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! :-)

The Playoffs Are Here! The Playoffs Are Here!

The 2013 MLB regular season is over, and while it was a bit disappointing for some teams (the Orioles, Nationals, and Yankees), it was even more disappointing for others (the Blue Jays and Phillies come to mind).  But now it's time for the post-season - when intensity is up a few notches, players ignore injuries and play their hearts out, and fans get caught up in the hoopla and excitement.  But if you're not a die-hard fan, it might be a little hard to keep track of which teams are playing in which round.  Don't worry; I'm here to help you figure things out.

The first official post-season game is Tuesday night, when the Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting the Cincinnati Reds for a one-game Wild Card contest.  The winner of that game will then face the Cardinals in St. Louis for a best-of-five series.  This is called the NLDS (National League Division Series).  At the same time, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be visiting the Atlanta Braves for the second NLDS.  The winners of those two series will then move on to the best-of-seven NLCS (National League Championship Series), so that narrows the National League from 4 teams before the NLDS to 1 team after the NLCS.  This team goes on to the World Series as the sole representative of the National League.  Got it?  I hope so, because I don't know how else to explain it.  

The same thing happens in the American League, so here it goes.  The one-game Wild Card contest is on Wednesday between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians (in Cleveland).  The winner of that game goes on to the ALDS (American League Division Series) against the Red Sox in Boston.  On the other NLDS, Oakland will be hosting the Detroit Tigers.  After that best-of-five series, the two teams who come out on top go on to the ALCS (Americal League Championship Series) and the winner of that will go on to the World Series.

Are there any surprises here?  Well the Red Sox went from last to first in their division, the Cleveland Indians played like they didn't want to go to the playoffs for a while, and the Dodgers came out of nowhere.  And how about those Pirates?  They haven't been to the post-season in like 20 years or something.  So it's nice to see some fresh faces - no Yankees, no Phillies, and no Giants. Instead, we have Longoria, Kimbrell, McCutchen, and two Molinas along with last year's Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and badass Justin Verlander.  It will be exciting, and I will try to watch as much of it as I can!

2013 MLB Postseason Schedule**

** subject to change

NL Wild Card

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
NL Wild Card	Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh	Tue, Oct 1	8:00 PM	TBS

AL Wild Card

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
AL Wild Card	Tampa Bay @ Cleveland	Wed, Oct 2	8:00 PM	TBS

NLDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Thu, Oct 3	5:00 PM	TBS
Game 2	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Fri, Oct 4	1:00 PM	MLBN
Game 3	St. Louis @ NL Wild Card	Sun, Oct 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	St. Louis @ NL Wild Card	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Wed, Oct 9	TBD	TBS

NLDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Thu, Oct 3	8:30 PM	TBS
Game 2	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Fri, Oct 4	6:00 PM	TBS
Game 3	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Sun, Oct 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Wed, Oct 9	TBD	TBS

ALDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Fri, Oct 4	3:00 PM	TBS
Game 2	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Sat, Oct 5	5:30 PM	TBS
Game 3	Boston @ AL Wild Card	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Boston @ AL Wild Card	Tue, Oct 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Thu, Oct 10	TBD	TBS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	Detroit @ Oakland	Fri, Oct 4	9:30 PM	TBS
Game 2	Detroit @ Oakland	Sat, Oct 5	9:00 PM	TBS
Game 3	Oakland @ Detroit	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Oakland @ Detroit	Tue, Oct 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	Detroit @ Oakland	Thu, Oct 10	TBD	TBS

Pitchers, or Wusses?

Whether you're a casual observer or a die-hard baseball addict like me, surely you've noticed that pitchers today seldom play for an entire 9-inning game.  Gone are the days of Bob Feller throwing 36 complete games in one season (he did that in 1946); Juan Marichal pitching 30 complete games in 1968; and Warren Spahn completing 26 games in 1951 (www.baseball-almanac.com).  Since the year 2000, James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays has been the only pitcher who has thrown more than 10 complete games (he pitched 11 of them in 2011) in one season.  Why is that?

I pondered this question after last night's Nationals/Mets game, where Nats' starter Gio Gonzalez pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and was replaced for the eighth inning after throwing only 87 pitchers.  Granted, Gio was supposed to bat third in the bottom of the seventh, but why not let him bat with a 5-1 lead and let him continue pitching?  Nationals' manager, Davey Johnson, did not really have a good reason for taking Gio out of the game, especially since he's always saying how he wants to rest his bullpen (plus Davey is so old that he can put anyone to sleep during press conferences with his droning "my voice sounds like this because I no longer have a prostate" tone).  The day before that, Johnson pulled starter Jordan Zimmermann after only six innings, despite Zim's six strikeouts and four hits allowed.  Time for me to ponder...

One of the reasons that the complete-game pitcher is becoming extinct (Justin Verlander of the Tigers is the exception this year, with 5 complete games so far) is the fact that managers are getting hung up on pitch counts and assuming that high pitch counts lead to injuries.  As soon as a pitcher reaches around 100 pitches in a game, regardless of whether he's winning or not, the bullpen becomes active and the starter is soon removed (especially if a batter gets a hit because of a defensive error that is not the fault of the pitcher - I hate when they do that!).  Well let me tell you, a guy named Nolan Ryan (perhaps you've heard of him) pitched 807 games in his 24-year career, and 222 of them were complete games.  Ryan seldom missed a start due to injury, he never had Tommy John surgery, his shoulder never acted up (though his back did, according to his Advil commercials), and his fastball was sharp until his retirement.  Pitching injuries are due more to mechanics than pitch count; overuse injuries are a reality, but these can be minimized with proper conditioning and technique, not by pulling pitchers after they've thrown only 100 pitches (especially if they're pitching well; I agree when a pitcher is pulled early due to a bad outing).

Then there's the role of the bullpen specialists, the middle reliever and the closer.  One theory in baseball is that pitchers lose their effectiveness the second and third times through the lineup.  This is when they turn to the bullpen and put in a reliever for the eighth inning and a closer for the ninth (especially during a save situation).  Sometimes they even put in a guy to pitch to only one batter - the lefty-lefty matchup, for instance, and you can have two or three pitchers throw to two or three batters in one inning.  This brings a baseball game to a grinding halt, and it makes me very impatient.

Some people argue that pitchers are not allowed to pitch complete games because the season is longer than it used to be.  Yes, but starting rotations used to only have 4 pitchers and now they have 5, so I think they're getting adequate rest.  And don't tell me that Liván Hernandez used to pitch so many complete games in the 90s because his fastball was only about 80mph - Verlander's fastball is in the upper 90s and Roy Halladay (who completed many games for the Blue Jays and Phillies) has a 95mph fastball (OK, Halladay stinks this year, but he has had a great career full of complete games).

I have no sympathy for pitchers.  They make a ton of money, and they should be able to pitch a complete game in 120 pitches or so.  When I become Commissioner, I'm going to pay pitchers for each inning pitched, and if they go less than six innings in one game, I'm going to fine them.  They will also have money deducted from their pay for earned runs and intentional walks, but be given bonuses for strikeouts (sorry for you, ground-out pitchers!) as well as for complete games.  What do you think?  Is that a good idea?  Perhaps I should stick to blogging!  :-)

Halfway Done... :-(

Believe it or not, my friends, the Major League Baseball season is already halfway over.  The trade deadline is fast approaching, and before you know it, rosters will be expanded and the playoffs will soon follow.  But what marks the halfway point of the baseball season?  Well the All-Star Game and all its festivities, of course!
This year's "Midsummer Classic" was held in Kansas City.  Don't know why; other than the fact that it was an American League team's turn to host the game (and the fact that the Royals could use more fans in the stands).  Before the game was even played, there were a lot of exciting events going on - from the FanFest exhibits to the Home Run Derby (won by Prince Fielder) to the Legends and Celebrities Softball Game (Where else can you rub elbows with Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Smith, Rollie Fingers, and American Idol's David Cook?).  If the All-Star Game comes to DC in 2015 like the rumors are saying, I would definitely like to attend the softball game (especially if Iván Rodriguez is invited).  That just looks like a fun time.

So the game itself started after a 45-minute Fox-like pregame show, and no, I don't really like Fox Sports because I can't stand Joe Buck and his big forehead (which looks more like a five-head).  And poor Tim McCarver is getting way too old to be doing color commentary.  John Miller and Joe Morgan have always been my favorites - at least they have personalities and don't talk like they know everything (Joe Buck is second on my list of arrogant announcers I don't like - Bob Costas is number one).

So anyway, the pregame show included a nice segment about the Negro League, which was started in Kansas City back in the 1920s.  Greats like Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays started out playing in the Negro League before Major League Baseball was integrated, and it was a very informative little piece (I will definitely visit the Negro League Museum if I'm ever in Kansas City for some unknown reason).  Also during the pregame show, the National Anthem was sung by some Luke Bryan country singer guy, who stayed on pitch (a hard thing to do with that song) but he sang it WAY too slow.  I was like "Snap it up, dude; we want to watch the game!"  And today he admitted to having the lyrics written on his hand!  My husband suspected it, and I was like "Nah ah; who doesn't remember the words to the "Star-Spangled Banner?" forgetting about Cristina Aguilera in that one Super Bowl a couple of years ago!

After the player introductions (this year there were 26 first-time All-Stars), George Brett threw out the first pitch (Surprise!  Who didn't see that coming?) and the game finally began.  Poor Justin Verlander got roughed up right away, with the National League scoring 5 runs in the first inning.  The Washington Nationals were well represented in the bottom of the third, when Gio Gonzalez faced the minimum 3 batters (including the Yankees' Curtis Granderson, who whore high socks in honor of the Negro League).  Stephen Strasburg also had a scoreless inning, pitching in the bottom of the fifth. And of course there was the game's MVP, the Giants' Melky Cabrera (one of the 3 Cabreras for whom I voted) who went 2-3 with 2 RBIs.

If you went to bed after the fifth inning (like I did), you didn't miss a thing, because it was 8-0 at that point and that ended up being the final score.  I am sad that I missed Chipper Jones's base hit, since this is his last All-Star Game due to his pending retirement at the end of the season.  I have always liked Larry Wayne Jones, and it was nice seeing him giving the other NL guys a pep talk in the clubhouse before the game.

So what else was noteworthy about the game?  Oh, there was the Royals' Billy Butler, who got a huge standing ovation when he was introduced during the pregame show.  Royals' fans were upset that Butler was not included in the Home Run Derby the night before, so they showed their appreciation for Butler (who went 0-2 last night).
So that's my recap of the All-Star game - now there is no baseball until Friday.  I will actually have to find something else to watch on TV tonight (good luck with that one!) and hope that the second half of the season is as exciting and surprising as the first half (the Pirates in first place?  Who knew that was going to happen?).  So stay tuned; there are still two-and-a-half months of regular-season baseball to be played!