Bleacher Report - Articles by Peter Lusk

The New-Look NL Central.. The NL East of old?

Peter Lusk — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:17:36 -0400

With the acquisitions of C.C. Sabathia and Rich Harden to the Brewers and Cubs, respectively the N.L. Central immediately became more of a powerhouse division than it already was.

The Cubs now boast a solid 1-2 punch with fan favorite Carlos Zambrano who is 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA, and new acquisition Harden is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts with Oakland.

Harden, who is coming from a less than stellar offensive ball club in Oakland will join a Cubs team who leads the National League with a .282 batting average.

With other starters such as Jason Marquis and Ted Lily, and relievers Carlos Marmol and the revitalized Kerry Wood, the Cubs have cemented what seems to be one of the best staffs in baseball.

Sadly for them, another similar staff looms in the same division.

The newest beermaker, and last years Cy Young award winner, Sabathia has already proven he can win in the National League by pitching six innings and allowing two earned runs yesterday at home in front of 42,500 fans.

Personally, I thought he showed real guts in the start, a trait that is needed for National League pitchers. Adding Sabathia with the incredibly tough Ben Sheets makes the Brewers 1-2 punch as potent as the Cubs.

The Brewers bullpen also boasts big names such as flame-throwers Guillermo Mota and Saloman Torres to close out games. Along with another potent offense that ranks 12th in the National League, the NL Central is shaping up for a photo finish.

With a division that is built around pitching it is hard not to compare it to the NL East of old, compared to the sluggers division the NL East has become.

The Atlanta Braves 1-2, punch of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine was not very comparable in pitching styles, because of the power Zambrano, Harden, Sabathia, and Sheets all bring to the table, but consider this:

Between the years of 1995 and 2001 the NL East was stocked with pitching, much like the NL Central now.

The Braves, as mentioned before, boasted Maddux and Glavine with Smoltz in the bullpen.

The Mets battled it out with the Braves with Al Leiter, Hideo Nomo in his prime, and Turk Wendell in the Bullpen.

Neither team had the offensive power that both the Brewers and Cubs now possess, but it is interesting to see a division stock up with pitching in today's offensively dominated game.

Perhaps that team in the Bronx should take notice.

The comparisons between the two divisions, though in different eras, is setting up the NL Central to be a dominating division for years to come.

Kerry Wood: Where Have You Been?

Peter Lusk — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:42:01 -0400

If there is a better feel-good story in the 2008 season better than the Tampa Bay Rays, it is the resurgence of Kerry Wood and his career.

It is safe to say that Kerry Wood has endured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows through his career thus far. After struggling through multiple injuries, to both his arm and his ego, Kerry Wood has re-emerged as a dominant closer in the game. Now, after being rewarded with a trip to the all-star game, Wood is back.

Playing for a winning team and slamming the door in the ninth inning for the Cubbies, it is certain that Kerry Wood has found a way to revive his career.

It is a career that started out on the fast track. As a rookie in 1998, Wood tossed one of the best baseball games ever in only his fifth career start. Fanning 20 Houston Astros while walking none in a shut-out victory officially placed Wood on the map.

He would collect 13 wins all together in his rookie season on his way to hoisting the National League Rookie of the Year trophy at the end of the season.

Wood's career seemed to be on the fast-track. He is the fastest pitcher to reach 1000 strikeouts in both innings pitched (853) and appearances (134).

Press the injury button now.

If Wood could get in the Delorian and return to the end of the 2000 season, he would—sadly, this is when the fireballer's career took its first spiral downward.

Wood suffered the first of his multiple injuries in the following spring training after his rookie campaign. The injury forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery, a nightmare for any pitcher.

The following three seasons, however, Wood returned and began to show promise again, going 34-24 and striking out 700 batters from 2001-03. The Cubs made a brilliant run through the 2003 NLCS to Game Seven, losing to the eventual World Series Champion Florida Marlins, with a little help from Steve Bartman.

After gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated during Spring Training in 2004, Wood's body began to falter. Between the 2004 and 2007 seasons Wood was sidelined with a strained triceps, a sore knee that required arthroscopic surgery, and a plethora of other arm injuries that only allowed him to continue rehab until another injury.

The Cubs took a final shot on Wood in 2007, signing him to a one-year deal and an offer to work out of the bullpen. After earning his stripes both in 2007 and in spring training in 2008, boasting a 2.84 ERA in the spring, Kerry Wood earned the closer's job in Chicago.

Wood has now jump-started his career, with a 2.91 ERA through the first half of the year, 22 saves in 27 chances, an All-Star Selection, and the trust of his manager and fans.

It would have been awful to see someone with as much talent as Kerry Wood have to hang up his cleats and find something else to do with his life. Instead, he has been re-invented himself as a dominant closer, and will continue to shut the door in the ninth for the Cubs.

Brett Favre...Please Stay Retired

Peter Lusk — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:31:56 -0400

There are no doubts (or at least there shouldn't be) that Brett Favre is one of the best, if not the best, quarterback of all time.

In 16 seasons, Favre collected the most touchdown passes of any quarterback in the history of the league with 425, the most completions of any quarterback with 5,202, and the most attempts ever with 8,224. He also bested Marino and Elway in wins with 153.

Brett Favre dominated on the gridiron. He is one of the last tough guys, and true good guys, to play professional sports. He was always himself, and he seemingly never played the game for money, but only for his true passion for the game.

It is now reported that Favre has the "itch" to play football. Most likely this is just rumor, and it is that time of year when he would be used to preparing for training camps and the season.

Favre proved last season that he can still play football, but he should take a lesson from these five athletes who tarnished their careers by returning from retirement or hanging on to their dream for too long.

Athletes like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Reggie White, Bjorn Borg, and Roger Clemens all had outstanding careers, but they decided to return to play at a below-average level. I would just like to urge Brett Favre to stay retired.

Favre had a great season in his last year, and we all remember him as a great leader who can still play. Please Brett, do not return and tarnish your reputation. Sit back a few years and wait for the call from Canton.

Changes In Atlanta? It Might Be Closer Than You Think

Peter Lusk — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:48:44 -0400

Before anyone reads this article and starts to think that I am rushing Bobby Cox out of his position as manager and out of a Braves uniform that is not the case.

To me, Bobby Cox is the best manager in the game and will always know how to run a ball club. Simply put, however, the Braves haven't made the playoffs in two seasons, and are slipping out of the race this year as well.

A friend and fellow Braves fan suggested to me that the change the Braves need is at manager. I was immediately disgusted because of the love I have for Bobby Cox and the Braves. However, the more I thought about it, I started to prepare myself for a new Braves regime to take over the one we are currently so close to that won 14 straight division titles.

In some ways the dismantling of the dynasty team has already begun. Greg Maddux has been gone for five years, and Tom Glavine made his departure as well, only to return. John Smoltz may have thrown his last pitch as a major leaguer, and with Chipper currently in a contract year, a new-look Braves team could grace Atlanta in the near future.

I'll start with Chipper.

A rarity in the new age of athletes demanding money and changing teams like their socks, Chipper Jones will more than likely spend his entire career in an Atlanta uniform.

An unofficial captain of the Braves, Chipper has been the glue of the Atlanta team throughout all of the division championships and National League domination. Aside from his off-field qualities, Chipper has always been a solid performer and from where I sit is a sure-fire hall of famer.

A .310 career hitter, with almost 900 more walks than strikeouts, 400 home runs (as a switch hitter), an MVP award, and a World Series ring, Chipper no doubt has a full resume. Like all athletes he is experiencing injuries later in his career, and after this years run at .400 it is not clear as to how long chipper will continue to play.

Next comes the big three.

The arms stockpile of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz have a combined 865 wins in their careers, with 648 of those wins, almost 75%, coming in Atlanta uniforms.

Now I know that Atlanta fans have already had their chance to get used to Greg Maddux in another uniform, Glavine coming and going, and Smoltz being pushed more towards retirement everyday. Nonetheless, with Glavine and Smoltz still in and around the Atlanta clubhouse its hard not to think about the glory days.

It will indeed be a sad day when both these Atlanta fixtures step away from the game, leaving us with great memories and heavy hearts. A pitching conglomerate with stats like these may never be seen again, combining for 7 Cy Young awards all with the same team.

Bobby Cox.

What else can be said about the fourth winningest manager of all-time?

He is one the best to ever run a ball-club. A great leader and even better manager of his personnel, Cox has been in an Atlanta uniform for over 20 years, and 18 years with straight with his current stint.

A Manager of the Year four times, (3 Braves in the NL, and 1 with the Blue Jays in the AL), he is the only one of three managers to win the award in both leagues.

With a contract that is up at the end of next season it seems as though all signs point to Bobby Cox retiring at the end of next season. This would be the end of another unprecedented run as a manager staying with a team for the better part of 20 years.

With John Smoltz almost sure to never pitch again. Tom Glavine in a one year contract. Chipper Jones in a contract year, and with Bobby Cox signed only through one more season it is sure that the team will be missing four of its most significant parts sooner than later and it is time, as Braves fans, that we all get used to it.

A changing of the guard will soon be at hand.

Mark Teixeira...An Atlanta Fixture, or Trade Bait?

Peter Lusk — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:40:16 -0400

When Mark Teixeira was traded to the Braves last summer for an abundance of young Atlanta talent, I thought the move was beneficial. The Braves were lacking a power stick and someone to protect Chipper Jones in the lineup.

The new addition to the team seemed to be what they needed to recapture the excellence from the 90's, and start a new run at the top of the NL East. As the Mets fell apart, I believed that the Braves had enough to win the division. As we know, the Braves fell apart like the Mets, and the Phillies went on to clinch the division.

Now, as the Midsummer Classic approaches and four teams in the NL East are within four games, the question still looms if the Braves will be able to sign Tex to an extension, or be left with little choice but to trade him away.

Before Teixeira, a consistent all-star caliber performer, and his all-star lawyer Scott Boras back their bags and leave Atlanta, I believe they should consider the following options. The Braves have a bevy of talent on their team, including all the necessary parts to reach the postseason.

They possess great talent such as up-and-coming star Yunel Escobar, who provides great power for a leadoff hitter, is a stellar defensive shortstop with great range and a rocket arm. He has enough swagger to become a big player in the league.

Chipper Jones, a past MVP, All-Star, and one of the best switch-hitters of all time still has a few good years left to help lead the young Atlanta team. Though John Smoltz seems to have reached the end of his career, Tom Glavine should be able to return to the team this season and provide quality starts.

The Braves also have proven young players on the roster including Brian McCann who will reach his 3rd All-Star game in as many years in the league, along with Jeff Francoeur who is an electric outfielder with tremendous power potential.

Teixeira should also realize that he will never have the opportunity to hit behind a switch hitter with the skills of Chipper Jones anywhere else. The Atlanta team also has spark-plugs and role players such as recent additions Brandon Jones and Gregor Blanco. The additions of Omar Infante, and Mark Kotsay when he returns will help the Braves to get back over .500 and contend in the East.

Teixeira should also realize that with Tim Hudson, a proven ace, up-and-comers Jorge Campillo and Jair Jurjjens, the Braves starting pitching isn’t an issue. Tom Glavine will re-join the staff after the break and the Braves could make a run based on their Achilles heel all year—the bullpen.

The return of Mike Gonzalez, who saved his first two chances, definitely bolsters the bullpen as they await the return of Soriano. Will Ohman has been solid and if the younger arms such as Blaine Boyer and Jeff Bennett can come around, the Atlanta team will be poised for a run at a divisional title.

Teixeira, known as a "good fit" for almost any team in the league, needs to steer clear of the money that will be thrown at him in New York from either side of town. The only thing the Mets are building right now is a new stadium, with no manager to speak of. With selfish players who play for money and nothing else, the Mets would not be a good fit for Tex.

The Joe Girardi show in New York has proven to be a wash. Their young starting pitching has yet to work out. With Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes bouncing back and forth between AAA and the bigs and Wang being on the DL, the Yankees have no pitching to speak of.

This leaves Boston as one of the only options left, which would force them to move Youk to third and what..DH Lowell who just signed a three year extension? Teixeira should stay in Atlanta with one of the best managers of all time, and lead the Braves to another NL East title.