Bleacher Report - Articles by D.A.

OU Campus Voice: Beat the Hell out of Texas

D.A. — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:05:33 -0400

That's it.

"Beat the hell out of Texas."

OU students know what I'm talking about. Each day, we pass that slogan that has been somehow permanently painted to the ground just outside the Bizzell Clock.

It won't ever go away. It rains a lot, and that doesn't wash it up. There was an ice storm earlier this year, and that didn't get rid of it.

It's just like how nothing will ever get rid of our passion for wanting to beat the hell out of Texas. That's the one thing on the all Sooners' minds—the football players and the Sooner faithful alike.

What They're Saying on Campus

Let me be honest, I've only been to campus once this week, due to an unfortunate illness. But it's Oklahoma—the only thing talked about is football.

He's Back: Sam Bradford Can Lead the Sooners to Victory

After missing a little more than three games, Heisman winner Sam Bradford returned against Baylor. His arm showed no signs of slowing down, as he threw 49 attempts. I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty of stats, but there's one point that students are making, and I think it's valid:

Sam Bradford looked better against Baylor than Colt McCoy did against Colorado. Both Baylor and Colorado are weaker opposition, but Baylor is a much better team than Colorado.

McCoy threw an interception for the fifth straight game and continued his string of slow starts. We're thinking that a slow start against OU from McCoy can spell good things for the Sooners.

BCS...Big 12...and What's at Stake?

There are two groups of students on campus: the one that is still focusing on the BCS, which will only be attainable by beating Texas and winning the Big 12, and the one that's just focused on beating the hell out of Texas.

It's hard to tell, but my first perception was that the latter group was bigger than the former. Texas beat us last year, and we don't want to lose again. We're sick and tired of hearing UT complaining about not going to the national championship last year.

There would be no greater satisfaction to the Sooner faithful than to prevent the Longhorns from going to the national championship. I know the trash talking with my friends at UT keeps flaring up (and yes, it's hard to admit having friends at UT).

Is Campus Dead?

It's pretty much like holiday time around here. There are less than 10 people in classes where there are supposed to be over 80. Professors are canceling their office hours just this one time.

And the decorations...oh, the decorations. Walking to and from campus during Christmas is nice because of all the Christmas lights and fantastic displays. The same could be said now. There are so many anti-UT decorations (flags, posters, even a Bevo effigy) that people display.

Now, I would have loved to have gone to the Cotton Bowl this year, but I didn't have the opportunity. But I will be watching—and like hundreds of other students, I will be sporting my "Beat Texas" shirt. Go Sooners!

The All-MLB Team: D.A.'s 2009 in Review Part One

D.A. — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:44:06 -0400

Midterms are intersessioned. I needed to write something to keep myself from going insane. I wrote a

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Second to Some: Dustin Pedroia Is Far from AL's Best Second Baseman

D.A. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:22:35 -0400

Another day...another article...and after the Red Sox clinched the American League Wild Card after a Texas Rangers loss, the interviews came. One interview specifically claimed to speak to the "best second baseman in the American League."

Excuse me? Sorry, Dustin Pedroia is not the best second baseman in the American League. In fact, he's the worst second baseman in his own division, which is full of elites at the position.

1. The Offense: Pedroia Won't Be Winning a Silver Slugger This Year

Player	Runs	AVG	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
Aaron Hill	102	.286	36	105	.832	5
Ben Zobrist	87	.288	25	85	.924	16
Robinson Cano	102	.322	25	85	.877	5
Brian Roberts	107	.287	16	78	.818	29
Dustin Pedroia	111	.298	13	68	.812	20

Pedroia leads second basemen in one offensive category: runs. He's not the best power hitter (Aaron Hill), not the best hitter for average (Robinson Cano), not the best combo hitter (Ben Zobrist) and not the best base-stealer (Brian Roberts). Yes, Pedroia can score. Congratulations, that just means Boston has a potent offense.

2. The Defense: Pedroia Shouldn't Be Winning a Gold Glove This Year

Dustin Pedroia is not the best defensive second baseman in the American League. He will win the Gold Glove, but he shouldn't. The best defensive second baseman in baseball is Placido Polanco of the Detroit Tigers. The numbers speak for themselves:

Player	UZR	Fielding %
Placido Polanco	11.4	.997
Dustin Pedroia	11.0	.991

3. The Pre-Empts: Pedroia Is Just Another Average Second Baseman This Year

D.A., you're just a Boston hater...

True, I don't like Boston, but I have nothing but respect for Pedroia's abilities. I've called him a player who will save baseball. I'm just speaking the truth: Pedroia is not an elite second baseman this year.

Pedroia grinds it out...the numbers don't tell the way he plays the game, man...

This is probably the worst argument, ever, because it applies to every second baseman, not just Pedroia. Aaron Hill's defensive stats say he sucks, but he doesn't. Stats don't show that Robinson Cano has massively improved his defense. They also don't show what a versatile player Ben Zobrist has become. And this "small man" role is getting tiresome, because Brian Roberts played that role before Pedroia came into the league.

Ridicule me all you want, but the numbers don't lie. Pedroia has talent. But when compared to the other second basemen in the American League this year, Pedroia is ranked No. 5...in his own division.

MLB Second-Half All-Stars

D.A. — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:35:35 -0400

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is dumb. There are tons of reasons. My biggest pet peeve is that it's during the middle of the season. Why? Because it really doesn't prove who is the best player at each position. It only proves who was decent during the first half of the season. So if we celebrate the first-half studs of the baseball season, why shouldn't we celebrate the second-half players? I didn't divide it into AL/NL—I just took the two best players from each position, five starters, two relievers (yes, relievers count), and two closers. Without further adieu, here are baseball's second-half studs...

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Twins-Tigers Series Preview: Another AL Central Epic Clash

D.A. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:12:27 -0400

It took 163 games last year to decide which team would represent the American League Central in the postseason.

We will see another captivating division finish as the Detroit Tigers (83-72) host the Minnesota Twins (81-74) in a four game series that could determine the AL Central champion, as I predicted here and here.

The AL Central gets ridiculed for being the weakest division, but it still provides the best playoff race, as we've seen over the past couple years. Here's a breakdown of the upcoming series:

Monday, 9/28: Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.18 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.14 ERA)

Minnesota's Nick Blackburn started off the season great, and then struggled during the second half. However, he's looked like he's turned it around again.

In his last two games, against AL Central rivals Chicago and Cleveland, Blackburn lasted 6.1 and 7.0 innings, respectively. He only yielded two earned runs against the Indians and posted a shutout against the White Sox. Most impressively, Blackburn didn't give up a walk in either start.

Blackburn has two starts against Detroit so far this year. One start was brilliant, the other was awful. In the first game, he only lasted 3.1 innings while yielding six earned runs. In the second game, however, he hurled a complete game and gave up only one earned run.

Detroit's Rick Porcello has had an excellent September thus far. In five starts this month, he's 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA. Three out of his five starts were quality starts, too. He also averaged 6.0 innings pitched a game in this five game stretch.

Porcello has three starts against Minnesota so far this year. He's looked good against the Twins, despite a 1-2 record. In 17.0 innings pitched, he has a 3.71 ERA.

The Twins player to watch is Jason Kubel. In eight at-bats against Porcello, Kubel has seven hits (.875 avg), including two doubles.

The Tigers player to watch is Miguel Cabrera. In 13 at-bats against Blackburn, Cabrera has five hits (.385 avg), including six RBI.

Prediction: Detroit 5, Minnesota 4. Expect Miguel Cabrera to continue what he's done all year for the Tigers.

Tuesday, 9/29: Brian Duensing (5-1, 3.33 ERA) vs. Justin Verlander (17-9, 3.41 ERA)

The Twins' Brian Deunsing has had a great September thus far. In five starts he's 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 31.0 innings pitched.

Duensing has only given up two home runs on the road this season, and keeping the walks and homers down against the Tigers is going to be vital to his success.

This year against Detroit, Duensing has looked great. In three appearances, including one start, he's pitched 14.2 innings. His 0.61 ERA is great as are his eight strikeouts (compared to two walks). In his last start against Detroit, he lasted 6.1 innings yielding only one earned run.

Alternatively the Tigers' Justin Verlander has had an inconsistent September to say the least. In his two most recent starts he has yielded a total of ten earned runs. However, Verlander has an ERA of 1.71 in his other two September starts.

This year against Minnesota Verlander hasn't been good. In three starts, he's 0-2 with a 5.49 ERA. He has given up five earned runs each of the last two outings.

The Twins player to watch is Joe Mauer. In 33 at-bats against Verlander, Mauer has 13 hits (.394 avg), including three home runs and eight RBI.

The Tigers player to watch is Marcus Thames. Thames is the only player with more than one hit against Duensing.

Prediction: Minnesota 6, Detroit 2. Expect the Twins to get to Verlander again, and to put on a Mauer Power show.

Wednesday, 9/30: Carl Pavano (13-11, 4.86 ERA) vs. Eddie Bonine (0-1, 4.60 ERA)

Minnesota's Carl Pavano has had a good September. In his last five starts, he's 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched. Four out of these five starts were quality starts. However, Pavano has given up multiple home runs in two of those games.

This year against Detroit Pavano has been brilliant. In five starts, he's 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA. In 37.1 innings pitched, he has 22 strikeouts and only one walk. Pavano could prove to be a vital pickup if he continues his mastery of the Tigers.

Detroit's Eddie Bonine has also had a good September. In fact, in his last start against the White Sox he had a no-hitter through the sixth inning.

Bonine also has a 2.35 ERA this month. He must keep the walks to a minimum, unlike his last game. Bonine has yet to face Minnesota this year.

There is no Twins player to watch since no Twin has faced Bonine yet. But look for Denard Span (eight hits, six RBI in last three games) to continue his good play against righties.

The Tigers player to watch is Aubrey Huff. He has yet to come up big for the Tigers, but in 21 at-bats against Pavano he has six hits, including a home run and five RBI.

Prediction: Minnesota 3, Detroit 2. Expect Pavano to continue his dominance of the Tigers in a low-scoring game.

Thursday, 9/31: Scott Baker (14-9, 4.48 ERA) vs. Nate Robertson (2-2, 5.56 ERA)

The Twins' Scott Baker has not looked good in his last two starts against the Royals and Tigers. He yielded four earned runs in each start. In his other three September starts, he had a 3.50 ERA and was hurling quality stuff. A good thing for Baker is that he only walked two batters total in those two not-so-good starts.

This year against Detroit Baker has looked awful. In three starts he's 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA. Baker failed to get past the fifth inning in his past two starts against the Tigers. The Tigers are also batting a whopping .358 against him this year.

Detroit's Nate Robertson has looked inconsistent all year, and his September numbers are not good. He's made five appearances, including four starts, with a 1-1 record and a 3.86 ERA. Robertson has failed to last past the fifth inning in his last three starts.

Robinson has made one start against Minnesota this year. He was effective, only yielding two earned runs. He struck out six, but did walk three batters. The question is: Which Robertson is going to show up?

The Twins player to watch is Brendan Harris. In 19 at-bats against Robertson, Harris has seven hits (.368 avg), including two home runs and four RBI.

The Tigers player to watch is Magglio Ordonez. In 36 at-bats against Baker, Ordonez has 16 hits (.444 avg), including two home runs and six RBI.

Prediction: Minnesota 10, Detroit 7. Scott Baker is the Twins ace and he will show up for this game.

D.A.'s three keys to the series:

3. Defense—it may seem simple and basic, but MLB.com breaks it down pretty well here. Any silly mistake could cost either team the chance to play in the playoffs. The Tigers have allowed three unearned runs in the past week and the Twins have allowed two. These are going to be close pitching match-ups, so the teams must make each other earn their runs.

2. Rookies—what a big moment for rookies, especially rookie starting pitchers Rick Porcello and Brian Duensing. They're going to have to keep their cool and just keep their teams in the ball game. If they try to do too much, we all know the negative consequences that can ensue.

1. M(auer/iguel)ost Valuable Players—taking your team to the playoffs is where MVPs are born. If Joe Mauer can have a huge series (and not flop like game 163 last year) and propel the Twins to the playoffs, the MVP is guaranteed for him. Miguel Cabrera also has an outside shot at the award. If he continues to shoulder the load in this series, we'll know there hasn't been a more valuable player to his team.

MLB Power Rankings: Week 23 | The NL Wild Card Race Is Well...Wild

D.A. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:06:39 -0400

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. New York Yankees (99-56|1)

Offensive Player of the Week: Alex Rodriguez (.300 avg, 3 HR, 8 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: CC Sabathia (W, 7 IP, 8 Ks, 0 ER)

Yankees MVP of the 2009: Mark Teixeira (.293 avg, 37 HR, 119 RBI, .947 OPS)
Mark Teixeira has provided the team a consistent offensive bat. He filled the void more than effectively left by an ineffective Jason Giambi. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter have helped a ton, but the numbers don't lie and Teixeira is the team's best player. He also plays good defense.

Playoff Prediction: World Series Champions

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-62|3)

Offensive Player of the Week: Rafael Furcal (.500 avg, 5 RBI, 1.344 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Randy Wolf (W, 12.1 IP, 2.92 ERA, 8 Ks)

Dodgers MVP of 2009: Matt Kemp (.303 avg, 26 HR, 100 RBI, 34 SB)
Matt Kemp has the potential to be a great five-tool player. He bats for average, power, producing runs, can steal bases, and plays excellent defense. Andre Ethier is a popular pick, but Kemp has been a consistent staple while Ethier slumped his way to the bottom while Manny Ramirez was suspended.

Playoff Prediction: NLCS Losers

3. St. Louis Cardinals (90-65|4)

Offensive Player of the Week: Yadier Molina (.316 avg, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: Adam Wainwright (W, 15 IP, 2.40 ERA, 21 Ks)

Cardinals MVP of 2009: Albert Pujols (.329 avg, 47 HR, 129 RBI, 1.117 OPS)
The Most Valuable Player of the league has to be the most valuable player on his team. Pujols has continued his Hall of Fame career and has dangled with triple crown potential. He's the best player in baseball. Matt Holliday has been great for the Cardinals, but Pujols has been doing it all year for the Cardinals.

Playoff Prediction: World Series Losers

4. Boston Red Sox (91-63|2)

Offensive Player of the Week: David Ortiz (.304 avg, 3 HR, 10 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: Daisuke Matsuzaka (W, 12.1 IP, 2.92 ERA, 8 Ks)

Red Sox MVP of 2009: Jason Bay (.265 avg, 36 HR, 115 RBI, .927 OPS)
Although his average isn't desirable, Bay has provided a bat that is all the necessary with the power outage (and declining on-base percentage) of scandalous Big Papi. Bay is amongst the best in the American League in all the power categories and walks. Bay has also been surprisingly good in the outfield.

Playoff Prediction: ALCS Losers

5. Philadelphia Phillies (89-65|5)

Offensive Player of the Week: Ryan Howard (.355 avg, 2 HR, 13 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: Joe Blanton (W, 7 IP, 9 Ks, 0 ER)

Phillies MVP of 2009: Ryan Howard (.276 avg, 43 HR, 136 RBI, .922 OPS)
If this were a couple of weeks ago, this honor would go to Chase Utley. But Utley has cooled down and Howard has heated up. Howard has continued his massive power numbers and has brought up his average a ton. Howard also has massively improved his defense.

Playoff Prediction: NLDS Losers

6. Los Angeles Angels (90-64|6)

Offensive Player of the Week: Chone Figgins (.440 avg, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1.220 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Joe Saunders (W, 8.1 IP, 2.16 ERA)

Angels MVP of 2009: Kendry Morales (.299 avg, 31 HR, 99 RBI, .900 OPS)
Morales has solidified the first base position that the Angels haven't had a consistent bat at for a while. Batting nearly .300 all year with his power numbers makes Morales a huge asset. Bobby Abreu could be a good pick with his RBI and stolen bases, but Morales was the bat the Halos were missing when the offense was slumping.

Playoff Prediction: ALDS Losers

7. Atlanta Braves (84-70|9)

Offensive Player of the Week: Martin Prado (.474 avg, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: Javier Vazquez (W, CG, 1 ER, 9 Ks)

Braves MVP of 2009: Brian McCann (.286 avg, 21 HR, 90 RBI, .851 OPS)
McCann is the best offensive catcher in the National League. Despite missing time, he is the team's leader in runs batted in. While the Braves offense has been anemic, McCann's bat hasn't. It would be possible to go with a pitcher here, but where would the Braves be without McCann?

Playoff Prediction: No Playoffs

8. Colorado Rockies (87-68|8)

Offensive Player of the Week: Clint Barmes (.524 avg, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1.375 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Jason Hammel (6.1 IP, 2.84 ERA, 6 Ks/0 BB)

Rockies MVP of 2009: Troy Tulowitzki (.288 avg, 30 HR, 86 RBI, .905 OPS)
With Brad Hawpe cooling down tremendously, Tulowitzki carried the offensive load. He's massively improved his game and leads the team in runs batted in. Not too shabby for a player who was benched earlier in the season. He might win the NL Comeback Player award, too.

Playoff Prediction: NLDS Losers

9. Texas Rangers (85-69|11)

Offensive Player of the Week: Marlon Byrd (.308 avg, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 1.015 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Kevin Millwood (2-0, 14 IP, 1.29 ERA)

Rangers MVP of 2009: Michael Young (.322 avg, 22 HR, 67 RBI, .898 OPS)
Michael Young has had an unbelievable second half. He's the reason the Rangers were in any sort of playoff consideration for a while. While Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler have fallen off, Young has continued his consistent play and provided an offensive punch when it was needed.

Playoff Prediction: No Playoffs

10. Minnesota Twins (81-73|12)

Offensive Player of the Week: Denard Span (.400 avg, 7 RBI, 1.033 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Nick Blackburn (W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 6 Ks)

Twins MVP of 2009: Joe Mauer (.371 avg, 28 HR, 92 RBI, 1.050 OPS)
Like Albert Pujols, the most valuable player of the league has to be the most valuable player on his team. A catcher batting over .370 while leading the league in on-base percentage and slugging is just unbelievably astonishing. Not to mention his great defense and he's propelled the Twins into playoff consideration.

Playoff Prediction: ALDS Losers

11. Detroit Tigers (83-71|13)

Offensive Player of the Week: Placido Polanco (.462 avg, 6 RBI, 1.000 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Justin Verlander (W, 7 IP, 2.57 ERA, 11 Ks)

Tigers MVP of 2009: Miguel Cabrera (.331 avg, 32 HR, 100 RBI, .955 OPS)
Without Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers aren't even close to a playoff team. He is the only consistent bat in the offense and he lacks any protection. He has triple crown potential in the future. He also plays great (and underrated) defense. It's amazing he has 100 RBI with the batters around him.

Playoff Prediction: No Playoffs

12. Florida Marlins (83-72|10)

Offensive Player of the Week: Jorge Cantu (.435 avg, 5 RBI, 1.109 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Anibal Sanchez (W, 8 IP, 0 ER, 7 Ks)

Marlins MVP of 2009: Hanley Ramirez (.348 avg, 24 HR, 105 RBI, 26 SB, .968 OPS)
What can't Hanley Ramirez do? Ramirez leads the league in batting average. He also is the team's leader in runs batted in and stolen bases. Without Ramirez, the Marlins aren't an over-.500 ballclub. A case could be made for Josh Johnson, but he's not having a great second half at all.

Playoff Prediction: No Playoffs

13. Chicago Cubs (81-73|16)

Offensive Player of the Week: Derrek Lee (.368 avg, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: Carlos Zambrano (W, 15 IP, 1.20 ERA, 14 Ks)

Cubs MVP of 2009: Derrek Lee (.306 avg, 35 HR, 109 RBI, .975 OPS)
After a slow start, Derrek Lee exploded offensively. He should easily finish top-ten in MVP voting in the National League. He leds the Cubs in runs scored, double, home runs, runs batted in, batting average, slugging, and on-base percentage. Not to mention his defense is still sharp.

Playoff Prediction: No Playoffs

14. San Francisco Giants (82-73|7)

Offensive Player of the Week: Juan Uribe (.407 avg, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1.096 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Brad Penny (8 IP, 1.13 ERA, 4 Ks)

Giants MVP of 2009: Pablo Sandoval (.324 avg, 22 HR, 84 RBI, .916 OPS)
The Kung Fu Panda clearly has been the only consistent and good bat in the Giants anemic offense. A case could be made for either one of the pitching studs on the team, but their Setpembers have been far from pretty. Take Sandoval out of the lineup, see how many less wins the Giants have.

Playoff Prediction: No Playoffs

15. Seattle Mariners (80-75|14)

Offensive Player of the Week: Franklin Gutierrez (.375 avg, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: Ian Snell (W, 12 IP, 1.50 ERA, 9 Ks)

Mariners MVP of 2009: Ichiro Suzuki (.353 avg, 11 HR, 46 RBI, 26 SB, .852 OPS)
It might have went to Russell Branyan for providing the offensive punch, but he went injured...and the Mariners playoffs dreams were clearly dashed. Ichiro continues to be one of the best players in baseball, and is only second to Joe Mauer in the league in batting average.

16. Milwaukee Brewers (77-78|17)

Offensive Player of the Week: Prince Fielder (4 HR, 10 RBI, 1.079 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Manny Parra (W, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 8 Ks)

Brewers MVP of 2009: Prince Fielder (.297 avg, 43 HR, 137 RBI, 1.007 OPS)
If it weren't for that Albert Pujols guy, Fielder would surely be the MVP of the National Legue. While nearly batting .300 with a .400+ OBP, he leads the National League in RBI and has continued to hit home runs at a whopping pace. He's also improved his defense and baserunning.

17. Tampa Bay Rays (78-76|15)

Offensive Player of the Week: B.J. Upton (.444 avg, 5 RBI, 2 SB)
Pitcher of the Week: David Price (W, 6.2 IP, 1.35 ERA)

Rays MVP of 2009: Evan Longoria (.284 avg, 31 HR, 109 RBI)
Evan Longoria followed up his rookie season with a great sophomore season. Although he's cooled down a bit, his season numbers at the end will constitute one of the best seasons in franchise history. Not to mention he should be the favorite to win the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.

18. Oakland Athletics (75-80|18)

Offensive Player of the Week: Daric Barton (.500 avg, 9 RBI, 1.227 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Gio Gonzalez (W, 6.1 IP, 7 Ks, 0 ER)

Athletics MVP of 2009: Rajai Davis (.313 avg, 47 RBI, 40 SB, .800 OPS)
Rajai Davis is having an extremely underrated season and he should be at least in consideration for AL Comeback Player of the Year. The Athletics don't have a lot offensively, and Davis is the only player batting over .300, which isn't bad when combined with his 40 stolen bases.

19. Cincinnati Reds (74-81|20)

Offensive Player of the Week: Joey Votto (.560 avg, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 1.793 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Bronson Arroyo (W, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 4 Ks)

Reds MVP of 2009: Joey Votto (.319 avg, 23 HR, 80 RBI, .971 OPS)
Despite missing time due to an unfortunate depression, Votto still leds the Reds in home runs and doubles. He is the only player on the Reds that is batting (well) over .280 and his .400+ on-base percentage is more than impressive. His defense is also an overlooked aspect of his game.

20. San Diego Padres (72-84|21)

Offensive Player of the Week: Oscar Salazar (.345 avg, 9 RBI, .995 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Kevin Correia (2-0, 1 CG, 16 IP, 12 Ks)

Padres MVP of 2009: Adrian Gonzalez (.274 avg, 39 HR, 96 RBI, .950 OPS)
Gonzalez is literally the only source of offense that the Friars have. He leads the Padres in runs scored, hits, home runs, runs batted in, on-base percentage, slugging, and (even with his not spectacular) batting average. If the Padres do decide to trade him, they're going to get something major back.

21. Chicago White Sox (74-81|19)

Offensive Player of the Week: Gordon Beckham (2 HR, 5 RBI, .973 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Jake Peavy (W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 8 Ks)

White Sox MVP of 2009: Scott Podsednik (.302 avg, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 29 SB)
The White Sox offense liked to disappear. With the acquisition of Podsednik, he made the White Sox offense come alive and be in contention at least for a portion of the summer. Not to mention there's not a more clutch player on the team. Pods leads the team in hits and stolen bases.

22. Toronto Blue Jays (71-84|24)

Offensive Player of the Week: Edwin Encarnacion (.320 avg, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 1.120 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Roy Halladay (1-1, 1 CG, 16 IP, 1.13 ERA, 13 Ks)

Blue Jays MVP of 2009: Adam Lind (.301 avg, 32 HR, 109 RBI, .913 OPS)
Adam Lind is underrated. Plain and simple. Putting up the power numbers he does while batting .300 is excellent. He and Aaron Hill make up one of the better power duos in baseball. A strong case could be made for Roy Halladay for this honor, but Lind came out of nowhere when Vernon Wells and Alex Rios disappeared.

23. Houston Astros (71-83|22)

Offensive Player of the Week: Miguel Tejada (.500 avg, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1.417 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Bud Norris (W, 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 Ks)

Astros MVP of 2009: Carlos Lee (.302 avg, 26 HR, 98 RBI, .842 OPS)
Lance Berkman went down. The Astros needed a bat. Carlos Lee was that bat. He leads the Astros in doubles, home runs, and runs batted in. He's become an underrated outfielder. A case could be made for Michael Bourn, but he's cooled down tremendously. Same thing applies to Miguel Tejada.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks (67-88|23)

Offensive Player of the Week: Mark Reynolds (2 HR, 4 RBI, .802 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Kevin Mulvey (6 IP, 3 ER, 4 Ks)

Diamondbacks MVP of 2009: Justin Upton (.307 avg, 25 HR, 83 RBI, 20 SB, .917 OPS)
The little Upton finally broke out and was an All-Star this year. He has the potential to be a great five-tool player. A case could be made for Mark Reynolds, but he's a rally-killer and his strikeout numbers are through the roof. Upton would have some better numbers had it not been for injury.

25. New York Mets (66-89|25)

Offensive Player of the Week: Daniel Murphy (.350 avg, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1.100 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Nelson Figueroa (7 IP, 2.57 ERA, 5 Ks)

Mets MVP of 2009: David Wright (.306 avg, 10 HR, 69 RBI, 26 SB)
Yes, the power isn't there. But Wright has made up for it. He is now batting for average and is one of the premier power-speed combo players in the game. He missed some time after being beaned, but the Mets leader is still of most value to his team. Besides, nobody else really stepped up on the Mets.

26. Kansas City Royals (63-92|26)

Offensive Player of the Week: Billy Butler (.407 avg, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1.336 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Zack Grienke (W, 6 IP, 5 Ks, 0 ER)

Royals MVP of 2009: Zack Greinke (15-8, 2.08 ERA, 229 Ks, 1.06 WHIP)
There's no doubt. The only reason the Royals having completely slided into oblivion is Zack Greinke. He's the prohibitive favorite to win the American League Cy Young and he would have tons more wins had he played on a team with a semi-competent offense.

27. Cleveland Indians (63-91|29)

Offensive Player of the Week: Shin-Soo Choo (.348 avg, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1.103 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: Aaron Laffey (6.2 IP, 1 ER)

Indians MVP of 2009: Shin-Soo Choo (.304 avg, 18 HR, 82 RBI, 20 SB, .884 OPS)
Shin-Soo Choo is an underrated beast. He leads the Tribe in runs scored, hits, home runs, runs batted in, walks, stolen bases, on-base percentage, slugging, and batting average. He has five-tool potential as he's a great fielder with a rocket arm. With V-Mart traded and Sizemore injured, Choo didn't slow down.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates (57-96|28)

Offensive Player of the Week: Andrew McCutchen (.321 avg, 1 HR, 6 RBI)
Pitcher of the Week: Matt Capps (1 Sv, 2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Ks)

Pirates MVP of 2009: Andrew McCutchen (.277 avg, 12 HR, 54 RBI, 16 SB)
Despite only playing in 100 games, McCutchen leads the Pirates in runs batted in. He plays phenomenal defense and is a real spark at the top of the Bucs lineup. Not too shabby for a rookie. McCutchen and fellow rookie Garrett Jones prove the Bucs might have a bright future, pending them not being traded.

29. Baltimore Orioles (60-94|27)

Offensive Player of the Week: Matt Wieters (.440 avg, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1.180 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: David Hernandez (2 ER, 6 IP, 5 Ks)

Orioles MVP of 2009: Nick Markakis (.291 avg, 17 HR, 96 RBI, .790 OPS)
Markakis is a run producing machine. He's had to continue to produce with Adam Jones going down and Aubrey Huff being traded. Markakis leads the Orioles in runs batted in and batting average. He is also a tremendous outfielder with a rocket arm. A case could be made for Brian Roberts, but Markakis is the crux of the offense.

30. Washington Nationals (52-102|30)

Offensive Player of the Week: Ryan Zimmerman (1 HR, 4 RBI, .879 OPS)
Pitcher of the Week: John Lannan (7 IP, 0 ER, 6 Ks)

Nationals MVP of 2009: Adam Dunn (.273 avg, 38 HR, 103 RBI, .946 OPS)
Adam Dunn is batting about 20 points higher than his career batting average. He is putting up stellar power numbers and has been flexible in his position change. A case could be made for Ryan Zimmerman, but Dunn has better on-base percentage and power numbers.

Previous Power Rankings:

|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|

Biggest climb: The Chicago Cubs climbed three spots from No. 16 to No. 13 after going 6-1 last week.

Biggest fall: The San Francisco Giants fell seven spots from No. 7 to No. 14 after going 2-5 last week.

Prediction of the Week: The Braves will win seven of their last eight.

Division Rankings (Win %|Last Week's Ranking)
*Rankings are done by taking the average ranking of every team in each division.

1. AL West (.534|1): (6) Laa, (9) Tex, (15) Sea, (17) Oak
2. NL West (.517|2): (2) Lad, (8) Col, (14) Sfg, (20) Sdp, (24) Ari
3. AL East (.517|3): (1) Nyy, (4) Bos, (18) Tbr, (22) Tor, (29) Bal
4. NL East (.484|4): (5) Phi, (7) Atl, (12) Fla, (25) Nym, (30) Was
5. NL Central (.486|5): (3) Stl, (13) Chc, (16) Mil, (19) Cin, (23) Hou, (28) Pit
6. AL Central (.471|6): (10) Min, (11) Det, (21) Cws, (26) Kcr, (27) Cle

If the playoffs started today...

(1) Yankees v. (3) Tigers
(2) Angels v. (WC) Red Sox

(1) Dodgers v. (3) Phillies
(2) Cardinals v. (WC) Rockies

If awards were handed out today...

American League MVP: Joe Mauer
1. Joe Mauer (Min): .371 avg, 28 HR, 92 RBI, 1.049 OPS
2. Mark Teixeira (Nyy): .293 avg, 37 HR, 119 RBI, .947 OPS
3. Miguel Cabrera (Det): .331 avg, 32 HR, 100 RBI, .955 OPS
4. Adam Lind (Tor): .301 avg, 32 HR, 109 RBI, .913 OPS
5. Kendry Morales (Laa): .299 avg, 31 HR, 99 RBI, .900 OPS

National League MVP: Albert Pujols
1. Albert Pujols (Stl): .329 avg, 47 HR, 129 RBI, 1.117 OPS
2. Prince Fielder (Mil): .297 avg, 43 HR, 137 RBI, 1.003 OPS
3. Hanley Ramirez (Fla): .348 avg, 24 HR, 105 RBI, 26 SB, .967 OPS
4. Derrek Lee (Chc): .306 avg, 35 HR, 109 RBI, .975 OPS
5. Ryan Howard (Phi): .276 avg, 43 HR, 136 RBI, .922 OPS

American League Cy Young: Zack Greinke
1. Zack Greinke (Kcr): 15-8, 2.08 ERA, 229 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
2. Felix Hernandez (Sea): 17-5, 2.49 ERA, 207 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
3. Roy Halladay (Tor): 16-10, 2.90 ERA, 202 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
4. CC Sabathia (Nyy): 19-7, 3.21 ERA, 194 Ks, 1.10 WHIP
5. Justin Verlander (Det): 17-9, 3.41 ERA, 256 Ks, 1.19 WHIP

National League Cy Young: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 16-4, 2.30 ERA, 138 Ks, 1.01 WHIP
2. Tim Lincecum (Sfg): 14-7, 2.47 ERA, 254 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
3. Adam Wainwright (Stl): 19-8, 2.58 ERA, 204 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
4. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 15-9, 2.83 ERA, 229 Ks, 1.02 WHIP
5. Jair Jurrjens (Atl): 13-10, 2.70 ERA, 140 Ks, 1.24 WHIP

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey
1. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 26 saves, 1.88 ERA, 89 Ks, 0.90 WHIP
2. Jeff Niemann (Tbr): 12-6, 3.81 ERA, 117 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
3. Elvis Andrus (Tex): .269 avg, 34 RBI, 31 SB, .704 OPS
4. Matt Wieters (Bal): .289 avg, 8 HR, 39 RBI, .758 OPS
5. Gordon Beckham (Cws): .268 avg, 14 HR, 59 RBI, .809 OPS

National League Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ
1. J.A. Happ (Phi): 11-4, 2.79 ERA, 112 Ks, 1.20 WHIP
2. Tommy Hanson (Atl): 11-4, 2.98 ERA, 107 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
3. Randy Wells (Chc): 11-9, 3.00 ERA, 93 Ks, 1.27 WHIP
4. Casey McGehee (Mil): .306 avg, 15 HR, 64 RBI, .874 OPS
5. Chris Coghlan (Fla): .312 avg, 9 HR, 44 RBI, .832 OPS

American League Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia
1. Mike Scioscia (Laa)
2. Don Wakamatsu (Sea)
3. Jim Leyland (Det)
4. Ron Gardenhire (Min)
5. Ron Washington (Tex)

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy
1. Jim Tracy (Col)
2. Tony La Russa (Stl)
3. Joe Torre (Lad)
4. Charlie Manuel (Phi)
5. Fredi Gonzalez (Fla)

American League Comeback Player of the Year: Justin Verlander
1. Justin Verlander (Det): 17-9, 3.41 ERA, 256 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
2. Aaron Hill (Tor): .287 avg, 34 HR, 103 RBI, .828 OPS
3. Victor Martinez (Cle/Bos): .301 avg, 22 HR, 102 RBI, .857 OPS
4. Rajai Davis (Oak): .313 avg, 47 RBI, 40 SB, .801 OPS
5. Scott Podsednik (Cws): .302 avg, 45 RBI, 29 SB, .756 OPS

National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 16-4, 2.30 ERA, 138 Ks, 1.01 WHIP
2. Troy Tulowitzki (Col): .288 avg, 30 HR, 86 RBI, .905 OPS
3. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 15-9, 2.83 ERA, 229 Ks, 1.02 WHIP
4. Todd Helton (Col): .320 avg, 14 HR, 81 RBI, .895 OPS
5. Joel Pineiro (Stl): 15-11, 3.24 ERA, 100 Ks, 1.13 WHIP

American League Relief Man of the Year: Mariano Rivera
1. Mariano Rivera (Nyy): 43/45 saves, 1.85 ERA, 71 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
2. Jonathan Papelbon (Bos): 37/40 saves, 1.94 ERA, 74 Ks, 1.20 WHIP
3. David Aardsma (Sea): 36/40 saves, 2.00 ERA, 77 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
4. Joe Nathan (Min): 44/49 saves, 2.14 ERA, 83 Ks, 0.95 WHIP
5. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 26/30 saves, 1.88 ERA, 88 Ks, 0.90 WHIP

National League Relief Man of the Year: Ryan Franklin
1. Ryan Franklin (Stl): 38/43 saves, 1.95 ERA, 43 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
2. Trevor Hoffman (Mil): 36/39 saves, 1.76 ERA, 46 Ks, 0.88 WHIP
3. Huston Street (Col): 33/34 saves, 2.83 ERA, 67 Ks, 0.87 WHIP
4. Francisco Cordero (Cin): 39/43 saves, 2.19 ERA, 57 Ks, 1.34 WHIP
5. Jonathan Broxton (Lad): 36/41 saves, 2.32 ERA, 111 Ks, 0.91 WHIP

American League Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards:

	Silver Slugger	Gold Glove
C	Joe Mauer (Min)	Joe Mauer (Min)
1B	Mark Teixeira (Nyy)	Miguel Cabrera (Det)
2B	Aaron Hill (Tor)	Placido Polanco (Det)
SS	Derek Jeter (Nyy)	Cesar Izturis (Bal)
3B	Evan Longoria (Tbr)	Evan Longoria (Tbr)
OF	Torii Hunter (Laa)	Franklin Gutierrez (Sea)
OF	Nick Markakis (Bal)	B.J. Upton (Tbr)
OF	Jason Bay (Bos)	Ryan Sweeney (Oak)
DH\|P	Adam Lind (Tor)	Mark Buehrle (Cws)

National League Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards:

	Silver Slugger	Gold Glove
C	Brian McCann (Atl)	Yadier Molina (Stl)
1B	Albert Pujols (Stl)	Adrian Gonzalez (Sdp)
2B	Chase Utley (Phi)	Chase Utley (Phi)
SS	Hanley Ramirez (Fla)	Jimmy Rollins (Phi)
3B	Ryan Zimmerman (Was)	Ryan Zimmerman (Was)
OF	Ryan Braun (Mil)	Matt Kemp (Lad)
OF	Adam Dunn (Was)	Michael Bourn (Hou)
OF	Andre Ethier (Lad)	Mike Cameron (Mil)
P	Micah Owings (Cin)	Josh Johnson (Fla)

What They're Saying On Campus: Sooner Buzz

D.A. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:54:57 -0400

After the devastating loss of Sam Bradford to injury and the subsequent loss to Bringham Young, students at the University of Oklahoma are being cautiously optimistic about the team this year.

Two back-to-back shutouts–but against Idaho State and Tulsa. A record six-touchdown performance–but two interceptions. Every time when asked how they currently felt about the state of OU football, students were upbeat in a gingerly sort of manner.

There are some hot topics on campus:

Landry Jones v. Sam Bradford—Who Should Start?

Now, you're thinking "really?" There's really a debate going on about this? Well, yes, and it was sparked by the school newspaper, The OU Daily.

There are those who actually think that Sam Bradford's reign at the University of Oklahoma should be done. They are under the perception that OU is already out of the BCS discussion and leaving Bradford on the sidelines would help break Landry Jones in against real competition. They are thinking about the future. There's been an excess of "Fear the Stache" t-shirts on campus.

And then there are those who think the exact opposite. They think the loss against BYU at the beginning of the season will only incentivize Bradford to play his best when he returns. OU is still a top-ten team in terms of ranking and teams ahead of them, like USC and Ole Miss, keep tumbling. They think because Bradford is the team's leader, his return can spark the team to the BCS.

Bye Week—Best Time Possible

It's a student consensus: the bye week couldn't have come at a better time.

(1) The U—OU's next opponent is the surprisingly-hot Miami. The week off gives the Sooners the ability to watch the Canes in action against another top-20 opponent in Virginia Tech.

(2) Rest—regardless of the situation, the bye weeks gives Sam Bradford another week to rest and rehab. He's been passing, but not long yardage. Any rest for the Sooners is good.

Miami—The U-Galore

There is optimism amongst the OU faithful that the U can be beaten in Miami, even with Landry Jones starting at quarterback. Many have hinted at the improved, although still very imperfect play of the offensive line since their horrendous showing in week one.

The Sooner faithful will also be cheering for Miami to win at Virginia Tech this week. The better the opposition is, the more it helps the OU come bowl-time if they can pull off a victory against them.

There will be more student buzz next week on the OU/Miami game. But for now, all we can say is go UTEP!

MLB Power Rankings: Week 22 | Twin Wonders

D.A. — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:58:52 -0400

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. New York Yankees (95-54|1)

Talk about really pushing for that MVP trophy for Mark Teixeira (.462 avg/11 RBI/1.502 OPS last week). Robinson Cano (.500 avg last week) and Hideki Matsui (3 HR/10 RBI last week) have also been hot.

CC Sabathia (3 ER/14 IP last week) continues to dominate and AJ Burnett (1 ER/7 IP last game) hurled a much-needed game. The rest of the starters have been iffy while Mariano Rivera uncharacteristically blew a save.

NYY Playoff Meter: 10/10

2. Boston Red Sox (88-59|4)

New York and Boston are 1-2, the way most of America thought it would be. Jason Bay (3 HR/7 RBI/1.235 OPS last week) has looked great while JD Drew (.375 avg/1.295 OPS last week) is playing for his money. Kevin Youkilis (.077 avg last week) has been struggling.

Jon Lester (3 ER/14 IP last week) continues to dominate and Clay Buchholz (2 ER/13 IP last week) is looking great. Dice-K (0 ER/6 IP last game) had a decent return.

Bos Playoff Meter: 10/10

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (89-60|5)

Matt Kemp (.348 avg/1.052 OPS last week) continues his great play. Andre Ethier also had his sixth walk-off hit of the season. Ronnie Belliard (.333 avg/5 RBI last week) has been a great acquisition for the Dodgers, while Manny Ramirez (.214 avg last week) has been struggling.

Jon Garland (2 ER/14 IP last week) has looked brilliant, while Chad Billingsley (5 ER/5.2 IP last week) has looked ugly.

LAD Playoff Meter: 10/10

4. St. Louis Cardinals (87-62|2)

Skip Schumaker (.600 avg/1.269 OPS last week) has been on fire. The Machine (.350 avg last week) continues to do his thing, while Matt Holliday and Brendan Ryan provided walk-off heroics against the Cubs. Rookie Colby Rasmus (.182 avg last week) has been struggling.

Adam Wainwright (2 ER/7 IP last game) continues to dominate while Chris Carpenter (7 ER/14 IP last week) was inconsistent last week.

StL Playoff Meter: 10/10

5. Philadelphia Phillies (86-61|6)

Jayson Werth (.450 avg/6 RBI/1.100 OPS last week) continues to be a beastly bat in Philly's offense. Ryan Howard (6 RBI last week) also continues to be a consistent run-producer. Pedro Feliz (.080 avg last week) and Raul Ibanez (.211 avg last week) have gone cold.

Cliff Lee hurled a complete game shutout while Cole Hamels (1 ER/8 IP last game) looked vintage. Brad Lidge also didn't blow a save last week!

Phi Playoff Meter: 10/10

6. Los Angeles Angels (88-60|3)

While Kendry Morales (.148 avg last week) and Bobby Abreu (.192 avg last week) have cooled down massively, Torii Hunter (.346/4 RBI/1.008 OPS last week) has padded his monster season. Howie Kendrick (.389 avg/1.056 OPS last week) is also starting to contribute.

Scott Kazmir (2 ER/12 IP last week) has been an excellent pickup and John Lackey (2 ER/7.2 IP last game) continues to be great, although Brian Fuentes blew another save.

LAA Playoff Meter: 10/10

7. San Francisco Giants (80-68|10)

Juan Uribe (.435 avg/7 RBI/1.089 OPS last week) is heating up and Pablo Sandoval (.333 avg last week) continues to provide a consistent bat. Aaron Rowand (.211 avg last week) has been struggling while Freddy Sanchez (.269 avg last week) hasn't looked great.

Brad Penny (9 ER/9.2 IP last week) was roughed up in his last start, while Tim Lincecum (1 ER/7 IP last game) and Barry Zito (2 ER/7 IP last game) looked great.

Sfg Playoff Meter: 3/10

8. Colorado Rockies (84-65|8)

Troy Tulowitzki (.429 avg/4 HR/1.500 OPS last week) is sizzling, while the rest of the Colorado offense has been struggling. Clint Barmes (.067 avg last week) and Todd Helton (.118 avg last week) have been two big culprits. Brad Hawpe's slump has gotten him a seat on the bench, too.

Jorge De La Rosa (0 ER/8 IP last game) was great in his last start while the rest of the starters have been too inconsistent.

Col Playoff Meter: 7/10

9. Atlanta Braves (79-69|14)

What a pitching staff. Javier Vazquez (2 ER/16 IP last week) has been nothing short of exceptional. Tommy Hanson (0 ER/7 IP last game) continues to live up to his billing. Jair Jurrjens (1 ER/7 IP last game) continues to be underrated and Tim Hudson (3 ER/7 IP last game) continues his comeback.

Brian McCann (.352 avg/7 RBI last week) has been on-fire and Nate McLouth (4 RBI last week) has been productive since his return.

Atl Playoff Meter: 2/10

10. Florida Marlins (80-69|11)

Rookie Chris Coghlan (.355 avg last week) continues his monster second half. The rest of the Marlins have been struggling, including Nick Johnson (.167 avg last week) and Hanley Ramirez (.250 avg last week).

Josh Johnson, Rick VandenHurk, and Sean West (1 ER/6 IP last game each) eached hurled gems last week while Ricky Nolasco (9 ER/12 IP last week) has been inconsistent as of late.

Fla Playoff Meter: 2/10

11. Texas Rangers (81-66|9)

The Rangers bats have gone cold and Texas is now functionally out of the playoff picture. Ian Kinsler (.130 avg last week), Nelson Cruz (.136 avg last week), and Marlon Byrd (.125 avg last week) combined for a total of two RBI last week.

Rookie Tommy Hunter (3 ER/14 IP last week) has looked good, while the rest of the starters had a tough time pitching last week.

Tex Playoff Meter: 1/10

12. Minnesota Twins (76-72|15)

The Twins are surging and making a run at the AL Central crown. Michael Cuddyer (.417 avg/13 RBI/1.417 OPS last week) has been unbelievable while Joe Mauer (.611 avg/6 RBI/1.708 OPS last week) continues to put up MVP numbers. The Twins are going to need Orlando Cabrera (.208 avg last week) to step up.

Brian Duensing (0 ER/13.1 IP last week) has looked great, as has Nick Blackburn (2 ER/6.1 IP last game).

Min Playoff Meter: 5/10

13. Detroit Tigers (78-70|7)

When Aubrey Huff (.313 avg/5 RBI last week) starts to produce, the rest of the team disappears. Placido Polanco (.364 avg last week) has been hitting the ball well. Curtis Granderson (.231 avg last week) has continued his struggles as have Adam Everett (.222 avg last week) and Magglio Ordonez (.261 avg last week).

Justin Verlander (10 ER/14.1 IP last week) ruined his Cy chances and Edwin Jackson (5 ER/5 IP last game) is picking the wrong time to struggle.

Det Playoff Meter: 5/10

14. Seattle Mariners (77-72|12)

Ichiro Suzuki (.387 avg/5 RBI last week) had consecutive walkoff hits. Jose Lopez and Adrian Beltre (5 RBI each last week) have also been producing runs. Josh Wilson (.100 avg last week) and Bill Hall (.150 avg last week) have been struggling.

Felix Hernandez (1 ER/16 IP last week) continues his Cy Young campaign while Ryan Rowland-Smith (1 ER/8 IP last game) looked good in his last start.

15. Tampa Bay Rays (76-73|12)

The reeling Rays have found their stroke again, or at least it looks like it. Evan Longoria (.345 avg/5 RBI last week) is batting like he was at the beginning of the year. So is Ben Zobrist (.400 avg/5 RBI last week). B.J. Upton (.095 avg last week) and Dioner Navarro (.154 avg last week) have continued to struggle.

Rookie Wade Davis hurled a complete game shutout, and Matt Garza (3 ER/14.2 IP last week) has looked great.

16. Chicago Cubs (75-72|16)

Ryan Dempster (1 ER/16 IP last game) and Ted Lilly (2 ER/13.2 IP last game) have been sharp. Carlos Zambrano (5 ER/5 IP last game) has been ugly as has the bullpen (allowing two walkoffs).

Derrek Lee (.400 avg/7 RBI/1.251 OPS last week) has been putting up MVP-type numbers while Milton Bradley (.059 avg last week) continues to have a disastrous season.

17. Milwaukee Brewers (73-75|19)

Felipe Lopez (.450 avg/1.206 OPS last week) has been one of the best trade acquisitions in baseball. Alcides Escobar (.438 avg/5 RBI/1.096 OPS last week) has also been playing great. Jason Kendall (.125 avg last week) continues to struggle.

Jeff Suppan (3 ER/14 IP last week) has been pitching better while Yovani Gallardo (7 ER/5.1 IP last game) has seen better days.

18. Oakland Athletics (70-78|21)

The A's have now won six consecutive games. Rajai Davis (.429 avg/1.000 OPS/6 RBI last week) continues to have an underappreciated monster year.

Kurt Suzuki (6 RBI last week) and Ryan Sweeney (7 RBI last week) have also been producing runs, while Scott Hairston (.185 avg last week) is struggling.

After throwing a complete game shutout, Brett Tomko will be missing the rest of the season.

19. Chicago White Sox (73-76|17)

Jake Peavy (3 ER/5 IP last game) made his debut finally, and it was a mediocre victory. Paul Konerko (.409 avg last week) and Alexei Ramirez (.381 avg last week) have been hitting well while Gordon Beckham (.179 avg last week) and Scott Podsednik (.190 avg last week) have been struggling.

John Danks (1 ER/8 IP last game) was brilliant in his last start while Bobby Jenks blew yet another save.

20. Cincinnati Reds (68-81|20)

Drew Stubbs (.320 avg/3 HR/6 RBI/1.050 OPS last week) has been phenomenal. Joey Votto (.455 avg/1.162 OPS last week) also continues to hit well and Paul Janish (6 doubles last week) is looking good.

Scott Rolen (.158 avg last week) has yet to produce much in a Reds uniform. Homer Bailey (3 ER/12.1 IP last week) continues to improve while Francisco Cordero blew another save.

21. San Diego Padres (67-82|23)

Tony Gwynn (.412 avg last week) has been hitting well and Chase Headley (6 RBI last week) has been producing runs. David Eckstein (.167 avg last week) and Will Venable (.250 avg last week) have been struggling.

Clayton Richard (3 ER/11 IP last week) continues to pitch well while Kevin Correia (2 ER/6.1 IP last game) and Wade LeBlanc (1 ER/6 IP last game) have looked good.

22. Houston Astros (70-78|18)

The Astros have now lost six consecutive games. The Astro bats have just been struggling. Lance Berkman (.188 avg last week) and Geoff Blum (.154 avg last week) are two big culprits.

Wandy Rodriguez (2 ER/6 IP last game) continues to pitch well. Brian Moehler (2 ER/6 IP last game) and Jeff Fulchino (2 ER/7 IP last game) also pitched well without victories to show for it.

23. Arizona Diamondbacks (65-84|25)

Justin Upton (.364 avg/5 RBI/1.082 OPS last week) continues to put up monster numbers on a weak team. Gerardo Parra (.375 avg last week) also continues to put up good rookie numbers.

Mark Reynolds (.167 avg last week) and Miguel Montero (.143 avg last week) have been struggling. Dan Haren (2 ER/8 IP last game) continues to dominate while the bullpen blew three saves.

24. Toronto Blue Jays (66-82|24)

Things aren't going to go well when Aaron Hill (.192 avg last week) is struggling. Adam Lind (.217 avg/7 RBI last week) continues to produce runs, but hasn't been hitting consistently.

Edwin Encarnacion (.333 avg last week) is starting to look good and Vernon Wells (.450 avg last week) is actually hitting well. The starting pitching staff besides Roy Halladay has been terrible.

25. New York Mets (64-85|22)

Jeff Francouer (.444 avg last week) has been hitting well. Josh Thole (.350 avg/3 RBI last game) has looked good in the catcher role. Angel Pagan (.182 avg last week) and Luis Castillo (.240 avg last week) have been struggling.

Tim Redding (2 ER/13 IP last week) has looked good while the rest of the starters have looked ugly. Francisco Rodriguez also blew his sixth save of the season.

26. Kansas City Royals (60-88|29)

The Royals are playing the spoiler role again (taking two of three from the Tigers). Alberto Callaspo (.320 avg/9 RBI last week) has been on-fire.

Same thing applies to Willie Bloomquist (.435 avg last week) and David DeJesus (.389 avg last week). Luke Hochevar hurled a complete game shutout while Kyle Davies (0 ER/6 IP last game) and Zack Greinke (0 ER/5 IP last game) pitched well.

27. Baltimore Orioles (60-88|26)

Matt Wieters (.375 avg/2 HR/10 RBI last week) has been on-fire. Luke Scott (5 RBI last week) has also been producing runs. Nick Markakis (.115 avg last week) and Felix Pie (.238 avg last week) have been struggling.

Jeremy Guthrie (8 ER/11.1 IP last week) David Hernandez (8 ER/9 IP last week) have looked awful. Rookie Chris Tillman (1 ER/6.2 IP last game) was impressive in his last start.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates (56-90|28)

The starting pitching has looked great. Paul Maholm (0 ER/8 IP last game), Charlie Morton (1 ER/7 IP last game), Zach Duke (2 ER/7.1 IP last game), and Ross Ohlendorf (1 ER/7 IP last game) all were fantastic.

However, the bullpen has just looked ugly and blew two saves. Andrew McCutchen (.320 avg last week) is starting to hit better again while Lastings Milledge (.238 avg last week) is struggling.

29. Cleveland Indians (61-87|29)

The Tribe has now lost seven consecutive games. Matt LaPorta (.370 avg/6 RBI/1.044 OPS last week) has looked great as has Shin-Soo Choo (.348 avg/1.009 OPS last week). Jhonny Peralta (.080 avg last week) and Asdrubal Cabrera (.111 avg last week) have been struggling.

All of the starting pitchers, except David Huff, just looked terrible last week. The same thing applies to the bullpen.

30. Washington Nationals (51-97|30)

The offense just hasn't been there. Ryan Zimmerman (.211 avg last week), Adam Dunn (.176 avg last week), and Cristian Guzman (.200 avg last week) have all been struggling.

John Lannan (4 ER/12 IP last week) continues to impress and Livan Hernandez (2 ER/6 IP last game) hurled a solid outing. The offense and pitching never click at the same time.

Previous Power Rankings: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|

Breakdown (PA means Post-All-Star break):

Biggest climb: The Atlanta Braves climbed five spots from No. 14 to No. 9 after winning nine of their last 12 games.

Biggest fall: The Detroit Tigers fell six spots from No. 7 to No. 13 after losing nine of their last 13 games.

Best team average PA: The New York Yankees have the best team average (1.75).

Worst team average PA: The Washington Nationals have the worst team average (29.5).

Teams that have yet to fall out of the top-ten PA: Yankees, Angels, Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rockies

Teams that have yet to climb out of the bottom-ten PA: Nationals, Royals, Orioles, Padres, Pirates

Prediction of the Week: The Twins will capture first place by the end of the week.

Division Rankings (Win %|Last Week's Ranking)
*Rankings are done by taking the average ranking of every team in each division.

1. AL West (.534|1): (6) Laa, (11) Tex, (14) Sea, (18) Oak
2. NL West (.518|3): (3) Lad, (7) Sfg, (8) Col, (21) Sdp, (23) Ari
3. AL East (.520|2): (1) Nyy, (2) Bos, (15) Tbr, (24) Tor, (27) Bal
4. NL East (.486|4): (5) Phi, (9) Atl, (10) Fla, (25) Nym, (30) Was
5. NL Central (.483|5): (4) Stl, (16) Chc, (17) Mil, (20) Cin, (22) Hou, (28) Pit
6. AL Central (.470|6): (12) Min, (13) Det, (19) Cws, (26) Kcr, (29) Cle

If the playoffs started today...

(1) Yankees v. (3) Tigers
(2) Angels v. (WC) Red Sox

(1) Dodgers v. (3) Cardinals
(2) Phillies v. (WC) Rockies

If awards were handed out today...

American League MVP: Joe Mauer
1. Joe Mauer (Min): .373 avg, 28 HR, 88 RBI, 1.054 OPS
2. Mark Teixeira (Nyy): .289 avg, 37 HR, 118 RBI, .947 OPS
3. Miguel Cabrera (Det): .333 avg, 30 HR, 92 RBI, .955 OPS
4. Kendry Morales (Laa): .298 avg, 30 HR, 98 RBI, .898 OPS
5. Evan Longoria (Tbr): .283 avg, 31 HR, 108 RBI, .901 OPS

National League MVP: Albert Pujols
1. Albert Pujols (Stl): .328 avg, 47 HR, 127 RBI, 1.126 OPS
2. Hanley Ramirez (Fla): .353 avg, 23 HR, 100 RBI, 25 SB, .975 OPS
3. Prince Fielder (Mil): .299 avg, 39 HR, 127 RBI, .999 OPS
4. Derrek Lee (Chc): .303 avg, 33 HR, 103 RBI, .961 OPS
5. Ryan Braun (Mil): .310 avg, 29 HR, 102 RBI, .921 OPS

American League Cy Young: Zack Greinke
1. Zack Greinke (Kcr): 14-8, 2.14 ERA, 224 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
2. Felix Hernandez (Sea): 16-5, 2.45 ERA, 196 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
3. Roy Halladay (Tor): 15-9, 3.03 ERA, 189 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
4. CC Sabathia (Nyy): 18-7, 3.31 ERA, 186 Ks, 1.13 WHIP
5. Justin Verlander (Det): 16-9, 3.44 ERA, 245 Ks, 1.18 WHIP

National League Cy Young: Tim Lincecum
1. Tim Lincecum (Sfg): 14-5, 2.30 ERA, 244 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
2. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 16-4, 2.34 ERA, 136 Ks, 1.01 WHIP
3. Adam Wainwright (Stl): 18-8, 2.59 ERA, 183 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
4. Dan Haren (Ari): 14-8, 2.79 ERA, 201 Ks, 0.95 WHIP
5. Matt Cain (Sfg): 13-6, 2.71 ERA, 155 Ks, 1.17 WHIP

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey
1. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 25 saves, 1.95 ERA, 85 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
2. Nolan Reimold (Bal): .279 avg, 15 HR, 45 RBI, .831 OPS
3. Jeff Niemann (Tbr): 12-6, 3.80 ERA, 112 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
4. Gordon Beckham (Cws): .269 avg, 12 HR, 54 RBI, .798 OPS
5. Elvis Andrus (Tex): .272 avg, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 27 SB, .719 OPS

National League Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ
1. J.A. Happ (Phi): 10-4, 2.77 ERA, 105 Ks, 1.19 WHIP
2. Tommy Hanson (Atl): 10-3, 2.65 ERA, 93 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
3. Randy Wells (Chc): 10-9, 3.06 ERA, 88 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
4. Casey McGehee (Mil): .304 avg, 15 HR, 61 RBI, .878 OPS
5. Chris Coghlan (Fla): .310 avg, 9 HR, 42 RBI, .830 OPS

American League Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia
1. Mike Scioscia (Laa)
2. Ron Washington (Tex)
3. Don Wakamatsu (Sea)
4. Jim Leyland (Det)
5. Ron Gardenhire (Min)

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy
1. Jim Tracy (Col)
2. Tony La Russa (Stl)
3. Joe Torre (Lad)
4. Fredi Gonzalez (Fla)
5. Charlie Manuel (Phi)

American League Comeback Player of the Year: Justin Verlander
1. Justin Verlander (Det): 16-9, 3.44 ERA, 245 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
2. Aaron Hill (Tor): .285 avg, 32 HR, 98 RBI, .813 OPS
3. Victor Martinez (Cle/Bos): .297 avg, 21 HR,97 RBI, .853 OPS
4. Scott Podsednik (Cws): .302 avg, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 27 SB, .762 OPS
5. Michael Cuddyer (Min): .274 avg, 28 HR, 83 RBI, .854 OPS

National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 16-4, 2.34 ERA, 136 Ks, 1.01 WHIP
2. Troy Tulowitzki (Col): .287 avg, 29 HR, 81 RBI, .912 OPS
3. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 14-9, 2.22 ERA, 222 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
4. Todd Helton (Col): .316 avg, 14 HR, 78 RBI, .890 OPS
5. Joel Pineiro (Stl): 14-11, 3.31 ERA, 96 Ks, 1.13 WHIP

American League Relief Man of the Year: Mariano Rivera
1. Mariano Rivera (Nyy): 40/42 saves, 1.94 ERA, 66 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
2. Jonathan Papelbon (Bos): 37/40 saves, 1.97 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
3. David Aardsma (Sea): 35/39 saves, 2.06 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.16 WHIP
4. Joe Nathan (Min): 42/47 saves, 2.21 ERA, 81 Ks, 0.97 WHIP
5. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 25/29 saves, 1.95 ERA, 85 Ks, 0.92 WHIP

National League Relief Man of the Year: Huston Street
1. Huston Street (Col): 33/34 saves, 2.96 ERA, 62 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
2. Trevor Hoffman (Mil): 34/37 saves, 1.88 ERA, 43 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
3. Ryan Frankin (Stl): 37/42 saves, 2.02 ERA, 40 Ks, 1.12 WHIP
4. Francisco Cordero (Cin): 38/42 saves, 2.37 ERA, 56 Ks, 1.31 WHIP
5. Heath Bell (Sdp): 38/43 saves, 2.81 ERA, 70 Ks, 1.11 WHIP

American League Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards:

	Silver Slugger	Gold Glove
C	Joe Mauer (Min)	Joe Mauer (Min)
1B	Mark Teixeira (Nyy)	Miguel Cabrera (Det)
2B	Aaron Hill (Tor)	Placido Polanco (Det)
SS	Derek Jeter (Nyy)	Erick Aybar (Laa)
3B	Evan Longoria (Tbr)	Evan Longoria (Tbr)
OF	Torii Hunter (Laa)	Franklin Gutierrez (Sea)
OF	Nick Markakis (Bal)	B.J. Upton (Tbr)
OF	Jason Bay (Bos)	Ryan Sweeney (Oak)
DH\|P	Adam Lind (Tor)	Mark Buehrle (Cws)

National League Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards:

	Silver Slugger	Gold Glove
C	Brian McCann (Atl)	Yadier Molina (Stl)
1B	Albert Pujols (Stl)	Adrian Gonzalez (Sdp)
2B	Chase Utley (Phi)	Chase Utley (Phi)
SS	Hanley Ramirez (Fla)	Jimmy Rollins (Phi)
3B	Ryan Zimmerman (Was)	Ryan Zimmerman (Was)
OF	Ryan Braun (Mil)	Matt Kemp (Lad)
OF	Adam Dunn (Was)	Michael Bourn (Hou)
OF	Andre Ethier (Lad)	Mike Cameron (Mil)
P	Micah Owings (Cin)	Josh Johnson (Fla)

It's Not Even Debatable: Chipper Jones Is a Surefire Hall-Of-Famer

D.A. — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:06:33 -0400

Pondering retirement in 2010, questions have shot up about the Hall of Fame credentials of Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. That is confusing to me, because it shouldn't be a question. Chipper Jones is a lock for the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame looks at third basemen differently than any other position. But it's clear that Jones is amongst the third basemen elite. Look at his stats in comparison to the other third basemen in the Hall of Fame:

Player	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	R	H	SB
Frank Baker	.307	.363	.442	96	987	887	1,838	235
Wade Boggs	.328	.415	.443	118	1,014	1,513	3,010	24
George Brett	.305	.373	.487	317	1,595	1,583	3,154	201
Jimmy Collins	.294	.344	.409	65	983	1,055	1,999	194
George Kell	.306	.368	.414	78	870	881	2,054	51
Freddie Lindstrom	.311	.351	.449	103	779	895	1,747	84
Eddie Matthews	.271	.378	.509	512	1,453	1,509	2,315	68
Brooks Robinson	.267	.325	.401	268	1,357	1,232	2,848	28
Mike Schmidt	.267	.384	.527	548	1,595	1,506	2,234	174
Pie Traynor	.320	.362	.435	58	1,273	1,183	2,416	158
Chipper Jones	.308	.407	.542	424	1,438	1,448	2,393	142

So if you were to compare Jones to the current Hall-of-Famers, he would be the highest slugging third baseman. He would have second highest on-base percentage, the fourth highest batting average, the third highest amount of home runs, the fourth (soon to be third) highest amount of RBI, and the fifth (soon to be fourth) highest amount of hits.

With his bat, Chipper Jones will be known as one of the greatest offensive third basemen of all-time.

Jones won the National League MVP in 1999 and finished in the top-ten in voting five other times. He is also a six-time All-Star and has two Silver Sluggers. Not to mention that he helped guide the Braves to a World Series championship in 1995 as a rookie.

Jones also could legitimately hit from either side of the plate, and has earned the right to be called one of the greatest switch-hitters of all-time. Jones also hasn't been connected to or mentioned in the same breath as steroids by any credible source.

The only knock on Chipper is his defense (.952 career fielding percentage). But the offense/defense paradigm doesn't just go one way. Some people get in solely based on their defense (i.e. Bill Mazeroski). Jones is an adequate defender and his offensive abilities should be looked at first and foremost.

It's asinine that it's even up for debate on whether or not Jones should be in the Hall of Fame. Jones is one the greatest at what he does of all-time.

D.A.'s MLB Awards Watch Update

D.A. — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:51:44 -0400

Power rankings are pretty useless this time of the year. Does anybody really care where the Nationals, Royals, Padres, etc...fall? No. What people do care about at this time of the year is awards.

Here is how I would divvy up the awards for each league:

American League MVP: Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)

1. Joe Mauer (Min): .374 avg, 27 HR, 87 RBI, 1.051 OPS
2. Miguel Cabrera (Det): .333 avg, 29 HR, 89 RBI, .956 OPS
3. Mark Teixeira (Nyy): .286 avg, 35 HR, 112 RBI, .933 OPS
4. Kendry Morales (Laa): .304 avg, 30 HR, 98 RBI, .914 OPS
5. Adam Lind (Tor): .297 avg, 30 HR, 103 RBI, .906 OPS

Apologies to: Jason Bay, Evan Longoria, Victor Martinez, Aaron Hill, Alex Rodriguez, Nick Markakis, Ichiro Suzuki, Michael Young, Jason Bartlett, Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, Ben Zobrist, Jason Kubel, Aaron Hill

National League MVP: Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals)

1. Albert Pujols (Stl): .333 avg, 47 HR, 127 RBI, 1.139 OPS
2. Hanley Ramirez (Fla): .357 avg, 23 HR, 99 RBI, .989 OPS
3. Prince Fielder (Mil): .298 avg, 39 HR, 126 RBI, .998 OPS
4. Derrek Lee (Chc): .307 avg, 33 HR, 102 RBI, .974 OPS
5. Chase Utley (Phi): .295 avg, 31 HR, 90 RBI, .952 OPS

Apologies to: Adam Dunn, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Pablo Sandoval, Todd Helton, Ryan Howard, Ryan Braun, Justin Upton, Carlos Lee, Mark Reynolds, Adrian Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, Raul Ibanez

American League Cy Young: Zack Greinke (Kansas City Royals)

1. Zack Greinke (Kcr): 13-8, 2.19 ERA, 216 Ks, 1.07 WHIP
2. Felix Hernandez (Sea): 15-5, 2.52 ERA, 193 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
3. Roy Halladay (Tor): 15-9, 3.03 ERA, 189 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
4. Justin Verlander (Det): 16-8, 3.34 ERA, 239 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
5. CC Sabathia (Nyy): 17-7, 3.42 ERA, 178 Ks, 1.13 WHIP

Apologies to: Jon Lester, John Lackey, Scott Feldman

National League Cy Young: Tim Lincecum (San Francisco Giants)

1. Tim Lincecum (Sfg): 14-5, 2.30 ERA, 244 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
2. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 16-4, 2.45 ERA, 132 Ks, 1.00 WHIP
3. Adam Wainwright (Stl): 18-8, 2.59 ERA, 183 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
4. Matt Cain (Sfg): 13-6, 2.71 ERA, 155 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
5. Dan Haren (Ari): 14-8, 2.79 ERA, 201 Ks, 0.95 WHIP

Apologies to: J.A. Happ, Wandy Rodriguez, Jair Jurrjens, Javier Vazquez, Randy Wells, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wolf, Josh Johnson, Ted Lilly

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey (Oakland Athletics)

1. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 24 saves, 1.98 ERA, 82 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
2. Jeff Niemann (Tbr): 12-6, 3.80 ERA, 112 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
3. Nolan Reimold (Bal): .279 avg, 15 HR, 45 RBI, .831 OPS
4. Elvis Andrus (Tex): .273 avg, 6 HR, 33 RBI, .723 OPS
5. Gordon Beckham (Cws): .274 avg, 12 HR, 54 RBI, .818 OPS

Apologies to: Jose Mijares, Chris Getz

National League Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ (Philadelphia Phillies)

1. J.A. Happ (Phi): 10-4, 2.77 ERA, 104 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
2. Randy Wells (Chc): 10-8, 2.96 ERA, 84 Ks, 1.25 WHIP
3. Casey McGehee (Mil): .304 avg, 15 HR, 58 RBI, .879 OPS
4. Chris Coghlan (Fla): .303 avg, 9 HR, 42 RBI, .817 OPS
5. Gerardo Parra (Ari): .293 avg, 5 HR, 54 RBI, .735 OPS

Apologies to: Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, Colby Rasmus, Luke Gregerson

American League Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia (Los Angeles Angels)

1. Mike Scioscia (Laa)
2. Jim Leyland (Det)
3. Ron Washington (Tex)
4. Don Wakamatsu (Sea)
5. Joe Girardi (Nyy)

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy (Colorado Rockies)

1. Jim Tracy (Col)
2. Tony LaRussa (Stl)
3. Joe Torre (Lad)
4. Fredi Gonzalez (Fla)
5. Charlie Manuel (Phi)

American League Comeback Player of the Year: Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers)

1. Justin Verlander (Det): 16-8, 3.34 ERA, 239 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
2. Aaron Hill (Tor): .285 avg, 32 HR, 98 RBI, .815 OPS
3. Victor Martinez (Cle/Bos): .297 avg, 21 HR, 97 RBI, .856 OPS
4. Scott Podsednik (Cws): .303 avg, 6 HR, 45 RBI, .764 OPS
5. Michael Cuddyer (Min): .274 avg, 26 HR, 78 RBI, .847 OPS

National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals)

1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 16-4, 2.45 ERA, 132 Ks, 1.00 WHIP
2. Troy Tulowitzki (Col): .285 avg, 27 HR, 78 RBI, .901 OPS
3. Todd Helton (Col): .318 avg, 14 HR, 78 RBI, .896 OPS
4. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 13-9, 3.01 ERA, 216 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
5. Joel Pineiro (Stl): 14-11, 3.31 ERA, 96 Ks, 1.13 WHIP

American League Relief Man of the Year: Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees)

1. Mariano Rivera (Nyy): 40 saves, 1.66 ERA, 64 Ks, 0.89 WHIP
2. Jonathan Papelbon (Bos): 36 saves, 2.00 ERA, 72 Ks, 1.24 WHIP
3. David Aardsma (Sea): 35 saves, 2.09 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
4. Joe Nathan (Min): 41 saves, 2.25 ERA, 80 Ks, 0.95 WHIP
5. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 24 saves, 1.98 ERA, 82 Ks, 0.92 WHIP

National League Relief Man of the Year: Ryan Franklin (St. Louis Cardinals)

1. Ryan Franklin (Stl): 37 saves, 1.93 ERA, 38 Ks, 1.11 WHIP
2. Francisco Cordero (Cin): 37 saves, 2.29 ERA, 54 Ks, 1.29 WHIP
3. Huston Street (Col): 33 saves, 2.96 ERA, 62 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
4. Trevor Hoffman (Mil): 32 saves, 1.96 ERA, 41 Ks, 0.96 WHIP
5. Heath Bell (Sdp): 37 saves, 2.86 ERA, 69 Ks, 1.11 WHIP

American League Silver Sluggers:

Catcher: Joe Mauer (Min)
First Base: Mark Teixeira (Nyy)
Second Base: Aaron Hill (Tor)
Shortstop: Derek Jeter (Nyy)
Third Base: Evan Longoria (Tbr)
Outfield: Nick Markakis (Bal)
Outfield: Jason Bay (Bos)
Outfield: Torii Hunter (Laa)
Designated Hitter: Adam Lind (Tor)

National League Silver Sluggers:

Catcher: Brian McCann (Atl)
First Base: Albert Pujols (Stl)
Second Base: Chase Utley (Phi)
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez (Fla)
Third Base: Mark Reynolds (Ari)
Outfield: Ryan Braun (Mil)
Outfield: Adam Dunn (Was)
Outfield: Andre Ethier (Lad)
Pitcher: Micah Owings (Cin)

Survey Says: The Best Players in Baseball's Last 20 Years

D.A. — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:49:45 -0400

ESPN is celebrating its 20th year in bringing the fans baseball. It decided to do a SportsNation Begin Slideshow

Debate: Did Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire Really "Save" Baseball in 1998?

D.A. — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:35:18 -0400

Myth: Baseball was dying in 1998. The home run chase of Roger Maris's record of 61 home runs in a single season by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa prevented baseball's demise.

Lots of bloggers, journalists, and analysts say that these two "sluggers" saved the game of baseball by bringing back excitement to the game. And that baseball was in a dire situation due to a strike that occurred three years earlier.

I call shenanigans. Baseball was doing just fine and these two did not "save" it. In fact, they arguably ruined baseball. Ten years later, we learned that that magical year was an illusion....like magic. But I digress. The home run chase did not save baseball:

1. Attendance was on the rise already. In 1998, there was no huge increase and there was actually a decrease in 1999.

Here's a chart of the average attendance from 1995-1999:

Year	Avg Attd	% Difference
1995	25,257	------
1996	26,891	+6.5%
1997	28,218	+4.9%
1998	29,393	+4.2%
1999	28,861	-1.8%

What do these numbers mean? A couple of things. For one thing, baseball was "not dying." In fact, it was quite healthy. In 1996, there was a 6.5% increase in attendance and in 1997 there was a 4.9% increase in attendance. The average increase in attendance in 1998 was not as high as the previous years.

Also, coming off that "ravishing" 1998 season, the average attendance actually decreased by 1.8% the very next year. So if McGwire and Sosa really saved baseball, why did people attend less games? Baseball was in good health without the chase.

2. World Series ratings were the worst, ever.

What does it mean to "save" the game of baseball? To preserve America's pastime in its whole? Well if that's the case, the chase did not get the job done. At the time, the World Series, which is the big bang in baseball, was the worst rated World Series in MLB history.

That means people weren't turned on by the chase. They didn't care overall about baseball that much more. It's interesting because it was a World Series that included the most popular team in baseball in the Yankees. You'd think if baseball was being "saved," more people would have tuned in.

3. Baseball fans are resilient.

We see it now. We saw it then. To parallel, the steroid era has put a cloud over baseball and baseball isn't dead yet. The strike put a cloud over baseball, and it didn't die. Or even get sick. That's because baseball is America's pastime, and the true fans are resilient. Through thick and thin, baseball fans—the best fans in sports—will always stick to the sport.

Imagine a world without the home run record being broken. There were still stars in Ken Griffey, Jr., Derek Jeter, Tom Glavine, etc... They were all great to watch, and fans would've just watched them.

Don't forget that there were two new franchises (Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays) in baseball that helped spark baseball's real rejuvenation. There was also the Marlins winning the 1997 World Series in dramatic fashion.

So ask yourself this the next time somebody praises McGwire and Sosa for saving baseball: did baseball need to be saved? The answer is a clear cut "no."

MLB Power Rankings: Week 21 | These Tigers Are Prowling

D.A. — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:31:34 -0400

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. New York Yankees (87-50|1)

Who is hotter than Alex Rodriguez (.375 avg/8 RBI last week)? How about Jorge Posada (.409 avg/3 HR/8 RBI last week)? Robinson Cano (.393 avg/1.202 OPS last week) and Melky Cabrera (.393 avg/5 RBI last week) are also heating up.

Mark Teixeira is slumping (.182 avg last week) as is Hideki Matsui (.150 avg last week), while the Derek Jeter-for-MVP campaign is milding.

Andy Pettitte (5 ER/14 IP last week) has been pitching great, taking a perfect game deep into his game against the Orioles. CC Sabathia (1 ER/7 IP last game) was the American League pitcher of the month.

The Joba Rules (4 ER/6 IP last game) have been revised while Sergio Mitre (9 ER/4.1 IP last game) has looked ugly. Mariano Rivera is also ready to return after missing some time.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (81-57|2)

Albert Pujols (.381 avg/3 HR/8 RBI last week) continues to put up MVP numbers. Matt Holliday (.440 avg/3 HR/6 RBI/1.342 OPS last week) could get some lowered place votes himself. Ryan Ludwick (.500 avg/7 RBI/1.582 OPS last week) is on pace to prove his critics wrong and reach the 100-RBI mark.

Brendan Ryan (.111 avg last week) has been struggling, while the Cardinals should be happy with the return of Troy Glaus. Adam Wainwright (6 ER/5 IP last game) got an ugly win he didn't deserve. John Smoltz (4 ER/6 IP last game) has his worst outing in a Cardinals uniform.

Chris Carpenter won his tenth consecutive decision to keep pace in the Cy Young race. Joel Pineiro (8 ER/15 IP last week) hasn't looked good while Ryan Franklin blew his third save of the season.

3. Los Angeles Angels (81-54|6)

Despite slumping offensively, the Angels have been winning. Kendry Morales had four doubles last week, but was without an RBI. Chone Figgins (.174 avg last week), Torii Hunter (.217 avg last week), Vladimir Guerrero (.190 avg last week), Juan Rivera (.150 avg last week), and Mike Napoli (.125 avg last week) have all been struggling.

The Angels pitching staff has carried the team for a change. Joe Saunders (2 ER/12.1 IP last week) has looked like he's in All-Star form. John Lackey (1 ER/9 IP last game) was snubbed of a win, despite pitching phenomenally.

Jered Weaver (1 ER/7 IP last game) has looked like himself of earlier this year, while Scott Kazmir (1 ER/6.1 IP last game) looked pretty good in his debut.

4. Boston Red Sox (79-57|4)

The Red Sox took a crucial series from Tampa Bay to help pad their Wild Card lead. Kevin Youkilis (.348 avg/4 RBI week) has been hitting well. Jason Bay (.333 avg/6 RBI/1.201 OPS last week) has looked like his MVP-self from earlier in the year.

Victor Martinez (.429 avg/1.157 OPS/5 RBI last week) continues to prove that he was a good acquisition. Dustin Pedroia (.087 avg last week) has been struggling and David Ortiz (.091 avg last week) continues his misreable year.

Josh Beckett (4 ER/6 IP last game) has been struggling, while Jon Lester (2 ER/13 IP last week) is starting to look like a Cy Young candidate. Tim Wakefield (4 ER/6 IP last game) was roughed up in his last start while the bullpen hasn't looked great (6.11 ERA last week).

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (81-57|5)

The Dodgers were busy with the acquisitions of Jim Thome and Jon Garland. James Loney (.348 avg last week) has been the only Dodger that has been hitting well.

Ronnie Belliard (.333 avg/4 RBI last week) has looked good in Dodger blue. Matt Kemp (.160 avg last week) is struggling and Manny Ramirez (.238 avg last week) has continued his second half slump. Russell Martin (.217 avg last week) and Orlando Hudson (.214 avg last week) also have not been hitting well.

Randy Wolf (4 ER/13 IP last week) could be the most underrated pitcher in the National League. Jon Garland (2 ER/7 IP last game) looked effective in his debut. Clayton Kershaw (1 ER/6 IP last game) also continues to have a great year.

6. Philadelphia Phillies (77-57|3)

The Phillies have been slumping offensively. Carlos Ruiz (.588 avg/1.376 OPS last week) and Ryan Howard (.318 avg last week) are the exceptions. Jimmy Rollins (.200 avg last week) and Chase Utley (.118 avg last week) have been struggling.

Raul Ibanez has been awful since the All-Star break (.209 average since) and Shane Victorino (.080 avg last week) has been struggling bad. Cole Hamels has continued his inconsistent season (complete game shutout to 4 ER/6 IP). Pedro Martinez (1 ER/9 Ks/7 IP last game) outdueled Tim Lincecum.

Joe Blanton (4 ER/13 IP last week) continues to have a good year, while Cliff Lee (6 ER/3 IP last game) has been struggling. Brad Lidge blew yet another save (ten on the year).

7. Detroit Tigers (75-61|12)

The Tigers have now won six in a row and are that much closer to clinching the division. Placido Polanco (.458 avg/5 RBI/1.256 OPS last week) has been on-fire. Carlos Guillen (.350 avg/3 HR/7 RBI/1.380 OPS last week) is also hitting well and Miguel Cabrera (.348 avg last week) has continued to hit extremely well.

Curtis Granderson (.185 avg last week) has been struggling, as has Brandon Inge (.115 avg last week) despite being clutch. Aubrey Huff has yet to look good in a Tigers uniform. Justin Verlander (1 ER/8 IP last game) is putting up Cy Young numbers while Rick Porcello (2 ER/7 IP last game) continues to put up great rookie numbers.

Jarrod Washburn (8 ER/5.2 IP last game) has looked like a terrible acquisition.

8. Colorado Rockies (77-60|10)

Seth Smith (.542 avg/4 HR/10 RBI/1.857 OPS last week) has been absolutely dazzling. The same applies to Carlos Gonzalez (.375 avg/3 HR/1.215 OPS last week). Todd Helton has (.300 avg/5 RBI last week) has continued to have a great rebound season. Brad Hawpe has looked awful since the All-Star break (.242 average since).

Jason Giambi has also come up big when called upon, despite in limited action. Jose Contreras (1 ER/6.2 IP last game) looked excellent in his debut. Jorge De La Rosa (2 ER/11 IP last week) has been pitching well as of late.

Ubaldo Jimenez (2 ER/8 IP last week) has been one of the best pitchers since the All-Star break in the National League. Franklin Morales has filled in well for an injured Huston Street.

9. Texas Rangers (76-60|7)

The Rangers have fallen to three games back in the Wild Card race. Nelson Cruz (.370 avg/3 HR/8 RBI/1.118 OPS last week) has been playing great. Ian Kinsler (.308 avg/4 RBI last week) has also looked good.

Chris Davis (8 RBI last week) has been a good run producer, while Elvis Andrus (.391 avg/1.114 OPS last week) and David Murphy (.368/1.008 OPS last week) have been playing well. Ivan Rodriguez (.157 avg last week) has been slumping.

Scott Feldman (1 ER/6.2 IP last game) is having an excellent year for the Rangers. Brandon McCarthy (1 ER/6.1 IP last game) looked great in his return. Neither Derek Holland (16 ER/6.1 IP last week) nor Tommy Hunter (4 ER/7 IP last game) has looked good.

10. San Francisco Giants (75-62|9)

Same story: the Giants lack offense. They needed a bat, but didn't get one. Pablo Sandoval (.111 avg last week), Bengie Molina (.071 avg last week), Edgar Renteria (.136 avg last week), Aaron Rowand (.132 avg last week), and Travis Ishikawa (.083 avg last week) have all ben struggling.

Eugenio Velez (2 3Bs/1.013 OPS last week) has looked good. The pitching continues to be good for the Giants. Jonathan Sanchez (2 ER/12 IP last week) pitched well without a win to show for it.

Brad Penny (0 ER/8 IP last game) looked phenomenal in his debut. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum (2 ER/7 IP last game each) continue to do their things. Barry Zito (2 ER/4 IP last game) returned to his normal self with a bad outing.

11. Florida Marlins (72-65|14)

Chris Coghlan (.455 avg last week) has been batting extremely well. Jorge Cantu (.467 avg/1.233 OPS/8 RBI last week) has provided a consistent bat for the Marlins. Dan Uggla (5 RBI/1.006 OPS last week) is finally playing well.

Hanley Ramirez (.353 avg/7 RBI/1.259 OPS last week) has continued his MVP-type production.

Could the Uggla-Ramirez scuttle spark the team? Josh Johnson (4 ER/11.2 IP last week) continues to put up good numbers. Annibal Sanchez (3 ER/11 IP last week) has looked good. Sean Wester (5 ER/3 IP last game) is struggling while Ricky Nolasco hurled another quality start for the victory.

There are bullpen problems as Leo Nunez has blown two saves and Kiki Calero has blown one in the past week.

12. Seattle Mariners (72-66|11)

Ichiro Suzuki reached another milestone, becoming the second fast player in MLB history to reach the 2,000 hits milestone. Suzuki (.423 avg last week) continues to bat well. Mike Sweeney (.364 avg last week) is also batting well for the Ms. Jose Lopez (2 HR/5 RBI last week) isn't batting well, but he's a consistent run producer.

Adrian Beltre (.091 avg last week), Bill Hall (.208 avg last week), and Jack Wilson (.227 avg last week) have been struggling. Doug Fister (2 ER/1.21 IP last week) continues to look like a great rookie, while Luke French (12 ER/8.2 IP last week) has looked nothing short of awful.

Felix Hernandez (0 ER/8 IP last week) notched another win to pad his Cy Young resume while some of the bullpen has looked iffy.

13. Tampa Bay Rays (72-64|8)

The Rays are quickly fading in the Wild Card race. Evan Longoria (.467 avg/3 HR/10 RBI/1.400 OPS last week) has been absolutely tearing it up. Same thing applies to Carlos Pena (.385 avg/2 HR/8 RBI/1.198 OPS last week). Dioner Navarro (.357 avg last week) has been playing better. Ben Zobrist (.222 avg last week), Carl Crawford (.091 avg last week), and B.J. Upton (.154 avg last week) have all been struggling.

Wade Davis (1 ER/9 Ks/7 IP last game) looked excellent in his debut, while ace James Shields (10 ER/13.1 IP last week) has been inconsistent. Jeff Niemann (1 ER/7.2 IP last game) continues to put up great rookie numbers, while the bullpen (JP Howell, Russ Springer, Grant Balfour) all blew save opportunities last week.

14. Atlanta Braves (70-67|13)

The Braves are quickly fading in the Wild Card race, having lost their past five games. Matt Diaz has had an excellent second half (.349 avg/.960 OPS since the All-Star break). Veterans Garret Anderson (.150 avg last week) and Chipper Jones (.182 avg last week) have been struggling.

Brian McCann (.125 avg last week) has also had some trouble due to a sore oblique and Adam LaRoche (.250 avg last week) is starting to struggle for the Braves. Jair Jurrjens (3 ER/7 IP last game) and Derek Lowe (3 ER/7 IP last game) both hurled quality starts but didn't get victories to show for it.

Tim Hudson (3 ER/12.1 IP last week) has looked great in his return. Javier Vazquez (5 ER/5.1 IP last game) struggled in his last start.

15. Minnesota Twins (68-68|16)

If this team is going to make any sort of playoff push, they're going to need Justin Morneau (.048 avg last week) to stop struggling. Joe Mauer (.348 avg last week) continues to bat well and Jason Kubel (.421 avg/4 RBI/1.206 OPS last week) is the unsung hero of the Twins.

Denard Span (.364 avg last week) has continued his good play, while Orlando Cabrera (.190 avg last week) and Michael Cuddyer (.130 avg last week) have been struggling. Nick Blackburn (4 ER/13.2 IP last week) has looked great, Scott Baker (1 ER/6 IP last game) continues to shine, and Paul Manship (1 ER/5 IP last game) had a good starting debut.

Brian Duensing (0 ER/7 IP last game) has also looked good. The pitching is there, but the Twins need some offense.

16. Chicago Cubs (68-67|16)

Derrek Lee (.444 avg/4 HR/6 RBI/1.667 OPS last week) continues to be the best player on the Cubs. Jeff Baker (.429 avg last week) seems to be an adequate player at the second base hole in Chicago. Ryan Theriot (.160 avg last week), Aramis Ramirez (.174 avg last week), and Kosuke Fukudome (.179 avg last week) have all been struggling offensively.

Randy Wells (1 ER/6 IP last game) pitched yet another gem while getting a loss. Ted Lilly (0 ER/8 IP last game) has continued his sensational year while Ryan Dempster (0 ER/7 IP last game) was awarded a loss despite not giving up an earned run.

Carlos Zambrano continues to be inconsistent while Rich Harden hasn't lasted past the fifth inning in his past two starts. Kevin Gregg was also responsible for another loss.

17. Chicago White Sox (68-70|18)

Scott Podsednik (.345 avg last week) has been the only consistent White Sox bat. Paul Konerko (.333 avg/5 RBI last week) has been heating up as has Alexei Ramirez (.391 avg/6 RBI last week). Chris Getz (.400 avg last week) has looked good in his return and Gordon Beckham (.316 avg/1.170 OPS last week) is playing well again.

Alex Rios (.087 avg last week) has continued to slump while AJ Pierzynski (.389 avg last week) has been underrated. Gavin Floyd was dominant (4 ER/15 Ks/14 IP last week).

Carlos Torres (0 ER/7 IP last game) sparkled against the Cubs. Freddy Garcia (1 ER/6 IP last game) also dominated the Red Sox. John Danks (6 ER/13 IP last week) has been struggling as has the bullpen (Matt Thorton, Octavio Dotel).

18. Houston Astros (66-70|19)

The big players on the offense are clicking. Hunter Pence (.368 avg/5 RBI/1.237 OPS last week) is heating up. Carlos Lee (.333 avg/7 RBI last week) continues to produce runs and Michael Bourn (.409 avg/4 SB last week) plays his leadoff role extremely well.

Lance Berkman (.176 avg last week) is struggling. Roy Oswalt (4 ER/13.1 IP last week) has looked good as of late. Wandy Rodriguez (0 ER/7 IP last game) is definitely in the Cy Young race. Bud Norris and Felipe Paulino (2 ER/6 IP last game each) have both kept the Astros in the game. Brian Moehler (1 ER/5.1 IP last game) has even looked good.

The pitching and offense are clicking, although it's too late to make a run for the Astros.

19. Milwaukee Brewers (66-70|17)

Casey McGehee (.364 avg/10 RBI/1.126 OPS last week) has put up exceptional rookie numbers. Ryan Braun (.333 avg last week) continues to bat well. Prince Fielder has been clutch. Felipe Lopez (.238 avg last week), Jason Kendall (.111 avg last week), Mike Cameron (.176 avg last week), and Jody Gerut (.188 avg last week) have been struggling. JJ Hardy (.133 avg last week) also hasn't looked great in his return.

Dave Bush (8 ER/3.1 IP last game) has looked awful since his return to the rotation, although Manny Parra (2 ER/6.1 IP last game) pitched well. Yovani Gallardo will be skipped for his next start in the rotation to get extra rest. Jeff Suppan (0 ER/5.2 IP last game) also looked decent in his last start.

20. Cincinnati Reds (63-73|22)

Cincinnati is streaking as the Reds have now won seven games in a row. Drew Stubbs (.375 avg/4 HR/5 RBI/1.188 OPS last week) is playing great baseball. Brandon Phillips (.440 avg/6 RBI/1.281 OPS last week) has also been playing extremely well.

Craig Tatum (.444 avg/4 RBI last week) has also looked good at catcher. Paul Janish (.136 avg last week) and Joey Votto (.100 avg last week) have both been struggling. Kip Wells (2 ER/12 IP last week) and Johnny Cueto (2 ER/11 IP last week) have looked great in their last starts.

Same thing applies to Bronson Arroyo (1 ER/7 IP last game). Francisco Cordero has also looked great in the closer role, saving his seventh consecutive game.

21. Oakland Athletics (61-76|24)

The A's offense has started to look better. Adam Kennedy (.407 avg/4 RBI last week) has been playing great as has Rajai Davis (.385/5 RBI/1.046 OPS last week). Mark Ellis, Scott Hairston, and Landon Powell were all RBI-machines (5 RBI each) last week.

Kurt Suzuki (.143 avg) has been struggling as hae Daric barton and Cliff Pennington (.238 avg each last week). Gio Gonzalez (2 ER/7 IP last game) was great in his last start. The rest of the starters have struggled.

Clayton Mortensen (4 ER/7 IP last game), Brett Tomko (6 ER/5.2 IP last game), Brett Anderson (3 ER/5 IP last game), and Trevor Cahill (3 ER/5 IP last game) didn't have their best stuff.

22. New York Mets (62-75|26)

Angel Pagan (.357 avg last week) has been a consistent bat for the Mets. David Wright (.300 avg last week) continues to bat consistently while Daniel Murphy (7 RBI last week) has been a run-producing machine.

Two Mets players had multiple home runs in the past week! One was Murphy and the other was Cory Sullivan (.438 avg/1.509 OPS last week). Jeff Francouer (.143 avg last week) has been struggling.

Inconsistent Mike Pelfrey (1 ER/8 IP last game) had his best outing of the year in his last start. Pat Misch (2 ER/7 IP last game) had another good outing for New York as did Bobby Parnell (0 ER/7 IP last game). The bullpen has been iffy (5.93 ERA last week) as of late.

23. San Diego Padres (61-77|23)

Kevin Kouzmanoff (7 RBI last week) has been an RBI-machine for the Friars. David Eckstein (.333 avg last week) is also batting well. Tony Gwynn (.077 avg last week), Chase Headley (.158 avg last week), and Will Venable (.222 avg last week) have all been struggling. Tim Stauffer (2 ER/13.1 IP last week) has looked phenomenal. Same thing applies to the rest of the starting pitching staff.

Kevin Correira (0 ER/7.2 IP last game), Clayton Richard (1 ER/6.2 IP last game), and Wade LeBlanc (0 ER/6 IP last game) all had good games for the victory. Heath Bell notched four saves in four opportunities last week, proving he's one of the best closers in the league.

24. Toronto Blue Jays (61-75|21)

Adam Lind (.321 avg/3 HR/12 RBI/1.243 OPS last week) seriously deserves MVP consideration. Aaron Hill (9 RBI last week) also continues to be a run producing-machine. Marco Scutaro (.129 avg last week) and Vernon Wells (.200 avg last week) have been struggling. Randy Ruiz (2 HR/4 RBI last week) has looked good in his limited action.

Roy Halladay was absolutely sensational in his one-hitter against the Yankees. Brian Tallet (9 ER/10 IP last week) and Brett Cecil (10 ER/9.1 IP last week) have both been inconsistent.

All of the rookie starters (Ricky Romero, Marc Rzepczysnki, Scott Richmond) have struggled as of late. The bullpen has been sketchy as of late (4.97 ERA last week).

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (61-77|25)

Chris Young (.318 avg/3 HR/1.127 OPS last week) finally had a good week of baseball. Justin Upton (.346 avg last week) has continued his sensational year. Mark Reynolds (.136 avg last week) and Stephen Drew (.136 avg last week) have both been struggling.

The same applies for Brandon Allen (.105 avg last week). Gerardo Parra (.350 avg last week) continues to play well for a rookie. Max Scherzer (1 ER/7.2 IP last game) has continued his decent year. Dan Haren (2 ER/6 IP last game) hurled yet another quality start.

Doug Davis (6 ER/12 IP last week) and Yusmeiro Petit (8 ER/8 IP last game) both struggled last week. The bullpen (5.59 ERA last week) has been a cause for concern.

26. Baltimore Orioles (56-81|27)

Melvin Mora (.429 avg/6 RBI/1.217 OPS last week) has finally started to play well. Nolan Reimold (.364 avg/1.082 OPS last week) continues to make his push for the Rookie of the Year.

Brian Roberts (.217 avg last week) and Nick Markakis (.227 avg last week) have both been struggling. The same applies to Luke Scott (.056 avg last week), Matt Wieters (.167 avg last week), and Cesar Izturis (.063 avg last week).

Believe it or not, Jeremy Guthrie (2 ER/13 IP last week) has actually pitched well as of late. Brian Matusz (4 ER/7 IP last game) got a victory in his last start while Chris Tillman (5 ER/6 IP last game) struggled. The bullpen (8.15 ERA last week) continues to be a problem.

27. Cleveland Indians (60-76|20)

Grady Sizemore has been shut down for the rest of the year. Michael Brantley (.391 avg last week) has looked good in his short time in the majors. Andy Marte (.095 avg last week), Matt LaPorta (.100 avg last week), and Luis Valbuena (.222 avg last week) have all been struggling. David Huff (1 ER/7 IP last game) looked good in his last start.

Aaron Laffey (2 ER/6.1 IP last game) is having an underrated year for the Tribe. Justin Masterson (1 ER/6 IP last game) hurled another good game for the Indians, but got a loss to show for it.

Kerry Wood has also looked great since the beginning of August (5 saves/1.38 ERA).

28. Pittsburgh Pirates (54-81|28)

The Pirates are one loss away from a professional sports record of 17 consecutive losing seasons. Garrett Jones (.393 avg/5 RBI/1.112 OPS last week) is one of the best rookies in baseball. Ryan Doumit (.429 avg/1.002 OPS last week) and Lastings Milledge (.429 avg/1.071 OPS last week) have been playing great.

Andy LaRoche (.176 avg last week) and Steve Pearce (.083 avg last week) have been struggling. Ross Ohlendorf (0 ER/8 IP last game) was brilliant in his last outing. The rest of the starters (Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Daniel McCutchen, Kevin Hart, Charlie Morton) struggled last week, compiling a 6.68 ERA.

The bullpen has also struggled compiling an 8.05 ERA last week.

29. Kansas City Royals (51-85|29)

Jose Guillen was shut down for the rest of the year to get rest. David DeJesus (.321 avg last week) has been hitting well. Albert Callapso (.438 avg/7 RBI/1.251 OPS last week) has been on-fire.

Willie Bloomquist (.222 avg last week) and Yuniesky Betancourt (.250 avg last week) have both been struggling. The same story for Zack Greinke applies: he dazzles (0 ER/8 IP last game) but doesn't get the victory.

Robinson Tejeda (0 ER/7 IP last game) was brilliant in his last start while Luke Hochevar (13 ER/9 IP last week) has been struggling.

30. Washington Nationals (47-90|30)

The Nationals lost eight games in a row before a Ryan Zimmerman walkoff home run snapped that streak. Ryan Zimmerman (.308 avg last week) and Adam Dunn (.304 avg last week) have both been batting well.

Elijah Dukes (.533 avg/1.415 OPS last week) has also been hot. Josh Willingham (.158 avg last week) and Cristian Guzman (.067 avg last week) have been struggling. Livan Hernandez (9 ER/13 IP last week) hasn't looked good, while J.D. Martin (4 ER/12.2 IP last week) has.

John Lannan (5 ER/5 IP last game) and Garrett Mock (6 ER/3 IP last game) have both struggled. The Nationals bullpen (5.60 ERA last week) continues to be awful and were without a save opportunity the entire week.

Previous Power Rankings: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|

Breakdown (PA means Post-All-Star break):

Biggest climb: The Detroit Tigers jumped six spots from No. 13 to No. 7 after winning six in a row.

Biggest fall: The Cleveland Indians fell seven spots from No. 20 to No. 27 after going 2-5.

Best team average PA: The New York Yankees have the best team average (1.86).

Worst team average PA: The Washington Nationals have the worst team average (29.43).

Teams that have yet to fall out of the top-ten PA: Yankees, Angels, Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rockies, Rangers

Teams that have yet to climb out of the bottom-ten PA: Nationals, Royals, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Athletics

Prediction of the Week: The Rays will sweep the Red Sox.

Division Rankings (Win %|Last Week's Ranking)
*Rankings are done by taking the average ranking of every team in each division.

1. AL West (.531|1): (3) Laa, (9) Tex, (13) Sea, (21) Oak
2. AL East (.521|2): (1) Nyy, (4) Bos, (13) Tbr, (24) Tor, (26) Bal
3. NL West (.516|3): (5) Lad, (8) Col, (10) Sfg, (23) Sdp, (25) Ari
4. NL East (.481|4): (6) Phi, (11) Fla, (14) Atl, (22) Nym, (30) Was
5. NL Central (.488|5): (2) Stl, (16) Chc, (18) Hou, (19) Mil, (20) Cin, (28) Pit
6. AL Central (.472|6): (7) Det, (15) Min, (17) Cws, (27) Cle, (29) Kcr

If the playoffs started today...

(1) Yankees v. (3) Tigers
(2) Angels v. (WC) Red Sox

(1) Cardinals v. (WC) Rockies
(2) Dodgers v. (3) Phillies

If awards were handed out today...

American League MVP: Joe Mauer
1. Joe Mauer (Min): .366 avg/26 HR/80 RBI/1.037 OPS
2. Miguel Cabrera (Det): .336 avg/28 RBI/84 RBI/.946 OPS
3. Kendry Morales (Laa): .312 avg/30 HR/94 RBI/.945 OPS
4. Mark Teixeira (Nyy): .279 avg/33 HR/102 RBI/.917 OPS
5. Adam Lind (Tor): .302 avg/28 HR/93 RBI/.920 OPS
6. Justin Morneau (Min): .280 avg/29 HR/97 RBI/.894 OPS
7. Evan Longoria (Tbr): .279 avg/28 HR/100 RBI/.886 OPS
8. Kevin Youkilis (Bos): .310 avg/23 HR/81 RBI/.975 OPS
9. Derek Jeter (Nyy): .334 avg/61 RBI/24 SB/.401 OBP
10. Jason Kubel (Min): .306 avg/22 HR/79 RBI/.917 OPS
11. Jason Bartlett (Tbr): .333 avg/59 RBI/24 SB/.395 OBP
12. Jason Bay (Bos): .261 avg/31 HR/98 RBI/.924 OPS
13. Nick Markakis (Bal): .301 avg/16 HR/91 RBI/.820 OPS
14. Aaron Hill (Tor): .284 avg/31 HR/94 RBI/.818 OPS
15. Bobby Abreu (Laa): .297 avg/89 RBI/28 SB/.398 OBP
16. Chone Figgins (Laa): .303 avg/47 RBI/39 SB/.399 OBP
17. Ichiro Suzuki (Sea): .362 avg/37 RBI/24 SB/.392 OBP
18. Victor Martinez (Cle/Bos): .294 avg/21 HR/91 RBI/.856 OPS
19. Ben Zobrist (Tbr): .283 avg/23 HR/72 RBI/.925 OPS
20. Torii Hunter (Laa): .307 avg/19 HR/76 RBI/.910 OPS

National League MVP: Albert Pujols
1. Albert Pujols (Stl): .324 avg/44 HR/118 RBI/1.123 OPS
2. Prince Fielder (Mil): .298 avg/37 HR/123 RBI/1.002 OPS
3. Hanley Ramirez (Fla): .359 avg/21 HR/92 RBI/24 SB/.994 OPS
4. Ryan Braun (Mil): .311 avg/28 HR/95 RBI/.934 OPS
5. Matt Kemp (Lad): .307 avg/23 HR/88 RBI/30 SB/.873 OPS
6. Chase Utley (Phi): .297 avg/29 HR/84 RBI/.955 OPS
7. Derrek Lee (Chc): .296 avg/29 HR/93 RBI/.938 OPS
8. Pablo Sandoval (Sfg): .324 avg/21 HR/76 RBI/.928 OPS
9. Ryan Zimmerman (Was): .300 avg/28 HR/93 RBI/.901 OPS
10. Adam Dunn (Was): .283 avg/35 HR/92 RBI/.979 OPS
11. Ryan Howard (Phi): .273 avg/37 HR/114 RBI/.916 OPS
12. Mark Reynolds (Ari): .273 avg/41 HR/92 RBI/.944 OPS
13. Andre Ethier (Lad): .283 avg/28 HR/92 RBI/.898 OPS
14. Todd Helton (Col): .325 avg/14 HR/75 RBI/.912 OPS
15. Carlos Lee (Hou): .308 avg/23 HR/88 RBI/.853 OPS
16. Adrian Gonzalez (Sdp): .273 avg/35 HR/81 RBI/.957 OPS
17. Jayson Werth (Phi): .268 avg/31 HR/81 RBI/.889 OPS
18. Justin Upton (Ari): .311 avg/23 HR/72 RBI/.935 OPS
19. Brad Hawpe (Col):.291 avg/19 HR/76 RBI/.895 OPS
20. David Wright (Nym): .323 avg/59 RBI/24 SB/.410 OBP

American League Cy Young: Zack Greinke
1. Zack Greinke (Kcr): 13-8, 2.22 ERA, 210 Ks, 1.08 WHIP
2. Felix Hernandez (Sea): 14-5, 2.65 ERA, 185 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
3. Roy Halladay (Tor): 14-8, 2.98 ERA, 174 Ks, 1.12 WHIP
4. Justin Verlander (Det): 16-7, 3.29 ERA, 222 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
5. CC Sabathia (Nyy): 16-7, 3.48 ERA, 167 Ks, 1.13 WHIP
6. Edwin Jackson (Det): 12-6, 3.10 ERA, 141 Ks, 1.23 WHIP
7. Jon Lester (Bos): 12-7, 3.44 ERA, 204 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
8. Scott Feldman (Tex): 15-4, 3.62 ERA, 90 Ks, 1.24 WHIP

National League Cy Young: Tim Lincecum
1. Tim Lincecum (Sfg): 13-5, 2.34 ERA, 233 Ks, 1.02 WHIP
2. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 15-3, 2.28 ERA, 119 Ks, 1.00 WHIP
3. Matt Cain (Sfg): 13-4, 2.51 ERA, 146 Ks, 1.16 WHIP
4. Adam Wainwright (Stl): 17-7, 2.68 ERA, 169 Ks, 1.23 WHIP
5. Dan Haren (Ari): 13-8, 2.78 ERA, 188 Ks, 0.95 WHIP
6. Wandy Rodriguez (Hou): 13-9, 2.82 ERA, 162 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
7. Josh Johnson (Fla): 14-4, 3.04 ERA, 158 Ks, 1.11 WHIP
8. J.A. Happ (Phi): 10-4, 2.77 ERA, 104 Ks, 1.18 WHIP

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey
1. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 23 saves, 2.06 ERA, 79 Ks, 0.94 WHIP
2. Jeff Niemann (Tbr): 12-5, 3.67 ERA, 98 Ks, 1.28 WHIP
3. Nolan Reimold (Bal): .277 avg/14 HR/42 RBI/.834 OPS
4. Gordon Beckham (Cws): .274 avg/10 HR/52 RBI/.808 OPS
5. Jose Mijares (Min): 20 Holds, 2.24 ERA, 46 Ks, 1.17 WHIP

National League Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ
1. J.A. Happ (Phi): 10-4, 2.77 ERA, 104 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
2. Randy Wells (Chc): 10-8, 2.84 ERA, 84 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
3. Casey McGehee (Mil): .298 avg/13 HR/50 RBI/.863 OPS
4. Gerardo Parra (Ari): .289 avg/5 HR/52 RBI/.733 OPS
5. Luke Gregerson (Sdp): 22 Holds, 3.05 ERA, 75 Ks, 1.27 WHIP

American League Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia
1. Mike Scioscia (Laa)
2. Jim Leyland (Det)
3. Ron Washington (Tex)
4. Don Wakamatsu (Sea)

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy
1. Jim Tracy (Col)
2. Tony La Russa (Stl)
3. Joe Torre (Lad)
4. Bruce Bochy (Sfg)

American League Comeback Player of the Year: Justin Verlander
1. Justin Verlander (Det): 16-7, 3.29 ERA, 222 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
2. Aaron Hill (Tor): .284 avg/31 HR/94 RBI/.818 OPS
3. Victor Martinez (Cle/Bos): .294 avg/21 HR/91 RBI/.856 OPS
4. Jarrod Washburn (Sea/Det): 9-8, 3.55 ERA, 97 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
5. Scott Podsednik (Cws): .300 avg/43 RBI/26 SB

National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 15-3, 2.28 ERA, 119 Ks, 1.00 WHIP
2. Todd Helton (Col): .325 avg/14 HR/75 RBI/.912 OPS
3. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 11-9, 3.18 ERA, 199 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
4. Joel Pineiro (Stl): 14-9, 3.28 ERA, 87 Ks, 1.11 WHP
5. Troy Tulowitzki (Col): .281 avg/24 HR/74 RBI/.885 OPS

American League Relief Man of the Year: Mariano Rivera
1. Mariano Rivera (Nyy): 38 saves, 1.78 ERA, 61 Ks, 0.90 WHIP
2. Jonathan Papelbon (Bos): 34 saves, 1.81 ERA, 68 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
3. David Aardsma (Sea): 34 saves, 2.15 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.20 WHIP

National League Relief Man of the Year: Ryan Franklin
1. Ryan Franklin (Stl): 37 saves, 1.67 ERA, 36 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
2. Heath Bell (Sdp): 35 saves, 2.05 ERA, 64 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
3. Trevor Hoffman (Mil): 30 saves, 1.67 ERA, 39 Ks, 0.98 WHIP

American League Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards:

	Silver Slugger	Gold Glove
C	Joe Mauer (Min)	Gerald Laird (Det)
1B	Kendry Morales (Laa)	Paul Konerko (Cws)
2B	Aaron Hill (Tor)	Placido Polanco (Det)
SS	Derek Jeter (Nyy)	Marco Scutaro (Tor)
3B	Evan Longoria (Tbr)	Chone Figgins (Laa)
OF	Torii Hunter (Laa)	Franklin Gutierrez (Sea)
OF	Nick Markakis (Bal)	B.J. Upton (Tbr)
OF	Jason Bay (Bos)	Carl Crawford (Tbr)
DH\|P	Adam Lind (Tor)	Mark Buehrle (Cws)

National League Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards:

	Silver Slugger	Gold Glove
C	Brian McCann (Atl)	Yadier Molina (Stl)
1B	Albert Pujols (Stl)	Adrian Gonzalez (Sdp)
2B	Chase Utley (Phi)	Chase Utley (Phi)
SS	Hanley Ramirez (Fla)	Jimmy Rollins (Phi)
3B	Ryan Zimmerman (Was)	Ryan Zimmerman (Was)
OF	Ryan Braun (Mil)	Nyjer Morgan (Was)
OF	Adam Dunn (Was)	Michael Bourn (Hou)
OF	Andre Ethier (Lad)	Matt Kemp (Lad)
P	Micah Owings (Cin)	Josh Johnson (Fla)

Chicago White Sox Want Chone Figgins: An Excellent Idea

D.A. — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:16:18 -0400

With a 2009 to forget, the White Sox have their eyes set on 2010. According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Figgins will be Chicago's prime free agent target. And with the contracts of Jim Thome and Jose Contreras off the books, it just might be plausible.

Here's why Chone Figgins would be a great addition to the White Sox:

1. Speed

Chone Figgins is fast. He hasn't had less than 34 stolen bases in each full season that he has played. The White Sox have Scott Podsednik, who has swiped 25 bags, but the reality is he's getting older and his legs won't be as trustworthy next year. Other than Podsednik, the White Sox don't have a real base-stealing threat that gets on base often.

2. On-base percentage

Chone Figgins currently has a .402 on-base percentage (and a .363 career on-base percentage). The White Sox need more men who can get on base. The current leader on the White Sox is Paul Konerko, who is fifty points lower at the .353 mark. Chicago is in the bottom part of the league that has opportunities to bat with runners on base.

3. Defense

Chone Figgins is arguably the best defensive third baseman in the American League. I love watching Gordon Beckham improve, but his .949 fielding percentage will not get the job done next year. Beckham can be shifted back to shortstop, and Alexei Ramirez can be shifted back to second base, where he was arguably a much better defender. This would be great because Chris Getz's inconsistency has left a hole at second base.

4. The Lineup

Chone Figgins would solidify the White Sox lineup. The "youth movement" didn't have the success Kenny Williams wanted, but Figgins would provide a veteran leader and bat to the White Sox lineup:

1. Figgins-3B
2. Beckham-SS
3. Pierzysnki-C
4. Konerko-1B
5. Dye-DH
6. Quentin-LF
7. Rios-RF
8. Ramirez-2B
9. Podsednik-CF

Kenny Williams didn't have the best 2009...or well at least to the naked eye. The Jake Peavy trade created a hole in the fifth starter role that cost the White Sox nearly every time. Alex Rios has yet to be productive. And Tony Pena was nothing short of a bust.

However, Williams managed to get rid of an awful Jose Contreras and a non-producing Jim Thome. With those contracts of the books, Chicago can make a push for Figgins that would make the White Sox offense even more potent.

Houston, We Have a Debate: Is Slugger Jeff Bagwell A Hall-Of-Famer?

D.A. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:42:25 -0400

He has a batting stance that you could recognize from anywhere. He is one of those "what if" players, in which injury derailed his chances to do some great things. He is Jeff Bagwell.

Jeff Bagwell was one of the most prominent, feared slugging first basemen in the '90s. So the question I pose to you Bleacher Creatures is, is Jeff Bagwell a Hall of Famer?

In my opinion, he is. Maybe not on the first or second ballot, but eventually Bagwell should be inducted into the Hall. He was the best first baseman in the National League for a decade (sorry Crime Dog). Not to mention he's been presumably clean in the steroid era.

1. Let's look at the career numbers:

H	R	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	BA	OBP	OPS+
2,314	1,517	488	449	1,529	202	1,401	.297	.408	149

While he just missed the .300 batting average mark, his career 1,529 RBI, .408 on-base percentage, 1,401 walks, and 149 OPS+ are amongst the best (top-50) in MLB history.

2. Let's look at his 162-game averages:

H	R	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB
174	114	37	34	115	15	106

So Bagwell is a guy who, in his fifteen seasons, had a 162 game average of 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. He hovered around .300 for the majority of his career and he clearly knew how to get on base.

3. Let's look at the intangibles:

Bagwell played with the Astros for his entire fifteen-year career. Bagwell, along with Biggio, was a team captain running the show. Bagwell made Biggio, Bell, Berkman, etc., better. The Killer Bee's were a great players in Houston, but we all know which "B" the opposing pitchers really feared, and that was Bagwell.

4. Let's look at his accolades:

Bagwell was the unanimous National League MVP in 1994, a season which could have been the best in MLB history had the strike not cut it short. He would also have five more top-10 finishes in his career, including being second and third.

Bagwell was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1991; the only bright spot on a Houston team that wasn't good at the time. He has won three Silver Slugger awards and even one Gold Glove, which means he knew how to play some defense. Bagwell was named to the National League All-Star team four times at first base.

Jeff Bagwell is a legend to the Houston Astros organization. He helped Houston become a playoff team in the late 1990s and early on in this decade. Compared to other first base sluggers in the National League in his era, who was better? You can't think of answer because there isn't one.

When the time comes, Jeff Bagwell deserves to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Sorry Yankees Fans, the Hardware Isn't Yours

D.A. — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:09:00 -0400

The Yankees are back on top of the world...the baseball world that is.

Everything's going good. They're in first place. They have the best record in baseball. But despite this, the big hardware won't be sent to the Bronx this year.

CC Sabathia will not and should not win the Cy Young award.

Neither Mark Teixeira nor Derek Jeter will or should win the MVP award.

One piece of smaller hardware will be going to New York, and that's to the greatest closer in MLB history, as Mariano Rivera should have the American League Relief Man of the Year award locked up.

Cy Young Award

It is asinine that people are putting Sabathia in the top-three for Cy Young voting. Just because "he's been pitching well as of late" doesn't mean he should win the award. The whole season must be looked at, not just "as of late."

Four candidates should be ahead of Sabathia, and wins are the dumbest stat to use when comparing candidacies:

1. Zack Greinke: 13-8, 2.32 ERA, 202 Ks, 1.08 WHIP, 190.1 IP, 6 CG
2. Felix Hernandez: 13-5, 2.77 ERA, 179 Ks, 1.18 WHIP, 185.1 IP, 1 CG
3. Roy Halladay: 13-8, 3.13 ERA, 165 Ks, 1.15 WHIP, 190 IP, 5 CG
4. Justin Verlander: 15-7, 3.38 ERA, 215 Ks, 1.17 WHIP, 189 IP, 3 CG
5. CC Sabathia: 15-7, 3.56 ERA, 158 Ks, 1.13 WHIP, 192.1 IP, 2 CG

The argument that "only Sabathia is playing in meaningful games" is illogical for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it's not the truth. Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez have teams that are still in the race. Secondly, it's irrelevant as there's no criteria to make the playoffs for the Cy Young (refer to Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee last year). And thirdly, these players are still playing for a paycheck. They're not going to tank their performances.

MVP

That people are putting Jeter in the top-two (refer to Buster Olney) in the MVP race is the most ludicrous thing I have ever seen. He's not even the best shortstop in the American League. Teixeira might have a case, but I really don't see how either Jeter or Teixeira has been more valuable than a few other players:

1. Joe Mauer: .368 avg, 26 HR, 80 RBI, 1.051 OPS
2. Miguel Cabrera: .335 avg, 27 HR, 82 RBI, .962 OPS
3. Kendry Morales: .314 avg, 30 HR, 94 RBI, .957 OPS
4. Mark Teixeira: .283 avg, 32 HR, 101 RBI, .925 OPS

x. Jason Bartlett: .340 avg, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 24 SB, .400 OBP, .526 SLG
x. Bobby Abreu: .297 avg, 12 HR, 86 RBI, 27 SB, .392 OBP, .430 SLG
x. Derek Jeter: .334 avg, 17 HR, 60 RBI, 23 SB, .398 OBP, .482 SLG

Now, I would not mind if Teixeira won the MVP. However, the Twins are still in the playoff chase in the AL Central, and I think they will still win the division. That would easily give Mauer the MVP. If the Twins lose out to the Tigers, then it's clear that no other player has been more valuable to their team than Cabrera.

But what about defense? We see all these great plays by Teixeira on that fancy ESPN channel. Get real. Anybody will tell you that Cabrera and Morales are just as good, and probably better, than Teixeira with the glove. They just don't get the coverage.

Now onto this Derek Jeter fiasco. He is not and should not be mentioned in the same sentence as MVP. "But he's the captain of the league's best team" is a horrible argument. Jason Varitek is the captain of Boston...and he won't be getting any awards any time soon.

Derek Jeter is putting up good numbers. However, he is not more valuable that Joe Mauer, Miguel Cabrera, Kendry Morales, Jason Bartlett, and a whole ton of other people.

So the Yankees might hoist up a World Series trophy in October. And they should be proud if that happens. But don't expect any individual awards...because they won't be deserved.

Centralized: The Best Team Comprised of Only Central Divisions Members

D.A. — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:24:03 -0400

Here's part two of a three-part series. I am attempting to create the best possible team from each set of divisions-the East, Central, and West. This list includes the best player at each position from the Tigers, Cardinals, Twins, Cubs, White Sox, Astros, Indians, Brewers, Pirates, Royals, and Reds. A couple of notes: 1. This is based solely on this year's performances by the players. 2. There is one "bench," or backup, player for each position. 3. I didn't include a designated hitter.

Begin Slideshow

MLB Power Rankings: Week 20 | A Top Ten Shuffle

D.A. — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:48:29 -0400

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. New York Yankees (81-48|1)

Player of the Week: Robinson Cano batted .333 with a 1.074 OPS and nine RBI, including a walk-off home run.
Pitcher of the Week: Sergio Mitre lasted 6.1 innings while only yielding one hit.
Game of the Week: Yankees 10, White Sox 0—Mitre and Gaudin combine to one-hit Chicago.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (76-55|3)

Player of the Week: Albert Pujols batted .368 with a 1.415 OPS and four RBI, including a walk-off home run.
Pitcher of the Week: Adam Wainwright hurled a gem, throwing eight innings of scoreless ball.
Game of the Week: Cardinals 3, Nationals 2—The Cardinals score runs in the eighth and ninth innings to walk-off.

3. Philadelphia Phillies (74-53|4)

Player of the Week: Ryand Howard batted .310 with a 1.251 OPS, five home runs, and 12 RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Cole Hamels looked strong, tossing eight innings of scoreless ball.
Game of the Week: Phillies 4, Pirates 1—Howard blasted a three run home run in the 10th inning to give the Phillies the win.

4. Boston Red Sox (75-54|6)

Player of the Week: J.D. Drew batted .389 with a 1.560 OPS, three home runs, and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Tim Wakefield yieled only one earned run in seven innings pitched in his return.
Game of the Week: Red Sox 3, White Sox 2—David Ortiz hits a walk-off home run around the pole.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (77-53|5)

Player of the Week: Andre Ethier batted .348 with a 1.139 OPS, two home runs, and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Randy Wolf threw 7.1 innings of one-run ball against the division rival Rockies.
Game of the Week: Dodgers 6, Rockies 1—Ethier hit two home runs to help the Dodgers maintain the NL West lead.

6. Los Angeles Angels (76-52|2)

Player of the Week: Kendry Morales batted .480 with a 1.340 OPS, two home runs, and nine RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Ervin Santana had a quality start, yielding only two earned runs in six innings.
Game of the Week: Angels 11, A's 7—The Angels were down 6-1, but Morales hit two home runs to help push them over the top.

7. Texas Rangers (72-56|10)

Player of the Week: Ian Kinsler batted .348 with a 1.139 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Scott Feldman started two games and got the victories for his scoreless ball.
Game of the Week: Rangers 7, Yankees 2—Ian Kinsler blasted two home runs and the bullpen threw shutout innings to win the series.

8. Tampa Bay Rays (70-58|8)

Player of the Week: Gabe Kapler batted .364 with a 1.409 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: David Price hurled a quality start against Texas and pitched 7.1 innings of one-run ball against Detroit.
Game of the Week: Rays 3, Tigers 1—David Price had the longest outing of his career, dominating the Tigers.

9. San Francisco Giants (71-59|9)

Player of the Week: Despite missing time, Pablo Sandoval batted .455 with a 1.500 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: In two games, Barry Zito pitched 14.1 innings while yielding only one earned run.
Game of the Week: Giants 2, Rockies 0—Tim Lincecum threw 127 pitches through eight innings, and the Giants shrank the wild card lead.

10. Colorado Rockies (72-58|7)

Player of the Week: Troy Tulowitzki batted .300 with three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: In two starts, Ubaldo Jimenez went eight and seven innings, only yielding two earned runs a game.
Game of the Week: Rockies 6, Giants 4—Ryan Spilborghs hit a walk-off grand slam in the 13th inning.

11. Seattle Mariners (68-62|14)

Player of the Week: Mike Sweeney batted .467 with a 1.167 OPS and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: In two starts, Ian Snell went 11 innings while only yielding three earned runs. He left early due to being hit by a comebacker.
Game of the Week: Mariners 4, A's 2—Ryan Langerhans hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth.

12. Detroit Tigers (68-60|13)

Player of the Week: Miguel Cabrera batted .385 with a 1.269 OPS, three home runs, and nine RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Armando Galarraga yielded only two earned runs over 6.1 innings pitched.
Game of the Week: Tigers 5, Angels 3—Down early, the Tigers rallied with back-to-back triples to win.

13. Atlanta Braves (68-61|11)

Player of the Week: Brian McCann batted .346 with a whopping 10 RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Javier Vazquez pitched seven innings of scoreless ball for the victory.
Game of the Week: Braves 9, Phillies 1—The Braves hit four home runs, including three off Cliff Lee, to destroy the Phillies.

14. Florida Marlins (67-62|12)

Player of the Week: Chris Coghlan batted .440 with a 1.321 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Sean West hurled six innings of one-run ball against the Mets for the victory.
Game of the Week: Marlins 5, Mets 3—Josh Johnson beat the Mets without his best stuff and improved to 7-0 lifetime against them.

15. Chicago Cubs (65-62|18)

Player of the Week: Milton Bradley batted .524 with a 1.552 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Ryan Dempster, in two starts, struck out 12 in 13 innings pitched while only yielding four earned runs.
Game of the Week: Cubs 11, Mets 4—Jake Fox continued his raking with a grand slam as the Cubs demolished the Mets.

16. Minnesota Twins (64-65|17)

Player of the Week: Denard Span batted .409 with 1.136 OPS, two triples, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Brian Duensing struck out eight and only allowed three hits against Texas.
Game of the Week: Twins 7, Orioles 6—Delmon Young had a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth as the Twins won five in a row.

17. Milwaukee Brewers (63-66|19)

Player of the Week: Jody Gerut batted .375 with a 1.286 OPS, two home runs, and six RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Braden Looper hurled a quality start, yielding only two earned runs in six innings.
Game of the Week: Brewers 8, Pirates 6—Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Jason Bourgeois all homered to give the Brewers 19 straight victories in Pittsburgh.

18. Chicago White Sox (64-66|15)

Player of the Week: Paul Konerko batted .381 with a 1.266 OPS and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: John Danks struck out six in six innings while only yielding two earned runs for the victory.
Game of the Week: White Sox 9, Red Sox 5—Chicago's only victory of the week was a spanking of Boston.

19. Houston Astros (62-67|16)

Player of the Week: Kaz Matsui batted .400 with a 1.079 OPS and two RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Wandy Rodriguez hurled yet another gem, yielding only one earned run off three hits in seven innings.
Game of the Week: Astros 4, Cardinals 3—Houston's only victory of the week came off a Jeff Keppinger home run in the ninth inning.

20. Cleveland Indians (58-71|22)

Player of the Week: Andy Marte batted .385 with a 1.239 OPS, three home runs, and eight RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: David Huff hurled a quality start, yielding only two earned runs over six innings.
Game of the Week: Indians 5, Orioles 4—Andy Marte homered in the top of the ninth to rally for the win.

21. Toronto Blue Jays (58-69|23)

Player of the Week: In limited time, Rod Barajas batted .462 with a 1.731 OPS, three home runs, and seven RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Mark Rzepczynski hurled a quality start, yielding only three hits and two earned runs against the Rays.
Game of the Week: Blue Jays 8, Angels 3—The Blue Jays took a quick 8-0 lead and got Ricky Romero his 11th win.

22. Cincinnati Reds (56-72|28)

Player of the Week: Joey Votto batted .409 with a 1.399 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Homer Bailey tossed two gems, lasting 15 innings while only yielding one run and striking out 11.
Game of the Week: Reds 4, Brewers 3—Darnell McDonald had a pinch-hit RBI double in the 10th inning to give the Reds the win.

23. San Diego Padres (56-75|25)

Player of the Week: David Eckstein batted .385 with five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Mat Latos only yielded two hits over seven innings of shutout ball while striking out four.
Game of the Week: Padres 12, Braves 5—After being down 3-0 early, the Friars had a six-run sixth and throttled the Braves.

24. Oakland Athletics (57-72|21)

Player of the Week: Jack Cust batted .333 with a 1.164 OPS, three home runs, and six RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Trevor Cahill pitched seven innings of shutout baseball while only yielding two hits against the Angels.
Game of the Week: A's 4, Angels 3—The A's were down 3-0 early, but scored four runs in the late innings to win.

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (58-72|26)

Player of the Week: Ryan Roberts batted .458 with a 1.260 OPS and five RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Yusmeiro Petit hurled six innings of shutout ball, striking out five against the Giants.
Game of the Week: Diamondbacks 11, Giants 0—The Diamondbacks throttled the Giants, with Upton and Allen shining.

26. New York Mets (58-72|20)

Player of the Week: Anderson Hernandez batted .435 with a 1.024 OPS and three RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Patrick Misch hurled 11 innings in two different roles, giving up only one earned run.
Game of the Week: Mets 10, Marlins 3—The Mets' lone win came against Florida as they hit two home runs.

27. Baltimore Orioles (53-77|27)

Player of the Week: Felix Pie batted .364 with a 1.287 OPS, three home runs, and six RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Jeremy Guthrie threw seven innings of one-run baseball while striking out five against the Twins.
Game of the Week: Orioles 13, Indians 4—The Orioles throttled the Tribe as Markakis and Pie thrived.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates (53-74|24)

Player of the Week: Andrew McCutchen batted .417 with a 1.375 OPS, three home runs, and seven RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Paul Maholm pitched seven innings of one-run ball while striking out four.
Game of the Week: Pirates 6, Phillies 4—Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off home run as the Pirates rallied against the Phillies.

29. Kansas City Royals (49-80|29)

Player of the Week: David DeJesus batted .333 with four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: Zack Greinke struck out 15 batters in eight innings pitched for the victory.
Game of the Week: Royals 6, Indians 2—Greinke set a club record for strikeouts and finally got run support.

30. Washington Nationals (46-84|30)

Player of the Week: Ryan Zimmerman batted .348 with a 1.196 OPS, two home runs, and eight RBI.
Pitcher of the Week: John Lannan pitched eight innings of two run ball against the Cardinals.
Game of the Week: Nationals 15, Cubs 6—Josh Willingham had six RBI against the Cubs as the Nats throttled Carlos Zambrano.

Previous Power Rankings: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|

Breakdown (PA means Post-All-Star break):

Biggest climb: The Cincinnati Reds climbed six spots from No. 28 to No. 22 after going 5-1.

Biggest fall: The New York Mets fell six spots from No. 20 to No. 26 after going 1-6.

Best team average PA: The New York Yankees have the best team average (2).

Worst team average PA: The Washington Nationals have the worst team average (29.33).

Teams that have yet to fall out of the top-ten PA: Yankees, Angels, Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rockies, Rangers

Teams that have yet to climb out of the bottom-ten PA: Nationals, Royals, Reds, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Athletics

Prediction of the Week: The Marlins will take three of four from the Braves.

Division Rankings (Record|Last Week's Ranking)
*Rankings are done by taking the average ranking of every team in each division.

1. AL West (273-242|1): (6) Laa, (7) Tex, (11) Sea, (24) Oak
2. AL East (337-306|2): (1) Nyy, (4) Bos, (8) Tbr, (21) Tor, (27) Bal
3. NL West (334-317|3): (5) Lad, (9) Sfg, (10) Col, (23) Sdp, (25) Ari
4. NL East (313-332|4): (3) Phi, (13) Atl, (14) Fla, (26) Nym, (30) Was
5. NL Central (375-396|5): (2) Stl, (15) Chc, (17) Mil, (19) Hou, (22) Cin, (28) Pit
6. AL Central (303-342|6): (12) Det, (16) Min, (18) Cws, (20) Cle, (29) Kcr

If the playoffs started today...

(1) Yankees v. (3) Tigers
(2) Angels v. (4) Red Sox

(1) Dodgers v. (3) Cardinals
(2) Phillies v. (4) Rockies

If awards were handed out today...

American League MVP: Miguel Cabrera
1. Miguel Cabrera (Det): .338 avg/27 HR/82 RBI/.970 OPS
2. Joe Mauer (Min): .371 avg/25 HR/79 RBI/1.054 OPS
3. Mark Teixeira (Nyy): .283 avg/31 HR/98 RBI/.923 OPS
4. Kendry Morales (Laa): .309 avg/29 HR/91 RBI/.941 OPS
5. Justin Morneau (Min): .290 avg/29 HR/96 RBI/.923 OPS

National League MVP: Albert Pujols
1. Albert Pujols (Stl): .319 avg/41 HR/109 RBI/1.113 OPS
2. Prince Fielder (Mil): .303 avg/36 HR/119 RBI/1.014 OPS
3. Hanley Ramirez (Fla): .362 avg/19 HR/85 RBI/23 SB/.992 OPS
4. Chase Utley (Phi): .305 avg/28 HR/83 RBI/.974 OPS
5. Pablo Sandoval (Sfg): .336 avg/21 HR/75 RBI/.953 OPS

American League Cy Young: Zack Greinke
1. Zack Greinke (Kcr): 12-8, 2.43 ERA, 197 Ks, 1.12 WHIP
2. Felix Hernandez (Sea): 13-5, 2.77 ERA, 179 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
3. Roy Halladay (Tor): 13-7, 3.03 ERA, 159 Ks, 1.14 WHIP
4. Justin Verlander (Det): 14-7, 3.34 ERA, 212 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
5. Edwin Jackson (Det): 10-6, 2.96 ERA, 131 Ks, 1.21 WHIP

National League Cy Young: Tim Lincecum
1. Tim Lincecum (Sfg): 13-4, 2.33 ERA, 222 Ks, 1.03 WHIP
2. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 14-3, 2.20 ERA, 115 Ks, 0.97 WHIP
3. Adam Wainwright (Stl): 15-7, 2.50 ERA, 157 Ks, 1.21 WHIP
4. Matt Cain (Sfg): 12-4, 2.39 ERA, 133 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
5. Dan Haren (Ari): 12-8, 2.73 ERA, 173 Ks, 0.93 WHIP

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey
1. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 20 saves, 1.90 ERA, 75 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
2. Jeff Niemann (Tbr): 12-5, 3.85 ERA, 89 Ks, 1.32 WHIP
3. Nolan Reimold (Bal): .274 avg/12 HR/39 RBI/.823 OPS
4. Gordon Beckham (Cws): .275 avg/8 HR/48 RBI/.794 OPS

National League Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ
1. J.A. Happ (Phi): 10-3, 2.63 ERA, 97 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
2. Randy Wells (Chc): 9-7, 3.06 ERA, 78 Ks, 1.22 WHIP
3. Andrew McCuthcen (Pit): .293 avg/10 HR/43 RBI/.862 OPS
4. Tommy Hanson (Atl): 9-3, 3.15 ERA, 73 Ks, 1.25 WHIP

American League Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia
1. Mike Scioscia (Laa)
2. Ron Washington (Tex)
3. Don Wakamatsu (Sea)

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy
1. Jim Tracy (Col)
2. Tony La Russa (Stl)
3. Bruce Bochy (Sfg)

American League Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Hill
1. Aaron Hill (Tor): .286 avg/31 HR/85 RBI/.824 OPS
2. Justin Verlander (Det): 14-7, 3.34 ERA, 212 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
3. Victor Martinez (Bos): .289 avg/20 HR/86 RBI/.843 OPS

National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 14-3, 2.20 ERA, 115 Ks, 0.97 WHIP
2. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 11-9, 3.02 ERA, 192 Ks, 1.05 WHIP
3. Todd Helton (Col): .323 avg/12 HR/69 RBI/.905 OPS

American League Relief Man of the Year: Mariano Rivera
1. Mariano Rivera (Nyy): 36 saves, 1.83 ERA, 60 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
2. Joe Nathan (Min): 33 saves, 1.78 ERA, 66 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
3. David Aardsma (Sea): 31 saves, 2.26 ERA, 70 Ks, 1.24 WHIP

National League Relief Man of the Year: Ryan Franklin
1. Ryan Franklin (Stl): 34 saves, 1.07 ERA, 33 Ks, 0.91 WHIP
2. Heath Bell (Sdp): 31 saves, 2.22 ERA, 60 Ks, 1.06 WHIP
3. Huston Street (Col): 33 saves, 3.02 ERA, 62 Ks, 0.93 WHIP

The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs Should Swap Pitchers

D.A. — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:35:56 -0400

The Cubs need a closer.

The White Sox need a starter.

The Cubs are trying to trade Rich Harden.

The White Sox were trying to trade Bobby Jenks.

Proposed trade

The Chicago Cubs send Rich Harden to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Bobby Jenks.

It's a low-risk, high-reward opporunity.

Jenks and Harden could both be out of Chicago next year. Their salaries are fairly close together—with Harden owed a bit more money than Jenks—but it could be just for the rest of the season if things don't work out.

Both teams need it.

Harden is pitching fantastically. Since July 10, he has a 2.20 ERA, a .172 batting average against, and he's averaging about six innings a game.

Jenks is also finally starting to pitch well. In August, he has a 1.94 ERA, a .194 batting average against, and he's had five saves in five opportunities. It's also much easier to pitch in the NL than AL.

Not to mention that Harden pitches well at U.S. Cellular Field and that Jenks pitches well at Wrigley Field.

Who will fill their voids?

For the Cubs, Tom Gorzelanny could fill the void of Rich Harden. For the White Sox, Matt Thorton could fill the void of Bobby Jenks.

The Cubs are also looking to get rid of Aaron Heilman, and the White Sox should be looking to get rid of Jose Contreras.

Both teams are not going to make the playoffs. However, lots of fans still think they could.

This could help both teams in the long run, it and could help them at least attempt to make a push. It would also appease the fan bases.

Kenny Williams made a mistake bringing in Tony Pena, and he is facing heat over the lack of a fifth starter due to Peavy. Jim Hendry's head should be cut off according to various Cubs fans.

It's time to save face, guys.

West Side: The Best Team Comprised of Only Western Divisions Members

D.A. — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:10:53 -0400

Here's part two of a three-part series. I am attempting to create the best possible team from each set of divisions-the East, Central, and West. This list includes the best player at each position from the Angels, Dodgers, Rangers, Rockies, Mariners, Giants, Athletics, Padres, and Diamondbacks. A couple of notes: 1. This is based solely on this year's performances by the players. 2. There is one "bench," or backup, player for each position. 3. I didn't include a DH.

Begin Slideshow

East Side: The Best Team Comprised of Only Eastern Divisions Members

D.A. — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:46:57 -0400

Here's part one of a three part series. I am attempting to create the best possible team from each set of divisions (East, Central, West). This is the best player at each position from the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, Braves, Rays, Marlins, Blue Jays, Mets, Orioles, and Nationals. A couple of notes: 1. This is based solely on this year's performances by the players. 2. There is one "bench" or backup player for each position. 3. I didn't include a DH.

Begin Slideshow

Jason Bartlett, Not Derek Jeter, Is the Best Shortstop in the American League

D.A. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:48:05 -0400

Derek Jeter for MVP consideration, right? Wrong. I don't see how he can win the award when he's not even the best player at his position.

Calm down Yankee fans; I'm a Derek Jeter fan, and I'm obviously talking about this year and this year only.

Jeter is having a fantastic year:

.331 avg, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 22 SB, .869 OPS

There's a shortstop, who was also an All-Star, that is having a better year. He is one of the most underrated players in baseball and in my book is a legitimate MVP candidate.

That shortstop is Jason Bartlett:

.344 avg, 11 HR, 58 RBI, 24 SB, .923 OPS

So, here's why Bartlett is more valuable to the Rays than Jeter is to the Yankees.

1. Jason Bartlett is the only consistent Ray

It's just gross when people say, "Well, Bartlett has Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, and Ben Zobrist on his team..." Those are good players, but Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano are no Washington Nationals.

So, yes, Bartlett does have protection, but Jeter has just as much, if not more. Bartlett has been phenomenal all year. Bartlett has continued his hot hitting while the rest of the Rays have fallen off since the All-Star break (see Evan Longoria's .234 average since the break).

2. Lineup flexibility

B.J. Upton was supposed to be the next great thing this year. Leading off, however, he only has a .242 batting average and .317 on-base percentage. Bartlett, who has stayed in the seventh, eighth, and ninth spots most of the year, was asked to fill to the void.

He has been an exceptional leadoff hitter. He does everything right. He gets on base a lot, he hits, he looks at lots of pitches, and he steals bases. Not too shabby for a player that slugs over the .500 mark.

3. You can call Bartlett clutch

Everyone talks about how clutch Jeter is. This year, with runners in scoring position, he's batting .294, and when there are two outs with runners in scoring position, he's batting .289.

Bartlett, on the other hand, is batting a whopping .418 with runners in scoring position and .385 when there are two outs with runners in scoring position.

4. Bartlett is also a leader

Jeter is the captain of the Yankees, and we all know he fulfills his captaincy duties well. I don't understand why that gives him an edge.

If you ever turn on a Rays game, you would see that Bartlett works just as hard as Jeter. He's just as much of a leader as Jeter. He talks to pitchers when necessary, he throws his body out there, and he hustles on every play. Bartlett just does not get the media exposure Jeter does...nobody does.

Look at the Rays before and after Bartlett arrived. Before, they were garbage. After, they were in the World Series. Yes, Longoria and Pena help, but Bartlett is the consistent and reliable bat.

Jason Bartlett is the best shortstop in the American League this year. What a piranha...

He's Grrrrrreat!: Why the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera Is the A.L. MVP

D.A. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:19:23 -0400

I am hating writing this. But Miguel Cabrera is the American League's Most Valuable Player. Here's his line:

.343 avg, 27 HR, 82 RBI, .407 OBP, .986 OPS

Let's eliminate some other candidates!

*Joe Mauer—sorry Joe, you missed a month. That cost Carlos Quentin the award last year, so the same standard should be applied to you.

*Justin Morneau—slumping much? You're one of my favorite players, but a .250 average since the All-Star break? You've hurt your chances for a second MVP award.

*Mark Teixeira—Let's see Marky Mark, you couldn't bat when A-Rod was out of the lineup. Thus, A-Rod seems to be the valuable one on the team. Don't pull this "slow start" b.s. with me.

*Evan Longoria—you're not even in the race in my books. A .269 average? You admitted yourself you're not hitting as well as before because teams are starting to scout you.

*Derek Jeter—sorry DJ, but you're not even the best shortstop in the league (see Jason Bartlett).

*Kevin Youkilis—besides the fact that you like to attack people ten years your minor, you've also missed time due to injury and suspension. Also, Jason Bay, Victor Martinez, Mike Lowell, etc. seem like pretty good protection to me.

Onto why Cabrera is the most valuable player to his team in baseball:

1. Look at the lineup he has around him:

1. Curtis Granderson: .256 avg
2. Placido Polanco: .320 OBP
3. Magglio Ordonez: .393 SLG
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Marcus Thames: .248 avg
6. Ryan Raburn: .275 avg
7. Brandon Inge: .238 avg
8. Gerald Laird: .221 avg
9. Adam Everett: .239 avg

How the hell is this team above .500? Miguel Cabrera. He has been the one consistent bat in the Tigers lineup. Magglio Ordonez went missing for most of the year and is slugging below the .400 mark. Marcus Thames is not adequate protection. Nobody else on the team knows how to get on base consistently.

I'm sorry, but all the aforementioned MVP candidates have protection. Cabrera does not. Absolutely none. It's astonishing that he has 82 RBI when the people around him have struggled.

2. Cabrera's from a team in playoff contention, thus he deserves consideration.

Ah, a raging debate on Bleacher Report. But any who, he satisfies the requirement that his team "must be in playoff contention." The Tigers will more than likely make the playoffs, and they can thank Miggy for that.

3. Cabrera is just as good as Teixeira defensively.

Yea, that's right, I said it. Cabrera is an absolute stud playing first base. Back me up sabermetricians! I don't know how they work, but I bet they say Cabrera is just as good or better than Teixeira at first.

Cabrera plays in Detroit, though, so he doesn't get the everyday media coverage that Teixeira does. Cabrera is underrated in all aspects of the game, as proven by his clear All-Star snubbery.

No player has been more valuable to their team in 2009 than Miguel Cabrera. He is already being unfairly snubbed from even consideration for the award. Everyone likes to imagine where a team would be without a star player. Detroit would be below .500 had it not been for Miguel Cabrera.

Court Rules in Favor of MLB Players Union: A Victory for Scumbags

D.A. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:04:21 -0400

David Ortiz. Manny Ramirez. Alex Rodriguez. Sammy Sosa.

Those are the names of the four scumbags that weren't "lucky" enough to be saved by the courts. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal agents had no right to seize the list of the 104 players that allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

This is huge for the steroid era in baseball. This is huge for the Major League Baseball Players Association. This could be huge in law. It was a 9-2 decision, meaning it wasn't completely uniform.

The decision means that the federal government can no longer investigate and expose the players on the "list."

What did the federal government do wrong? Well, the Circuit Court ruled that it went way past its authority in seizing the records. They were only supposed to obtain 10 names that were related to BALCO, not the 94 other baseball players and athletes from other sports.

Chief Judge Alex Kozinksi said, "This was an obvious case of deliberate overreaching by the government in an effort to seize data as to which it lacked probable cause."

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

The implications are huge; I cannot stress that enough.

The test results will be destroyed, and prosecutors will be barred from ever using the information in court.

The federal government has one limited option: They have to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.

Why is this a "limited" option? The Supreme Court would have to accept to listen to the case in the first place. The Supreme Court declines 99 percent of cases that are petitioned, so it would be a hard task for the government.

Is the federal government likely to appeal? No. The 9-2 decision should scare them away, and they don't want to be responsible for creating bad law to be applied to future cases.

Also, if the Supreme Court were to accept the case, the focus would clearly not be on steroids in baseball. It would center on setting up legal boundaries for searching and seizing electronic records.

SO WHY IS THIS A VICTORY FOR THE SCUMBAGS?

If the Supreme Court declines to hear the case or rules in favor of the MLBPA, then we will likely never hear the names from a legitimate source. There is absolutely no way the MLBPA would release the names. It's about money. It's about credibility. It's about protecting the players.

This means the 100 other scumbags are let off the hook.

Or are they? Not necessarily, but we would have to look to another group of scumbags to get the information, and that is the leaking lawyers. Once the test results are destroyed, the only people that will know who is on "the list" are these lawyers.

So that puts us in a dilemma. Most people want the names released. Now, the only way is through the leaking lawyers. They are violating the law.

So should we just let the scumbag players off the hook, or let the scumbag lawyers keep breaking the law?

Whatever the answer is, some scumbags are pretty happy after the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling...

You Might Be A Chicago Baseball Fan In 2009 If...

D.A. — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:01:29 -0400

Baseball fans in Chicago are frustrated. I could insert so many expletives about the White Sox (and I'm sure Cubs fans can do the same). After both teams were in the playoffs last year, they're both stuck in a neutral form of (below) mediocrity right now. Clearly neither team will make the postseason. Losing games to the Orioles and Nationals pretty much ended the season for both teams. Here are five signs to tell if you're a Chicago baseball fan in 2009...

Begin Slideshow

Analyzing the AL Central's Race to the Bottom

D.A. — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:12:27 -0400

For the purposes of this article, the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals will not be considered playoff contenders. Sorry Tribe and Zack Greinke fans.

The AL Central race shall be a good one. It's between three teams that are average (Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Minnesota Twins) and that don't seem to ever want to win when it matters.

Here are the current standings:

Team	Record	GB
Detroit	65-58	--
Chicago	63-61	2.5
Minnesota	61-63	4.5

The Tigers, the top team in the division, are only seven games above the .500 mark. That shows you how bad the AL Central is.

To put this in perspective, the next closest division leader to the .500 mark is the St. Louis Cardinals at 18 games above.

Here are some things to keep in mind with the race winding down the stretch.

1. Home-field advantage matters amongst these three teams.

As we've just witnessed with the Bostons and New Yorks of the world, home-field advantage really doesn't mean that much outside this division. Amongst these three teams, however, home-field advantage usually dictates the winner.

At the Metrodome, the White Sox and Tigers are a combined 2-10.

At Comerica Park, the White Sox and Twins are a combined 4-7.

At US Cellular Field, the Tigers and Twins are a combined 5-7.

The Twins clearly have the biggest home-field advantage when playing the other AL Central rivals, but it's prevalent amongst all three division "contenders."

Each team hosts the other, which sets up these six crucial series:

Aug. 31-Sept. 2: Chicago @ Minnesota—Expect a Twins sweep (3-0).

Sept. 18-Sept. 20: Detroit @ Minnesota—Expect the Twins to win (2-1).

Sept. 21-Sept. 23: Minnesota @ Chicago—Expect the White Sox to win (2-1).

Sept. 25-Sept. 27: Detroit @ Chicago—Expect the White Sox to win (2-1).

Sept. 28-Oct. 1: Minnesota @ Detroit—Expect the Tigers to win (3-1).

Oct. 2-Oct. 4: Chicago @ Detroit—Expect the Tigers to win (2-1).

2. There are key "non-three" matchups remaining.

The Chicago White Sox have eight games remaining against the Boston Red Sox.

The Detroit Tigers have seven games remaining against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Minnesota Twins have three games remaining against the Texas Rangers.

3. Let's rain on their parade! Who are potential spoilers for the three teams?

A) The Kansas City Royals. Remember, they prevented the Twins from going to the playoffs last year. If these three teams have to go up against Greinke a lot, then things will not always go their way.

B) The Cleveland Indians. Remember, they almost prevented the White Sox from going to the playoffs last year. They finished as the hottest team in baseball last year and could ruin one of the team's chances.

C) The Chicago Cubs. They have one game at Wrigley against the White Sox. That game could determine if any Chicago team will see postseason action in 2009.

D) The Toronto Blue Jays. They have shown the potential to be good and do have Roy Halladay. The Twins and Tigers both have series remaining against the Jays, so they could spell trouble.

4. Why they'll lose.

The White Sox now start an 11-game road trip, including four at Boston, three at New York, three at Minnesota, and one at Wrigley. They could be done and out within two weeks.

The Tigers also have a tough upcoming schedule. Ten of their next 13 games are either against the surging Rays or the Angels.

The Twins will have to play pretty bad baseball to drop out early. Their only non-division games remaining are against the Orioles, A's, and Blue Jays.

5. Why they'll win.

The White Sox have beaten good teams. It's the average-to-bad teams that have gotten to them this year. A tough schedule might be a good thing for them.

The Tigers have the majority of their remaining games at home. They are one of the best home teams in baseball with a 40-20 record.

The Twins have an easy schedule. It's full of division rivals (which aren't hard to beat) and three pretty easy non-division opponents.

THE VERDICT IS IN: The Minnesota Twins will win the AL Central in 2009.

Their schedule is just too damn easy. The White Sox and Tigers are about to get brutalized. It's only a question of whether the Twins can beat the teams that they're supposed to. If they do, it's their division to lose.

Here are my projected standings:

Team	Record	GB
Minnesota	87-75	--
Detroit	86-76	1
Chicago	84-78	3

Projecting how each of the teams' remaining games will go, this is how I think the division will look like coming down the stretch:

MLB Power Rankings: Week 19 | In Haiku, Here Come Those Pesky Rays

D.A. — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:10:59 -0400

Team (Record|Last Week's Ranking)

1. New York Yankees (77-46|1)

Captain is on-fire
The non-CC starters stunk
Tex for MVP?

2. Los Angeles Angels (74-47|2)

Vladimir is back
All are hitting three hundred
Fuentes is iffy

3. St. Louis Cardinals (71-54|3)

Molina's sizzling
A second Cy Young for Carp?
Three/Four are slumping

4. Philadelphia Phillies (70-50|4)

Lee's the best pickup
What happened to Ibanez?
Howard's amazing

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (74-50|5)

Wolf's underrated
Manny is being garbage
Some bullpen changes?

6. Boston Red Sox (70-52|7)

Big Papi is hot
Turned the table on the Yanks
Beckett got roughed up

7. Colorado Rockies (69-54|8)

Jimenez still rocks
Fowler's a triple-machine
What is up with Cook?

8. Tampa Bay Rays (67-55|13)

Niemann's a great rook
Bartlett's better than Jeter
Pena is so clutch

9. San Francisco Giants (67-56|9)

Rowand is scorching
Zito shines without a win
Velez cooled down

10. Texas Rangers (68-54|6)

Young has been the best
Wild Card chase is slimming
Starters look awful

11. Atlanta Braves (65-58|11)

Lowe finally lost
LaRoche was a great pickup
Where is Larry Wayne?

12. Florida Marlins (65-58|10)

Hanley's just a beast
Johnson fell out of Cy race
Must win easy games

13. Detroit Tigers (65-57|12)

Miggy has been clutch
Granderson's hurting the team
Jackson's dominant

14. Seattle Mariners (63-60|14)

King Felix for Cy?
The offense needs to show up
Fister has looked great

15. Chicago White Sox (63-60|15)

Quperman looks good
The offense has been awful
Whose the fifth starter?

16. Houston Astros (61-62|22)

They are not dead yet
Wandy's the team's best starter
El Caballo's hot

17. Minnesota Twins (60-63|20)

Mauer's got power
Morneau has an ear problem
Starters have looked bad

18. Chicago Cubs (61-60|16)

D-Lee's all they got
The Cubs have closer issues
Harden has looked great

19. Milwaukee Brewers (60-62|17)

Pitching has looked bad
Seriously, the Pirates?
Lopez is scorching

20. New York Mets (57-66|21)

Pelfrey's looking good
Castillo has been on-fire
Sheffield problems?

21. Oakland Athletics (54-68|24)

Starters have been good
Duchscherer will not return
Suzuki is clutch

22. Cleveland Indians (53-69|23)

They like to spoil
Masterson mastered LA
Sizemore's heating up

23. Toronto Blue Jays (56-65|18)

Halladay's human
Lind continues to be great
Crushed by the Red Sox

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-70|30)

Duke dazzles again
Jones is an unsung rookie
Won five in a row

25. San Diego Padres (52-73|26)

Blanks is cranking it
Richard's been a good Padre
This offense is bad

26. Arizona Diamondbacks (54-70|19)

Reynolds is slumping
They've lost seven in a row
Goodbye Jon Garland?

27. Baltimore Orioles (50-73|27)

Roberts is slugging
What is wrong with Adam Jones?
Starters have been bad

28. Cincinnati Reds (51-71|25)

Votto's been slumping
Can't even beat the Pirates
Arroyo's looked great

29. Kansas City Royals (47-75|29)

Butler's all they got
Starting pitching's been awful
"Greinke Days" have stopped

30. Washington Nationals (43-80|28)

The Nationals stink
Back at home: bottom-dwelling
Poor poor Adam Dunn

Previous Power Rankings: |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|

Breakdown (PA means Post-All-Star break):

Biggest climb: The Houston Astros climbed six spots from No. 22 to No. 16 after going 5-1. The Pittsburgh Pirates also climbed six spots from No. 30 to No. 24 after going 5-0.

Biggest fall: The Arizona Diamondbacks fell seven spots from No. 19 to No. 26 after losing all seven of their games last week.

Best team average PA: The Los Angeles Angels have the best team average (2) since the All-Star break by being ranked second every time.

Worst team average PA: The Washington Nationals have the worst team average (29.2) since the All-Star break by being ranked 30th three times and 28th twice.

Teams that have yet to fall out of the top-ten PA: Yankees, Angels, Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rockies, Rangers

Teams that have yet to climb out of the bottom-ten PA: Nationals, Royals, Reds, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Indians, Athletics

Prediction of the Week: The Cubs will get a confidence boost by sweeping the Nationals. That's not bold. But what is bold is predicting a Milton Bradley walkoff.

Division Rankings (Record|Last Week's Ranking)
*Rankings are done by taking the average ranking of every team in each division.

1. AL West (259-229|1): (2) Laa, (10) Tex, (14) Sea, (21) Oak
2. AL East (320-291|2): (1) Nyy, (6) Bos, (8) Tbr, (23) Tor, (27) Bal
3. NL West (316-303|3): (5) Lad, (7) Col, (9) Sfg, (25) Sdp, (26) Ari
4. NL East (300-312|4): (4) Phi, (11) Atl, (12) Fla, (20) Nym, (30) Was
5. NL Central (355-379|5): (3) Stl, (16) Hou, (18) Chc, (19) Mil, (24) Pit, (28) Cin
6. AL Central (288-324|6): (13) Det, (15) Cws, (17) Min, (22) Cle, (29) Kcr

If the playoffs started today...

(1) Yankees v. (3) Tigers
(2) Angels v. (4) Red Sox

(1) Dodgers v. (3) Cardinals
(2) Phillies v. (4) Rockies

If awards were handed out today...

American League MVP: Joe Mauer
1. Joe Mauer (Min): .378 avg/25 HR/77 RBI/1.088 OPS
2. Mark Teixeira (Nyy): .288 avg/31 HR/92 RBI/.944 OPS
3. Miguel Cabrera (Det): .335 avg/24 HR/73 RBI/.953 OPS
4. Justin Morneau (Min): .298 avg/28 HR/94 RBI/.941 OPS
5. Jason Bartlett (Tbr): .343 avg/57 RBI/23 SB/.930 OPS

National League MVP: Albert Pujols
1. Albert Pujols (Stl): .316 avg/39 HR/105 RBI/1.100 OPS
2. Prince Fielder (Mil): .305 avg/33 HR/110 RBI/1.017 OPS
3. Hanley Ramirez (Fla): .358 avg/19 HR/85 RBI/23 SB/.989 OPS
4. Chase Utley (Phi): .301 avg/26 HR/81 RBI/.961 OPS
5. Pablo Sandoval (Sfg): .333 avg/19 HR/72 RBI/.939 OPS

American League Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
1. Felix Hernandez (Sea): 12-4, 2.66 ERA, 167 Ks, 1.18 WHIP
2. Roy Halladay (Tor): 13-6, 2.78 ERA, 151 Ks, 1.11 WHIP
3. Justin Verlander (Det): 13-7, 3.29 ERA, 205 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
4. Josh Beckett (Bos): 14-4, 3.38 ERA, 149 Ks, 1.13 WHIP
5. Zack Greinke (Kcr): 11-8, 2.44 ERA, 182 Ks, 1.14 WHIP

National League Cy Young: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 14-3, 2.16 ERA, 111 Ks, 0.96 WHIP
2. Tim Lincecum (Sfg): 12-3, 2.37 ERA, 207 Ks, 1.04 WHIP
3. Adam Wainwright (Stl): 14-7, 2.61 ERA, 152 Ks, 1.25 WHIP
4. Dan Haren (Ari): 12-8, 2.74 ERA, 167 Ks, 0.93 WHIP
5. Matt Cain (Sfg): 12-4, 2.43 ERA, 129 Ks, 1.15 WHIP

American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey
1. Andrew Bailey (Oak): 18 saves, 1.99 ERA, 75 Ks, 0.93 WHIP
2. Gordon Beckham (Cws): .287 avg/7 HR/44 RBI/.830 OPS
3. Jeff Niemann (Tbr): 11-5, 3.71 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
4. Nolan Reimold (Bal): .273 avg/11 HR/36 RBI/.814 OPS

National League Rookie of the Year: J.A. Happ
1. J.A. Happ (Phi): 10-2, 2.59 ERA, 93 Ks, 1.17 WHIP
2. Randy Wells (Chc): 9-6, 2.84 ERA, 74 Ks, 1.20 WHIP
3. Colby Rasmus (Stl): .254 avg/13 HR/41 RBI/.739 OPS
4. Casey McGehee (Mil): .300 avg/10 HR/38 RBI/.861 OPS

American League Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia
1. Mike Scioscia (Laa)
2. Don Wakamatsu (Sea)
3. Jim Leyland (Det)

National League Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy
1. Jim Tracy (Col)
2. Tony La Russa (Stl)
3. Bruce Bochy (Sfg)

American League Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Hill
1. Aaron Hill (Tor): .290 avg/29 HR/81 RBI/.833 OPS
2. Justin Verlander (Det): 13-7, 3.29 ERA, 205 Ks, 1.15 WHIP
3. Victor Martinez (Bos): .292 avg/20 HR/83 RBI/.856 OPS

National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Carpenter
1. Chris Carpenter (Stl): 14-3, 2.16 ERA, 111 Ks, 0.96 WHIP
2. Javier Vazquez (Atl): 10-9, 3.14 ERA, 186 Ks, 1.07 WHIP
3. Todd Helton (Col): .322 avg/12 HR/68 RBI/.903 OPS

American League Relief Man of the Year: Mariano Rivera
1. Mariano Rivera (Nyy): 36 saves, 1.90 ERA, 57 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
2. Joe Nathan (Min): 31 saves, 1.66 ERA, 62 Ks, 0.84 WHIP
3. David Aardsma (Sea): 28 saves, 2.43 ERA, 65 Ks, 1.26 WHIP

National League Relief Man of the Year: Ryan Franklin
1. Ryan Franklin (Stl): 31 saves, 1.13 ERA, 31 Ks, 0.86 WHIP
2. Trevor Hoffman (Mil): 27 saves, 1.95 ERA, 31 Ks, 1.03 WHIP
3. Heath Bell (Sdp): 30 saves, 2.17 ERA, 55 Ks, 1.05 WHIP

Jim Rice's HOF Induction Lowers the Bar For Cooperstown

D.A. — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:48:34 -0400

I do not know whether or not Jim Rice deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. He got inducted on the fifteenth and final ballot. What I do know is numbers.

There are three outfielders who will have room to complain if they're not enshrined: Ellis Burks, Jim Edmonds, and Luis Gonzalez. They all put up numbers comparable to Jim Rice. They are all border-line Hall of Famers like Jim Rice.

They all should be in the Hall of Fame on their fifteenth ballots, like Jim Rice. The sad thing is they probably won't get in because they don't have the help of the East Coast bias.

First, let's compare their career numbers:

Career	BAvg	H	HR	RBI	SB	OBP	OPS
Jim Rice	.298	2,452	382	1,451	58	.352	.854
Ellis Burks	.291	2,107	352	1,206	181	.363	.874
Jim Edmonds	.284	1,881	382	1,176	65	.377	.905
Luis Gonzalez	.283	2,591	354	1,439	128	.367	.845

As you see, the career numbers of all four players are very similar. There's not a justification to include Jim Rice and exclude the other three players based on their career numbers. Next, let's compare their 162-game averages:

162-G Avg	H	HR	RBI	SB
Jim Rice	190	30	113	4
Ellis Burks	171	29	98	15
Jim Edmonds	158	32	99	5
Luis Gonzalez	162	22	90	8

Once again, the numbers are very close. People will say that Jim Rice had an MVP season. I have a couple arguments to rebut that. First, Rice's biggest competition the year he won the MVP was a pitcher. These three players were surrounded by steroid users and had to compete with them. So let's compare Rice's MVP season to the best season of each of these players:

Best Year	BAvg	H	HR	RBI	SB	OBP	OPS
Jim Rice ('78)	.315	213	46	139	7	.370	.970
Ellis Burks ('96)	.344	211	30	128	32	.408	1.047
Jim Edmonds ('04)	.301	150	42	111	8	.418	1.061
Luis Gonzalez ('01)	.325	198	57	142	1	.429	1.117

So the "he won an MVP award" mantra isn't going to work. All three of these other players had years comparable (and arguably better) to that of Jim Rice's MVP year—they just had more competition than a pitcher for the award.

What are your attacks?

Jim Edmonds: He didn't have the same career numbers as Jim Rice. Yeah, that's because the wear-and-tear from his eight Gold Gloves got to him. Jim Rice was not a good defensive player. Edmonds was one of the all-time greats at his position.

Luis Gonzalez: He took steroids. Ever confirmed? No. If he did, his name will be leaked out before voters get a chance to vote him in. 596 career doubles is pretty stellar if you ask me.

Ellis Burks: Who the heck is that? Yeah, that's right, Burks was one of the most underrated players in his time. He was a power-speed combo player that could also play the outfield well.

Jim Rice also doesn't have what Jim Edmonds and Luis Gonzalez do, and that's a World Series ring. Rice couldn't put his team over the top like Edmonds and Gonzalez, who helped their teams to achieve glory.

Now, I'm hoping these three players do not get in. If you have to think about whether or not they're Hall of Famers, then they're not. It's a shame though, because Jim Rice was just a borderline Hall of Famer. His numbers aren't great and these three players also had the "God-given talent" that everybody speaks of when describing Rice.

Jim Rice Is Out Of Line With Latest Comments

D.A. — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:42:23 -0400

"You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod, you see [Derek] Jeter ... Guys that I played against and with, these guys you're talking about cannot compare" -Jim Rice

Back up a second. Manny Ramirez a bad influence? Check. A-Rod a bad influence? Check. Derek Jeter a bad influence? You've crossed the line, buddy.

Rice criticized Ramirez, A-Rod, and Jeter for being bad examples. There are a million people he could have used instead of Derek Jeter. How about Boston's own David Ortiz? Or Mo Vaughn? I mean steroids are a worse part of the game than money. It's odd that he chose Boston's enemies for bad examples.

But I'm sorry, Mr. Rice, you're the bad example for baseball. Your barely borderline Hall-of-Fame career (which is another debate to be had) doesn't give you the right to go and bash a player who has done nothing wrong.

Derek Jeter is a great role model for kids. He plays the game the right way, with class, and upholds the duties of being a captain like he's supposed to. Sure, Jeter did sign a big contract. Has he played like he deserves it? Yes. He's stuck with one organization and guided them to four World Series Championships (which is four more than Jim Rice has).

Rice went on to say, "What you see right now is more individuals, it's not a team...Now you have guys coming in, they pick the days they want to play, they make big money....The first thing they see are dollar bills."

Really Jim? I mean, you seriously don't have the right to criticize when "the players you played with and against" were disgusted with the amount of money they made. Contract negotiations are part of the game, get over it. How about spending over $50 million just to negotiate with Daisuke Matzusaka, why don't you criticize that?

Or how about that Rice made more money in his declining years than Cal Ripken Jr., Rickey Henderson, George Brett, Robin Yount, and Eddie Murray? Rice got overpaid, but he sure as hell didn't talk about that.

Rice just seems like a bitter old man who thinks he's the greatest thing ever. Derek Jeter is a class act and one of the best players of this era, whereas Jim Rice's reputation takes another blow every time he speaks. Rice was a jerk during his career, and continues to act like one after.

Five Reasons J.P. Ricciardi Should Be Fired

D.A. — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:26:29 -0400

J.P. Ricciardi is a terrible General Manager...there, I stated the obvious. Here are five things, of recent memory, that he has screwed up. And any one of these five things should have cost him his job. Jays fans are in year EIGHT of Ricciardi's FIVE-year plan to "make the Jays contenders again." Honorable mentions; *Alex Rios (missed the list due to the dumping of the contract) *Roy Halladay's situation (missed due to not going anywhere)

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