Heard in the Cheap Seats

Baseball is a sport full of unwritten rules–an undocumented code of conduct governs the game. Don’t bunt to break up a no-no. Don’t steal past the sixth inning of a game when your team is up by more than five runs. When throwing at a hitter, keep the ball below the shoulders. Don’t upstage the opposing team by taking a long look at your homerun.
The list goes on and on with the code of conduct a professional baseball player must follow. One additional rule the pro ballplayer will find in his fictional handbook is never show up the plate umpire, especially if you are a pitcher or catcher. At first blush, it feels like a reasonable rule. It certainly doesn’t help the cause of the pitcher to be continually bickering with the plate umpire. But more and more, I’ve been picking up on a trend that is simply ridiculous–umps showing up the player.

Point and case: I was watching the Braves play the Padres tonight. Tim Hudson had just been called for a balk that scored a run and Bobby Cox was thrown out of the game for arguing for his ace. In short, Hudon’s feathers were probably ruffled. In the following at bat, a Hudson fastball that was nearly identical to an earlier pitch called for a strike was called for a ball. In a fit of frustration, Hudson held out his arms in bewilderment, never uttering a single word. The home plate ump proceeded to remove his mask and walk half way to the mound barking at Hudson. To Hudson’s credit, he turned his back and walked away from the ump.

Granted, Hudson never should have expressed his disagreement for the entire stadium to see (after all, he must’ve received the handbook). But the nonsense with umpires riding their high horse has to stop. The ump took a simple shrug of the shoulders and attempted to make it into a full-blown argument. This is not an isolated incident. Too often, umps instigate when they should be diffusing the situation.

I am sick and tired of players having to abide by a certain code of conduct that doesn’t apply all around. Umps need to get in line and realize that just because they are behind a mask doesn’t mean they are hidden from the laws of baseball.

Since unwritten rules govern baseball, maybe it is time we unwrite a rule that says umps should never add more fuel to a potential fire.

Man, I have really fallen behind when it comes to posts as of late. Apologies for the slow going-once again the job the pays me got in the way. Because the season is literally right around the corner, I am going to do an abbreviated post on the remainder of my predictions for the upcoming MLB season. That way, everyone can tell me how far off base I was when they all turn out wrong.

AL Central

I left off with the NL Central, so I will go across to the American League and tackle to AL Central first. I honestly believe this is the hardest division in baseball to predict, but in the end, I think the battle comes down to the Indians and the Tigers. Here’s how I think it will shake out:

1.) Cleveland Indians: 94-68

2.) Detroit Tigers: 92-70

3.) Minnesota Twins : 88-74

4.) Chicago White Sox: 85-77

5.) Kansas City Royals: 80-82

NL West

In the pitching-rich NL West, this is another division that will be tough to predict at the outset of the season. But the Diamondbacks had the best off season of any team in baseball and they appear to be in position to take the division this year. The Rockies will fall victim to a post-World Series lull.

1.) Arizona Diamondbacks: 92-70

2.) San Diego Padres: 89-73

3.) Los Angeles Dodgers: 88-74

4.) Colorado Rockies: 84-78

5.) San Francisco Giants: 78-84

AL West

Last but not be least, the AL West. If the Angles can weather the storm until their starting rotation gets healthy, they take this division fairly easily. The only team I could see making a serious charge would be the Mariners on the strength of their pitching.

1.) Los Angeles Angels: 93-69

2.) Seattle Mariners: 88-74

3.) Oakland Athletics: 81-81

4.) Texas Rangers: 76-86

So there it is; my picks in their entirety.

My World Series pick you ask? Cleveland Indians over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Enough of Spring Training already, let’s play ball!

A smattering of sports nuggets from the week:

• Did anyone catch the Duke/North Carolina game last night? If you ever looking to manufacture tournament-type intensity in the regular season, this is the game that comes the closest. And as usual, the game last night lived up to the hype. At one point, Duke and Carolina were trading 3’s to keep the game tied with about five minutes to play. In the end, Carolina prevailed and secured the ACC crown. By the way, every time I watch Tyler Hansborough play I am more impressed. Questions abound about his athletic abilities and how they will translate to the NBA, but I share none of those concerns. This kid is a monster that will succeed on the next level due to will alone.
• Georgetown held off a hard-charging Louisville team yesterday to take the regular season Big East title. Don’t be fooled though, Louisville is bound to make some noise in the Big Dance this year. Their tenacity on the defensive end of the floor will wear opponents down.
• The Houston Rockets continue their solid, if not shocking play, pushing their win streak to 18 games. Who would’ve figured that you lose a guy that goes for 22 points and 10 boards on a nightly basis and actually get better? But as so often happens, the Rockets learned how to play as a team after the loss of Yao Ming.
• Of course, the legendary Brett Favre retired. We’ll miss you Brett.
• The whirlwind that is the Philadelphia Eagles offseason continued. First, Eagles fans were stirred into the frenzy when reports circulated that the Randy Moss contract had not been signed. Those reports were quickly refuted, but rumors still persist that the Eagles will make a play for an impact receiver–with Larry Fitzgerald sitting at the top of their list.
• Following the signing of T.J. Duckett, the Seattle Seahawks also added Julius Jones to the mix. This will likely spell the end of the Shaun Alexander era.
• Pacman Jones says he is ready to play and the Cowboys are rumored to be interested….Lord help us.
• Francisco Liriano had a successful return to the mound. Mike Hampton had a minor setback, if any of his setbacks can be considered minor.
• There has been some rumors that the Mets may be interested in signing Barry Bonds. From a baseball standpoint you can’t argue with the move, but it could turn out to be a PR fiasco if it comes to fruition.

The top story of the past week has to be the retirement of Brett Favre. As I wrote here earlier in the week, Favre brought a passion to the game of football that will be sorely missed. That passion was again on display during his press conference. It is those times and that passion we will sorely miss.

First off, sorry for the slow going on the posting as of late (for the 10 or so people that might actually regularly read this blog)–things have been a bit nutty at my day job.

Synopsis: At first glance, it looks as though the NL Central is in tough shape this year. Last year’s surprise team, the Milwaukee Brewers, will once again field a competitive team, and the Cubs will prove competitive. But after those two teams, the division gets a bit dodgy. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see any team take the division title-unless of course that team is the Reds or Pirates.

Prediction:

1.) Chicago Cubs: 89-73

2.) Milwaukee Brewers: 85-77

3.) St. Louis Cardinals: 81-81

4.) Houston Astros: 79-83

5.) Pittsburgh Pirates: 73-89

6.) Cincinnati Reds: 68-94

Contenders:

As I mentioned above, I think most of the teams in this division have a shot to catapult to the top if all the pieces fall into place. Most will look for this to be a two horse race between the Brewers and Reds I tend to agree. I think the Brewers have made some solid moves this offseason to make another run at the NL Central crown. By adding Mike Cameron, they have a veteran presence in a lineup of relative youngins. But still, the rotation is a major question mark, even at the top with the continued health concerns of Ben Sheets. No doubt, the Brewers will field a potent offense, but I think they will see a significant dip in production from Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart and almost zero production from Jason Kendall.

The Cubs on the other hand made an under-the-radar move that may pay off in spades.

Early indications point to Kosuke Fukudome becoming a very solid player in the majors. If he can adapt to life in America, the Cubs may have the edge in this battle. The rotation is decent, but not elite. Zambrano is a top-flight starter if he can keep his head screwed on straight.

The Cardinals are riddled with problems, the least of which is the recent Scott Spiezo situation. Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder may not be back in the rotation until May, and the lineup is aging and will be less productive than last year.

The Astros primary move this offseason was to go out and get Miguel Tejada–just days before he was named in the Mitchell Report and stories surfaced that he will be tried for perjury by the Department of Justice. With those issues hanging over his head, you have to wonder how he will be able to perform this season. And the rotation is pretty much a crap shoot after Roy Oswalt.

The Pretenders:Both the Reds and Pirates will battle it out for the distinction of worst team in the NL Central. Both of these teams are sitting squarely in rebuilding mode. But hey, it’s not about winning this year in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, it’s about building for the future. If the Pirates decide to trade Xavier Nady or Jason Bay before the All-Star break, this team could approach record futility.

Summary:

The NL Central is a division based on mediocrity. Every team can have some hope in spring training because there is so much parity through out the league. Generally, parity is a good thing in professional spots, but in this case, parity means a whole bunch of mediocre teams. In the end, the Cubs rotation will prevail and the Cubbies will advance to the playoffs–only to be swept by the Mets in the first round.

A recent article in ESPN The Magazine discussed the image problem faced by the NBA.  It was a fascinating article that warrants closer consideration.

Overwhelmingly, the NBA consistently ranked last in various public polls such as: “What league would you prefer your daughter marry a player from?” and “What is your general impression of each league?”  Dead last in virtually every poll.

This is an astonishing revelation.  The NBA is clearly facing an image crisis-but should it be?  The league certainly has had its fair share of problems (think: Kobe Bryant and the brawl at Auburn Hills) but the sheer number of incidences pale in comparison to the issues faced by the other two major professional sports leagues.  Major League Baseball is riddled with a drug problem with the two greatest players of this generation allegedly leading the charge.  In the NFL, drugs also run rampant.  Players like Pacman Jones and Michael Vick and scandals such as Spygate have left the league reeling.  So why then do we hold onto this belief that the NBA is a bunch of thugs?

The easy answer is race.  But it is not that simple.  The NFL has nearly the same ratio of black players as the NBA, yet it does not suffer from the same image problem.  So while the NBA’s image problem does stink of a general sentiment of racism in this country, it is not the sole factor.

Perhaps there is an issue of sociology at play here.  NFL players are our modern-day version of gladiators.  We tend to excuse their indiscretions and violent behavior because it is their nature-at least that’s what we tell ourselves.  In baseball, maybe we have become numb to the ongoing questions raised about the game.  The players have routinely turned their collective noses up at the sanctity of the game, yet we still flock to the ballparks in record numbers.

In the end, the NBA is unfairly suffering from an image crisis.  We’d be naïve to think that most of it is not predicated on race.  It is.  But it also has to do with the perceived “hip-hop culture” of the league.  Much of the public cannot identify with the players that favor rap music and baggy pants over country songs and suits.  And with no mask to hide behind like in the NFL, the public feels they know NBA players more intimately than their counterparts in other leagues.

What does it all boil down to?  As a whole, we have formed an unfair image of NBA players in our minds.  We are entitled to our own opinion, but it should not be shaped by mere speculation.  The facts are all professional sports leagues should be held to a certain standard.  Why then do we continue to ignore that the NBA has largely met that standard while the other two leagues have missed the mark?

The reactions surrounding the Andy Pettitte press conference yesterday have been across the board. Some have called for closure, while others have called for further investigation.  But overwhelmingly, the sentiment reverberating throughout the media is that Andy Pettitte should be commended for his honesty.

Excuse me?

I don’t want to sit here on my moral high horse and wax poetic about Pettitte as a human being.  I admire his ability to stand up in front of a throng of media members and admit his wrong doing.  My issue is with the sentiment that Pettitte somehow should be celebrated for his actions-for his truthfulness.

Let’s remember how Pettitte arrived in this situation.  Would he be so truthful if he hadn’t ever been named in the Mitchell Report?  No.  Throughout this process, Pettitte has repeatedly told lies, or withheld information, only to backtrack at a later date.  Even during his press conference yesterday, Andy refused to admit that he misled the Yankees by signing his contract when he had prior knowledge that his name would be included in the Mitchell Report.  Really?  You didn’t think it was a pertinent piece of information that you would be named in a report pointing to your use of illegal drugs before you signed a $16 million contract.  Either Andy is not the sharpest tool in the shed, or he is lying to us once again.

Like I said, I don’t want to attack Andy as a person.  There were 89 players named in the Mitchell Report and very few have stood up to those accusations and admitted any wrong doing.  But let’s not celebrate Andy Pettitte as an example of honesty.    Sure, he told the truth when he was under oath.  I realize this takes courage and is more than can be said for some people.  But he has withheld information time and time again throughout this process.  Mike Golic of the Mike and Mike show often asks: “Are you sorry, or are you sorry you got caught?”

There were 89 players in the Mitchell Report.

But what about these guys that all admitted their wrongdoing? Chad Allen, Mike Bell, Gary Bennett, Mike Cameron, Matt Herges, Glenallen Hill, Chuck Knoblauch, Brian Roberts, F.P. Santegelo and Fernand Vina

89 players in the Mitchell Report and we only celebrate one for admitting his wrongdoing.

Where are all the articles celebrating the honesty of these nine players?

There is a laundry list of opinions out there regarding tomorrow’s congressional hearings on the Mitchell Report, or shall we say, “The Clemens Report.”

Let’s be honest, as soon as Clemens’ name was invoked in the report, it was clear this would escalate to something larger than baseball ever imagined. And who can be surprised? From the outset, there were skeptics on whether this whole exercise was good for baseball. Those skeptics wondered: “why call more attention to a dark era of baseball?” or “we have taken steps as a game to eliminate rampant drug use from the sport, this report does nothing to move the game forward.” And while I agree that the Mitchell Report is not helping to push the game forward, the fact is that was never its intent.

True, George Mitchell and Bud Selig among others will try to tell you the Mitchell Report has always been about improving the game. The reality is: the report is about placing a one million watt spotlight on the most maligned era of baseball. The hope in the end was not to speed the process of removing steroids from the sport; it was to protect the sanctity of our game. To protect Cooperstown…To place historical numbers in context rather than in a vacuum….To protect Hank Aaron.

Baseball more than any other sport lives by the numbers. 755 and 61 used to be numbers that held a special place in sport. But in recent years, those numbers have fallen to more eye-popping figures like 762 and 73. How can we protect that sanctity of the game without exposing those numbers for that they are-frauds?

So while tomorrow’s congressional hearing on whether or not Roger Clemens used steroids may do little to move the game forward, it will do plenty to place a more accurate historical perceptive on the game. 354 wins and 7 Cy Youngs. What do those numbers mean? We might know more tomorrow.

With spring training right around the corner, I thought now was as good a time as any to throw out some predictions on the upcoming season. For the next few weeks, I will take each division one by one and provide an analysis of how I think things will shake out.

For the first installment, let’s take a look at the NL East. Full disclosure: I am a Braves fan.

The NL East promises to be a hotly-contested division. Every year we seem to speculate that the NL East rivals will beat up on each other so much during the season that only one team will come out of the division. With the Mets adding Johan Santana, the Braves having a quietly productive offseason and the Phillies addressing some critical flaws, this is certainly a three-horse race at the moment.

Prediction:

Maybe I am just talking myself into it, but I honestly believe the Braves will win the division this year with the Mets finishing a close second. I think the Mets lineup has some serious flaws and while the addition of Santana will pay dividends, it is important to remember he only pitches every five games. The Braves biggest flaw is currently in center field and it is only minor at that. The Phillies have a solid team, but I think the loss of Aaron Rowand will take its toll on the team. Rowand was the heart and soul of that team.

In the end, the Braves rotation depth will prevail and they will win the division with a 3 game lead on the Mets at season end. I’ll provide analysis following the standings.

Final Standings:

1.) Atlanta Braves: 95-67

2.) New York Mets: 92-70

3.) Philadelphia Phillies: 87-75

4.) Florida Marlins: 78-84

5.) Washington Nationals: 70-92

The Contenders:

Philadelphia Phillies:

Going into the offseason, the Phils biggest need was adding rotation depth. The team has failed to address that weakness thus far through free agency, though there has been speculation that the team is interested in Kris Benson. That being said, the team essentially added a frontline starter with the move of Brett Myers to the starting rotation. The combination of Cole Hamels and Myers at the top of the rotation stacks up well against the one-two punches of the Mets and Braves. After that, the rotation gets a bit dodgy. The Phillies do have one of the best lineups in the National League. Jimmy Rollins will be hard-pressed to replicate his MVP season, but he will produce a solid season. Chase Utley is a perennial MVP candidate, along with Ryan Howard. I think the Geoff Jenkins signing was a mistake and he will quickly fall into disfavor with the brutal fans of Philadelphia. Adding Pedro Feliz as the third baseman will prove to be a nice pick up for the team that had serious issues at the position last season. From a bullpen stand point, the Phils shrewdly added Brad Lidge. Mark my words: Lidge will be good for 35 saves this year at a minimum. Top to bottom, the bullpen should prove to be a formidable unit.

Atlanta Braves:

The Braves offseason was wrought with questions about rotation depth and the void left in center field by the departure of Andruw Jones. And let’s not underestimate the impact of long-time Braves GM John Schuerholz. But despite that, I believe the Braves had an extremely productive offseaon.

The addition of Tom Glavine adds much needed rotation depth. Say what you will about the veteran left-hander, but he still knows how to eat innings and win ballgames—a quality hard to find in number three starters. John Smoltz is still a frontline starter and Tim Hudson will be in the Cy Young discussion this year. If Mike Hampton can stay healthy, the Braves may be armed with the best rotation from top to bottom in the NL East. The Braves lineup is also extremely solid without a major weakness outside of lack of speed. Mark Kotsay, if healthy, will be a capable addition to the Braves lineup. But I have a hunch we may be seeing Jordan Schafer a bit earlier than expected. Mark Texeria for a full season will provide Chipper Jones with some much-needed protection Andruw Jones was unable to provide. The bullpen has some question marks. Rafel Soriano has ability to serve as a top-shelf closer, but he needs to avoid some of the tough stretches that plagued him last season.

The New York Mets:

The Mets offseaon was about one thing—adding an ace to the rotation. Up until a few days ago, it didn’t look like they would be able to get that done. But when Omar Minaya swooped in and snagged Johan Santanna, the Mets immediately changed the prospects of the upcoming season. The rotation went from suspect to solid. The Mets lineup still remains solid, but is not on par with either the Phillies or the Braves. Carlos Delgado is not what he once was, and Louis Castillo is severely overrated. In the outfield, Moises Alou will not put up the gaudy numbers of last season. In the bullpen, the Mets are in good shape, with Billy Wagner once again providing stability at the close spot.

The Pretenders:

The Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals simply cannot compete for the league crown this year. The Marlins have some outstanding young talent across the board, but the team cannot hope to go toe-to-toe with the big guns of this division. If the team can somehow find a way to hang on to the likes of Hanley Ramierez, Dan Uggla, Josh Willingham and Sirgeo Mitre, despite budget concerns, it can be competive in relatively short order.

The Nationals are a different story all together. The team is weak in just about every area, and may be staring a 90 loss season in the face.