Bud Selig is expected to make a decision soon regarding instant replay.

It doesn’t take much to read between the lines to know that his mind is already made up.  He just needs the numbers and PR to back him up. 

From USA Today:

Selig was once a staunch opponent of replay, but a spate of missed home run calls this season has changed his stance.

This is faulty reasoning and bad logic.  If instant replay is a bad idea, then don’t let a few bad calls in one season change your opinion. 

And as I’ve said before, you certainly shouldn’t implement this mid-season.  MLB claims that teams don’t need to vote on this because this isn’t a "rule change" but it’s pretty dang close.

Paula Duffy from the Examiner has an interesting idea.  Start the experiment just before the 2008 playoffs.  I guess I would prefer that to doing it mid-season.

Tags: General MLB by The Baseball Zealot
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Last week, we were asking, "Who is Jeff Karstens?"  Now, I guess a better question is, "Is Jeff Karstens for real?".

Pirates hurler Jeff Karstens took a perfect game into the eighth inning against Arizona today.  He finished the game with a two-hit shutout.  Oh, for good measure, he also hit two singles and scored a run. 

This was Karstens’ second start this year (and second overall in the NL, his past two years were spent with the Yankees).  His first start was against the Cubs when he pitched six scoreless innings.  Karstens got the win in that game though it didn’t prevent some people (most likely Cub fans) to express some sour grapes skepticism that he didn’t have great stuff due to lack of control. 

No one can argue that Karstens was on his game today.  In addition to the two hits, he only allowed one walk. 

Pirates blog Bucs Dugout has the run down on today’s game. 

Tags: General MLB by The Baseball Zealot
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In his article, Why Jason Bay makes the Red Sox a better team, Alex Eisenberg from Hardball Times makes the argument that Jason Bay will help the Red Sox in the long term. 

Given Bay’s age (29, compared to Manny’s 36), I’d have to agree. 

Bay had an off year last year for Pittsburgh (21 HR, .247) but seemed to get out of his funk this season.  For Pittsburgh this season, he hit .290 and already exceeded last year’s homerun total. 

He seems to like playing for Boston.  In 5 games, he’s 9 for 21 with 6 rbis and 8 runs.  Playing his familiar position of left field, Boston is batting him 6th in the lineup which suits him well. 

Tags: General MLB by The Baseball Zealot
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A shot of Busch Stadium taken from the Arch

It’s been said before and I’m not going to deny it, St Louis is a baseball town.

I just spent two days there and though time prevented me from attending a ballgame, it’s obvious that St Louisans take the sport seriously.  Throughout town, I saw countless families who were ALL dressed in Cardinal red.  Dad, Mom, kids, everyone. 

“Albert Pujols” and his mini-me

They always say they Chicago is lucky to have two major league ballclubs and I suppose that is true.  The Sox and Cubs appeal to different audiences and draw well. 

Coming from the Chicago market (I actually live three hours south), the concept of one city, one team is quite foreign.  I have to admit it does sound quite appealing.  Encountering a fellow baseball fan on the street, it must bring some solace and comaderie to know that chances are high that he’s rooting for your team and that FIVE is his favorite number too.

I zoomed in on the field.  It looks like some of the ground crew were beginning to start work.

Tags: General MLB by The Baseball Zealot
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My friend from work, Steve Z, sent me these photos he took of Fenway Park. They were taken during a tour during an off-day. 

(Click to enlarge the photos)

Steve writes:

Here are some shots from my tour of Fenway Park on July 4th. The place looks like it was built last year. Exceptionally good condition, but I guess that’s what a couple of Championships will do for money! The Green Monster seats are cool. They are divied up by a lottery system…over 500,000 people are on the list! The same with the budweiser pary section in right field (don’t know the lottery numbers there). Hope the blog readers enjoy one or more of these. Can’t wait to get back to Boston for a game!

Oh, in the second photo, note the red “Williams” seat which shows where the 502 ft. longest blast in Fenway park history was hit by Ted Williams!

Here’s a close-up of Williams seat

Thanks, Steve!!

Tags: General MLB by The Baseball Zealot
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One series I’m keeping my eye on is the Red Sox-Rays matchup in Tampa.  With Tampa on top of the AL East, that’s gotta be one a lot of people are keeping their eyes on.

I can’t help but quietly root for the Rays this year.  Aside from the fact that any others in their division who have a shot (NY, Boston) have already seen their fair share of post season action (and all else equal, I tend to root for the underdog), it’s the Rays’ time to shine.  For the last 5-10 years, I’ve alays felt Tampa had plenty of young talent.  But for whatever reason, they couldn’t put it together.  Either it was lack of experience or lack of leadership from their management or both.

Last night, Tampa held off a Sox rally in the ninth to squeak by 5-4.

Roger Mooney writes an illuminating article in the Bradenton Herald detailing the history of bad blood between the Red Sox and the Rays.  According to him, 27 players have been ejected in games between the two teams since 2000.

The AL East is up for grabs.  I guess only time will tell if the Rays are for real.

Tags: General MLB by The Baseball Zealot
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I’ve been a fan of Alex Rodriguez since he played Class-A ball for the Appleton Foxes. Went to Appleton to see the kid play there, it was Alex Rodriguez poster night, and even got him to sign a baseball card, which is still on my desk. That was way back in 1994, Alex was the first player chosen in the draft, and this 18 year old kid was performing well on the field. Rodriguez batted .319 in his brief 65 game stay in the Midwest League, hitting 14 home runs there, before playing 17 games in Double A, 32 games in Triple A, and before the season was through 17 games in Seattle with the Mariners. But on this night I got to see what all the fuss was about, in person. He could do it all. It was obvious Alex would be a star. This skinny 6′3″ youngster had power, speed, and could pick it at shortstop.

The awards Alex Rodriguez has won since showing up on the scene are too numerous to mention. He was named the AL MVP in 2003, 2005, & 2007. In 1996, 2002, & 2007 he was named the ML Player of the Year. The AL Hank Aaron Award was bestowed on him in 2001, 2002, 2003, & 2007. He has won nine Silver Slugger Awards (7 at SS, 2 at 3B). In 2002 & 2003 he won Gold Gloves for his play at SS. In 1996 he led the AL with a .358 batting average. He’s led the league in home runs five times, total bases four times, RBIs twice, runs scored five times, and slugging percentage three times. Eleven times Rodriguez made the AL All Star team.

His statistics speak for themselves. In 1,941 games played A-Rod has hit 526 homers, knocked in 1,552 runs, scored 1,524 times, 407 doubles, an onbase percentage of .389, 271 stolen bases, while batting .306. It’s no wonder he is the highest paid player in the history of the game, no doubt, he is the best!

It should come as no surprise that when I had the chance to get Alex to play for my Illowa APBA franchise I jumped at it. The Northside Hitmen drafted Rodriguez as a rookie, but after years of me badgering him, CLuke FINALLY relented, and traded him to me in exchange for Miguel Cabrera. In APBA A-Rod’s been a winner, playing with the Hitmen, with the likes of Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, & Roberto Alomar, championships didn’t elude him.

There is more to it, than this is a game played with cardboard players & dice, rather than real players made of flesh & bone. There is the matter of money. When you tie up that much money in one resource, there just isn’t enough to go around for the rest of the ballclub, even if you are George Steinbrenner, and you own the New York Yankees. Rodriguez’ teams have finished in first place five different times, but never a championship.

Will he ever win one? That is the question being asked here. I’d have to say, no. Just too much money invested in one ballplayer. But that doesn’t it mean it can’t happen or that I won’t be rooting him on. Even though I’m a White Sox fan through and through, I’ll always be a fan of Alex Rodriguez.

Oh yeah, and that poster I received in 1994, is still hanging on my bedroom wall, after all these years.

Tags: General MLB by Teddy Ballgame
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It happened right here in Chicago at Wrigley Field, the San Diego Padres called up 29 year old Edgar Gonzalez. This all happened over the Mother’s Day weekend, Adrian Gonzalez’ older brother was called up to join the Padres. Edgar was hitting .293 with 4 homers in 82 at bats this year in Triple-A when the call came. Both brothers are extremely happy as you can tell in this story you can read here.

Both brothers played at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, CA and both are now with their hometown San Diego Padres, but in between their careers were TOTALLY different! Both were drafted in the 2000 Amateur Draft, Adrian by the Florida Marlins with the first pick in the draft, while older brother Edgar was taken by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 30th round (886th player chosen).

How did these guys drafted by Sunshine State teams make it across the country to San Diego?

Adrian was traded in 2003 by the Fish to the Texas Rangers in exchange for reliever Uegeth Urbina. As luck would have it Texas had a pretty good firstbaseman at the time, in Mark Teixeira. So the Rangers sent him packing along with pitcher Chris Young and outfielder Termel Sledge in exchange for pitcher Adam Eaton and reliever Akinori Otsuka in 2006. It didn’t take the Rangers long to see the error of their ways as Young moved into San Diego’s rotation and Adrian developed into a superstar, while both Eaton & Otsuka developed arm problems. In three years with the Padres Gonzalez has posted the following numbers; 2006: 38 2B’s, 24 HR’s, 82 RBI’s, .304, 2007: 46 2B’s, 30 HR’s, 100 RBI’s, .282, and only 52 games played thus far in 2008: 13 2B’s, 14 HR’s, 43 RBI’s, .282.

The Texas Rangers selected brother Edgar from the Devil Rays in 2003 in the Rule V Minor League Draft. Then he was again selected in the Rule V Minor League Draft in 2004 only this time by the Montreal Expos. Then in November, 2007 he signed a Minor League contract with the San Diego Padres. Edgar is not the hitter, nor the prospect, that his younger brother Adrian is. Still he was one of the last cuts in spring training. The elder Gonzalez has nearly a .300 batting average in his nine years in the minors. Edgar, here’s to a long stay in the big leagues!

Brothers, reunited, playing in the majors for their hometown team, what every boy dreams about!

Tags: General MLB by Teddy Ballgame
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What a ballgame! After five innings the score was tied at eight. There was a 1 1/2 hour rain delay. The highest paid baseball player in the game ARod came up in the top of the 11th, with the bases loaded, and nobody out.

The infield was in when Rodriguez hit a screamer to second, just inches off the ground. Brian Roberts made a miraculous play on what turned out to be a grounder, scrambled to his feet, and fired home, in time for the out. Then the O’s catcher threw to third to double up Derek Jeter. Hideki Matsui singled in the two out go ahead run, 9-8.

But Alex Cintron drove in the game winner in the bottom of the 11th after the Birds had tied the score. Final score Baltimore 10, Yankees 9.

Tags: General MLB by Teddy Ballgame
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Julio Franco is finally retiring from baseball at the age of 49.

It’s hard to believe that he started his pro career (in the Dominican Winter League) when I was a sophomore in high school. 

He became the oldest man to hit a homerun when he did it off Randy Johnson one year ago today. 

Tags: General MLB by The Baseball Zealot
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