Why the Cincinnati Reds should host the 2015 All Star Game
Written by: Andrew Wittry
Great American Ballpark was constructed in the early 2000's to replace Cinergy Field and was first used during the 2003 Major League Baseball season as the new home of the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati has gone ten seasons without hosting the game in the Reds' new home and the city has not held the Mid-Summer Classic since 1988 at Riverfront Stadium. The city is long overdue. With the stadium along the Ohio River, there would be a lot of excitement around players hitting bombs into the water and the river would be packed bumper-to-bumper with boats trying to catch a Major League souvenir. The wall down the left field and right field lines is 328 feet and 325 feet, respectively, which is why Great American Ballpark is such a great hitter's venue. …
Blockbuster Trade Will Shift Power to the National League and the West Coast
Written by: Andrew Wittry
The Boston Red Sox have been in the news countless times this season and usually it is negative publicity. Bobby V's comments about Kevin Youkilis. Josh Beckett playing golf on his off-days but unable to pitch. Once again they are making the headlines but this time it is 100% baseball related. The BoSox are finalizing the biggest deal of the year with the Los Angeles Dodgers that would send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto to the West Coast for James Loney, Rubby De La Rosa and a trio of minor leaguers-right handed pitcher Allen Webster, infielder Ivan De Jesus, and outfielder Jerry Sands. The Dodgers and their new ownership group also acquire $262.5 million in the salaries of the four players left after this season, assuming the trade goes through. …
Nats' Bryce Harper becomes youngest position All-Star
Written by: Kevin Early
On the same day Ian Desmond withdrew from the 2012 NL All-Star team with an oblique strain, Bryce Harper has been selected by Tony LaRussa as the replacement for Giancarlo Stanton, who will have knee surgery. Youngest position player in an All-Star Game ever.
"I don’t have words to explain it right now. It’s exciting to go. I’m excited to get there and be around all of the top guys in the country, of course, and the top guys in baseball. I’m going to take it all in and try to enjoy it with my family and just be as mellow and calm as I can."
The official release from the Nationals/MLB:
"BRYCE HARPER TO REPLACE GIANCARLO STANTON ON N.L. …
Did Tony La Russa snub the Reds on his All-Star squad?
Written by: Andrew Wittry
There is no shortage of bad blood in the Cincinnati Reds v. St. Louis Cardinals rivalry. On August 10, 2010, a heated exchange between Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina turned into a bench-clearing scrum between the N.L. Central rivals. Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto ended up getting pinned up against the net behind home plate and was kicking away Cardinals players for protection, which lead to a seven-game suspension for the Dominican pitcher.
Tony La Russa was managing the Cardinals at the time and even though he retired after St. Louis won the World Series last season, he has the honor of managing the National League All-Star team on July 10th at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals. …
Kevin Youkilis trades "Sox"
Written by: Kevin Early
After his ninth season with the Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis said farewell at Fenway Park on Sunday, with a 9-4 win over the Atlanta Braves. He was urged to come out for a curtain call by his teammates before heading down the steps. He received a lengthy standing ovation and Sox fans chanting "Yook."
"Bobby (Valentine) wanted him to have that moment of walking off the field," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said.
Youkilis was traded to the Chicago White Sox for utilityman Brent Lillibridge and right-hander Zach Stewart later that evening. He had a rousing end to his days with the Red Sox. He was unavailable after the game, leaving behind a locker without his nameplate above it.…
Phillies' Jonathan Papelbon puts a bounty on Jake McGee
Written by: Kevin Early
Jonathan Papelbon was frustrated after giving up two runs in the top of the 9th to blow a 6-4 lead the Phillies gave him on Saturday. It was Papelbon’s first blown save of the season, so what did he do? He offered up a $5,000 to anyone who would hit a walk-off homer off Rays reliever Jake McGee.
“This was a huge pickup for us by Jim Thome," Papelbon said. “I couldn’t be happier for anybody else in this clubhouse. I’ve got to do a better job myself and come in and do my job. But you know, I’m kind of misfiring right now, so I’ll get some good work in and keep grinding away. I came in the clubhouse and I said, ‘Whoever walks this guy off, I’ll give him five grand.’ …
NY Yankees are on a surge
Written by: Josh R.
Last time we checked up on the New York Yankees, they were 23-21 and fourth in the AL East. Since then, the Yankees have gone 17-4, and have propelled themselves to the top of the entire American League.
What has caused the Bronx Bombers to turn it around lately?
Ever since late May, the Yankees have been getting more production from their bats, specifically from Cano, Teixeira, and Rodriguez, who all struggled early on in the season.
Let's start off with Cano. The second basemen has turned it around as of lately, and has now reached the .300 plateau on the season. He's getting on base more often than he was earlier in the season, with a OBP of .424. …
Changes are coming to MLB instant replay
Written by: Andrew Wittry
It seems that on almost a daily basis there are blown calls in Major League Baseball that leave fans wondering why there isn’t a system in place to correct the missed or blown calls. The NFL has implemented instant replay, coach’s challenges, and booth reviews. In the NBA, the officials can watch game film over when assessing foul calls in order to make the right decision. Clearly the technology is readily available but the league has not put it into effect. It is certainly understandable that MLB officials are skeptical of the impact instant replay would have on the game because they do not want to make umpires obsolete. With modern technology, it would be possible for technology to decide balls and strikes but this would be detrimental to America’s game.
Is time running out for the Philadelphia Phillies?
Written by: Ray Hagan (@rayhagan19)
It’s time to panic.
Fine, "panic" is a strong word, but it’s definitely time for concern. Everyone knew coming into this season that the Phillies offense of today wasn’t NEARLY as potent as the offense of the 2008 or 2009 teams. Some of the faces were the same, but the games had slipped with age. Everyone knew
that this team was going to miss the injured Ryan Howard. When the news
came out that Chase Utley wouldn’t be joining the team on Opening Day for
the second straight year, the news went from bad to worse.
Still, with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels fronting the rotation,
teams would be just as hard pressed to score against the Phillies as
Ozzie Guillen has the right to make Castro comment
Written by: Ray Hagan (@rayhagan19)
“I love Fidel Castro … I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that (SOB) is still there.”
With those words Ozzie Guillen started a firestorm that he never could have imagined. Ozzie is terribly misguided, but is he not entitled to an opinion? I don’t agree with it, Castro is a heinous man responsible for atrocities those of us living in America will thankfully never know. I understand that those comments will offend people, and I understand that those comments will incite rage and other emotions. I find the comments offensive, and I am not of Cuban descent. …
Rosco's Review: 2012 MLB season start
Written by: Jeff Williams @SLIMrosco
Baseball is back folks, and what a first weekend it was. I know, it is only a couple games into the season and you can’t really count anyone out nor award anyone the World Series trophy yet. However, I do feel there are some important things to take away from all this, and here are some of my positive and negative standouts from this weekend.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (4-1 record)
This one may seem obvious, but wow, what a start for the Cardinals. Through five games they have a .317 team batting average with 31 runs and 9 home runs. They also have 58 hits, a .385 on base percentage and .525 slugging percentage. …
2012 MLB free agency
Written by: Jeff Williams @SLIMrosco
Everyone knows about the big name players that changed teams this off-season: Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, CJ Wilson and so on. However, quite a few under the radar players are also wearing new jerseys in 2012, and here are a couple that I feel could have a sizable impact with their new clubs.
San Francisco Giants, (OF) MELKY CABRERA
For a team that seems to struggle putting up offensive numbers in recent years, I think Melky Cabrera brings a lot to the table. Last year with Kansas City, Melky had the best season of his career; 155 games played, 201 hits, 18 home runs, 87 runs batted in, 20 stolen bases and a .305 batting average. …
2012 MLB season predictions
Written by: Jeff Chase (@Jeff_Chase)
Opening Day is right around the corner and this offseason has seen many players find new homes, including possibly the greatest to ever play the game, Albert Pujols, heading to Hollywood. The landscape of Major League Baseball has changed drastically this offseason and a few teams have emerged as World Series contenders. With that said, here are my 2012 MLB Predictions:
AL EAST
1. New York Yankees 94 - 68
2. Tampa Bay Rays 92 - 70
3. Boston Red Sox 89 - 73
4. Toronto Blue Jays 83 - 79
5. Baltimore Orioles 61 - 101
…
The State of Officiating in Sports
Written by: Bill Dwinells (@BDwins651)
Every single person that has ever cheered for a sports team has a moment they can recall when the officiating in a game “screwed” them, or, more precisely, their team. We all remember a time when the refs blew a call so bad we wondered what game they were watching, or how much the other team paid them off. For the most extreme of you out there, for the conspiracy theorists, I am sure you have thought on more than one occasion that there is a mass conspiracy and that all sports are rigged, or at the very least that every ref is out to get “your” team.
I am here to tell you that this is not the case. Refereeing in the 21…
2012 MLB preseason power rankings
Written by: Jeff Chase
Spring Training is in the air, and baseball fans everywhere can finally get back to the
excitement of Major League Baseball. With Opening Day just a few months away, I
thought it would be a good idea to give my first Power Rankings of the season. Some
major free agent acquisitions have happened this off-season, including Albert Pujols
and Prince Fielder changing zip codes, which could make or break a few teams’ chances
at a World Series.
1. Los Angeles Angels 2011: 86-76 (2nd AL West)
Bringing in Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson will be huge for the Halos heading into 2012. With arguably the best player to ever play the game wearing a different shade of red this season and a top 5 pitching staff, the Angels are poised for a deep run in October.
This Week in Baseball
Written by: Julian Austin
Prince Fielder
Scott Boras, and his client Prince Fielder, patiently waited to sign a deal and it seems to have paid off. The 3-time all-star and first basemen, inked a nine-year, $214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday afternoon. Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports and Jon Heyman of MLB Network and CBSSports.com broke the news which shocked many in Major League Baseball. Victor Martinez, the team’s DH, tore his ACL over a week ago, and many believed that the Tigers would only be looking for a short term deal to replace the slugger. Now the Detroit squad is offensively stacked for years to come and the main issue will be in sorting out the daily lineup card. …
The Ugly Side of Moneyball
Written by: Jeff Chase
The Oakland A’s have not made the playoffs since 2006, where they were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. From 2000-2004 the team was a fixture in the playoffs, but only to lose in the ALDS each and every year, including twice to the New York Yankees. Oakland reached the World Series in three straight seasons from 1988-1990, but were crowned champions just once in 1989 when they defeated their rival from across the bay, San Francisco Giants. The Athletics franchise is third all-time in World Series Championships with nine, trailing just the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.
The main reason the A’s have been so successful in the past is because of the great players the franchise has been fortunate enough to have. …
Is it in Yu Darvish?
Written by: Julian Austin
Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish has become the ultimate starting pitching target late this MLB offseason. The young gun and his club, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, garnered a $51.7 million transfer fee from the Texas Rangers in late December, citing their extreme interest in signing him as soon as possible. That price tag has won the team the rights to negotiate with Darvish, a fee which is only paid if he signs with the Rangers.
He was in Arlington on Tuesday to visit the ballpark and meet with team executives. The club has until January 18 to sign him to a contract; if no deal is made then Darvish will head home and report to his former club in Japan.
…
SoCal steals the headlines at MLB Winter Meetings
Written by: Julian Austin
The Los Angeles Angels were primed to make big moves during the off-season, but I don’t think anyone ever envisioned top-tier free agents Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson both packing their bags for the AL West. As the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings wrapped up last week the most newsworthy clubs were without a doubt the LA Angels and Miami Marlins (still hard to swallow that one). But, it was the Halos that claimed, in my opinion, the top hitter and the top pitcher of the offseason. Angels rookie GM Jerry DiPoto is on cloud nine, but might need a few aspirin after reeling in two players worth a combined $349 million.
Look back at opening day in 2011 and the Angels in Anaheim had the 4th highest payroll in baseball hovering around $139 million. …
NL East Preview
Written by: Julian Austin
Same face, new place. Jose Reyes switches clubs as the new look Marlins continue to dominate offseason headlines.
Atlanta Braves
2011 Record: 89-73 (2nd)
The Atlanta Braves continue to possess the best farm system in Major League Baseball. With a surplus of pitching talent, RHP Jair Jurrjens and LF Martin Prado act as the two biggest pieces of trade bait entering the Winter Meetings in Dallas.
Top 5 Prospects: RHP Julio Teheran, RHP Arodys Vizcaino, RHP Randall Delgado, C Christian Bethancourt, LHP Carlos Perez
Miami Marlins
2011 Record: 72-90 (5…
