The Yankees, and everything else.

A lot's been going on recently, especially since my last post both in my personal life and the sports world.  I'll start with my personal life.

I graduated college with a degree in Industrial Engineering.  Go Tigers!  Oh, and uh...does anybody need an I.E.?

Well enough of that, to the sports world.  This has been a crazy year in baseball for so many reasons.  First, let me get the sentimental stuff out of the way.  Ken Griffey, Jr. called it a career after 22 game-changing seasons in MLB.  He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest to ever play the game.  He'll be a first-ballot HOFer and he should have a unanimous vote.

Now, to the pitching rubber.  What is going on this season?  3 no-hitters, two of them PERFECT GAMES.  TWO perfect games?  In ONE season?? Within THREE weeks of each other?  What are you nuts?  Roy Halladay and Dallas Braden, and Ubaldo Jimenez (the best pitcher in baseball right now) putting pitching back on the map.  Then there's Armando Gallaraga.  I guess I'm stating the obvious when I say that we should have 3 perfect games this season.  I guess according to everybody, he actually does.  So yeah...3* perfect games within a month of each other.  Wow.

Now to my boys, the Yanks.  We went through a bit of a lull for a week and a half or so, but now they look to be back on track.  But specifically, I want to talk about 2 guys; Robinson Cano, and Phil Hughes.

This might be the polished, batting-title winning Cano that we were told we were going to get.  Can you believe the season this guy is having?  Holy crap.  He's batting .373, he's leading the team in homers...Robinson Cano has gone from a guy with so much potential still trying to put everything together to one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball in any situation.  He's hitting better with RISP this year too.

And then Hughes.  I wanna meet the scouts who grabbed Hughes and Cano and give them a big hug.  This is the pitcher we were told we were going to get when he was drafted.  The time he spent in the bullpen last season gave him much needed confidence.  He's virtually unhittable this year...actually I'd better watch how I use that phrase now because several pitchers literall are UNHITTABLE this year.  But he's having a great season. 7-1 with an ERA well under 3.  I hope he keeps it up.

Honorable mention for Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.  Gardner's starting to come into his own as a hitter and he's still playing terrific outfield defense.  Swish is having a TERRIFIC season, and deserves to be in the All-Star game.  That will likely go down as one of the better trades of Cashman's career.  I don't even remember who we got Swish for.  Wilson Betemit or something?

So there you go, you're caught up.  And so am I.  Peace

The Yankees lost to the Orioles tonight.  So you'd think that's why I'd be peeved.  After all, the Orioles had only 3 wins coming into this game. But that's not it.  It's HOW we lost.

Up 2-1, Phil Hughes, who had been struggling but managed to keep the O's off the board, got 2 outs to begin the 6th inning.  Up to this point, he had thrown 109 pitches.  That's extensive for a pitcher through 5.2 innings, but its not a boatload.  But, a lefty was coming up, so Girardi decides to go with the "matchup."  So what happens?  The only guy Boone Logan has to face, he walks.  OK, time for another "matchup," because Ty Wigginton is coming up to the plate, so we need a righty.  Because, after all, right-handed hitters can't hit right-handed relief pitchers (note the obvious sarcasm).  So Girardi brings in David Robertson, who then hits Wigginton.  Then there's a lefty up in a big spot...oops.  Already used a lefty in the inning, gonna have to stick with Robertson.  3 hits later, the Yankees are down 4-2.  They went on to lose 5-4, despite an ambitious rally in the 9th.  

Did we lose because we didn't score enough runs in the 9th?  No.  Did we lose because we left some runners stranded on base?  No.  We lost because of the situation described above.  And this will not be the last time it happens to the Yankees, nor will it be the last time it happens to anybody.  So I have a message for managers, and I hope they listen.  STAY IN THE ******* DUGOUT!

Girardi does this too often.  Generally, I like him as a manager, but too often he over-manages and makes pitching moves almost because he feels like he has to or else he's not doing his job.  You might recall in game 3 of last year's ALCS in extra innings, David Robertson was mowing guys down, and with 2 outs and nobody on in the 12th inning or so, Girardi inexplicably pulled him for Alfredo Aceves.  Why?  Because he has this big stupid binder full of all kinds of numbers that really don't mean anything, and he "liked the matchup better."  The Yankees lost that game.  

Girardi also had the audacity to say that he would've pulled CC Sabathia in the 9th inning with a no-hitter in tact earlier this season against Tampa Bay.  Yeah, right.  That would've gone over well.  God forbid a guy gets a chance to make history because his pitch count is too high.  

This new style of managing, this new style of baseball, is no good for the game.  This is the reason baseball games go longer.  There are lefty specialists, setup men, 7th inning guys, closers.  Now, I understand relief pitchers can be filthy, and sometimes you want them in the game.  I understand the closer, a guy who can come in fresh and shut the door in a close game in the 9th.  I also understand that most guys can't throw 120 pitches every outing or their arm will fall off.  But there has to come a point where its too much, and pulling a guy with 2 outs and nobody on in the 6th inning just for a "matchup" is too damn much.  I wonder what would've happened if Hughes was left in to try and get that final out.    

It has been called a baseball game that can sell a system.  They're right.  This game has been the cream of the crop ever since EA Sports lost the rights to an MLB game (and All-Star baseball turned into a pile of crud) and this year is no different.

Pros:

First of all, the game is freaking gorgeous.  The players look great, the ballparks look even better, and the crowds are more realistic than ever.  You'll see fans moving around in the stands to go get concessions or whatever.  The game is pretty smooth.  Occasionally it slows down, but not enough to detract from the gameplay.

Speaking of gameplay, it doesn't get much better.  You won't find anything too innovative here in terms of pitching and hitting, but because of this it's easy to pick up and play.  You'll be throwing strikes and collecting hits right away, but you'll need time to fine-tune your timing and and location.  Fielding is more difficult than it looks.  If you try and throw before your fielder picks up the ball, you'll make an error and flat out miss the ball.  For fly balls, watch for where the baseball icon is on the field.  If your fielder isn't virtually on top of this, you'll miss the ball.  It doesn't sound hard, but you'll be surprised how often you'll screw this up in the beginning.  Also, throwing takes a little time to get used to, but it's the same as any other game.

The game sounds good too.  The crowds feel alive, the crack of the bat and other baseball sounds are good, and the players get receptions based on who they are.  For example, Joe Mauer gets a big cheer, while A-Rod gets booed very soundly (the demo is a 4 inning game between the Yankees and Twins at Target Field).  Matt Vasgersion, Dave Campbell, and Rex Hudler provide commentary that seems pretty realistic.

Cons:

There aren't too many things wrong with this game, but like I said it's not very innovative.  This isn't a bad thing, but with the introductions of motion gameplay and the past use of using the right stick to swing the bat, you'd think Sony would try and do something a little different.  

I mentioned the announcers.  Commentary sounds realistic, but it can get annoying.  I never had all that much admiration for Rex Hudler as a commentator in real life, and now I have even less.  He's incredibly annoying.  Also, if you screw up, you'll hear about it.  They'll say almost anything short of "what an idiot" or "I can't believe this guy plays Major League Baseball."  It's not good for the self-esteem.

There's no question this is the best baseball game on the market, but that alone doesn't say enough because 2K10 isn't all that great.  This is a terrific game.  I wish I owned a PS3 just so I could buy it.  Unfortunately, I'll just have to deal with my roommate's PS3 for now and play the demo, but I may buy this during the summer.  9/10.

I got the demo of this game the other day off the Xbox 360 marketplace.  While the demo only lets you play a 3 inning game, I think I've played it enough and gotten then hang of it enough to review it.  I'm ignoring the obvious problems with a 3 inning demo, such as only getting 3 innings to get to Roy Halladay.  Thanks for that.  Oh, and the fact that if the game is tied after 3 innings, the other team wins.  The 3 inning demo is a Yankees vs. Phillies game at Yankee Stadium for obvious reasons.

First, the pros of the game.  Pitching is really good.  You don't just select your pitch, push the button and hold it until it hits a certain spot in a meter, and then let go.  You have to turn the right stick as instructed for each pitch to throw it correctly.  This is difficult.  As expected, the easiest pitches to throw are fastballs, and the hardest are breaking balls, especially curves.  You'll find yourself throwing a lot of wild pitches when first picking this up, and you'll rarely throw a perfect pitch.  That's pretty realistic.  Also, the batter vs. hitter battle has been studied by 2K Sports and recreated brilliantly.  Hitting is a challenge.  It will take some time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, you can start to put up some monster innings.  You use the right stick to hit, and the left stick to aim your hit.  But be careful.  If you want to hit the ball where you want it, you have to move both sticks pretty much simultaneously.  

Hitting, while fun, comes with some problems.  Like I said, it's VERY difficult.  This isn't the push A to swing deal, this is hard.  Timing is critical, and so is patience.  You have to look for a good pitch to hit.  This is all part of the simulation, and I think it's good.  However, the hitting stick has a power swing and a defensive swing, both of which are utterly useless.  The power swing works by pulling back on the right stick and pushing forward, instead of just making a contact swing and pushing the stick forward.  The problem is, you can hit bombs without this (I hit a 441 foot shot with A-Rod earlier).  And the power swing slows down the bat, so your timing gets thrown off.  I have hit one home run with the power swing;  Jorge Posada hit a fence scraper.  I hit another one with him without the power swing that went about 20 feet further.  The defensive swing is even more useless.  Don't even bother.  

And now, the cons.  The A.I. in this game is atrocious.  The players don't know where they are, the automatic defensive positioning makes no sense, and pitch selection is awful.  I once gave up a ball in play to discover that Robinson Cano was playing in on the grass, with nobody on and nobody out.  It was a blooper that he would've otherwise caught.  Later on, I hit a fly ball to straightaway right field, where Jayson Werth was right next to where the ball was gonna drop.  But for some reason, he yielded to Shane Victorino, who came all the way from center field to make the catch.  

Speaking of fielding, it's very sluggish.  The players don't seem to move as fast as you want, they don't throw the ball until it seems like they're ready, and overall fielding feels like a chore compared to hitting and pitching.  2K sports focused so much on the pitcher vs. hitter dynamic, that they just kind of ignored fielding.  Also, the graphics look nice at first glance, but once the slowdown hits and players start gliding across the grass without moving a limb you'll start to think differently.  The sound effects are ok, but don't make much sense.  A home run sounds like a broken bat.  Go figure.  Also, the crowd might as well not even be there.  You can hit a walk-off grand slam and it sounds like a spring training game (trust me, I've done it).  

Overall, I give the game a 7 out of 10.  It's fun to play once you get into it, don't get me wrong, and a lot of the bad points don't take too much away from the gameplay, but 2K Sports seems to focus on one aspect of the game and ignore the others in this instance.  If you have a PS3, I'd go for The Show (a game I'm DYING to play).  If you don't have a PS3, I guess you can try and win that million bucks.  If you absolutely HAVE to have a baseball game, this isn't bad.  Hopefully 2K Sports will put everything together one of these days and come up with a good one.

I got into a good discussion with my roommates last night.  I am a Yankees fan, so this may be a biased point of view, but they as Braves fans were complaining about the horrible job that Frank Wren has done as Braves GM.  I'll agree with them.  The pitching staff is terrific, but he's signed a bunch of old players on a budget (other than Derek Lowe who is grossly overpaid) who were good back in 2002.  He still has yet to address the one need the Braves have, which is the lack of a powerful force in the lineup; a guy who can pop 30-40 home runs guaranteed every year.  The reason?  They won't spend the money.

This is where you have to give the Yankees credit.  I understand the Yankees get a ton of revenue because of where they're located, but they are still not shy about going out and getting whoever they need or want to put the best product out on the field for their fans.  The result?  A World Series title.  Call it buying the championship, call it what you want, but the fact is they did it and there are millions and millions of fans who poured revenue into that team this season because of it.  

Teams are too frugal.  What is with these owners who claim they don't have the budget to sign players?  You own a multi, multi, MULTI-million dollar entity that is a baseball franchise.  You mean to tell me you don't have money?  As the old saying goes, "you have to spend money to make money."  Some of these teams simply need to bite the bullet, sign their home grown superstars, pick up a free agent or two, and put a product out on the field.  The rest will take care of itself.  The Twins have a home-grown superstar in Joe Mauer.  This guy should've been signed to a 10-year contract a while ago.  Even if the Twins are struggling in a season, at the very least people will come to the ballpark to see Joe Mauer.  That's where the money comes from.  The Braves should know that.  It seems like the only reason people go to the ballpark these days is to see Chipper Jones.  

So if you're jealous of the Yankees, and you hate them because they win all the time, think about why they win.  If you say to yourself, "they buy it," well, in a way you're actually right.  They don't buy the championships.  You can't really do that, the teams still have to play.  But the Yankees spend the money to put the best possible product they can on the field.  Sometimes it results in a championship, but it always results in a fan base. 

The SuperBowl has just ended. Congratulations Saints. Now the NFL season is over, and pitchers and catchers report in a mere 11 days. Time to pick the 2010 season.
We'll start with the National League.

EAST:

1. Philadelphia Phillies: 94-68. The Phillies lost Cliff Lee, by replacing him with Roy Halladay. They still have the same lineup that they've had the last 2 seasons. The Phillies are clearly the best team in the National League.

2. Atlanta Braves: 87-75. The Braves had probably the best pitching rotation in the division last season. Despite trading Javier Vazquez to the Braves, they still have Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, and Tommy Hanson. The Braves offense is severely lacking again, and depends completely on health, but they're getting better.

3. New York Mets: 85-77. The Mets helped themselves by signing Jason Bay, but they're lacking pitching. You can't expect the Mets to have the same injury troubles that they had last season, but other than Johan Santana, the Mets rotation is undesirable at best.

4. Florida Marlins: 85-77. I am picking the Mets and Marlins to tie in the division, essentially. The Marlins are good, but they have young arms and a young bullpen that still needs some development. They're not there yet.

5. Washington Nationals: 69-93. No, this team is not gonna be good. They have hitters, but no pitchers. Expect the Nats to finish in the cellar again.

CENTRAL

1. St. Louis Cardinals: 92-70. The Cardinals re-signed Matt Holliday, they still have Albert Pujols, and the have Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter at the top of the rotation. They'll win the division again.

2. Milwaukee Brewers: 85-77. Good, but not as talented as the Cardinals. They have Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, but their rotation leaves a bit to be desired. They'll contend, but they won't make the playoffs.

3. Chicago Cubs: 83-79. Average. The Cubs are starting to age, they don't have consistent pitching, and something always seems to go wrong for them. That streak is gonna reach 102.

4. Houston Astros: 82-80. Another average team. Great offense, no pitching. They'll make a few runs during the season and finish above .500, but that's about it.

5. Cincinnati Reds: 75-87. The Reds didn't do much to improve themselves in the offseason. If they stay healthy with Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto pitching well, they have a chance to finish better than this record, but not by much. They don't have much else going for them.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates: 63-99. There's not much to say here. This team stinks.

NL West:

1. Colorado Rockies: 91-71. The Rockies have something special building, and they're only going to get better. They should have Jeff Francis back this season, and other than losing Garrett Atkins who was fading, they didn't change much. They'll eke out the division.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers: 90-72. This is also a team that is virtually unchanged, and unless Manny Ramirez is out of his mind or gets hurt, he'll be there the whole season. They'll battle the Rockies up to the end for the division, but ultimately they'll win the Wild Card.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks: 87-75. Unless Brandon Webb gets hurt again, the Diamondbacks will have a dramatic turnaround. They have a rotation consisting of Webb, Danny Haren, and Edwin Jackson. They have a young offense carried by Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton, and they should have Connor Jackson back. They'll contend.

4. San Francisco Giants: 84-78. A rotation that has Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain will contend, but the Giants horrible offense will hold them back.

5. San Diego Padres: 69-93. Not much doing here. Adrian Gonzalez will likely be dealt before the trade deadline in July. 

Now for the American League

EAST

1. New York Yankees: 102-60. The Yankees had an amazing season in 2009, and don't look for a dropoff in 2010. They added Curtis Granderson, who hit 30 homers playing half his games in Comerica Park. They added Javier Vazquez to a World Series winning rotation. A-Rod will be around for a whole season and be just as comfortable as ever, and the Yankees still have the x-factor; Mariano Rivera. The losses of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Melky Cabrera will be noticed, but their production won't be missed too much.

2. Boston Red Sox: 95-67. The Red Sox pitching will carry them to the Wild Card, especially with the addition of John Lackey. However, with a lack of offense (unless they acquire Adrian Gonzalez midseason) and a bullpen that's unpredictable, they won't challenge the Yankees for the division.

3. Tampa Bay Rays: 84-78. The Rays bullpen will be their downfall again. Their rotation is good, although not as good as most contending teams, and they can hit, but that bullpen will make you cringe. The Rays need to solidify that pen before they have another season like they had in 2008.

4. Baltimore Orioles: 73-89. You'll see some improvement here. The Orioles have some young players coming up that are exciting to watch, such as Matt Wieters, and emerging superstars Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, but they have a long way to go.

5. Toronto Blue Jays: 70-92. It's rebuilding time. The Jays finally traded Roy Halladay, so now there's not even any reason to buy a ticket to the Rogers Centre. Well, unless you want to see the other team.

CENTRAL

1. Minnesota Twins: 93-69. There won't be a dramatic playoff game this year. The Minnesota Twins will have a good offense, good pitching, and oh yeah...Joe Mauer. Target Field will see more than 81 regular season games in its inaugural season.

2. Detroit Tigers: 85-77. The Tigers just didn't do enough to improve. They traded Edwin Jackson, so their rotation is a man short. Joel Zumaya is a mystery, so their bullpen has questions. They also traded Curtis Granderson. They got some young players in return, but it'll take a couple of years before they make an impact.

3. Chicago White Sox: 80-82. This is an aged team that has lost quite a bit since its 2005 World Series team. They no longer have Jermaine Dye, although he's still on the market, and their pitching leaves much to be desired.

4. Kansas City Royals: 70-92. I like the Royals to be a little better this season. Their young players have another year under their belts, they still have Zack Greinke, and they have a decent closer in Joakim Soria. They won't be good, but they'll be better.

5. Cleveland Indians: 64-98. This team is also in rebuilding mode. They need to build up a farm system again, and maybe spend a little money on free agents for a couple years to get back into contention. They've lost a lot since their amazing 2007 season. 

WEST

1. Seattle Mariners: 93-69. The Mariners will be on top of the closest division in the league. They made several improvements, including adding Cliff Lee to a rotation that could also feature Erik Bedard whom they just re-signed. And let's not forget Felix Hernandez. Big improvements in the Pacific Northwest. 

2. Los Angeles Angels: 90-72. The Angels lost a lot this offseason. They no longer have John Lackey, Chone Figgins, or Vladimir Guerrero. They added Hideki Matsui, but that's not going to be enough. The Angels domination of the AL West will come to and end this season.

3. Texas Rangers: 86-76. The Rangers are close to being a playoff team again. They have a terrific offense and an improving pitching staff. Signing Rich Harden was a good move, if he stays healthy.

4. Oakland Athletics: 72-90. Here's another rebuilding team. The Athletics are always stocked with young players, and can always surprise people, but that's not likely this season. Their players still need quite a bit of development. 

POSTSEASON

NLDS:

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies: These two teams will meet in the postseason for the 3rd straight year, this time in the first round. The Dodgers will put up a fight, but the Phillies will take this series in 4 games.

Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals won't have the same disaster happen to them that they did in 2009. This will be a long series, but the Cards will take it in 5.

ALDS:

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees: For the Twins, it's deja vu all over again. They'll have Justin Morneau healthy this time, but it won't help. Yankees in 4.

Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners: The Red Sox pitching will easily handle the lackluster Mariners offense, and the Red Sox take the series in a sweep.

NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies. This will be a good one. Roy Halladay's first postseason showings will go well, but the Cardinals will beat up on a shaky Brad Lidge and take the series in 7 games.

ALCS: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees. Heeeere we go again! The Red Sox dominating starting pitching will keep the Yankee bats from busting out too much, while the Yankees pitching staff will hold down a Red Sox offense that's simply not as strong as usual. Low scoring games leads to battles of the bullpens. The difference? Mariano Rivera. Yankees in 7.

World Series: St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees. This will be one of the most interesting mini-battles in recent history, with the 3-4 hitters of each team facing off. In this case, it'll be Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols vs. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. All of these guys have World Series experience and 3 out of the 4 have won it all. However, the Yankees rotation is a little deeper, as is their lineup, and of course their bullpen. The Yankees will finish on top again in 2010, giving us our first repeat World Champions since the Yankees also repeated for a 3rd time in 2000. 

1.  March Madness Expansion

There's been talk that March Madness will be expanded to include up to 96 teams.  The NCAA Basketball tournament is as good as it gets.  It's the closest thing to perfection that we have in all of sports.  Don't dilute it.  This could only go wrong.

2.  Super Bowl

I have no interest in this game, other than to see The Who.  That being said, I'm picking the Saints.

3. Clemson Basketball

They hit a rough spot, losing 3 big games in a row, but bounced back a little against Maryland.  Here's to hoping they turn things around.

4.  Baseball Picks

I've decided to make my picks for the upcoming 2010 Baseball Season after the Super Bowl.  I won't reveal anything right now, but I'll give you a hint...there may be some similarities to how the 2009 season turned out.

The NFL and the Clemson University community lost a star today.  Gaines Adams, the former standout on defense, passed away at the age of 26.  This was a man in seemingly perfect health, never did anything wrong, trying to make it in the NFL and reach his potential.  This makes no sense to me.

An autopsy wil be performed and as well as a toxicology exam, but no foul play is suspected.  I feel for his family and friends.

You know what's fun?  Watching Tom Brady perform poorly.  But today was extra fun, because Tom Brady didn't just play poorly, he looked like he didn't even belong on a football field.  Now, I'll admit I'm not the world's biggest NFL fan.  People who know me know that I'm a baseball fan first, and a Yankee fan before that.  I root for the Giants, and I'll follow them casually, but I don't live and die by their every move like I do with the Yankees.  So some of you are probably thinking "Why hate Tom Brady so much?"  Quite frankly, I'm sick of hearing about him.  I'm sick of hearing about how good he is, how classy he is.  I'm sick of him being every other story on ESPN.  I'm sick of hearing about his marriage to Gizelle.  I don't care how many kids he has, and they even made up a rule in the NFL because he got hurt.  Don't go toward the knees, Tom Brady got hurt that way.  Are you kidding?  

So when I flipped on the Pats playoff game today, and I saw the Ravens put up 24 in the 1st quarter and make Tom Brady look like he doesn't belong in a football uniform, I enjoyed it.  Somehow though, throughout the next few weeks until after the Super Bowl, they're gonna talk about him.  

Can you expect anything else from the media though?  They consistently beat stories to death.  In sports, you know you got sick of hearing about steroids.  You know you got sick of hearing about Tiger Woods, and Brett Favre, and I know you continue to get sick of hearing about where LeBron James is going to end up next season.  Dead horses are continually massacred in the media.  I'm not even gonna bother to mention the political stuff.