Tom Au Article Archive

  1. The Tail Wagging The Dog: The Role of Fantasy Baseball

    Professionals in the game of baseball, managers perhaps more than players, will hate to admit this. But it was fantasy baseball that shaped a lot of how we now think about the actual sport...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 14 days ago 48 reads 0 comments

  2. Dodgers' "Unclutchness" Kept Them Out of The World Series

    The Dodgers have most of what it takes to enter, or even win, the World Series. But they need to be more "clutch." FanGraphs had them ranked first in National League teams in raw hitting ability for 2009...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 22 days ago 195 reads 2 comments

  3. Whither the Cleveland Indians?

    The decline of the Cleveland Indians over the past two years, from playoff contender in 2007, to league average in 2008, to cellar dweller in 2009, has been perhaps the most dramatic in the major leagues...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 23 days ago 198 reads 4 comments

  4. "Bay" Players to the Seattle Mariners' City on the "Sound?"

    Jason Bay. Lyle Overbay. No, they don't play for Tampa Bay. But they may be playing for the city on the (Puget) "Sound," if the Seattle Mariners, or at least Mariners writers like Andy Augur, have their way...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 24 days ago 338 reads 12 comments

  5. Is New York Yankees' SP Chien-Ming Wang Up For Grabs?

    Word is that the Yankees will not "tender" (salary arbitration) for their injured former-ace, Chien-Ming Wang, thereby prematurely making him a free agent. The idea is to get him to a lower base salary, with incentives...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 25 days ago 1,660 reads 15 comments

  6. Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees Is an Outstanding Third Starter

    Andy Pettitte is not the best pitcher on the Yankees' staff, but he was the winningest Yankees pitcher in the 2009 postseason. That's because he was their No. 3 starter. CC Sabathia is clearly the front-runner, but between A...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 26 days ago 291 reads 6 comments

  7. Steeler Defense 7, Denver Broncos 3 (At Halftime)

    This halftime score defined the game in what was a defensive duel for at least three quarters. And it also defines why the Steelers have a chance at another Super Bowl win...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 27 days ago 235 reads 0 comments

  8. Dustin Pedroia and Bronson Arroyo: A Tale of Two Red Sox

    One of these men IS a Red Sox. The other WAS a Red Sox, having been made available by the Pittsburgh Pirates who failed to protect him off waivers, and then having been traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Willy Mo Pena...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 28 days ago 331 reads 6 comments

  9. Why Jason Bay Might Be Worth $20 Million a Year, to the Right Team

    You (probably) can hold out for more than the $15 million a year Boston is reportedly offering you, Jason Bay. Based on his hitting, Jason Bay would be a "five win" (above replacement, or WAR) player...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 29 days ago 533 reads 8 comments

  10. Why Others "Distrust" the New York Yankees' Success

    The New York Yankees have a number of great homegrown players. They include shortstop Derek Jeter, pitchers Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera, and catcher Jorge Posada...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 490 reads 2 comments

  11. Phillies' Emergence Threatens World Series Chances of Low-Budget Teams

    Can a low-budget team win the World Series? The answer is a qualified yes. But it appears to have gotten harder just within the past year or two. That's because historically it has been easier to do so from one of the two leagues than the other...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 306 reads 10 comments

  12. New York Yankees: "Strategy" Is Paying Off in World Series

    You don't want to pitch CC Sabathia against Cliff Lee. So the Yankees found out in the first game of the Word Series, which they lost, 6-1 (trailing 2-1 on Sabathia's watch)...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 188 reads 4 comments

  13. Sanchez's San Francisco Signing Shows Pirates What Might Have Been

    Freddy Sanchez is a good "sport." The Pittsburgh Pirates' management is not. Sanchez re-signed with the San Francisco Giants at a total of $12 million for two years, or $6 million per...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 484 reads 12 comments

  14. Firing His Wife Jamie: Not Los Angeles Dodgers' Frank McCourt's Worst Move

    No, that would have been that of Paul DePodesta, in 2005. As a Moneyball fan, I was sorry to see DePodesta go. And in fact, it may have cost the Dodgers the 2009 World Series, as discussed below...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 379 reads 4 comments

  15. 2007: The Cleveland Indians' World Series that Wasn't

    The Cleveland Indians' best chance at a World Series ring in recent times was when they were leading 3-1 in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox in 2007...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 186 reads 5 comments

  16. C.C. Sabathia Vs. Cliff Lee: "Cleveland Indians" In The World Series

    No, the Cleveland Indians' team is not in the 2009 World Series. But two individual former Indians are. They're C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Such are the trials of low budget outfits like the Indians...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 566 reads 2 comments

  17. New York Yankees: Why They Need To Win The ALCS In Six

    Playing at home is a bit like having the serve in tennis: It confers a distinct advantage. As between two evenly matched contestants, the one with the home field/serve will win most of the time...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 334 reads 2 comments

  18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Pitching Slide Dooms Their NLCS Chances

    What happens to a team when its strongest attribute goes south? Although the Dodgers' hitting was nothing to write home about, what really ruined them was their pitching. A 5.30 ERA in the postseason...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 129 reads 0 comments

  19. Why the Pittsburgh Pirates Should Sign Ben Sheets

    First, the price would be right. Yeah, Sheets is probably injured, but he's good. Meaning that he'd probably be worth more as a cut-priced injured player than many a full-priced healthy player...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 492 reads 11 comments

  20. Could the New York Yankees' ALCS Pitching Strategy Get Rained On?

    Given his druthers, Joe Girardi would like to start C.C. Sabathia in Games One, Four, and Seven for the pennant. This would allow him to use a three-man rotation, with the others consisting of A...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 143 reads 2 comments

  21. Bi-Coastal League Rivalries Could End Up on One Coast for World Series

    It could be a "Freeway Series," between Los Angeles and Anaheim for two southern California teams. Or it could be a (New Jersey) "Turnpike Series" for two teams in major cities in different Mid-Atlantic states, just off the one turnpike...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 198 reads 9 comments

  22. Boston Red Sox's Weak Record Outside of Division Foreshadowed ALDS Sweep

    It's a miracle that the Boston Red Sox even won the wild card. They got there on the strength of a 45-25 record in their division...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about about 1 month ago 147 reads 2 comments

  23. Pirates Start to Exorcise Demons Against Division Rivals

    Two days ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates won two consecutive games. On the road. Against the Chicago Cubs, who usually dominate them. With the last game cancelled due to rain, the Pirates actually won a road series...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 2 months ago 69 reads 0 comments

  24. Pirates Lost Badly On "Stealth" Trades

    Forget about the highly visible trades like those of Jason Bay and Nate McLouth. It is the trades of supposedly "B" players (who are anything but) that have been hurting the Pittsburgh Pirates...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 2 months ago 293 reads 7 comments

  25. Backs To The Wall, Pirates Hit Back Hard Vs. Division Leaders At Home

    A series against the cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates was supposed to be the "last stop" for the Los Angeles Dodges in clinching their division, right? Not so fast, when it is in Pittsburgh—as the New York Mets found out in 2006...

    Tom Au Written by Tom Au about 2 months ago 35 reads 2 comments

 
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