Bleacher Report - Articles by John Garcia

How Will the World Baseball Classic Impact Fantasy Baseball?

John Garcia — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:00:45 -0500

Pretend it's March. (I came up with this idea now and would forget it by March so just go with it.) Fantasy leagues are starting, and you are down to two players to choose for your first round pick. One played in the World Baseball Classic, the other didn't.

Well, I'm sure everyone has their own opinions on whether the WBC has an impact on player performance, but I decided to take a look at the stats. Well, here we go.

Following is a listing of every pitcher on the USA World Baseball Classic roster. I have also listed their ERA+ from the season before the classic and the season after.

For those of you who aren't into sabermetrics, ERA+ is a statistic based on an adjusted ERA. It takes park effects into account and the average league ERA for that season.

For example: A 5.00 ERA in Colorado back before the humidifier would receive a higher ERA+ than a 5.00 ERA anywhere else. An average ERA+ is 100. The higher the number, the better the season.

Now before you jump on the flaws of using ERA+, I will show them myself.

1) ERA is a flawed stat in the first place. ERA+ does a decent job of correcting it by using Park Effects and adjusting for the average league ERA but it still can't correct everything.

2) Players picked for the WBC most likely are at the top of their game or are veterans on the downturn of their careers. So, naturally, you should expect a slight decrease in their ERA+.

3) Small Sample Size. Obviously, looking at data for only 12 guys won't be conclusive but I don't have all day to look up data from the other teams.

2005/2006 Change

Roger Clemens: 226 193 -33

Chad Cordero: 224 134 -90

Brian Fuentes: 164 142 -22

Todd Jones: 190 116 -74

Brad Lidge: 184 84 -100

Gary Majewski: 139 95 -44

Joe Nathan: 165 283 +118

Jake Peavy: 134 99 -35

Scot Shields: 154 159 +5

Huston Street: 253 134 -119

Mike Timlin: 202 109 -93

Dan Wheeler: 191 176 -15

Dontrelle Willis: 151 112 -39

Totals: 2377 1836 -541

Avg/Pitcher: 182.9 141.2 -41.7

W/O Nathan: 184.3 129.4 -54.9

List Doesn't Include: Al Leiter (retired)

As you can see, every pitcher besides Joe Nathan and Scot Shields saw a decrease in their ERA+, sometimes major. A 41.7 average decrease in ERA+ is enough to question letting your pitcher pitch in the classic and removing Nathan's outlier makes it even greater.

While the pitchers still have a good average ERA+ in 2006, there is clearly a significant drop-off from the year before. Whether that's from the WBC or not can be argued but there is no arguing that there is an enormous drop-off in performance.

Now let's take a look at the offensive side and see if there are any major drop-offs here as well. I decided to look at OPS+. Just like ERA+, this stat accounts for park effects and the league average. Once again, an average OPS+ is 100 and the higher the number the better the season.

OPS+ has the same problems has ERA+ does but I feel it's the best single statistic to measure a player's performance. Win Shares could also be used but OPS+ is also easier to obtain so I went with that.

2005/2006 Change

Michael Barrett: 110 121 +11

Brian Schneider: 97 72 -25

Jason Varitek: 122 83 -39

Derek Jeter: 125 132 +8

Chipper Jones: 151 154 +3

Alex Rodriguez: 173 134 -39

Mark Teixeira: 144 126 -18

Chase Utley: 132 125 -7

Michael Young: 131 108 -23

Johnny Damon: 110 115 +5

Jeff Francoeur: 126 87 -39

Ken Griffey Jr.: 144 99 -45

Matt Holliday: 114 137 +23

Vernon Wells: 104 129 +25

Randy Winn: 128 84 -44

Totals: 1911 1706 -205

Avg/Hittter: 127.4 113.7 -13.7

List Doesn't Include: Derrek Lee (injury)

Just from that list, even though on average the hitter lost 13.7 points in OPS+, it isn't a significant enough decrease to pin on the World Baseball Classic. Most likely, it is just a random occurrence or a flaw of the stat as I mentioned above.

It is interesting to point out that pitchers had a much more significant decrease than hitters following the WBC. This may be due to pitchers being more inconsistent or it is more likely that playing in the World Baseball Classic does impact a pitcher's performance during the season and not a position players.

Anyway, after all that, if you are down to two pitchers, I suggest you go with the one who didn't play in the classic. Two hitters? Disregard the classic. A pitcher and a hitter, both of which played in the WBC, clearly go with the hitter.

If anyone wants to study the players from the other teams and/or look at stats other than ERA+/OPS+, please let me know. I am willing to go more in depth with this if anyone wants to. Or you can do it on your own, but make sure to send me the results!

Should the Yankees Consider Signing Former Mets and Sox Ace Pedro Martinez?

John Garcia — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:47:35 -0500

The Yankees have obviously already added their top two free agent pitching targets in CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, but should they consider adding another?

With Andy Pettitte's decision to turn down their contract offer, the Yankees are still looking for an answer for the last spot in their rotation.

Youngster Phil Hughes has the best shot from inside the organization, but everyone knows pitching depth is important, especially considering Burnett's injury history and Hughes' ineffectiveness last year.

Pedro Martinez could be the answer for the Yankees. Unlike the other pitchers available, Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, or Andy Pettitte, Martinez would come at a discount with his injuries last few seasons.

Martinez, 37, would not be expected to return to his Cy Young form which was needed from him with the Mets last season.

The move from Queens to the Bronx wouldn't be a problem for Pedro and a chance to play the Red Sox might be enticing to Boston's former ace.

Another plus is the Yankees already know he can handle the pressure of New York and a career post-season record of 6-2 with a 3.40 ERA alleviates any post-season worries.

A Martinez signing to "his daddy" would keep up with Boston's recent signings of former aces John Smoltz and Brad Penny, both also coming off injuries.

If the Yankees do sign another pitcher, whether it is Martinez or not, it would move Hughes to the bullpen or send him to the AAA-team Scranton to start the season. Other potential starters, Alfredo Aceves and Ian Kennedy, are most likely to start the season in Scranton.

Commish for a Day: What I Would Change in MLB with My Day in Office

John Garcia — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:29:11 -0500

Everybody's thought about what they would change in baseball if they had the power. Well today, I'm being selfish and giving myself the power to do so. Assuming nobody had any power to stop me from doing anything I wanted, and all these rules would be implemented immediately, this is how my day would go.

As I get to my new office around 7 AM (wouldn't want to be late for my only day on the job, would I) the first thing I would do is one of the most important. I would abolish the Designated Hitter from the A.L.

This couldn't be done right away, however, so a five-year plan sounds best. This would give all teams the ability to plan for not having a DH. I have had enough with these one-dimensional players becoming stars in the A.L. and all those guys hanging on an extra year or two even though they can't play the field anymore.

Baseball should be an all-around sport and not only does this force hitters to learn how to play the field but it forced pitchers to become decent hitters, or at least make them learn how to bunt.

While I'm at it, no pitchers may run the bases in a jacket. Everyone needs to be wearing the same uniform on the outside, they may have a jacket inside their jersey but not on the outside.

Next I would raise the pitchers mound back to 15 inches. Games that end 10-9 may be flashier, but I want to see these games get back to the way they were. Plus, this would probably enable pitchers to pitch more than the five or six inning start and we would start seeing those complete game numbers rise back to adequate rates.

To make up for this on the offensive side, outfield fences would need to be a minimum 400 feet to all fields. No more of this 320 foot home runs down the line. Speed would once again rule the day, as you would need people to track down those fly balls to the wall and to take that extra base on what would be a single now-a-days.

At this point of the day, I think I'm ready for a lunch break. It's only around 11, but hey, I ate breakfast early to get here by seven!!

Now that I'm refreshed and ready to go, it's time to start on the All-Star Game. No longer would it decide home-field advantage in the World Series. It would go back to what it really is, an exhibition game. Home-field would be go to the team with the best interleague record. In a tie, it goes to their overall record.

Also, the Home-Run Derby winner will be the one with the most home runs total. Josh Hamilton will no longer be denied what he deserves!

Next thing up will be mandatory doubleheaders during the season. One game ends and the next one stars. None of those day-night games. Each team would also have a minimum number of day games during the season. No more games where you have to stay up until 1 AM to watch the game. Also, the season ends in September. October is for playoff baseball only!

Already I've accomplished a lot, but I'm not done yet. Players would hold 20 minute autograph sessions once a week. Fans pay a ton to see you guys play, so giving back 20 minutes of your time a week for them would be mandatory.

While I'm on prices, bleacher ticket prices may not exceed $2. Teams could set whatever they want for the other tickets, but bleacher tickets would be game-only sales and for $2.

The wave would be banned from all baseball games unless one team is winning by at least 10 runs. Believe it or not, some people are there to watch baseball and the wave distracts everyone from the game for at least a full inning.

As my day winds down, my attention would turn to pitcher warnings. If a player gets hit, his team has every right to pitch high and tight next time around. And if another player gets hit in return, so-be-it.

Of course, I'm not suggesting a team should deliberately hit a guy, but pushing a a guy off the plate and sending a message is apart of the game and should be allowed.

With five o'clock rolling around and time for me to hand the keys back over to Bud Selig, I have three things left on my agenda. First, no corporate stadium names. That means no Citi Field, no more mistakes like Enron Field. And we wouldn't have to worry about Wrigley changing it's name anytime soon.

Next, I would call every owner that complains about no salary cap and yell at them. Everyone has a right to over-pay for a player, it doesn't guarantee the team anything. Plus, baseball is just getting it right with revenue-sharing. Your team will benefit in the end from the another's high payroll so stop complaining.

Last, but not least, I would place a call over to the Hall-of-Fame. This isn't really in my jurisdiction, but hopefully I could get them to get rid of the Veterans Committee. A player has 15 years to get in and that's it.

How can a player get passed over for 15 years and still be considered among the greatest of all-time is beyond me. If there's a legitimate doubt about whether a player belongs in the Hall-of-Fame then he doesn't get in. Simple as that.

Well, they're you have it. Baseball would be better off and I would have the pleasure of being the one to fix it. Let me know what you would have done differently!

Veteran Free Agents Are Plentiful: Where Will They End Up?

John Garcia — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:19:05 -0500

With Spring Training coming closer and closer, there still remains a ton of veteran players yet to be signed for this upcoming season.

Obviously former Dodgers Manny Ramirez and Derek Lowe are the cream of the crop at their respective positions but what about the other free agents?

Sure-fire Hall-of-Famer's John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Pedro Martinez are still out there for someone to take a risk on. That list doesn't even include Kenny Rogers, Andy Pettitte, and Curt Schilling.

Even on the offensive side, outfielder's Bobby Abreu, Garret Anderson, and Rocco Baldelli are all waiting for someone to extend an offer.

Where are these guys going to wind up? Here are my predictions for the "other" free agents and where they will land.

Starting Pitchers:

Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz:

Despite their eventual plaques in Cooperstown, not many teams have shown interest in taking a risk on these aged veterans. All three have had injury problems last year so I expect all three to return to their former teams.

The Braves are still looking for that ellusive ace and while neither Glavine nor Smoltz will be counted on to be one, they do provide depth for an otherwise young rotation. The Mets are also in search of an ace and appear to be the front-runners for landing RHP Derek Lowe. But you can never have enough depth so I expect them to re-sign Pedro to give the 22-year-old Jonathan Niese a little more time to develop.

Braden Looper, John Garland:

Looper's name has been mentioned with the Brewers, but I think the best fit for him may be in Washington. They are in need for a veteran pitcher on their staff, and Looper would be a relatively inexpensive option to replace the recently departed Tim Redding.

Garland is the innings-eating type of pitcher that the Orioles could use. They just added lefty Mark Hendrickson, and Garland would just give them more time to build those young starters they have.

Andy Pettitte, Ben Sheets:

Pettitte has voiced his desire to pitch in the new Yankee Stadium and despite their big spending on CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, I still feel he will end up in pinstripes. That $10 million offer is still on the table and Pettitte will eventually cave and sign before they decide Phil Hughes looks good in that No. 5 spot.

Sheets is an intriguing case because he can be one of the best in the game when he's healthy. Unfortunately, that's a huge if and his strained elbow at the end of last season doesn't help. Sheets could be a big help in Colorado but I see him coming back to the only organization he has ever known by signing with the Brewers.

Kenny Rogers, Curt Schilling:

As for these two veterans, I think it may be time to hang 'em up. Schilling didn't pitch last season and Rogers had a 5.70 ERA. Whether they will or not is another story, but if I had to guess, the next time you see these two will be in a broadcast booth somewhere. Well, maybe not Rogers, he'll just disappear.

Catchers:

Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Varitek:

The most interesting place where Pudge could end up is in Boston. He would be a steady replacement for Jason Varitek and definitely an upgrade over Josh Bard. However, it's hard to replace a captain so I see V-Tek returning to Sox despite not being able to receive that long-term contract he was looking for.

So where does that leave Pudge? He doesn't want to platoon but he might have to in order to find a job. The Marlins are interested in bringing him back so that's where I'll have him ending up.

First Base/Designated Hitter:

Jason Giambi, Frank Thomas:

Giambi had a decent year for the Yanks last season and Oakland seems the obvious place for his services. They love those one-year deals for aging stars at DH so a homecoming is inevitable for the Giambino.

Thomas is already past that one-year DH deal with the A's and it looks like the end of the line for him. Thomas will go out as one of the greatest of his generation and I hope he will be remembered as such.

Middle Infielders:

Orlando Hudson, Orlando Cabrera, and Orlan...I mean Omar Vizquel:

Three of the great glove men are up for auction this offseason. If the Braves don't end up with the power-hitting outfielder they were looking for, Cabrera could displace Yunel Escobar, moving him to second, which would shift Kelly Johnson to left. The Braves would need to strike out on all the outfielders for that to be a possibility.

The Nationals are a likely landing spot for Hudson as each have expressed interest in bringing him to DC. Vizquel wants to play another season in the National League and the Padres have expressed interest in bringing in the veteran. He would provide leadership for an extremely young team and would replace Khalil Greene as the shortstop.

Outfielders:

Rocco Baldelli, Ken Griffey Jr.:

Junior Griffey has a few suitors out there but my gut tells me he'll end up back with the Mariners. He wants a championship and there are a few contending teams interested but the allure of ending his career where it started may be too hard to pass up.

Now that Baldelli has cleared up his medical issues, he has become a hot topic as of late. The Pirates need a right-handed hitter and Baldelli would fit right in, for a price Pittsburgh would be able to afford.

Bobby Abreu, Garret Anderson:

I have thought long and hard about where Abreu might end up. As a Yankees fan, I wanted to keep him in New York but that's out of the question now. A possibility for him may be Tampa Bay. The Rays need another bat in their line-up to compete with the Bo-Sox and Yankees and adding Abreu would fill that need.Alongside rookie-of-the-year Evan Longoria, BJ Upton, and Carlos Pena, the middle of that order would be very dangerous.

Garret Anderson is a solid veteran and could end up with the Braves. They need another hitter and Anderson would be a nice fit.

Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn:

The Dodgers have interest in both of these sluggers but I'm expecting them to bring back Manny so that leaves these two still without a job. The Reds need a righty in their line-up so Burrell makes perfect sense if their willing to spend the money.

Every team from the Yankees to my local high school team has been interested in Dunn so it will be interesting to see where he ends up. The Angels appear to be content without adding a hitter but Dunn could wind up in Anaheim playing first and left in order to replace Mark Texeira's bat.

UConn HB Donald Brown Heading to the NFL

John Garcia — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:23:43 -0500

University of Connecticut running back Donald Brown and his trademark stiff arm will be in an NFL uniform come next August.

Brown, the nation's leading rusher with 2,083 yards, has opted to forgo his senior season at Connecticut to enter the NFL Draft.

Despite saying he would most likely remain at UConn only a few weeks ago, Brown's career-high 261 yard performance against Buffalo in the International Bowl prompted him to change course and declare for the Draft.

Brown is the fifth rated running back prospect according to walterfootball.com and is expected by many to be drafted in the second round.

Longtime Atlanta Braves Announcer Skip Caray Passes Away at 68

John Garcia — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:42:13 -0400

Sunday has marked a sad day for baseball as it loses one of it's greats. Skip Caray died today during his sleep at the age of 68.

Caray's health has suffered all year due to his bout with diabetes. However, his passing has still come as a shock to all.

"Our baseball community has lost a legend today," Atlanta Braves president JohnSchuerholz said. "The Braves family and Braves fans everywhere will sadly miss him. Our thoughts are with his wife Paula and his children."

Caray had followed in his father Harry Caray's footsteps as an excellent broadcaster, earning himself a spot in the Braves Hall of Fame. Caray's two sons, Chip and Josh, are also Braves broadcasters, Chip is on TBS while Josh does Brave's minor league games.

Caray was in his 33rd season as a Brave's announcer.

Jon Rauch Headed to Arizona as the D-Backs Strike Again

John Garcia — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:38:17 -0400

The Arizona Diamondbacks just acquired RHP Jon Rauch from the Washington Nationals to help shore up their bullpen. In return, the D-Backs sent 2B Emilio Bonifacio to DC.

Rauch, 29, was having a career year for the Nats this season. He went 4-2 to go along with a career best 2.98 and 17 saves.

He has proven himself in the closer's role this season. Since taking over for the injured Chad Cordero on April 29th, he has converted 13 of 16 save opportunities and has posted a 1.93 ERA.

With injuries mounting on a struggling pen, Rauch should immediately have an impact late in games.

Rauch is signed through 2009 with a team option for the 2010 season that must be decided on at the end of this season.

Emilio Bonifacio is a 23-year-old infielder who has only played 19 games in the majors in his career. He is a career .283 hitter in the minors. Bonifacio's biggest asset is his blazing speed. He has swiped 229 bases in the minor leagues, good for a 78% clip.

MLB First-Half Awards

John Garcia — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:00:31 -0400

With the first half of the 2008 season at a close, there have been many standout performances from some and disappointing year's from others. Let's get straight to it, here are my Midseason Awards for 2008:

AL MVP:

Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox

I am going with the surprise pick here. Quentin has lead the resurgent Chicago White Sox all season long by blasting 21 HRs and driving in 68 runs.

He is a major reason why the White Sox currently reside atop the AL Central division. After a disappointing season last year in Arizona, Quentin arrived in the south side of the Windy City with a bang.

Honorable Mentions:

Josh Hamilton, Texas; Kevin Youkilis, Boston; Ian Kinsler, Texas

NL MVP:

Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

Utley has played great for the NL East-leading Phillies. He leads the team with a .291 batting average, and is only second to Ryan Howard with 25 HRs and 69 RBI. He is the face of the Phillies and just keeps on getting better. His bat, along with his defense, has kept Philadelphia atop the standings all season long.

Honorable Mentions:

Aramis Ramirez, Chicago; Dan Uggla, Florida; Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis

AL Cy Young

Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians

In my mind, there is no doubt who deserves this award. Lee has been spectacular for the Tribe and their run-starved team. His 12 wins put him tied in first in the AL and his ERA is only second in the league behind Justin Duchscherer.

Also, his K/BB ratio is better than 5:1. Even after cooling off from his out-of-this-world start to the year, he continues to baffle AL lineups.

Honorable Mentions:

Roy Halladay, Toronto; Justin Duchscherer, Oakland; Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders, Los Angeles

NL Cy Young

Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks

Webb leads all of baseball with 13 wins and has dominated hitters as everyone expects. His statistics have been somewhat quiet because of the other two dominating young hurlers in the league, Tim Lincecum and Edinson Volquez.

Although he has fallen off a bit since mid-June, he is still leading the sub-par Arizona Diamondbacks to first place in the NL West.

Honorable Mentions:

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco; Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati; Dan Haren, Arizona

AL Rookie of the Year:

Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

Longoria wins this one in a close race over Joba Chamberlain. Since being called up, he has shown why he was so highly touted as a minor leaguer. He has blasted 16 homers to go along with 53 RBI and an .861 OPS. He has been selected to the All-Star Game in his rookie season, and will participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday.

Honorable Mentions:

Joba Chamberlain, New York; Armando Galarraga, Detroit; Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston

NL Rookie:

Geovanny Soto, Chicago Cubs

This was a much tougher race to call because there are so many impact rookies in the NL this year. However, it became a battle of Cubs, with Soto beating out OF Kosuke Fukudome.

Soto has excelled in the starting lineup, hitting .288 with 16 blasts and 56 RBI. He has played pretty much everyday even though he is a catcher. He has just destroyed lefthanded pitching while still playing well against RHPs.

Honorable Mentions:

Kosuke Fukudome, Chicago; Joey Votto, Cincinnati; Jay Bruce, Cincinnati

AL Manager:

Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays

To have a roster filled with youngsters on a franchise that has never won more than 70 games and still sit near the AL East lead is phenomenal. He has done a great job keeping his team from falling apart thus far and it always helps when you finally get a bullpen.

As the skipper of the biggest surprise of the season, Maddon runs away with this one.

Honorable Mentions:

Terry Francona, Boston; Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota; Ozzie Guillen, Chicago

NL Manager:

Lou Piniella, Chicago Cubs

Could this be the year? After a century of defeat, will the baseball Gods finally grant Cubs fans their wish?

Well, so far Piniella has done his part, as he currently holds the best record in baseball. With a team featuring Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez it's hard not to. Piniella will and should win this award at season's end, as long as the Cubs hold on as the best team in the NL.

Honorable Mentions:

Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia; Tony La Russa, St. Louis; Fredi Gonzalez, Florida

New York Mets SS Jose Reyes Is a Selfish Prick

John Garcia — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:02:20 -0400

Jose Reyes is one of those rare athletes that everytime you pass through the channels and see him, you stop and watch.

His play-making ability is extraordinary. Once he reaches base, he creates absolute havoc on the base paths.

He is a two time all-star and beloved by Mets fans throughout the country, or at least throughout Queens.

But for all his success he still has a terrible attitude towards his teammates and the game.

During yesterday's 3-1 win over the Yankees, Reyes committed a throwing error in the 7th inning that first baseman Carlos Delgado should have caught.

Reyes had a childish fit out on the field, staring over at Delgado for missing the play and causing Reyes an error.

Even when the inning ended and the error did not cause any runs to score, Reyes slammed his glove down in disgust from being charged with an error.

This type of behavior has been constant throughout his career. By now he should know better than this.

His behavior would not be tolerated from a rookie and should not be tolerated from him.

Just only a week or so ago, he threw another fit on the field because interim manager Jerry Manuel took Reyes out of the game because he tweaked his hamstring.

The problem with him is that he does not really care about the game. He only cares about his stats and it does not seem as if he really wants or cares about winning.

Last year, Reyes proved to me that he does not care about winning. After being pulled from a July 6th loss to the Astros by then manager Willie Randolph for not running hard to first, he refused to put in full effort for the rest of the season.

Up until then he was hitting .306, and had a .387 OBP. After being pulled he hit only .253.

He showed up his manager and the fans. By hitting over 50 points worse since being taken out he was a major reason why the Mets collapsed as they did.

He probably does not care about making the playoffs or winning championships. He has made enough money to make anyone satisfied, besides Mr. "I Can't Feed My Family on $21 Million" Latrell Sprewell, so the money from going to the World Series probably doesn't appeal to him.

In my book, Jose Reyes goes down as one of the most selfish players that I have ever seen. His childish behavior has often been ignored by the media because he has exceptional talent.

He is a cancer on a team that needs everyone to gel together in order to make a run for the playoffs again this year. Hopefully for the Mets, Jerry Manuel can set this kid straight.

MLB: Is Interleague Play Still a Good Idea?

John Garcia — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:39:02 -0400

Think about it. If you could pick and choose only one series you can attend from your favorite team, what would it be?

If you are a Yankees fan, the Red Sox would be number one and the Mets would probably be number two. Dodgers' fans would pick the Angels series often. Same in Chicago and in the Bay Area.

But what about the other teams? None of the other "rivalry" games create the same mystique as these games do.

Baseball in Florida attracts the most fans based on who their opponents are, not their own teams.

Some teams don't even have a geographical rival, take my word for it the Blue Jays don't play any NL team twice a year. The Red Sox end up playing a team that was their rival over 50 years ago!!

Let's take a look at the other reasons Interleague Play should be eliminated from baseball:

1) An unfair advantage is given to some teams based on their geographic rival.

The St. Louis Cardinals play the lowly Kansas City Royals six times a season. However, the Milwaukee Brewers get stuck playing the always competitive Minnesota Twins.

The Marlins played the team formerly known as the Devil Rays the past decade. Marlins rivals Mets and Braves had to play the Yankees and Red Sox, respectively.

2) American League pitchers actually have to bat!!

While it may be interesting to see what the Mets will do to Roger Clemens the first time they played him after the "bat-throwing" incident, no one really wants to see these guys get into the box. These guys do not practice hitting and running, if they were to somehow get on base.

3) Injuries.

Like I said, AL pitchers do not practice offense. Managers have to hold their breath every time one of their pitchers gets on base and needs to run the bases. At least NL pitchers are used to it.

Hamstrings are delicate and should a star pitcher go down for a significant amount of time because he is running the bases for the first time, is a terrible reality AL teams will need to face.

Just ask Chien-Ming Wang how he feels after scoring from second on a single and injuring his right foot.

Of course, interleague play isn't all bad. I would love to see the World Series' teams from the year before play again in the summer.

The Mets-Yankees series every year gets the city of New York amped up as I'm sure the Cubs-White Sox and Dodgers-Angels series' do for their respective cities.

However, the inclusion of interleague play, while at first a great attendance boost for a sport in need, has become a detriment to traditional baseball. It has caused unfair advantages for some teams over others, which is generally what should be avoided. Strength of schedule for each team is different which is something that baseball can easily avoid.

Interleague play will still be a part of our lives at least until through the 2011 season. Until then, just try to notice the next time your favorite team misses the playoffs due to strength of schedule and then tell me whether interleague play is fair or not.

Yankees' Injured Phil Hughes Sidelined for 15 Days

John Garcia — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:03:56 -0400

The Yankees announced today that pitcher Phil Hughes will be placed on the 15-Day Disabled List with a strained oblique.

Hughes has struggled all season with a 0-4 record along with a 9.00 ERA. However, the validity of the injury needs to be questioned.

Hughes has struggled all year long and no one around Yankee camp has gotten word of any possible injury concerns for the young right-hander.

Maybe the Yankees just wanted to give him a bit of rest. Placing him on the Disabled List would be just that.

It gives Phil time to work on his mechanics and lets him relax for a little bit without sending him to the minors and ruining his confidence.

In the meantime, the Yankees can call up Darrell Rasner who has been lights out in Triple-A so far (4-0 0.87 ERA).

Hopefully for the Yankees, Hughes can regain last year's form and fix his early season woes.

If he is injured and has to miss significant time, it will be a test of the depth of the Yankees.

Perhaps we may see Hank Steinbrenner's wishes come true a little earlier than anyone expected with Joba Chamberlain in the rotation.