I am thoroughly looking forward to the Hank Steinbrenner Era. It seems he is hell-bent on replacing his father as the most obnoxious loudmouth, know-nothing owner in baseball. After watching the display he put on this winter in the Johan Santana Sweepstakes and his recent comments about the existence of Red Sox Nation, I don’t believe there is a bigger blowhard in sports today. All we need is for him to revive the Billy Martin routine with Joe Girardi, a possibility that may not be that farfetched as it appears Girardi not necessarily that easy to get along with. Little Stein seems to be unpredictable and impatient and not only expects the team to win now, but to do so in spectacular fashion. Earlier this year, Hank implied that general manager Brian Cashman would be on the hot seat if the plan to hold on to their young pitching instead of going all in for Santana didn’t pan out. If Steinbrenner allows his arrogance and impetuousness to take over the organization, I envision a return of the Yankees to the "glory" years of the 1980's when George was the show.

Continue reading "Looking Forward to the Hank Steinbrenner Era. . . and Other Thoughts From Around the League"

Over the next several weeks I will preview the upcoming Major League Baseball season on division at a time by addressing the key issue each team faces this summer. I’ll wrap it up with my post season picks and predictions for award winners. First up is the National League West.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Will Brandon Lyon be able to replace Jose Valverde as closer?

Arizona finished with the best record in the National League last season despite giving up 20 more runs than they scored, thanks in large part to their outstanding 32-20 record in one run games. The key factor in this was a bullpen that did not relinquish leads, no mater how small, that was anchored by Jose Valverde and his 47 saves. Valverde took off in free agency and now Brandon Lyon will move into the closer’s role for 2008. With no significant changes on offense, it seems likely the Diamondbacks will have to rely heavily on their pitching again and need their bullpen to nail down save opportunities.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Preview Part One: National League West"

The New York Yankees try to carry themselves with the belief that they are the classiest team in baseball. Earlier this week manager Joe Girardi took a stance that was not supported by many others in baseball when he harshly criticized a home plate collision in a game earlier this week, calling it dirty and something that you don’t do in Spring Training. If a young player trying to get noticed by his manager his coming into home and the plate is completely blocked, he has every right to barrel over the catcher. If Girardi doesn’t want such a thing to happen, he should tell his catcher not to block the plate in Spring Training. Nonetheless, I can understand Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips throwing at Evan Longoria in retaliation the next time the two teams met, that at least sends a statement to your teammates that you’ve got their backs. However, when Shelley Duncan slid into second base with his spikes high, that is just plain dirty and something that is unacceptable at anytime in the season. The home plate collision was a young kid trying to make a play, done with no malicious intent. Sliding into a base with your spikes in the air can only be seen as trying to injure another player.

Continue reading "Yankees Playing Dirty . . . And Other Thoughts From Around the League"

For the latest installment of my preview of the 2008 Major League Baseball season, I’ll take a look at the American League West.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Will Torii Hunter be able to provide another big bat to help Vladimir Guerrero carry the load?

Last season the Angels were fourth in runs scored in the American Leauge but 10th in total bases and 12th in home runs. They have done an amazing job since Mike Scioscia has been running the team of getting on base and doing the little things to score runs: they hit and run, steal bases and take the extra base whenever possible. There inability to strike quickly manifested itself in the playoffs against the Red Sox last year when they were unable to come of with the quick strikes to score runs in bunches and keep up with a high powered offense that was firing on all cylinders. If Vlad Guerrero wasn’t able to come up with that hit, then no one would. Garret Anderson showed some pop in the last couple months of the season, but injuries are clearly beginning to take their toll on him and even when he is in the lineup, he is not nearly as dangerous as he once was.

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Next up on my preview for the 2008 Major League Baseball Season is the National League Central. Here are the biggest questions which will play a factor in the season for each team.

Chicago Cubs

Can Kerry Wood stay healthy in the bullpen?

After watching Wood miss significant time due to injuries each of the last four seasons, it seems obvious that he is not going to make it as a full time starter and stay healthy. So now the Cubs are attempting to move him to the bullpen in an attempt to get a full season out of him. When he has been healthy, he is nothing short of dominant and pitching only one inning at a time, he should really be able to let it fly. So far in Spring Training the initial reports look good.

If Wood can hold down the closer role, it has a tremendous trickle down effect on the entire Cubs pitching staff. Bob Howry and Carlos Marmol provide an excellent tandem of set up men and Ryan Dempster, who is capable of providing 200 innings, can return to the starting rotation, giving the Cubs even more depth and experience there. There are different schools of thought on whether the quantity of innings a starter goes through or the frequent appearances of a relief pitcher cause a greater strain on a pitchers’ arm, so it is tough to predict if the move to the bullpen will keep Wood healthy. Following guidelines similar to the ones the Red Sox set for Jonathan Papelbon last season could be just as beneficial to Wood. If Wood’s health does allow the Cubs pitching to fall into place, they certainly become the easy favorite in the division.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: NL Central"

Next up in my preview of the 2008 Major League Baseball season is the American League Central. Here are the key questions facing each team this season.

Chicago White Sox

Will ‘more energy’ be enough to help the White Sox rebound from a disappointing 2007?

Last year the South Siders won only 72 games, a sharp decline after two consecutive 90-win seasons, including a World Championship. They finished last in the American League in runs scored and 12th in ERA. Really, it’s a wonder they didn’t lose more. This past off season, Ozzie Guillen and the front office cited a lack of energy as the reason for the dismal season. Operating on that belief, they went out and acquired the hyper active Orlando Cabrera and boisterous, fun-loving Nick Swisher via trades with Anaheim and Oakland, hoping they will re-energize the team.

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Next up on my preview of the 2008 Major League Baseball season is the National League East. Like before, these are the key questions facing each team.

Atlanta Braves

How much do Tom Glavine and John Smoltz have left?

The Braves figure to be loaded on offense and their pitching could potentially be pretty strong depending on how this pair of 40 year-olds fair this season. Smoltz, who will turn 41 this season, is the safer bet as he has pitched over 200 innings in each season since returning to the starting rotation in 2005, each time with a sub 3.50 ERA. At his age though, a pitcher can rapidly begin to decline and he has experienced some shoulder problems already this spring. Nonetheless, I would expect him to put up another solid year.

Glavine, who just turned 42, is the bigger question. He has been good for at least 198 innings in each of the past three years, however, his ERA has gone up in each of the last two, including a jump from 3.82 to 4.45 from 2006 to 2007. The Braves should definitely get innings from Glavine, though often times he will really have to battle through them. Atlanta also hopes to get a boost from Mike Hampton who hasn’t pitched since 2005. Given his health issues it will be tough to count on him staying in the rotation and what he’ll be able to do when he is there. Most likely the Braves will be a big time player in the trade market for a starting pitcher this summer in order to keep pace with the Mets and the Phillies.

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Here is part six of my preview of the 2008 season for Major League Baseball. This time I’ll look at the key questions for each team in the American League East.

Baltimore Orioles

Is Adam Jones ready to be a star?

The only difference the answer to this questions might make is whether the rebuilding Orioles lose 100 games or only 95. The 22 year old Jones, who was the centerpiece for the Erik Bedard trade, is still not quite ready for primetime. He is however, immensely talented and has shown flashes of brilliance so far in spring training. This is the same player, though, who struck out 21 times in only 65 at bats in his brief appearance with the Mariners last season and Baltimore should expects similar periods this summer where he struggles as he makes the adjustment to playing in the big leagues. Jones should succeed in teaming up with fellow outfielders Nick Markakis and Luke Scott to provide some punch to what will otherwise be a listless Orioles offense and give the fans some hope that this rebuilding project has a bright future ahead.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: American Leauge East"