More Perfection

Doctor Roy

So it was that our former local hero got his chance in the post season against the Cincinnati Reds and he danced through their lineup with effective breaking balls that were set up with a cutter, and fastball that destroyed the Reds confidence. If he were anymore in control they would have given him a saliva test.
    Is this anything new for Jays fans ? C'mon we've watched him for years and have become accustomed top Doc's perfect prescription. The only thing that eluded Halladay here in Toronto was the supporting cast of eager med students to let him reach his Mayo Clinic of baseball, the playoffs.
    So it was that Doc finally got his chance on the big operating room, and surgically and dispassionately carved the Reds up like my Thanksgiving turkey.  Roy, save me the drumstick.....
    A near perfecto, one scant walk, lot's of nice defense, but a lot of Halladay pitches that mesmerized the hitters, but his best pitch all night was Strike 1, which he followed up a lot with his second best pitch, Strike 2.
    Such was the effectiveness we have not experienced in the playoffs sine 1956 and Don Larsen, who when contacted was retrospective that it brought his own memories back, and equally proud to see another pitcher toss a no hitter.
    The commentators joked that as Halladay was going into the clubhouse between innings, perhaps he was on the bike, or stretching, or lifting weights. Roy's regimen is maintained even when he is playing the perfect hand each half inning. No surprise to Jays fans, this one act play we've watched since he started in the majors.
     Since the Reds lost game 2 as well, we might have to wait until the Giants/Braves series ends next week when hew will get another chance to perform in the NL Championship series for the pennant.

    It is Doctober, and the good doctor is definitely in !!!
 

162 and Done

Sunday evening arrives and the last games of the 2010 season have been played, with some predictable results and some surprises.
The Padres went down to the last weekend, the last day, hoping to force game 163, but were sent home packing by their chief nemesis, the Giants from San Fran.
This all started way back in April, all the teams had optimism, every team was 0-0 and tied for first, in the Pirates case it was as close as they'd come.  The Mariners, Royals, Diamondbacks and Orioles all had similar grand expectations but injuries, poor decisions and at time indifferent play put their post season hopes into a clear picture.

So we find ourselves looking ahead at the playoffs, and for some teams, it is a case of what went wrong, why did we do so poorly. Let's look at some teams that the experts had doing better.

The Boston Red Sox -  They finished 3rd, and while that is a credit to Terry Francona, it won't do in Beantown.  A season filled with injuries just piled up on Francona and it never let up. Stars like Mike Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis all went down for appreciable time. Johnathon Papelbon struggled tot close games, and Josh Beckett was not, well, Josh Beckett.
Victor Martinez can leave as a free agent, so it can get worse for Boston, but the money is there, so expect them back in the AL East hunt come next year.

The Seattle Mariners - were to be the class of the AL West, facing off with the Angels for the division, and again injuries played a part, but they never executed the master plan, Cliff Lee and King Felix plus Eric Bedard were a trio of Cy Young candidates that should have dominated. They got a great year from Felix, but Bedard never surfaced, and the team soon to be free agent Lee to the Cinderella Texas Rangers. Chone Figgins never added the oomph the offense needed, and the hitters were less than productive. Ichiro had another fine season, but there was too little from the other 8 in the line up so they finished last, and changes will be expected in the Pacific northwest.

The St. Louis Cardinals with Wainright, Carpenter and Jamie Garcia , add in Fat Albert and Matt Holliday should have been shoo ins to make the playoffs, and I still look at their team and wonder how did they lose ??  The rest of the team was just okay, and rest of the pitching staff was again, just okay. You cannot win a division with 5 players alone, even those 5 players. The Reds simply had a better 9, and a deeper bench and their MVP won out ( Joey Votto ) over the Red Birds MVP of Pujols.

I could toss the Mets and Cubs in, but that would be silly, they were pretenders not contenders.

8 teams remain, 20 pack up, some finished on an upward note, like the Jays, and Diamnond Backs, the Rockies and the Padres, the team even I had finishing last in the NL West.

Fresh predictions on the playoffs are coming.

Bailey

This is a very personal blog I write this evening, as it involves the recent passing of our last Golden Retriever Bailey, at the rip old age of 14 1/2 years. We came to the decision that Bailey had fought all the fight, and with deteriorated hips, failing eyesight, a lack of appetite, and his other recent obstacles, Cindy, the kids and I all came to the conclusion we could not let him suffer anymore.
To the end, he enjoyed last car ride he watched the cars whiz by, kept nudging my hand to keep petting him, with the breeze coming through the back window.

 He was for me also my baseball pal, as on many walks I would try and engage him in discussion about my many fantasy baseball teams, who should I keep Bailey ?   Maybe Ortiz, Soriano ?? Who ?   Bailey often just continued to sniff the trail, hoping to pick up the scent of another dog, skunk, squirrel, etc. Occasionally he looked up quizzically at some comment about drafting another rookie, I guess at his age he favoured the vets. At his age, I guess he was partial to experience over exuberance.

Bailey was part of the 2 dogs we had from 1996 to 2010, having lost Keon to that bastard called cancer, or whatever the canine version is called. Walking both meant a free for all in a round table discussion on any baseball related topic, with much disagreement between them both.

Bailey was on the DL many times, but kept coming back, seemingly like he would play forever. As you know, not even the superstars ply forever, their time comes as well.  He was born with his testicles not having descended, he had hematomas, bad ear infections, ripped nails, geriatric vestibular syndrome ( twice ) and later on eye problems, and the muscle in the back legs just about disappeared.  He still fought on, tried gamely to navigate the back deck, and even as far back as 10 days ago allowed me to walk him around the block.

My heart is very heavy tonight, my family feels the emptiness, the quiet is too quiet, he is missed from his evening post beside my chair, seeking my stroke, my touch on his head, a scratch of his nose, or chin, a reassuring word, a cookie for being the companion he always was.

He was rambunctious as a pup, jumping up on folks, to lick them, show affection, the opposite of Keon. That prompted many to turn towards the taciturn and friendly Keon while Baily bore the rap of the that crazy puppy, the diamond in the rough. Bailey ran faster, ate faster, challenged Keon more to fisticuffs, and was the aggressor as they grew together, but my best memories are the quieter, more mature dog, who for many years waited at the front door watching for me to walk up to the house, and the howling would begin, the excitement was genuine and never wavered.

He was my personal bench coach,  whatever my suggestions were, if I asked him if he disagreed, he offer his low bark, or short yip of approval or disapproval, he always had a response.

My daughter Kelly taught after much work to offer his right front paw, ah a natural righty !! , Keon could offer either paw, showing his ability to be a switch hitter if necessary.

My kids grew up with both these animals and realised that with Bailey's passing, a bit of their youth was lost on Monday, but have fond memories, of tea parties, dress up, and snuggles.

He was born in Beeton, Ontario in April of 1996, and he will find his rest in Mississauga with his brother.

Bailey was chosen from a good size litter, and essentially Kelly picked him out still wearing a little magenta colored collar, and we were the richer for having in our lives.

Please God, please take of my two boys, they are together again, as it should be in your house.

Bless you Bailey, rest easy,

My Bailey

Special Car Go

Watching Albert Pujols battle Etobicoke native Joey Votto for the National League's MVP award the past 3 weeks, and each of them taking turns with timely runs batted in, long flies, etc has taken the focus off The Other Guy.

The Other Guy is simply leading the batting race, and has inched up in runs batted in, and home runs on Fat Albert and Votto, and so much so, not many have noticed.

Carlos Gonzalez, or Cargo has with his play, and Troy Tulowitzki has lead the Rockies to 8 straight wins, they ran right over the Central Division leaders, the Reds, and are threatening the Giants and Padres for the National League West crown, and don't be too shocked my friends if they just do that very thing. They are getting decent starts out of their rotation, but it is their Gung Ho offense, their bravado, why just the other night, down 5- 0 to the Reds, they battled back, and on a suicide squeeze, where the hitter was ready, the Reds pitcher had his head down and out of the play as Rockies stole home, and the game.

But it is the efforts of Carlos Gonzalez that has been the biggest difference. He hits is when they need that hit. He dives and takes doubles away when defense is called for. He also has very quietly crept up on Pujols and Votto who were locked in a Triple Crown battle royal the last few months. I mean, who is this guy ?

Gonzo is on his 3rd organization in 4 years,  beginning as a "can't miss D-Backs " prospect. Then dealt to Oakland in the Huston Street deal, and then re dealt back to the NL West in the Matt Holliday deal. He struggled upon reaching the Rockies, and as of July 2009 was causing manager Jim Tracy many sleepless nights, and many explanations on why he was still in the line up.  His top 5 position on hrs, ribbies, batting average, runs scored, and slugging is better than anyone else.

The Colorado Kid is riding his hot streak and the Rox right back into what appears to be an interesting final 2 weeks. As the Padres and Giants duke it out, the Rox win and gain ground on whomever loses, and while the Braves play .500 ball, the Wild Card is not out of the question either.

The Cards are done in the Central, and Votto's Reds are home and cooled. The Kid must continue his efforts to keep his team winning.   So far, he's been doing just that.  He finally had an 0 fer so he is mortal, but his team won their 8 th straight, conjuring up the magical run Colorado had , winning 22 of the last 23, and winning a 1 game playoff to get into the post season, and eventually the World Series.
Gonzo's team is on a similar path this year, and if they win the NL West, he is going to get a lot of votes for MVP, and he would have mine.

He is Special Cargo, so try and catch some of his heroics if you can.

No $$ left for Moneyball

Moneyball

Is this still being practised by organisations ? Or have turned directions towards physical athlete's who excel at throwing, hitting, and running. Not standing taking walks, and improving their on base percentage.

After re reading the book, and reflecting the current drop of GM's, I would concede that we are past that era, that it really was spawned out of the Billy Beane forced budget era currently residing in northen California.

Take a good look at the A's now, a squad made up of some talented hurlers, and an odd assortment of positional players, some are cast offs, some are might be's, many are just guys. Daric Barton is a true holdover from the Moneyball philosophy. Mark Ellis is just a hold over from better days.

What keeps the A's at the .500 plateay these days is young pitching that has exceeded expectations, like Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson, and perhaps Vinny Mazzaro, amongst others.

If you look closer, back in the day when the A's ruled the AL West, they had Harden, or Mulder, Hudson, Zito or more recently Danny Haren. Having Cy Young caliber arms usually means you can stay in contention a long time, and are not going to hit long losing streaks.

They had Giambi, and Chavez, to hit 30 plus home runs, plus the aforementioned Mark Ellis, and at times resembled a pennant contender. But time, and injuries, defections and no PED's have reduced the A's to a squad of hitless wonders. Without the bangers and mashers, the run support isn't there. The On Base Kings are not on base, and when they are, there is no one to drive them in.

The Moneyball theme was to build your team around not only a group who would rather walk to 1st, than chase pitches in hopes of driving them, and add in a few sluggers, and cheap controllable pitchers. When the players got too expensive, they were dealt off, and process continued.
So when you have no mashers, and no one gets on base ( save Barton ), the Moneyball approach falls flat.

It was a them built out of necessity rather than design.  A reduced amount of scouts, who cost more, were replaced by a group of computer aged wannabees who would find a the kid who had a bad body, but a .450 on base. He would come cheaper, and hopefully could be taught how to run faster than a tortoise.

Andrew Brown, who seemed to be a poster boy of who not to draft , a kid who seemingly could not run fast, could not play at catcher, or barely at first , but who who walked 125 times, was the to be a center piece of the A's offense.  Problem was, he could not hit, or hit very much and there was a reason he walked more, he did not like to run fast. You see Brown was tipping the scales at 255-260 and not all that was in muscle. One A's scout claimed they should pass him up, because he was quote "fat". they called him the Fat Kid, and as it turned out, he lacked too many baseball skills to make it higher than Double AA.

So, is there really any validity now after 8 years have past that the Moneyball method can help a team.

Well, a team with a fixed and very limiting budget, maybe you get a diamond once and again, but the game has become leaner, the players train year round, we are emerging from post steroid era, and runs are being scored by the hit and run, and stealing, and less dependant solely on clogging the base paths and hoping for sac flys or seeing eye base hits.

So much the better, the other GM's have seen that players who are bleached from drugs have to learn to hone other skills to stay in the game, and the game will be better for it.

Time is Slipping Away

"Baseball is really two sports - the summer game and the autumn game. One is the leisurely pastime of our national mythology. The other is not so gentile " - Thomas Boswell, Washington Post.

 As the days pass by, they seem to go faster in September than in the previous months, and if you are trailing in your division, time seems to slip away on you even faster. When you watch games in the fall, they always say these games are more meaningful, why, because there are few games left, and if you've squandered April and May and part of June, you are now behind the 8 ball, squarely.

For the White Sox, and Red Sox, they have learned all too well that stumbling out of the gate is not the best route to the pennant. The Phillies and Giants are testament to resiliency as they have overcome large deficits while watching their key opponents begin to lose the gains made throughout the spring and summer. The White Sox are 3 games back of the Twins, so with 24 games left, enough time left to make a last charge, but the Beantowners are all but done, their magic number looking closer in their rear view mirror.

The Padres halted a 10 game slide last night, but are  from from safe territory. If one looks at the key wild card races, the Phils, Giants stake claim, but are within a wisp of their own divisions, and are playing life and death games daily, and if not their division, then the wild card awaits.  The Braves and Padres hold them back, barely this morning, but another slide and they can trade places with their dance partners. And there is only one wild card to go around, so a bad week for the Padres and Braves can spell a September swoon, and all the positive energy sucked out of their year.

While the Reds, Rangers, Rays and Yanks all seem secure, and I would concur, they are all shuffling along at the same pace, no one can seem to be an overwhelming favorite when September ends and the playoffs begin. It may the year that the Yanks get dusted early, and same for the Tampas.  There is some concern for what the Yankee rotation can achieve after Sabathia pitches Game 1. Is Hughes the guy, will perennial playoff hero Andy Pettitte return healthy ? He's been gone almost a month and at 37 , things heal slowly.
The Rays would have loved to spend the month of September resting the back end of their rotation, and might ultimately concede the division in order to protect a shaky 4th and 5th spots. Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis, and James Shields look very beatable and you cannot go far with just Price and Garza.

The Twins though might be set to upset any takers, even with no Justin Morneau at 1st base. They just continue to plug guys in and they succeed.

September games should also be cherished, and I know football and hockey await, but it will be October soon, and the season turns into mini tournaments and then the snow comes, and we have to hibernate until early March. The seasons go very slowly until September, then they just seem to accelerate, and evaporate before my very eyes.

Enjoy September, the last baseball before we sleep.

The Big Doubloon

Down in Pittsburgh they count the take after each game, add up the gold and silver, and hoist their rum, and sing " Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me "
 The Pittsburgh Pirates are cruising along the shallows, looking for another safe port on their journey to their 18th consecutive season out of the playoffs.

Let's be honest, these eye-patched crew haven't even been close. They have hoisted themselves out of pennant races early in June some years. The agonizing aspect to their fans is that they have been making a boat load of money while they sputter and pilfer their way, and claim the money is being funneled back into minor league teams, parks, programs, etc. The Pirates, like the Cubbies are one of thee oldest National League franchises, once had the great Honus Wagner play for them, Willie Stargell, Elroy Face, Roberto Clemente, and Bill Mazerowski, just to name some of their bygone heroes.  Now, once a player appears to be on the threshold of dipping into their pirate booty, they get shipped off, before you can say " Long John Silver ", the Pirates have turned over their roster. Always developing, looking for the cheaper, cost effective player, if truth be told.
Who had the lowest payroll in baseball the last 3 seasons, the Pittsburgh Pirates did. Who pocketed over
$ 34.5 million from 2007 through to and including last season ?? Any guess.

From the early 60's ( and including a World Series win in 1960 ) , through their heyday in the early 1970's, and another title in 1971 over the Orioles, the Pirates could depend on keeping their talent, as free agency was a pipe dream. Stars like Maz, and Clemente were bound, and perhaps shackled, forced to man the oars, and perform without any choice.
 The Pirates would have one last hurrah in 79', and play and lose to the Braves in the late 80's, but that was the end of their success. New owners emerged, ans they fattened their wallets, their war chests were full, and talent walked or ran of their reservation.  It is a sad state of affairs and the owners responsible should be somehow held accountable, at least by the fans, but like the local hockey fans ( in Toronto ) they continue to buy tickets, pay cable charges, etc.



I do hope the days return when this storied franchise used be " in the hunt" year after year, but I think until the fans stop coming, the team will not be forced into keeping emerging stars. Otherwise, it will be more " pass the rum and count the gold ".