Tag: Reds

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MLB League Division Series Predictions

MLB playoffs are a pretty good reason to make some time and finally write something on here again. Let me know your predictions in the comments and I’ll keep a running tally throughout the playoffs.

New York Yankees (95-67) vs. Baltimore Orioles (93-69)

This Baltimore Orioles just don’t quit. I was upset back in April when the Jays lost 5 out of 6 to this team thinking how can they lose to a basement dweller but boy was I wrong.

The Orioles lost the first four games against the Yankees this season (all in April) including two games in extra innings… after those two losses, Orioles did not lose an extra inning game THE ENTIRE SEASON. Yankees CC Sabathia went 0-2, 6.38 ERA and .312 avg against in 3 starts vs. Orioles this year.

I will take those two stats compounded with the first two games being in Baltimore helping knock out any nerves they may have and go with Orioles in 4.

 

Oakland Athletics (94-68) vs. Detroit Tigers (88-74)

The Athletics overcame a five game deficit with nine days to go and overtaking the Rangers on the last game of the season. Any team riding a hot streak like that can easily run the table in a short series but when you are going up against Verlander and Fister, you can find yourself one game away from elimination before you even know it. Also, Athletics will probably save themselves a lot of trouble by not pitching to the Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera.

Being a big fan of Moneyball, nothing would make me happier than the Athletics finally getting around to winning the World Series but I just don’t see that happening here. Tigers in 5.

 

Cincinnati Reds (97-65) vs. San Francisco Giants (94-68)

I am still not sure how Cincinnati won 97 games this year but behind Johnny Cueto (19-9, 2.78 ERA, 170 strikeouts), they have a very good chance of beating Matt Cain and the Giants on the road. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce lead a pretty decent offense that could give the Giants some trouble.

The Giants’ will need all the help they can get from their rotation after Cain especially Lincecum who finished the season with only 10 wins and a 5+ ERA but I don’t know if Buster Posey and company can do enough to move on. Reds in 4.

 

Washington Nationals (98-64) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (88-74)

Anything short of a World Series win by this Nationals squad which feed fuel to the fire to the decision of shutting down Stephen Strasburg (15-6, 3.16) for the season. That said, the team went 13-11 after shutting him down and still won the division rather comfortably.

The Cardinals, who every one though would struggle to make the post-season after losing Pujols, beat the Braves in controversial fashion but I think that is as far as they will go as the Nationals are still too strong for St. Louis even without a starting pitcher. Nationals in 4.

 

 

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Derek Jeter: Mr. Overrated?

So here is a sneak peek at a chapter that I have written for my book. The title of the book is Diamond Destruction: How Greed, The Media and Steroids Ruined Our Game. Let me know what you guys think.

This specific chapter is called “Derek Jeter: Mr. Overrated?” which I am sure is going to be a big hit amongst my Yankee friends. Maybe this is my own way of removing the closet Yankee fan label or the fact that I never fell for the Jeter hype in the first place. Not really sure what it was but I never thought he is this superstar that everyone makes him out to be. Just think about Jeter who does not put up any big numbers and plays shortstop – if he put up these numbers for a team like Kansas City Royals or another lower tier team by today’s standings, no one would even know who Derek Jeter is. He was quite fortunate to fall into a perfect place with the Yankees who had stars and he was just a very small piece who didn’t even play that big of a role in their ultimate success.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter. I might release more as I go along but feel free to criticize, point out errors or add any other input you may have on this. If you want to read everything I have, feel free to contact me. So far I would say I have about 50 pages worth written and I’m still looking for more people to read it, rip it to shreds so I can improve on it.

I will not waste much time in making my point very clear regarding this chapter. I have long stated and still stand by the statement that Derek Sanderson Jeter, also known as Mr. November to many fans around the country, is one of the most overrated and overhyped baseball players to play the game in my lifetime. Certainly it does not help that he was drafted for the Evil Empire but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like every single player who has put on a pinstripe. There are plenty of Yankees who I have great admiration for and hoped that they had played for my favorite team. Continue reading “Derek Jeter: Mr. Overrated?”

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What To Watch For: A Must!

If you’re remotely a baseball fan, try and catch tonight’s game between the New York Yankees and Cincinatti Reds at 7 PM on MY9 (should be channel 9 for those of you in the tri-state area) or MLB.tv for those out of the region. This is the first time the Reds are visiting Yankee Stadium since swept the Yankees in the World Series a little over 30 years ago. That team had a lineup that featured Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr., Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. What a lineup that must have been but let’s not forget that team went up against the likes of Mickey Rivers, Thurman Munson, Lou Pinella, Graig Nettles and even Willie Randolph.

That was in 1976, this is 2008. This time the Reds team which is a sub .500 team still packs plenty of talent. Rookie Jay Bruce who tore the cover off the ball once he got called up and before his 7 for 39 slump which now has him hitting .318 on the year in almost 100 at bats. This team also has the pitching in Edinson Volquez who has a 1.64 ERA in 14 starts with a 9-2 record (one of those losses came in relief in an 18 inning game). He has allowed more than 2 earned runs only once all year long and has 105 strikeouts while only issuing 44 bases on balls. His team is 11-4 in games that he has appeared in, just goes to show what kind of pitcher he is.

Finally, the Reds have Ken Griffey Jr. Here is a player who is on the tail end of his career, only hitting about .240 or so on the season but gets to visit Yankee Stadium once again. He is a career .296 hitter at Yankee Stadium with 18 HRs and 50 RBIs. Hopefully he can put on a show once last time at the Stadium. Heck, this might not even be his last visit since the Tampa Bay Rays are interested in acquiring which would be another great move by that franchise. He has his summer home in Orlando – an hour away from where the Rays play. He can certainly bring some more veteran leadership to a team that just swept the best team in the Majors and really is proving that they are the real deal this year.

One can only hope.