Bleacher Report - Articles by Josh AP

Uh Oh Tampa Bay Rays: Watch Out for the White Sox Curse

Josh AP — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:30:39 -0500

Is it just me, or has MLB seen more and more surprise teams each and every year?

In 2005, even though they weren't a huge surprise, the White Sox took the AL Central Division crown away from the Minnesota Twins and eventually preceded to win the World Series.

In 2006, The Detroit Tigers, after finishing a historically bad 2003 season with only 43 wins, won the AL Wild Card, beat the Yankees in the playoffs, saw a walk off homerun to win the AL Pennant, and advanced to the World Series.

In 2008, The Tampa Bay Rays won the AL Pennant after finishing in fourth or last in a division that included two teams that have some of the highest payrolls in the big leagues.

If you look at the trend more closely, you can notice that there isn't any NL teams here. That's not even the major point though. The point I want to make obvious is the seasons that have followed these surprise years.

In 2006, the White Sox were not bad, but they weren't great. They finished third in the AL Central and missed the playoffs after their World Series Championship year. The Sox then went on into the 2007 season hoping to get back to the post season, but instead finished three games out of last place. In 2008, the Sox picked up some small additions in the off-season, including Nick Swisher and Octavio Dotel, and won the AL Central again.

Let's now take a look at the Detroit Tigers. After being AL Champs in 2006, the Tigers played well in 2007, but not great, finishing, oh what a coincidence, in third place. In 2008, the Tigers were given the World Series Title in the offseason after picking up Jacque Jones (wasn't he a waste of money?), Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera, and Dontrelle Willis. With their 137 million dollar payroll, the Tigers finished in last place in the AL Central.

If your seeing a trend, that's a good thing; it's actually my point of the article. If not, let me explain. The Tigers played copy cat to the White Sox. Both were surprises, then played ok, then played awful.

Now, compare the Tiger's offseason moves this year with the White Sox's moves last year. White Sox picked up some, not huge players, but good players. Hmm, so have the Tigers this off season with the additions of Edwin Jackson, Gerald Laird, and Adam Everett. If the trend continues this year, that's good news for Tigers' fans because that means an AL Central Championship is due up for the Tigers.

It's bad news, however, for the beloved Rays. Now, remember, just following the trend here, this sup-rise team will play well next season, but unfortunately finish in 3rd place in the AL East. Now, if you look closely at what the Yankees have done this off season, that 3rd place finish is a very real possibility.

In addition to following this whole trend, there is an AL team due for a surprise pennant race. In my opinion, watch out for the Texas Rangers. The AL West will be a toss up next year. The Angels will not be as good, the A's will be better, and I think the Rangers' pitching will be better. In that case, I think next year's surprise AL Champion will be the team from Texas, the Texas Rangers.

Just to say, this trend hasn't gone on long enough to actually guess the Tigers will be good again, and the Rangers will host the Fall Classic, but so far, since 2005, this trend has continued and I do believe that it will continue next season. So, with that, congratulations the 2009 AL Central Champions, the Detroit Tigers.

How to Fix The Detroit Lions

Josh AP — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:18:03 -0500

Last season, the Miami Dolphins were 0-13. Many analysts and some fans were rooting for the perfectly imperfect season, but the Dolphins won in week 14 against the Ravens, finishing the season 1-15.

This year, however, after a one-win season, the Dolphins control their own playoff destiny and look to knock off the Patriots as AFC Champions.

The Lions, on the other hand, are facing an 0-16 season square in the face and have absolutely nothing to build on.

Still, the Dolphins had nothing either.

They had Cleo Lemon as quarterback and Greg Camarillo as a wide receiver. Yet this season, somehow, they are in the playoff hunt.

If I was owner of the Detroit Lions, here are some of my ideas to get the Lions on the right track to do what the Miami Dolphins did:

Fire Interim GM Martin Mayhew

Yeah, he did complete one of the best Lions trades ever when he received a first-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys for WR Roy Williams. But that does not a career make. Thank him, and move on.

He has been part of the Lions' losing ways for too long. Send him on his way and bring in a winner.

Scott Pioli from the New England Patriots would be a great addition to the Lions' franchise. It's not a new idea, but it shouldn't be overlooked. The Pats are the most successful franchise since 2000. If I were owner, I would give this guy as much money as he wants.

Fire Head Coach Rod Marinelli, Offensive Coordinator Jim Colleto, and Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry

Who replaces these "football" coaches?

Well, there is a surplus of coaching talent available. In my opinion, if the Lions get Scott Pioli, I would then hire Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels of the New England Patriots to come and coach the Lions.

I really believe that, because Scott Pioli is probably going to leave the Pats this year to be a GM of a team, Josh McDaniels will follow him and become the new Head Coach of whatever team Pioli runs.

My new offensive coordinator would be Jeff Rutledge, the current quarterback’s coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals have one of the best passing games in the league, and he could help the Lions passing game settle on one quarterback. Plus, there is no current offensive coordinator who is going to want to come to Detroit, so they have to look deep.

The new defensive coordinator would be Romeo Crennel. Crennel is going to be fired by the Browns this offseason, I can almost guarantee it, and he was a defensive genius in New England. Therefore, Detroit should be welcoming him to the Lions.

Now that the front office and coaching situation is squared away, he is what I would do about that players:

First Pick in the 2009 Draft

Whatever you do, do not draft a quarterback with this pick.

Yeah, Matt Stafford will be on the board, but do not pick him.

With the first pick in the draft, the Lions should select DE Michael Johnson from Georgia Tech.

At first, I was going to say pick Michael Oher out of Ole Miss, but if you remember, the Lions did waste, err, I mean, "use" a first round pick on Gosder Cherilus last season.

I'm going to give Gosder one year to get in shape and prove he is a future offensive lineman before I use my first pick on another offensive lineman.

No, this year I'm going to improve my defense.

The Lions need a defensive player who will make quarterbacks shiver, and I think Michael Johnson would do exactly that.

The second first-rounder, the pick the Lions got from Dallas, should be used on another defensive player. The Lions should select OLB James Laurinaitis from Ohio State. He would be a nice addition to a linebacker corps that already includes future Pro Bowler Ernie Sims.

Later in the draft, Tim Tebow will be available. Now, I do not think Tebow will be a superstar, but I think he could provide some leadership to the Lions, something they desperately need. So with my second-round pick, I would draft QB Tim Tebow from Florida.

Off-Season

One glaring need I think the Lions are overlooking is a second receiver to go on the other side of Calvin Johnson. I think a good option would be possible free agents Jabar Gaffney or T.J. Houshmanzdzadeh. Both provides deep threats, and plus, my plan would already include bringing other NE Patriots here, so possible future head coach Josh McDaniels would want Gaffney.

The Lions would probably run an offense similar to the one in NE, which mean they would need a slot guy—Michael Furrey—and two big receivers—Calvin Johnson and Jabar Gaffney.

I would also, as owner, try to go after some defensive backs and safeties. Veteran safeties Lawyer Milloy and James Sanders would provide some veteran presence, and they're still decent players.

Quarterback Situation

Draft Tebow, release Daunte Culpepper, and keep Drew Stanton and Kyle Orlovsky. That gives the Lions three quarterback going into training camp.

Most likely, Orlovsky will be named starter.

Let him play the first eight games and see how he is there. If the Lions are out of playoff contention already, bench him and play Stanton the next four games and then Tebow.

This will allow the Lions to see exactly what they have at quarterback, and then they could move on from there into the 2010 off-season. One idea many people have suggested is the Lions should go after QB Matt Cassel. However, I just think there are too many teams that want him, and I think the Lions already have acceptable quarterbacks.

Get the Fan-Base Back

The fans left the Lions' side this year. Their games were blacked out and they were the punch line of every joke in America. So, how do you get them back? You give them some hope by bringing in winners like Scott Piloi, Josh McDaniels, and Tim Tebow, but now you have to do something big.

I suggest slashing ticket prices and offering promotions.

Just get the fans back to the stadium by making them save money.

So, what does my future hold in store with for the Lions? I have a future solid trio at QB, RB, and WR with Tebow, Kevin Smith, and Calvin Johnson. I have a strong defensive line and a strong linebacking corps. I also have an improving offensive line.

Like I said, this is simply an idea I would like to see become a reality. But let's face it, until the Lion's real owner, William Clay Ford Sr., resigns or sells the team, the Lions won't be seeing the playoffs anytime soon.

Listen Up, Detroit Critics: Do Not Associate the City With Its Football Team

Josh AP — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:01:28 -0500

Like most of America, I fully expect these pathetic pussycats called the Detroit Lions to go 0-16. They have no offensive or defensive line, no receiver except Calvin Johnson, no defense, and no secondary. I mean, I'm 5'6", weigh 135 lbs., and can't throw a football more than 30 yards, but I could carve up this Lions defense with no problem. Anyways, we all can accept the fact that the Lions are awful.

After their latest embarrassing loss against the New Orleans Saints, which gave the Lions the record for worst start in NFL history at 0-15, I was reading message boards on CBS, ESPN, and Yahoo, which consisted of people around America not only criticizing the Lions, but also the City.

Now, to every American out there, whether you live in Michigan or out of the state, I have a message for you: Shut up.

First of all, I am a New England Patriots fan living about 30 miles North of Detroit, and I have never been to a Lions game. However, I am sick of people associating the city with the team.

The Lions are bad. They have a terrible, mindless coach who has no clue what to do. They have an owner who cares only about bringing in some big dollars and a team that has only one legit NFL starter. However, on media stations and message boards, people are attacking the city.

For example, Saints fans are comparing how quickly they recovered from the Katrina disaster with how bad the city of Detroit has always been. There are people saying that Detroit is the dumpster of America and is the *bleep* hole of the world.

Now, I agree with that. Detroit has a high crime rate, it is dirty, and we had a corrupt mayor. What I am really upset with is the attacks on the people of Detroit. Just because the city is all those horrible things doesn't mean the people are. When you bring race in the conservation and you start calling people names like people have, you are simply out of line.

In fact, Detroit has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, but I can still drive all around the city and state and find thousands of people volunteering and helping others more needy. Actually, out of all the places where I have lived, Detroit has some of the kindest people in the world.

Plus, if you think about it, Detroit can't be all that bad. Yeah, the stats are there to show that Detroit isn't a great place, but sports wise, we're doing pretty good. The NFL allowed us to host the Super Bowl; the NCAA is allowing Detroit to host the Final Four; we had the All-Star game a few years ago; we had the World Series; we had the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals; and we had the PGA Championship.

Yeah, stats say Detroit is awful, but there are some great things here. Plus, Detroit was voted the Best Sports City in America in 2007.

Of course, the Lions suck. But give me a break—don't be associating how bad the Lions are with how bad Detroit is. Detroit is not the best city, obviously, but we're not the worse. I'm not going to start naming cities because that would be hypocritical, but still, leave the people of Michigan and Detroit out of it.

Before you judge any people from Michigan or Detroit, come here and see what it's like. Don't just listen to the media or movies; Detroit can be a pretty good city.

So, on behalf of all Michiganders and people from Detroit, please listen up: Stop associating us with our terrible football team, because it's just not fair.

The Tigers Can Be Back to The Fall Classic Next Year

Josh AP — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:12:08 -0500

The Tigers have a lot of holes, but unlike all the "experts", I don't think they're that far off from being an elite team. If I was the GM of the Tigers, this is the team I would field for opening day next year.

Starting for the 2009 Tigers

Catcher- Russel Martin

How they got him? The Tigers traded a bad contract, Nate Robertson, and a third baseman, Carlos Guillen, to the Dodgers for Russel Martin. The relationship between the Dodgers and Martin is struggling, and they might be willing to trade him to get a veteran third baseman with a little pop in his bat.

First Base-Miguel Cabrera

Second Base-Placido Polanco

Shortstop-Alex Cora

How they got him? Free Agency. He would most likely split time with Ramon Santiago. Plus, the Tigers have enough force in their lineup that they don't need a huge bat here. They just need good fielders and that is exactly what Santiago and Cora are.

Third Base- Brandon Inge

Left Field-Raul Ibanez

How they got him? They didn't sign him to a small contract, money wise, but he'll be a starter in left field for the Tigers for two to three years.

Center Field-Curtis Granderson

Right Field-Magglio Ordonez

Designated Hitter- Gary Sheffield

Starting Pitchers

1) Verlander

2) Bonderman

3) Gallarraga

4) Garcia

5) Willis

Set Up Men: Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney

Closer: Jason Isringhausen

Bull Pen: Denny Reyes (Signed from Free Agency), Zach Miner, Bobby Seay, Macay McBride

Bench: Matt Joyce, Ryan Raburn, Ramon Santiago, Dusty Ryan

After these signings and trades, will their payroll go down? No, but they would have spent their money smarter.

True, in my scenario, they are relying on Willis to be DECENT, and for Garcia, Zumaya, and Rodney to be healthy. But, let's say Willis is awful, move Miner to the rotation and bring a decent Freddy Dolsi to the pen.

Anyways, are these moves the perfect moves, maybe not, but they probably are the smartest moves.

Where Did it All go Wrong? How the Bad Teams Became the Bad Teams

Josh AP — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:52:58 -0400

I listen to people talk and say, "I can't believe this! How can the Lions be this bad?" or, "Can the Grizzlies ever win a playoff game?"

Now, we know that these teams and others are just, plain....awful. I mean, there's no denying it. But when did the worst teams of the past few years become, well, the worst teams? Let's take a look at what I believe are the worst teams in each major sport in North America.

NBA

The Memphis Grizzlies are, by far, the worse team in the NBA. Yeah, you can argue that the Knicks, or the Bucks, or the Bobcats are the worse team, but if you look at history and recent seasons, the Grizzlies are just plain awful.

They have ten losing seasons out of 13 seasons of existence.
They never reached 30 wins in any of those ten losing seasons.
The three times they were actually in the playoffs, they were swept, which means they have a 0-12 playoff record.
They have a franchise regular season record of 340-694
In the past two seasons, they have a record of 44-120.

Now, when did they start losing so badly? Well, it actually started when they were first formed as the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, whether in Vancouver or Memphis, just were never very good.

Until 2001, they were just a laughing stock. They mad bad personell decisions and poor player signings.

In 2001, they drafted future NBA All-Star Pau Gasol. They then named former Laker star Jerry West General Manager. It looked like the franchise was beginning to turn around because from 2004-2006 they made three straight post seasons.

However, in 2007 they went 22-60, and in 2008 they traded away the only All-Star they ever had, Pau Gasol, for NBA draft bust Kwame Brown.

MLB

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the worse, if not the worse, franchise in pro-baseball for as long as many of us can remember. Some may say, "Well, they don't have a chance because they're in the same division as some big-market teams like St. Louis and Chicago."

Yeah, but the Pirates don't even finish .500.

The Pirates have seven 100-loss seasons in their franchise and only two 100-win seasons.

But the question is, when did the Pirates become so bad?

In the 80's, the Pirates had the "Outfield of Dreams" which included Barry Bonds. They were even considered contenders under Jim Leyland in the late 80's. But in 1993, everything changed, eventually leading to the embarrassing Pirates franchise that we know today.

In 1993, Jim Leyland opted to manage a younger club instead of the veteran club he had the past few years. In choosing to do this, Leyland also chose to get rid of Major League's Baseball eventual home run Champion, Barry Bonds.

Since that year, the Pirates have struggled and finished last or close to last in the NL Central. They have gone 15 years since having a winning record.

NHL

Though a young team, the NHL's worse franchise in this past decade or so has been the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets were founded in 2000 and has yet to find any success in the NHL.

When did they become such a bad team? Probably when they were founded.

Since they joined the NHL, the Blue Jackets have never finished higher than third in their division, thus being the only team in the NHL to never make the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They may have never been able to find success because they are yet to get a big-name player who is both talented and who has post season success.

Yeah, they had Federov who won the Stanley Cup with the Redwings, but he never fit Columbus's system. They have Nash, who's a good player, but is no Zetterberg.

If you look at the past Stanley Cup Finals, you can see both the Wings and Penguins had several big name players who had talent.

NFL

There is no question who the worse franchise is in the NFL. I mean, it could be a question on a common sense test, and if you got it wrong, well, that would be hilarious.

But seriously, the Detroit Lions have been the punch line of every NFL joke, for, a really, really,long time. I mean, not only have they been the worse team in the league as of the past few seasons, but they have been one of the worse, forever!

Now, in the 90's, they were OK. I mean, they weren't Superbowl material, but they were o.k. But what has made them worse than an AFL Team today? Well, let's just look at their history.

They have one playoff win since their last NFL Championship, which was in 1957.

Yeah, that's it. That's the exact reason why, as a franchise as a whole, the Lions are horrible. But here are a few more that have made the Lions worse then any franchise in sports in recent memories.

In 1999, the great Barry Sanders unexpectedly retired, leaving the Lions shocked.
After finishing the 2000-2001 season at nine and seven and barely missing the playoffs, Lion's owner William Clay Ford Sr. hired Matt Millen, a former player and broadcaster, as President to take the Lions to the Superbowl.
During Millen's first three years, they went 0-24 on the road.
In 2002, Matt Millen choose Joey Harrington to become his quarterback of the future. In 2008, Joey Harrington will be playing for the Atlanta Falcons. That basically tells you, things didn't work out in Detroit for him.
Matt Millen signed a five-year extension with the Lions, despite recording a 31-81 record.

So, if you want to try to figure out what went wrong with the Lions, well, they signed their 31-81 President to a five year extension. Hey, at least he never went win-less.

Does Anyone Care About the Success of Small-Market Teams?

Josh AP — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:34:48 -0400

I recently read an article in ESPN Magazine that interviewed Stu Sternberg, the Tampa Bay Rays' principle owner, that discussed how you can compete if you have a small market team. He mentioned some obvious things such as good drafting, scouting, and money management, but he also said something that struck me as somewhat odd.

He said, "FOLLOW THOSE MARLINS! Florida laid the blueprint for running a small-market club: Build your farm system, then add key guys for two-year runs. They also showed you can't hold your players forever. They knew when to let go of Josh Beckett and got Hanley Ramírez and Anibal Sánchez, pieces for a new foundation, when they traded him."

Stu Sternberg basically said that small-market teams can't hold onto veteran players that cost a lot of money, so they have to trade away key members of playoff-teams.

Why doesn't ownership realize that they had a great team which, if kept together, could generate more funds from the fans and ultimately more world championships?

The Marlins, after each of their their two world series, had fire sales and traded away fan favorites. In the winter of 2007, they traded away one of the best young players in the game, Miguel Cabrera.

Owners of these small market teams say that it's too expensive to hold onto these players, but doesn't the success of these teams generate more attendance, thus doesn't the team make more money? I took a look into it, and that's not the case.

I like the feel-good stories of this year's Rays, the 2006 Tigers, and the 2003 Marlins, but those are really all different stories.

The last time the Marlins were in the World Series was 2003, but their average attendance was just 16,290, which ranked 28th in baseball. That was even behind the Tigers who lost 119 games. Then in 2004, the Marlins, the defending world champs, had an average attendance of just 22,091, which ranked 26th.

The Rays this year, even though they have the best record in baseball as of July 4th, are averaging just 20,000 fans and that is good enough for 27th place.

The Tigers, on the other hand ranked 13th in attendance in 2006, the year they went to the World Series. They ranked ninth in '07 and currently rank eighth.

Now, even though all these teams have enjoyed success, the attendance is so different becuase no one cares about baseball where they play. Some say the Rays and Marlins play in old stadiums in the Football State of the World, Florida.

Yeah, that may be true, but the Tigers play in Detroit, which is in a huge economic crisis, and the Tigers lost an A.L. record 119 games five years ago. Even after all that, Detroit still has a large fan base. So, I raise the question, does anyone care if a small-market team does well?

Listen, maybe fan bases would be higher for small market teams if they didn't get rid of big name players, but those teams don't have a choice. They don't generate enough funds to keep those players because, well, the fans don't show up. But the bottom line is, the success of small market teams really seems to matter no one but the actual teams, pretty much becuase, it won't last for a long time.