Derek Jeter, Future Hit King?

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman recently wrote that two executives in baseball believed it’s possible Derek Jeter may be looking for a six year contract at the end of the season when he becomes a free agent. Should that happen, he would be well over 3,000 hits (currently at 2,747) by the end of his contract. At age 42, he may want to retire and walk off being the greatest Yankee to step onto a field. But, he may want to stick around for one more season.

His current career average of hits per season is 195. Now, let’s say he plays well next season and gets his six year deal. At the end of those six years, at his pace, he would be within 144 hits of Pete Rose’s major league record of 4,256. Now, Jeter has never been the type of player to focus on his own numbers, but wouldn’t it be hard for anyone so close to such an amazing record to not go for it?

He is already a first ballot hall of famer. He already has the rings. In his storied career he truly has nothing to prove to anyone. But how could he not be tempted to go for it if he has the chance? He has to, right?

Now, I am not a Yankee fan by any means, but I can’t think of a single person that would deserve to hold that record more than Jeter. He is a great captain, plays on the biggest stage the game has to offer, and has been nothing short of brilliant. He is a great teammate and stand up person. Barring a major injury, he should definitely be able to accomplish this feat.

If he is within striking distance by the time his deal is done, I really hope he sticks around and goes for it. After all, there isn’t a better fit for the crown.

A’s Prospect Headed To The Padres?

Some of you may have heard that one of the top prospects of the Oakland A’s, Grant Desme, has retired from baseball. It’s not that Desme wasn’t good enough to play in the majors.

No… he was good all right.

In fact, this past year, Desme was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League, hitting .315 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 27 games.

No, the reason the 23 year old outfielder is laying down his bat is because he’s being called up to an even bigger league than the “big leagues.”

Grant Desme is retiring from baseball to enter seminary school. That’s right… he’s going to become a priest.

Which, if that’s the case, I can’t help but wonder why the A’s wouldn’t trade him to the San Diego Padres?

Mark McGwire, Pete Carroll & Lane Kiffin Walk Into A Bar…

In the last seven days we have seen some of the craziest sports stories of the new year… from Mark McGuire finally admitting to his use of steroids during his chase of the homerun record in ‘98, to the coaching carousel in Seattle, Southern California and Knoxville.

Hot Stove League Updates 12-10-09

Roy Halladay
Winter meetings continue with absolutely no information as to where and to whom Doc Halladay will go. He is like that really hot girl that everyone wants to take to prom. But she is waiting to see what car the boys are driving before she chooses a date.

Granderson
The Yankees take a step closer to repeating. Some are saying that it’s a bad trade with Granderson’s plummeting OPS. My take is he is as good as or better than Johnny Damon. The Yankees will be fine. Also, if he doesn’t work out, they will just buy someone who will.

Angeles Lose
Success for Mike Scioscia’s Angels has always been predicated on their ability to get on base and steal. Chone Figgins was the catalyst to that. Anyone they can muster to take his place will be a significant downgrade.

Wolf Pack
Randy Wolf will move once again from the friendly confines of Dodger stadium. The Brewers get a quality starter that will eat innings. Watching Dodger games all year I am particularly aware of what Wolf brings to the table. Brewer fans will enjoy two to three runs being given up in the first three innings. This will be followed by lights out artistry that will have you questions who the guy pitching the first three innings was.

Rangers Deal
The Texas Rangers have just made one of the smarter moves this off-season. By saving money on a trade of Kevin Millwood, they were able to sign under-achieving Rich Harden to a one year deal. Harden has tremendous upside when healthy. He probably could have squeezed a three year deal from somewhere. But unless your name is Hank Blalock, no one wants to be a Ranger for more than a season.

Atkins Diet
It seems the Colorado Rockies are having a wee bit of difficulty trading their very expensive 3rd baseman. It seems there is no market for Garrett Atkins, a power hitting 3rd baseman that has trouble um, hitting.

Hot Stove Updates

Here are some updates from a little birdie we call the hot stove.

Red Sox
It looks as though the Sox will keep Victor Martinez, posing the question of what to do about Jason Varitek. If he does return they may want to use the DH for his spot. Varitek hit .209 last year. This is well within the range of any Red Sox pitcher to hit.

Milton Bradley
While the money owed to him was supposed to be a hurdle, FoxSports.com is reporting that Milton Bradley trade talks are heating up. Milton Bradley would go to the Blue Jays. The Mets would get Lyle Overbay. And the Cubs would get Luis Castillo. If this goes through it would be an even trade across the board. The Mets would get a first baseman if the decomposing Carlos Delgado does not return. The Blue Jays would get a solid outfielder that may or may not implode their team. And the Cubs would get far away from Milton Bradley.

No Replay
Baseball general managers failed to vote on expanding the use of instant replay. I for one am thrilled for the news. I may be in the minority here but instant replay in baseball needs to be slowly brought in. Granted the games pace would be perfect for side bars on the correct call but the culture of baseball would falter. Ghost tags on a double play, fooling the ump on a close play, even a great pickoff move that may be slightly illegal are all plays that teams and players count on. If these and other examples would disappear the game and players would suffer for it.

And Finally
Sammy Sosa’s most surprising secret may not be his alleged steroid use but the fact that he is actually a white man. That and the fact that the McCourts were not the happiest couple in the world, and well, nothing really surprises me anymore.

The Yankees Win, Theeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees WIN!

The Yankees win… again. That’s a lot like a fat kid eating a hamburger in front of a homeless shelter. While the rest of us have to abide by the “wait till next year” chant, New York faithful are busy thinking of a better, more improved lineup next year. The lump in my throat is the knowledge that John Lackey is available this winter and we could very well see a stronger Yankee team with more than three starters in the playoffs. This is a thought that will keep me up at nights.

The Phillies are fine. There is no need to jump ship yet. They still have the second best lineup in baseball and will concentrate on their bullpen and pitching staff this off-season. Hell, if they just took Brad Lidge outback that would net them five extra wins next season easy.

While I am sad that the baseball season is no more, I am stoked to give out some very prestigious awards:

The Scott Brosius Award for Least Likely MVP – Hideki Matsui
If you would have told me that Matsui would win the World Series MVP a week ago I would have called you a liar. They just don’t give those out to designated hitters. Well except for 2004 when Manny Ramirez won it. He is essentially a DH that walks around left field for nine innings.

World Series Foot-in-the-mouth Award – Cole Hamels
Mental note: Never insinuate that you may be quitting if you live or work in, at, on, or around the city of Philadelphia. It may be the City of brotherly love but they will kill you in your sleep if they think you’re not trying.

That’s the last time we will see him in a meaningful game Award – Pedro Martinez While he made the Yankees his daddy, he now has to ask his mommy if he can pitch next season.

Done celebrating because I will be a Blue Jay next year Award – Johnny Damon
Look for the Yanks to upgrade over the whithered outfielder. He has a very slim chance of coming back to New York, unless of course the Yankees are just giving money away. Oh, WAIT.

What a difference a year makes Award– Cole Hamels and Alex Rodriguez
Last fall Cole Hamels was described as Sandy Koufax, wrapped in Bob Gibson, enveloped with bacon, and stuffed in a Christmas stocking. Now he just leaves hanging curveballs to anyone who asks for them. Rodriguez on the other hand, has renewed his career. He is no longer a choke artist, steroid taking, money grubber. Well at least not in New York. The rest of America still needs more convincing.

Pull Your Head Out, Bud Selig!

After the post season we’ve had in Major League Baseball, the time has clearly come to expand the use of Instant Replay. Yet Commissioner Bud doesn’t think so.

The World Series, Through Game 5

There you have it. Cliff Lee is the dominant ace the Phillies wanted and needed. In the end, though, it won’t be enough. Philadelphia has proven that they can score with the best of them. They just have trouble stopping the Yankee assault. This point was driven home last night.

As soon as Cliff Lee relinquishes the ball to another arm all assuredness goes out the window. The Phillies may have won game 5. Yet all they did was stay the execution. To win it all they have to face both Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia. Both are seasoned big game hurlers. Philadelphia has a glaring problem from the mound.

The Phils send up Pedro Martinez in game 6. Unfortunately, they need him to pitch all 9 if they have a chance to force game 7. Yankee hitters proved they can get to the bullpen in a hurry. If they do play Thursday, they send up Cole Hamels, a player that indicated recently that he just wanted the series to be over. Receiving flack from teammates and the city of Philadelphia, Hamels has recently backtracked on those comments. In the end however, you need a fearless pitcher to command a game 7. The Yankees will have that in tonnage in Sabathia. The Phillies will be hoping Hamels can keep the score down enough for Cliff Lee to close out the game. That is no strategy for success.

World Series Preview

Here we are, well into fall and on the precipice of possibly a classic World Series. If the Yankees win, I will find solace in that I won’t have to hear about the Yankees gaining retribution for not winning the title for a whopping 8 years. How the media plants a chip on the Yankees shoulder is beyond me. This is like Lakers fans getting miffed if there is no three-peat.

This series could be very close. This is a rare time when the National League team can match batters pound for pound with the American side. Both teams can hit the ball out of the yard when needed. The offenses are very similar with the speed going slightly to the Phillies.

Both teams have great defenses. When you look at each depth chart it really is hard to decipher who you would take between the positions. Teixeira and Howard are monsters at the plate but Tex may get the nod because of his fielding. Utley is arguably the best hitting second baseman in the majors right now, but Robinson Cano is not far behind, and younger.

Shortstop may go to Rollins if it weren’t October, a month Jeter dominates from both sides of the ball. The only real mismatch is at 3rd base, there ARod is a hall of famer and Pedro Feliz looks good in a hat.

The one thing that may keep this from being a tight series is the pitching. Last series the Phillies were able to get past their faults in the pen by dominating the Dodgers with their starters. In this series however, they are on the short end in both starting and relief pitching. Phillies starters are ill-equipped to face a line-up like the Yankees. Save Cliff Lee, the Phillies will be sending up questionable pitchers like Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, and for game two, Pedro Martinez.

Hamels is a ghost of his 2008 self. He is neither overpowering nor fooling anyone at this stage. Joe Blanton is a fastball pitcher that likes to start a batter by throwing balls in the dirt. He will get behind in counts to a disciplined lineup and subsequently give up a long ball or two. Pedro Martinez looked good against the Dodgers, but then again Vicente Padilla looked good for a start against the Phillies.

The Phillies will most likely have to match the Yankees run for run rather than quieting their bats. Either way Charlie Manuel will have to go to the bullpen earlier in games than he would have liked. From there Chan Ho Park will remember he is Chan Ho Park. J.A. Happ will get bombed. Ryan Madson will walk batters. And Brad Lidge will either strike out the side or give up a grand slam.

This looks to be a good one, so pop open a beer, loosen the pants, and put up your feet. This may take a while.

Deep Thoughts

Well it seems like the Yankees and Phillies get to play at least one exhibition game each before heading to the World Series. Both Championship Series are all but wrapped up with cute little bows on them.

If the Dodgers do win tonight they have the great fortune of facing Cliff Lee again. If the Angels win tomorrow and in game six they have to face C.C. Sabathia. We all know how both teams fare against those respective aces. For a second let’s disregard the match-ups. Let’s get down to what really matters in baseball, the subtle nuances.

Some things I learned in the Championship Series round:

1. Ron Darling sounds remarkably like James Woods. I finally realized this because I chose to focus on the tenor and repetition of his syntax rather than listen to…

2. Buck Martinez is a nose breather. He breathes through his nose and while funny in the first inning became quiet annoying in the second. And that was game one. I had to sit through this man’s nose whistles all through the 27 outs of each game.

3. Matt Stairs may look like a Little League dad who goes out and drinks all week and plays softball with his buddies on Sundays, but to Jonathan Broxton, Matt Stairs looks like the monster you always believed was in your closet as a kid.

4. The American League series was a tight one if you take away all the home runs the Yankees hit. Also please imagine a world in which Alex Rodriguez dominates in the postseason, seems bleak right? Well that’s the world we live in now.

5. Tim McCarver is currently in a heated battle with the English language. Who will win I am unsure of but we are worse off for witnessing it.

6. I could have easily gone out and got five of my closest friends and umpired these games. We would have been just as effective and might not have blown so many calls.

7. ManRam takes a shower in the ninth of game four. A leader on the team, he is neither there to console or to praise had the Dodgers pulled the win out. I still do not understand why he is supported by the fan base in Los Angeles.

It may be a long layoff before the World Series. I for one will be stocking up on cases of beer. I have found that’s the only way to truly follow what Tim McCarver is trying to say. It makes watching the World Series more understandable.

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