If You Have Nothing Nice to Say...

You know the saying:  "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."  So I'm going to try and write today's post with a positive tone, not pointing out how my Washington Nationals are 2-5 with shortstop Ian Desmond committing 5 errors in his first seven games.  Nope.  Not gonna say anything about the Nationals' lack of offense and Little League-quality defense; instead, I am only going to focus on the positive aspects of this year's Major League baseball season so far.

For starters, my husband and I had a great time at Nationals Park on Opening Day, with beautiful weather, a great atmosphere, and a flyover (I won't mention the $9 beer, because that's not a positive thing to point out).  I may not be the most patriotic person in this country, but flyovers are always cool, especially when there's an enormous American flag taking up the entire outfield and there are several dozen sailors in uniform making the giant flag undulate.  Pretty majestic way to kick off the baseball season (this is where I'm not going to mention the fat guy with the bad cologne who sat next to me and didn't know a thing about baseball and had to have the lady sitting on the other side of him explain everything).  It was also exciting to go into the sixth inning without Nationals' starter, Max Scherzer, giving up a hit - I got all nervous thinking I was going to witness a no-hitter in person!  While the no-hitter was broken up in the same inning, it was still fun to think that I still have many more ball games to go to in my life, and someday I might even witness a no-hitter.

As for the other teams in the league, the Kansas City Royals are starting off on a tear at 7-0, and the Detroit Tigers are kicking butt despite placing ace pitcher Justiin Verlander on the Disabled List.  The Atlanta Braves traded away their closer, Craig Kimbrell, to San Diego, but are still atop the NL East with Jason Grilli as their new closer.  And how about that Billy Hamilton, who already has 7 stolen bases for the Cincinnati Reds?  As far as home runs, the Dodgers' Adrián González is leading the Majors with 5, followed by former Oriole Nelson Cruz with 4 for the Seattle Mariners.

Hmmm... what other nice things can I say?  Well, there's the return of Mets hottie Matt Harvey, who missed the 2014 season after having Tommy John surgery.  He's back in pre-surgery form, as is the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka.  Both of these pitchers will be closely monitored and have innings limits, as will the Marlins' José Fernández when he returns to the mound in a few weeks.  Also back after surgery is Jayson Werth, who is moving from right field to left because he's just getting too old to handle that side of the outfield.  No, that's not me being mean - just stating the obvious.

So there you have it - my analysis of the first week of the baseball season without any snarky comments or sarcasms.  I held off on saying I could drive a car through the gap in Commissioner Manfred's front teeth; I neglected predicting that Andrew McCutchen is going to suck this year because he had his dreadlocks cut off; and I certainly didn't mention how awful the new Jumbo-Tron looks in Wrigley Field.  See?  I can be nice! But I can't promise I'll stay this way - there is still a long season ahead of us, I have at least 4 more games to attend, and I haven't even mentioned Alex Rodrguez.  Stay tuned, my friends! :-)

It's Not Over Yet!

There may only be one week left in baseball’s regular season, but things are just starting to heat up.  Wild Card slots have to be determined, batting races are wrapping up, and teams with losing records are already looking forward to next season (like the poor Houston Astros, with their 51-105 record).

So if you read this blog just to be nice and you’re not sure what’s going on, let me fill you in on which teams are moving on to the post-season so you have a clue as to what the people on the Metro or at the water cooler are talking about when they reference players like Puig, Miggy, and Yadier.  Here is your quick tutorial to the post-season.  

First of all, as of today (Monday, September 23), not all playoff spots have been filled.  There are still Wild Card slots up for grabs, and the AL Central champion hasn’t been determined yet.  But that’s what makes this last week so exciting, so please pay attention.

In the American League East, the Boston Red Sox have clinched their division.  Many of the players have scraggly beards, which must be what makes them play well (since they won the World Series in 2004 with scraggly guys like Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, and Pedro Martinez).  They were in last place early in the season but can possibly end the season with 100 wins.

In the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers are 5 games in front of the Cleveland Indians, but unless they lose every game and the Indians win the next five, they pretty much have the division title to themselves.  As much as I would like to see Cleveland win it, the Tigers would certainly make the playoffs more exciting with players like Miguel Cabrera (this is where the “Miggy” reference comes in), Justin Verlander, and Matt Scherzer.  Plus that poor city needs some excitement.

In the American League West, the Oakland A’s have clinched their division.  I hope they get eliminated early in the playoffs so they don’t have to play any games in the west coast time zone and I can get my regular amount of sleep.  Yes, Oakland is a very good team, but they need to understand that I need my sleep!

Regarding the AL Wild Card, there are four teams in the running for the two available spots - Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Texas, and Kansas City.  The Orioles aren’t far behind, but I’m afraid that mathematically they’re probably not going to make it.  The two Wild Card teams will face each other in a one-game elimination, so that will leave four teams in the American League to play the American League Divisional Series (ALDS).  That will then leave two teams that will face each other to crown the American League Champion that goes on to the World Series.  (Did you notice I didn't mention the Yankees?  They're not going to the playoff this year - ha ha!)

Now for the National League… The Atlanta Braves have clinched the NL East after pretty much dominating for the entire season.  The team that led the league in Disabled List transactions hopes to overcome their opponents and make it to the World Series.  I hope they don’t make it, because that “tomahawk chop” that their fans do during games is downright obnoxious.  I'm banning it when I become Commissioner.

In the National League Central, things aren’t so clear.  The St. Louis Cardinals have clinched a playoff spot, but not necessarily as the Division champs.  This is because both the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates are 2 games out of first place, and they still have 3 games to play against each other this coming weekend.  This division is going to come down to the wire at the last possible minute, and that's the excitement I love.

In the National League West, the Dodgers clinched their division what seems like months ago, and they’re not letting that stop them from wanting to win the last few games of the season.  I like the Dodgers, but again, they’re in the wrong time zone, and that Yasiel Puig guy is kind of an enigma.  I’m curious to see how he will handle the pressures of the post-season.

Regarding the Wild Card slots in the National League, the two will probably go to the Reds or Pirates, unless one of them ends up clinching the division and then the remaining spot will go to the Cardinals.  The Washington Nationals are not mathematically out of it yet, but they would have to win their last 7 games and the Reds and Pirates would have to collapse.  I’m afraid my Nats will not be going to the post-season this year.  L

So what are my predictions?  I think it will be a Dodgers-Red Sox World Series, though I hope the Pirates make it to the post-season somehow.  There is still a LOT of baseball to be played before then though, so stay tuned for updates.  All I know is that If the World Series ends up being between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A’s and they play in the evenings so the players don’t have to contend with shadows on the field, I definitely won’t be getting much sleep!

What a Long, Strange Month it's Been!

Hello, my friends!  It's been quite a while since I've blogged to you all - it's been a crazy month of March trying to juggle my jobs, my family responsibilities, and my other blogs.  I'm still blogging for http://www.prosportsblogging.com/, but I have also picked up a gig with our local paper, http://www.fredericknewspost.com/ (click on BLOGS and mine is the "Nationals Inquirier").  I am strictly a Washington Nationals blogger for both sites, so I'm glad I still have this space to myself, where I can bash, I mean, write, about anything baseball, not just Nationals-related topics.

So what's been going on in baseball land?  Spring Training is winding down, and some teams are giddy with excitement over their new acquisitions.  The Detroit Tigers are tearing up the Grapefruit League with a 13-3 record, and they like to brag about now having Prince Fielder on their team.  The Los Angeles Angels are happy with their acquisition of Albert Pujols, and the New York Yankees have welcomed pitcher Andy Pettite out of retirement.
And how about players who return to last year's teams?  Matt Holliday has been tearing it up this year, batting .484 with a nice little 10-game hitting streak to his name.  Us Cardinals dis-likers hope that he's peaking too soon.

And what's a Mudville Mom post without a comment about the Phillies?  They're struggling so far this year with injuries and they lost some players during the off-season - it seems like Roy Halliday is the only guy who wants to play this season.  Let's hope they stink this year - I need a reason to trash-talk with Phillies fans!

In all seriousness, the headline that caught my eye this week was Atlanta Braves' third baseman Chipper Jones announcing his retirement at the end of the 2012 season.  I have always liked Larry Wayne Jones - he is the quintessential franchise player who gave his all every day, and when people thought he was done after his 2010 and 2011 injuries, he insisted on not ending his career because of an injury.  He will be in the Hall of Fame someday, along with all those other Braves greats like Dale Murphy, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Greg Maddux.

And in case you're wondering what's up with my dear Iván Rodriguez (what's a blog post without my mention of "Pudge!"), he's still technically a free agent, but no one seems to be interested in signing a 40-year-old catcher.  The Kansas City Royals had shown some interest, but the last thing I read was that he was contemplating retirement.  Poor guy - he just wanted the opportunity to try for 3000 hits, so he could share the honor with fellow Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente, but it doesn't look like it's going to be.  If he doesn't get signed and does end up retiring, I guess we can make our reservations for his 2017 enshrinement in Cooperstown.

So the start of the 2012 season is less than two weeks away, and I'm getting excited.  We have tickets for 4 Nationals games this year, including the home opener against Cincinnati and an inter-league game against the Yankees - I know, I've said before that I don't like inter-league play during the regular season, but who can turn down the opportunity to see Robinson Canó?  Stay tuned for my insight as the season begins, and thank you as always for your support of my blog!  :-)

Show me the Money!

The main reason that I chose to get my Master's degree in Sport Management was so I could become a baseball agent.  Jerry Maguire was going to have nothin' on me - I was going to be scouting and signing players, going to all kinds of baseball games for free, and meeting all sorts of famous people while traveling all over the country.  Life ended up taking me in a different direction, and I'm actually glad that my sports-agent dreams did not come to fruition.  The money-side of baseball is very complex, and baseball players make way more money than they need to while sometimes being treated like cattle.

While current events in baseball's off-season are headlined by player trades and team acquisitions, record-breaking contract signings have been the talk of the "Hot Stove Season" (Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder come to mind, with Fielder just committing yesterday to a 9-year, $214-million deal with the Detroit Tigers, where his father, Cecil Fielder played back in the 80s).  But did you know that baseball executives also have to renew their contracts during the off-season?  Major League Baseball Commissioner, Bud Selig, was not spared the joy of signing a new contract recently, with a hefty new pay raise attached to it.

When I heard that Mr. Selig signed a new contract, first I was disappointed (it should come as no surprise to my blog readers that I am not a fan of Mr. Selig).  Then when I found out how much money he was and will be making, I almost fell over in disbelief.  Each baseball team had been paying Bud $600,000, which multiplied by 30 teams means that he was making $18 million a year!  Who knew?  I thought maybe he made a million or so, but eighteen???  Well now that he has a new contract, that 18 million has gone up, and now Mr. Selig will be making $22 million a year!  That is just unheard of!  The only good thing about that is that maybe now he can buy himself a personality!

There have only been nine Commissioners in Major League Baseball so far (though it seems like Bud has had the job forever!), and I guess they've all been paid a hefty salary (Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, MLB's first Commissioner, was paid $42,500 back in the 1920s).  But you just don't typically think of these guys making a lot of money - they don't wear a uniform, they don't appear on cereal boxes, and they don't hit home runs.  But they do help keep the game of baseball going, and they have implemented policies and procedures that have preserved the integrity of the game (like Selig's harsh ban on performance-enhancing drugs - you get caught with some of those in your system and you're out for 50 games).  Don't get me wrong; Commissioners have come up with some pretty dumb ideas too, like inter-league play and the lifetime ban of Pete Rose (he shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame, but he would make a pretty good hitting coach!).  But overall, Commissioners have brought us baseball fans a lot of pretty good things, like the Wild Card playoffs, the home-field advantage for the World Series to the League that wins the All-Star Game, and the realignment that brought the Atlanta Braves back to the National League East.  Of course, I could do a way better job than Mr. Selig for way less money, but I don't think the opportunity will ever come up.

Oh, and speaking of money and contracts, did you see that pitcher Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a two-year, $40.5 million deal?  Perhaps Tim can now afford to cut his hair!

"Lo mismo!"

Growing up in Puerto Rico, there used to be a TV commercial for a fast-food chain that featured identical hamburgers moving along a conveyor belt.  Throughout the commercial, they used the phrase "lo mismo," which means "the same old thing."  After studying yesterday's Nationals vs. Mets box score, the first thing that popped into my head was "Lo mismo!  Lo mismo!"  Why?  Because the game was a mirror-image of many of last year's games for the Nationals.  The starting pitching sucked, and the bullpen had to keep the team alive.  In 3 innings, Chad Gaudin allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs, including a home run to the Mets' Angel Pagán, who is trying to take away the job of fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán (they're both from my island, so I don't really care who gets to start at center field at this point).  Luckily, the Nationals had plenty of offense, including 2 home runs by Michael Morse and 2 hits each from Ian Desmond, Roger Bernadina, and Wilson Ramos.  I must admit I don't like the fact that Wilson Ramos had a good game, because he's going to be sharing catcher duties with my man, Iván Rodriguez, and I don't want Ramos stealing the spotlight from the future hall-of-famer.  Yes, you're going to see a LOT of Iván in my blogs, because I think he is the best catcher ever (and yes, he's super handsome too!). 

So anyway...what else?  Oh, another game of note yesterday was the one between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros.  The Braves won that one 13-3, thanks in part to multiple hits from Venezuelan shortstop Alex Gonzalez, first baseman Eric Hinske, and third baseman Brandon Hicks.  Could Hicks be the Braves' next Chipper Jones?  Oh, Larry Wayne Jones, Jr; how I will miss thee!  I remember back in 1999, halfway through the season, I predicted that Chipper would be the National League MVP.  And hey, I was right!  (Don't worry, I will also blog about many times in which my baseball predictions were wrong, like thinking the Texas Rangers would win last year's World Series).  But back to Chipper.  First of all, he's only 3 months younger than me, so he's NOT OLD!  Second, I think it's great that he didn't retire after his season-ending injury last year.  He, like Mike Schmidt, wants the fans to remember him as a good player, not as an injured one.  So hopefully he has rehabbed his knee appropriately over the winter and can be back at third base this season, even if at a limited capacity.

One last note from yesterday's action:  The Nationals' first round draft pick, 18-year-old Bryce Harper, had 2 at-bats and struck out both times.  Hah!  Have yourself a piece of humble pie, Bryce, and enjoy your time in the minors.  You're not going to move up in the ranks as fast as Strasburg did.  Wait a minute...Strasburg is still recovering from Tommy John surgery... sheesh!  Those Nationals have a lot of work ahead of them!