Each year in the second-half of the MLB season, some teams take off while others seem to simply falter. We’re now about 100 games into the season with 62 left to go. Here’s what’s happening in the AL.
I was reminded of an incredible stat while reading Peter King this morning – at least five different NFL teams have made the playoffs after not making them the year before in each of the last 13 years. Considering that there are only 12 playoff teams that is truly incredible. The flip-side of that, of course, is that at least five playoff teams from one year haven’t made it the next. The short handicapping lesson to take from that – last year means almost nothing.
Sometimes you really have to shake your head. Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi set a deadline today of July 28 for moving Roy Halladay. He says he has yet to see a deal he likes, and he says that dealing Halladay is now unlikely. Ricciardi is a moron. If he doesn’t manage to get this one right then he doesn’t deserve to be in charge of a big league team. Of course, nothing he has done in the last three years has made us think that he deserves that. I like th Jays, and if you read this blog then you know that I think Halladay is the best there is. I’d love him to stay in Toronto forever, but there are a couple of unavoidable facts – this team is not going to be a serious contender for the next couple of years, and Halladay can’t last forever. The Jays need to get rid of him, and they need to use this opportunity to add to the young talent they are already developing. This is a once in a decade opportunity for the Jays, and this moron Ricciardi is going to screw it up. The only thing they will accomplish by keeping him this year is to significantly reduce the haul they get back for him when they inevitably dump him next year in the last year of his contract. There is no issue here – nothing to debate. I hope that Ricciardi figures that out before it is too late. With enough contending teams in good markets desperate for pitching there is a big deal to be made, and Ricciardi needs to buck up and make it. He’s a disgrace to guys with initials for names.
Here we at the end of month three of the 2009 Major League Baseball season with about 75 games played and 87 to go. There’s been some movement, drift and milestones In the American League as the West is in flux, the Central is looking a tad odd and the East looks like it can change at any moment. Let’s take a quick look at each division.
Here are some what I find to be surprising (sometimes pleasant, sometimes perplexing and sometimes funny) developments in the world of sports.
Stanley Cup Game 7
I honestly thought that the Penguins would be out by now, but they made is a real series. Can Hossa come through for Detroit? Can Crosby take the trophy for Pittsburgh? It has been a home series. Neither team has been able to steal one when visiting. In goal, Osgood had outperformed Fleury. In the playoffs, Osgood has a better save percentage and goals against average. But in the last game, Fleury gave up just one score, notching a .962 SV%, while Osgood gave uo two, earning a .935 SV%. It is gut-check time at the Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit. It should be a great one. There’s nothing like a game seven for the Stanley Cup.
Los Angeles Lakers Thrashing of Orlando Magic
The Magic were certainly not very magical in the first game of the NBA Finals. Losing by 25, Orlando simply could not get the job done in Los Angeles. Of course, if they have any shot at the league crown, they must steal one at the Coliseum in LA. They have a chance on Sunday. If they can’t do it on Sunday, then this is a five-game series. There is no way that Orlando will be able to dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole versus the Lakers. The Lakers are not the Celtics or the Cavaliers. The Lakers are one of the most talented, skilled, deep team in the NBA. This entire series comes down to game two. The Lakers will take it.
The Major League Baseball season is more than a month old. Here’s what’s happening with just 136 games to go in the season.
Humanly Possible?
The MLB season is a month old. Let’s take a look around the league.
Red Sox and the AL East
After a slow start, the Boston Red Sox have gone 12-13 and taken over first in the AL East. That record includes sweeps of Baltimore, Minnesota and the New York Yankees. The Red Sox beat the Yanks every which way, including hammering them, in extra innings and simple eking out runs. Once again for the Yanks, their biggest problem resides in their pitching staff. Their other problem is associated with the age of the club. Most of these guys are injury prone. Nothing seems to be working for the Tampa Bay Rays. They are bedeviled.
Well, it is almost here. Right? So, what the heck is going to happen? The baseball season runs 162 games—the longest season in the professional sports. It is an unforgiving seven-month marathon that demands innumerable roster moves, amazing stamina and individual team play that can make or break an entire season in one game, swing or pitch. What can we expect? Here are ten things that I do believe will happen. Some are for sure and others may appear to be farfetched. Then again, futures are one of the toughest things to get right in sports.
The MLB season is about two weeks away and there’s been news and happenings that are worth looking at and discussing. Yesterday, pitcher Curt Schilling announced his retirement from professional baseball. He did it through an announcement on his highly popular and controversial blog.
