Bobby Cox has one more season in him posted by David

Braves manager Bobby Cox announced this week his plans to retire after the 2010 season and to immediately take on a consulting role with the team.  Cox has won 2,409 games as a manager and is fourth all-time in the category, behind only Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763) and current Cardinals manager Tony La Russa (2,550).  Cox has five pennants and one World Series title to his name, and won the Manager of the Year award four times.  Under his leadership, the Braves have won 100 games six times.  The next manager of the Atlanta Braves will have big shoes to fill.

How ‘bout that?

How about Adam Laroche?  Since being traded back to the Braves mid-season, Laroche has slugged .622 to go with his .355 batting average and .426 on-base percentage.  In 126 fewer at-bats, Laroche has hit twice as many home runs (12) as did his predecessor, Casey Kotchman.  To top it off, Laroche has made just one error in 47 games with Atlanta and boasts a .998 fielding percentage.

How about Joel Piñeiro?  The Cardinals have a mighty pitching duo in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, but their third starter has been pitching like an ace this year too.  Celebrating his 31st birthday today, Piñeiro is 15-11 with a 3.24 E.R.A. and a 1.128 WHIP.  He leads the pitching staff with two shutouts and is tied with Carpenter for the team lead in complete games, with three.  If their pitchers perform in the playoffs anything near their regular season stats, St. Louis will be the toughest club to beat.

Joe Girardi- Let the Force Be With You or Else. posted by Anthony "The Moneyball" Moniello

The New York Yankees have cruised through the 2009 baseball regular season, destroying teams with their 9 slugger deep line-up that includes not one player having a bad year. While every hitter is having varying degrees of success, not one man in that line-up is performing below their norms (save for mighty A-Rod, who's injury has slowed him down a bit to the tune of only 26 homers and 80+ RBI's). The bullpen has also been stellar, with Mariano Rivera looking as spry as he did in 1996, and with Phil Hughes redefining his 2009 season in the ilk of that very same roie Rivera held in '96- the gutsy set-up man that becomes a dominating extension of the closer. The defense has improved mightily too, especially around the infield, where Derek Jeter has revived his defensive career by extending his lateral range and improving his arm strength. Robinson Cano has looked interested for the first time in the field since his rookie season and Mark Texeira has done wonders for everyone, displaying why he is considered a defensive elite (you can tell Don Mattingly was his favorite player growing up, his range and glove work are superb). 

With all these superb attributes, it's easy to see the why the Yankees are the best team in baseball. What may be tough to acknowledge is that they do have one glaring hole, a troublesome weakness; starting pitching.

With names like CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Joba Chamberlain, and Andy Pettite, one could usually safely assume that pitching would be a strength, if not a foursome desired by most league wide. But in reality, CC Sabathia has been generally pedestrian this season and Andy Pettite, while not bad, would best be described as consistent. These two aren’t the concerns for the Yankees, who know Pettite is a playoff horse and Sabathia is an elite starter. It’s the group behind these two that makes the Bronx faithful shutter a bit.

More Thoughts on MLB Pitching Statistics posted by Eric Hatleback

In the National League, the elongated double switch shows again why pitching statistics are quite poorly attributed.  A traditional double switch involves the manager inserting a position player into the game  for the current pitcher and a new pitcher for a position player--typically one who just made an out, so that the new pitcher won't be batting for nearly a full trip through the lineup.

However, this same basic maneuver can also occur by simply pinch-hitting for the pitcher while on offense and then placing the pitcher in for whichever player makes the last out of the inning.  If the team takes the lead (and subsequently does not lose it), the just-substituted-for pitcher gets credited with the win.

The problem is this: if this scenario occurs before the 5th inning, the starting pitcher cannot get the win, so it'll almost certainly be the next guy who pitches that will get the win.  But given that a position player is the opne who was inserted for the pitcher, why wouldn't that guy get the win?  He is technically inserted for the pitcher.  Of course, I'm not advocating that he really should get the win; I'm arguing that the statistics need to be reconfigured so that there are categories such as "Team Wins / Losses."  See some of my earlier posts for more good examples of why this should be the case.

One other note--it also wouldn't help to require a pitcher to actually throw a pitch before earning a win, as we saw last month:  http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290707127.  Both Embree and B.J. Ryan (in 2003) have recently earned Wins without throwing a pitch.  This makes it possible for a reliever to enter for a starter before the 5th (after an offensive rally when his team took the lead), warm up for the inning, then leave without doing

Red Sox Get Much Needed Win and End a 6 Game Losing Streak!!! posted by Hank Hill

 Last Night B. Penny and the Sox came out on a mission and that was to break this losing streak and they did. But I personally was more concerned about our hitting. After getting swept by the Yankees in a 4 game series which has not happened in over 20 years, I wasn't concerned about our pitching (except Smoltz which the Sox dealt with after that 1st game massacre and giving up 9 earned, they put him on assignment) I was worried about our line-up.

Pappi and Bay have been off and Pedroia and Youk just couldn't hit against NY and that went for our whole line up except Ellsbury who was able to be consistant. So when the Sox came out last night and scored 2 runs in the 1st on a Ellsbury double then a Pedroia homer (9) starting off the game with a lead, the Sox looked like the team we know. In the 2nd the Sox would score a run on a hit by Pappi, then followed by a N. Green homer (6) giving the Sox a early 4-0 lead.  This was a great sign for me just seeing the Sox making great contact and scoring runs but Detroit would rally. After a Bay homer (22) in the 5th the Sox led 5-3 heading into the 7th when Delcarman came in for Penny and Detroit would tie the game at 5 all!! 

I was sitting there thinking here we go again-- but in the next inning N. Green would come through again with a sacrifice fly giving the Sox the lead back at 6-5!!! And with help from Rameriez and Papelbon the Sox were able to hold on and get this important win. The Yankees would also lose moving us within 5 1/2 games of 1st place. I was just glad to see our bats in action racking up 12 hits and 6 runs and that is exactly what Sox Nation needed!!! So hopefully this is the start off a streak of our own, Sox have rookie J. Tazawa going against Detroit's R. Porcello a 7:10. Be there, Lets Go Sox!!!

Small improvement for Royals. posted by john howard

The Kansas City Royals got Josh Anderson from the Tigers for some cash.  This was a good move for both teams.  But, a really good bargain for the Royals.  Anderson was designated for assignment and had to clear waivers to be put in the farm system.  That would be unlikely.  So, rather than wait their turn, the Royals gave the Tigers cash and made it a trade.  The Tigers get money out of the deal instead of losing him for nothing.  Win win.  He has hit .242 in 74 games and has 13 stolen bases.  He strengthens the outfield for the Royals and gives them a little more speed.  Since he is only 26, he has a year or two more perhaps to improve. Continue reading "Small improvement for Royals."

How Joba Got His Groove Back posted by Cesar Valverde

You may be wondering how Joba Chamberlain came off the All-Star Break with 2 consecutive victories: 1 against the Tigers and 1 against the A's. Before the break, it just seemed to be no-decision after no-decision. He holds the Major League Record for most No-D's in a season.

Reports say that Joba went home to Oklahoma during the All-Star Break. He didn't even think about baseball. He just spent quality time with his family. He only had a couple of throwing sessions and that's it! Nothing complicated. No pressure. No nothing. Just basic throwing. No Joba rules to worry about.

As a family man with 2 kids, I can relate with how Chamberlain can come back and have success on the mound his first 2 starts back . Joba was grinding it out in the first half. He was working hard with coaches trying to figure things out. This is a lot like a student grinding it out with his schoolwork; grinding it out with his schoolwork, getting pressure from his teachers to do better, getting pressure to keep their GPA up, but oh, when the semester is over, they go home, hang out with family and friend, and just breathe. When the new semester starts, they're fresh minded and ready to go.

This was Joba all the way. He went home to spend quality time with his wife. He went home to spend quality time with his daughter. These times are special and are able to help turn things around when you go back to the grind.

Could this fresh start with 2 victories in a row against Detroit and Oakland be only the beginning for a great 2nd half or will his woes from the 1st half come back to haunt him?

AARWICH – PRIDICTIONS *REVISED July 14th, 2009 posted by Aarwich

*revised

May 1st, 2009

The Detroit Tigers will:

• win the Central Devision

• record = 92-70

• loose to the Red Sox in the ALCS

• * watch Inge finish w/ 40 hr's & a .289 avg

• * watch Thames hit 12 homers after the ASB

• * watch Granderson steal 27 bases after the ASB

• * watch Verlander finish w/ 21 wins & 281 K's

June 1st, 2009

The Detroit Pistons will:

• draft Earl Clark (Austin Daye if Clark's gone)

• release 'Sheed, Dyess & AI

• sign Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva & Brandon Bass

• trade Rip/Tay in a 3-way trade for Boozer/Lee/Bosh

• record = 53-29

• loose to Celtics in the ECF

• * sign Ben Wallace to the vet's min. after above trade is completed

• * move J-Max between now & the deadline

The Detroit Lions will:

• start Culpepper 6 games before trading him during the buy week

• watch Smith rush for 4.1 – 107 – 1,712

• watch Johnson catch 94 totaling 1,689 w/ a 17.9 average & 15 td's

• watch Pettigrew catch 34

• watch Delmas intercept 4 / 1 td

• average 24 points for

• average 27 points against

• record = 7-9

More MLB Links posted by Erick Pacheco

http://atdhe.net/7388/watch-mariners-vs-yankees    Yankees vs Mariners

http://atdhe.net/5632/watch-rays-vs-blue-jays : Blue Jays and Rays

  http://atdhe.net/5711/watch-red-sox-vs-orioles   Red Sox vs Orioles

  http://atdhe.net/5546/watch-rockies-vs-dodgers  Dodgers vs Rockies

Tigers and Athletics :   http://atdhe.net/6246/watch-tigers-vs-athletics

Chicago baseball is simply mediocre posted by richard Kagan

The Chicago Cubs are 35-36.  The Chicago White Sox are 36-38.  Both teams are flirting with the .500 mark as we get closer to the half-way mark of the season.  Unless these teams are can go into after-drive and put the pedal to the metal, it is likely that these team will finish near the .500 mark.  The Cubs had a thrilling homestand and won some games with pulsating finishes.  Then they go on the road and make the Detroit Tigers look like world-beaters.  In one game, the Cubs have a one run lead late, but  their closer gives up a 2 run homer in the last of 9th to win the game for Detroit.

Good closers don't give up game winning home runs to lose the game.  Unfortunately, Marmol is the set up man and putting him in is like watching a chopped tree tottering before it falls.  You never know how it's going to work out.  Some days he looks great striking out the side. Other days it could a hit batter, a wild pitch, a walk, a single, and game on the brink.  This is after the Cubs have scored 4 runs on 9 hits to tie a game.  Last season, the game would have been over.

What a difference a year makes. Safe to say Milton Bradley won't be back next season. He has the psychological make-up of a rook in Babe Ruth League.  This is the Majors Milt, wake up. 

The Sox are not any great shakes either. Decent starting pitching, no consistent hitting, a bullpen that blows up games one day, and locks down a game on another.  The Sox actually look like they can do something this season, because their starters can get you to the 6th or 7th inning with a lead.  That's where they can get into trouble. The set up pitchers have been shaky this season. Jenks, the closer is reliable.  The Sox are 6 game out of the division lead.  A margin that a good team could make up.  But the Pale Hose win two games and lose 3 and you can't win a pennant that way.

Past drafts mostly bad posted by Bruce Bentley

The MLB draft took place this week as 1,521 high school and college kids were selected by 30 teams. For most teams not named the Yankees, who can spend $400 million on free agents to replenish their roster, the draft holds the keys to future success or failure.

Now it's virtually impossible to turn every high draft choice into a major league all-star. In baseball it takes three, four or more years for a pick to even make his debut in the bigs. So much can happen in that timeframe that a bust or two are bound to happen. The objective is not to let this go on for years on end like the Detroit Tigers did throughout the 90s and early part of this decade.

Looking back at the Tigers’ first-round draft choices from the last 20 years it's obvious why they were so horrible. Since 1989 the Tigers have had four winning seasons (two in the last three) and nine 90-plus loss seasons with four of those over 100 losses.

Not counting this year’s pick, of their 19 first-round picks (none in 1991), the Tigers have had 12 busts. Two had average careers, one is an all-star, two were traded for a superstar and two are in their rookie seasons in Detroit.

The Busts: (Year selected, name, position, pick) All are MLB stats.

1989, Greg Gohr, P, 21st.

Gohr pitched for four years going 8-11 with a 6.21 ERA.

1992, Rick Greene, P, 16th.

Greene never pitched for Detroit, and only one game with Cincinnati.

1993, Matt Brunson, SS, 9th.

Brunson never played in the majors.

1994, Cade Gaspar, P, 18th.
Continue reading "Past drafts mostly bad"

Tigers cool on Damon? (Yahoo! Sports)

Free agent outfielder Johnny Damon's agent, Scott Boras, has made it clear that he wants the Detroit Tigers... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Report: Tigers, Verlander OK huge deal

Pitcher Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to an$80 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with thenegotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for MLB

Damon headed to Detroit Tigers? (Yahoo! Sports)

Now that the New York Yankees appear to be totally out of the running for Johnny Damon, it appears that Mr. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports