Bleacher Report - Articles by Mike Kelley

Homer Happy Josh Hamilton

Mike Kelley — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:46:34 -0400

It is as if a half season putting up monster stats wasn't enough for Texas Ranger outfield Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton, who closed out the first half of the season with a .310 batting average, 21 home runs, 60 runs and 95 runs batted in, put on quite a show at the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Home Run Derby

Hamilton certainly didn't disappoint his handful of Ranger teammates on hand at the derby or the thousands of people watching the television from his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

He put up 28 home runs in the first round, breaking Bobby Abreu's 2005 single-round record of 24 homers.

Such a showing would have certainly won the derby one would think especially when in the first round no other participant totaled double digits (Lance Berkman and the eventual winner Justin Morneau had the next highest total with eight).

This isn't the case however.

And there lies the problem with the derby.

The person who puts up the best showing, in this case Hamilton, doesn't win the contest. Perhaps—Bud are you listening—MLB needs to forget all these fancy derby rules and variations and keep it simple.

The player who has the most home runs at the end of the contest wins. Plain and simple.

Restarting the contest for the third and final round makes no sense. Doing so, contradicts the whole premise of the contest: to see how can hit the most home runs.

Even though Hamilton, already the feel good story of the season, didn't win the contest, something tells me his impressive performance in the 2008 homerun derby will not be forgotten and will be the subject of highlight footage for years to come.

Baseball: Minor Leaguer Traded for 10 Bats

Mike Kelley — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:20:18 -0400

There is no denying that baseball is indeed a strange and bizarre sport. Over the years, there have been some pretty bad trades and free agent signings.

None, however, whether big League, minor League, or bush league can compare to a trade made by the Calgary Vipers. Late last month, the independent baseball team in the Golden State League sent John Odom to the Laredo Broncos, a team in the independent United League for ten maple baseball bats, worth about $650.

The Vipers were forced to make the trade it has been reported after it signed Odom a month ago because he was not allowed into Canada because of a minor criminal record as a juvenile, stemming from a fight he got into when he was 17 years old.

Odom was to be traded to the Broncos for an actual hitter, but no one caught the eye of the Vipers' management and they refused to trade him flat out for cash.

New bats, on the other hand, was too good of a deal to pass up.

It appears that the trade may have had no effect for the Broncos and those high quality bats may not be all that missed. The team has compiled a 7-5 record since the trade.

Odom started on May 31 for his new team, in a 9-5 loss, giving up a run in two innings of work.

This isn't the first crazy trade the Vipers have tried to execute. The team once tried to trade a player for 1,500 new seats when the team's stadium was being renovated.

No Vacancy on Colorado Rockies' DL as Three More Go Down

Mike Kelley — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:42:18 -0400

There must be something in that Rocky Mountain air. This weekend, on May 25, The Colorado Rockies placed All-Star left fielder Matt Holliday on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring.

Holliday joins an already good company of players fighting and battling back from injuries. It has gotten so bad in Denver that according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, a whiteboard has been placed in the Rox clubhouse stating: Disabled List Inn: No Vacancy.

The previous day, on May 24, the Rockies were forced to put Brad Hawpe, Holliday's counterpart in the outfield on the disabled list with a right hamstring sprain along with infielder Clint Barnes (right knee sprain).

Holliday, Hawpe, and Barnes join an already crowded disabled list. Relief pitchers Ryan Speier (right shoulder contusion), Kip Wells (blood clot in right hand), Micah Bowie (strained left forearm), Luis Vizcaino (strained right shoulder), and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (left quadriceps tendon tear) have all been placed on the disabled list this season.

Starting pitcher Jason Hirsh, coming off a broken leg in 2007, was placed on the disabled list in March after straining his right shoulder in spring training.

It appears, however, that the list may grow even more. If Garret Atkins and Willy Tavares can't fight off their respective injuries, they may be forced to join their brethren on the disabled lists

Atkins, the third basemen who is leading the club in runs batted in, and is tied with Holliday for lead in home runs, is fighting a stiff neck. Center fielder Tavares, the bunt base-hit and stolen base extraordinaire, is trying to stay off the disabled list as he heals from a bruised knee he suffered when colliding with the center field wall making a catch.

Both players sat out the weekend series against the New York Mets. Atkins has been taking muscle relaxants for his neck and said it feels better if he stays moving. Tavares said he is felling better, and is available for play on Monday when the team starts their three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Tampa Bay baseball: A Decade of Defeat

Mike Kelley — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:06:05 -0400

As the Tampa Bay Rays enter their second decade of baseball the first with the new nickname, I thought it might be fun to look at the best players at each position over the last 10 years.

Looking back, there have been a lot more lows than highs in franchise history for the annual bottom-dwellers in the AL East, but let's start with some positives. Last summer, Sports Illustrated predicted that the team will be the best in baseball in 2010. Fox Sports' Dayn Perry predicted in his March 18 column that the Rays will be a contender in the AL East in the next few years.

While they may have a potential of upside and a strong minor league system, in the last 10 years the Rays have been anything but contenders. They round their first decade out with a 645-972 record and 100 loss seasons in 2001, 2002 and 2006.

Again my selections for best player at each position are based on statistics earned with the Rays.

At catcher, the choice is between Toby Hall, who played for the team from 2000 to 2006, and John Flaherty, who played as a Ray from 1998 to 2002. Hall is the leader in games played at the position with 578 and in opening day games started with five. Flaherty appeared in 471 games in Tampa and started four opening day games.

The players are pretty similar in their contributions to the Tampa Bay offense in their careers, but I am going to give the nod to Flaherty, who had his career year in Tampa Bay in 1999 with a .271 average, 53 runs, 14 home runs and 71 runs batted in.

First base is far easier. Despite Carlos Pena's 2007 season of 99 runs, 46 home runs and 122 runs batted in, the nod is going to Fred McGriff, who played 550 games with the team from 1998 to 2001 and 2004.

McGriff, while well known throughout his career in Toronto, San Diego and Atlanta, made huge offensive contributions during his time in a Rays uniform. McGriff represented Tampa in the 2000 All-Star game and put up three straight 25-plus, 100-plus runs batted in seasons in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Second base poses a challenge with no clear winner. You certainly can't ignore Jorge Cantu's offensive explosion in 2005 when he hit 28 home runs and drove in 122, while hitting .286. The problem, as Tampa Bay fans know all too well is what happened to Cantu after that season.

The rest of his Big League career, which as spanned only another two years, he hit 15 home runs, scored another 52 runs, drove in a mere 75 and batted .250. What a disappointment.

Miguel Cairo, the franchise leader in games played at second base, should be considered too despite his weak offensive numbers. Cairo played for the Rays from 1998 to 2000, appearing in 389 games. He had back to back 20-plus steal seasons in 1999 and 2000 and hit a respectable .295 in 2000.

Because of Cantu's strange disintegration of offense in 2006, I am going to name Cairo as the second baseman of the decade.

Shortstop, like second base, does not have an overly strong candidate, but I am going to give the honor to Julio Lugo, who played with Tampa from 2003 to 2006. In that time he had a 15 home run season (2003), a 39 steal season (2005), back-to-back 80-plus RBI seasons (2004, 2005) and a .295 batting average (2005).

Third base, a position I took a long hard look at, doesn't go to Wade Boggs, the 2005 Hall of Famer who got his 3,000 hit while on the Devil Rays. Boggs finished his career in 1998 and 1999 with the Rays and put up a season with a batting average over .300 and a .377 OBP, but after so many MVP and All-Star type years in New York and Boston, he hardly is known for his time in Tampa.

The honor at third base goes to Aubrey Huff, who over the course of his time in Tampa (2000 to 2006), saw time at third base (283 games), right field, first base and left field. As the starting third basemen in 2004, he scored 92 runs, hit 29 home runs, had 104 runs batted in and batted .297. This follows up an equally impressive 2003 when he was the team's starting rightfielder. Huff is the franchise leader in doubles, home runs and RBIs.

One selection in outfield was super easy. Carl Crawford, the franchise leader in games played, plate appearances, runs, hits, stolen bases, and triples, is a shoo-in for the selection in left field. The two-time All-Star (2004, 2007) has played his entire career in Tampa and has been regarded as one of the building blocks of the franchise.

Crawford, in his six seasons, has already had four 50-plus stolen base seasons, two 100-plus run seasons, four straight double digit home run seasons and three straight .300-plus seasons.

Centerfield was a little harder. In the end it came down to Randy Winn and Rocco Baldelli. They have both appeared in over 300 games at the position (Baldelli, 389 and Winn, 351). I think, when healthy, Baldelli, who finished third in the 2003 Rookie of the Year voting, gets the advantage. In his full seasons of 2003 and 2004, he averaged 84 runs, 14 home runs, 76 runs batted in and a .285 batting average.

Randy Winn's best season, which came out of nowhere was in 2002, when he scored 87 runs, hit 14 home runs, drove in 75 and hot .298. I think over the course of their careers the players have put up similar stats, as Winn matured as a hitter once he left Tampa, but I am going to give the honor to Baldelli and hope he can make it back from the internal ailment which looks like it will keep him out of action for some time in 2008.

Rightfield is going to none other than Ben Grieve, the expensive and over-hyped hitter Tampa Bay signed in 2001. The reason he gets the award is not because of his offense (his Tampa highs include 72 runs, 19 homers, 72 RBI and a .264 batting average), but because there weren't many other suitable options as Huff had already been named top third basemen, although Huff's numbers in 2003, as the starting rightfielder, 91 runs, 34 home runs, 107 runs batted in and a .311 batting average, certainly outshine Grieve's overall contributions. But despite Grieve's disappointing production, I am going to give Grieve the honor in rightfield.

I am going to keep pitching short and sweet, although pitching in Tampa has been anything but sweet. I am going to give the first starting pitching honor to Scott Kazmir, who came over from the Mets in 2004. He has started 97 games from 2004 to 2007, is the franchise leader in most pitching categories, the ace of the staff and a 2006 All-Star. He won a career high 13 games last year and had a lead leading 239 strikeouts.

James Shields, Kazmir's counterpart in the rotation the past two years gets the second starting pitching honor. Shields, who has started 52 games for the Rays, had a career high in wins (12), strikeouts (189) and ERA (3.85) last year, with every indication he is going to improve those numbers in 2008.

The last starting pitcher honor is going to Rolando Arroyo, who won the first game for the Rays 11 to 8 over the Detroit Tiger on April 1, 1998. Arroyo, played for the Rays in 1998 and 1999 and won 21 of his 56 starts, including 14 in 1998, a year when he also posted 152 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched and had a 3.56 ERA.

The closer honor is going to go to Roberto Hernandez, who over his three years in Tampa saved 101 games, averaging 73 innings pitched and a 3.43 ERA.

Big League Crystal

Mike Kelley — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:39:46 -0400

It is a sunny Thursday afternoon in Tampa, Legends Field is packed with Yankee fans, the popcorn popping and Coke flowing. Pittsburgh Pirates' starting pitcher Paul Maholm had just finished his first inning warmup tosses. The public address announcer comes over the stadium's loud speakers: Now batting for your Yankees, number 60, designated hitter, Billy Crystal.

I can't imagine it took many in attendance by surprise, as Billy Crystal's appearance in the game was well publicized in both sports and news media outlets.

Crystal, a longtime Yankees fan who grew up in Manhatten, as a boy dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Crystal is no stranger to Yankee Stadium, taking in many games over the years. he is also chummy with former Yankee manager Joe Torre.

On Monday, March 10, the Yankees, with the approval of Commissioner Bud Selig, made Crystal's dream come true just before his 60th birthday.

"I've been waiting 50 years for this call," Crystal said of the opportunity. "I'm looking forward to helping the younger players, which by the way is all of them."

While it may sound absurd for the 60-year-old to take his hacks in a live game against a Major League pitcher, Crystal hoped his success senior year of high school, when the he hit .348 average as captain of the Long Beach High School baseball team, would suddenly over 40 years later come back to him.

It didn't. Despite working out with the team on Wednesday and taking batting practice before the game, Crystal struck out in his only at bat, before being replaced by Johnny Damon. To his credit, however, Crystal did run a full count against Maholm and even fouled off a pitch.

Crystal is hardly the only celebrity to appear in a professional baseball game.

Country superstar Garth Brooks, the veteran in the group, appeared in 47 spring training games with the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Kansas City Royals over three seasons. He collected two hits, one for the Padres in 1999 and one for the Royals in 2004. The spring training appearances were done to raise money for Brooks' charity Touch 'em All Foundation.

In an effort to research the game for his movie, Mr. Baseball, Tom Selleck, who frequently was seen wearing a Detriot Tigers cap for his role in Magnum P.I., convinced the Tigers to agreed to sign him to a contract for a spring training game in 1991. Selleck struck out in his only plate appearance, but not before fouling off a number of pitches.

Sometimes accomplished athletes cross sport boundaries to try their hand at baseball.

This was the case for Michael Jordan, who played in 127 games with the Double-A White Sox affiliate Birmingham Barons. His quickly found out that his talent was on the basketball court and not the baseball diamond. The outfielder homered three times, drove in 51 runs and scored 46 times, but hit a paltry .202.

Bode Miller, a Olympic silver medal winning alpine skier, signed a one-day contract and appeared in leftfield for the Canadian-American League Nashua Pride on July 29, 2006 in an effort to raise money for his Turtle Ridge Foundation. He appeared again in a similar fashion in 2007 for the Pride, but struck out in both his career at bats.

Red Sox Nation Flap: Hank Steinbrenner Talks the Talk

Mike Kelley — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:03:02 -0500

Without even a pitch being thrown yet this season, the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry has already started, and this one has nothing to do with batting stats, or pitching performances.

In the March 2 issue of the New York Times "Play" Magazine, Hank Steinbrenner, new figurehead of the Yankees, was quoted as saying " [Red Sox Nation] was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans," he said.

"Go anywhere in America, and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

What a bold statement.

It is pretty common knowledge—outside of the microcosm the Steinbrenners live in— that both the Red Sox and Yankees have huge national, and even international followings.

What was the reaction of John Henry, owner of the Red Sox, you ask?

Using the actions-speak-louder-than-words school of thinking, Henry did not miss a beat and rewarded Steinbrenner's comments by making him an honorary member of Red Sox Nation.

Henry also made Steinbrenner eligible for discounts on official Red Sox merchandise, first crack at special offers, incentives and contests, special entry into Fenway Park via "Nation's Way," and, of course, an official membership card.

I think, however, that Steinbrenner is missing the mark and doesn't quite understand the meaning of Red Sox Nation.

The group, which began in earnest in 2005 after the epic 2004 World Series run, was not the product of a partnership between the Red Sox and ESPN, but rather a way to honor, award, and unite Red Sox fans nationwide.

However natiowide Red Sox support—whether Steinbrenner likes it or not— is not a product of anyone's imagination. The team has real and strong support, even outside Fenway Park.

The Red Sox, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, lead the major leagues in road attendance in both 2005 and 2007, meaning that their fans are willing to travel to see their team in action— a testament to both the fans' passion and the difficulty of getting tickets at Fenway Park.

At places like Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and even New York, it is becoming more commonplace to see Red Sox fans turning up in droves to root for their team.

The Yankees, have finished second in attendance on the road since 2000, according to the same statistics.

Steinbrenner's comments will have no real effect on the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry on the field this season, but it certainly makes for good conversation while Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium thaw out from the harsh winter.

Wrigley Field: What's in a Name?

Mike Kelley — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:52:51 -0500

Talk about mixed reactions for Cub faithfuls...Just two weeks after Chicago pitcher Ryan Dempster predicted an end to the Cubs' 100-year World Championship drought, Sam Zell, chief executive officer of the Tribune Company—the entity that currently owns the Cubs franchise, including its beloved ballpark—decided to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field.

This decision, one most certainly made for his own financial gain, is sure to upset baseball purists nationwide. Wrigley Field, named for one-time owner and chewing gum guru William Wrigley Jr., was build in 1914 and is one of the few venues in professional sports which hasn't sold itself to multi-million dollar establishments—Staples, Bank of America, Gillette, Pepsi, Petco, U.S. Cellular, just to name a few.

Renaming a sports venue, while now common place, does not work for Wrigley Field. Selling the naming rights to the park, no matter what the new name ends up being, is akin to renaming the White House; the Washington, Jefferson, or Lincoln monuments; or Mount Rushmore. It is just un-American. Losing the name Wrigley is in turn losing a bit of American history, and more specifically Cubs lore.

That being said, businesses and organizations from all facets of the economy will shortly be lining up with blank checks ready to plaster their logo, signs, and banners all over the walls of the stadium that, up until now, have been only adorned with ivy.

Even if Zell does follow suit and sells the naming rights to Wrigley Field to the highest bidder—which will indeed happen—it will take much more than a silly corporate name to convince die-hard Cubs fans to abandon the team. After all, this is a bunch who through think and thin, through the Banks, Sandberg, Grace, and Sosa eras have stood by their lovable losers.

Maybe Dempster is right—this could perhaps finally be the year, as we have heard Cubs fan say come every April.

After all what better way to usher out the Wrigley name than to celebrate a World Series title in the friendly confines in the place we used to call Wrigley Field?

And maybe, just maybe, the Wrigleyville faithful will come to embrace what we will soon be calling Harpo Field, or Microsoft Stadium, or even Gates Park.

But don't count on it. Cubs fans know better than that.