Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Emrey

Baltimore Orioles: Is Daniel Cabrera for Real?

Michael Emrey — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:50:58 -0400

I'm Daniel Cabrera, and I'm for real?

Am I? Was that a question? Well, no one is really sure. One thing is certain: Cabrera has been electric in his last five starts for the Orioles, going 3-1.

During that five-game stretch, four of which were road games, Cabrera compiled a minuscule 2.19 ERA.

His most impressive performace came on May 8 at Kansas City, where he allowed just one earned run, struck out seven, and only walked one batter in a complete-game, three-hitter.

Has Daniel Cabrera finally developed poise, stamina, and control on the mound? There are two ways to look at the situation. First, one could say, "finally," meaning they are probably an Orioles fan who has been waiting for Cabrera to develop since 2004.

The other way to look at the last five games for Daniel Cabrera is to say it is just a small sample of the larger picture. At times, Cabrera has looked great. But most of the time he has been inconsistent.

I am not sold on Daniel Cabrera...not yet anyway. This is the same player who gave up 25 homers last season, along with 108 walks.

I will continue to root for Cabrera because I feel he still has a considerable amount of potential. However, I will not get my hopes up because I have seen what he has done in the past.

Here are some bold predictions:

Daniel Cabrera: 13-9, 160 K's, 4.08 ERA, 20 HR allowed.

Feel free to disagree, or just leave a comment.

"The Burning Ring of Fire"

Michael Emrey — Sun, 04 May 2008 07:10:52 -0400

Is the "ring of fire" mascot dunk a bad idea?

Yes!

I was compelled to write this article after watching the first quarter of the Spurs and Hornets second round playoff game on May 3.

The second quarter was about to start, so everyone thought, when I found out that the court was covered in fire extinguisher dust. The look on Gregg Popovich's face was the same as mine: stunned.

Numerous mascots around the league successfully complete the "ring of fire" dunk, but it was only a matter of time before something went wrong.

Luckily, it was only a momentum killer, and a 19-minute delay, and not third degree burns covering some poor person in a skin tight hornet suit (or whatever that is supposed to be).

When you think about it, jumping through a ring of fire isn't really that cool anyway, is it?

I mean, I would rather watch a mascot, no scratch that, who cares if the person is dressed like a fool...I would rather watch anybody jump off a trampoline and do a couple flips, or maybe go between the legs like Gilbert Arenas at last years All-Star Game, to throw down a "badunkadunk."

Why not ask some regular guys to come out onto the court between quarters and have them put on a dunk show? Just go to YouTube and search for dunks, there are plenty of people out there that can put on a dunking clinic.

Or why not have random people selected to put up half-court shots for a chance to win something? It doesn't have to be a car, just some sponsored item, or free pizza for a week. How many of those shots go in anyway? Barely any, but it is still a blast to watch.

All I am trying to say is that there is no need to have mascots jump through flaming rings anymore. Maybe the incident last night will bring attention to the fact that it is dangerous. The guy didn't even catch on fire; however, the delay for the cleanup effort was a huge momentum killer.

Shame on the Hornets organization for attempting such a stunt.

A-Rod on 15 Day DL: Expect Longer

Michael Emrey — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:35:50 -0400

Alex Rodriguez is going to the DL for only the fifth time in his career.

As quoted on espn.com, Brian Cashman said, "If it's a Grade 2, it's going to be at least the two weeks. . . ." He was speaking of Rodriguez's grade 2 quad strain that occurred on Sunday, April 20 at Camden Yards.

I was in the upper-deck of Camden Yards when A-Rod came up limp at first after sprinting out of the box, and the situation looked eerily similar to something I went through. When I was a Freshman in college playing D III baseball, I sprinted out of the box on a routine ground ball and felt a tweak in my left quad. I was out at first so I jogged back to the dugout and told my coach. I knew something was wrong, so I did not return to the game, just like A-Rod.

After getting my leg checked out by trainers and doctors, I was diagnosed with a grade 2 strain. I had to go through physical therapy 5 days a week for over a month just to get back to 80%. The worst part about the injury is that when you are not doing anything athletic, you cannot feel the injury. It only becomes bothersome when you push off, i.e., change directions, sprint, jump, etc.

I was not back to 100% for about 8 weeks. Now, I understand that A-Rod and I do not have the same body type so we will heal differently from the same injury; however, I was in good shape, and playing baseball everyday.

Going through the same injury as A-Rod, I can say that there is no way he will return in two weeks--not unless the Yankees organization wants to risk losing their franchise player for longer. It is possible that he will be able to play at 80%, but I would not advise that. Not when you have the best player in baseball locked up for 10 years. The MLB season is 162 games long; let him rest and heal for 40 games or more--I think he needs it.

In conclusion, I think A-Rod will miss up to two months with this grade 2 strained quad. I will estimate a 6-8 week time frame for A-Rod's return.