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In late September, 2005, Gabe Kapler’s major league career took a turn common to many others, but in a very uncommon way. While standing on first base, with teammate Tony Graffanino at the plate, Kapler watched as Graffanino launched a fly ball to left-center field. As the ball came down over the wall to give the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays, Kapler came down on the other side of second base.
Having thought the ball might land for a double, Kapler was hustling around the bases and ended up rupturing his left Achilles tendon and wound up being pinch…jogged for to complete the home run. Kapler went on the disabled list and his season was over. He returned in June 2006 and went on to have another successful season, but on December 12, 2006, his career took yet another road common to all players, but again in an uncommon way. At the age of 31, right in the prime of his career, Gabe Kapler retired from playing in the majors. Gabe quit playing and was offered a managerial position with the Red Sox’s Single-A affiliate club, the Greenville Drive, where he would coach the team to a 58-81 record and finish seventh in the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division.
At this time at least, a managerial career was not in Kapler’s list of duties. In December of 2007, Kapler signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a fourth outfielder. However, he played as if he were never injured, and his superior defense gave him a leg up over teammates Tony Gwynn Jr. and Gabe Gross. As the season went on, Gwynn was sent to the minors and Gross went to Tampa Bay, and Kapler became the fill-in outfielder for all positions when needed. After 2008, Kapler went to Tampa, signing a one-year contract with the team. He is currently splitting time in a platoon role with Gross, playing against lefties.
With six teams and parts of eleven seasons on his resume, Gabe Kapler has established himself as one of the best bench players in the game. While not one of the fastest guys on the base paths, his power and his defense more than makeup for his speed and his patience. Even at the age of 34, if Kapler can learn to hit righties better and show some plate discipline, he could find himself an everyday job to ride out the second leg of his already successful career.
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Baseball has been widely criticized in recent years for its “unbalanced” schedule. Thanks to 18 interleague games per season, teams in each league face teams in other divisions an unequal amount of times, which seems unfair since every team not in first place competes for the same Wild Card playoff berth. This makes it extremely hard for some teams to compete, especially in a division such as the American League East, which is arguably not just the toughest division in baseball, but also the toughest division in professional sports.
If you’re a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, or Baltimore Orioles, you need to face a grim reality. There are 27 other teams in the majors who have a better chance at making the playoffs than your team. With money-spending powerhouses like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, teams with smaller payrolls need a lot more to go “right” for them in order to compete. A lot of people argue this with the fact that the Rays made it all the way to the World Series in 2008, but face it – that was the only AL East team in the last 11 seasons who were not the Yanks or Sox to make it into the playoffs, and it was also the first time in franchise history that the Rays had a winning record.
The Toronto Blue Jays have had six winning records in the last 11 years, but have only finished better than third once. With an 86-76 record last year, they actually finished in fourth place in the AL East. It took the Los Angeles Dodgers 84 victories to win the NL West by two full games. The Orioles haven’t been as fortunate. Ever since Cal Ripken Jr. left town, the O’s haven’t finished with more than 78 wins and have only reached as high as third place once.
It’s very likely that the AL East has three or four of the best teams in the league, but only two can get into the playoffs. The only way to make it fair – to give the four best teams a chance to be in the playoffs – is to eliminate divisional play. But we all know that isn’t going to happen. At the very least, balancing the schedule and eliminating interleague play would give every team a chance to face every other team an equal amount of times, giving value and fairness to the always important Wild Card team. But while baseball stands to make money by sending the Yankees and the Red Sox to any city in the majors, don’t hold your breath.
It’s no secret that on-base percentage is a stat on the rise – literally. It’s a cycle. The more a player can get on base, the more his OBP goes up, the more he’ll play, the more you’ll love him. One of the most effective ways to differentiate between batting average and on-base percentage is to look at the walks. In the American League alone, the list of walk leaders goes Jason Bay (71), Carlos Pena (67), Nick Swisher (65), and Marco Scutaro (64). Wait, Marco who?
Scutaro, the starting shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays this year is having a season like no other he’s had before, and he has the regular playing time to thank for it. His ability to take pitches has earned him a spot in the everyday lineup, which has earned him more walks. He does just about everything you want a leadoff man to do, and he does it well.
While his individual stats are average at best, he sits near the top of many leader boards for stats that help contribute to team wins, including walks, runs (75), OBP (.389), total bases (179) and strike outs (51). His ability to do the small things has helped the Blue Jays hover around the .500 mark in a season where their pitching staff has been plagued by injuries and the big bats have come up small. He and All-Star Aaron Hill have also combined to create one of the most effective middle infields in baseball this year.
The fact is that teams are made up of two kinds of players: Marco Scutaro’s, and everybody else. There are too many players who play for the individual stats, and it is history’s fault that the emphasis is placed on those numbers. Big name sluggers come and go. Team players win World Series.
So the Philadephia Phillies have dropped out of the Roy Halladay sweepstakes with the acquisition of 2008 AL Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians. For those that don’t know, Halladay finished second in voting to Lee in 2008. While Lee finished with a 22-3 record with a 2.54 ERA in 2008 to Halladay’s 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA, you just need to take a closer look at the stats that a pitcher actually has control over to see that the Phillies may actually have settled for what should have been second place. Halladay out-pitched Lee in almost every category, including innings pitched (Halladay’s 246.0 to Lee’s 223.1), strikeouts (206 to 170), WHIP (1.05 to 1.11), complete games (nine to four), and shut outs (four to two).
The fact is that a win-loss record is as much a result of a pitcher’s effectiveness as it is the team behind him. A pitcher can record a win even if they pitch terribly, just as long as their team picks him up. A pitcher can also get a loss while pitching fantastically. Halladay is 1-1 in his last three starts with just seven runs of support in those games. He should easily be 3-0. It was the same story last year as three of Halladay’s nine complete games last year counted among his 11 losses on the season due to terrible run support from the offense. Give those fantastic performances back to Halladay and his record all of a sudden is 23-8. Is that worthy of the Cy Young?
There are so many “pitcher” statistics that a pitcher can’t control. Hits against a pitcher is one example. How many times have you seen a blooper go for a hit? That counts against the pitcher, despite the fact that he more than likely crossed up the hitter. How about that ERA? As soon as the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, his job is over. Aside from the home run, earned runs against is more a measure of how effective the defense is behind the pitcher. The pitching stats that count should be strike outs, walks, and home runs, among a few others. Those categories are one-on-one battles between a pitcher and a hitter, which is exactly what every pitch is. Once a hitter puts a ball in play, the battle is over, regardless of where the ball lands. If the ball lands over the fence, then you can just say the hitter won that battle.
There shouldn’t be a debate about this. Halladay is better than Lee. The only thing that makes sense about the Phillies actually getting Lee is that the Blue Jays were asking too much and the Phillies weren’t willing to pay it. But since the beginning, Jays GM J.P. Riccardi said he wouldn’t make a deal unless the other GM walked away thinking he overpaid, and he stuck to that. And in case you still don’t believe that the Phillies settled for second best, know that in 2008 Halladay became just the second pitcher in history to record more than 200 strikeouts and less than 40 walks in a season. That should convince you.
Back in the National League for Matt Holliday
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: MLB, News, Trades,
The St. Louis Cardinals added some more pop to their lineup last week, trading with the Oakland Athletics to get Matt Holliday into the fold. The slugging corner outfielder made his impact immediately with his new club and his new fans.
Holliday’s weekend was anything but a vacation. After hearing about the trade to the Cardinals, Matt and his family hopped on a train from New York (where the Athletics were playing against the Yankees) to Philadelphia (where the Cardinals were playing the Phillies), opting to avoid the interstate traffic. Holliday didn’t miss a beat – or a game – as he returned to the National League in grand fashion on July 24. The only thing that was out of place was his equipment. He had to borrow a glove and shoes while his stuff was still being brought in from New York.
Holliday went 7-for-11 in the series, including four doubles and three RBI. Let’s take a look at some of the other numbers. He’s batting .636 and is slugging 1.000. Needless to say, he’s leading his team in both categories. Even without having played in the National League before Friday, he certainly has made himself a contender for NL Player of the Week.
This guy is amazing. Okay, three games is a small sample size, but this is the same guy that a lot of people said would be nothing outside of Colorado. Granted, his time in Oakland this season wasn’t spectacular, but he was still on pace to have a very good season. Now that he’s back in the Senior Circuit, he looks like he’s ready to explode; and who wouldn’t be? Going from worst-place Oakland to first-place St. Louis would certainly put a pop in anyone’s bat, although Holliday’s terrific debut still wasn’t enough to help the Cards from dropping the series and falling a half-game back of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.
But seriously, surrounded by players like Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick, it’s only a matter of time before the Cardinals surge up the wins column and make their way into October. Let’s face it; one Holliday is enough for St. Louis. They won’t need any more until after the World Series.
The New York Yankees have been burning up the wins column since the All-Star break, but may have hit a wall yesterday, dropping a 6-4 decision to the Oakland Athletics in a game that pleased all kinds of fans, including those who love a good pitchers duel and those who enjoy a good slugfest.
In a game of first versus worst, the Bombers tried to extend their 8-game winning streak against the lowly A’s. With veteran Andy Pettitte (8-6) on the hill against rookie Gio Gonzalez (2-2), it looked like it might be another easy victory, but Gonzalez held his own against the powerhouse Yanks as he didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. In the sixth, after a walk to Derek Jeter with one out, Gonzalez threw an 0-1 fastball to Brett Gardner, who tripled to drive in the first run of the game. Gonzalez quickly recovered, inducing ground balls from Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the A’s exploded for six runs with four coming off of Pettitte, who to that point had allowed just two singles. The Athletics sent 10 men to the plate in the inning, highlighted by a pair of two-run hits by Landon Powell and Orlando Cabrera. The Yankees attempted a comeback in their half of the eighth, scoring three times, highlighted by Teixeira’s league-leading 25th home run, but it was too little, too late for New York as they suffered their first loss since July 12.
The Yankees are now 2-3 against the Athletics in 2009, and will be sending RHP Sergio Mitre (1-0) up against LHP Dallas Braden (7-8) as they try to start a new winning streak on Sunday. With the loss, New York lost a game in the AL East to the rival Boston Red Sox, who defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-2. At 59-38, the Yankees still hold the best record in the American League, but now sit just 1.5 games ahead of the Sox.
Albert Pujols - The Last Hope For Baseball?
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
I am a huge Albert Pujols fan. I’m also glad that he is wrecking the ball because I own him in my fantasy baseball keeper league (seven years running!). Obviously, that last part doesn’t really affect you unless you’re in said keeper league. In any case, the question sometimes arises in fantasy baseball, especially nowadays, whether or not you care if one of your players is taking some kind of performance enhancing drug (PED). The obvious answer is two-fold: 1) not as long as he’s putting up crazy numbers and 2) only if he gets caught.
Which brings us back to Pujols.
He is one of those players under scrutiny as every ballplayer that does well is. It’s just natural in today’s game because of the steroids mess that started with Jose Canseco bringing it to the spotlight to Alex Rodriguez’s use. So, is there any way not to think that Pujols is juicing? I’d like to think so. Sure, I can pull up the consistency of his stats, his command of the strikezone, and the fact that he was never named on any list as being under suspicion. In fact, Pujols was erroneously mentioned as being a user at one point. But because I say what I believe doesn’t mean that you’ll believe it too.
In fact, I’d like to take back my, “I’d like to think so” statement above and say, “I believe so.”
Maybe I’m turning a blind eye or choosing to be ignorant, but with Pujols’ current chase of the NL Triple Crown (lead the league in Batting Average, Home Runs, and Runs Batted In), as well as the almost accepted opinion that all players juice, I’d like to think… no… I believe that Pujols is doing something special. Why? Because I love baseball and have since I was five-years-old and with the presence of steroids in the game, I need something to believe in.
And Albert Pujols is as good a bet to believe in as anything else.
Roger Federer Wins Wimbledon And His 15th Tennis Major
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Championship, News, Tennis,
Roger Federer has to be considered the greatest tennis player ever after winning his sixth Wimbledon final and fifteenth overall grand slam, a male tennis all-time record. Margaret Smith Court owns the female all-time record with 24. However, it wasn’t easy to break his tie with Pete Sampras (14 grand slam finals) as Federer’s opponent, Andy Roddick, gave it his all in losing the Wimbledon final, his third such defeat to Federer as Roddick also lost in 2004 and 2005. The 2009 Wimbeldon final was the longest tennis match ever at four hours and 16 minutes with the fifth set itself almost lasting an hour and a half. Federer won the match: 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14. Wimbeldon doesn’t use tiebreakers in the fifth set.
In any case, at only 27-years-old, Federer is well on his way to being the Tiger Woods of his sport - a player so consistently dominant that it seems almost unreal at how the level of excellence lasted so long and at a, relatively, early age. There are sure to be many more major titles for Federer, however, number 15 should well establish him as tennis’ best ever.
Steve McNair, former QB of the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens was found dead in a Nashville, TN condominium, along with a female, also found dead. Early reports identified the woman as McNair’s wife, Mechelle, but have since been denied as such. McNair was known for his hard-nosed approach to the game of football, playing many times through pain and still excelling, usually leading his team to victory. McNair won the MVP with Peyton Manning during the 2003 season and led the Titans to the Super Bowl in 2000, only to lose to the St. Louis Rams 23-16, coming within a yard to send the game into overtime. McNair was beloved by all his teammates, as well as his competition and will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and fans.
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The much maligned New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez is “fatigued,” so he will be taking tonight and tomorrow off when the Yankees go down to play the Florida Marlins. Rodriguez, who played high school ball in South Florida and almost attended the University of Miami before the Seattle Mariners signed the then 18-year-old, is quite a celebrity in the Miami area and his playing against the Marlins is considered somewhat of a homecoming… only, unless he pinch-hits, won’t happen until Sunday.
However, let’s call this rest period what it really is, a benching. For the month of June, A-Rod is only batting .145 in 55 at-bats and is mired in an 0-for-15 slump, mostly coming at the hands of the powerful pitching arms of the Washington Nationals… and, yes, that was sarcasm if you missed it. It could be argued in this day and age and considering Rodriguez’s admission of not knowing he used steroids for however long, that without the PEDs, Rodriguez won’t perform up to par. Well, it certainly seems so, doesn’t it?
However, in 38 games thus far, he does have nine dingers and 26 RBIs, which in a full season would put him at about 37 HRs and 105 RBIs, which aren’t too shabby numbers. Personally, I don’t like A-Rod and I’m a Yankees fan. Yes, I’m one of those that doesn’t feel like he’s earned his stripes yet and unfairly or not, I’m going to juxtapose him to the greatness of Derek Jeter, whom I’ve followed since day one when he played with the big club. Do I think that A-Rod is still juicing? No. Do I think he’s going to be as great as he was? No. But, I also don’t think he’s this bad. Remember, there was a period where we can assume he wasn’t on steroids or used PEDs and was still a pretty good hitter. I think right now, he’s in a slump as every hitter goes through and he is just coming back from hip surgery.
But enough with the double-talk. Haven’t we learned from Alex Rodriguez’s preseason press conference that the double-talk doesn’t work when it comes to A-Rod? He’s being bench because he stinks right now. If anyone is fatigued is those of us that know about semantics and reading between the lines.
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