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!  :-)

Pitchers and Catchers and Hope - OH MY!

Hello, baseball fans!  It's the day that we thought would never get here:  The day when Major League pitchers and catchers report to their respective Spring Training venues, just a week before everyone else shows up.  For my Washington Nationals, their temporary home is in Viera, Florida, where they are part of the Grapefruit League.  Other teams play in Florida as well, and others play in Arizona, but by the end of March, they will all be in their respective cities, getting ready for that first official cry of "Play ball!"

I am so excited I just can't contain myself.  My husband and I bought a four-game ticket plan, which gives us a fifth game for free and allowed us to pick the games we wanted.  So we're going to go to Nationals Park for opening day against the Cincinnati Reds, an inter-league game against the Yankees (yes, I do dislike inter-league play, but I wasn't giving up my chance of seeing Robinson Canó in person!), a game against the Mets, and the last home game of the season, which will be against the Brewers (plus our free game, which we haven't picked yet).  Our seats won't be as good as last year, but since Iván Rodriguez is no longer a National, I have no reason to be up-close wielding my Puerto Rican flag (and embarrassing my husband).

So what are people predicting that this upcoming season will be like?  It's being touted as "The Year of the Pitcher," and many teams including the Orioles, Marlins, Nationals and Red Sox have reinforced their pitching during the off-season to try and prove themselves as having dominant arms.  Personally, I predict that the Phillies will NOT win the NL East, the Yankees will NOT win the AL East, and neither the Brewers nor the Cardinals will win the NL Central (I'm giving that one to Cincinnati).  The Orioles will not be last in their division either - that honor will go to the Blue Jays.  And while I normally don't care about the west, I will go ahead and say that the Angels will not win their division despite now having Albert Pujols in their lineup.

Pitchers who deserve some attention in 2012?  Jordan Zimmermann of the Nationals, who will be overshadowed by the return of Stephen Strasburg; the Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Moore, who has a scary curve ball; Yu Darwish of the Texas Rangers, who has a cool name and I think is the first Japanese/Iranian pitcher to ever play in the Majors; and the Cardinals' Shelby Miller, who was their first-round pick in 2009 and should be pretty good this year, despite having the same name as the weird girl in "Steel Magnolias."

Finally, even though this has nothing to do with pitching, it would be irresponsible of me as a baseball blogger to not mention the untimely passing of Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter.  Carter was one of the first baseball players that I liked back when I was a Mets fan, and his smile, charisma and dedication to the game are characteristics that are now uncommon among professional athletes.  Gary died of brain cancer, and will truly be missed (of course we all know that Iván broke all of Gary's catching records, but now is not the time for me to gloat about that).

In my next post, I will talk about this upcoming season's hitting prospects, because as we all know, good hitting stops good pitching.  Stay tuned, my friends!

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!

OUCH! That Stove is HOT!

Happy New Year, my friends!  With baseball season only a couple of months away (pitchers and catchers actually report to spring training in six weeks!!!), I am back to blogging on my other blog - the serious one that doesn't allow me to be as opinionated.  So please check out my first post of the year, but read it quickly before my editor takes the humor out of it:

http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2012/01/09/ouch-that-stove-is-hot/

(And for you non-baseball fans who don't know the term "Hot Stove," it refers to the off-season when team owners and General Managers sign free agents and trade players.  I think it was given that name because back in the day, people used to gather around a hot stove in the wintertime waiting for radio reports on the most recent trades and acquisitions).

Thanks as always for all your support!

Anyone??? Anyone???

The NBA players may have ended their lockout and the NFL may be in full swing, but there has been plenty going on behind the scenes in Major League Baseball, with the winter meetings wrapping up, players being traded and free agents being signed.  Albert Pujols signed with the Angels, Mark Buehrle went to the Marlins, and the Red Sox strengthened their bullpen by adding Mark Melancon to their pitching staff.  But there's one player out there who remains a free agent, one veteran who still has a few years of ball left in him.  No, I'm not referring to Prince Fielder (though I still don't know where he's going to end up).  It should come as no surprise to those of you who read this blog on a regular basis that I am referring to future Hall-of-Famer Iván "Pudge" Rodriguez.

"There she goes again!" you're thinking to yourself.  "Does she have to mention this old guy in every one of her posts?"  Well, I'm sorry, but it's my blog, so I can mention him every time if I want to!  :-)  Seriously; Iván is currently playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, but after that season is done, he may not have a job.  The Nationals are not going to re-sign him, because they currently have four catchers vying for spots on the opening day roster.  That has been a stark reality that I've had to accept; I need to cherish the memories of the many times I watched Iván play live at Nationals Park and the time he signed my Puerto Rican flag.  I need to put away my Nationals #7 Rodriguez jersey and print out all those pictures I've taken before my old computer decides to die and I lose those pictures forever.  I need to move on and find another player for whom to root. 

But really, doesn't anyone out there need a veteran catcher who still has a cannon for an arm and can work pitchers better than anyone?  He's caught no-hitters, won an MVP and a World Series title, and is so close to reaching the 3000-hit milestone that it would be a crime if he wasn't given the opportunity to do so.  How about a player/coach?  Isn't there a team out there who could use a part-time catcher who can also serve as a very good bench coach?  And while I'm asking, can that team be a National League one so I can go see him play when they come to DC?  Don't sign with an AL team; I don't want to go back to Baltimore!  There were rumors that the Marlins were interested in signing "Pudge," but those rumors have recently subsided.  Iván has a home in Miami, he's a favorite of new manager Ozzie Guillen, and he would be a big draw for Marlins fans, who still remember him from his stint with their team back in 2003 when he helped the Marlins win the World Series.  Come on; won't someone sign this highly valuable free agent?  Anyone?  Please???

So if Iván is forced to retire (gulp!), who can be my next baseball player to stalk - I mean, follow?  When I first became interested in baseball back in the 80s, I was a big Ron Darling fan.  I admit, not because he was an OK pitcher, but because he was good-looking.  Then I followed Jim Abbott, the one-handed pitcher for the Angels.  After Abbott fizzled, I became an ardent Kirby Puckett fan.  His death at such a young age was very tragic for me, and I sought comfort in #7, the handsome and clean-cut catcher from Puerto Rico who could do no wrong.  But now no one really stands out for me.  I can't possibly follow Derek Jeter - that's way too "bandwagon."  And Pujols is just - I don't know - he doesn't do it for me.  Then there's Ryan Braun, but now that he may be suspended for the first 50 games of the season because of allegedly failing a drug test, he's off my list.  I'm thinking of Ryan Zimmerman or Michael Morse, both of the Nationals and both really really good players.  Zimmerman is too serious though; Morse is a jokester and has a carefree way about him.  Hmmm... something to think about.

So while I ponder the thought of who my next baseball hottie will be, I will continue to count the days until the first game of Spring Training.  80 days and counting, my friends, and I can't wait!  In the meantime, may you all have a wonderful holiday season this year, and may 2012 fill you and your families with good health and much happiness!

Why Can't we Just Leave Well Enough Alone?

One difference between baseball and football (and there are many, just ask George Carlin.  Oh wait, he's dead, never mind!) is that football has one game to determine the team that will be the champion for a particular season - the Super Bowl.  Baseball has the World Series, which is a best-of-seven series as opposed to just one game.  If the World Series was reduced to one game only, not only would it make the Series more exciting (actually it wouldn't be a "series" anymore so you'd have to change the name), but more people would watch, more advertisements would be sold at ridiculous prices, and more chips and beer would be sold all over the country.  But I don't generally like change (and it would bring up the dilemma of who would be your starting pitcher for that one game), so Wild Card games (best of 5) and two League Championship Series (best of 7) are OK with me.  Well, apparently Major League Baseball owners don't agree with me, because they have decided to expand the playoffs starting possibly next year (because no one sees anything wrong with baseball being played until Thanksgiving).  Wait, actually it's only one game, which seemed easier to fit into the schedule than a best-of-three first-round series, so there WON'T be baseball played until Thanksgiving.   OK, I get it.

This long-talked-about expansion of Major League Baseball's playoffs could be incorporated as soon as this coming season.  The new format will expand the Wild Card to a pair of additional teams, one each in the American and National Leagues. The two Wild Card teams will meet in a one-game playoff prior to the three-tiered postseason, which will remain the same.  Are you following me?  Good!  The only good thing about this is that the Washington Nationals have a better chance of making it to the playoffs now, but it also means that 10 of the 30 teams will be in the playoffs.  It kind of makes it not-so-special anymore if 1/3 of the teams can make it to the postseason.

 

The expanded playoffs are linked to the sale of the Houston Astros to some rich guy named Jim Crane and their move from the NL to the AL, effective for the 2013 season.  The Commissioner's Office and the MLB Players Association collaborated on those developments during some collective bargaining negotiations, and I must say, I don't really care in which league Houston plays.  If Texas fans want both their teams in the scaredy-cat league where the pitchers are too sensitive to bat for themselves, then that's their problem.  This does mean that the Astros' shift from the NL Central to the AL West will give each league 15 teams, with five clubs in all six divisions.  That actually makes sense now that I think about it, because in the past few years, the AL West only had four teams and the NL Central had 6, while the other divisions each had five.  So now every division will have 5 teams and it will look much nicer and more even in the newspaper and on the Internet when we look at the standings.
 
Adding another Wild Card addresses a common point that baseball players like to bring up, which is that teams dominating over 162 games should be rewarded more and teams clinching a berth at season's end should have a greater obstacle.  Sorry, I'm not buying that.  If your team wins 100 games in a season but is not first in its division, then too bad.  I bet you it was the owners of the Red Sox who came up with that idea, since they would have been in the playoffs this year if they had instituted this expanded Wild Card thing.  Those Red Sox fans just can't settle for 2 World Series championships in the past 7 years, can they?
 
So there you have it (if I haven't lost you already).  15 teams in each league, 5 teams in each division, one 1-game Wild Card for the loser teams, best-of-five Wild Card games for the good teams, one League Championship Series per league and one World Series.  If you're still lost and just can't wrap your head around it, just keep reading my blog and come October I will tell you for which team to root.  In the meantime, keep reading the newspapers along with me while we play "Where in the world is Albert Pujols going to end up?".

Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out, Koby!

Whoever said there wasn't much going on in baseball during the off-season certainly hasn't been reading the newspapers lately - the Gold Glove awards were handed out, some teams have already made some trades (the Atlanta Braves traded drinkin' and cheatin' Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians for a minor-leaguer), and some teams have started courting high-priced free agents.  I will address some of these things in a minute, but first let me fill you in on what had me at the edge of my seat for two days last week - the kidnapping and successful rescue of Nationals' catcher Wilson Ramos.

Wilson Ramos had a very good rookie season with the Nats, learning the ropes from veteran Iván Rodriguez (sorry, I just had to mention "Pudge"!).  Ramos ended the season with a batting average of .267, which included 22 doubles and 15 home runs.  Ramos was playing winter ball in his home country of Venezuela and was kidnapped last Wednesday in his parents' home.  Luckily Ramos was rescued only two days later, and he seems to be physically fine though he says the psychological wounds will take a long time to heal.  (Thanks to my pal John for breaking the good news about the rescue to me via Facebook!).  Now if I were Ramos, I would go play winter baseball somewhere else far from my hometown, like, say, Puerto Rico!

Speaking of winter ball in Puerto Rico, Koby Clemens (son or Roger) was playing for the Mayaguez Indians, a baseball team with a long history of star players, championship seasons, and consistent development of up-and-coming talent.  Well because Wilson Ramos was kidnapped in another country that has NOTHING to do with Puerto Rico, Koby's daddy demanded that his son leave the island right away for fear of Koby's safety.  He said nothing to his teammates or to anyone else; just got on a plane and left for fear that he too would be kidnapped.  Now, I lived in Puerto Rico for over 17 years and never heard of a famous person being kidnapped for ransom, let alone a twenty-five-year-old who has spent 6 years in the minor leagues and is no Prince Fielder at first base.  So you know what, Roger?  Take your precious little boy and continue to raise him in a bubble - and if he's even half as much of an idiot as you are, I can guarantee you that I will dislike him as much as I dislike you!

(Big sigh!)  On another note... How about those Miami Marlins?  Yes, they officially changed their name yesterday from the Florida Marlins.  They will be opening a brand-new ballpark in the spring, they have a new manager in Ozzie Guillen, and they are woo-ing Albert Pujols like he's the Queen of England.  I have also heard that Guillen wants his team to sign the now-unemployed Iván Rodriguez, so the Marlins just might be an interesting team to watch next year.  Plus Guillen is one of those passionate managers who actually gets excited and worked up, which I always enjoy.  Just what Nationals' fans need - another team in the NL East to rain on their parade!  No one has signed anything yet though, so we'll just have to see what happens with Pujols, Fielder, and the other free agents who are floating around out there in baseball limbo.