MLB 2011 AL Central Division: It's Not You, It's Your Team
In honor of the recent Valentines Day and upcoming 2011 MLB Season it's time to show a little love to the foes of the AL Central.
There are some likable players on your favorite teams rival and I'd like to pay a little attention to these guys. After all, not everyone is AJ Pierzynski in this division.
Over the last couple seasons the rivalries from the AL Central have been a case of the Good (Twins and Tigers and their managerial love-fest), the Bad (Royals and Indians battle for the cellar) and the Ugly (Sox brawling with everyone at one time or another).
Since the five teams play each other for nearly an eighth of the season, you learn to hate the opposing players.
But every once in awhile you'll find a guy on one of these teams that you can actually tolerate.
I've provided a list of the top guy from each team in the AL Central that I love. You could think of it like Romeo and Juliet but without the romance, suicide and reciprocal adoration.
It might be the teams best player but isn't always. It's usually a guy you'd see and say..."I'd love to have that guy on my team" or at least "I'd have a beer with him." That, and when you see him you don't want to puke.
Before you say it, yes I am a Tigers fan, so to add a little more to the article I'll even give my fellow AL Central fans a player on my hometown Tigers to root for.
In honor of this time of year, it's time to share the love and hug your enemy.
Chicago White Sox: Paul Konerko
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Despite having an MVP type season in 2010 Paul Konerko was completely overshadowed by Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera when talks of the league MVP came up.
This seems to be the story of this unappreciated superstars' career. He's always busting his ass off but barely recognized enough by the national media for it.
Konerko has called Chicago his home since 1997 which is pretty amazing in modern baseball. All the other White Sox stars (Frank Thomas, Magglio Odonez, Jermaine Dye, etc.) have come and gone but Paulie is still plugging away.
He's also had a squeaky clean personal life. Seriously, this guys "Personal" section on Wikipedia is 11 words about his brother playing minor league baseball. That's it? You'd need about three hours to sift through Lindsay Lohan's.
On a team with the ultimate guy everyone hates, Konerko is the Abel to Piersynki's Cain...who's almost as big a douchbag as Mark Zuckerberg (thanks for the insight "The Social Network").
I love this guy and if there's anyone on the Sox I want hitting a bomb off my team, it's Konerko. As long as I don't have to hear Hawk's spastic rendition of "You can put it on the board.....YES!", then I might not puke.
Cleveland Indians: Chris Perez
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Being traded for CC Sabathia comes with some expectations.
Chris Perez has lived up to them. He arguably had the best season of any Indian last year.
He converted 23 of 27 saves with a 1.71 ERA on a bad team. He's got a fastball that approaches triple digits and made Kerry Wood look like Natalie Wood.
Plus, look at this guy. His bio says 6'4" and 230 lbs.
Uh, OK. That's nearly the exact size of Terrell Owens. Does this picture look like a TO clone? And don't give me that muscle weighs more than fat crap. Let's just say the Browns might just have their replacement for Shaun Rogers at Nose Tackle already on the mound at Progressive Field.
Regardless, Perez doesn't shave, doesn't cut his hair, can throw some serious heat and I'm certain he's bonged more than one beer in his life. That makes him alright in my book.
I might get some arguments for Shin-Soo Choo here but really he's only the second best outfielder that the Indians have ever signed from Asia. Oh yeah, you know you remember Tanaka from Major League 2 and 3. I've never seen Shin-Shoo leap eight feet on top of a wall to catch a would be homer, have you?
Detroit Tigers: Austin Jackson
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Austin Jackson was put in a no win situation last year for the Tigers.
They traded a guy (Curtis Granderson) who was more popular in Detroit than Kid Rock on Eminem's shoulders.
Everyone including me loved Granderson despite the fact that he struggled to hit .250.
To make Jackson's intro to Detroit worse, they put him in the lead off spot in his first game as a rookie...and oh yeah you're going to play the cavernous center field in Comerica Park while covering for the stone footed Magglio Ordonez and rubber band armed Johnny Damon. Good luck with that.
How did Jackson respond?
He hit nearly .300 and was runner up for the Rookie of Year while playing amazing defense. Many of Dave Dombrowski's moves have been about as well received as a Nick Cage movie*...but not this one.
* Except Kick Ass—that movie rocks.
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Kansas City: Joakim Soria
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If you thought Chris Perez was a good closer, Joakim Soria makes him look like Jose Mesa in Game 7 of the World Series.
He's got an awesome, albiet semi-politically incorrect nickname. The Mexicutioner.
I guess the political correctness of it depends on who gave him the nickname. All I know is that Jonathan Papelbon lobbied hard to be called "The Americanator" but it didn't stick.
Whatever you call Soria, he's a stud and pretty much the Royals de facto All-Star.
Soria has 115 saves in the last three years for the Royals, which is amazingly more games than they've won in that time frame (well, not really but it seems like it) and he's only blown thirteen saves in his entire career.
Thirteen blown saves was a rough week for the Royals before him (no joke - they blew 31 of 66 save opportunities the year before he got there) so it's scary to think what their record would be without him. We're talking 2003 Detroit Tigers territory here.
Soria is also only 26-years-old so he'll be terrorizing the AL Central for years to come. That's assuming of course that the Royals can get a lead and/or they don't ship him off to a contender at some point. I hope they keep him as he's an amazing talent even though he Mexicutes my team every chance he gets.
Minnesota Twins: Delmon Young
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Delmon Young has always been overshadowed by his teammates in his career, and last year was no exception. Playing behind the crunchy candied shelled M&M boys (yes I know there good...quit telling me), Delmon unexpectedly led the team in RBIs while Justin Morneau worked out his Canadian Visa issues (OK...it was a concussion), and Joe Mauer perfected the art of NOT hitting Home Runs.
Young doesn't have a spotless past as he has had a penchant for using refs for target practice, but seriously what guy not named Armando Galarraga hasn't wanted to throw a bat at a ref at one time or another for a bad call?
Probably my favorite Delmon Young story has to do with him being beaned by Jeremy Bonderman of the Tigers in a game in 2009.
Young's teammate, the rotund Jose Mijares, had attempted to re-ignite a dead beanball exchange by needlessly throwing at Adam Neverhit (err...Everett) of the Tigers the inning before.
Knowing Bonderman was going for retribution, Young took the beaning like a man...then proceed to go after the pitcher.
Here's the awesome thing, that pitcher wasn't Bonderman but Mijares. The benches cleared but it got comically tame when both teams realized Young was angry at Mijares and his selfish actions.
Sounds like a pretty cool guy to me.
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.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
