Major League Baseball

The new deal sees MLB become the first US professional sports league to carry out blood tests for human growth hormone – hardly surprising given the BALCO scandal of the last decade. It will only take place in Spring Training and the offseason to study whether regular season gets the same system. In addition, the new CBA lessens draft-pick compensation for free agents, enlarges salary arbitration by a few players and teams are now able to trade draft picks for the first time. Then there’s the restraint on signing bonuses for amateur players, much to the behest of Scott Boras.

“If I’ve got a great athlete, why am I going to go to baseball? I’m going to focus on the other sports,” Boras told Sports Illustrated.

Back to the HGH testing and anyone that tests positive faces a 50-game suspension and it follows the minor leagues implementing a similar plan late 2010. The extra playoff team will take part in a “second wild card” round. The one game shootout will involve the two best-placed non-first place teams with the winner advancing to the division series. Divisions will also be realigned for the first time since 1997 as the Houston Astros move from the NL Central to AL West to make six divisions of five.

MLB players will be sitting pretty after the deal knowing that they will be being paid after the festive season. The same cannot be said for the NBA’s players with shipments of coal and cardboard boxes already starting to arrive at the houses of basketball players nationwide.

To further compound this, Major League Soccer has surpassed the NBA in terms of average attendance. MLS attendances now draw an average of 17,780 in 2011, moving it into third place above the NBA (17,319). The latest labor stoppage won’t help this and may see the NBA shunted back into fifth place behind that Canadian sport played on a sheet of frozen water. TV viewing figures are another matter entirely but it does show soccer is having more of an impact.

Deron Williams won’t be worrying about the lockout and his latest performance saw him register a half-ton for his new club. Wiliams was the first to move overseas back in July when he joined Turkish club Besiktas on a report $200,000 per month salary. He has more than repaid this since signing and last night’s 105-94 victory over Gottingen. Besiktas is 6-1 with Williams on the floor and he’s more than paying back the Turkish club’s investment.

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Whether you thought it was how baseball’s supposed to be played or both teams stank the place out you can’t doubt World Series Game Six was one of the most enthralling ever played. It’s not every season that a team trails five times, comes down to its last strike twice and sits two runs behind in the ninth and tenth before coming back to win. Who do these Cards think they are? The ’04 Red Sox!?

It could all have been very different for the hero on the night, Freese. His dropped pop-up invoked memories of Buckner and could have been the defining moment at which the series concluded. Not on this night though.

Sports bettors would have been their collective nut while the game was going on and with live betting now widespread, it brings a totally new dimension to extra innings in baseball. Rupert Adams from William Hill admitting: “Texas traded as short as 1/100 around 04.15am (GMT), before drifting back to 2/1 at 04.54am. From here they went as short as 1/66 again at 05.00am before the scores were leveled around 05.30am.”

Major League Baseball continues to surpass itself this year and you could be forgiven for thinking, why? The word lockout is a dirty word as far as the sport is concerned and even though they didn’t have one this year it has had an effect. That’s what happens when the nation’s two biggest sports decide to shut up shop for a while.

As for baseball it’s made this a season to remember. First it was the Red Sox in September. Now one of the most breathtaking World Series in recent memory. It’s anyone’s guess what might happen in game seven.

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The two pennant races were characterized by high scoring and solid bullpen performances. Tony La Russa, who has often been criticized for over-managing, truly deserves an award for the managing job he has done in the last two months to get his team to this point.

La Russa leaned heavily on his bullpen which performed admirably in the NLCS, but if the Cardinals hope to be successful against the Rangers and their powerhouse lineup, the starting pitch will have to be much better than it was against the Brewers.

The 2011 World Series offers a plethora of betting options and props for North American facing sportsbooks to offer.

A couple of players head into the World Series on fire. Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers had a record setting ALCS and became the first player to hit six home-runs and 13 RBIs in a postseason series. He had eight hits in the ALCS, all of which were extra-base hits.
For the Cardinals, David Freese had ice in his veins. In a breakout NLCS performance, Freese hit .545 (12 for 22) with three homers, nine RBIs and seven runs scored over the course of six games.

While pitchers usually come away with the MVP hardware, if this year’s postseason holds true to form with high scoring games, both Freese and Cruz could be possible MVP candidates. That said, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton could easily steal the show.

The 2011 World Series begins on Wednesday, and the Rangers will send their struggling ace C.J. Wilson to the mound. Wilson hasn’t been as sharp as he was last year, and will start Wednesday’s game having lost his last two starts with an ERA of 8.04 ERA in his three starts this postseason.

The Cardinals will send their ace Chris Carpenter to the hill, Carpenter has been lights out in the postseason, and the Cardinals will need him to be at the top of his game to quiet the loud bats of the Texas Rangers.

Scotty McCreery is said to be singing the National Anthem at Game 1 of the World Series, will he remember all the words? How long will he take to sing it?

Who will score the first run in the World Series? Who will hit the first home-run?

Get your odds up, the World Series is here!

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Francona met with owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, team president Larry Lucchino, general manager Theo Epstein and assistant GM Ben Cherington on Friday at Fenway Park. Later, it was officially announced that Francona would not be returning.

With the stacked lineup the Red Sox brought to the field in 2011, it’s almost unthinkable that the team is not playing baseball in October. A 7-20 September will do that to you, but so will a clubhouse filled with a bunch of ringers who don’t care about Red Sox nation or have pride in the uniform they put on.

There have been reports on ESPN that it was common-place for pitchers to be drinking in the clubhouse during off-days. No word yet on whether gambling and carrying on was taking place.

As for Francona, the man that put an end to the curse and brought Beantown their first two World Series championships since 1918, he’ll land on his feet. Francona didn’t exactly appear sad to go.

In his statement Francona said: “I’ve always maintained that it is not only the right, but the obligation, of ownership to have the right person doing this job…I told them that out of my enormous respect for this organization and the people in it, they may need to find a different voice to lead the team.”

It sounds like Francona didn’t like what he saw in that clubhouse.

People have been quick to chide teams like the Yankees and Red Sox for buying their players but the Red Sox are a great example of how money can’t always buy you October baseball.

Let’s take a look at the top ten payrolls in the MLB this past year according to USA Today:

1. Yankees $202,689,028
2. Phillies $172,976,379
3. Red Sox $161,762,475
4. Angels $138,543,166
5. White Sox $127,789,000
6. Cubs $125,047,329
7. Mets $118,847,309
8. Giants $118,198,333
9. Twins $112,737,000
10. Tigers $105,700,231

Of these ten teams only three are playing October, the Tigers, Phillies and the Yankees.

As for the Rays, who are in the playoffs instead of the Red Sox and are looking to ride their momentum all the way to the Pennant, out of 30 teams, the Rays are 29th on the payroll list.

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The Wild Card has been in play ever since the MLB expanded to 28 teams and realigned its two leagues to have three divisions. Since a three team playoff would have required one team to receive a bye, the wild card was created to field a fourth team. The wild card has been in effect since 1995, and it is arguably one of the greatest changes the MLB has ever made to bring excitement to the game and the gruelling 161 game regular season.

For sportsbooks, the season couldn’t have ended in a better way, with one more meaningful game for the Wild Card in both the National and American Leagues to decide the fate of not one, not two, not three, but of four teams.

The Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals all are in the position where nine innings of baseball is all that is left to decide if they will be taking the field in October or heading somewhere warm for vacation. Each team is playing for the lone wild card slot in their respective leagues and a chance to advance to the MLB Playoffs.

It almost goes without saying, there will be plenty of angry fans in Boston if the Red Sox don`t hold off the Rays tonight.

“I think it’s really good for baseball, not so good for my stomach,” manager Terry Francona said. “It’s exciting. If you don’t want to show up (Wednesday) and play, you’ve got no pulse. My goodness, I can’t remember being that nervous in a long time. Go back to the hotel and not sleep, and then show up and see what we can do.” – Craveonline

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There’s no triple crown hopefuls this year, but barring a ridiculous late season batting slump, for all intents and purposes Red Sox slugger Adrian Gonzales should have the batting title locked up. Gonzales is batting a sparkling .339 thus far and the closest player to him is the Detroit Tigers hitting machine, and drinking and carrying on slugger, Miguel Cabrera, who is batting .328.

The most interesting individual race is still the homerun race.

Jose Bautista of the Toronto Bluejays leads the majors with 40 homeruns on the season after exploding onto the scene with a 54 homerun outburst last season. Will he get to 50? A better question is whether Bautista will even be crowned the homerun champ.

Right behind Bautista, Yankees sluggers Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are within striking distance at 38 and 36 homeruns respectively. After an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, Albert Pujols has found his usual stroke and with 34 homeruns, he’s capable of catching fire and really making things interesting.

As far as thieves go, it doesn’t look like anyone is going to catch Michael Bourn already with 49 stolen base in the National League, while Brett Gardner and Coco Crisp battle it out in the American league at 42, and 39 stolen bases respectively.

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But let’s engage in some real talk for a moment. Is this really an issue that the MLB needs to waste time investigating? Why does the MLB care about what its players do in their leisure time? What rule did A-Rod break by playing poker?

Unless they can come up with some proof that A-Rod, who is currently rehabbing from knee surgery, is, or was betting on baseball games, what’s the problem? There are reports that cocaine and fighting were involved during these underground poker games, but there’s no evidence that A-Rod was involved. Is the MLB now punishing players for the company they keep and if so, under what basis?

The National Post wrote an interesting article regarding the issue. In the article, author Guy Spurrier noted that there’s no specific rule that prohibits players from playing poker. The article cites MLB’s Rule 21, which covers the ways in which players and officials can compromise the integrity of games, but the rule only states in subsection (d) that people associated with baseball cannot bet on baseball games.

That said, the MLB has a history of overstepping its bounds when it comes to issue of gambling. Baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were banned in 1983 for five years for accepting jobs with Atlantic City casinos and this came after their playing days were over.
Citing unnamed sources close to the league, Sports Illustrated doesn’t think the MLB will take disciplinary action against A-Rod, rather, he will likely only be warned and re-educated about how to stay out of “bad situations”.

It sounds like A-Rod might just be grounded from playing high stakes poker for a while. But even so, what gives the MLB the right to do that? It’s just poker.

If the MLB wants to crack down on their players playing poker, they can start on the team buses, hotels, airplanes, and wherever else players gather in the minor leagues and work their way up to every single major league club where they will certainly find players engaging in friendly poker games and other card games of chance.

What’s next? Are we going to hear about a player being fined or suspended for playing Big Two or a game of Spades?

Poker News

Whatever it is or was, it was good stuff, because PNC Park is starting to look like Heinz Field these days.

Most Sportsbooks have the Pirates listed at 50/1 to win the World Series. And to have a real conversation about the chances of the Pirates pulling it off, we’d all have to lose our minds. But it’s a real possibility that the Pirates could compete for their division this year. But winning and knowing how to win are two different things and the fact remains, the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t been this good since 92 when Barry Bonds wore their uniform.

For years, the Pirates have been losers and not the lovable kind like the Cubs. The kind you just roll your eyes at and wonder why the hell anyone would support a team that has had a losing record for two decades. All of a sudden, it appears the Pirates ownership has woken up from their apathetic slumber and decided to try and make this team a contender.

In another surprise from the Pirates, it’s being reported that the team will consider adding players before and after the trade deadline, team president Frank Coonelly told ESPN Magazine’s Buster Olney.

Wow really? The Pirates are actually planning on making moves to make their team better? That in itself is a shock.

But the Pirates are the best story in baseball this year and though it’s still a long shot that they’ll win their division over the Brewers and make it to the playoffs. Like the allstar game, the Pirates run is certainly is something sportsbooks can start hyping up with MLB Props.

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This year’s mid-summer classic is already receiving some negative press with the plethora of so-called injured players that won’t be participating. So far, 84 players have been named to the All-Star game, many of which are replacement for injured players, players who pitched on Sunday and players who just plain didn’t want to go.

The MLB All-Star was changed to mean something. It is supposed to be a battle between the National League and American League’s best to decide home field advantage for the World Series. But above all, this game is supposed to be a showcase of the most talented baseball players in the world. Unfortunately, with all the no-shows, it may fall short of that goal this year.

That said, the game will still be exciting and there is still plenty for MLB fans and bettors to bet on. This should be the focus of all North American facing sportsbooks. The Home Run Derby always presents excellent options for bettors and this year sportsbooks should take it to the next level with as many interesting home-run derby props as possible. The home-run derby takes place tonight, and Robinson Cano is expected to have his father Jose pitch to him. Could it be the edge he needs to beat the favourite and the leading vote getter, and baseball’s current best all around player, Jose Bautista?

The All-Star game itself will take place tomorrow and will present another opportunity to offer a wide array of propositions and betting options on pitchers, position players, and even the national anthem.

With two of the major North American sports out of the picture, beggars can’t be choosers, it’s time to fire up the MLB offerings like never before.

Sports News

One man is being held responsible for the downward financial spiral of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Perhaps the worst owner in professional sports, under the shaky hand of owner Frank McCourt, the Dodgers were forced to file for bankruptcy. McCourt himself is in the midst of a messy divorce in which his wife has indicated that she would like to sell the Dodgers. How dare she!

The situation was all doom and gloom until a glimmer of positive news came yesterday when The Los Angeles Dodgers received court approval Tuesday to tap part of a $150 million bankruptcy loan from a J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.-owned hedge-fund manager that will fund the team’s operations while owner McCourt tries to keep control of the team.

While the ruling from the Delaware court is a small victory for McCourt, his mismanagement of one of the most storied franchises in the MLB can’t be ignored. It’s clear where the MLB stands, they want McCourt out. Commissioner Bud Selig’s refusal to approve a broadcast rights agreement with Fox Sports was a telling sign.

As Yahoo Sports reports, the league says the problems meeting payroll stem from McCourt’s financial mismanagement, his use of team assets for his personal benefit, and “the resulting decline in attendance caused by the community’s extraordinary unhappiness with the club’s owner.”

This situation may get a little more messy before it’s all said and done. McCourt seems hell bent on keeping control of the team while the MLB is determined to hang him out to dry. According to Yahoo Sports, a person familiar with the league’s plans told The Associated Press that the MLB will likely will file a motion to seize the Dodgers from McCourt.

Sportsbooks might as well capitalize on this situation and add to their MLB offerings with odds on how long will Frank McCourt be the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sports News

As City Pages reported the incident:

Culpepper stopped to use the restroom, giving Campione a quick kiss on the lips as she departed. Immediately after, a middle-aged, mustached security guard in a Twins hat walked toward her, shaking his head.
“I saw you kissing that girl, you can’t do that,” the security guard said.
“I can kiss whoever I want to,” Campione replied.
“Well, we don’t play grab ass here,” the guard answered.

We don’t play grab ass here? Classic line, but highly inappropriate to be sure. The security guard allegedly proceeded to cop a holier than thou attitude adding “Here in the stadium, we adhere to the 10 Commandments.”

WTF? Believe it or not, this is a true story and the lesbian couple are currently in the process of filing a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

Forget the Ten Commandments, which by the way make no reference to “thou shalt not play grab ass.”

What about the man code Section 6.9? Off the top of my head I’m fairly certain that section of the Man Code says: No man shalt interfere, rebuke or stop women from playing grab ass or kissing each other- or something along those lines.

The Twins have been disappointing this year, they currently sit in last place in the AL Central and are 28th out of 30 teams in the MLB for the least amount of homeruns hit. So since chicks in the stands can’t be digging the long ball, they might as well be digging each other.

If anything, the Minnesota Twins should consider broadcasting their home games in 3D so viewers can watch girl on girl action in the stands which at this point, is far more entertaining that what the team is doing on the field.

Entertainment News

At 36 years young, like an old locomotive, Jeter looked to be picking up steam heading towards the 3000 mark. Jeter had recorded hits in the 8 of the Yankees last ten games, but it seems as Jeter was chasing the legendary mark, Father Time was chasing Jeter.

After recording hit number 2994 Monday night against the Cleveland Indians, Jeter walked off the field with an apparent calf injury. And MRI has revealed a mild calf strain, that will likely put Jeter out of the Yankees line-up as the team begins inter-league play.

It was a rare sight to see Jeter walk off the field hurt. The Yankees all-time hit leader has routinely played through injuries throughout his career, but given his age and how close he is the monumental mark of 3000 hits, it’s unlikely the Yankees will take any chances with his health.

If Jeter is placed on the DL he will likely return for the Yankees homestand at the end of the month against the Rockies and or the Brewers.

Sportbooks should have their Jeter offerings ready as all eyes will be on Jeter when he returns, watching every at-bat until he reaches the 3000 hit mark. Which pitcher will go down in history with Jeter as the guy that gave up his 3000th hit? Will it be a infield single that he legs out? Will it be a homerun? How will history be made?

Bloomberg news reports that Jeter’s 3000th hit ball could be worth as much as $250K according to several auction houses. With the popularity of Derek Jeter, and the fact that he will be the only Yankee to reach the 3000 mark, that price could skyrocket. If the hit is a homer it could be worth much more.

Craig Biggio is the last man to reach 3000 hits, he did so back in 2007 in a spectacular 5-6 hitting performance.

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When Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins ran Buster Posey, he certainly didn’t think the play would end the young catcher’s season. Posey suffered a fracture in his leg and will miss the remainder of the season and a chance to help the Giants defend their World Series championship.

Running the catcher is as much a tradition in the game of baseball as stealing signs. Even though the rules of the game state that the catcher isn’t technically allowed to block the plate, it’s common-place. Major League catchers know that during any close play at the plate, they could be in for a train wreck collision.

Over forty years ago, Pete Rose famously ran Ray Fosse in the Mid Summer Classic and put a damper on his once promising career. The MLB didn’t change the rules then and it’s hard to see them changing the rules now. Not surprisingly, Posey’s agent Jeff Berry is calling for the MLB to take that dangerous play out of the game.

If the MLB is going to remove collisions at the plate, then they’ll have to consider outlawing players sliding to disrupt the double play at second base as well. It seems every major sport is becoming softer. Perhaps they have to. Not only are players becoming stronger and faster these days, but they`re worth more too.

The NFL and NHL are outlawing hits to the head, could Major League Baseball flinch on this and remove one of the oldest traditions in the game?

It’s not a simple fix. If a catcher is blocking home-plate, there’s not much a base-runner can do to get to the plate on a bang-bang play. I’m not sure how fans would feel about a runner pulling up and accepting a tag out just because he couldn’t get around the catcher without running into him.

Bud Selig managed to dodge instant replay for balls and strikes and close calls at bases, we’ll see how he handles this one.

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To put it plainly, Jose Bautista has been making a mockery of major league pitching since the beginning of last year. Last year he hit 54 homeruns, this year he already has 19 to lead all major league sluggers. He’s on pace to hit around 65!

Bautista is on the verge of becoming the single greatest homerun hitter since the steroid era. His rise to superstardom out of obscurity is a story in itself, considering before last year, in his previous six seasons in the MLB, Bautista had only registered 74 homeruns. Now he’s the homerun king.

He’s not a young guy, he’ll be 31 this October, but the five year whopping $65 million contract the Blue-Jays handed Bautista after his record setting year last season, is starting to look like a bargain.

At this point, Bautista is a lock for the Mid-Summer Classic and we’ll probably see him showcased in the homerun derby. And if he stays healthy, he’ll be in the running for the AL MVP. Bautista is an all around player. He steals bases, he scores runs, we know he hits bombs, but he also is a great all around fielder, that can play multiple positions, including the infield. For the time being, the Jays have him and his hose for an arm in right field and opposing teams have learned very quickly not to try and run on him.

But the big question on everyone’s head is, just how many homeruns will Bautista hit this year?
He’s hot right now so, sportsbooks , any Bautista props?

Sports News

Major League Baseball has been forced to step in and take operating control of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the wake of an extremely messy divorce between owner Frank McCourt and his wife. McCourt has been plagued with financial problems and his messy divorce forced the league’s hand, there is no indication at this time that the Dodgers roster will undergo a fire sale or whether the team has any plans of relocation.

The Dodgers are a storied franchise in the MLB, with a loyal following, as such one would expect the league to handle this situation with care. That said, it has to be unsettling for the Dodgers fans to see their team in the hands of the other rival 29 owners.

So for the time being the future fate of the Dodgers remains uncertain. One thing that is certain is that if this team goes up for sale there will certainly be enough potential buyers chomping at the bit to own the storied franchise. After the Rangers slipped through his hands Mark Cuban might be someone who will step up if the team goes up for sale.

Also, like the Rangers, perhaps this is an omen for the Dodgers. When the Rangers faced financial turmoil all they did is have the greatest season in franchise history and go to the World Series. Maybe the glass isn’t half bankrupt, maybe this is the Dodgers year.

It certainly looks like it might be Matt Kemp’s.

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The federal jury was hung on almost every charge against Bonds but did find Bonds guilty of obstruction of justice, which is basically a love tap on the wrist considering what federal prosecutors were after. So Bonds has beaten the trial of his life for the most part, and really, he made it look easy. The witnesses that the federal prosecutors brought to trial were a joke. Even if you believed in your heart that Bonds was guilty on all charges, no one in their right mind felt comfortable taking the word of the witnesses that the prosecutors brought to the stand. They might as well have put Mark Fuhrman on the stand.

I just hope that when Bonds raises that glass of Cristal, he pours out a little for Greg Anderson. Shit, snitches must get stitches where he’s from.

It’s a small victory for Bonds’ haters as the slugger acknowledged that he took steroids but said trainer Greg Anderson misled him into believing they were flaxseed oil and arthritis cream. So now Bonds is in the same boat as Andy Pettitte and A-Rod, a phenomenal player that took steroids, so now what?

The unfortunate thing is, before Bonds had his day in court and faced his jury, many of the baseball writers and experts that hold his fate for Cooperstown with their votes, had already made their decision.

Before federal prosecutors waste anymore tax payer’s money and everyone’s time going after another baseball player (Roger Clemens) I hope for their sake they actually do some investigating and come up with some real evidence, instead of this “he said, she said” bullshit from mistresses and jaded acquaintances.

If they do get Clemens for perjury, he can always say his statements weren’t intended to be factual.

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The Los Angeles Lakers rolled the dice when they decided to play Andrew Bynum in their second to last regular season game against the San Antonio Spurs. I understand that the Lakers were trying to end a 5 game slide and I understand that they wanted to secure second place in the conference, that makes sense. But, considering the Spurs started a lineup that didn’t include anyone named Duncan, Ginobili, Parker or McDyess; if the Lakers could win a championship without him then they didn’t need him against the Spurs last night to get the win.

Also, there was no way in hell the Spurs wanted to win that game, there’s no freaking way the Spurs want the Lakers to end up as a 4 seed so that they face them in the second round. The Spurs don’t want to see LA until the conference final, that’s just common sense.

Keep in mind, Bynum has never played a full season in the league and as young as he is, he’s already had a career’s worth of surgery on his knees. All I’m saying is that Bynum should have been shut down for the last few games of the regular season because this year, the Lakers will really need him in the playoffs. They certainly didn’t need him to beat a Spurs team without any of their starters and they wouldn’t have needed him to beat Sacramento tonight. The Lakers should have been happy that Bynum was still walking at this point in the season and sat his fragile ass down.

Hopefully, the MRI will show minimal damage and Bynum won’t miss too much time so that the Lakers can defend their title at full strength.

As I said earlier, it’s easy to second guess a play or a move when you’ve seen the final result, and Josh Hamilton is now blaming his injury on his third base coach. Hamilton broke his arm while trying to snake home on a foul pop fly in which the pitcher failed to cover the plate. According to Hamilton, he didn’t want to risk it, but his third base coach Dave Anderson told him to go and Hamilton followed orders. Now Hamilton, last year’s A.L MVP is out for 6-8 weeks with a broken arm.

I don’t want to second guess the aggressive base running strategy of the Rangers considering they’re off to the best start in franchise history. But I will say that there’s a reason they teach baseball players at an early age not to slide head first into home plate, and to leave that to professionals. Well, turns out it’s just as dangerous for professionals.

Should Josh Hamilton be throwing his third base coach under the bus? Probably not. Does he have the right to speak his mind and tell the truth about what he was thinking? Hell yes. Anyone that takes a shot at Hamilton for speaking his mind doesn’t get it. Considering Hamilton only expressed his disapproval with the call, and by speaking his mind, he did something we all want athletes to do, I’d say he was justified. Throw in the fact that Hamilton is a better judge of his own speed than anyone else, I’d say he knows exactly what he’s talking about.

That said, for the record, I would have sent him too. You play to win the game and if you get thrown under the bus for it, you brush yourself off and get back out there the next day. That’s baseball.

Sports News

It appears the American League East is upside down right now, the Orioles lead the division and the Red Sox have not gotten off to the start that almost everyone expected after their moves in the offseason.

But is it panic time in Boston and Tampa? After ten games, both teams sit at 2-8 on the year, but we’re not even finished April, shouldn’t Red Sox and Rays fans relax? Granted, both teams have played some terrible baseball, offensive production has been low, and pitching has been horrific for both teams.

I have a hard time believing that in a 162 game season a baseball team can seal its fate in the first ten games of the season. But apparently, the numbers prove me wrong. According to an ESPN article, the playoffs odd of the Red Sox and the Rays have taken a huge hit. Dan Szymborski notes in an ESPN article that dating back to 1995, the first year of expanded playoffs, there have been 128 playoff teams and of these 128 playoff teams, only three started 2-8 or worse: the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies, the 2001 Oakland Athletics and the 1995 Cincinnati Reds.

So according to the numbers, it really is getting desperate for both teams. For the Red Sox, pitching has been disappointing considering the starting rotation prior to the season was touted as one of the best in baseball.

It will be interesting to see how bookmakers treat the Red Sox and Rays from here on, considering these two teams are widely considered to be grossly underachieving.

Sports News

Towards the end of last season Jeter struggled at the plate and would finish the season with one of the worst stats of his Hall of Fame career. I guess it only takes one bad season, because the Yankees played hard ball with Jeter through the contract negotiations and now, just a handful of games into this season, critics are all over Jeter who is batting just .206.

Compared to other professional leagues, baseball isn’t as much of a “What have you done for me lately” sport. Reputation and past statistics count for plenty. The problem for Jeter is that there’s one other stat that trumps the others, and it goes up every year.
Jeter will be 37 by the end of June. It’s that number that has his critics damn near ready to run him out of town less than 10 games into the season. They say he’s not hitting the ball hard, he’s not being productive, he won’t break out of this slump, he’s too old, he’s not this, he’s not that.

Gabe Lacques of USA Today broke down Jeters .206 average in an attempt to reason that Jeter won’t be improving any time soon. Lacques writes about Jeter : “Jeter is hitting .206 after nine games. Worse yet, as many observers have pointed out, it’s a soft .206. Three of his six hits are infield hits. Twenty-three of his 29 balls in play this year have been grounders. He has one extra-base hit, a double. And, in an unscientific observation from one observer, Jeter has yet to “hit one ball on the screws” all season. ”

All of that may be true, but I say he’s Derek fucking Jeter, and we’re less than ten games into the season! Jeter has been working with a new batting stance with less of a batting stride, you would expect a player of his caliber to iron out the kinks sooner than later.

I’d like anyone to name 10 guys they would rather replace Derek Jeter with, and after they name the first five, I’ll call them a liar. Jeter is getting old, but if Omar Vizquel is still getting it done at 43, Derek Jeter isn’t done yet. My bet is he bats at around .275 this season.

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Only a Boston Red Sox fans would even start to grumble at his team this early in the season. The Boston Red Sox entered this season with high hopes, with their fan base believing that this year was going to be the year that the team dominates the American League East. So far, this wasn`t the start their fans were expecting.

The Red Sox have had their worst start to a regular season since 96` and have dropped their first four games of this young season. Cause for concern? Not unless you’re a crazy Red Sox fan. The season is 162 games long, it’s way too early to even grumble. Red Sox fans know that, they also know that every game counts in the competitive American League East which came down to the wire last year with Tampa Bay Rays and the Yankees.

The bottom line is this Red Sox team is too good to be a cellar dweller in the MLB or in the AL East. The pitching staff is so solid and while they haven’t performed magnificently to start the season, each member of that starting rotation has proven himself to be a winner in the MLB, if not a dominant force. It’s only a matter of time as well, before the bats come alive with the Red Sox lineup as well.

On the flipside, the Baltimore Orioles are 4-0 to start the season. That shouldn’t be as much of a surprise to everyone as you would think, considering the Orioles after changing managers last year were one of the better teams in the league. This hot start might not be a flash in the pan with Showalter running the ship. That’s exactly what Red Sox fan doesn’t want to hear, that there just might be another competitive other than the Yankees and Rays in the AL East. They should add the Blue Jays to that list this year too.

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