The best part of the series...

Tonight, the geniuses at Fox decided to finally pimp one of their own programs, showing Mila Kunis, Danny Masterson (who, I believe, is a scientologist), Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith. They had seats in the lowest bowl of the stadium.

Now, I've never been in Boston in October, but I have been there in February. It was very cold. And, the folks from "That 70s Show" looked freezing. I'm betting someone told them "Hey, stay until the sixth inning. We'll pimp your show, and you can go back to the hotel."

Needless to say, their pain was hilarious.

New links

I've added some links to Bulls coverage to the sidebar and took the poll off. It appears most people felt as though the Bulls would win about 35 games. This would be a twelve-game improvement, but I still think the Bulls need a 40-win season to get into the playoffs. Let's hope that happens.

Site problems fixed... sort of (and my choice for the WS)

It appears I have fixed (through some diligent coding) the problem with the site. I believe it can now be seen on both Mozilla browsers (Safari, Netscape, etc.), as well as Internet Explorer. The poll looks quite dopey, but I'll probably get rid of the poll soon(a whopping 7 votes!).

Anyway, The Red Sox actually pulled off what is certainly the craziest thing I've seen in sports in a long-ass time. As well, the Cardinals won the best NLCS no one ever saw, pulling off an excellent win over Roger Clemens and the Houston Atros.

Backstory to funny story: I've been a White Sox fan my whole life, but I also love the Cardinals. In fact, there was a period where I switched my alliance to the Cardinals and liked them as much as the Sox (I don't know why, but I did). I had so much Cardinals stuff; it was insane. Anyway, my girlfriend at the time (who is now one of my best friends), her family has Cub season tickets: third row behind the Cub dugout. We went to many a Cub/Cardinal game with me wearing a Cards jersey and hat. I am an indiot.

I went to college and became much more proud of my town and more specifically, the Sox. So, I stopped following the Cardinals as much(Also, Cardinal fans calls th team "we" all the time. I find that really annoying.).

Anyway, the funny story is that she called me last night to congratulate me on the Cardinals beating the Astros. While I'm not as much of a fan anymore, I am really glad and I will be rooting heavily for the Cards in this series.

I like the Red Sox, and a great part of me really wants the Sox to win. Like I said, I love Ramirez, Pedro, Ortiz and Bellhorn. I like that Francona is an idiot. I like the front office.

Most importantly, I want the Red Sox to lose, if only because I'm tired of their fans whining. This is becoming the story in the media and I'm tired of it.

But, even more importantly, I want the Cardinals to win because I like the Cardinals. I like Pujols, I like Rolen, I like the self-proclaimed genius that is Tony LaRussa, I even like Tony "Catepillar" Womack (Did you know that he's got a Master's Degree? How cool is that?). So, go Cards.

I am dumb

I was really wrong, wasn't I?

With a lot of people who analyze, dissect or write about baseball, you have to look at preseason predictions to find them writing something stupid. Well, for me, you just have to look at something I wrote just three days ago:

This series stinks. There is no suspense, just butt-whuppings. Considering the Yankees and Red Sox are so evenly matched, what happened?

Well, fast forward three days and, boy, do we have suspense. That game on Monday got me so excited, I called my best friend in Chicago to yammer on about the damned game. The next night, David Ortiz popped off another exciting play, and last night, my favorite member of the Red Sox(who, by the way, wasn't even mentioned in the AP recap) hit a disputed home run that stood up.

(Bellhorn is my favorite guy in the league because he's what I anticipate I would be like if I had the massive amount of talent needed to be an MLB player. He's a "three true outcomes"-type of guy, except he doesn't have home run power. Instead, he hits doubles, strikes out and gets walked. This year, he hit 37 doubles, struck out 177 times and walked 88 times. You've got to like that.)

So, now we get to see a Game 7 (yes, it is Game seven, not game 7. This type of thing deserves a capital letter, just like the Wild Card.) in which two evenly matched team will face one another. I don't think the Red Sox are going to win this game, but, youneverknow.

I've certainly been wrong before.

The other Sox

Edit: Well, apparently, the Red Sox won. How about that? Turns out I went to bed too early.

I'm writing this during the sixth inning of game four of the ALCS, so, I have no idea as to how this game ends. But... the game I am watching has the Yankees winning by a run and up in the series, 3-0. I was among the many who wanted the Red Sox to win. And, while I'm not in the business of predictions, I've told many people that I thought the Red Sox were the best team in the league, so I fully expected the team to dispatch the Yankees in this series.

So... What happened?

Well, let me reiterate something I wrote last week, before the series:
We all expect this to be an amazing battle going seven games with some crazy extra-inning debacle/heroics. Some people think this series is going to be better than last year. There is absolutely no way this series is going to come close, excitement-wise, to last year's ALCS. Last year, we had

A) Zimmer v. Pedro
B) Garcia/Nelson v. groundskeeper guy
C) Pedro being left in too long, which led to...
D) Aaron Boone's homer off Wakefield

That series was epic. There is no way this series can top that. I think this year, we'll see some evenly matched teams battling it out like last night. But, there's no way it'll top last year.

Well, I was right about that. This series stinks. There is no suspense, just butt-whuppings. Considering the Yankees and Red Sox are so evenly matched, what happened?

Well, I guess the Red Sox just stunk it up. I'm of the belief that momentum doesn't really exist (in Rob Neyer says, "You're only as good as tomorrow's starting pitcher."), nor does "clutch."

But, all of us Boston lovers forgot one thing with the Yankees: The Yankees came in first. As well, the Yankees have some excellent pitchers, because of injury, that were rested for this series.

The Yankees are the better team; I'm just suprised we didn't realize it before.

Los Rojos 13, Los Osos 10

Today was the first game I actually got to see my favorite football team, as the Bears played the racist local team at Soldier Field. Jonathan Quinn, Medicine Man, played in yet another game for the Bears, on the idea that he's better then Craig Krenzel. Of course, this is like saying I'd rather get punched in the face than get hit with a hammer. Both hurt, but one is slightly easier to take.

And Quinn did not disappoint. He has completed all of ten of his seventeen passes. That is awful. Only attempting 21 passes would be the story, but Medicine Man is not exactly Joe Montana, as we know. More importantly, on the final drive, Medicine Man got sacked on two consectutive plays that really hurt the Bears, the promptly threw an interception to Sean Taylor. Way to be, Jonny, you suck.

Brunell wasn't much better. These two teams-- the local team and my favorite team-- are both awful. I really should've tried to get a job in Boston or something; at least I could adopt a winner in something.

Urlached laid a very nasty hit on Clinton Portis in the third quarter, though. It was a clear facemask (Urlacher got caught on it), and there was a penalty. But, it is nice to see a decent hit on someon.

On the upside, Zooms came back, as well and had a TD off an interception. Thomas Jones had a pretty good game, as well, although, he's making up about 75-80% of the team's total offense. Tillman is still out, Rexy is still out and the team is still very, very young.

You know what I forgot about, though? Staley. Staley is cool.



How cool is Staley?

Well, he's not as cool as Benny the Bull.


(Nice segue, eh?)

I'm planning on writing something about the Bulls' preseason, but I haven't had the time. As well, I'd write about the baseball playoffs, but nothing I have to say would be of any interest to anyone. About 95% of the stuff I think about the games have been said by everyone else. If you want to read about baseball, check those links to the side.

No way.

So, I'm watching the start of the Red Sox/Yankees ALCS game, and I can't help wonder one thing:

Is Bronson Arroyo wearing cornrows under his hat? That is really an odd look for a white dude named "Bronson," don't you think?

A bad decision

I know I'm not alone in this.

MLB/Fox TV's decision to hold/broadcast both games at the same time tonight is about as dumb as it gets. Forget the idiotic decision to have both games go agains the presidential debate (a terrible decision), but, the simple fact that you're splitting the audience you DO have is moronic. The only three markets getting to see the Cardinals/Astros series are Chicago, Houston and St. Louis.

So, I now how to choose between not two, but three things to watch tonight. Instead of just politics v. baseball, I have to choose among AL baseball, NL baseball and politics. What a joke.

Anyway, I guess I should give my "teams I want to win," which I would like to say is a prediction, but, since I got EVERY division winner wrong in the pre-season (Although, I did pick the Yankees and Red Sox to go to the playoffs, albeit with the Yanks are the WC and the Red Sox as the division winners), I'm not in the prediction business anymore.

(What follows, in the NLCS section, is one of the single most offenive things I've ever written. I apologize to any Southerners I've offended; I assure you it is written in jest)

ALCS

I am writing this after Boston got smacked around by the Yankees last night, so my thoughts may be a bit peppered with that game's result.

I prefer the Red Sox, for the reasons I have in the original playoff hopes post. "More importantly, the Red Sox have an interesting cast of characters," is what I wrote. I stand by this. The latest development in the crazy "Animal House" Red Sox is that Pedro Martinez has befriended a dwarf and said dwarf is now the team's good luck charm. In fact, here's a photo of said dwarf:


Let me explain, though, I am not a Yankee hater. I do get annoyed with Yankee fans (they act like rich, white Republicans. "Well, you should've been born rich." "I'm not a racist."), but the Yankees play by the same rules the Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, Angels, Cubs and Braves deal with. Each have monster revenue streams (not as big as the Yankees, obviously), but a grand total of one of those teams has won the World Series in the previous 10 years. Certainly the Yankees have an advantage, but they play by the rules.

And look at Oakland. Oakland or Minnesota both obviously have plans to win. Each wins, consistantly. Each has had an excellent chance of getting into the World Series the past few years.

My point? The Yankees (and the Red Sox, since the team hired Epstein) are a smart team with money. But, I still like the Red Sox more.

So, that's who I'm going for.

Just a comment, though, on the series. We all expect this to be an amazing battle going seven games with some crazy extra-inning debacle/heroics. Some people think this series is going to be better than last year. There is absolutely no way this series is going to come close, excitement-wise, to last year's ALCS. Last year, we had

A) Zimmer v. Pedro
B) Garcia/Nelson v. groundskeeper guy
C) Pedro being left in too long, which led to...
D) Aaron Boone's homer off Wakefield

That series was epic. There is no way this series can top that. I think this year, we'll see some evenly matched teams battling it out like last night. But, there's no way it'll top last year.

NLCS

I'm still rooting for the Cardinals. I'm still hurting after the Atlanta loss, especially since Andruw Jones hit like a house afire during the series.

You know what's funny about the NL playoffs this year is that, other than LA, this was really battle of the southern teams. Atlanta, St. Louis and Houston are all dixie teams and I've encountered that dreadful southern accent in hearing people talk about them. I love the Cardinals, but a lot of my bad memories of their fans come from my college days, listening to some goober from rural Missouri saying things like "I think we can win the World Series this year." Really, Gomer? What uniform number do you wear? (I hate it when people call a team they root for "we.")

Houston is worse for this. For one, one of the Astros' biggest fans is former President George H.W. Bush, who has a bizarre southern/proper accent. But, between Berkman, Clemens and Oswalt, that team is a NASCAR race-watch party waiting to happen. The only important Hispanic player on that team is Beltran. I bet he feels left out when they watch Bass Fishing in the clubhouse.

Also, Clemens is a douche-bag.

Thank you, Robin

Yesterday, my favorite childhood player retired. Robin Ventura played 16 MLB seasons (along with a September call-up in '89), 10 of them for the Chicago White Sox. Ventura, when I was in junior high and most into baseball, was by far my favorite player. I'm not really sure why, but I really liked him. His career really mirrored my intense love for baseball; he came into the league around the same time I started going to more and more Sox games.

I'll never forget a few things about Robin. Of course, the infamous Nolan Ryan fight will be remain in everyone's mind, but I still defend Ventura about that. Ryan, despite his talent, was always a bit of a headhunter and I think it took a lot of guts to actually challenge him. Robin got clobbered, but it was brave.

His gruesome ankle injury in Spring Training '97 will also never be forgotten. His comeback was an excellent testament to long-time Sox trainer Herm Schneider (by the way, despite Frank Thomas, who's old, and Magglio Ordoñez' freak injury, the Sox are ALWAYS healthy. How many Tommy John surgeries have there been at the big-league level with the Sox since 2000? Right. One. Bobby Howry. Herm is an excellent trainer.)

Of course, I've seen a million games with him in them, and I've never seen anyone (maybe Scott Rolen) go in on a bunt better or start a 5-4-3 DP with a more crisply accurate throw. He's third all-time on the grand slams list, which is certainly luck, but a neat stat.

Ventura got treated very poorly by the White Sox. For much of the season before his free agency in '99, he had made overtures about wanting to stay, even at a discount. Management counted with multi-year deals, but eventually made the infamous "white flag" deal. Robin decided then that he wasn't going to stay.

This came after some tumultous early years. There were some reports of Ventura and Thomas getting into it behind closed doors (although, I think anyone who has been a teammate of Thomas has argued with him at one point) and the infamous 1997 Reinsdorf quote(of Ventura, he said “He’s kind of a laid-back guy... I think we need to get people with a little bit better personality.”) didn't help matters either. (Although, Ventura liked Chicago so much, he made some overtures that he wouldn't mind playing for the Cubs. Thank the lord that never happened.)

To his credit, Reinsdorf is trying to bring Robin back into the organization.

"I'm sure we'll be in contact with him,'' Reinsdorf said. "If Robin Ventura picked up the phone today and said he would like to return, there would a job for him. Whatever he wanted to do, there would be a job for him.''

Of course, Reinsdorf is pretty famous for taking care of ex-Sox. This has backfired recently with two ex-Sox in Kenny and Ozzeroo, both idiots. But, youneverknow. Ventura is certainly a guy you'd rather have in your organization than not.

I still have a signed ball by Robin and two copies of his rookie card (one signed and one not-signed). I guess he never lived up to the hype that followed him coming out of Oklahoma State (a 58-game hitting streak, the Golden Spikes award), but he was a fun player to watch. He never had superb power or OBP skills (a career line of 267/362/.444 with a peak season of
.301/.379/.529), but he was really easy to root for. Robin'll never been in the Hall of Fame, but he'd certainly be in (in the words of Baseball Prospectus)the Hall of the Really Very Good.

Thanks, Robin. Youd had a good run.

Problems with the site

As Taft has pointed out to me, the site is unreadable past a certain point. I believe this is due to the Google ads on the side. I am attempting to figure out a fix to this, but until I can do that, the sidebar has a "Previous Posts" section that can direct you to old posts. Please use that. Thank you.

So...

When Derek Jeter farts, does it smell like roses?

It appears every time Jeter does something (in this case, a bad baserunning move)on a big stage, he comes up big. No one, in their right mind, would try to run on that play. Jacque Jones has an excellent arm and was in pretty shallow to make the throw. No one runs there.

Jeter does. That man has balls of steel and shit for brains. Nevertheless, he is one lucky sonofabitch. Handsome, too.

Good bye, Pip

Some of my foundest memories of high schools are of my friends and I watching Bulls palyoff games at my house during the summer. There was nothing like watching the Bulls dyansty deconstruct teams during MJ's heyday.

Of the teams that won the six championships, only two players were on all six teams: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. MJ retired, presumably, for the last time about 18 months ago; Pip retired yesterday.

Pip will never be considered one of the flashiest players ever, nor will he be considered one of the top 20 best, but Pip was an incredible player who, to quote Larry Brown, played the game right. Instead of flashy, obnoxious moves, Pip was an incredible defender (8 all-defensive team selections) and could play multiple positions. He always made the extra pass and stuck to the other team's best offensive player. It wasn't B.J. Armstrong (the point guard) or Michael Jordan (the best player) who defended Magic Johnson in '91; it was Pip.

I'm like 99.9% of the world in perferring Jordan to Pip, but Scottie will always occupy a place in our hearts as Bulls fans.

One of the things I love about MJ and Pip is the connection they both have with the Chicago community. Both still live in Chicago and both still do a lot of charity work within the city. I'm a sucker for that stuff. I was very happy to see that Pip ended his career here and I'm glad that he'll be working with Pax and Skiles to teach the young Bulls a thing or two.

I find it hard to really give enough due to Pip; I find myself understating him. But, that's how he was: understated. He wasn't Batman, but he was probably the best Robin ever in the NBA.

Thanks for the memories, Scottie. We'll miss you.

Crapshoot

As anyone who's read Moneyball knows, the playoffs are essentially a craphoot. Certainly, teams with two dominant pitchers can mow through other teams and win the World Series. And, certainly, one team (the most dominant franchise in the history of sports) has been in five of the past six World Series

But, I shouldn't be in the business of making predictions. At the beginning of the year, I had the Red Sox winning the AL East, the A's winning the AL West and the White Sox winning the Central. I had the Phillies winning the NL East, the Cubs winning the Central and the Giants winning the West.

I repeat: I shouldn't be in the business of making predictions.

So, instead, I'll give the teams I'm rooting for in each of the Division Series, and why I'm rooting for said teams. I will do the same after the DS are played.

AL:

Yankees vs. Twins

Being a White Sox (a team in the American League) fan, it is tough to root for the Yankees. Hell, anyone who didn't grow up in NY or lives in NY, should probably have trouble rooting for the Yankees. But, for me, the Twins are the Sox' most hated rivals. The Twins, in my eyes, are a very, very lucky team, in that they are lucky the Sox:
A) Are dumb and couldn't turn a good farm system into real talent
B) Are dumb and hire idiot managers
C) Are unlucky and had their two best hitters get hurt at, basically, the same time
D) Are dumb and make stupid trades

More importantly, the Twins picked up a guy in the Rule V draft a few years ago, who just happened to turn into the best pitcher in baseball. What Johan Santana has done this year is, basically, unbelievable.

I don't like the Twins. I resent their success. I resent the shit-talking they do (Torii Hunter, Doug Mientwwklshjfjfishdswhatever, Jacque Jones, et. al). I just resent them. What can I say, I'm a White Sox fan. I am bitter.

So, for this series, as I've done before, I'll root for the Yankees. Honestly, this isn't the worst thing in the world for me; I like a lot of their players. When he was in Baltimore, I worshipped Mike Mussina. When he was in Montreal, I loved Javier Vasquez. Despite being overrated (oh, he's got such heart!), Derek Jeter is still a fine player (a .291 EQa is very good, especially for a guy who sucked to start the year). A-Rod (despite his political party affiliations) is a great player, and Mo Rivera is probably the most dominant postseason reliever EVER.

So, for me, I'm rooting for the Yankees. Go Yankees. Beat those hated Twins.

Red Sox vs. Angels

I am a journalist, so the Red Sox are a very sexy team for me; they always have been. There is no better story than the Red Sox in baseball. For all the Cubs unhappiness, they were lovable losers for a while. The Red Sox Nation, for all intents and purposes, has always beena more hateful, unhappy group. The Cub fans got drunk, Red Sox fans tried to off themselves. The Red Sox have this David complex that just begs to be paired with the Yankees in the ALCS.

More importantly, the Red Sox have an interesting cast of characters. Kevin Millar, for all his redneckness, seems to be a fun dude to hang out with. Johnny Damon is cool, as well, with that crazy hair and beard. David Ortiz is a big, goofy dude, and he's got a great couple of nicknames ("Cookie Monster" and "Papi," as in "¡Ay, papi!" How great is that?). Orlando Cabrera has great hair. I can't stand Curt Schilling (in the words of the best sportswriter in the country, he's an "arrogant blowhard"), but he's an excellent pitcher. Hell, the Red Sox even have a knuckleballer (my favorite breed of pitcher), Tim Wakefield. I'm one of Wakefield's biggest fans outside his family.

Mainly, though the Red Sox have two jovial men I can't help but love: Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez. Ramirez, by all accounts, is a hitting idiot savant. This is a guy who left nearly a million dollars worth of paychecks in his rental car glovebox; he said he forgot about them. In the outfield, he looks like he'd rather be anywhere. Every time a ball comes to him, he treats it like a hot potato, sending it into the infield as quick as possible. But, his hitting is unbelievable. His swing is nearly perfect and he just rakes. Also, great hair.

Pedro, on the other hand, is about as jovial as they come. He has sumo wrestled with Tomo Ohka, spoke to a man in a lobster suit for an ad, and recently called the Yankees "my daddies." This is hilarious. He may not be the Pedro of old, striking out 15 a game, but I still believe he can bust one of those games out sometime.

I am not really for or against the Angels. I like some of their guys, and I respect the hell out of Arte Moreno, Bill Stoneman and Mike Scioscia. But, I've got to go with the Red Sox every time.

NL:

Los Angeles vs. St. Louis

When I was younger, I really loved the Cardinals (reason: Cardinals hate the Cubs. Anyone who hates the Cubs is a friend of mine). This changed a bit when I went to college, as Cardinals fans are some of the most obnoxious people in the world. No team exists outside the Cardinals for their fans. It is very irritating.

Nonetheless, I still root for them. I still love Pujols, mainly because I picked him up during his first week for my fantasy team, only because of his name. I still like Scott Rolen; I love anyone who can lost a power struggle with Larry Bowa and still end up the winner. Matt Morris is another favorite of mine, as he went to Seton Hall. TLR is obviously insane, but he has done a lot of charity work for sheltered animals.

I hope the Cardinals defy the myth that they are the 2001 Mariners: all regular season, no post-. The pitching staff is pretty ramschackle, but if Matt Morris can put in a decent performance, the Cardinals have a good chance.

The Dodgers are run by Paul DePodesta, whom I greatly admire. I think his acquisition of Milton Bradley was a great move to gamble on a very talented, albeit troubled, individual. I love the trade for Big Choi and Brad "Just a Bad" Penny (Big Black reference). But, I still have to go with the Cardinals.

Houston vs. Atlanta

Part of me wants to root for Houston, as Craig Biggio is easily the most underappreciated star of the past 15 years. As well, Carlos Beltran is an excellent player and I really like his game.

However, I despise Roger Clemens. I despise Lance Berkman. I can't stand Jeff "Porno Moustache" Kent. I am not much of a fan of their dopey stadium, either.

As well, two of my favorite players play on Atlanta: Marcus Giles and Andruw Jones (my all-time favorite player). Giles is a little guy (like me), but has a huge bat and an even bigger ego. A.J. is one of the cockiest guys in the league and he makes everything look so easy in the outfield.

More importantly, though, how can you not root for Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone? These guys took a team devoid of any real pitchers (Jared Wright!?!) and re-made it into a division winner. If Cox isn't the best manager in the game, I don't know who is. He seems to always to run into a new preseason problem and fix it within the season. Lots of turnover; two things remain the same: Cox and Mazzone.

This is anything but the Braves organization's strongest team, and I'm not sure they can get past the Astros. But, I'm hoping.

That is that. I'm hoping for a Red Sox/Yankees ALCS (who isn't?) and a Braves/Cardinals NLCS. We'll see how it ends up.

Cubs eliminated

I would be remiss, as a Sox fan, not to mention that the Cubs (aka Scrubs, Snugglies, or Dusties) were eliminated from the playoffs today with a loss to Atlanta.

I grew up in the north suburbs of Chicago, so the vast majority of my friends are Cub fans, and I feel for them. Most of them are real die-hards and they are probably drowning their sorrows in an array of substances right now. It is tough, I'm sure. And, really, the Cubs did better than the Sox did this year, so I probably shouldn't say anything.

But, first and foremost, I am a Sox fan, so, a Cub loss is like a Sox win for me. For all the talk that I'll hear from Cub fans about their great record, the Cubs were supposed to run away with that division, if not the Wild Card. For all the talk of Dusty's magic, all the Cubs had this year was a bunch of complaining veterans (Alou: "Gary Miller shouldn't have told everyone about the pee-hands incident!" "The umps are against us"). And Baker's handling of his two young stud starters proved to be a problem, with each missing time. Instead of ramping his team up, as he is so famous for, he has been complaining all year about Steve Stone, of all people.

Look, I know the Sox stunk it up this year. The team was in first place before Ordonez and Thomas went down and, honestly, they were playing their best ball at the time. The trade for Garcia was a stinker, and Kenny followed it up with two awful, unnecessary trades (one for Everett and one for Robbie Alomar), trying to revive a sputtering team. I love the Sox, but Kenny Williams is a bad GM.

But, the Sox will finish the season with a winning record, and I can't really complain about that. Without Ordonez and Thomas, the Sox are not a very good team.

Following lofty expectations (a lot of people--including me-- picked the Cubs to go to the playoffs), the Cubs will do the same thing the Sox are probably doing next week: playing golf. Enjoy your draft pick, Cubs.

The trade that defines this team

Because of the excitement over Ichiro!, I decided to check out the M's/Rangers game last night. I'm not much of a fan of the M's --they did eliminate the Sox from the playoffs in 2000-- but a post over at the U.S.S. Mariner got me interested in Ichiro!'s quest for the hits record.

Nevertheless, I got to see hits numbered 257 and 258 and it was pretty incredible. Ichiro really can put the ball wherever he wants. His bat control is amazing. If the M's can surround him with the right players, he can really be an effective player. For one, he changes the configuration of defenses (infielders playing up all the time), and , while his OBP isn't great, getting OBP on hits instead of from walks advances more runners. Herego, if you get a big-time slugger behind him (Beltran, Sexson, etc.), and a decent OBP guy in front or behind him (like, say, Jeremy Reed), I think you'd score a lot of runs.

Which brings me to my unhappiness with the Sox. I was in and out of the Sox win over KC and it made me realize what a collective dope the Sox management is. Freddy Garcia came to the Sox in a trade in June that sent Jeremy Reed, Mike Morse and Miguel Olivo to the Mariners. What I said then is what I will say now: the Sox got hosed.

At the time fo the trade, I called Mike Morse a throw-in to the trade. This is still true, to a large extent, except that the Sox will likely have a hole on the bench for next year. Jose Valentin is probably gone --he's a free agent-- and Morse had a nice year, putting up a .240 ML EQa. That means he'd be almost as good as Willie Harris (.242), Joe Crede (.247), Valentin (.250), and better then current roster fodder like Kelly Dransfeldt (.232) or Timo Perez (.217). Of course, EQa doesn't take defense into accounty, but having a decent bat on the bench isn't a crime, is it?

Miguel Olivo was a bigger deal to me at the time, and I'm more down on him at this point. While he has struggled with a kidney stone injury, Olivo (.231 EQa) hasn't been markedly better than Ben Davis (.227). Olivo is only a year younger than Davis, so that's no big difference. Olivo has slighter more in the Major Leagues, but Davis probably has more potential. He's been called a clubhouse cancer by two different organizations (Seattle and San Diego), so, youneverknow. Nevertheless, I'm not totally down on the catcher swap.

The main parts of the trade were Freddy Garcia and Jeremy Reed. Garcia has pitched OK for the Sox, but he is not the pitcher the Sox got in June. For a good example of this, take a look at his pre- and post-ASB stats, which is essentially when he was traded (not exactly exact, as he was traded two starts before the ASB):

Pre All-Star: 3.45
Post ASB: 4.78

His April ERA was 2.27. His 3.81 ERA this year is nice and he'll be a fine pitcher, but he not a "true No. 1," no matter how many ear surgeries he gets or how many of Ozzeroo's relatives he marries. He is what he is; a pretty inconsistent pitcher that eats up innings. Munch, munch, munch.

Reed was Baseball Prospectus' No. 2 prospect coming into this season. In the minors this year, Reed put up a .268 ML EQa, which is very good for a high-minors level player. But, this should not have been a suprise, we're talking about a guy who hit .409 in AA last year. Nevertheless, he didn't have the same kind of year in 2004 as he did in 2003, so some soured on him. Anyway, this is what BP said about him before this year:

From his entry in the White Sox section:
"Reed could be a Rusty Greer type of player next year with further upward potential aove and beyond that -- two of his top six PECOTA comparables are Tony Gwynn and Don Mattingly."

From his entry in the top 50 Prospects section:
"There's some concern that his freakish ability to hit in the upper .300s will turn out to be a fluke, but even if it is, his offensive game is well-rounded enough that he'll be an All-Star in the Majors if he hits just .300. And if it isn't a fluke?"

Well, let's cut to my watching the M's play the Rangers last night. Reed was called up on Sept. 1, when rosters expanded. Guess what he has done so far? How about put up a .335 EQa? How about an OPS of .925? How about batting .427? Certainly, his walk rate stinks (4 in over 60 PAs) and he hasn't hit for much power. But, if he can hit in the upper .300s, that's not bad, is it?

Argh. I'm not ready to put Reed in the HoF just yet, but the doubts about his hitting ML pitching are totally unfounded. If he's not in the M's starting OF next year, I'll be very suprised. Having two guys like Ichiro! and Reed on a team cannot hurt you. IF the M's can get a decent power hitter after those two, look out.

And he could've replaced Magglio. Thanks, Kenny Williams.