Run it out!

Something that's been bothering me for quite a while in Major League Baseball came to a head for me this past week while watching a Mets game. New York Mets phenom prospect Fernando Martinez hit a pop up to the catcher, in fair territory, and failed to run to first base. The catcher dropped the ball, and Martinez was easily thrown out (he finally decided to run after the catcher dropped the ball).

Am I missing something, or isn't this the first thing they teach you in little league? When you hit the ball...run! And not only run, but run hard, no matter where the ball is hit, or no matter how sure you are the play will be made. As Martinez found out this week, you never know if an error will be made on the field, even on the easiest of plays.

It's bad enough when millionaire players (who have been in the league for years) stop and admire home runs, only to watch it bang off the wall - but now we have players who have been in the league two days not running? This has got to stop.

The problem is, it won't stop, because Major League GMs have no spine. Fernando Martinez should not only have been taken out of the game immediately, he should have been sent back to the minor leagues immediately. Mets GM Omar Minaya (who I heard interviewed on WFAN the next day) said "everybody makes mistakes", and he wouldn't take action unless is became a "recurring problem".

Hey Omar, wake up! Jose Reyes pulls this stuff all of the time, and you do nothing. Last week, I saw Reyes stand and admire a ball he assumed would be a home run (it wasn't), should have been a triple, and Reyes could only make it as far as second base. Inexcusable. And Mets management deserves as much of the blame as Reyes does. They could have put a stop to it easily, in his rookie season, but they didn't. And they still don't. Former Mets manager Willie Randolph tried (he benched Reyes a few times), but Minaya clearly never had his back on this one.

And the Mets aren't the only culprits. We see this all over baseball. The Cubs' Alfonso Soriano has been jogging to first base for almost 10 years now, and no one on the Yankees, Rangers or Cubs ever did a thing about it. It's habit for him that surely will never be broken, now that he makes millions of dollars a year.

I hate to keep beating the Derek Jeter drum, but watching him every day reminds me of why I love baseball so much. Jeter runs hard every time. I've never seen him jog to first...ever. And I probably never will. As Joe DiMaggio used to say, "you never know when someone will be watching you play for the first time".

Mets fans can talk all they want about the talent of Jose Reyes and the diminishing skills of Derek Jeter (I agree on both counts, by the way). But I'll take a hustling Jeter on my team over lackadasical Reyes any day of the week.

Papi vs. Vaughn

About 4 weeks ago, my post was about slumping Red Sox DH David Ortiz. Remarkably, he's still in his slump.

A few weekends back, Boston manager Terry Francona rested him for an entire series against Seattle. That didn't work. This week, Ortiz was dropped to 6th in the line-up for the first time since 2003. That didn't work. Today, Ortiz's frustration reached a boiling point when he broke a bat over his knee after yet another weak at-bat.

I still don't know if "Big Papi" will eventually break out of it, but his slump got me thinking of a former Red Sox player who was just as feared a hitter as Ortiz: Mo Vaughn. If you compare Papi's career stats with Vaughn's, they are remarkably similar. Their final 3 seasons are almost carbon copies. Take a look:

Ortiz -
2007: 35 HR, 117 RBI, .332 BA, .621 SLG
2008: 23 HR, 89 RBI, .264 BA, .507 SLG
2009 (so far): 1 HR, 18 RBI, .193 BA, .298 SLG

Vaughn -
2000: 36 HR, 117 RBI, .272 BA, .498 SLG
2001: 26 HR, 72 RBI, .259 BA, .456 SLG
2002: 3 HR, 15 RBI, .190 BA, .329 SLG

Amazing, huh? One thing to keep in mind is Ortiz is 33 now, and Vaughn was 35 in his final season. Still, Ortiz and Vaughn are very much alike. Both are lefty swinging power hitters, and both pretty much the same body type: not good. Mo Vaughn was still a prolific hitter in 2000, much like Ortiz was in 2007. And by 2003, Vaughn's body simply gave out on him, and he retired. Will Ortiz suffer the same fate? Time will tell...

Rooting for Rivals

As a New York Yankees fan, one of the things I'll never get used to about baseball's interleague play is rooting for teams that you normally wouldn't dream of rooting for: such as the cross-town rival New York Mets.

Usually, unless the Yankees are playing the Mets, I don't care at all if the Mets win or lose. It doesn't affect me one way or the other. Over the long season, however, I'd prefer for the Mets to at least have a worse record than the Yankees, just so I don't have to hear it from my friends who are Mets fans.

But this weekend is different. The Mets are playing the Yankees greatest rival, the Boston Red Sox. This weekend, I'm a Mets fan, like it or not. I loved watching Johan Santana mow down the Red Sox hitters on Friday night, I cheered when Santana hit Kevin Youkilis with a pitch (I know, not very nice, but true), and I jumped for joy when Omir Santos hit a homer off Jonathan Papelbon on Saturday.* As of the writing, the Mets are 2-0 vs. the Red Sox, and I'm loving it.

*By the way, what's wrong with Papelbon, anyway? I don't think I've ever seen a pitcher jump out of the dugout to argue a call on the bases when he wasn't even pitching. The guy's got some serious issues. *

I'm sure Mets fans are rooting for the Yankess just as hard this weekend, as they face off against the Philadelphia Phillies. Alex Rodriguez's home run off Brad Lidge yesterday was probably the first time a Mets fan ever cheered for A-rod.

Overall, I like interleague play (which baseball introduced in 1997). I like seeing teams I don't normally see at Yankee Stadium, like the Phillies or the Washington Nationals, who are both at the Stadium this season. And I like seeing the Yankees play in different cities than usual, like Atlanta or Miami, where they'll visit this year.

What I don't like is the fact that the Yankees play the Mets every season, 6 times. The novelty has worn off for me. And I don't like the fact that I end up rooting for the Mets a week later, and they also face my favorite team's rivals.

My solution? Scale back interleague play significantly. Wny not do one week of interleague play a year, and rotate teams equally? That way, the Yankees would visit one new NL city each year, and host one new NL team each year. The rotation would be every 16 years, instead of three. We'd still have the excitement of interleague play once a year, but the novelty will never wear off.

A-rod for Wright?

Here's a trade that will never happen, but it popped into my head the other day, and I think it actually makes some sense for both teams. It's a trade between the cross-town rival New York Yankees and New York Mets: Alex Rodriguez for David Wright.

Now before you dismiss it completely, think about this for a minute. From the Mets perspective, their line-up is in need of some more punch. Don't get me wrong, David Wright's a great hitter, but he doesn't strike fear into the hearts of pitchers like Alex Rodriguez does. A-rod would immediately make the Mets line up better. Rodriguez is also a bit more polished defensively, and he's a marquee name the Mets can market. And as much as A-rod has been vilified for not coming through in the clutch, Wright has been worse. Trading A-rod for Wright would be a short term upgrade.

The long term is where the negatives come in for the Mets. A-rod is 33 years old (7 years older than Wright), makes about 27 million a year, and is signed for the next 8 seasons after this one, all at that bloated salary. And there's the steroid issue hanging over him. Will he be productive into his 40's? Time will tell.

Now why would the Yankees want to trade Rodriguez, and weaken the team slightly this season, and at least the next 2 or 3 seasons (while A-rod is still in his prime)? For all the same negative reasons listed above. The Yankees, unlike the Mets, have the added problem of Derek Jeter.

The Yankees will surely want to resign Jeter after the 2010 season (when his contract is up) and having A-rod under contract will throw a huge wrench into those plans. Having two players on the left side of the infield in their late 30's will be a bad idea. And having three regular players (if you include Jorge Posada) in their late 30's will be an even worse idea.

It's clear someone will have to go, since both Jeter and A-rod can't DH, and Mark Teixeira has first base tied up for the foreseeable future. If the Yankees could get a third baseman as talented and as young as Wright for A-rod, they'd do it in a heartbeat. And having a marquee name of their own like Teixeira will lessen the blow.

Also, it's well documented that Rodriguez grew up a Mets fan, and they're the only team that he'd likely consider dropping his no trade clause to join.

So what you you think? Will Yanks GM Brian Cashman and Mets GM Omar Minaya be discussing this soon over drinks? They should. But as I said in my opening, this trade will never happen, and it's not because it doesn't make any sense. It's because the team that comes out on the short end of the deal would never hear the end of it from the New York fans and media. The trade might be worth the risk from a baseball perspective, but it's absolutely not worth the public relations risk.

Are the Jays for Real?

No. Is that a quick enough answer for you?

The Toronto Blue Jays are not for real. They may be 24-14 at the moment, with the best record in the American League, and 2 games ahead of Boston in the American League East division, but it absolutely won't last.

Yes, they have a great hitting line up, led by underrated second baseman Aaron Hill and DH Adam Lind. Yes, they have the second best pitcher in the American League in Roy Halladay (Kansas City's Zack Greinke is first). Yes, they have terrific defense led by third baseman Scott Rolen. And yes, they have a proven two-time World Series winning manager in Citi Gaston. But it won't be enough.

Why? First, they have 51 games remaining against their AL East rivals, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Rays. The Jays have been feasting on the weaker Central and West divisions. Heck, they haven't even played Boston or Tampa once yet (they're 1-2 vs. New York).

Second, they are pitching over their heads. While the Jays starting staff has been decimated by injuries, the young starters they've called up have done well. The chances of them doing as well over 162 games? Very slim.

Most importantly, their Al East rivals have been playing much worse than expected thus far. That, like the Jays hot start, will not last long. The Red Sox have been without Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew for much of the season, and David Ortiz has been a shell of himself. The Yankees have been without Chein-Ming Wang, Alex Rodiguez and Xavier Nady, and their bullpen is a mess. And the Rays entire pitching staff has been horrendous. The Red Sox and Yankees will surely turn things around, and the Rays likely will as well.

The Toronto Blue Jays deserve a lot of credit for being where they are now. They've earned it. But I sure hope they enjoy it while it lasts. My guess is by the All Star Break, the Jays will be right where we all expected them to be: fourth place (Sorry Orioles fans). And by the trading deadline, free agent-to-be Roy Halladay just might be pitching for someone else.

More Rocket Fuel on the Fire

A week ago, things were going swimmingly in the world of former Major League pitcher and alleged steroid user Roger Clemens. Alex Rodriguez, after admitting a few months ago to using steroids, was about ready to rejoin the New York Yankees. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez had just been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a banned substance.

The last thing on the minds of baseball fans, even with Tuesday's release of the book "American Icon" (which chronicles Clemens' alleged steroid use), was Roger Clemens. It was perfect timing, really. As the book hit the stores, it would have been third on the list of steroid-related baseball stories that day. All Roger had to do was lay low, and keep his mouth shut. Easier said that done.

Clemens, the egomaniac that he is, instead chose to appear on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike" radio program on Tuesday, and again deny his use of steroids or HGH. What's the matter, Roger? Upset that you're no longer the poster boy for Hall of Fame-caliber steroid users?

Unfortunately for Clemens, in the court of public opinion, there is no "innocent until proven guilty". Unless Roger can provide proof that he has not used steroids or HGH, he should pull a Mark McGwire: stay home, and keep quiet. No one believes McGwire was clean either, but at least he's not a liar.

The continued emphatic denial routine didn't work for Pete Rose (who finally, after years of denials, ended up admitting he bet on baseball), and it won't work for Roger Clemens either. The sooner he comes clean, as fellow steroid user Alex Rodriguez wisely has, the sooner he'll regain the respect of America's baseball fans, and perhaps many years from now, even the voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tainted Love

When it became clear that Roger Clemens had been a steroid user since as early as 1997, many baseball fans claimed that the New York Yankees championship seasons in which Clemens pitched (1999 and 2000) had been "tainted". If Clemens had not used performance enhancing drugs, would the Yankees have won?

Now, with this week's revelation that Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez, who played on the Boston Red Sox championship teams in 2004 and 2007, is also a steroid user (He tested positive for a banned substance this past week), those questions are arising once again. Have the Red Sox World Series titles been "tainted"? If Manny was indeed using during those seasons, would they have won anyhow?

Let's delve into the "tainted" question first. Are the championships tainted? Yes, of course they are. But so is every other World Series the past 20 years or so. There are numerous players who have played on World Series winners the past 20 years who are known to have used performance enhancing drugs - Ramirez (Red Sox) , Clemens (Yankees), Andy Pettitte (Yankees), Gary Sheffield (Marlins), Mark McGwire (A's), Jose Canseco (A's, Yankees) - just to name a few.

But how many other players used that we don't know about? There are more than 100 unnamed players who tested positive for PEDs (along with the "outed" Alex Rodriguez) in 2003. How many of those players do you think were on the 2002 Angels, 2003 Marlins, 2005 White Sox, 2006 Cardinals or 2008 Phillies?

Think about it: if 100 players tested positive in 2003, that averages out to 7.5 players per team. Sure, Manny Ramirez may have cheated to help the Red Sox win in 2004 and 2007, but chances are he had 6 teammates who cheated as well, and was playing against 6 or 7 cheaters on each of the other teams the Red Sox played.

Which brings me to question number two. Would the Yankees and Red Sox have won those Championships without Clemens or Ramirez? Probably. But we'll really never know. One thing's for sure though: if a different team had won, their championship would be tainted as well. In baseball's steroid era, no team is immune. Major League Baseball as a whole is "tainted" forever.

Damn the Doppler

Has anyone else noticed that new technology in weather detection has caused Major League Baseball game rain delays to be longer, rather than shorter? At least that's been the case this week at Yankee Stadium.

Not too long ago, deciding whether to play baseball was simple. If it wasn't raining, or just lightly raining, you played. If the rain was heavy, you didn't. Now, with the radar technology most teams have, games are delayed even when it's not raining. If the home team sees a green patch on the radar heading their way, they hold off the game and wait for the rain. This is a terrible idea, since radar or not, weather is and always has been unpredictable.

A perfect example was Game 2 of the ALDS back in 2006. The Yankees were set to play the Tigers in an 8pm start. The team saw rain on the radar, so the game was delayed for two hours while it was not raining! Then of course, at around 10pm, as soon as the Yankees were ready to get the game started, it began raining. The game was called, on a night they could have easily played. If it had been 10 years earlier, they would have.

This rain-filled week wasn't much better. The Yankees cancelled Sunday's game vs. the Angels because they didn't see a "window" to play on the radar, and it barely rained at all most of the afternoon. They easily could have played with an hour or so delay.

Then the Yankees delayed Monday's game with the Red Sox for more than two hours, again waiting for a window to play, while it was lightly raining. Stadium staff even sent fans home telling them the game would be called, then when the Yankees began play at 9:20, fans were not let back in (due to "security" reasons).

Now, Monday's two hour delay might have made sense, except it was raining harder on Tuesday night, and they started the game on time. This is making less and less sense by the day.

With more rain in the forecast tonight, there were surely be more drama. In fact, the "rain delay theater" is fast becoming more exciting than the game itself.

Here's some advice for the Yankees and the rest of Major League Baseball. Chuck the doppler, and get back to "old school" weather forecasting. It's is raining, don't play. If it's not raining, play. The Yanks have certainly proven this week that no matter how much technology you have, you can't outsmart mother nature.

Slumping Papi

I've noticed over the last few weeks my blog has become a bit Yankee-centric, but with the Opening of the new Yankee Stadium and all the recent controversy surrounding the team (mostly Alex Rodriguez), it just kind of worked out that way. So, I figured I'd turn my attention a few hundred miles north today, to our friends in Boston.

The Boston Red Sox are off to a fairly good start (14-9 as of this morning), a game behind the Blue Jays and game ahead of the Yankees. But looking over their April stats, one thing is glaring: David Ortiz is off to a horrific start. Big Papi has just 20 hits in 91 ABs (a .220 average), zero home runs and just 12 RBI. Worse, he isn't even drawing any walks. His OBP is just .286. Not what you expect from your number 3 hitter.

So what's the problem with Papi? Is it that he no longer has Manny Ramirez batting behind him? I'd say no. Kevin Youkilis is doing his best Manny impersonation behind Ortiz, batting a robust .405 with 5 home runs. I'm sure pitchers are still being very careful with Ortiz, but they always were, even with Manny in the on-deck circle.

Is it that Ortiz was taking performance enhancing drugs, and is no longer juicing? Again, I'd answer in the negative. Ortiz is a monster, but he never struck me as being a steroid guy. Of course, I could be wrong. Alex Rodriguez never struck me as a steroid guy either.

I think the reason is just the opposite. Ortiz is getting older (he's 33 this year), and he doesn't exactly have a slim physique. They don't call him "Big Papi" for nothing. What's happening to Ortiz is what happens to most large, non-juicing baseball players as they move into their mid-thirties: their skills begin to deteriorate.

Do I think Ortiz is done? Absolutely not. My guess is he'll come around in May, and be a productive hitter once again. I just don't think he's going to be the feared hitter he was in his prime years, between 2003 and 2007. What he did last season (.264, 23 home runs, 89 RBI) is about what to expect from here on in. Which is exactly why Boston GM Theo Esptein wanted the also-slumping (but for different reasons) Mark Teixiera this off-season: to replace Ortiz as Boston's most feared hitter.

Luckily for Boston, they found a replacement in house. The aforementioned Mr. Youkilis. If I was Boston Manager Terry Francona, I'd take the heat off Big Papi and bat Youkilis third, Jason Bay clean-up and Ortiz fifth. Youkilis is in his prime now, and is the best hitter on the team.

Of course, now that I wrote about Ortiz's slump, where do you think he'll break out of it? My guess would be this Monday and Tuesday. Where else? Yankee Stadium.