Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Who Will Win the Damaso Marte Memorial Award?
Formally knows as the Brian Doyle Cup
The answer to that lies in what I call the Damaso Marte factor. After an inglorious season as the lefty specialist in which he posted a 9.45 ERA, Marte emerged as a combination of Lefty Grove, Whitey Ford, and Graeme Lloyd in the '09 postseason giving up zero runs while neutralizing the Phillies big lefties like Ryan Howard. I believe it will take someone playing over their skis in this second season to lay claim to another flag. Here is my list of the most likely candidates:
Joba Chamberlain
Remember when Joba was the toast of the town? Seems like only yesterday. Somewhere between innings limits, pitch counts, midges, and Joba/Torre rules the man lost his mojo. There's been little glimpses here and there but nothing like the electricity he created like a second coming of Goose Gossage. Supposedly Kerry Wood has been mentoring him hopefully not on how to cope with being a washed up former phenom. Maybe his very average season (4.40 ERA) belies a big postseason. Hopefully frigid Minnesota will keep the midges away.
Curtis Granderson
Granderson has had the type of year (.247/24/67) which seems indicative of a guy playing below the back of his baseball card as he transitions to the big town. Will he be a younger, more athletic version of Johnny Damon or the second coming of Danny Tartabull. We'll see in 2011. For now, he has some big shoes to fill this postseason as Damon pulled his own Marte last year and produced some clutch hits and, of course, his wily steal of third in game 6. Perhaps the crisp autumn air will give us a preview of Granderson's sophomore Yankee campaign as he gets a clean slate in the second season.
Mark Teixeira
This may be a little picky as Tex has put together another relatively solid season. You really can't complain about another 30/100 campaign backed up with solid defense at the initial sack. However, postseason-wise he's got a little bit of the A-Rod disease. He did hit a game-winning HR last year against the Twinkies but that was about it. A player of his capability could put a streak together that carries the entire team. Maybe 2010 will be the year.
A.J. Burnett
If anyone was set up to take home the DMMA it is Allan James Burnett. After having one of the worst seasons for a pitcher in the history of the organization he can't go anywhere but up. Unfortunately (or fortunately) he may not see the mound this fall. Sometimes, though, the baseball gods give you the opportunity to redeem yourself and you never know when an injury or an extra-inning game may give you a chance to make everyone forget your past sins.
Derek Jeter
GASP! BLASPHEMY! I know, how can I go there. Well I did. But as you know Jeter seems to have lost his "Edge" in 2010 hitting 50 points below his lifetime average and generally looking like he's lost a few steps (who hasn't by 36, I know I have). This is his time of the year, though, and might be the viagra Mr. November needs to add to his scrapbook of clutchness.
Honorable Mention: Chad Gaudin, Lance Berkman, Austin Kearns, and A-Rod (just because)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Why I Hate Bud Selig, Reason #245
Besides being a lackey of the ownership, namely "small-market" owners, and presiding over the steroid era, the accomplishment Selig is generally lauded for is creating the wild-card playoff format. Going hand in hand with the wild-card was the reorganizing of the leagues into three divisions, east, central, and west. This was done for two reasons, to, one, gin up some excitement after the canceling of the '94 postseason (of which the Yankees were in first place whence the strike commenced) and, two, to give more of the flyover country teams the opportunity to make the postseason (think Milwaukee Brewers, Selig's former team).
In light of the ignominious way the AL East division race ended, with both the Rays and Yanks seemingly trying to who see who could lose more games as they rested key personnel, I have now a strong distaste for this format. There has been some talk to expand the field and add another wild card team, having them have a one-game playoff to advance to the DS, creating disincentive to be a wild card team. While I agree that not only does this encourage teams to try to win the division but puts the eventual wild card team at a disadvantage going into the first round as they would most likely have used their best pitcher to win the play-in game thus making them unavailable for the first two games of the DS.
Here's the problem. Given the strength of the AL East and the unbalanced schedule, you create a situation where a 95-100 win wild card team in a stronger division may be reduced to playing an 85 win second wild card team from the weak central or west division. So instead of further diluting the postseason field I contend that we go back to the future and create two divisions west and east and make the regular season mean something again. Thanks to Bud and his quest to even-the-playing field and give everyone a trophy we missed out on what could have been a great and memorable race between the best teams in baseball instead of game of chicken where nobody dared blink.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Police: Bar Brawl in Branford Is Over Baseball - Connecticut News Story - WFSB Hartford
Having done time in New Haven, between it and Hartford is kind of like the DMZ of Yankee Universe and Red Sox Nation. I must say that the Chowder Pot has excellent lobster bisque.
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