Bleacher Report - Articles by Andy Lindberg

In Midst of PED Allegations, the Ortiz Magic Fades

Andy Lindberg — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:10:08 -0400

It has come out that David Ortiz is on the list of 104 players from 2003 who have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

He joins Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa as the names that have been released.

I have been a Red Sox fan since I was 10 years old and seeing David Ortiz emerge as a newer, better version of the Hit Dawg, Mo Vaughn, was a dream come true.

The first legitimate Red Sox jersey I ever got was in junior year of college and it was a birthday gift from a friend I knew back then. I opened the bag to find a sparkling-white jersey with the No. 34 sewn into the back.

I was ecstatic.

I wore the jersey only on rare occasions, but whenever I put it on I felt bulletproof. I was wearing the jersey of the Yankee-slayer Big Papi.

The lovable, smiling Dominican who broke the Red Sox single season home run record and hit walk-off home run after walk-off home run.

I knew I could catch no heat when I put that jersey on because the No. 34 inspired extreme love or extreme hatred all for the same reason:

Ortiz was a baseball God amongst mere hitters.

Now the fans of the Yankees and Cardinals and Rockies are screaming that the Red Sox have illegitimately won two World Series titles.

But Ortiz’ possible PED use has brought the realization to baseball fans everywhere that no matter what team you root for, during the time before 2004, your team had a starter or more who were juicing, and that’s the sad fact of baseball life.

Red Sox fans screamed that New York’s rings were fraud with the PED use by Clemens, Pettite, Knobloch, and Justice to name a few.

But how can championships be fraud if everyone was on the same plane? I hate the Yankees, but I cannot justify saying their championships were illegitimate if every team had PED users, which, I guarantee you, they did. Plus, it wasn’t outlawed at the time.

But now the Big Papi magic has faded for me. Deep down, I knew that Ortiz could have been one of the PED users, but I never wanted to acknowledge or hear about it.

I used to look through my closet, run across the Papi jersey and smile. Today I flipped through my shirts, saw the Ortiz jersey and got sad.

What used to make me feel bulletproof now makes me feel like I’m wearing a target.

Today Ortiz launched a three-run homer to put the Red Sox ahead in a game they have been losing by two runs in the late innings. It was vintage Papi, but I felt nothing. The magic of a clutch Papi home run was gone.

The Sox needed the win badly and I’m glad they got it, but seeing Papi crush that home run after the name had been released was a buzzkill.

I hope Ortiz comes out and admits what he did. I hope what he took was nothing heavy. I hope I can feel the same way when he strolls to the plate as I used to—exuberant to the point of jumping with the crowd screaming, willing Ortiz to jack one.

I hope all this steroid BS goes away forever and we can get back to enjoying the game for what it is, because all of this is really hurting the game.

Roy Halladay Brings Back the Lost Art of the Complete Game

Andy Lindberg — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:36:07 -0400

Roy Halladay is an animal.

I have full confidence in the Blue Jays getting a win whenever Halladay toes the rubber. I’m not a Jays fan by any means, I’m just accustomed to Doc’s inability to get bounced from a baseball game.

On June 7, Halladay got his 10th win (he’s 10-1) in yet another complete-game effort.

Believe me when I say Roy Halladay will be inducted into the Hall of Fame before all is said and done.

His career numbers sit at 141-67, an unbelievable .678 winning percentage in his 11-plus seasons of major league service. He is currently in his 12th year. Yes, the 3.48 era is very good, but the number that sticks out to me is Halladay’s 43 complete games.

He has only won 20 games or more twice (22 in 2003 and 20 in 2008) but has lost double-digit games once in his entire career. It was in 2008 where he went 20-11, yet sported a 2.78 era. The guy doesn’t lose, and he’s as old school as they get.

Talk all you want about today’s studs, but I’ll take Halladay over most teams’ aces because I know the bullpen is getting a day off when he throws. Johan Santana has gone the distance nine times in his career. Josh Beckett has thrown five. C.C Sabathia has thrown 28. These are all guys who are expected to win start after start.

Yet Halladay is the only one of them who is the most consistent winner. He’s led baseball four times in the complete game category. Baseball is a game that has evolved (or devolved) into a chess match. Middle relievers, setup men and closers are expected to take over after the seventh inning fairly consistently. Roy Halladay says no.

Halladay will more than likely reach 2,000 innings pitched this year for his career. He has finished top-five in Cy Young voting five times. He doesn’t get the recognition he deserves because he plays for the uber small-market Toronto Blue Jays, a city obsessed with hockey.

Doc Halladay is the best pitcher you’re not watching and he gives the fans their money’s worth almost every time out. He goes out and plays the game the way it should be played.

And if he really wanted to, he could probably win 45 games a year for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A Fan's Disgruntled Look At Some Annoyances in Sport

Andy Lindberg — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:51:52 -0400

I’m sick of this.

“This” encompasses many things, but none more so that the athlete who gives “The Point”.

“The Point” occurs after many things. Home runs, touchdowns, a big team win, a tennis win etc. The athlete looks to the sky, raises one or both arms, and then gives the big G-O-D a point.

Give me a friggin’ break. You expect me to believe your “pious” nature has gotten you dingers? Nope. To all you morons who feel the need to do this, let me help you out.

God has much better things to do that fix it so you can pad your friggin’ stats. Get over yourselves and your public displays of Goldly expression. Barry Bonds did this after almost every dinger, and did it more and more emphatically as he hit more homers. And we all know how good of a person Barry Bonds is. I’m sure God loved it when he broke past Aaron.

If God is a sports fan, which he/she most likely is (because why not?) then God wants to be a fan like the rest of us and sit back, relax and be surprised. After a long day of having to try to manage an entire afterlife kingdom the is supposed to exist, keep Lucifer and his homeboys from creeping on the Pearly Gates, answering prayers from the sick and dying here on earth and taking endless confessions, God probably wants to crack a cold one and chill. God does not want a preening athlete to score at His will.

It ruins a perfectly good accomplishment. The truly humble and appreciative will get out of sight and thank God with their heads down just like it says in the Good Book!

And what’s worse is the ensuing commercial break where I have to watch an infomercial for cock pills.

OK, note to all you ding dings who think these work. It’s a farce. If you’re not happy with what’s dangling betwixt your legs, then get surgery. These pills are not going to make your schlong bigger. ExtenZe? Really, that's the name? Wow.

I know you’re probably jacked up about the Uber-point you just saw when LaDanian Tomlinson scored that touchdown, and now you’re getting a little bit of a chubby going on. But save your money for things that will influence your cock positively, like beer! Beer is advertised even more heavily than cock pills. And with beer, everyone looks better to the good ol’ Johnson!

Sports are being tainted by fake Christians and cock pills. An unlikely duo that has teamed up to make the experience of watching sports as bad as the refereeing in the NBA playoffs. The ultimate occurs when you get the “I have a family to feed” speech when the athlete “only” makes $10 million a year.

Why not feed your family cock pills?

Red Sox Prospects Have Earned Call-Up

Andy Lindberg — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:24:38 -0400

Clay Buchholz took a perfect game into the ninth inning of a AAA game on Monday, May 25th. He is 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA for the Pawtucket Red Sox. He also had 49 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched.

Michael Bowden is 2-2 with a 1.64 ERA for Pawtucket. He has already seen some major league action this season with a relief appearance against the New York Yankees. He pitched two perfect innings and struck out two.

Both starters are wallowing in the minors when they should be getting Major League time. This is not a hard problem for the Red Sox to fix. It is said that Brad Penny is being dangled as trade bait for more than a few teams and does not have a hefty contract. John Smoltz is going to be ready soon, so somebody is probably going in a deal before then.

Moving Penny would enable the Red Sox to bring up Buchholz or Bowden to take his spot in the rotation until Smoltz gets back. But the smart move in my opinion would be to keep Smoltz in the already superb Boston bullpen and save his arm for the playoff push later in the season.

Boston also has some starting pitching woes that can be alleviated with Bowden and Buchholz. Daisuke Matsuzaka is getting touched up as we speak by Minnesota and came into the game with an ERA over 10.00 and a DL stint under his belt.

Jon Lester issues a “Gator Guarantee” and got shelled for five runs by the Twins as well. If Lester does not shape up, look for the Red Sox to do like every other major league club. They will find a fictional problem with Lester and send him to the DL for a confidence boosting stint in the minors. Theoretically, Buchholz will be in for Penny and Bowden for Lester.

Sure, both youngsters will have an occasional tough outing, but when you have two guys sitting in the minors with ERAs under 1.40, you have to call them up. There is only so much seasoning they need at this point.

This has to be done soon, because the Sox starting rotation needs a jolt, and quickly.

Jon Lester Issues His Own “Gator Guarantee”

Andy Lindberg — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:08:13 -0400

When the Florida Gators lost a heart-breaker to Mississippi during the 2008-09 regular season, quarterback Tim Tebow responded with what became known as the “Gator Guarantee”.

Jon Lester has issued his own version of that promise after his most recent loss to the Seattle Mariners.

“There will not be a pitcher for the remainder of the season that will work as hard as I will to get to where I was last year,” Lester said. “It’s the little things that are screwing up my outings, and it will turn around.”

Well Lester and the BoSox are up on the Blue Jays 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Lester looks rock solid.

The Red Sox need this kind of pitching. Brad Penny pitched a gem May 20, and very well could be trade bait, especially now that Jake Peavy has decided against going to Chicago and to stay in San Diego. There is a market for cheap, consistent pitching, and on the radar gun, Penny has been very consistent.

Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden are tearing it up in Pawtucket with ERAs of 1.60 and 0.86, respectively.

I could see Buchholz being dangled as trade bait, as well, but he or Bowden will get called up to help the rotation before the season is out. There is no way both of these pitchers sit in the minor leagues for the duration of the season while racking up phenomenal ERAs.

There are some desperate teams out there for pitching. Brad Penny would not come with a high asking price and he is one of the cheapest established starters out there.

But Lester looks to have returned to his old form. Lester never really pitched poorly this season, but the slightest mistakes were getting punished.

It is amazing that the Sox, without solid starting pitching and without David Ortiz’s rock-star bat, have been able to play as well as they have. Now that Papi has his dinger and Daisuke Matsuzaka is returning, the Red Sox could hit the warpath very soon. They are a better team than both New York and Tampa Bay, and once the Sox hit their stride, it could spell trouble for the rest of the AL East.

Big Papi Legend Coming to a Close in the Worst Possible Way

Andy Lindberg — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:01:24 -0400

“Sorry, guys, I don’t feel like talking right now,” Ortiz said. “Just put down ‘Papi stinks.’”

This was the quote from David Ortiz after the Red Sox’ brutal 13-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, the team with the most unnecessary name in baseball.

I can’t stand to see Ortiz like this. Ortiz, the man whose smile stretches from ear to ear in the photos. Ortiz, the man who broke the Red Sox’ single season home run record with 54 in 2006. Ortiz, the Yankee-killer. His aura is fading faster than the ghost of Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams.

I called for patience with Papi early in the season. But I have never, ever, seen an 0-7 showing in the box score out of our three-hitter. What made it worse were the 12 men Ortiz left on base.

I still want patience with Papi. After all, this is the man who brought the 2004 championship to Boston with his phenomenal play in the 2004 ALCS. But he cannot bat third in the Boston lineup right now.

When Kevin Youkilis gets off the DL next week, Boston needs to plug in Bay/Youkilis at the third and fourth spots in the lineup. Ortiz needs to be moved to seventh. Until then, put Dustin Pedroia in the three-hole

It it incomprehensible to me and many true Red Sox fans. Dropping Papi to seventh? The fact of the matter is that now Ortiz is not batting in the most crucial of runs when we need them over the course of a game.

Ortiz is mentally beaten. There has never been a moment in his career where he has batted as poorly as he is now and he has no clue of how to come out of it. Plug him into the seven-spot for some low-pressure at-bats. If that doesn’t work, Boston has another option.

Put Papi on the DL with one of those very wordy ailments that mean in so many words, “really bad slump.” Then call up Michael Bowden or Clay Buchholz to help out the Red Sox’ league-worst starting pitching staff.

It’s sad, but it’s what needs to happen. The Red Sox have great depth and what makes it so great is the fact that this depth produces. Right now, Ortiz is not and cannot seem to produce. Give Papi a few games low in the lineup, then sit or DL him.

It makes me nauseous to say that and to even think it. But for the sake of his state of mind and the runs the Red Sox are not scoring, it has to be done.

Watching a legend drift away is sad. Watching one fail completely is even worse.

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Dear Yankees: 2004 Was Legitimate

Andy Lindberg — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:39:59 -0400

In an article posted on the New York Yankees website regarding the 50 game suspension of Manny Ramirez, writer Anthony DiComo wrote:

“The natural reaction of those in the Bronx is to wonder what might have been that October. If it was indeed steroids that triggered Ramirez’s positive test for performance-enhancing substances, then has the validity of the Red Sox’s 2004 World Series title taken a hit?”

This was in reference to the 2004 ALCS, where the Red Sox came back from three games down to beat the Yankees in four games.

Are you kidding me?

First of all, the Yankees were up three games to none and legitimately choked.

And let’s look at Ramirez’ stats that series.

DiComo mentions that Ramirez batted .300, but leaves it at that.

I wonder why?

Oh, maybe it’s because during the 2004 ALCS Manny Ramirez did not hit a single home run and did not have one single RBI.

Are you kidding me, Yankee fans? Are you actually serious here?

You’re going to question the 2004 Red Sox validity over this positive test for Ramirez.

Please try.

No home runs and no RBIs. Hm, what an impact Ramirez made.

But maybe Manny scored a lot of runs.

Oh, nope.

He scored three runs in seven games.

Now, Manny has tested positive for hCG—a masking agent. So he has not tested positive for an actual PED or steroid.

A-Rod, on the other hand, tested positive for and admitted to taking Primobolan—a steroid.

In the 2004 ALCS, Alex Rodriguez hit two home runs, had five RBIs and scored eight runs.

Compared to Ramirez, A-Rod was a freak.

But the Yankees still lost in the biggest comeback in the history of the game. Yet, Yankee fans and writers are trying to find that one black mark to take away what the 2004 Red Sox earned.

Maybe wonder how Mark Bellhorn, a career .233 hitter hit two home runs and knocked in four RBIs that series.

Maybe wonder how Trot Nixon hit a homer and knocked in three.

But the big boy was Big Papi. David Ortiz mashed three homers and had 11 RBIs.

And you’re going to try to take this away from Boston over Manny? Really?

What about Kevin Millar working a walk against Mariano Rivera in Game Four, then being pinch run for by Dave Roberts?

The whole ballpark, no, the whole world knew Roberts was going to steal, yet Rivera and Posada could not keep Roberts at first base. Bill Mueller knocked in his only run of the series right there, tying Game Four and sending it into extras.

Maybe explain how Derek Lowe went 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA that series?

The point is that yes, Manny Ramirez probably took steroids.

But Alex Rodriguez definitely took steroids.

Gary Sheffield has been linked to the juice along with arguably the best closer in recent history, Mariano Rivera.

Rivera gave up one earned run all series.

That very run was the spark the Red Sox needed to win it all.

So shut up about Ramirez. He did nothing in the 2004 ALCS. But small-time role players and gutsy pitching from a starter banished to the bullpen to start the playoffs beat the mighty Yankees.

Oh, and A-Rod’s slap sure didn’t help, either.

In Wake of Ramirez Suspension, Players Have to Take Responsibility.

Andy Lindberg — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:51:05 -0400

Manny Ramirez is out.

One of this generation’s most prolific hitters from the right side has been suspended for 50 games.

Ramirez’ agent, Scott Boras, said the positive test was triggered by a doctor-prescribed drug.

I don’t understand how a player can let this happen today.

Now the finger-pointing turns to Ramirez

The player has a responsibility here. If you are taking ANY kind of substance, especially prescription drugs, you HAVE to go to the player’s union to get it cleared. This is not the '90s. This is not a time where everyone is in the heat of the Mitchell Report. This is the era where testing for steroids and banned substances has become commonplace, and prescription drugs contain some of these substances. The excuse “I had no idea” holds no merit anymore.

It is still unclear as to what Ramirez was taking, and under HIPPA agreements, unless Manny discloses what the drug was or there is a leak, the pubic will not find out what it is.

Steve Phillips said on ESPN today that for Ramirez to clear his name, he must produce the medicine, what he used it for, and the prescribing doctor. I couldn’t agree more.

Now Ramirez does not have to do any of this, but with all the scrutiny surrounding him the past two seasons, Manny has to think about his legacy. This could severely dent Ramirez’ shot at the Hall (he was a lock before these allegations).

Ramirez was widely thought to have been clean, much like A-rod was. However, in a statement just made by Ramirez, he said he is sorry and that is was a prescribed drug.

How can the public be so sure anymore? And how can we be surprised?

Manny’s aloof persona has let him get away with a lot in his career. It is possible that Ramirez is just oblivious enough to not know what he was ingesting. But again, in today’s game, the player must protect himself and ask what is in what they are taking. Until this all clears up, the word “steroid” will be commonplace. I hope for the good of the game that Ramirez wasn’t juicing. But sadly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

Yankee Front Office to Blame for Poor Start

Andy Lindberg — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:29:48 -0400

The Yankees’ bullpen and front office miscues are going to keep the Yankees from being respectable this season. After spending close to half a billion dollars on three players in the off-season, the Yankees did not put any focus into their bullpen.

Brian Cashman has screwed this team.

Now, I’m a Sox fan, so I love the fact that the Yankees are having a tough time, but I can’t stand to see a guy like Joe Girardi take the fall for this. It is in no way the manager’s fault.

The Yankee organization is too full of misplaced pride to suck it up for a two to three years and rebuild their team and bring up great prospects.

The Yankees didn’t need Mark Teixeira when they had already gotten Nick Swisher (who is on fire) for a much lower price. I could see CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett, but not both for that long and that much money.

Burnett is coming off a bombing from the Red Sox, and Sabathia has been a wildcard so far. Not to mention his contract length is absurd.

The Yankees have long-term and expensive contracts with Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett and Sabathia. This prevents them from investing a lot of money into their farm system, especially with a brand new stadium to finance.

The Yankee team ERA is 6.26. Burnett is coming off an 18-win season, but had 12 losses and a 4.07 ERA.

The last pitcher that had an 18-win season during his contract year that that the Yankees (and Cashman) decided to invest in was Carl Pavano. Cashman’s priorities are all wrong.

You can win every year with money, but not when that money is spent poorly. The Red Sox are winning because they have invested a ton of money into scouting and their farm system.

Out of the starting lineup, the Red Sox have home grown stars in Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Justin Masterson, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury and plenty of others who are on the fast-track to the majors. The Yankees have Derek Jeter, Andy Pettite, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano along with a plethora of bullpen rookies who are not performing well and a slew of bench players.

The Red Sox are not in the business of grooming bench players. The Yankees seem to be in the business of grooming backups to their high-priced free agent acquisitions.

Girardi is going to do the best he can with what he is provided. With A-Rod on the shelf, that’s the best he can do.

Instead of blaming the manager, Yankee fans and press should start blaming the front office for screwing this team’s future. The Mets have done the same thing.

Omar Minaya turned that team into a geriatric ward and the Mets have folded every year since. So what happened? Willie Randolph, a very solid and improving manager got fired and Minaya kept his job.

The Yankees are bad because of bad signings and decisions. The only thing Girardi can do that will seriously help this team is smarten up and put Chamberlain where he was born to be: throwing 100mph from the bullpen. Bring up Hughes and Kennedy for Chamberlain’s starter spot.

Even the Yankees have to rebuild every so often. They need to wise up now before they get stuck in an 86-year drought.

Youkilis Blast Beats Yankees

Andy Lindberg — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:45:46 -0400

The Boston Red Sox had no right winning this game.

The Red Sox and Jason “Canadian Bay-con” Bay jacked up Mariano Rivera (again) and Kevin Youkilis further demonstrated why he wants to be the 2009 MVP in a 5-4 walk off win over the hated New York Yankees Friday night.

The Sox grounded into four double plays and left a slew of runners on base, but somehow managed to scrounge up three runs to win the ballgame. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Jason Bay brought his Canadian cool to the batter’s box and smoked a two-run shot off of Mariano Rivera to tie it.

Then, in the 11th, Kevin Youkilis sealed the deal.

Kevin Youkilis and his man-beard are on a tear. This was a game that had “Yankees win” written all over it. OK, I know I’m a Sox fan, but in watching all of their games to this point, this is a HUGE win for Boston. Stuck in a rut offensively for part of the year and struggling to find a groove, the Red Sox added on to their winning streak in dynamite fashion.

Manny who?

On the other side, the Yankee bullpen needs serious help. Joba Chamberlain, although he had a decent start, is not built to start. He needs to be a gas thrower in the bullpen for New York to be successful. The Yankee ‘pen will be their downfall this year.

Maybe Teixeira should learn to pitch.

Sox Double Plays Severely Hurting Run Production

Andy Lindberg — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:21:53 -0400

The Red Sox are getting doubled up more than an adult film star.

The all time team record for team GIDP’s or “grounded into double plays”, is 174 set by the 1990 Boston Red Sox.

The 2009 Red Sox desperately want to break that record.

It is the top of the sixth inning on Friday, April 24 and the Red Sox are losing to the Yankees 2-1 because the Yanks have turned four double plays.

The Red Sox have 16 GIDP’s on the season. That’s 16 in this, their 16th game. So the Sox are on pace to hit 162 double plays. But alas, the game is not yet over. I’m sure more base-runners will be eliminated tonight via the double play.

This is unnaturally frustrating to watch as a Red Sox fan. Jon Lester is pitching well, and Chamberlain has not. Yet Chamberlain has given up only one run to the Red Sox, and Melky “Melk-Maid” Cabrera is on fire.

I would blame the Red Sox’s lack of speed, but Jacoby Ellsbury grounded into a bases loaded double play and was out by a good two steps. So obviously, the Sox like hitting the ball right at people. There’s poor luck, and then there’s the inability to loft a fly ball deep enough to score one of the many runners the Red Sox have had at third this game. Right now, in the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox have one out and runners at the corners with Nick Green up.

I’m trying to remain civil and not throw my television out the window.

Well HOLEEE COW. Nick Green actually put a liner into right and the Red Sox scored. It’s 2-2. However, the double play is still in order, with runners at first and second.

More from this game at its conclusion, but Boston could easily have five or six runs if it was not for the double play.

Albert Pujols: Just How Good Is He?

Andy Lindberg — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:02:19 -0400

Livan Hernandez was targeted for termination.

In Thursday’s ballgame between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets, Cardinals’ first baseman Albert Pujols went 3-for-4 with a walk and hit two home runs off Hernandez. Phat Albert now has six home runs on the season and 21 RBI.

Albert Pujols. He really is a machine.

Let me explain to you just how freakishly good Albert Pujols is.

He broke into the majors in 2001 at the age of 21 and played in an unheard of 161 out of 162 games his rookie year. He hit 37 home runs and batted .329. Without a doubt, he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

He hasn’t slowed down a bit since then.

He’s been in the majors only eight-plus seasons and has career totals of 325 home runs, 997 RBI, and a batting average of .334. Oh, and he’s also won a Gold Glove Award at first base.

Shut up.

It was widely thought after the Mitchell Report that Alex Rodriguez was going to be the savior of baseball.

Oops!

Pujols is the savior of baseball. He is not the jewel of the game because of his statistics, although they certainly help fill out an astounding resume, but his work off the field is what makes him one of the best.

He and his wife set up the Pujols Family Foundation, a foundation for those afflicted by Down Syndrome and their families, after his daughter was born with Down Syndrome. The Foundation also reaches out to his native Dominican Republic, a nation crippled with poverty.

There is nothing bad that can be said about this guy. He has never trashed the fans, has never acted bigger than the game, and as far as we know, hasn’t been ‘roided up.'

Now, we said the same thing about A-Rod, but A-Rod isn’t the man Pujols is. Few baseball players are.

Now let’s look at Pujols’ career and see what injustices have been done to him.

In 2002 and 2003, Albert Pujols came in second to Barry Bonds in MVP voting. This simply will not do. Not only does Bonds carry an egomaniacal persona, he is also a ‘roid freak for the purpose of feeding the beast that paid attention to him.

So we’ll just go ahead and give Pujols those two MVP’s. He won the award outright in 2005 and 2008, so his total should be four NL MVPs. Pujols lost the 2006 award to Ryan Howard, who had a beast year in 2006.

Pujols has a World Series ring to his credit, and has played in two fall classics. He lost to the Red Sox in 2004 and beat Detroit in 2006.

A-Rod is stuck on zero championships in zero World Series appearances. Bonds also never won a ring, because the baseball gods do not reward those who disrespect the game.

Pujols should put up another high-caliber year on his way to the Hall of Fame. Enjoy him while you can. Players who perform as well off the field as they do on it don’t come around very often.

Is Kansas City Royals' Pitching Their Ticket to Postseason?

Andy Lindberg — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:29:41 -0400

Gil Meche is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and is in the midst of tossing a gem against the Cleveland Indians. The Royals are currently up, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh.

Meche is the reliable talent the Royals invested in after Meche’s 11-8 2006 season with Seattle.

Even though Meche has had his struggles in Kansas City, he has posted ERA’s below 4.00 in each of his first two full seasons, and has started 34 games in both. This season, with a better Royals offense and a better staff, Meche and the other Royals’ pitchers are looking to anchor Kansas City’s path to the playoffs.

Zack Grienke is 3-0 and has not yet given up a run. He has dominated three straight starts and is turning into the prospect the Royals thought he could be after 2004.

However, Grienke suffered through a horrific 5-17 2005 campaign, and in his 2007 and 2008 seasons, while his ERA’s were solid (3.69 and 3.47 respectively), Grienke was still having issues on the field.

That all looks to be over this season, and he is turning into the ace he was built up to be.

Even Kyle Davies has turned out three solid outings with a 1-0 record and a 2.89 ERA. This, however, probably won’t last.

But the starting rotation (aside from Sidney Ponson) is more solid than it has been in years past, and the bullpen (aside from Kyle Farnsworth) is good as well.

OK, can Kansas City please explain Kyle Farnsworth to me? Are you kidding? He gives up bombs like he’s paid to (114 career). He is 0-3 out of the ‘pen this season. Those are three wins the Royals should have had and ones that Farnsworth gave up.

I used to love it when this guy played for the Yankees, because I knew whenever he came in, the Red Sox were getting hits. Farnsworth gave up 28 home runs while with New York.

That tangent aside, KC is looking good. Joakim Soria (The “Mexicutioner”) has five saves, and the offensive additions, Mike Jacobs (4 HR) and Coco Crisp, are both contributing. After a slow start, Crisp has picked it up.

Coming into the season, I picked Kansas City as a dark horse, mostly because I think the AL Central isn’t that great and a little because the Royals are my second-favorite baseball team (for reasons I am still unaware of).

If the pitching holds up, look for Kansas City to surprise the Central and stay in the race well into September.

Yankee Stadium Is New NASA Launchpad

Andy Lindberg — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:43:11 -0400

Call the bomb-squad. Yankee Stadium has been hit daily

Apparently, right field at the new Ballpark in the Bronx is a home run tunnel. Buster Olney of ESPN has recently addressed this problem.

This is a big problem for the Yanks, seeing has how to this point today, CC Sabathia has given up six earned runs to the A’s and four total homers have been hit. The Yankees went out and spent a fortune on both Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

If there is a home-run problem at the new stadium, which there seems to be, ERA’s are going to be greatly inflated on their high-priced studs.

Well, the Yankees won 26 World Series titles in the old stadium. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There was no real need for this new stadium. I went to Yankee stadium last year, and sure, it cold have used some renovations, but nothing really major.

The original stadium is slated to be demolished mid-summer. We don’t know if this will have an effect on the home-run alley. If it does, problem solved. If not, I stick by the new stadium being cursed.

The Yankees have always prided themselves on pitching prowess, as Olney mentions, but no matter who pitches in that park, it’s going to be tough throwing in the East Coast Coors Field.

Just wait until the Red Sox visit that park. David Ortiz, JD Drew, Jason Varitek are all batters with power from the left side. If Jacoby Ellsbury goes yard a few times, that’s a lot of trouble.

Or, the Yankees can count on Johnny Damon hitting 50 home runs this year.

If I were the Yankees, I’d think about re-sodding the original stadium before it’s too late.

Mother Nature Postpones Red Sox Fun

Andy Lindberg — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:16:08 -0400

Rainouts suck.

I went to the Red Sox game last night that wasn’t. Sitting in the outfield grandstands provided a dry atmosphere, and then came the booming voice of the public address announcer:

“The Red Sox thank you for your patience, but because God hates you, this game has been postponed. The tickets will be honored at the makeup date, tomorrow at 12:35, when odds are most of you won’t be able to go.”

He was right. Not many of us were able to go. So the soggy Sox faithful trudged out of Fenway and back from whence they came. I estimate 70 percent headed back to the T station at Kenmore Square.

You ever see the movie 28 Weeks Later, where the Americans quarantine all the Brits after an initial outbreak of "infection?" Yeah, that’s what this looked like. I was waiting for someone to start puking blood and for all mayhem to break loose.

Fortunately, this did not occur. It’s amazing how many people were drunk, though. One woman, who was no older than 24, yammered on about her season tickets.

“I’ve beens goin to tha Red Shox for 13 yearzz! F**k the other pashengers on this train! It’s too pack’d!”

When her boyfriend (poor guy) was talking to another passenger on the train about cookies, for some reason:

“Hey! My mom makes you cookies! She’s wicked nice to you!”

You don’t say.

Truth be told, I enjoy a drunk fan. Mostly because they are the scourge of everyone’s existence after a rain out. The drunks shoot their mouths off and I look at the faces surrounding them.

I like to play a little game I call, “How does that person want to murder the drunk?” It’s fun. Most looks imply throwing the person onto the railroad tracks. Then comes the deflated look when they realize this won’t happen.

But, when all was said and done, we made it back to the car by 10, when a normally-started game would have ended.

Hooray weather.