Friday, September 29, 2006

A Little Friday Humor

Gotta love The Onion.
(*Blatant theft from, Juney* :D)

Frank Thomas Credits Recent Power Surge To Steroids

September 28, 2006 | Onion Sports

OAKLAND, CA—After two seasons marked by nagging injuries and sub-par home-run totals, Frank Thomas credited his career rejuvenation and rediscovered power stroke "strictly to my weekly cycle of injecting myself with anabolic steroids." "People ask me all the time what's my secret, how have I stayed in such good shape and been so consistent this season, and I tell them the same thing every time: It's the steroids," said Thomas, who has 19 homers and a league-high 62 RBI since the All-Star break. "I give the steroids all the credit. It's not even just the muscle and the power, but the confidence I have when I step up to the plate knowing I have a total competitive advantage. I just wish I knew about this miracle drug earlier in my career." MLB officials later announced that, should Thomas test positive for steroid use in a random drug test before season's end, his punishment would be significantly reduced for being open and honest about it beforehand.


Trevor Hoffman: 'I Want To Be A Hall Of Famer Right Now'

September 28, 2006 | Onion Sports

SAN DIEGO—Moments after recording his 479th career save Sunday, placing him ahead of Lee Smith as baseball's all-time saves leader, Padres closer Trevor Hoffman demanded that Major League Baseball immediately induct him into the Hall of Fame. "I've worked my ass off for 14 years to get to this point, and now you're telling me I have to retire and then wait five more years before I get the chance to be recognized for my accomplishments?" Hoffman said. "Bullshit, gimme my plaque." After the game, Hoffman wished his teammates good luck in the playoffs, and informed bystanders that he was "heading out to Cooperstown tonight if anyone wants to hear my speech."

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 4:07 PM   0 comments







 

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Getting a Bit Ahead of Ourselves, Aren't We?



Coming into 2006, in three seasons, Jose Reyes' OPS+: 82.

His .749 OPS this year is fine, but Jeter's is at .897. Hell the last time Jeter's OPS was that low was... 1995, when he played in 15 games.

Yes, I will go so far as to say that Reyes is the 3rd best shortstop in New York, considering that the best shortstop in town is now playing third base. Perhaps Reyes is the 4th or 5th best shortstop in New York when the Orioles and Phillies are in town.

ESPN, you've outdone yourselves again.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 2:45 PM   3 comments







 

Monday, September 25, 2006

Sports Illustrated Really Hates the Yankees

Besides the oft mentioned A-Rod piece of trash by Verdouche, we now get this gem, courtesy of "lifelong Mets fan" Pete McEntegart (whoever the hell that is). Oh, and as a warning, if you don't care for profanity you should probably click one of the links to the right. Go ahead pick one! Ok, I'll help you. How about oh, let's say cstb.

With the Yankees clinching their ninth straight AL East title on Wednesday, I can no longer keep these feelings of rage (and, perhaps, envy) to myself. So here are the Top 10 Reasons I Hate the Yankees. (And in the interest of full disclosure, yes, I am a lifelong Mets fan.)

1. Arrogant Yankees fans: When I moved away from New York for a few years in the mid-'90s, my anti-Yankee feelings softened. I even found myself rooting for the likable '96 champs, especially since Mets fans always enjoy watching the Braves lose. Then I moved back to New York and realized anew what drove me most crazy about the franchise -- its fans. Yankees fans have a greater sense of entitlement that the Hilton girls. If, heaven forbid, the Yanks ever failed to make the playoffs, Bombers backers would view it as a sign of the apocalypse. Consider that this fan base has just in the last decade turned on both the greatest hitter (A-Rod) and pitcher (Roger Clemens) of their generation because they didn't instantly deliver a World Series title. "Spoiled" would be a step up for these louts.
Mets fans don't boo their players? Mets players have never had to wear earplugs to shut out the booing? Really? My history must be way off. Oh, and the best part is this little nugget of research, which I will now repeat for you:

Consider that this fan base has just in the last decade turned on both the greatest hitter (A-Rod) and pitcher (Roger Clemens) of their generation because they didn't instantly deliver a World Series title.
Roger Clemens, aquired by the Yankees in spring of 1999. Yankees win World Series in 1999. Yankees win World Series in 2000. Instantly? What are you smoking, Pete? You expect a World Series title in May or June? Nothing pisses me off more about a sportswriter than when one is lazy, sloppy, and doesn't check his facts because they seem to back up his prejudices. Roger Clemens delivered World Series trophies his first two seasons. That's pretty fucking immediate.

2. Bandwagon Yankees fans: Even if they view winning titles as their birthright, I don't (entirely) begrudge fans who have rooted for the team through thick and thin. (Valid reasons include that your dad rooted for the team, that you picked them at a young age, etc.) But the hordes of Yankees "fans" who have hopped aboard in the last decade make me nuts. Sure, rationally speaking, I can understand the reasons. If you moved to New York City at some point during the past decade -- as millions have -- it's hard not to get caught up in the undeniable excitement of postseason baseball, which the Yanks have delivered every year since '95. But to have these latecomers brag about "their" Bombers, while simultaneously viewing Mets fans as some lesser life form, is intolerable. Listen, chumps: I know more about "your" team's history than you ever will, so pipe down. And yes, there was a time not that long ago (1986, anyone?) when New York was a Mets town, and just because your fresh-from-Omaha mind can't fathom that doesn't make it untrue.
I am fairly sure there are poseur fans of every team. Every successful team, anyway. Have you noticed a lot of brand spankin' new Red Sox gear out there on folks? I have. I also noticed a lot of Mets gear in the late 80's. But I suppose you're OK with that, since only the Yankees have asshole bandwagon fans. You curse someone who "can't fathom" that New York was once a Mets town while currently you "can't fathom" that it is a Yankees town.

You sound like a bitter little man. I'm going to guess you're about 5'4". In heels.

3. Unintentionally patronizing Yankees fans: Some Yankees fans, secure with the near certainty that their team is headed for the playoffs, will magnanimously "root" for your team as well. (This doesn't happen, though, if your team is the Red Sox.) What's unspoken, of course, is the understanding that your team is no real threat to the Mighty Yanks. Thus it can come off like patting a team of Little Leaguers on the cap, congratulating them on the "home run" that was really a ground ball that went through the shortstop's legs. Ugh. I'd rather you showed my team some respect by hating it.
Wait, so now he's upset that some Yankee fans would be rooting for a subway series? Or that they may (egads!) have another second favorite team (by the way, I do have a second favorite team and I am rooting for them in their division this year). What an asshole I am!

4. When national media assume that all of New York roots for the Yankees: Never was this more prevalent than during the 2001 World Series, which took place just after 9/11. While I appreciated the sentiment that the country was standing behind New York, I didn't need Joe Buck waxing eloquent with statements like (and we're paraphrasing here): "Nothing will bring a salve to the people of New York City like a victory by their beloved Yankees." Sorry, Joe. I'm a New Yorker, but I couldn't care less about how the Yankees perform. I'm a Mets fan, and there are millions more like me. It's a two-team town. Did Cubs fans rejoice when the White Sox won last year? Of course not, and no one expected them to. Yet somehow all of greater Gotham is assumed to be Yankees territory.
You insensitive prick. Excuse my language here folks, but the city of Chicago did not have the fucking Sears Tower attacked and have to watch it collapse right before the goddamned World Series, killing 3000+ people in Chicago.

How can you even compare the two? Even if you're a Mets fan and let's say (for the sake of argument, because we both know there are far more Yankee fans) that the fans of New York were split 50/50 between the Yankees and the Mets, you would begrudge half of the city having something good to think about instead of the absolute horror that's been their lives for over a month? Fuck you, Peter McEntegart. Fuck you up your small minded, penis-envy ass.
5. The cult that has grown around average players that were part of the recent Yankees dynasty: This was touched on in Thursday's 10 Spot. While legitimate superstars who somehow don't qualify as "true Yankees" like A-Rod are pilloried, career mediocrities such as Scott Brosius and Luis Sojo are lionized because fans focus on the few clutch hits they contributed in their many postseason opportunities. Since we discussed Brosius on Thursday, let's take a look at Sojo. The pudgy middle infielder is lauded primarily for his 92-hop single up the middle that delivered the winning runs in Game 5 of the 2000 Subway Series against the Mets. Of course, the eminently forgettable Kurt Abbott was playing shortstop that night in place of the injured Mike Bordick (who was replacing the injured Rey Ordonez.) Am I bitter? OK, just a little.
Yes, you are a bitter, whiny, little prick. Were you valedictorian of Mike Lupica's Jackass University or something? Did you get your BA in Douchebaggery? Yes, of course guys who contributed to championships are appreciated fondly. What the fuck? Mets fans don't love Mookie Wilson? Or Rafael Santana (OPS+ in 1986: 52!)? I honestly bet you jerked off to your Danny Heep poster when you were but a lad.

6. When Yankee defenders downplay their team's financial advantages: Yes, other teams with fat payrolls have failed to win. Look at the Orioles, some past Dodgers teams and many recent Mets squads. Indeed, the Yanks still need to make some smart baseball decisions, and over the past decade they have made many. But the Yanks' $200 million payroll gives them a bigger margin of error than any franchise. If a few big-money acquisitions don't pan out, the Yanks just make some more. If the franchise needs a midseason boost, they look for high-priced players that other teams can't quite afford (hello, Bobby Abreu) and pick them up on the cheap in terms of prospects because they alone can foot the bill. Level playing field? Yeah, like Mount Everest.
HAHAHAHA, A METS FAN IS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE YANKEES MAKING TOO MUCH MONEY. Your Mets play in the same market and spent their asses off recently. Aquiring players other teams can't afford? You have Beltran in CF for Crissakes, and the only team the Mets outbid was the Mets.

7. The myth of Yankees' scouting and player development: Bronx Bombers fans like to talk about their "homegrown" stars, but in reality this is an outdated notion. Sure, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada get credited to the Yanks' farm system, but none is younger than 32. Increasingly, what is billed as the Yanks' drafting acumen is anything but. Rather, the Yanks excel in throwing money at players who aren't subject to the draft at all, those from baseball-rich areas such as the Dominican Republic and Asia. The Yankees' best current young players -- Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera -- were all available to the highest bidder as amateurs. Gee, guess who that was?
You mean kinda like Jose Reyes, whom the Mets signed in 1999? But this is a Yankees rant, I forgot. Continue!

8. Joe Torre as genius: Hey, it's hard to say anything bad about Torre. He seems like such a nice fellow, and in truth he is unusually well-suited to his current position. If you need a guy to massage complicated but extremely talented players in a pressure-cooker like New York, Torre has proven himself to be the perfect man for the job. Still, let's not forget that Torre managed 14 seasons before landing with the Yanks in 1996 in what was then a widely panned hiring. His record at the time? A thoroughly mediocre 894-1,003 (.471). Did he not acquire his genius until late in life? Or does the Yanks' typical surfeit of store-bought talent have something to do with Torre's success in pinstripes?
Wait, so Torre is perfectly suited and a good manager, but he is not a good manager. Which is it? If Willie Randolph wins the pennant, is he a good manager? I'm no Torre defender, but what exactly are you trying to say here? He either is a good manager or he is not a good manager.


9. The griping we're about to hear about tearing down Yankee Stadium: Traditionalists have already starting carping about the supposed travesty of the Yanks replacing the House That Ruth Built. Sorry, but that park is already long gone. Sure, the current Yankee Stadium sits on the same site, but the reconstruction of the stadium in 1974-75 already dismantled that piece of history. The current Yankee Stadium has as much a tie to Babe Ruth's home as Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field has to the Comiskey Park of the Go-Go White Sox. Of course, it's understandable that Yanks fans want to ignore the two seasons the team spent in Shea Stadium, which is admittedly a crappy park.
Yankee Stadium is an institution. I wouldn't expect you to understand since your team plays on a runway.


10. The constant talk about how the Yankees are all about winning: Increasingly, the players who spout the bromide about how all the Yankees care about is winning the World Series are guys like Mr. BALCO, Jason Giambi. Last time I checked, Giambi owned as many World Series rings as I do. The philosophy that only a World Series championship is sufficient for a successful season supposedly comes straight from the top, owner George Steinbrenner. Funny, I don't remember hearing much about that when manager Stump Merrill was sending out the likes of Mel Hall and Andy Hawkins in the early '90s. So were those Yankee teams all about winning too? How did that work out?
You are correct. Those teams did not win. I bet the 1972 Yankees were not all about winning, either. (If you want to bet, click here).

Steinbrenner has always been about winning. Whether he went about it right or not, that has always been his goal.

You're one of the biggest jackasses I have ever read. Who hired you, your uncle? Also, get a proofreader. Or a spellchecker.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 6:04 PM   10 comments







Some 2007 MLB Schedules Released

Schedules are tentative, incomplete, and subject to change.

The odd thing is seeing the AL East playing the NL West, and yet the Yankees don't seem to be scheduled against either the Padres OR the Dodgers now. More on that below.

Anyway, for other teams:
Braves
Angels
Blue Jays
White Sox
Dodgers
Brewers
Royals
Padres


Also what happened that caused the Padres to cancel their Yankees series?

Padres Press Release:
Padres 2007 home schedule changes
New slate includes series with Red Sox, Yankees series replaced with set against Orioles

SAN DIEGO -- Major League Baseball has altered the Interleague matchups for 2007, resulting in the following changes to the San Diego Padres 2007 home schedule:

The Padres will host the Baltimore Orioles on June 19, 20 and 21. The games on Tuesday the 19th and Wednesday the 20th will be 7:05 p.m. starts, while the series finale on Thursday the 21st will be a 12:35 p.m. game. This matchup replaces the previously-scheduled series against the New York Yankees on these dates.


Why? No reason given. Now it seems the Yankees will play at San Francisco, Colorado and... Houston. There must have been some backroom deal to make this change, because it makes no sense whatsoever for the Orioles and Red Sox to play one set of teams and the Yankees another. Bud Selig wanted to reward fans in other cities every few years by bringing in the other league. I'm sure the fans in Colorado appreciate the return of the Yankees after only 2 years, and the fans in San Francisco don't have to make that long, arduous drive to Oakland this year, while the fans in San Diego have to be content that the Yankees played at Qualcomm stadium in 2002.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 5:55 PM   0 comments







 

Friday, September 22, 2006

Shock of All Shocks

A report on yankees.com said that starter Carl Pavano was likely to be shut down for the season on Wednesday.


No shit!

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 12:11 PM   1 comments







 

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Kyle Farnsworth is a "Real Yankee™"

Courtesy of Pete Abe:

As the celebration slowed, reliever Kyle Farnsworth took note of the fact that the Red Sox would occupy the same sodden room tomorrow. "The best thing is Boston has to come in here next," he said. "It's the smell of victory they've got to smell. You can print that."


Alls I know is, should the Yanks and Sox get into another brawl, I'm glad to have the Farns on this side.

And yes, I'm blogging a lot today. Deal with it.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 9:30 AM   0 comments







ESPN is Awesome

09/21/06 8:20 PM PST. The Yankees had just clinched the division within the last half hour. The Tigers-White Sox game had just ended, and SportsCenter is about the begin. The teaser beforehand: no mention of the division title for the New Yorkers, but instead a story about how Alex Rodriguez is not a good teammate and how the "controversy" is back in the Bronx.

Cue the lights, let Johnny Hairdo know he's on, and away we go with a few clips of the loss and mention about how the Yankees "backed in," then immediately cut to a locker room interview with Jason Giambi.

Champagne is flowing! Players yelling "woo!" Reporter asks Giambi the most obvious question (no, not about winning the division, no, not about the playoffs). The ESPN reporter asks about the "Alex Rodriguez controversy!" Giambi gives an answer about things being "out of context" and "overblown" and about how "Alex is a great teammate" and "we all support him."

Cut back to the studio, and run a 6 minute "exposé" on how Rodriguez is a horrible teammate and a bad person. Do not mention the championship again.

--------

09/21/06 7:31 AM PST.
Cold Pizza. Top Story: Yankees win division. Skip Bayless goes off about how the Yankees were "over celebrating" and asks "what happaned to the businesslike Yankees" like the old team with O'Neill and Martinez.

Woody Paige then got irritated and asked what's wrong with a bunch of guys like Melky Cabrera who haven't been there before (but wearing the same uniform as guys who had) enjoying it?

Bayless: Derek Jeter needs to teach these young guys how to act like Yankees. The Yankee mystique was killed last night. These guys were hooting it up like they were the Tigers.

Paige: You're just upset that the Red Sox didn't win it. You'd have been OK with that celebration.

Bayless: Yes, well they haven't won the division in years.

----

When I start to agree with Paige, something is very wrong.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:24 AM   0 comments







What's the REALLY Weird Thing Here?

So, from that SI "Jump on the A-Rod Bashwagon Too Late" article:

In December 2003, when the Red Sox were frantically trying to acquire Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers, several Boston executives called on Rodriguez in his New York hotel suite after 1 a.m. Rodriguez answered the door in a perfectly pressed suit, tie knotted tight to his stiff collar. The Red Sox officials found such polished attire at such a late hour odd, even unsettling.


Excuse me, but what in the fuck are you doing "dropping by" on a player that isn't on your team at 1 a.m.? And then you question the man's attire? That's what's odd here.

He's a professional baseball player, assholes. He doesn't keep the same hours that you schmucks like to keep. "A suit at 1 a.m.! How very strange!"

I usually don't curse much on this blog but really, this A-Rod bashing by grasping at straws is getting fucking ridiculous.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 6:47 AM   2 comments







 

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Congrats, Fellas.






posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 9:02 PM   0 comments







This is the Only Mention of Alex Rodriguez on This Site Today

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:32 PM   0 comments







Boss Dimples

No words needed.


posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 6:56 PM   0 comments







RUN, BRIAN, RUN

Sccording to Peter Abraham:

Joe Torre said they wanted to dial back on Brian Bruney a bit and use him only one inning at a time. His velocity was down a bit yesterday.


Obviously, if you've been paying attention this year, this means that he's about to use Bruney more than ever (just ask Scott Proctor, Ronald Villone, or Mariano Rivera what Torre means when he makes a statement like this).

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 7:08 AM   0 comments







 

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The "Myspace Generation" is Destroying the Internet

Bit by bit.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 6:56 AM   3 comments







 

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Pavano Rewarded for Being a Hurt, Lying Jerk

Now this is just ridiculous.

Because he has been on the major league disabled list all year, Carl Pavano will receive a full share of any Yankees playoff money, including $300,000-plus and a championship ring should the Yanks win the World Series.

What would make it slightly more just is if Pavano donates any playoff share to medical science because, perhaps, a cure could then be found for so many of his mysterious ailments. If the Yanks were to win a title, it would be awkward for Pavano to receive his ring at a Yankee Stadium ceremony next year. But no worries, I am sure he will be in Tampa getting ready to throw off flat ground in a rehab from whatever is bothering him at that point.

In his honor, the 60-day DL is going to renamed The Pavano, as in, "The Nationals shifted Nick Johnson from the 15-day DL to The Pavano.
"


It's amazing. He continues to be able to steal money from the Yankees.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 2:40 PM   1 comments







 

Friday, September 15, 2006

Wang's Cy Hopes Dampened, Kitty Left All Wet?

Today's rainout pushes Chien-Ming Wang's originally scheduled Thursday start to at least Saturday.

Assuming Wang pitches on Saturday and all pitchers stay on regular rest for the rest of the year, this means that Wang's scheduled starts all get pushed back two days for the rest of the season.

Wang would now be scheduled to pitch at Tropicana Field against Tampa Bay on Sept. 22nd, home against Baltimore on the 27th, and again at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 1st vs. Toronto.

Why is this a big deal?

Wang has 17 wins and has a shot to win 20 on the season. It is my firm belief that the only way he has a shot to win the Cy Young Award this year would be if he were the only 20 game winner in the AL.

Four starts, three wins needed.

Incidentally, Oct 1st is the last day of the season. I would be very surprised if Joe Torre allowed Wang to start the last game. Had it been two games earlier, he probably would get that 4th start.

In addition, what was supposed to be the last broadcast for longtime Yankee announcer (and one of the few quality ones, IMO) Jim Kaat on YES tonight will not be aired. It seems Kitty's last trip to the mic was last night. I'm glad I got a chance to hear him one last time. He always brought a unique perspective and insight into that booth. He'll be missed.

Lousy no good weather.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 3:25 PM   2 comments







 

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Just Because I'm Sick of Seeing Stupid Errors

ATTN: Sportswriters - you will not be able to make false claims anymore without getting called on it. If you don't do your homework or at least have some intern research your information, I will continue to point out your innacuracies, no matter how minute.

Today's idiot: Phil Rogers.

First, the minor error:

Having released good-field, no-hit veteran Vinny Castilla earlier, San Diego GM Kevin Towers went in search of a third baseman. Somehow he wound up with Walker, a good-hit, no-field second baseman who was given on-the-job training at third.

The results haven't been pretty. You can't hang it all on Walker's play at third base, but the Padres tumbled out of contention for the NL West and into the mob of teams battling for the wild card.


The Padres are two games out of first, in second place. OMG out of contention!

And now, the major:

This has been a bad, bad year for Theo Epstein and the catcher's position. The Red Sox have started six different catchers, and it didn't have to be that way. Boston opened the season with an outstanding backup for Varitek, but Epstein panicked when Josh Bard had trouble handling 40-year-old knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. He shipped Bard and right-hander Cla Meredith to the Padres to get back Doug Mirabelli, who had left as a free agent after 2005.

Wakefield made only 14 more starts before going on the disabled list with a strained rib cage, and Bard has emerged as a .325 hitter for the Padres. Meredith has been San Diego's best set-up reliever, and the Red Sox exacerbated their problems by trading serviceable right-handed reliever David Riske to the White Sox for Javier Lopez, one of five lefty relievers they've tried. What a mess.


While most of Rogers' points are OK, he needs to look up some fucking facts once in a while. Mirabelli did not leave as a free agent. Theo traded him to San Diego for Mark Loretta.

One wonders what kind of editors and researchers are working up in Bristol.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 11:55 AM   5 comments







 

Monday, September 04, 2006

ESPN is Biased for the Yankees

At least they are according to Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

In his article in which he basically calls Ron Villone a jerk, makes a hero out of Justin Morneau for saying that he wanted to rip Villone's head off with a comeback line drive and that the thing he wants more than anything else is for the White Sox not to make the playoffs because he hates them, and then extolls Morneau as the guy who deserves the AL MVP.

Ok, that was a helluva long sentence, but you get my drift.

He then follows up with this nonsense:

As Morneau jogged around the bases and through the rain Saturday, Twins fans chanted "M-V-P," apparently unaware that this time zone has already been brainwashed into unquestioning support of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

Ok wait, exactly how many Twins fans were at Yankee stadium in the pouring rain? 10? 20? And this guy heard them?

ESPN stands for Eastern Sports Promotional Network. You can't turn on a game without seeing the Yankees or hearing about Jeter's subtle brilliance.

Cease and desist. Jeter is a good player in the eye of a promotional hurricane. He has fewer doubles, homers and RBI than Michael Cuddyer, and he trails in the batting race to a player, Joe Mauer, who plays a more demanding and important position for a more needy team.

Here comes the hypocrisy. Give Mauer credit for playing a more demanding position than Jeter, but by no means give Jeter credit for playing a more demanding position than Morneau.

Oh and in case he missed it, here's this week's power ranking comments on ESPN.com (you remember, the same network and website that is still campaigning for David Ortiz for the 2005 AL MVP) for both the Yankees and White Sox:
Yankees79-53Derek Jeter is in the top 10 in the AL in the following categories: batting avg., on-base pct., runs, hits and steals. Pretty good!


White Sox78-55MVP! MVP! MVP! Jermaine Dye batted .355 with 10 HR and 30 RBI in August.

Yep, they're really pushing hard for that Jeter kid.

Jeter belongs somewhere near the bottom of the top 10 MVP candidates, and Morneau belongs right up there at the top with Jermaine Dye.

Morneau is hitting .318 with 33 homers and 114 RBI for a lineup that would be Royals-ish without him.

"The only way anyone from Minnesota is going to win an MVP is to make the playoffs, because of the market," Morneau said. "That's not whining. That's just the way it is. I'm impressed to even be talking about it."



1965 AL MVP: Zoilo Versalles, Minnesota Twins, SS. - Twins lose in World Series.
1969 AL MVP: Harmon Killebrew, Minnesota Twins, 3B - Twins lose in ALCS.
1977 AL MVP: Rod Carew, Minnesota Twins, 1B - Twins finish 4th in AL West.

The Twins have made the playoffs many times since then and have not had an MVP award. Even the unbelievably amazingly deserving first ballot Hall-of-Famer and all around incredible ballplayer Kirby Puckett didn't win one when his teams made the playoffs, but Rod Carew, your last Twins MVP, played for a 4th place team. So maybe it is whining.


Torii Hunter said: "Jeter's a good player, but not MVP. You'd have to give it to Dye or Justin. He's carried us."


VORP, 2006:
Jeter - 68.5
Morneau - 45.7
Dye - 63.0

EqA, 2006:
Jeter - .316
Morneau - .308
Dye - .329

Of course, Travis Hafner - the guy who never makes an All-Star team but has been the best hitter in baseball over the past two seasons - is leading in both categories. My guess is he'll finish somewhere around 5th or 6th in balloting.

Early guess at outcome:
1. Dye, 2. Jeter, 3. Mauer, 4. Ortiz, 5. Morneau, 6. Hafner

My ballot as of right now:
1. Hafner, 2. Jeter, 3. Dye, 4. Ramirez, 5. Mauer.

It doesn't matter though, but for this guy to be calling ESPN a Yankee shill-house, he needs to have his head examined. As of 2 weeks ago, it was the "All-Papi, All The Time" network.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 7:01 AM   2 comments








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