Yesterday Dallas Braden got a little peeved when A-Rod broke an unspoken baseball rule by running across the mound. Robinson Cano was at the plate and hit a foul ball and A-Rod went from 1st to 3rd. A-Rod returned to first base by running across the top of the mound, and Braden was furious about the action, and after Cano grounded out on the next play Braden had to be pulled/escorted off the field by A’s Manager Bob Geren as he tossed out some lyrical pitches in the form of f-bombs in A-Rod’s direction. Here’s the analysis from Harold Reynolds on MLBTV. After the game, Braden spoke of the unspoken rule that the pitcher owns the mound, and no player should be on the mound besides the pitcher out of respect. Here is some of the he said she said that went on…
A-Rod told reporters “He just told me to get off his mound. I was a little surprised. I’ve never quite heard that, especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career. I’ve never even heard of that in my career and I still don’t know. I thought it was pretty funny, actually.
Braden had a little more to say about getting so fired up, “The long and short of it is it’s pretty much baseball etiquette. He should probably take a note from his captain over there,” referring to Yankees leader Derek Jeter, “because you don’t run across the pitcher’s mound in between an inning or during the game. I was just dumbfounded that he would let that slip his mind. I was just trying to convey to him that I was still out there, that ball’s in my hand and that’s my pitcher’s mound. If he wants to run across the pitcher’s mound, tell him to go do laps in the bullpen. That’s my mound … He’s right. I don’t even have a handful of wins. I have three. Do the math A-Rod.”
I think Braden may have over reacted a little, but it’s not like A-Rod is a guy that’s known for his etiquette. Many recall the incident in Toronto when he yelled Ha rounding third base causing the 3rd baseman to drop the ball. The only problem I have with A-Rod is taking a shot at Braden’s win loss total. If he is that insignificant, you don’t need to say it, we all know how many wins he has. I said about a week ago that, Braden is a gamer, he’s the type of fiery competitor you love to have on your team. He was getting over a sickness so maybe that is what made him extra cranky.
The A’s opened up their season with nearly every expert picking them to finish dead last in the AL West. I personally have VERY low expectations going into this season, and since they usually struggle out the gate, I figured this April would be just as rough as years past. Even back when they were winning the division crowns, they were always dubbed a second half team. Another reason for pessimism for my beloved A’s was that they are the youngest roster in the league, which usually calls for lots of growing pains. I’m not going to say that this 6-2 start makes them a lock to win the west or even a .500 ballclub, but I know that they have the potential to stay out of the cellar. A lot of the “experts” picked the Mariners and Angels to win the West. Most liked the M’s because of the big off season moves, and the Angels because they are always there over the last decade. They still could be right, but after watching both the first series between the two teams, I have to say I’m impressed with the grittiness that this years’ A’s squad has. If chicks dig the long ball, then there won’t be many in the A’s clubhouse, but if chicks dig good pitching and defense we could have the next Playboy mansion in the works.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m probably way too overly excited about the 5-2 start, but it finally got me inspired enough to write a late preview about the club. The A’s easily could’ve swept the Mariners in their opening series, if they hadn’t committed four errors in that first game they could’ve beaten Seattle’s best pitcher, King Felix. The most inspiring part about watching them so far, sans game 1, is their ability to continue to put up runs during the game. They’ve scored in nearly 30% of their innings this year, which is a good way to win. They are supposed to have a good defense, and have played pretty good aside from opening nights four error performance. Pennington and Kouzmanoff are much better defensively than I thought they were, and now that our outfield is Cust free (I’ll get back to Cust getting cut later), we don’t have to give up an out a game wherever he happened to be. This is a grind it out team, and even this early in the year it feels like they are never out of a game. They have been behind in five of their eight games and comeback to win four of them. Continue reading
The first 5 days of the season are in the books. Time to rank the top 5 teams….
1. San Francisco Giants: You may never see me put the Giants atop any rankings ever again. But, for as long as they’re undefeated, they’ll remain in the top spot here. There was no question about SF’s pitching, but the bats have come through early, as the G’s are outscoring their opponents,23-10 thus far.
2. Oakland Athletics: No hometown bias here, I swear. The A’s are 3-1, soon to be 4-1. (They’re up 7-2 late in the 6th in Anaheim). After a setback in the season opener, the A’s rattled off three straight to take a 3-1 record into first place in the AL West.
3. St. Louis Cardinals: Two of three from the Reds and game one of the Brewers’ series earns the Cards the number three spot in our rankings.
4. Tampa Bay Rays: They’re no match for the mighty Bay Area teams, but they took two of three from Baltimore, and the first game of their weekend series with the Yankees.
5. Detroit Tigers: Don’t be surprised to see the Tigers sitting atop the AL Central at 5-1 after their weekend series with the Indians.
I think part of college is passing out with Sister Cleo telling you to call around 3-4AM. Bust out those Tarot Cards Cleo! I need to make my predictions!
Just like anyone else, we like to be right about things, and what better way to see if we can predict the future as good as Sister Cleo than to put them in writing. We’ve decided to put up our predictions on a new tab as we make them, so it’s easy for the readers to refer back and laugh in our faces. At the end hopefully one of us can claim the coveted “I called it” moment at the end of the year. Who knows, maybe nobody will get anything right, but if that’s the case it would be one of the wackiest seasons we’ve ever seen, and unlike Cleo, we don’t have tarot card! It’s a long year, and we could look pretty ridiculous by the end, but here’s how we see the division and wild card winners, World Series, MVP’s, Cy Young’s, and top stat categories for each league playing out.
AL East Winner:
Mceezy: New York Yankees – No reason to suggest anything would change here.
Chappy: New York Yankees – No surprises here. The defending champs look as good as last year, and could be the first team to go back to back since, well, themselves.
By: Boston Red Sox – Why? Because I hate the Yankees, ’nuff said.
Dyslecix: Boston Red Sox – Meh….something about the Yankees getting it done back to back doesn’t feel right.
Cali4dre: NY Yankees. Once they move Granderson up to leadoff for good, they will be unstoppable from 1-6 and they’re 7-9 will still be better than half of MLB’s 3-5 hitters. Not to mention they’re pitching is very solid, and frankly the coach could be an orangutan and still be successful but it’s not, it’s a very serviceable Joe Girardi.
AL Central Winner
Chappy: Chicago White Sox – I just have this weird feeling that they will be good. Not that I’m overly confident in Rios and Peavy, but they are pretty solid up and down. The Tigers are talented, but don’t ever seem to put it together. I feel like the Twins will have more problems with injuries than Nathan going down for the season.
Mceezy: Detroit Tigers – I think they get big years from Cabrera and Verlander, and there’s no clear frontrunner in the Central.
By: Minnesota Twins – Why? Because Joe Mauer went to Cabo with the Playstation guy!
Dyslecix: Minnesota Twins – Not sold on the White Sox or Detroit the Twins are always there.
Cali4Dre: Detroit Tigers. The pitching staff is strong and young at the top, with Verlander and Porcello ready to carry the load. The offense is still pretty strong… love Austin Jackson as fantastic replacement for Grandy. Magglio’s bat looks to be back, Cabrera is sober, and Sizemore will be another great rookie-producer on this team. This is the year they get it together and hold off a weak Twins and White Sox combo. Continue reading
Here we go… Easter lunch is out of the way, so now the real holiday can begin – no disrespect to Jesus of course. Two of Major League Baseball’s top franchises will take the diamond tonight and kick of the 2010 season. Normally I’d be as interested in a Yankees-Red Sox affair as I would in a Spurs-Jazz snoozefest, but tonight, I’m so starved for baseball I can’t wait to see these guys in action. Aside from the whole Opening Night thing, there’s plenty of other storylines to keep me glued to the tube. Sure, it’s a rivalry game featuring the defending champions blah blah blah, but here is what has got me excited…
CC Sabathia vs. Josh Beckett – Forget great Opening Day matchups, this is about as good a matchup as you’ll see on any given day in baseball. Sabathia is a Bay Area product, so he’s got plenty of supporters at Doin Work. He’s also one of the preseason favorites for the AL Cy Young Award. While Beckett isn’t as high on the Cy Young list, he’s still one of the best pitchers in the game. He may not have the hardware that most pitchers covet, but I’m sure he wouldn’t trade his two World Series rings or his World Series MVP for anything. One might anticipate a pitcher’s duel tonight, but there’s so much firepower on the offensive side for both teams that there are sure to be some runs put on the board as well.
New Additions – Each team picked up one guy I’m looking forward to seeing make their debut tonight. The Yankees replaced Johnny Damon in center field with former Tiger, Curtis Granderson. Granderson is quietly emerging as an elite player in this league, and the Yankees coveting him only further cements that. If he can get his average back up closer to .300 this year, he’ll surely build on his first all-star berth last year with many more to come, since there’ll be no shortage of exposure playing the Big Apple. The Red Sox, on the other hand, tested my hatred of them by signing the legendary Marco Scutaro. Even if Scutaro spurned the A’s to sign with Boston, he can do absolutely nothing to ever stop me from being a fan.
John Lackey in a Boston Uniform – You know how there are certain things that make you cringe or gag at the sight of it? I’m willing to bet that John Lackey donning a Red Sox jersey is going to be one of those. As much as I dislike the Red Sox, there’s not really any players on the team that I hate, aside from Papelbon of course. I think Lackey is going to be that guy, and I look forward to it. I’m actually going to keep a trash can by the couch to start the game in case the first camera shot of Lackey makes me throw up. It could happen.
First Fantasy AB of the Year – I try to keep my fantasy nerdom to a minimum here on the blog, but I can’t lie…. When Granderson steps into the box to face Beckett in the first pitch of the season, my squad, Five Tool Academy, is going to have a monopoly on fantasy stats for the duration of the at-bat. Beckett returns to my team by way of the draft (7th rd) after helping HolyShirtsandPants secure third place in last year’s league. Granderson is a new addition after being selected in the 5th round as part of my five tool plan, complementing other power/speed combo players Matt Kemp, BJ Upton, and Adam Jones. The fantasy season won’t be won with one at bat, but it starts here.
So you probably know by now that we not only love sports, but we also love passing along discounted tickets and merchandise to our readers. Well here’s one that might top them all. We’re not just offering discounted tickets, this time they’re FREE! That’s right, Doin Work has teamed up with the Sacramento River Cats to offer two free tickets to the Saturday, April 17th game against the Reno Aces. This is a great opportunity to check out some of the future stars of the Oakland Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Top prospects Chris Carter and Michael Taylor are among the players expected to begin the season in AAA. If you hail from the Sacramento area, don’t miss out on this chance to score two $15-20 seats for free. Hell, even if you live a couple hours away, what better reason to take a road trip to the capital of California for some baseball? There’s plenty of lodging options near the stadium, including dirt cheap motels that won’t hurt the budget. No word on whether prostitutes are included in the room rate, but either way it’s worth checking out. Here’s the official info….
The River Cats management has given me a limited number to tickets to give away to my friends—and complete strangers—to introduce the River Cats to people who didn’t attend a game last year. The tickets are for the 7:05 p.m. game against the Reno Aces on Saturday, April 17. The game will be followed by a terrific fireworks show.
To get your two complimentary tickets, please click here, and enter the password: matchr . This offer is good through April 16th. Like death and taxes, the small fees cannot be avoided. If you know of others who haven’t been to Raley Field lately to see the River Cats, please feel free to forward this offer to them.
Please remember: A limited number of tickets—two per order—are available, first-come-first-serve, to people who are new to the River Cats and Raley Field.
Enjoy the game!
I checked it out, and the total fees come out to $4.
Well, Mceezy did his tribute to the excitement of the upcoming baseball season, and I felt it was only fitting that I should write about sine if the storylines that will intrigue me during the 2010 season. Now that the teams have rounded third base in spring training, they are heading back home to the “real parks” for the last few preseason games. There’s a lot to look forward to that isn’t dealing with the Yankees and Red Sox (If you’re a hater like me), so here are ten things I want to watch develop.
Tim Lincecum – Can he win back to back to back Cy Young awards? If he stays healthy, I don’t see why not. He’d probably also solidify himself as one of the most dominating pitchers of all time (or at least this era) joining Gregg Maddux and Randy Johnson as the only other two pitchers to accomplish that feat. Thankfully Cy Young voters have gone away from counting wins as one of the biggest factors in handing the award out. It makes it much more likely, since he doesn’t get much help from the unfriendly Giants offense. The problem this time around is he will have to contend with Doc Halladay! Continue reading
It was reported the Mark McGwire sold PED’s to Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols today. McGwire’s admission over the offseason was only a front, so he could openly sell them to players.
Big Mac stated, “He just had shoulder surgery, and I wanted to help him make sure he was healthy when the season started. You know just like how I used them, only to get healthy faster when I was hurt.”
Fairly shocking news since Pujols was the last hope we had of a big slugger not using steroids in the steroid era. Tony Larussa claimed he didn’t know about the alleged HGH hook up, and admitted that he already was regretting letting Mark be their hitting instructor. Larussa thought the clubhouse was clean, and that Mark would be an advocate of getting rid of steroids opposed to bringing them in. Continue reading
I remember reading about Pat Venditte when the Yankees drafted him. He’s the only ambidextrous (switch pitcher) I’ve ever seen or really heard of. I hope he makes it, mainly to see him switch throwing arms on different batters. I’m not sure how good his stuff is, but if he has some good movement he will always have a favorable match up. He has a six fingered glove that allows him to use the glove on both hands. Anyways, the at-bat below between him and a switch hitter towards the end of the season in Class A ball game for the Yankees prompted The Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC) to make the following rule. If nothing else happens, and he doesn’t make the pros, at least he put his stamp on the game!
The Pat Venditte Rule
The pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire, batter and runner(s) which way he will begin pitching to the batter. Engaging the rubber with the glove on a particular hand is considered a definitive commitment to which arm he will throw with. The batter will then choose which side of the plate he will bat from.
The pitcher must throw one pitch to the batter before any “switch” by either player is allowed.
After one pitch is thrown, the pitcher and batter may each change positions one time per at-bat. For example, if the pitcher changes from right-handed to left-handed and the batter then changes batter’s boxes, each player must remain that way for the duration of that at-bat (unless the offensive team substitutes a pinch hitter, and then each player may again “switch” one time).
Any switch (by either the pitcher or the batter) must be clearly indicated to the umpire. There will be no warm-up pitches during the change of arms.
If an injury occurs the pitcher may change arms but not use that arm again during the remainder of the game.
Okay, so we’re roughly ten days out, but twelve has a much nicer ring to it. Cowabunga dude… Opening Day is fast approaching. This weekend will be the final one for baseball in Arizona. Beginning the middle of next week, teams will be filtering out and making their way home to prepare for the start of the regular season. Next weekend will be a hodgpodge of exhibition games and then the magic happens. The magic that is Opening Day. I’ve always said I’m not big on party holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, New Year’s Eve et cetera. My stance is, who needs an excuse to party? If I wanna get drunk with a bunch of people in green, I’ll go to an A’s game – waaay better than St. Patty’s.Nah, I’m more for the laid back, family holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. You know, the ones that actually mean something. In that fashion, I’m hereby declaring Major League Baseball Opening Day an official holiday for myself. I’m going to ask for work off that day. I don’t see why not. If I were Jewish I’d ask for Rosh Hashanah off. If I were Christian I’d ask for Easter off. But I’m don’t take any religious holidays, so why can’t I take Opening Day? If I were to rank specific days of the year based on their importance and the amount I look forward to them, I’m willing to bet MLB Opening Day makes the top 10, maybe even the top 5.
It wasn’t always the most, wonderful time of the year. Baseball and I had a huge falling out that lasted the greater part of the 90s. Neither of us could really tell you what it was. I just wasn’t interested in baseball anymore, and baseball wasn’t interested in piquing mine. The irony of it all is that logic would say I wasn’t a fan of the steroid era. I’m always a fan of the smaller, faster guys, so it would make sense that I lost interest as guys started to beef up. But, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. I was a big fan of the speedy Ray Lankford, for instance, and suddenly, rather than swiping 40 bags a year, he’s jacking 30 homers a year instead. I still rooted for him. Then of course there was the Summer of 98: McGwire and Sosa. I won’t go into detail because we were all there. I think it brought a lot of us back, whether or not we want to admit it. There was something about one particular game late down the stretch of that season that resonated with me through to this day. I wanna say it was the game McGwire hit #62, but after my Adam Morrison memory debacle, I’d say it very well could’ve been #61, or #70, or even #65 or 66. The point is – and it was a day game, this I remember – there came a moment as McGwire’s monumental home run sailed over the fence in the clear blue St. Louis sunshine, where it all came back to me. All the possibilities that baseball presents, where anything can happen on any given day, any given at-bat, and any given pitch. The NBA can claim it all they want, but Baseball is really where amazing happens. And Opening Day is the most wide open day of them all. A fan in Kansas City can look at the standings and see their team in first place, or Skip Schumacher can lead the big leagues in home runs for a day. What am I wishing for this year? That, on the first day of baseball, Roy Steele says to me, “in to pitch the ninth, Andrew Bailey.”
I can’t lie, I’ve always liked following Bradley and his antics, they seem so stupid yet so entertaining at the same time. Like I said before I will always be grateful for his run with the A’s, and how he WAS pretty much their entire offense and got them ALCS in 2006. Anyways, his recent comments are just another sign that he is overly emotional, and caught up in his own little version of Alice and Wonderland. Everything he’s fried for in the media, he brought on himself. He’s the anti-Tiger, and plain doesn’t think about what he’s saying before he talks. In his most recent comments that has caused a mini uproar in the baseball world he compared himself to bad boys of different industries saying,
“If I was a musician I’d be Kanye West. If I was a basketball player, I’d be Ron Artest. In baseball, they have me, Milton Bradley.I’m that guy. You need people like me, so you can point your finger and go, ‘There goes the bad guy..”
Looks like it would be fun to shop with Milton...
I’d lean more towards the Artest comparison, because he is flat out crazy. He pretty much called out all of Chicago when he was leaving, which I’m sure hit hard with Dyslexic. He almost sounded like he wanted to fight all of Chicago on his way out.
Anyways, Kayne was the best uhhh, Kayne of all time. Rodman was probably the best Artest of the NBA. If he had jumped in the crowd in LA and started punching that fan that threw a water bottle at him he’d be comparable to Artest. Scarface was the best Cocaine dealer of all time, so Al Pacino should be the only one that can quote Scarface. I don’t think he has enough on his record yet to live up to those comparisons. Sure he’s hated, but he’s going to have to take it to the next level somehow to earn the title he dubbed himself. Maybe if he grows a pair of red horns, and appears on the cover of SI this year he could be comparable to Kanye.
Yesterday the Twins decided to avoid having the elephant in the locker room all season long, and locked up their free agent to be and Minnesoootan God, Joe Mauer. He signed there with a no trade clause for the next 8 years for the generous hometown discount of $184 million. Locking up far and away the best catcher in the game doesn’t seem like a bad idea. It’s been highly debated if it’s worth using that much of the franchises total salary on one player. At first I thought it was pretty bold maneuver tying up all that money in one player, but after looking at it further there were some other factors that left me feeling like this was a good move for the Twins.
Getting this deal done well before he was a free agent most likely did get them a discount, believe it or not. If they had held off on the contract talks until the off season, they may have had to pony up an A-Rod type salary ($275 million) to keep him in a Twins uniform, and it would’ve been a distraction all year long. The Twins shifted from their normal MO of letting star players go via free agency, and signing one of their home grown talent must coincide with the grand opening of their new stadium, which looks pretty cool I must admit. It’s been reported that Minnesota’s payroll could hit the $100 million mark as soon as next season pushing them out of the small market team division. If they get five solid seasons out of Mauer behind the plate, and throw him on first base for those last few. He could be winning multiple batting titles. If it pans out that way, the Twins would sign the contract twice over. He could also be the next Eric Chavez, but I hope not for his sake. Will he stay healthy? Who knows, I’m not Nostradamus. My question to the league is, when are the A’s going to get their new stadium built? We were so close, and it fell off the table. We really want to sign some players to ridiculous contracts too!
I’ve heard of many athlete’s taking up different types of conditioning regiments, and know that some turn to different types of fighter training to get their stamina up. Whether it’s boxing or martial arts keeping them agile and strong for the rigors of their sport they do what they need to stay at the top. I’ve never really seen it go the other way though. You don’t often get to see a well rounded martial arts guy playing non boxing/MMA sports. Anyways, whoever this guy above is, he took it to a new level with his nun chuck abilities. He shows us he can hit for power in the batting cages. I don’t think there’s a pitch that’s out of his zone with that kind of unorthodox swing. He’s got a different type of nun chuck when he feels like hitting the links. I wonder if he has a full set? Amazingly his swing still looks better Charles Barkley’s does! If he wants to pimp a chick, he can even impress the ladies with his badminton skills. If he was on your team for anything, you know he’d be able to help you celebrate in style opening champagne bottles for the team. He’s the full package in a multi-sport athlete. If West Eastern State can find the IvanBrothersthen why not look for some talented young kid in some crazy martial arts community in Asia!
So Ron Washington failed a drug test for cocaine. Shame on him. But since the story broke, I’ve witnessed a man take responsibility and hone up to his mistakes better than any other sports figure of this generation. While most of these guys deny accusations for months, sometimes years, until their glass house of lies comes crumbling down, only THEN to make apologies and fess up to their misdeeds, Ron Washington submitted a dug test, notified the administrators he would likely fail it, and then proceeded to communicate with each party of interest what was going on. Wash has always been a mastermind on the field, but he showed me that he is one off of it too. This news surely would’ve outraged the media in most scenarios, but Wash has been one step ahead of the game the entire time. He’s an unproven, black manager of a non-contending team. Major League Baseball and/or the owners could have easily made an example of him, but Wash is a guy who earns respect, and I think it’s obvious that all parties involved respected the way he took responsibility for his lapse in judgment. I always suspected Wash of being a closet pothead, but now we know that third base wasn’t the only line he was handling all these years.
Here’s where I think Ron Washington is not just one, but two steps ahead of the game. He’s long been heralded a player’s coach. Guys seem to play harder for Wash – Chappy alluded to it a few months back, how the A’s demise over the last few years may very well be a direct correlation of Washington’s departure. The manager said he used cocaine once last season, and that’s what caused him to fail the test. He ran the risk of alienating himself from the owners and his ballclub. Instead, you see players like Michael Young coming to his defense. But there’s one player in that clubhouse who suddenly can relate to Wash more than anyone. That player also happens to be the team’s best player. Josh Hamilton, as everyone knows, has had his own battles with cocaine. While Washington’s incident is nothing compared to Hamilton’s years of addiction, when Rangers fans think of drug use, they won’t be zeroing in on him anymore. Wash took the heat, for lack of a better word, off of Hamilton – not that there was much, but still. The best player on the team and the manager just got that much closer on a personal level. Any time the best player on the team and the coach are on the same page, it’s a recipe for success on the field. We’ll see how it plays out, but Washington’s blunder off the field may very well be the best move he makes all season in terms of his teams’ performance on it.
Yesterday Dallas Braden got a little peeved when A-Rod broke an unspoken baseball rule by running across the mound. Robinson Cano was at the plate and hit a foul ball and A-Rod went from 1st to 3rd. A-Rod returned to first base by running across the top of the mound, and Braden was furious about the action, and after Cano grounded out on the next play Braden had to be pulled/escorted off the field by A’s Manager Bob Geren as he tossed out some lyrical pitches in the form of f-bombs in A-Rod’s direction. Here’s the analysis from Harold Reynolds on MLBTV. After the game, Braden spoke of the unspoken rule that the pitcher owns the mound, and no player should be on the mound besides the pitcher out of respect. Here is some of the he said she said that went on…
Braden had a little more to say about getting so fired up, “The long and short of it is it’s pretty much baseball etiquette. He should probably take a note from his captain over there,” referring to Yankees leader Derek Jeter, “because you don’t run across the pitcher’s mound in between an inning or during the game. I was just dumbfounded that he would let that slip his mind. I was just trying to convey to him that I was still out there, that ball’s in my hand and that’s my pitcher’s mound. If he wants to run across the pitcher’s mound, tell him to go do laps in the bullpen. That’s my mound … He’s right. I don’t even have a handful of wins. I have three. Do the math A-Rod.”
By
cali4dre
chappy81
dyslecix
mceezy
Doin Work 
