankees will be back on top before too long.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has always used high-priced free agents and attention-grabbing trades to dominate the rest of the league. It worked in the late 1970s, as the Yankees became the best team in baseball. But as the 1980s went on, the Yankees severely declined, and they never returned to the prominent level they had been at in the late 1970s. Despite constantly spending large sums of money on free agents, the Yankees had losing seasons every year from 1989-1992.
The tide turned, however, when then-Commissioner Fay Vincent suspended Steinbrenner from day-to-day operations. This allowed general managers Gene Michael and Bob Watson to shift the club’s focus from buying league superstars to building up the farm system. With this new plan in place, the Yankees drafted and developed several future contributors in the early 1990s: shortstop Derek Jeter, catcher Jorge Posada, outfielder Bernie Williams, and pitchers Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. Had Steinbrenner still been in charge, some of those players would have been traded away and the Yankees wouldn’t have built the dynasty that they ultimately built. By 1994, the Yankees had the best record in the American League, but couldn’t capitalize due to the strike, which canceled the playoffs. In 1995, they finally made the postseason but lost in the Divisional Series.
Then 1996 came around. The players that had been drafted in the early 1990s were now contributing, and after the hiring of Joe Torre as manager at the beginning of the season, the Yankees cruised to a World Series title. The Yankees lost in the Divisional Series in 1997, but in 1998, they went 114-48 and then swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series. Rightfully so, the 1998 Yankees are considered one of the greatest teams in baseball history. The Yankees won the World Series again in 1999 and 2000, firmly establishing themselves as baseball’s newest dynasty.
Since the 2000 season, the Yankees have made the postseason every season but failed to win another championship. And now, in the 2008 season, the team didn’t even come close to making postseason. The Steinbrenner Doctrine, which is to acquire as many top-notch veterans as possible, is not working too well right now. The Yankees are strapped with some veterans that are still semi-productive but not worth the price they’re being paid. Three primes examples would be Bobby Abreu, Jorge Posada, and even the Yankee captain Derek Jeter. And George Steinbrenner, who’s not known for building a great farm system, has gathered highly touted prospects Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain over the past few years. In comparison, the division rival Red Sox have brought up Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jon Lester through the farm. Chamberlain is the only guy who’s contributed for the Yankees, whereas the Red Sox are loaded with young talent. That’s why the Red Sox have taken over as the greatest force in baseball. As indestructible as the Yankees have seemed in recent years, the late 1980s and early 1990s proved that they weren’t invincible no matter how much money they spent.
Hank Steinbrenner, who is now in charge of the organization, has publicly proclaimed that he’s willing to go out and spend as much money as necessary in the offseason to get the Yankees back into the playoffs. But would acquiring Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia give the Yankees a postseason berth? Batting Teixeira behind Alex Rodriguez would give the Yankees the best 1-2 power punch in the game, but how much would the rotation have behind Sabathia? Mike Mussina is getting old, and the young pitchers still might not be ready to step up. And the bullpen, save Mariano Rivera, is a huge question mark. Even if the Yankees were to make the playoffs next year, it wouldn’t be too long before they were strapped with underperforming veterans once more. It’s the cycle of the New York Yankees.
For the better part of the 21st century, the Yankees have been getting worse. And, in traditional Steinbrenner fashion, they responded by adding aging veterans instead of stocking the farm system with young talent that would be giving this team an energetic and revitalized approach by now. Look at the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, and Florida Marlins. They all had good seasons in 2008 with small payrolls. In the Yankee world, though, that’s not a possibility.
The Yankees will be back on top eventually. That’s where they belong, as 26 World Series titles would indicate. It might be in five years through an improved farm system, or more likely through a spending frenzy over the offseason. But no matter how, the Yankees will be back on top again. Sorry Red Sox fans, but it’s true. The Yankees are between a rock and a hard place right now. But that’s where they were in the early 1990s. And not too long after that, they became the dominant team in baseball. Again, that’s the cycle of the New York Yankees.
You know it has to be getting on Hank Steinbrenner’s nerves that in his first year running the organization, the team failed to make the playoffs. Even worse for the Yankees is that Joe Torre, whom they let go after last year, has led his Dodgers to the playoffs. And worse than that maybe is that the Rays and Red Sox, the Yankees’ division rivals, are playing in the ALCS. Yankee fans will be jumping off bridges if both Joe Torre and the Red Sox appear in the World Series.
The Yankees’ struggles this year should be noted by everyone, including the reporters and ESPN who act like the world is coming to an end because the Yankees missed the postseason one time. We’ve become used to the Yankees making the playoffs. After all, they’ve made it every year since 1995, and expectations have become so high for the Yankees. The team often receives criticism for having such high expectations, but I’m under the impression that everyone has held the Yankees to pretty high expectations over the years. In the Yankees’ world, making the playoffs isn’t enough. That’s why Joe Torre was let go. He led the team to the playoffs but a bow-out in the first round was not going to fly with the Steinbrenners. There’s teams in the majors that would kill just to contend for the playoffs, like the Pirates or the Royals. But even those teams that haven’t made the playoffs in about ten thousand years don’t complain like the Yankees. Hank Steinbrenner recently stated, “The biggest problem is the divisional setup in Major League Baseball. I didn’t like it in the 1970s, and I hate it now. Baseball went to a multi-division setup to create more races, rivalries, and excitement. But it isn’t fair. You see it this season, with plenty of people in the media pointing out that Joe Torre and the Dodgers are going to the playoffs while we’re not. This is by no means a knock on Torre---let me make that clear---but look at the division they’re in. If L.A. were in the AL East, it wouldn’t be in the playoff discussion. The AL East is never weak.” Like father, like son. The moment he got the opportunity, Steinbrenner began to made excuses. The Yankees aren’t in the postseason because neither ownership nor management has handled this team like they should’ve the past few years, not because they play in a tough division. And what’s Steinbrenner complaining about, anyway? He doesn’t have anything to worry about. He’ll lead the Yankees right back to the top of the heap before too long. Maybe he should temper his expectations a little bit, but the same could be said for everyone else who is making a big deal because the Yankees missed the postseason. They’re having a tough time right now, but they will always find their way back to the top. It’s the cycle of the New York Yankees.
In 1998, Major League Baseball anointed one new franchise in each league. The Arizona Diamondbacks were placed in the National League, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were placed in the American League. Those two teams went their separate ways in the snap of a finger. The Diamondbacks were successful from the get go, winning the World Series in 2001 when the franchise was only four years old. With Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, the Diamondbacks had a terrific 1-2 atop their rotation. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez had an offensive season that no Devil Rays player could have dreamed of having. On the brink of those three players, the Diamondbacks pulled off a huge upset, defeating the New York Yankees in the World Series, spoiling the Yankees’ hope of winning a fourth consecutive World Series.
In the same season that the Diamondbacks won the World Series, the Devil Rays recorded a 100-loss season. In 2002, the Devil Rays had an even worse season, with a record of 55-106, tied for the worst in baseball. In 2003, they avoided becoming the worst team in baseball thanks to the terror that was the Detroit Tigers, who only won 43 games. The Devil Rays’ fortunes never got any better. In the next three seasons, only once did they finish higher than fifth in the AL East, and they’re highest win total in a single season was 70.
Going into the 2007 season, the Devil Rays had established a semi-talented roster. At least the roster looked more talented than that of the previous Devil Rays’ teams. They had two formidable starting pitchers in Scott Kazmir and James Shields, and before the season was out, Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton, and Carl Crawford had posted good offensive seasons, notably non-roster spring training invitee Pena, who set single season franchise records in home runs (46), RBIs (121), walks (103), slugging percentage (.627), and on base percentage (.411). Crawford hit .315 while stealing 50 bases, and Upton had a 20-20 year in his first full big league season. But none of it was enough. The defense was a mess all year, finishing with a .980 fielding percentage, tied for 13th worst in the AL out of 14 teams. And the pitching staff, despite the presence of a solid duo atop the rotation, finished last in the AL in ERA, wins, and opponent’s batting average, thanks largely to the messy bullpen, anchored by closer Al Reyes, whose 4.90 ERA was actually solid compared to the other Devil Ray relievers. The Devil Rays finished the 2007 season with a 66-96 record, once again the worst in baseball. They also finished in the AL East cellar for the ninth time in their ten years of existence. It had officially been ten years of losing in Tampa. An entire decade of misery. People point to the Chicago Cubs and talk about how they haven’t won a World Series since 1908. But the Cubs had made the playoffs multiple times and even appeared in the World Series. After 2007, the Devil Rays would have killed just to have a .500 record on the season. It was beginning to look like the Devil Rays would never be a contender. No matter how talented their roster was, they just couldn’t put together a winning ball club. In a division that included the high payroll New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, it looked as though the Devil Rays would never have a chance.
Before the 2008 season, the organization garnered some attention when they altered the team name from Devil Rays to Rays and changed the team uniforms. They were miniscule changes, but at least something was going on in Tampa. Nothing positive had happened in the past ten years, so at least the organization did something. But after that alteration, the organization grabbed people’s attention when they traded former first-round draft choice Delmon Young to the Minnesota Twins for starting pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett. This year, Young had only 10 home runs, 69 RBIs, and a .750 OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage). New Rays shortstop Bartlett wasn’t quite as good as Young at the plate, but he’s given the Rays great defense at a prime position, and he’s granted the team another legitimate base stealer. The Twins have to be missing Matt Garza, who’s recorded 11 wins and a 3.70 ERA for the Rays.
With the changes in the offseason, the organization and its small fan base had a small amount of optimism coming into the season. A decade of losing was behind them, and the organization was looking to the future with its talented farm system. The only good thing that came out of that decade of losing was that the farm system was now one of the best in baseball, with third baseman Evan Longoria and pitchers David Price, Jake McGee, and Wade Davis. That small dose of optimism turned into high hopes after the Rays posted the best record of any team in the majors during spring training.
The Rays started off hot, and they received some attention for it. But no one thought that they were going to keep it up. After all, this was the Rays, who had not won more than 70 games in a year since their conception. And the team played in arguably the toughest division in baseball, with three other good teams that had a higher payroll and more veteran talent than the Rays. But as April turned into May and May turned into June, the Rays were not going away. It appeared as though the team would at least break even at the end of the season at 81-81, maybe better. But still, most baseball fans thought that the Red Sox and Yankees were the teams to beat in the AL East.
By the All-Star Break, the Rays had become the Cinderella story of professional sports. Evan Longoria had become a household name in just his rookie year, the defense had gone from the worst in the league to the best in the league, the rotation finally had more than just two reliable starters, and the bullpen, under the guidance of veteran closer Troy Percival, had become one of the better units in baseball. Good defense, starting pitching, and a terrific bullpen were three things that the Rays had always lacked and in a major turnaround, the Rays suddenly had all three of those qualities. Things didn’t look good when Kazmir started off the year injured, but Shields, Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and Edwin Jackson stepped up and gave the team a solid rotation without the presence of their ace.
Feel-good story had turned into doubt when the Rays lost nine consecutive games before the All-Star Break. People began to think that it was the beginning of the end for the Rays. The Red Sox crept up on the Rays and nearly took over first place in the AL East. But the small payroll Rays hung onto first. Every game, the Rays played with more heart and energy than any other team in baseball. They wanted the division more and more everyday. At the beginning of the season, the Rays would have been satisfied with an average season. But once the reality set in that they had a team capable of winning, the Rays became increasingly determined to take the division away from the favored Red Sox, who were knocking on their door all year long.
The Rays played hard and united all season. It was a group of youngsters who came together in an effort to change the fortune of the long-struggling franchise. The Rays have played a lot of close games. They’ve had a lot of walk-off hits. They haven’t relied on offensive fireworks to carry the team. They just always found ways to win, because they played with so much heart all year long. Manager Joe Maddon was assured of the AL Manager of the Year Award a long time ago. He has turned this team into something. I haven’t seen a team as united as the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays in a long time. Despite how history screamed out against them, the Rays believed in themselves when no one else, even their fans, believed in them. Not too long ago, the Rays clinched the first winning season in their franchise’s history. But that was no longer good enough. And on September 26th, 2008, the Rays clinched the AL East title. The low payroll team upset the Goliaths of baseball, the Red Sox and the Yankees, and became America’s team in the span of a year. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rays squared off against the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox were loaded with veterans that had experience in the postseason. The Rays had no postseason experience, but that didn’t stop them. They proved that experience was overrated by taking the series in four games. There’s thirty teams in Major League Baseball. The Rays, somehow, have managed to become one of the last four standing.
Who doesn’t like the Rays? Who doesn’t enjoy the fact that such a young team came together, fought hard all year long, played their hearts out, and pulled off a monumental upset? But they’re not done yet. At first, the Rays just wanted to finish at least fourth in the AL East. But after they found success at the beginning of the season, the Rays wanted to finish with a solid record and a maybe a third-place finish in their division. But after months of winning, the Rays became determined to win their division. They pulled off all of those things. And now, the Rays are going to play harder than they have all year. That’s bad news for the Red Sox, who are going up against the Rays in the ALCS. This team has a lot of heart, and sometimes that’s the most important ingredient to get to the World Series. No one except for Red Sox fans are going to be happy if the Rays fail to win it all. Making the playoffs is no longer enough for this team. As ridiculous as it may sound, this organization has come to expect a World Series title. But the Rays finishing with a .500 record sounded ridiculous coming into the season. Then again, not many people expected this team to go out there and play with as much heart as it has. They’ve redefined the term “miracle.” They’ve become the Cinderella story of the year. They’ve managed to get everybody rooting for them. And now, they’ve put themselves in position to pull off the greatest upset in the history of baseball.
Al Davis is the owner of the Oakland Raiders. And I’ll be the first one to admit that Davis loves this team more than anyone else. But Davis is not here to manage or coach the team. And his obvious desire to do that has taken the Raiders from prominence to depression.
Davis did a decent job as a head coach for the Raiders, but when Davis became a part owner and the head of operations for the Raiders, the team really took off. By the 1970s, Davis had assembled a terrific team in Oakland. Under head coach John Madden, the Raiders won six division titles in the 70s, winning their first Super Bowl in 1976. Earlier that year, majority owner Wayne Valley sold his interest in the team to Davis, who was now firmly in charge of the Raiders.
Even when John Madden left after 1979, the Raiders continued to win. Davis was as sharp as they came. He put winning teams on the field year after year, and the Raiders won another Super Bowl in 1980 and another in 1983. Although the Raiders made the playoffs the next few seasons, their fortunes went downward in the late 80s when they began to have losing seasons. Davis’ patience wore thin, and he fired head coach Mike Shanahan. Ever since then, Davis has been inconsistent as the owner of the Raiders. He’s been quick to pull the trigger on coaches and players. Davis has not been notorious for drafting well, and he has not found the right head coach for the team. The Raiders had their high points, though, returning to glory between 2000-2002, as they won their division those three years and made a Super Bowl appearance in which they lost in 2002.
But since that Super Bowl loss, no one except Norv Turner has coached the Raiders for more than one year (unless you count Lane Kiffin, who was fired four games into his second year as head coach). It’s clear that Davis is not as sharp as he used to be. His impatience has reared its ugly head, as he has not focused on putting a good product on the field. He’s been too focused on making his head coaches look bad so he can fire them. Take Lane Kiffin for example. Kiffin was young and had no NFL experience when he was hired as the Raiders head coach before the 2007 season. There was no legible reason for Davis to hand the keys of a struggling franchise to a guy with no NFL experience.
Drafting quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the 2007 draft and running back Darren McFadden in the 2008 draft put the offense in good hands for the future. The Raiders had a talented roster, and their 4-12 record under Kiffin in 2007 was better than their record in 2006 under Art Shell. Davis’ impatience has made it impossible for anyone to coach in Oakland. Based on his recent history, it’s basically win or you’re fired after one year. Davis loves this team a lot, but it’s not his job to manage or coach it. And that’s what he wants to do. Kiffin had that job, but Davis’ constant interferences placed a lot of scrutiny on the rookie coach. Davis messed up the team but placed all the blame on Kiffin when push came to shove.
Kiffin was trying to get fired. Not often do I condone of a coach or a player not trying, but can you really blame Kiffin? He was on the hot seat from day one. Kiffin survived one year, but once the season year started, Davis reported he was going to fire Kiffin after week two and week three until finally doing so after week four. Making a big production by saying your going to fire Kiffin when you have no intention to proves that Davis has lost his edge. He was simply trying to garner some attention by those claims that Kiffin would be fired. He was also trying to get something out a Kiffin, perhaps a resignation.
Ultimately, it became a situation where Kiffin had to be fired. Davis and Kiffin’s relationship was too unhealthy to the organization, and Kiffin had pretty much given up on the team. We all should’ve foreseen this; Kiffin was too inexperienced to deal with the scrutiny of coaching for Davis. And it’s not like Kiffin could really win with the team that Davis had assembled. Even now, the Raiders aren’t much more than a 5-11 or 6-10 team. This team has not been the same ever since Davis went on the coach changing spree. But he’s desperate, and he’s not going to change. I’ll admit that Kiffin had to go for the sake of the team’s performance. But Davis also has to go for the sake of the franchise.
We have all been fortunate enough in recent years to watch one of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR drive his butt off every Sunday. I'm talking about Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota. Since his rookie year of 1999, Stewart has been one of the best drivers in the sport. His two championships puts him among some legendary company. We all no by now that Stewart is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year to form his own organization. After a year that Stewart would describe as "nightmarish," it was good to see him be able to get one last victory in that orange No. 20 car. Stewart and his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, have been together since day one. For a whole decade, Stewart has had the same crew chief, number, sponsor, and owner. It wouldn't have been fair for him to walk out of Gibbs without one last victory. And making it more special was the fact that it came at Talladega, a place where Stewart has come so close to winning so many times. This is a special way for Stewart to cap off his relationship with JGR. We can all relish about Stewart's victory, but this article isn't really about Stewart. It's about why Stewart won a race he shouldn't have won.
Putting the start/finish line at the end of the front straightaway was one of the smartest ideas anyone ever had. That's made for some great finishes throughout the history of the racetrack, especially nowadays when last lap passes are almost a guarantee. This past Sunday, Stewart had the lead for almost the entire front straightaway until Regan Smith came charging under him. Stewart threw him a block, forcing Smith below the yellow line. Instead of backing off, Smith went full throttle and blew past Stewart, crossing the line in first place. Granted, though, NASCAR made another wrong call. They said that because Smith passed below the yellow line, the victory was void. The bottom line is that Smith was forced down there, so he had every right to pass Stewart below the yellow line.
NASCAR's response to Smith gets me even more aggrevated, though. They told him that he could have backed off the throttle and basically let Stewart win the race. Smith might not be the top-caliber driver that Stewart is, but no driver will back off the throttle a few yards from the checkered flag. It's pretty funny that every driver and fan knows that, but NASCAR apparently doesn't. Every driver wants to win, and the fact that NASCAR penalized Smith for not backing off is ridiculous.
I'm going to bring up a point here that might sound ridiculous, but I don't think it's all that far-fetched. There was a Talladega race not too long ago when Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed Matt Kenseth below the yellow line, and NASCAR ruled that he was forced down there. Earnhardt didn't have to relinquish the spot back to Kenseth. But NASCAR, inconsistent as usual, said that Smith's pass was void. Anybody with eyes can see that he was forced down there. So what I'm hearing is that it's okay for Earnhardt to pass below the yellow line but not for Smith to. Maybe NASCAR is trying to appease the fans. NASCAR has all the power in the world when they make these calls, and they can go whichever way they choose. Stewart has more fans than Smith, Earnhardt has more fans than Kenseth. When you need to help out Stewart, say that Smith should back out of the throttle. When you need to help Earnhardt, say that poor Little E was forced below the yellow line. Call me crazy, but I think that NASCAR intentionally took that win away from Smith in order to give the more popular driver the victory.
I wouldn't think this way at all if NASCAR would just completely get rid of the yellow line rule. It's a horrible rule. At every venue on the NASCAR circuit, drivers can pass below the line---except the restrictor plate tracks. NASCAR is going to receive a lot of grief for their call, and they darn well should. If they're not going to abolish the yellow line rule, then they need to get the calls right. Regan Smith won that race fair and square. If they were to abolish the rule, then all 43 drivers could use the track as they please. And also, no drivers would have to back off when going for a win or be penalized if they don't. There's a lot of flawed rules in NASCAR, and this one may seem miniscule. But it did cost Smith a victory, which would've been huge for his career and the entire DEI organization. I think this rule needs to be abolished, because I don't want to see any more drivers get robbed of victories they earn.
Ever since 1995, the New York Yankees made the postseason every year---until now. The Yankees missed out on October baseball in 2008, bowing down to the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox as the superior teams in the AL East. Winning four World Series titles from 1996-2000, the Yankees secured the title of a baseball dynasty. But now, nearly a decade later, the most legendary team in Major League history is not a factor in the playoffs. As it stands, there’s four teams, a very diverse playoff field, that will duke it out for the title of 2008 World Champions.
BOSTON RED SOX With one more World Series title, the Boston Red Sox will become the most recent baseball dynasty. They won the World Series in 2004 and 2007, and now they’re close to making it a third in the past five years. It’s fair to make a comparison between the Red Sox of today and the Yankees of the late 1990s. Both had high payrolls but no matter what happened, they played with a lot of heart and played united. The Red Sox have overcome some significant injuries this postseason, and now they’re in the ALCS. No matter what happens, the Red Sox stayed united as a team because they know they’re on the brink of becoming a dynasty. The Red Sox/Rays series should be a terrific one to watch. They’re division rivals who have an increasing desire to win it all this October. At the same time, though, these teams are polar opposites: the Red Sox are a high payroll team that have postseason experience. The Rays are a low payroll team who have suffered a history of losing in their ten year existence. But they’ve come together in one year, played with a ton of heart, and taken the baseball world by storm. After a second World Series title last year and the recent upset of the favored Los Angeles Angels in the ALDS, the Red Sox have officially become the Goliaths of MLB.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Doubt the Rays all you want. They overcame that doubt all season long and beat out the Red Sox for the AL East title. After ten years of existence, the Rays’ best season consisted of only 70 wins. They’ve struggled for a decade, but now, they’re on top of the world. At the beginning of the season, the Rays would’ve been satisfied with a winning record. But after they just kept on winning, this young team has the desire to win the World Series. Not often do baseball fans get to watch a team like the Rays. They’re young and inexperienced, but at the same time, they play with more heart than any of the veteran teams out there. The Rays have already become the Cinderella story of 2008, and winning the World Series would officially make the 2008 Rays the greatest upset story in the history of baseball.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Imagine if the Dodgers appear in the World Series with the Red Sox. Manny Ramirez would meet back up with his former team, and manager Joe Torre would be able to go head-to-head against his former rivals. After sweeping the Chicago Cubs in three games, it is looking all the more likely that the Dodgers will make an appearance in the World Series. This team has had its problems in recent years, but Torre and Ramirez have brought a revitalized attack in Los Angeles. Ramirez, after being torched by Boston fans, has become arguably the most beloved athlete in L.A. He has single-handedly turned the tide of this organization. Without him, the Arizona Diamondbacks would have taken the NL West title. Before this season, the Dodgers had not won a playoff series since their World Series year of 1988. In 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals proved that you can be the worst team to make the playoffs and still win the World Series. The Dodgers fit that mold this year. Unlike the Cardinals in 2006, though, the Dodgers have a terrific pitching staff. And they have one guy who would love to show up his former team by winning the World Series. That guy just happens to be the team’s best hitter. The Dodgers are one of the greatest franchises in baseball history, but it’s been awhile since they’ve been on top. With a little bit of luck, 2008 could get them back there.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
While the Chicago Cubs are notorious for being the “Lovable Losers,” the Phillies are also pretty famous for losing. The Phillies have only one World Series title in franchise history, which came in 1980, and they are the only franchise to have lost more than 10,000 games. But when you take a look at the Phillies’ roster, you see a team that is capable of winning a World Series this year and in the years to come. None of the other teams still in the playoffs have an offense on par with the Phillies’ monstrous offense. Remember, the Phillies won 92 games during the regular season while the Dodgers only won 84. If that’s any indication, then the Phillies will be headed to the World Series. In 2004, the Red Sox were as infamous for losing as the Cubs. Winning the World Series that year set them apart from the Cubs. Now, the Phillies have a chance to set themselves apart from the Cubs and take the second World Series title in their franchise’s history.
The stage is set for a great showdown between the final four teams. It’s been a long time since baseball has seen such an unpredictable playoff field. It appears that after the divisional series’, anything can happen. The Dodgers trumped the favored Cubs in three games. The Red Sox threw down the gauntlet against the favored Angels. The inexperienced Rays proved they have the ability to get it done in the playoffs. The Phillies’ pitching staff came alive against the Brewers after a mediocre regular season.
You’ve got the Red Sox, one of the most recognizable franchises in baseball. They’re high payroll, they’ve got a large fan base, they’re the ultimate favorites. You’ve got the Rays, the most notorious losers in the past ten years. They’re low payroll, they have a small fan base, and they’ve gone from being the ultimate underdogs to the ultimate Cinderella story. You’ve got the Dodgers, who, like the Red Sox, are one of the most recognizable franchises in baseball. But unlike the Red Sox, the Dodgers are not the favorites. They’re the underdogs. They came out of nowhere to make the playoffs, but now, they have as much desire as any of the teams to make it to the end and win it all. And you’ve got the Phillies, a franchise that has defined inconsistency but played with a lot of heart in 2008 and overthrew the higher payroll New York Mets to win the NL East. Any one of these four teams has the ability to take the World Series trophy. No matter how it plays out, though, it should be an exciting finish to an epic season.
Dale Earnhardt was one of the greatest drivers to ever drive a car on a NASCAR racetrack. Earnhardt won 7 championships, tied for the all-time lead beside the legendary Richard Petty, and 76 wins en route to becoming one of the most hallowed names in the history of sports.
Everything was great in the world of NASCAR until the afternoon of the 2001 Daytona 500. It was on that day that Earnhardt died in a high-on collision with the wall---on the last turn of the last lap. Earnhardt was so close to finishing out the race with a top-five finish. Instead, NASCAR lost one of the greatest racers in history.
Earnhardt’s death on the racetrack could be compared to Brett Favre passing away playing football or Albert Pujols being killed in an accident on the baseball field. We all know that accidents do occur and professional athletes do get killed playing sports. We just never expect it to happen to a guy like Earnhardt. He was a legend, after all. Considering his stats and the way he raced on the track, Earnhardt seemed invincible. Until that fateful afternoon, he was.
Many fans mourned the loss of a legend that day and in the days following. But the next weekend, when Steve Park, racing the No. 1 for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won at Rockingham, it seemed like fate. Michael Waltrip had won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race the week before---at NASCAR”s most historic and infamous track, the Daytona 500. And that had been Waltrip’s first race with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. It doesn’t happen too often that a driver pushing 40 wins their first race at the Daytona 500 in their first start with a new organization. But it happened on February 18, 2001. So while NASCAR was going through the saddest event in its history, Waltrip and Park’s back-to-back wins became a huge feel-good story. That was, until two weeks later, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, when Kevin Harvick, the driver tabbed to replace Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing, scored a victory in just his third career start, ironically the same car number that Earnhardt had sported since 1984. Harvick barely edging out Jeff Gordon to win at Atlanta became as much of a feel-good story as DEI”s two victories. But the ultimate feel-good story came later that year, at the Pepsi 400 in July, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. overcame the grief of losing his father and scored a victory at the same place where his father had lost his life. Earnhardt and second-place finisher Michael Waltrip celebrated together in the infield under the lights, and that was arguably the greatest moment in the history of the sport.
In the same year that Earnhardt died, the organization that he had created grew to national prominence. On the brink of Earnhardt’s death, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. drivers scored three monumental victories. Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the most popular driver in the sport, and DEI became the most popular organization in the sport. The 2001 season was the most depressing season in NASCAR history, but unlike some sad stories, this one ended on a high note.
Throughout the years, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity became even more immense. Remarkably, Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity soared past his father’s own popularity. He was the most recognizable racer in the sport. But Earnhardt wanted a championship more than popularity. And the sad fact was, DEI had not been the same since that 2001 season. Earnhardt was up-and-down for years, and his shaky relationship with step mom Teresa Earnhardt caused problems within the organization. In 2007, Earnhardt failed to land a spot in the Chase for the second time in the past three years. His teammate, sophomore driver Martin Truex Jr., did land a spot in the Chase. It was in that season that Earnhardt decided a change was necessary and left the organization his father had founded in 1980. It was a sad moment for NASCAR fans everywhere. But ultimately, it was time to forget about Dale Earnhardt Sr. and focus on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s career.
Earnhardt landed at Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 88 car. While Earnhardt soared as high as second in the standings and recorded a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, his former organization was left to dwindle and die.
This season, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has fielded four teams and none of those four have scored a victory. Martin Truex Jr. currently sits 15th in the standings, a disappointment compared to his 2007 season. Mark Martin has been good in the No. 8 car that Earnhardt left, but he hasn’t raced fulltime. Paul Menard and Regan Smith, driving the Nos. 15 and 01, respectively, have been unspectacular. There’s teams out there that would love to have Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. racing for them, but those two guys aren’t going to be with the organization much longer. Martin, following in Earnhardt’s footsteps, is going to race for Hendrick Motorsports next season. Menard is bolting to Yates Racing. Truex is entering his contract year in 2009, and if the performance at DEI doesn’t improve, he’ll surely leave as well.
So let’s take a look at the 2009 roster for Dale Earnhardt, Inc: Martin Truex Jr. will for sure be in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. That is the only hope for DEI next year, as Truex is the only Chase-caliber driver on the roster, and the No. 1 car is the only one with guaranteed primary sponsorship. Aric Almirola, who is currently splitting time with Mark Martin, will drive the No. 8 fulltime. There’s a good chance that the inexperienced Almirola will falter next season, though, and it gets worse considering the team has no sponsorship lined up. Regan Smith might not return to the 01, and that’s another team that has no primary sponsorship. With Menard leaving the No. 15 and taking his Menards sponsorship with him, there’s another team at DEI that has no primary sponsorship. Without a qualified driver, it’s hard to get sponsorship. And without sponsorship, it’s hard to acquire a solid driver. It’s the vicious cycle of marketing and money that NASCAR has become. DEI has four cars, one primary sponsor next year, and two guaranteed drivers lined up for next year. That’s not pretty.
If Martin Truex Jr. somehow wins the championship next year, Almirola turns out to be a top twenty-five guy, and the organization acquires two solid racers to drive the No. 15 and No. 01, DEI still has some life. But if Truex leaves, Almirola fails to do anything and the organization can’t even get sponsors for the other two cars, then it will be the end of one of the most recognizable organizations in NASCAR.
DEI has come a long way since the end of the 2000 season. They lost the founder and owner of the organization at the beginning of 2001. But the teams stayed on their feet, and by the end of the year, DEI’s success was a great story. Earnhardt Jr. is what kept DEI alive ever since then. He had a few spectacular seasons, and he won a lot of races. But DEI just kept declining, and Earnhardt decided to go somewhere where he could win a title. Having the sport’s most popular driver racing for them kept DEI afloat. Losing him sunk them to the bottom. Losing Truex and Martin would blow up their ship. Unfortunately, NASCAR has changed dramatically since the death of Earnhardt. So has the organization that he founded. Without Earnhardt Jr. around, there’s not a quick fix for DEI. It’s sad to say, but the end came for Earnhardt and the end is coming for his organization, as well.
When the baseball season begins, nobody knows what to expect. Two important things were guaranteed before the 2008 season began: it would be the final year for Yankee Stadium and the season would officially mark the 100-year anniversary since the Chicago Cubs’ last World Series title.
More often than not, unexpected occurrences happen throughout the baseball season. Injuries occur to the most notorious players in the game, horrific teams step up and contend, dynasties can be ended, young players become national icons. Baseball is a rapidly changing sport, and the 2008 season did not disappoint when it came to changes and surprises. The 2008 MLB season was one of the greatest seasons in recent memory. It was truly an epic year for the sport.
Every year since 1995, the New York Yankees had made an appearance in the postseason. This year, in what was the final year for the long-standing Yankee Stadium, the Yankees failed to make the postseason. While it would have been nice to see one last World Series occur in the legendary ballpark, many fans were happy to see the change of scenery for baseball. For so long, the Yankees were the team to beat in baseball. Despite the leadership they provide and the fans they draw, there’s one downside to having a lot of aging veterans on your team: they decline. It’s as simple as that. While the Yankees’ failure to make the postseason can also be attributed to the lack of depth in the rotation, it’s hard to ignore the fact that a team with such a high payroll and such high expectations failed to even be true contenders come September.
With the decline of the Yankees came the rise of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays had never even come close to having a winning season in the 10-year history of their franchise, and they had finished last in the AL East nine out of ten years. Despite the Rays’ talented roster, no one expected them to turn into sudden contenders and rise above the two Goliaths of baseball, the Red Sox and the Yankees. Playing with a low payroll but a lot of heart and a lot of unity, the Rays managed to do just that. They went from being the worst sports franchise of the 21st century to becoming the greatest Cinderella story in recent sports history. A World Series title would only add to the epic story that is the Rays.
The Rays’ success was a welcome surprise in the baseball world, as was the Yankees’ decline. But while the 2008 season marked what might be the official end of the Yankee dynasty, it also marked the final year for the historic Yankee Stadium, which had stood since 1923. I guess you could say it’s fitting that the dynasty dies with the stadium. But the Yankees will be back before you know it. The stadium will never be back. Although it’s a sad moment for everyone when a piece of baseball history gets taken out of the sport, Yankee Stadium experienced an eventful season in its last year of existence. The All-Star game is always a special night, but the All-Star game that was played at Yankee Stadium this year was one of the most memorable in a long time. The legends in the Hall of Fame were honored on the field before the game began. While it might not sound like a big deal, it did allow baseball fans everywhere to look at the greatest players in history standing on the most historic field in history that was home to the most historic baseball team in history. For that moment, it gave all of us the true feeling of the great American game. And when that feeling was gone and it was time to play, the game itself didn’t disappoint. After years of domination, the American League went in as the favorites. But the National League proved to be no pushover. The game went all the way through the 15th inning. It was a dogfight all the way, but in the end the American League defended their title. The game was full of suspense and great defensive plays. Miguel Tejada’s two-out highlight reel play in extra innings to keep the AL, who’d had the bases loaded, from scoring. That inning will go down as one of the most suspenseful innings in the history of the All-Star game.
Josh Hamilton also gave Yankee Stadium one last hurrah. The night after the All-Star game, the Texas Ranger All-Star went to the home run derby and put on arguably the greatest show in the history of the derby. Hamilton whacked a record-setting 28 home runs in the first round. By this time, everyone knew Hamilton’s story. How he had been a first-round pick in 1999 but fell to drug addiction and now battled his way back into the majors. But it wasn’t leading the majors in RBIs or appearing in the All-Star game that made Hamilton’s season. It was those few minutes in the Home Run Derby, when Hamilton completed his comeback by sending all those die hard Yankee fans to their feet. That night, Hamilton gave us all something to cheer about, and he definitely gave Yankee Stadium a night to remember in its final year. Hamilton’s showing at the derby will go down as one of the most epic nights in recent memory. His comeback was enough to be a feel-good story of the season, but that night really took it to the next level.
Derek Jeter has been the face of the Yankee franchise for a decade now. On September 16, Jeter recorded his 1,270th hit at Yankee Stadium, passing up the legendary Lou Gehrig for the most hits inside that stadium. It was only fitting that the captain of the team capped off the great 85 years of the stadium by breaking such a significant record. Jeter gave a moving speech after the last game at Yankee Stadium was played, leaving the stadium behind with the words spoken from the face of the legendary franchise.
There were many more things to remember about the 2008 season than just the Rays’ success and the great moments at Yankee Stadium. Going back to Josh Hamilton, he was clearly the greatest comeback story of the year. But St. Louis Cardinal Rick Ankiel also experienced a revival. Although Ankiel had not gone through the same issues as Hamilton, he did battle injuries and a change from the pitching mound to the outfield before making his comeback to the major leagues. But Ankiel became the second greatest comeback story in 2008, putting up big power numbers before an injury limited him in the last couple months. But Ankiel was well on his way to 30 or 35 home runs before that injury. Cliff Lee, who had battled injuries and ineffectiveness for a long time, revived his career in 2008, posting the best ERA (2.54) and the most wins (22) the AL, all but assuring him of the Cy Young Award. The veteran’s unexpected comeback was a pleasant surprise for fans everywhere. And then there’s the well-known story of Jon Lester, the Boston Red Sox pitcher who had battled lymphoma not too long ago. Lester became a fulltime starter in 2008, and he completed his comeback from the serious disease by throwing a no-hitter on May 19. That was only a part of Lester’s comeback, though. He finished fourth in the AL in ERA, standing at 3.21. No matter how many people are rooting against the Red Sox, no one can deny that Lester was one of the feel-good stories of the year.
There were comebacks, and there were, like every year, trades and team changes. The Dodgers put one piece in place before the season and one piece in place in the middle of the season. Over the offseason, the Dodgers hired Joe Torre, who had been fired from the Yankees after they had once again bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the hot start by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the injury to the Dodgers’ best player, Rafael Furcal, Torre kept the Dodgers in place all throughout the season, something that didn’t happen last season in Los Angeles. At midseason, the Dodgers traded for Red Sox outfielder, Manny Ramirez. Ramirez boasted one of the most potent bats in the game, but his antics had grown old in Boston. His attempts to get out of Boston (many of which hurt the team) turned his “Manny Being Manny” act from funny to immature and disrespectful. Ramirez got his wish, though, and it’s definitely worked out for the Dodgers. Ramirez has a batting average of .396 for the Dodgers while slugging .743 with a .489 on base percentage. Ramirez also has 17 home runs and 53 RBIs in just 53 games. While Torre’s presence can be attributed to the Dodgers’ return to the postseason, Ramirez brought an energy to this team that really rejuvenated the entire city of Los Angeles.
Ramirez wasn’t the only impact trade during the season, though. In fact, Major League Baseball hadn’t seen so many impact trades made in the middle of the season in a long time. Jason Bay went to Boston and helped them not miss Manny in the middle of the lineup so much. Mark Teixeira went to the Los Angeles Angels before the trade deadline, and he recorded a line of .358-.632-.449. While he didn’t provide much offensive fireworks throughout the season, future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. made headlines when he was traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago White Sox before the deadline. Rich Harden, the former Oakland Athletic, was traded to the Chicago Cubs in July. Harden has recorded a 1.77 ERA for the Cubs while going 5-1 with 89 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. If you think that sounds impressive, you haven’t seen anything yet. C.C. Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, and he might actually win the NL Cy Young despite having only 130.2 innings pitched. A large amount of thanks can be given to Sabathia for Milwaukee’s return to the postseason. Sabathia recorded a 1.65 ERA for the Brewers while going 11-2 and pitching 7 complete games in only 17 starts. 2008 marked the only season that four players changed teams via midseason trades and put up those kinds of numbers for their new team. Ramirez, Teixeira, Harden, and Sabathia officially contributed to making the 2008 season an epic one.
While not as milestone-filled as 2007, the 2008 season provided its fair share of milestones. The most monumental came on June 9, when Ken Griffey Jr. joined the hallowed 600-home run club. Griffey became only the sixth player in Major League history to hit 600 home runs. Future Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, two of the greatest pitchers from the 1990s, both recorded their 3000th strikeout during the year. Manny Ramirez blasted his 500th home run, and Gary Sheffield fell only one homer shy of that mark. Derek Jeter recorded his 2500th hit, and Greg Maddux won his 350th game.
The 2008 season saw great races for both the AL and NL MVP awards. Early favorite Chipper Jones got everyone’s attention when he hit well over .400 through the first couple months of the season. Jones eventually came back to Earth, but he still won the NL batting title with a .364 average. Despite Jones’ great season, he isn’t in contention for the MVP award. He hasn’t stayed healthy enough. One exciting thing, though, is the fact that the MVP race is wide open in the NL. Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, David Wright, Ryan Braun, even Manny Ramirez, nobody knows who it’s going to be. The AL is even more wide open, with Dustin Pedroia, Justin Morneau, and Kevin Youkilis looking like early favorites. But there’s several more contenders, such as Jermaine Dye, Josh Hamilton, and Alex Rodriguez. The Cy Young races are less interesting, with Cliff Lee all but guaranteed the AL award. The NL is more interesting. Tim Lincecum has had a great season, but will the San Francisco Giants’ horrific season keep him from winning it? Johan Santana, Brandon Webb, Ryan Dempster, and C.C. Sabathia project as other favorites to win the award. No matter what happens, those races have kept us on the edge of our seats. It’s been a long time since both the NL and AL MVP awards were this up in the air.
Another thing that has kept us on the edge of our seats are the playoff races. Four teams were battling for two spots when it came down to the last day of the regular season. The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers were tied atop the NL Wild Card standings. Sabathia’s complete game gem against the Chicago Cubs catapulted the Brew Crew into the postseason for the first time since 1982 while the Mets suffered yet another heartbreaking September. Not often does a team go into September leading their division two years in a row and not make the postseason either time. But the Mets, a team with a high payroll, have struggled to play with the heart and upbeat attitude that the Brewers played with. Over in the AL, the Minnesota Twins lead the Chicago White Sox by a half game in the AL Central. The White Sox have a makeup game, and if they win, they will face the Twins in a game to decide who will be crowned the AL Central champions. The Twins are a large part of the growing trend of low payroll teams dethroning higher payroll teams. The Rays and the Brewers are two other teams that made the postseason. The Rays defeated the Red Sox and Yankees in their division, while the Brewers outplayed the Mets for the Wild Card spot. If the Twins can take the AL Central title, they will be another low payroll squad that takeaway a playoff spot from a high payroll team. Even if these low payroll teams don’t have the immense fan base that teams like the Cubs or Yankees do, it’s good for everyone when there’s competition from the underdog teams.
I’m going to close out the 2008 season review by mentioning the Chicago Cubs. Under the guidance of manager Lou Piniella, the Cubs have turned into a favorite going into the playoffs. It has been 100 years since the Cubs last won the World Series. While most pundits picked the Cubs to win the NL Central title, not a lot of people expected them to win 97 games. Looking at the immensely talented roster, there’s not really a weak spot on the team. Although the Cubs lack a Ryan Howard-like slugger, six guys on the team hit over 20 home runs during the regular season. They have a powerful offense. But the Cubs, being able to throw out Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, and Rich Harden three days in a row, have a dangerous looking rotation, as well. The bullpen has had its problems in September, but if Kerry Wood steps up and doesn’t blow any saves, they’ll have a top-notch bullpen. Great starting pitching and good work from your closer are considered to be two of the major keys to postseason success. The Cubs won’t have it easy, but think about it: winning the World Series one hundred years after your last one. Now that the Red Sox have won the World Series, the Cubs remain the only “cursed” team in baseball. For years now, the Cubs’ last World Series title became more and more buried in history. The fact that they haven’t won the World Series in so long has been given a fair amount of attention. How’d it be to see the Cubs put all that to rest by winning the World Series again exactly one century later? That would really put the icing on the cake for what has been an epic 2008 season.
Why is it that not all of us achieve what we want out of life? Maybe the human race doesn't work hard enough to even deserve to accomplish those achievements. Who do we blog about on this website? Athletes. Athletes work hard at what they do. They have a lot of natural ability, but when you think about it, we all have a natural ability for something. Everyone has a calling in life. I know this for a fact. I played baseball in high school, but once I got to college it hit me that I wasn't good enough to keep up anymore. I loved playing, and I had a burning desire to go out on the field and play the game I loved.
But again, I simply wasn't good enough. Those kids on my college team could've smoked me anytime, anywhere. I'm friends with some of those guys, but at the same time, I'm kind of jealous of them. Or at least I was jealous of them. At first I thought that they had so much God-given talent that it wasn't fair. I knew that I didn't have that kind of talent. But I've matured and grown up in the last few years. My life had been in a chaotic stage throughout my senior high school year. It just didn't seem like I was going anywhere in life. I became increasingly out of shape. I'd always been a little bit pudgy, but now I was gaining weight more rapidly. I had never had a friend, many of my best friends were moving away to attend different colleges across the nation, and I was cut from the baseball team in my senior year in high school after three years of being one of the better players in the school. I guess you could say that life kind of caught up to me. I became extraordinarily stressed out, and my grades dropped tremendously that year. Having my grades drop as bad as they did (I'm talking 1.5 GPA here), and being cut from my baseball team, I pretty much destroyed any shot I'd had at receiving a scholarship for academics or athletics. I had an easy time getting into Mizzou, but it's not really a hard school to get in to. I'd been rejected by SLU (St. Louis University), at first and that's when I tried out for Mizzou.
Yeah, I suppose you could say that my life was at a crossroads at the tender age of 18. I didn't really know where to go from there. My dream of being a Major League Baseball player had been dashed, and I was a new life, far away from my friends and family. I began to think what I posted on here earlier: why is it that not all of us achieve what we want out of life? I thought I was going to be one of those left to live an unfulfilling life. But I decided to use that thought as motivation. I wanted to see what this new, independent life would be like. I mentioned earlier that I had gained a lot of weight my senior year. Well, to anyone out there who struggles with weight, here's a piece of advice: we all have our problems in life, but at the same time, we all have a ton of potential in life. Being physically unhealthy doesn't mean your a bad person, but it's harder to achieve your goals when your unhealthy and have low self esteem. It's a sad fact, but it is true. Believe me, I know. I was down in the dumps my senior year. But after I had been in college for a few months, I decided to take my life to a new level. I hit the gym hard for the rest of the year. I lost 50 pounds, shrinking from 220 to 170. And I also went from bench pressing 165 to 250. I knew that I was done with baseball so that wasn't my reason for getting in shape. I chose to whip myself into shape, because I knew that I would be a more successful person in life if I did. My confidence was at an all-time high, and confidence leads to success. I also got my first friend my freshman college year, and we're still together today. Back in high school, I think my low self esteem would have prevented me from having a healthy relationship. But today, I'm a different person. I also took up journalism, and I found my niche as a sportswriter. I just recently began my junior year of college, and I've already written articles for a few sports websites. I feel positive about my future, and I'm optomistic that I'll be successful in this field one day. I may not be living my dream as a baseball player, but at least I've found out what I should be doing. That's a benefit many of us don't have, because we don't make things happen for ourselves.
I have gone from being a miserable kid to a confident man in the span of four years. You might ask me what this article has to do with sports. And I'll tell you that it has everything to do with sports. My life revolved around baseball in high school, but once I realized that it wasn't going to happen for me, it hit me that I had to find my true calling in life. I feel like I've managed to do that. I enjoy sportswriting, and it's something that I can be successful in. What I think is the most important thing here is that I am still in the field of sports. I still get to deal with them everyday, and loving your job is something that also leads to high confidence and great success. I love my job. I love my family. I love my friend. I love my life. Four years ago, you wouldn't have heard that out of me. That shows you how your life can turn upside down for the better in a short time if you choose to dedicate yourself to finding your purpose and fulfilling your potential. I hope this article has been helpful to anyone who is struggling to find their way in life, and good luck to all of you who want to achieve your dreams.
A lot of great players from the Steroid Era have already retired and a number are approaching the retirement mark. I've made a list of players who have already retired, arguing whether or not they should be voted into the Hall of Fame. Then I've listed some players who will be retiring in a few years, and I've argued as to whether they will be Hall-worthy when they hang up their helmet.
JEFF BAGWELL (retired after 2005)
Jeff Bagwell’s numbers are worthy of the Hall of Fame, no doubt about it. Bagwell’s .297 average, .540 slugging percentage, and .408 on base percentage are incredible. He was the best first baseman in the NL during the Steroid Era. Bagwell might not belong to the 500 home run club, but that has more to do with the fact that he only played for fourteen years. Bags’ stats are more impressive when you consider that he played half of his games in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Definite yes.
CRAIG BIGGIO (retired after 2007)
Who doesn’t love this guy? Biggio was one of the classiest guys in the game when he played. That’ll help his Hall of Fame case. But the numbers will be good enough otherwise. Biggio’s averages weren’t great, but the high number of runs and doubles and the whole 3000 hit club thing will get him into the Hall. And don’t forget about Biggio’s 414 stolen bases. When the guy was in his prime, he was the best second baseman around. You have to appreciate his hard and 100% effort style of play. He’s a first-ballot Famer.
BARRY BONDS (not retired)
Let’s just say Bonds never plays again. In that case, he’ll be eligible for the Hall of Fame the same year as Biggio, Piazza, Sosa, and Clemens. I know that Piazza and Biggio will go in before Bonds. If Bonds hadn’t juiced, he’d be a surefire Hall of Fame. I think some voters will look at Bonds’ stats before his head grew twice its original size. It’s a 50/50 chance for Bonds as of now. I would vote for Bonds to go to the Hall of Fame. But I still don’t know how MLB would justify letting Bonds into the Hall if they didn’t let in Pete Rose.
ROGER CLEMENS (not retired)
Roger Clemens is done for, even though he hasn’t announced it. He won’t be a first-ballot, since he’ll be eligible the same year as Piazza and Biggio. I think that Clemens is killing his chances now by lying. If he would have just apologized, I would almost guarantee him a yes as to getting in. Like Bonds, Clemens was great before he juiced, so I think he still has a shot. I think he will get in, but it might not be until 2015 or so.
EDGAR MARTINEZ (retired after 2004)
The good news for Edgar Martinez is that he’s the best player in his class. The bad news is that he was a DH. If Martinez played in the field, I think he’d be a Hall of Famer. He wasn’t a great homer hitter, but he hit a lot of doubles and slugged over .500. He was a terrific hitter, batting .312 over his career and he walked more than he struck out, leading to a .418 on base percentage. I would vote Martinez in, but I don’t think the writers will.
RAFAEL PALMEIRO (retired after 2005)
Rafael Palmeiro is going to be eligible soon, and I think he’s going into the Hall of Fame. Palmeiro failed a steroid test, but he not just a power hitter. Palmeiro was a great defender, he hit well, he produced runs, and he recorded more walks than strikeouts. He wasn’t as one-dimensional as Sosa and McGwire. I think he’ll have an 80% chance. Larry Walker is the only other worthy player eligible the same year as Palmeiro.
MIKE PIAZZA (retired after 2007)
Mike Piazza revolutionized the term “good hitting catcher.” He was better than Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Roy Campanella at the plate. Piazza hit an incredible .308 over his career. His 427 home runs are the most ever by a catcher. Piazza’s .922 OPS puts him among some of the all-time greats. Piazza’s going to the Hall of Fame.
SAMMY SOSA (retired after 2007)
If Barry Bonds is going to the Hall of Fame, Sammy Sosa deserves to, as well. From 1998-2001, there wasn’t a better player in the game. We all know that Sosa juiced, even if the Mitchell Report didn’t name him. Because Sosa was so one-dimensional, I don’t think he’ll be voted in. He had terrible plate discipline, and his average was low. If Sosa wouldn’t have exploded for those few years, he wouldn’t even have 400 home runs.
LARRY WALKER (retired after 2005)
Sure, Walker played most of his career at Coors Field, the ultimate hitters park. But out of all the guys who played in Colorado, Walker was the best. So if Walker doesn’t get in, no Rockies player ever can. Walker hit .313, slugged .565, and had a .400 on base percentage. Walker’s short career didn’t allow him to reach some milestones, but his averages speak for themselves. I think he’s going to get voted into the Hall of Fame eventually.
CARLOS DELGADO
Delgado’s gonna get in someday. It might take a few years, but it’ll happen. He’s been one of the more prominent sluggers of the Steroid Era, and he’s still going strong. If he keeps it up, Delgado might reach guys like Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx on the homer list.
JIM EDMONDS
I do think that Edmonds will get in eventually. While his offensive stats don’t appear that much better than Jeff Kent’s on paper, Edmonds has an OPS of over .900. He should get to 400 home runs. He’s been a great slugger, but he’s also hit well throughout his career. Edmonds won’t get in on his first try, but I think that his mix of power and defense will ultimately get him in. Don’t forget that Edmonds has won eight Gold Gloves.
TOM GLAVINE
Tom Glavine hasn’t been as good as Maddux, Johnson, Martinez, or Clemens, but he’s been pretty darn good. Glavine might be the last player to reach 300 wins in his career. His ERA isn’t spectacular, but the wins will get him in easily.
KEN GRIFFEY JR.
No doubt yes here. Griffey hasn’t reached the 700 homer milestone that people thought he would, but he’s in the 600 club. I’m not even going to defend this. He’s a no-brainer first-ballot.
TODD HELTON
I don’t think Helton will play too much longer. I thought he might need to pad his stats to make the Hall, but I think he’ll get in eventually either way. Helton’s OPS is as good as Ramirez’s. Helton’s .430 on base percentage and .583 slugging percentage are legend material. On the road, Helton is hitting .295 with a .394 on base percentage and .502 slugging percentage. That’s still Hall material.
TREVOR HOFFMAN
I’m pretty sure Hoffman is going in. He hasn’t been as lights out as Rivera throughout his career, but he’s nonetheless one of the greatest closers in history. He holds the saves record as of now. Even though it’s a flawed stat in some ways, just turn the page to his ERA and strikeouts. Enough said.
RANDY JOHNSON
Johnson was the greatest pitcher of the Steroid Era that didn’t juice not named Maddux. If Johnson plays another year, he might reach 300 wins. It’ll be a stretch. Either way, Johnson’s low ERA and the fact that he ranks third on the all-time strikeouts list is enough to put him in.
CHIPPER JONES
Chipper is one of the greatest hitters of his era. He has a chance to reach 500 home runs, but even if he doesn’t, his pure hitting ability will get him in. Jones will be a .300 career hitter with a slugging percentage well over .500 and an on base percentage over .400. Definite yes for Jones.
JEFF KENT
Honestly, I don’t think Kent is going to get in. His stats are good but not great. If he gets in, Edgar Martinez and Larry Walker belong in. Kent’s been identified as a jerk, and that might hurt him. The writers take character into accountability. But you’ll find much better than .290-.499-.355 on this list.
GREG MADDUX
Maddux might be the most guaranteed yes on this list. He’s just so steady, so consistent. He’s not a power pitcher, but he has better control and command than any other. Maddux ranks in the top ten all-time in wins. He’s one of the most intellectual guys. He works by outthinking the hitter. With his fastball, it’s incredible that his ERA is so low.
PEDRO MARTINEZ
Pedro will go in even if his career is over. Martinez has 3000 strikeouts, and he has fewer innings pitched than Maddux, Johnson, or Clemens. Those four have been the greatest pitchers of the era. Martinez has the lowest ERA of all four of them. He’s the definition of power pitcher.
MANNY RAMIREZ
Manny has arguably been the greatest offensive player of the Steroid Era. Ramirez’s career OPS is over 1.000, which ranks among the greatest to ever play the game. His slugging percentage is an unworldly .593. Ramirez is going to make it to the 600 home run club and maybe the 3000 hit club. If this year is any indication, Ramirez might not be done anytime soon.
MARIANO RIVERA
He’ll be the greatest closer of all-time when he’s done. Rivera is going to surpass Hoffman in saves, and his ERA is a lot better. And Rivera’s been the greatest postseason reliever in the history of the game. Not much else to say except he’s going into the Hall of Fame.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ
Pudge hasn’t been the offensive catcher that Piazza has, but he’s been pretty darn good at the
