October 2007
Monday’s Bunts and Boots–World Series Wrap
Well, that went quickly. For the third time in four years, the World Series ended in the blink of an eye—a four-game sweep. For most baseball fans, it was a dull ending to a disappointing postseason that lacked drama, suspense, and twist endings. For Red Sox fans, it only cemented their team as the team of the new millennium—at least through the first seven years of the 2000s. Let’s recap the Series game by game:
Game Four:
Jon Lester, one of the best feel-good stories of the season, made himself the No. 1 headliner of the decisive game, pitching five and a third scoreless innings despite a lack of regular work throughout the playoffs. Lester’s stuff is legitimate, as is his ability to pitch inside with regularity against accomplished hitters like Matt Holliday and Todd Helton.
Lester also found ample support from Mike Lowell, who accumulated two more hits and a home run in Game Four on his way to winning the Series MVP. Having seen Lowell extensively over the last two seasons, I’m duly impressed by what he does on both sides of the ball. He still turns on inside fastballs, but has also learned to take outer-half breaking balls to the opposite field. Defensively, he’s a legitimate Gold Glover, with surefire hands, a deadly accurate throwing arm, and above-average range in the field. Are you listening, Yankees?
Once a skeptic, I’m also become a firm believer in Terry Francona. He continued to use his bullpen with the proper sense of urgency that is mandated by World Series play. As soon as Hideki Okajima wavered in the bottom of the eighth, the Red Sox skipper called on Jonathan Papelbon. Not surprisingly, Papelbon retired the five Rockies hitters he faced to bring the Sox their second world title in four seasons. By the way, all three of Papelbon’s playoff and World Series saves required more than a single inning—a message that all postseason managers should have stamped on their foreheads.
In contrast to Francona, I thought Clint Hurdle made a huge mistake in the eighth inning on Game Four, when he turned the pitching reins over to Brian Fuentes, who had pitched miserably in Game Three. Fuentes once again struggled, giving up a leadoff home run to Bobby Kielty—and that proved to be the decisive run in a one-run game. Given the desperate situation the Rockies faced, Hurdle should have turned to his best reliever, Manny Corpas, who was badly underused in the Series.
Game Three:
Rockies fans must have had a bad feeling when they saw Ryan Spilborghs’ sixth-inning drive land in the glove of Jacoby Ellsbury, just short of home run distance in center field. (Colorado fans will be forgiven if they endure nightmares of Ellsbury, who was everywhere in the outfield and made himself a doubles machine in the last two games.) Still, the Rockies continued the comeback effort in the seventh inning on Matt Holliday’s titanic blast, bringing Colorado within a single run. The decision to pitch Fuentes in the eighth made sense, but the sidewinding left-hander immediately gave back three runs.
Game Two:
I have no idea how Curt Schilling did it throughout the postseason. His velocity wasn’t much better than Mike Mussina’s and his splitter no longer drops the way it did in his early Red Sox and Diamondbacks hey day, but none of that seemed to matter. After surviving a shaky first inning in Game Two, the strike-throwing machine mowed down the Rockies, helping set the table for another Red Sox win in the World Series.
The Red Sox’ bullpen performed even better than Schilling, with Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon shutting out the Rockies over the final three and a third innings. Okajima pitched well enough to be named the game’s MVP by FOX (when’s the last time a middle reliever was the MVP of a World Series game?), baffling Colorado with his mix of moving fastballs and slow change-ups.
If you were looking for goats in Game Two, it might seem cruel to pick on Matt Holliday, whose four hits represented the lone offensive bright spot for the Rockies. But that’s how bad Holliday’s baserunning misplay was in the eighth inning, when Papelbon picked him off badly. (Kevin Youkilis had time to tag Holliday three times before he could reach the base.) Holliday’s desire to steal a base was understandable—he had 11 steals during the season—but he made the mistake of getting caught when still stepping off his lead. As Holliday took one too many steps toward second base, Papelbon spun and fired to first base. As he stumbled toward first, Holliday reminded some old-time baseball observers of Herb Washington.
Tactically speaking, I don’t think that Hurdle did much to hurt the Rockies in Game Two; they were simply out-pitched by a well-rounded Red Sox team. To his credit, Hurdle needed to make a lineup change for Game Three—and he did. He benched Willy Taveras, who had struggled to reach base, replacing him with the left-handed hitting Corey Sullivan. Unfortunately for the Rockies, it didn’t matter.
Game One:
While Game Two was taut and tense, the Red Sox and Rockies didn’t leave much to analysis in Game One. Josh Beckett pitched as brilliantly as expected, the Red Sox continued their offensive barrage from the final three games of the ALCS, and neutral observers in the baseball world were left praying for a compelling World Series, something that hasn’t happened since 2003.
How good was Beckett? His curve ball is his best pitch, but he stuck strictly with the fastball in shutting down the Rockies. Of his 93 pitches, Beckett threw 77 fastballs, leaving little room for his curve ball to have an impact. Beckett’s approach seemed to be I’ll keep throwing the fastball until you can prove you can hit it. Showing no ability to handle Beckett’s high fastball, the Rockies went down lightly over the first seven innings.
As is usually the case in blowout games, there was nothing the managers did in Game One that could have changed the outcome. Still, I have some questions as to why Hurdle left Franklin Morales in for 35 pitches, essentially making him unavailable for Game Two. After the eight-day layoff, Hurdle had his entire bullpen at his disposal; he should have been careful not to burn an important pitcher like Morales in a game that was already lost.
Then again, there was little that Hurdle could have done to make a significant difference in the outcome of the series. Nothing short of an intervention from Joe McCarthy, John McGraw, or Sparky Anderson would have short-circuited the Sox on their appointed rounds in October.
Postseason Notebook–World Series Lidlifter
Yes, the Red Sox should be favored to win the World Series, but it’s slightly ridiculous that they’ve been made 2 and a half-to-1 favorites to end the Rockies’ miraculous run. The Red Sox aren’t that much better than the Rockies, especially given how good Colorado’s defense, pitching, and clutch hitting have been throughout the postseason. Colorado’s best chance of pulling off the upset would be to slay the dragons early—win the Series in five games, before it has a chance to go back to Fenway Park for Games Six and Seven. That would mean the Rockies realistically need to beat Josh Beckett in either Game One or Game Five, and sweep the second, third, and fourth games. Is that likely to happen? Probably not, but it is possible given how torrid the Rockies have been over the last month.
More likely, the Red Sox will win the series because of their superior starting pitching, a more feared middle of the order (the Sox have two behemoths in Ortiz and Ramirez while the Rockies have only one in Holliday), and the home field advantage of Fenway. I also like the managerial matchup for Boston; beginning with that 2004 ALCS comeback against the Yankees, Francona has been a brilliant postseason manager. He also keeps his players relaxed, something that Eric Wedge wasn’t able to do with the Indians. So I’ll pick the Red Sox in six, with Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching well enough in the final game to turn a lead over to the bullpen…
Now for some random thoughts on the Series… Clint Hurdle is being very secretive about his choice of DH for the Fenway games, but I would think Ryan Spilborghs would be the selection. As a part-time starter, Spilborghs compiled a formidable 363 on-base percentage and a respectable .485 slugging percentage during the regular season. He’s also another right-handed threat at Fenway, as opposed to the lefty-swinging Corey Sullivan, a singles hitter who doesn’t walk or hit home runs…
And what will Terry Francona do with David Ortiz during the three middle games of the Series? I believe the smart approach would be to put Ortiz at first base, shift Kevin Youkilis to right field, and sit down J.D. Drew, especially in Game Five against Jeff Francis. Youkilis and Ortiz are central to the Red Sox’ offense, whereas Drew is a complementary piece…
Finally, I understand the Rockies’ desire to reward Aaron Cook with a roster spot, but they’re making a mistake removing Franklin Morales from the rotation. Morales is the kind of hard-throwing lefty that could give Ortiz, Drew, and Jacoby Ellsbury problems, especially since they’ve never seen him pitch. Given the lack of familiarity and Morales’ power repertoire, he would have been a better choice than Cook as a shutdown pitcher in either Game Three or Four.
Postseason Notebook–Red Sox Recap
Let’s give the Red Sox full credit for what they did last weekend. While it’s become fashionable for losing teams to refer to the "luck" of the postseason, reducing it to nothing more than a "crapshoot," the Red Sox took fate into their own hands in the final three games of the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox left no margin for luck or "chance," slaughtering the Indians by a collective 30-5 score over the fifth, sixth, and seventh games of the series. The Red Sox excelled in every aspect of the game, with the possible exception of their propensity to ground into double plays. In contrast to the tight-as-a-drum Indians, the Red Sox played fast and loose, looking as relaxed as if they were opening up the Grapefruit League season.
In winning the final three games against the Tribe, the Red Sox made several features of their team readily apparent. Boston’s No. 2 through No. 5 hitters are as good as any middle of the order in baseball, Rookie of the Year favorite Dustin Pedroia can handle anyone’s high fastball, and Josh Beckett is currently the best starting pitcher on the planet. Between Beckett’s overhand curve and his riding fastball, I’m amazed that he didn’t win 25 games this season.
As for the Indians, I feel badly for Casey Blake, an underrated player who should be a complementary piece on a good team. (The Indians should give Andy Marte every chance to be their third baseman in 2008.) Blake endured a house of horrors during the seventh inning of Game Seven, grounding into a rally-killing double play in the top half of the inning before committing a leadoff error in the bottom half. Blake was just one of several goats for the Indians, along with third base coach Joel Skinner (who made a horrible decision stopping Kenny Lofton), manager Eric Wedge (why did he take out the steamrolling Jake Westbrook?), the slumping Travis Hafner, and the suddenly ineffective Rafael Betancourt…
In the aftermath of Joe Torre’s departure, questions have been raised about the longtime manager’s Hall of Fame eligibility. The Veterans Committee will be voting on former managers and executives this December, but Torre won’t be eligible for that election. According to Hall public relation director Brad Horn, Torre wouldn’t be eligible for this winter’s ballot even if he retired today. According to the Vets Committee rules, Torre and any other manager would not be eligible until six months after his retirement announcement. That means Torre will have to wait until the next managerial vote, which won’t take place until December of 2009. Torre, however, can be considered for the next Veterans Committee players ballot, which will take place in December of 2008…
On a related note, former Braves general manager John Schuerholz also won’t be eligible for Hall consideration in December. Though Schuerholz stepped down as Braves GM earlier this month, he is still active in Atlanta’s front office. Schuerholz can’t be considered until he fully retires from front office activities. Like Torre, Schuerholz will have little trouble earning 75 per cent of the vote once he is eligible for the managers/executives ballot…
Tony Pena is the longest of long shots to become the next manager of the Yankees, but I’m glad to see the organization is at least giving him an interview, right after the sit-downs with Joe Girardi and Don Mattingly. In his two years as a Yankee coach, Pena has received rave reviews for his work with Jorge Posada behind the plate and the strong relationships he has carved out with young Latino players like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera. Always upbeat and full of energy, Pena has brought some life to the Yankee coaching staff. He understands the dynamic between pitcher and catcher better than most, making him a viable candidate to manage someone in the near future. If not the Yankees, some team will come calling within the next year, perhaps even the Pirates, for whom Pena starred in the early 1980s…
Speaking of the Yankees, I expect that they’ll be announcing their new manager on Friday, which is the first scheduled off day in the World Series. Teams can petition the Commissioner’s Office to make major announcements during off days, thereby clearing the way for the naming of Mattingly (probably) prior to the weekend.
The Torre Turndown
If the Yankees had offered Joe Torre a one-year deal worth $3 million, then I could have understood his decision to reject it. But the Yankees offered $5 million ($2 million less than what he received in 2007), with incentives of $1 million for each postseason round achieved. Even at a decreased rate, Torre would have remained the highest paid manager in the game. In my mind, those salary numbers should have sufficed, assuming that Torre wanted to remain in New York and continue managing the team he has for 12 seasons. I mean, what did Torre expect after a third straight departure in the Division Series? He had to know a paycut was coming. It was just a question of how much, and a $2 million paycut isn’t unreasonable given how badly the Yankees played over the first half of the regular season and how poorly they played in the postseason.
None of this is meant to excuse the Yankees over how badly they handled this situation, allowing the guillotine to hang over Torre for nearly ten days. They allowed the matter to drag out unnecessarily, making the organization look scattered in the process. (The Yankees’ poor handling of the affair may have factored into Torre’s decision to reject the offer, though if that’s the case, Torre should have told the front office to take a hike several days ago.) For the Yankees’ sake, let’s hope they are better organized and more decisive in handling the hiring of the new manager.
GM Brian Cashman has indicated the Yankees will undergo a full search, hinting that some surprising names might be considered in the process. Those words might not bode well for early line favorites Don Mattingly and Joe Girardi, who have been regarded as candidates 1 and 1A to replace Torre since last fall. Perhaps Tony LaRussa, Bobby Valentine, Davey Johnson, Larry Bowa, and Tony Pena will be given interviews after all. Hey, can Whitey Herzog be far behind?
I, for one, wouldn’t be shocked if the Yankees actually consider someone like Trey Hillman, a onetime minor league skipper in their chain who has earned rave reviews for his work in the Japanese Leagues. Hillman has already announced his intention to leave Japan and pursue a position with a major league team. If he hasn’t already, Hillman’s agent will be contacting Cashman shortly.
After a dozen seasons of stability at the managerial helm, the Yankees’ dugout will clearly have a new look in 2008.
Postseason Notebook–Stop With The Underdog
Joe Sheehan, who’s been a guest host with Mike Siano on the Fantasy 411, is absolutely right: the Indians are no underdogs. The Red Sox might have been slight favorites at the start of the ALCS because of their postseason experience and home field advantage, but the Indians have reached a similar level of accomplishment. (Though it’s easy to forget, the Indians did match the Red Sox for the best record in baseball.) They also have similar talent to their Boston counterparts. They have three legitimate offensive stars in Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Victor Martinez, a good supporting cast that features Jhonny Peralta and Kenny Lofton, a better-than-advertised starting rotation, and the best middle relief combination in the game. With that kind of talent base, the Indians should rank as second fiddle to no one, whether it be the Yankees, Red Sox, or the Rockies. That doesn’t guarantee the Indians will beat the Red Sox and the Rockies, but it shouldn’t come as any surprise if they do…
Manny Ramirez apologists will always find some rationalization for his on-field demeanor, so they will probably want to stop reading at this point. Ramirez’ latest home run histrionics—the stopping and staring, hands raised in the air, the slow run to first base—just make him look stupid. When you’re celebrating a home run with your team down by four runs in a critical postseason game, you simply have no common sense and no true understanding of baseball as a team game. None of the Indians players were willing to say anything publicly about Ramirez’ sixth-inning behavior—there’s no reason to give any fuel to the Red Sox right now—but they can’t be doing anything but a slow burn. If the Indians go on to win this series, I’ll guess that a few of their players will be a little more forthcoming about Ramirez’ lack of sportsmanship. And if Game Five turns out to be a blowout, Ramirez should be prepared to, shall we say, move his feet a little bit during a late-inning at-bat.
Postseason Notebook–The Rockies as the New Reds
Where does one begin in handing out bouquets to the National League champion Rockies? Incredibly, the Rockies have become the first team since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds to win their first seven games of the postseason. Given that those Reds featured the Hall of Fame likes of Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Joe Morgan and would-be Hall of Famer Pete Rose and won the LCS and the World Series with those seven games, the Rockies have taken their place next to some of baseball’s immortals.
The Rockies have played well in all facets in winning 21 of their last 22, but two areas have stood out in my eyes: their remarkable ability to hit with runners in scoring position their sensational defensive play. The third and fourth games of the series exemplified Colorado’s clutch hitting, as the Rockies twice mounted game-winning rallies with two outs. Defensively, the Rockies have shown almost no weakness, whether it comes to surehandedness, range, and athleticism. Other than Matt Holliday, who is a bit clunky in left field, the Rockies have no below-average defenders who play regularly. They also have several terrific fielders, including the rangy and power-armed Troy Tulowitzki, the fleet Willy Taveras (who is reminding me more and more of Garry Maddox), and the ever-reliable Todd Helton at first base.
As well as the Rockies played in sweeping the National League Championship Series, that’s how badly–and stupidly–the Diamondbacks performed throughout the four games. The D-Backs committed a host of baserunning errors, from Miguel Montero making the final out of Game One at second base to Justin Upton’s forearm shiver of Kaz Matsui to Chris Young being picked off at the start of Game Four. Then there was Stephen Drew stepping off the base when he wasn’t sure if he had been called out and Eric “Captain America” Byrnes foolishly diving into first base, the latter bringing a fitting end to a series filled with mental mistakes and an inability to hit in the clutch. Putting aside Game One, the D-Backs lost the final three games by a total of six runs, giving Arizona fans plenty of “what-if” ammunition for the long winter ahead. If the D-backs had hit just a little bit better with runners in scoring position or run the bases appreciably better, then this series would be moving on to Game Five.
Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, they are a young team loaded with talented players and have every right to expect to contend in the NL West for the foreseeable future. If Drew, Young, and Upton fulfill even 75 per cent of their perceived potential, they will be playing in plenty of All-Star games over the next decade. Conor Jackson, Mark Reynolds, and the injured Carlos Quentin (remember him) also have chances to be very good players, giving the D-Backs a terrific core of everyday players. Then it’s just a matter of finding two young starters to supplement Brandon Webb in the rotation and adding one more bigtime arm to a bullpen that already features closer Jose Valverde and the Other Tony Pena. That could spell some long-term trouble for the Dodgers, Giants, and even the Rockies in what remains a balanced NL West.
Postseason Notebook–Monday’s Bunts and Boots
While no manager wants to give up on a player publicly during the postseason, Terry Francona must do what all of Red Sox Nation wants him to do—bench Eric Gagne for the rest of the playoffs. Once again, Gagne was ineffective for the Sox, allowing two critical baserunners in the top of the 11th on Saturday, setting the stage for what would become a seven-run Indians rally. I’m not sure why Gagne has struggled so badly for Boston after pitching lights out for Texas. Perhaps it’s the inability to adjust to a set-up role after being a closer for most of his career, or perhaps his arm has gone tired after missing most of the last two seasons to injury.
Now I’m not blaming Francona for using Gagne in Game Two of the ALCS. After all, he waited to use Gagne until the 11th inning, having already used Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, Mike Timlin, and Jon Papelbon (for two innings). But Gagne’s Saturday night performance should represent the final straw. Now is not the time to let Gagne work out his problems on the mound. He should become the Red Sox’ last option in the pen, even after starter-turned-reliever Jon Lester and even after situational left-hander Javier Lopez, both of whom also flopped in Game Two. And if the Red Sox do advance to the World Series, Francona will have to give serious consideration to dropping Gagne from the postseason roster…
Prior to this year, the name "Torrealba" always brought to my mind memories of Pablo Torrealba, a journeyman left-hander who pitched for the Braves, A’s, and White Sox in the 1970s. Well, Yorvit Torrealba is doing his best to change the patterns of my mind, especially after clubbing that three-run homer in Game Three of the NLCS. Torrealba’s swing has been so good this postseason that it makes you wonder why he’s never been much more than a backup catcher, or at best, a mediocre first-string receiver. The new millennium’s Pat Borders, Torrealba has played so well through the first two rounds of the playoffs that the Rockies may be reconsidering whether Chris Iannetta will be their No. 1 catcher…
I’m still enjoying TBS’ postseason coverage far more than that of FOX, but TBS could be faring even better if it had selected its best announcers instead of its most famous. The team of Chip Caray, Bob Brenly, and Tony Gwynn is pedestrian at best (and some would say worse, given Caray’s many factual errors and frequent reliance on cliches), while a team of Ted Robinson on play-by-play and Steve Stone on color would have given us far more insight. The energetic Robinson and the analytical Stone have become criminally underused as national broadcasters; perhaps they could find more frequent work at FOX, where help is needed all around, whether it’s in the studio or during the games…
While I’m surprised that the Reds saw fit to give Dusty Baker a three-year contract after his disastrous tenure with the Cubs, the amount of vitriol toward Baker from the Sabermetric community has been predictably excessive. (After all, **** hath no fury like a Sabermetrician scorned.) Yes, Baker has his flaws—he gives away too many at-bats to weak-hitting utility types and never seems to hold his players accountable for anything—but he’s not a village idiot either. He played for winning teams in Los Angeles, learning something about how to motivate players from Tommy Lasorda. Baker did some terrific work with some overachieving Giants teams, earning three National League Manager of the Year awards along the way. His players love him to the point of playing very hard for him—and that’s a huge factor in an era when it’s convenient for players on long-term contracts to dog it for managers they don’t like. Baker has also had success in connecting with his star players, who have enjoyed banner seasons under his watch, be it Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent in San Francisco or Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez in Chicago. Other than Lee, those players are all high maintenance, requiring ultra-careful handling from the manager. Baker’s ability to handle difficult personalities who happen to be his best players should count for something…
If there’s anyone to feel sorry for in Cincinnati, it’s not the anti-Baker contingent, but rather the outgoing manager, Pete Mackanin. By all accounts, Mackanin did good work in helping stabilize a fractured clubhouse while rallying the Reds to make a late run at the NL Central. Under Mackanin’s leadership, the Reds went 41-39, a remarkable stretch of play given the state of their pitching, especially that horrendous bullpen, and a run of injuries to Ken Griffey, Sr. and Adam Dunn. Mackanin’s biggest fault was something he could not control: his lack of a headline name. He’s not famous like Baker, Joe Torre, or Tony LaRussa, and won’t ever get that chance to become a known commodity until someone can look beyond the notion of managerial "celebrity." The Pirates could do a lot worse than to tab Mackanin, who was actually their interim manager back in 2005 after the firing of Lloyd McClendon. Mackanin clearly deserves a fulltime shot at managing somewhere, whether it’s Pittsburgh, St. Louis, or Kansas City.
Postseason Notebook–NLCS and ALCS
First off, second base umpire Larry Vanover absolutely made the right call in signaling interference on Arizona’s Justin Upton in Game One of the National League Championship Series. Upton’s seventh-inning takeout of Colorado’s Kaz Matsui was perfectly legitimate until he raised his arm and swiped at Matsui. Umpires have made this call consistently in recent years; they will simply not allow a player to intentionally use his arm to take out a middle infielder or knock down a thrown ball. That’s an easy call for the umpire to make, and Vanover didn’t disappoint. As for the reaction of the Arizona fans, their behavior was disappointing. They not only exhibited lousy sportsmanship but also showed a lack of knowledge of what constitutes a legal takeout slide at second base…
In the American League, I think the Red Sox will win a close series against the Indians—let’s call it Boston in seven. The Sox have the better offense, deeper starting pitching, and home field advantage. They also have a manager with far more postseason experience. Those factors should counteract Cleveland’s advantage in middle relief, where Rafael Perez and Rafael Betencourt have looked unhittable in the postseason.
Whereas the early pitching matchups are virtual toss-ups (Sabathia vs. Beckett and Carmona vs. Schilling), the Red Sox should have an advantage in the third and fourth games with Matsuzaka and Wakefield. That will put more pressure on the Indians to win the first two games of the series, no easy task given Boston’s comfort level at Fenway Park…
Red Sox skipper Terry Francona has raised some eyebrows with his decision to sit J.D. Drew against Sabathia in Game One, instead giving the right field start to Bobby Kielty. That’s showing a lot of confidence in Kielty, who batted .218 with identical on-base and slugging percentages of .287. Francona’s decision speaks volumes about the kind of season that Drew had in 2007. I’ve been wholly unimpressed by Drew on the occasions I’ve seen him this year. Not only does he struggle against left-handers, but he also takes way too many called third strikes. I know there’s something to be said for being patient at the plate, but Drew sometimes looks scared to swing the bat, especially with runners in scoring position. If I were with the Red Sox, he’s the last guy I’d want hitting in a crucial, late-inning situation…
While I’ve generally enjoyed TBS’ postseason coverage, they need to acknowledge a mistake and remove Frank Thomas from the studio. I’ve never really understood this infatuation with hiring current players as broadcasters; they can’t be expected to say anything remotely critical because of repercussions from rival players and managers. In the case of Thomas, his hiring was even more puzzling. Never a colorful personality, he’s rarely been cited as being a particularly memorable interview subject…
In other news and notes, the Devil Rays have added former journeyman outfielder Dave Martinez to their coaching staff. An original Devil Ray from 1998, Martinez will serve as Joe Maddon’s bench coach in 2008 and will also assist with baserunning skills. Hopefully, Martinez’ can help the Devil Rays’ atrocious baserunning skills, arguably the worst in baseball… The Phillies’ bench will take on a different look in ’08. GM Pat Gillick has declined the options on backup catcher Rod Barajas and utility infielder Abraham Nunez. Given the need for second-string catching, Barajas won’t have trouble finding work. Though a very light hitter, Nunez would be a good fit for a team looking for a surehanded fielder who can fill in at third base or second.
Postseason Notebook–NLCS
Coming off a 1-3 record in first-round predictions, I have absolutely no confidence in my selections for the two League Championship Series. But predict we must, so let’s have at it. Although the oddsmakers have installed the Red Sox as heavy favorites in the ALCS, both of the matchups look razor close to me. It’s quite possible that we’ll see both series extend to the full seven games; anything less than six games would be an upset in my book.
Let’s tackle the National League series first. This matchup will probably be a ratings killer, but the teams could offer compelling baseball while also bringing some relatively unknown talents into the public spotlight. Rockies ace Jeff Francis doesn’t strike out a ton of batters, certainly not at the rate of counterpart Brandon Webb, but he does record plenty of outs. Francis will have it tough being matched up against Webb, but I have a feeling he will win one of his two starts in the series. If he does, that may be all the Rockies need to push them over the edge.
The Rockies also have a far better lineup, with two legitimate stars in Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki, and several capable supporting cast members like Todd Helton, Kaz Matsui, Garrett Atkins, and Brad Hawpe. In contrast, the D-Backs have several future stars in Chris Young, Stephen Drew, and Mark Reynolds, but they’re not as polished as their Rockies counterparts. I just don’t see the D-Backs scoring enough runs to stay with the Rockies, not when Eric Byrnes is your best all-round hitter and the combination of Conor Jackson and Tony Clark fills the cleanup slot.
As far as intangibles, the Rockies will have the support of sellout crowds at Coors Field, while the D-Backs will struggle to fill the seats at Chase Field. Normally, I’m not one to cite the hometown fans as a major factor in a series, but in a matchup this close, every advantage could have an impact. So given their superior lineup, effective late-inning relief, and the positive vibes of Coors Field for three games, I’ll take the Rockies in a close, hard-fought, seven-game series.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the American League Series, where most of the glamour resides.
Postseason Notebook–Monday’s Bunts and Boots
Never a big fan of FOX’s coverage of baseball, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by TBS’ inaugural dive into the postseason. Their producers have steadfastly refused to bombard us with useless crowd shots, instead keeping the focus on the field—where it should remain. TBS has also compiled an excellent inventory of analysts, from the superbly keen Steve Stone to the reasoned analysis of Ron Darling to the underrated insight of Joe Simpson. TBS could use an upgrade in play-by-play (Skip Caray would have been a far better choice than **** Stockton), but I’ve enjoyed the work of Don Orsillo and Ted Robinson. Now, if only TBS would be allowed to broadcast the World Series…
Is it time to re-think the playoff format, perhaps even the number of teams that qualify for the postseason? It’s a pertinent question given how dull the Division Series matchups have been thus far. Three of the four series have resulted in sweeps, with most of the individual games being one sided and/or listless. There’s been only one game that could be remotely considered a classic—Game Two of the ALDS between the Indians and Yankees, which featured a pitching duel of Fausto Carmona and C.C. Sabathia. That’s one game out of 12, not a particularly good ratio.
Although the games have not been entertaining, I don’t think the format is to blame. It’s not as if the heavily favored teams have been blowing out underdogs; for example, the Phillies and Cubs were favored to win their series, at least in most corners—and both lost in three straight. For the moment, I’ll chalk this up to being a fluke, with the hope that the remainder of the postseason will give us more compelling theater. It certainly can’t get much worse…
Staying with the Cubs, I see that the Aramis Ramirez apologists are at it again, bristling at the suggestion that the third baseman was one of the biggest goats of the first round. Well, let’s face facts here: Ramirez had a miserable series against the D-Backs—he was 0-for-12 with a walk—and was as big a factor as any in the Cubs’ embarrassing play in the Division Series. Hitting woes aside, Ramirez’ increasing failure to run hard—whether it be on groundouts or fly balls—is simply inexcusable. I mean, how much more important do the games get for the Cubs, who had to fight to make the playoffs before meeting Arizona in the first round? Ramirez’ inability to provide situational hitting—like too many of the Cubs hitters, he simply swung from the heels against Arizona—is only slightly less egregious. And don’t get me started on his defensive play, which is well below average, too much like Luis Salazar and too little like Ron Santo. This is what the Cubs paid $73 million for? Yeesh…
Over the weekend on MLB Radio (of which I’m a huge fan), Will Carroll questioned why the Yankees had decided to put Bronson Sardinha on their postseason roster. It’s really quite straightforward; the Yankees want to have someone who can pinch-run for Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, or Doug Mientkiewicz in the late innings. Sardinha is not a burner in the Dave Roberts ilk, but he stole 10 bases in 13 attempts at Triple-A and is regarded as a sound, smart baserunner. Come the postseason, I’ll take a pinch-running specialist like Sardinha over a 12th pitcher anytime. Besides, if you need 12 pitchers in a best-of-five series, you’re probably going to lose the series anyway…
In one not-postseason note, the Rangers made some interesting news last week when they named Jim Sundberg their new director of public relations. Yes, that’s the Jim Sundberg, the former catcher who came up with the Rangers before taking his defensive brilliance to the Brewers, Royals, and Cubs. This is certainly an unusual career path; I have never heard of a former player becoming a PR director for any professional club, be it baseball or any of the other major sports. While it’s common for players to become broadcasters or community representatives, ex-players have almost always steered away from public or media relations…
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