And the Russ Ortiz experiement is over.
Godwilling.
And the Russ Ortiz experiement is over.
Godwilling.
A-Rod is 0-4 today with 4 K's. The last one coming with the bases loaded. This guy is in a freefall right now. It's sort of sad to see.
The White Sox are in some trouble. They are only a 1/2 game above the Yankees and one full game above the Twins. They are really struggling right now.
I'm sure they'll bounce back. They're far too good to fall apart like this. I really think it's just a slump. I wonder how much of a distraction Ozzie Guillen is becoming though?
Didn't they lose something like 10 out of 12 games last September before they turned it around? Don't throw dirt of them yet.
Well that is true but there starting pitching has been worst this year. 3 of their 5 starters have an ERA over 5. That is not a good sign, IMO. I would watch out for the Twins honestly they are the hottest team in the majors right now.
The Twins are scorching hot but I don't think there's a soul alive (outside of Twins fans) thinks they'll continue to be this hot for the next 50 games. They're definetly playing above their heads right now. I think they'll be in the running come late September, but ultimately I think they'll fade.
They did, but they did it with the LEAD. They lost AGAIN today. Their pitching is a shell of itself and the rumored trade for Soriano makes no sense. They need to shore up their starters, not get another bat. Not only has this post Allstar slide cost them the division, they're now 8.5 behind the Tigers, it may well cause them to MISS the playoffs. Throughout the first half of the season we reasonably assumed the AL wildcard was coming out of the AL central and that it would be the Tigers or the White Sox. Well, it may still come out of the AL Central, but it could be the Twins! If the Yankees win tonight they'll be a 3 way tie for the AL Wild Card. Right now, the White Sox are playing the worst ball of the 3 leaders and Toronto is only 3 games behind them. Not only has Chicago fallen back to the pack, but they're now 3 games behind Boston. This matters because Boston and NY aren't done battling for the AL East title yet. The AL playoff spot that Chicago seemed to have reserved a month ago is now a battle with Boston, NY, Minnesota, and Toronto. All four of those teams are playing better baseball than the White Sox right now. This ISN'T last year's team, they're not pitching as well, and they've lost a few pieces of the puzzle that made them champs. (Remember what El Duque did to you last year Red Sox fans?)Originally posted by CMJ
Didn't they lose something like 10 out of 12 games last September before they turned it around? Don't throw dirt of them yet.
Detroit is for REAL. Their team ERA is tops in the AL and they're the only team under 4 runs a game. That being said, NO ONE wants to play the Twins in the playoffs. They have the 1-2 combination (Santanna & Loriano) that could carry them all the way to the World Series. I wouldn't want them anywhere near Yankee Stadium this fall.
I agree with that analysis, Jedieb. The Twins are scary with that 1-2 punch, plus throw in Radke and they have a very good staff.
No kidding, with Santana and Liriano in a short series...I'd want NO part of that whatsoever...especially if I was a team with a 200 million dollar payroll and no rings since 2000.
Payroll jabs bounce off our diamond studded hides!!!!!!!!!
Giambi, how I love thee!!!!!!!!!! Those last two innings were a roller coaster, but this Yankees team has been battling all year. Even A-Rod chipped in with an 8th inning blast that helped get the rally started. The White Sox are now out of a playoff spot for the first time in months. Let's see how they handle it.
ESPN radio has an interesting topic going right now:
Do you care about what type of person your hometown athletes are off the field/court/ice/track etc.
Case in point: Giambi, admitted roid user gets booed mercilessly as he tumbles to a .220 average and absolutely no pop. Leaves the team for a while, says he's better, lost weight...but eventually put it all back on and is now a home run hitter again.
Now he's a hero in the Bronx again, but that doesn't change the fact that he admitted to juicing.
On the other hand, you've got A-Rod, who by all reports, is a decent person, who's a good husband and father...but doesn't hit a home run in the clutch, makes a bunch of errors, and he's almost reviled now in New York...less than a year removed from an MVP year.
Are the priorities screwed up...or should people just not care about what type of person the player is away from the game?
Personally I care what type of person a player is. I'll never look at Giambi the same way now. Same with Big Mac, Sosa, Palmeiro, and anyone else linked to roids.
The one redeeming factor about Giambi is that he's pretty much the only major roid user still playing who's given any kind of mea culpa. I don't fault anyone outside of NY for "roid" chants when he visits their stadium. If you're a Yankees fan, the guy seems to have cleaned up his act, and he does have a history of delivering in the clutch. The Yankees don't beat Pedro and the Red Sox in that Grady Little Classic without Giambi hitting a couple of HR's to keep them in the game. Without Giambi's numbers this season the Yankees aren't even in the Wild Card race.
Every team in pro sports is bound to have a certain number of thugs, punks, hooligans, etc. Pro sports are a reflection of our society; some good, some bad. Sammy and Mac probably cheated, but Cal did it right. Ken Lay should be rotting in hell, but.... well, I'm sure there's someone in corporate America who's not a dirtbag, but they're not on my radar. When you see the bad in pro sports you should realize you're looking at a mirror of our society. We're not importing all of these athletes from some evil land far away. This is what you get when you take a group of young American girls or boys and put them on a pedastal because they can dribble or hit a ball better than the other kids. Some will handle their fame and wealth well, others will still become the losers they were probably destined to become anyway. The guy who uses roids and cheats probably would have cheated at work so he could get the bigger cubicle if he'd never gotten famous in the first place.
In all the White Sox gloom and doom I hadn't bothered to take a look at their upcoming schedule. Ozzie and the boys have a couple of 3 game sets coming against the Orioles and Royals. If they can't win 4 out of 6 against those scrubs they really are doomed and out of the race.
Well the White Sox have won their last 2, so maybe their free fall has stopped. Meanwhile the Yanks have also almost caught Boston as well.
Although the Yankees got killed by the Devil Rays today. The White Sox have got some easy games, if they can' t beat the Oriloes and Royals they just need to quit.
Nothing can get a struggling team over a slump like a series with the hapless O's. The White Sox are getting KC next so it only gets better for them. The Tigers sent another message to the league, they took 2 out of 3 from the redhot Twins and were two innings away from a sweep.
During the Yanks victory over KC the Abreu trade was announced. The Yanks didn't just get the OF slugger, they got Cory Lidle as well. Lidle has been pitching well lately and he could be the 4th or 5th starter they've been looking for. The Yanks only had to give up 4 minor leaguers so young guys like Cano and Cabrera are safe. I wonder how Shef is going to react to all this. He's in the last year of his contract and he can't be to happy to see Abreyu playing RF.
Abreu has had an awful year though. He hit 50 HRs last year and the way he is hitting them this year he might not make it to 15.
Since Abreu's unbelievable display at last year's home run derby he's hit only 14 or 15 home runs. His power has completely disappeared, but he still has a good on base %. Of course, at 16 million for next year, the Yankees will be expecting more than a handful of home runs.
I know, I am sure the Phillies were just glad to get rid of him. The Yankees are going to stay over the luxury tax forever the way it looks. Even Steinbrenner doesn't have unliminted funds.Originally posted by JMK
Since Abreu's unbelievable display at last year's home run derby he's hit only 14 or 15 home runs. His power has completely disappeared, but he still has a good on base %. Of course, at 16 million for next year, the Yankees will be expecting more than a handful of home runs.
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