All Star Lame

Quick post - I watched the All Star Game last night, and felt extremely disappointed in the game. The fans weren't given the true stars of the game. In reality - the AL missed out on several of their top pitchers, which ended up being the difference in the game. David Price, CC Sabathia, Scott Shields, Justin Verlander all couldn't play because they pitched over the weekend. Beckett got hurt while warming up as well.

I'm all in favor of saving their arms and not pitching on two days rest. BUT if the MLB wants to claim "this time it counts" to determine home field advantage, isn't it imperative that the teams field the best possible players at every position? Yet that wasn't what we had. We had some of the best, but not the very best.

I don't know what the correct solution is. Ideally, get rid of the "this time it counts" BS for home field in the World Series and instead make it count towards which league gets home field in next year's all star game (or the next one that hasn't been planned, which I'm sure is a few years down the road.) That would make sense, until I learned last night that the MLB was instituting the DH rule in every All Star Game, even if it is in a NL park. What kind of amateur hour is Bud Selig running? The rules are the rules. They can't be changed to allow an extra 6 All Stars to make the team.

Speaking of an extra 6 All Stars, there wer 84 All Stars selected. 84. That's more than the September 40 man roster on each team. Those dugouts must of been packed. I don't want to take this away from any of the 84, but it seems outrageous. We shouldn't dilute the numbers to make more All Stars, to allow for every team to have an All Star. I'll be honest - I've been a little out of touch with baseball this year. I haven't had enough time to keep up with every team, watch Baseball Tonight, etc. But I had not heard of half of the players in the game last night. It's a great opportunity for the MLB to showcase it's younger stars to turn them into faces of franchises, but this is absurd.

In the end, I can't believe that home field advantage for the World Series was determined from this game. A game where the NL didn't see the AL's best pitchers. How can something so important be taken so trivially. And the players who didn't show up, acting like they were too tired to appreciate the fans and the game. It's disrespectful to the history of the game. What a disgrace.

My 2011 Baseball Dilemma

I'm not sure if it's been fully established my baseball ties. So let's do it now. I grew up in Philadelphia. I found it hard to like the Phillies, because in my impressionable youth, they sucked. After 1993, they were losing nearly 100 games every year. I didn't even really like baseball at the time. Between the Phillies sucking, the 1994 strike, I had zero interest.

I'm going to say that I got into baseball in the late 90s. I don't want to say it was the Home Run Chase between McGwire and Sosa, because everyone says it saved baseball. I'm not saying it didn't, but I don't like to be a part of the crowd. However, I always like Griffey and the Holy Grail of Shortstops (A-Rod, Nomar, Jeter). Naturally, you have to pick a favorite of the three. It was Nomar. I wrote about that earlier. So naturally, by picking Nomar, I picked the Red Sox. And I've been on board ever since.

The Phillies caught my attention again around 2004, when the new ballpark was opening, there was plenty of hype about the young prospects, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, etc. I liked the way the Phillies were doing things - growing their talent through the draft and prospects. Didn't buy the team like the Yankees did.

So I flip between the teams, however I've always said the Sox are on top. And I stick to that. I believe you can like more than one team, pending you justify it and they can't be clear rivals. I can't like the Sox and the Yanks. So I root for both, but the Sox come before the Phillies. My Philly friends hate me for it, but they can't understand. In 2008, we came dangerously close to having my worst nightmare ever: Sox and Phillies in the World Series. I'm really not sure what I would of done.

(That was a longer roundabout than I was anticipating)

This year, because of the huge off-seasons both teams had, I think I need to pick one that I like to be the favorite to win. And I have NO idea what I'm going to do. The Sox got two huge position players, along with shoring up their bullpen. Their only weakness is Catcher, but I've also always been a Jared Saltalamacchia fan, how can you not be a fan of that name? I think he's got a lot of potential, and under Varitek's tutelage, he can learn from the best.

The Phillies however, landed the biggest off-season prize of them all in Cliff Lee, who was suspected to go to the Yankees (helping the Sox' chances immensely) and forming what may be the BEST rotation ever assembled from a major league team. Their offense did lose Jayson Werth, although I have faith in Domonic Brown, as they've been right with most of their prospects previously.

I'm not making my decision - yet. I will try to make it before the season. I may not make it at all. This post is more for me to remind myself I need to. I can't flip flop this year.

Man, early January and I'm thinking baseball. I'm obsessed.

4 Days in October

This post is triggered by my watching the ESPN 30for30 Documentary "4 Days in October," highlighting the four days of games 4-7 in the 2004 ALCS.

It's well established I'm a Red Sox fan. I think it's also been well established that my Red Sox obsession was borderline insane. The level that you've heard about but didn't believe those type of people existed unless you had seen it. Jimmy Fallon in Fever Pitch, without the girl. That was me.

I wrote over a month ago how I feel like I lost my interest in my teams; that I wasn't invested as much as I was. That's still true. You grow up, your life changes, you do things differently, whatever. I still think the best way I can describe it was that we accomplished what we intended - to win a championship. It's not like the relationships over, but it's not as special as it used to be. It's like when you're not trying to impress your job/girlfriend/baseball team (because I was trying to impress an baseball team). The comfort zone. Whatever. There was nothing I wanted more than to beat the Yankees and win a ring. I was also 16. Needless to say, I have a few other priorities. Beating the Yankees isn't as high as it used to be, but it still feels great.


2004 was the height of my obsession. I think we peaked. I remember every day of October. Every single day. How many days do you remember from six years ago?


There was so much built up into the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry that 2003-2004 was truly special. It may never happen again. The entire series of events took place so fast that you easily lose sight of how special/rare/unbelievable those four days were. It was a blur. Like a dream that never seemed it would ever come true.


It really hit me why I love sports; because it's real. It's uncontrollable, unpredictable, yet a perfect chaos. Most of the time it's nothing out of the ordinary. It feels good if it's your team. If it's not, it's just another let down. Take any movie or television show or novel. They aren't real. Real stories rarely have a happy ending. That's what makes the story of the 2004 ALCS real drama. Exciting drama. Once-in-a-lifetime drama. It's not just that the Sox beat the Yankees, it was the way they did it. No other team has ever come back from three games down to win (well until the Flyers did it in the 2010 ECF [what's up Flyers!]) The World Series didn't even matter because it was a boring sweep. Beating the Yankees was better than the World Series. The World Series was just the icing on the cake. And really, this story caught the entire nation. Red Sox Nation was the sportsman of the year for Sports Illustrated, and it was everyone's feel good story of 2004. Or my life.

I was glad to watch the 30for30 documentary. It was a little cheezy, but I loved it. The Simmons/Clarke part was stupid. Kevin Millar milked his 15 minutes. But the images and audio gave me 45 minutes of goosebumps. It reminded me of how happy I was for those 11 days. I would argue it's the happiest streak in my life. A natural high. Isn't that pathetic? Whatever, this was my past. I wouldn't of had it any other way.

Keep the Faith.

Why Bud Selig Can't Change The Call

The story broke last night. It knocked Ken Griffey Jr's retirement off the headlines (and off my topics of blog posts today.) Jim Joyce blew the call [video]. Bud Selig said he won't change it.

Before I comment, I should mention how much I despise Bud Selig. He's incompetent and a moron. Anyone who calls the All-Star game as a tie should be fired. It's a joke that he's commissioner. We deserve better.

Anyway, I actually agree with Bud on this one. And that's not easy for me to type. Here's why though: It ruins the integrity of the game. By Selig invoking the "Best Interest of the Game" clause, it takes away all credibility from the umpires and bastardizes the game. Even when Jim Joyce says that he screwed up, it doesn't matter. At least he is able to admit it rather than pull a Joe West and be an asshole about it.

I originally thought the call should of been changed. Give the kid his perfect game. But I realized that's wrong.

If this call was changed, think about how many other changes that people could argue should be reviewed. Umpires have screwed up before. They will screw up again. We can't change every single call after the game. It's the same as how we can't put an asterisk on Bonds and everyone else that took steroids and ruined the home run records. It happened. It's over. Unfortunately, we have to move on.

In the eyes of everyone, it already was a perfect game. This will be one of the great baseball stories we can tell. The Perfect Game That Wasn't. Every baseball fan will remember this game and the events that took place. People who aren't even into baseball have taken notice because of the way it's happened. This is a story that goes beyond sports. It won't always be relevant, but it can always be something to bring up every now and again. It's captured everyone's attention.

Also, if Selig recalled it, how anti-climatic would that be? Part of the fun of a no hitter or perfect game is the final out, and watching the pitcher truly celebrate with his team and the fans cheer him. There was some excitement after the final out, but not the appropriate celebration for what should of been a perfect game - the 3rd this year (and there have only been 18 before going into this year.) Not sure if this speaks to hitters going off the juice or what - but it's definitely a pitchers age in baseball.

MLB should institute some kind of instant replay system that allows for one challenge from each team. It can't argue balls and strikes, because that's something that can't be proved easily. The only thing that can really be challenged should be: safe/out, fair/foul, and ensuring the catch was indeed a catch and not a trap. Balls and strikes can never be challenged. Make it quick. Don't make the game much longer than it already it is.

MLB can take a cue from the NHL, who is very quick on their challenges and don't waste time like the NFL does. In last night's Stanley Cup Final Game 3, there were 3 challenges that the NHL reviewed quickly to make the right call. I know that the NHL has a much easier time determining calls than any other league - all they have are goals - but they have it down.

Anyways, serious congrats to Galarraga. He'll go down in history as the pitcher who was denied a perfect game by the league he plays for. And quite possibly the reason why instant replay is instituted into the league. Plus, he got a car from Ford for his effort. Kinda stupid considering he could probably afford 200 of them, but whatever. He was a professional about it, as was Joyce. If I was denied a perfect game like that I think I would have raised some serious hell. His teammates and managers were furious. But Galarraga was poised the whole time, even able to talk to Joyce today and give the scorecard.

Finally, doesn't Joyce have an awesome mustache? That thing is for real.

Nomar Garciaparra, The Reason I Love Baseball

Today, Nomar Garciaparra announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. Not only that, he did it by signing a one-day contract and retiring with the Boston Red Sox. If you know me, you know that the Red Sox are my favorite team. While I'm not as flaming as I once was, they're still a huge part of my everyday life.



It's safe to say that Nomar, along with Pedro, are THE reason I'm a Red Sox fan. Although I grew up in Philadelphia, the Phillies were trash post the 1993 World Series team. I was only 5 when that happened, and I was not cognizant of what baseball was or how awesome it was. I think it is safe to say that the 1998 Home Run Chase brought me into the sport, and then watching the Red Sox in 1999 was the tipping point. It was the first time I had gone to a game outside of Philadelphia, and seeing Fenway was just a site to behold. Such a beautiful, majestic, historic ballpark. There was such a passion for their players that you didn't see in Philadelphia (except when Curt Schilling pitched. Hell, Scott Rolen didn't play on Scott Rolen day, and that was the day I turned my back on the Phillies.)

In the late 90's, baseball fans were given a revolution in the shortstop position: 3 great young shortstops: Alex Rodriguez of the Mariners, Derek Jeter of the Yankees, and Nomar Garciaparra of the Red Sox. They were called the holy grail. Fans would argue which was the best. Nomar at the time was clearly the best hitter, winning two batting titles. Nomar was the oldest (a year older than Jeter, two in front of A-Rod) so he a small learning curve ahead of his peers, but he was excellent. The fans adored him. Everyone had a #5 Jersey on. There wasn't much of a better place for someone with a Boston accent to root for a player who's first name ended in R. "Nomah!" He would give his all at every at bat (while adjusting his gloves after every pitch)

Of course, the marriage between the Red Sox and Nomar ended poorly, although that trade lead to the greatest comeback in postseason history, and the end of the 86 year championship drought. It sometimes seems strange to say that it wouldn't of happened without Nomar, but it feels true. Nomar was given a share of the championship and was awarded a ring by his teammates.

It was truly a great moment, and I feel sad that Nomar wasn't there to be a part of it. Honestly that may of been the happiest few weeks of my life, and still is. I can think of a few great days over the past six years, but not a period of time where I was that happy. I'm not sure if that speaks to how baseball-obsessed my life has become or how pathetic my life is, but I wouldn't take it any other way.

Now I'd like to share my two favorite Nomar moments:

1) June 21, 2003. Red Sox vs. Philadelphia. During the beginning of the Intramural league process, the Red Sox always came in for a weekend series against the Phillies. I typically attended all three games, wearing my Red Sox attire in full force (which at the time was really just a Nomar shirt and this one hat that I wore from 1999 until 2004 - the thing was gross after I was done with it) Anyways, in this game, although the Red Sox lost, Nomar went 6 for 6 - tying a club record. It was truly something special to witness. There are few games I remember before that, but that was one of the special ones. I remember sitting in the 600 level with my dad along the third base side at the old Veterans Stadium. Another great part of that game was watching Pedro pitch - always the most exciting pitcher in the game of that time.

2) The 1999 All Star Game. Obviously I couldn't attend the game because I was still in Philadelphia and wouldn't be able to afford a All Star ticket. Nomar didn't do anything special on the field, but it was Nomar as ambassador of Boston, carrying the torch of tradition as Ted Williams was strolled out onto the field, he talked to Nomar first. Red Sock to Red Sock. Unfortunately I cannot find an image to capture what I'm talking about, but it was so powerful to me. It showed how the game went beyond just playing. I know it sounds dumb - an 11 year old believing in such a thing, but I'm totally convinced.

Now, two of Nomar's more embarassing moments:

1) The Mia Hamm commercial where he says "Thanks Beautiful." Not that I'm not condoning expressing your gratitude for your loved one, but not like that. That was brutal. Mia Hamm was great for soccer. I'm sure she's helped Nomar's life alot, but, that ad was just too much.

2) The end of Nomar's career in Boston. July 1st, 2004.

It was almost like a fiction novel. The Holy Grail of shortstops were now together on one field, although A-Rod was now playing third for the Yankees, and Jeter at short, and Nomar at short for the Sox. Although Nomar had been hurt most of the time, the Yankees games were when players had to deal with their injury and play the game. Nomar didn't. He played on Saturday, the 30th, but not on Sunday. And meanwhile, Jeter ran into the stands to grab an out, sacrificing his body for his team and to make a play against his rival. It was like a metaphorical death of the grail. Nomar was no longer the premiere shortstop for the league. The torch had passed. It felt like he turned his back on the team and the fans. People couldn't understand why Nomar was so great, but they weren't totally sad to see him be traded either. It was the beginning of the end.

Nomar went on to be relatively insignificant the rest of his career, playing for the Cubs, Dodgers, and Athletics. His body had worn down too much to keep playing at short, so he would rotate between 1st, DH, and I'm pretty sure he played 3rd a few times. Regardless, that night marked the end of his career, and the rest of his time was just Nomar as a corpse. I still rooted for Nomar, and tried to see him play when he came into Philly.

So this marks the end of the Nomar journey, and it has been great. I've read books about the history of the Sox and Nomar had definitely defined his legacy with the team. I don't believe he was good enough to have his number retired, but he may go down as the best Red Sox shortstop. I hope he continues the great tradition of former Red Sox players helping out the young kids, as I'm sure he can be helpful towards their cause.

Thank you Nomar, for everything.

A few more Nomar links for those still curious:
Nomar through the Years
Top Five Numbers about Nomar
Press Conference Log

Mark McGwire took Steroids. Shocker of the Decade.

I meant to post about this yesterday, but I was traveling. It's still timely however.


On Monday, Mark McGwire admitted to taking steroids. During most of his career. Most notably, that 1998 season that captured everyone's hearts and minds and made baseball relevant again. And it turns out to be not necessarily legitimate. Was any of baseball legitimate in the 90s?

I've always said that I think that steroids were unfortunately 'part of the game' in the 90s. There's alot of people to blame. Players, Managers, Owners, Fans, Bud Selig, but blame won't get anything done. It happened. Who knew who took what. I'm sure there's plenty of big-leaguers who took steroids and we have no idea. This is the bed that we all created. And we have to accept it.

Fans wanted something they could follow (like the breaking of a historic Home Run Record) and embrace the sport again. Players wanted to be signed to bigger contracts. Owners wanted to bring in more money. Bud Selig wanted higher TV contracts. They all got what they want, and now they act in shock and disgust for what happened. As if they didn't know that this day would one day come.

They're disgusted because it blew out of control. They really didn't know what they were getting themselves into. McGwire AND Sammy Sosa broke Roger Maris' 61 more than once. Barry Bonds was just a few years away from breaking that record, and then becoming the All-Time Home Run Leader. Is there ANY doubt that he took steroids?

As a fan I find it extremely frustrating how MLB has handled this. There's no accountability for the enablers (the clubhouse guys, owners, GMs, Jose Canseco, etc) outside of Victor Conte. Instead all blame goes to the players. While they are the ones who accepted the steroid injection, they had help in acquiring the drugs. It turned into a witch hunt, and a comical one at that. Congressional hearings. The Mitchell Report. Sosa forgot English. Rafael Palmeiro flat out lied. Curt Schilling ran his trap about how clean the game needed to be. The list can go on and on.

I just think it happened. It's hopefully over. There's still no HGH test. Steroids are clearly still in baseball if superstars like Manny Ramirez can get suspended. You can't asterisk the records, because it was on somewhat of a level playing field. Whether that particular pitcher was juicing vs that particular batter is unknown. Sports requires a competitive edge; doing 'whatever' it takes to get an advantage. How can anyone blame players for trying to get an edge? Sports has become so big and there's so much money at stake that it would seem stupid not to take steroids.

The thing that I think everyone doesn't really know (outside of users) is how effective steroids REALLY are. They do not enhances anyone's hand-eye coordination. Maybe it makes for a faster swing. Does it may the difference from a ball landing on the warning track versus out of the park? We only really look at home-runs, but how else can it help a hitter? Pitching, I would believe it can help recover after a 7+ inning game. There needs to be studies to test the differences these drugs can have on an athlete.

If anything, the only issue now is how MLB claims to be clean. But with every story of Alex Rodriguez, (previously determined to be the "clean" player who will take over the home run record that Bonds claimed.) that comes out causes doubts in the minds of every fan. I personally love Ryan Howard, but I just can't be sure. We know about Josh Hamilton overcoming drug addiction, but what about steroids? He's massive. Even players who aren't huge home run hitters. Bronson Aroyyo admitted to taking performance enhancers. David Ortiz. Jason Giambi. Andy Pettite. Miguel Tejada. Frank Thomas. The list goes on. Who knows who else was on the 2003 report. And Roger Clemens is just as much of a slam dunk as Bonds.

There's no answers, there's no solution. The entire baseball community just must accept the mistakes that have happened that lead to this point and understand that baseball isn't as 'clean' as it used to be. These players shouldn't be kept out of the Hall of Fame. It shouldn't be on their plaque that they were on steroids. They played the game in a different time frame and did great things. Mark McGwire saved baseball. He should be honored for that. It's still a beautiful game, and I hope that it can actually maintain it's legitimacy for years to come.