Bleacher Report - Articles by Kyle Seckler

Cincinnati Bengals Should Feel Ashamed

Kyle Seckler — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:05:27 -0400

The Cincinnati Bengals were finally moving on from Chris Henry. The off-field distractions this year were coming from Chad Johnson. Chad ran his mouth all offseason about how he needed to be traded, but Chad is no fool.

He showed up for training camp and knew that he would have to play to earn his money. Money is a very motivating factor, but I have never been able to grasp how NFL players can just throw it away.

The Bengals have been pretty dinged up this preseason. Between Rudi Johnson's nagging hamstring injury and the shoulder injury Chad Johnson suffered this past weekend, the Bengals have not been the healthiest team in the league.

Because of this, the Bengals felt like they needed to add some depth to their roster, especially at wide receiver, and they had a few options available to them.

The Bengals could have promoted a backup to take over while injuries heal. They could have made a trade and possibly sacrificed a sixth or seventh-round pick to add depth at receiver.

But the Bengals chose neither option A nor B and instead are going down an all-too-familiar road. They have chosen to re-sign constantly-troubled wideout Chris Henry.

The Cincinnati Bengals should be ashamed of themselves. When Marvin Lewis arrived in Cincy, the Bengals made some questionable draft picks. They have shown, year after year, that when drafting, they will overlook potential legal troubles for a player's talent.

This time, when they had the chance to start turning things around and take the high road by not sacrificing character for talent, they reverted back to their old ways.

They are showing that they are the same Bengals now that they were from mid-2006 to early 2007, when the Bengals had nine players arrested in nine months. Those Bengals were not a playoff team then, and neither is this year's squad.

Chris Henry has already served two suspensions from the league in his first few years. Those were served because of unlawful transaction with a minor (three counts), speeding, operating a vehicle under the influence, felony possession of a concealed firearm, and possession of marijuana.

His first arrest was less than three years ago, in December of 2005.

Now that the Bengals have brought Chris Henry back, he will have to serve a third suspension handed down from the commissioner's office for the first four games of the season. Does that really help the Bengals?

I don't think it does.

The Bengals took the easy way out and re-signed a receiver that was already familiar with the team and the playbook. I guess integrity isn't a word that the Bengals can find in the dictionary. It doesn't exist to them.

They have shown, time and time again, that talent is the only area they look at when fielding their team. The fans in Cincinnati deserve better. Our children deserve better. And the game of football deserves better.

Whether they consider themselves role models or not, NFL players are. What kind of message are we sending if someone with Chris Henry's past is given chance after chance? The Cincinnati Bengals have chosen to—once again—put their reputation, and the integrity of the game, on the line.

For that, they should be ashamed.

Five Best Records in MLB...Who and Why?

Kyle Seckler — Fri, 30 May 2008 05:15:34 -0400

The thing I love about baseball is that you never know what is going to happen from game to game, series to series, or even season to season.

I am going to dissect the five best records in Major League Baseball, to see exactly why this season has been full of surprises.

Here are the top five records in MLB as of today:

5. Florida Marlins (30-22)

In a division where the Mets, Phillies, and possibly the Braves, were supposed to battle it out, the Marlins are winning with a team salary of $22.65 million.

Do you know what other teams have chosen to do with that kind of money? Let's start with the Yankees. We all know that Alex Rodriguez is making more money this year than the whole Marlins squad, but did you know that Jason Giambi was too?

Giambi is scheduled to collect $23.48 million this year. That is crazy!

What would a team like the LA Dodgers do with $22.65 million? I'm glad you asked.

They would spend a little more frivolously and split that money between two players. Which two players? A leadoff hitter who doesn't walk, Juan Pierre, and a center fielder who is 1-33 with runners in scoring position with 20 Ks. Yes, the latter is none other than Mendoza-line hugging Andruw Jones.

Are the Marlins really playing this well? I say no, and here's why.

As I was doing some research, looking for evidence to back this team up, I simply couldn't find any. Florida is eighth in the NL in team ERA and eighth in the NL in batting average.

I thought, "Well, they have to be playing good team defense, right?"

Wrong! They have the worst fielding percentage in all of Major League Baseball. Maybe playing the fourth-easiest schedule in baseball has helped them out. It's a nice story for now, but with the Phillies coming on strong, I think the Marlins' joy ride is coming to an end soon.

4. L.A. Angels (32-23)

The Angels are a team that is expected to be here. The Seattle Mariners were supposed to give the Angels a run for their money in the AL West, and instead the Oakland A's are proving to be the most competition. Somehow Billy Beane has done it again.

A little side note, go read Moneyball. Those of you who have read it I'm sure can agree that it is a great read.

Anyway, back to the Angels. It was panic time early in the season when John Lackey was out and Vlad wasn't hitting. Now, they are back to the L.A. Angels that won a World Series back in 2002. They can slug out wins or manufacture runs to get wins behind stellar pitching.

Their pitching is sixth in ERA in the AL, while their batting average ranks ninth in the AL. The Angels catch the ball. They field the ball. They have played the best defense in MLB thus far.

When you don't give the other team runs, you keep yourself in games. I expect the L.A. Angles to represent the AL West in October.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (32-23)

I don't think anyone expected much from the Cardinals this season. Their ace Chris Carpenter was out, and Albert Pujols was going to be battling a sore elbow all season.

St. Louis traded Scott Rolen because of problems with Tony La Russa. Their General Manager resigned during the offseason. I don't think anyone expected this kind of start from the Cardinals. Let's look deeper and see if this is a team that can keep it up, or if they will be like the 2007 Mets.

First, they have very respectable team batting average at .275, third best in the NL. The problem is they are only ninth in the NL in runs scored.

The pitching staff of Kyle Loshe, Todd Wellemeyer, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pinero, and Braden Looper might just be the biggest surprise of all. Loshe has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of less than two, and is pitching 75 points below his career numbers.

Braden Looper is leading the team in wins, despite having an ERA over five. The most innings Todd Wellemeyer has pitched in a season is 79. He is at 67 right now. We'll have to wait and see if his arm holds up. He is pitching very well, though.

The first pitcher to go on the DL is Joel Pinero. He was hurt shagging balls in the outfield. Adam Wainwright is a stud on that staff. St. Louis knows they have a chance to win every time he takes the mound.

I think the injuries and fatigue are going to be a factor for the pitching staff. The offense will be there all year, which is why I think the Cardinals will contend for the Wild Card spot. I forgot to mention that the Cardinals have played the second easiest schedule in MLB up to this point.

2. Tampa Bay Rays (32-22)

What a pleasant surprise the Rays have been to this point. They are doing it with a great young nucleus of both position players and pitchers. Management has locked up most of these young players for years to come, including Carl Crawford, Scott Kazmir, and Evan Longoria. I think they would like to keep B.J. Upton as well. He is a great talent.

The year started as usual, with everyone writing off the Rays because they play in the same division as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. This does make for a very tough schedule throughout the year. Not to mention that they have to face the Blue Jays 15-18 times, and Toronto has the best team ERA in MLB.

The Rays have shown the league that they are a team to be reckoned with. They have played the toughest schedule in baseball thus far, so this start isn't a fluke.

They are fourth in the AL in batting average and fourth in the AL in team ERA. I think it would be wonderful to see Tampa Bay in the postseason for the first time. I think they can maintain the kind of baseball they have played thus far, and make a push to get into October.

If not this year, then definitely in the years to come.

1. Chicago Cubs (33-21)

The Chicago Cubs are the best team in baseball right now—at least when they are home at Wrigley Field.

They have won 12 of their last 14 at home, and have a record of 23-8 overall at the Friendly Confines.

This team is doing it all right now. They lead the MLB in runs scored and batting average, and the pitching staff has the second best ERA in the NL.

Derek Lee has found his power stroke again after a powerless 2007 season, and Aramis Ramirez is putting up his usual numbers on pace for 30 HR and 100 RBI.

Newcomers Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto have been very nice additions to the offense. Carlos Zambrano has been pitching like he wants his first Cy Young this season, and the emergence of Ryan Dempster has been more than anyone expected. Zambrano and Dempster are third and fourth in NL ERA leaders.

The Cubs were expected to win the NL Central and compete for a second straight playoff berth. That is exactly what they are doing. I expect the Cubs to win the NL Central and go deep into the playoffs.

Cubs, Zambrano at PNC for Three-Game Series

Kyle Seckler — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:50:40 -0400

The Chicago Cubs (28-19) travel to Pittsburgh this weekend to take on the Pirates in a three-game set.

Chicago will send Carlos Zambrano to the mound in the first game of the series to act as a stopper, as the Cubs have lost their last two games. They will look to avoid losing three straight, which they have not done all season long.

The Pirates will send, arguably, the best pitcher of their season to the mound in Zach Duke.

Duke and Zambrano matched up last Saturday when Duke recorded the only win for Pittsburgh against the Cubs this season.

Yes, the Chicago Cubs sure have had the Pirates number this year. Dating back to last season, the Cubs have won 12 of their last 13 contests with Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have performed above early season expectations. Subtract the games against Chicago, and the Pirates are a very respectable 21-13 against the rest of the league.

They may have trouble in their starting rotation this year, but they can score runs with anyone in baseball. Leading the way is the bright young center fielder Nate McClouth, who started the season as the Pirates leadoff hitter, but has since settled in the number three hole.

His run production is being utilized now that he is batting third.

Another reason the Pirates are playing well is Xavier Nady. Nady is batting .328 with 38 RBI this season. The Pirates will look to ride those horses if they are going to have a chance at taking this series from the Cubs.

The Cubs are still sitting atop the National League Central right now by one game (two in the loss column) over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs' splits between Wrigley Field and on the road are quite substantial. They are two games under .500 on the road, with their only road sweep coming at PNC Park back in April.

This will be the last series between these two teams until August comes around.

The Cubs offense this year has been tremendous. They are getting big contributions from rookies Geovany Soto and Kosuke Fukudome. Alfonso Soriano also caught fire last weekend against the Pirates.

Maybe this series will get him jump started again after a poor series in Houston.

That's the thing about this Cubs team, anyone can hurt you on any given night. Their offense has been very cyclical this season, where it seems when one guy isn't hitting, three others are.

When everyone is clicking on the same night, the Cubs have shown that they are capable hanging crooked numbers on the scoreboard. They have three games in which they have scored 13 or more runs this season.

It's always fun to see a game at PNC. The Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates both are very capable of creating plenty of fireworks. With the Cubs starting Zabrano and the resurgent Ted Lilly this weekend, I expect a Chicago series win.