MLB reportedly admits Anthony Rizzo's controversial slide vs. the Pirates should have been called illegal

There, that didn't take long now did it? St. Joe probably will still maintain that we should be teaching our kids to be dirty players, but that's his problem.

• We now have rules not being enforced that were put in place to enforce prior rules that were in place but not being enforced by umpires.
• We now have instant replay that is consistently not picking up mistakes made by the umpires on the field. And apologies to teams impacted by these errors are just not going to do the trick too much longer. 

MLB and Instant replay are a joke. But, at least they aren't as big a joke as Joe Maddon and Anthony Rizzo. 

from cbssports.com
MLB reportedly admits Anthony Rizzo's controversial slide vs. the Pirates should have been called illegal

Breaking: Source indicates the league believes interference should have been called yesterday re Anthony Rizzo's 8th inning slide at home plate. Both teams have been informed of that decision which differs from the call on the field and the umpires video review.  

Rizzo had already been forced out at the plate before the slide. Had the play been called interference, the Pirates would've been given the out on Diaz's throw to first base. It would've made a significant difference in the game. Consider the situations:

• Rizzo slide called legal: Cubs up 5-0, runner on second with one out.
• Rizzo slide called illegal: Cubs up 3-0, runners on second and third with two outs.

Maybe those runners score and the Cubs take a 5-0 lead anyway. Who knows? I do know a 5-0 game is very different than a 3-0 game though. Both Cubs manager Joe Maddon and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle would've used their bullpen differently.

MLB rule 6.01(i) says the "runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate), or otherwise initiate an avoidable collision." Rizzo, clearly, deviated from his path to initiate an avoidable collision. Was it a dirty slide? I'm not sure. Was it against the rules? For sure.

For whatever reason, MLB's replay crew did not see it that way at the time, and the play stood. The slide was called legal. Now MLB has reportedly backtracked, and informed both teams the slide should've been ruled illegal. That doesn't help the Pirates now, but at least the league is acknowledging the mistake.

Shared via CBS Sports
http://cbssportsapp.com

Sent from my iPhone

Was Anthony Rizzo's slide at home dirty?

https://thescore.app.link/ntEzyCn6pA

He's been down this road before with Padres catcher Austin Hedges. Maddon continues to defend him and denigrate the rule. Until one of his guys gets blasted. The fact that Rizzo apologized to the Pirates catcher before his next AB indicates he knew he was wrong.

 I watched the Pirates broadcast and then the Cubs and two different perceptions of reality and the ruling. MLB needs to get a handle on this if, as the Pirates broadcasters were discussing, there appears to be a lack of enforcement on the part of the umpires. As I've discussed before, this is the initial problem that precipitated both the Posey rule and the Utley rule. Lack of enforcement of existing rules on the books. 

So now it appears we will need the Rizzo corollary and the St. Joe Maddon addendum's to the Posey rule and then another set for the Utley rule when a Cubs player decides to go old-school at 2B.

Thanks Cubs!! Rizzo is a dirt bag for doing it, but Maddon is a bigger scuz bag for condoning it. Why don't we just changed the MLB rule book to "The World According to St. Joe"? 

What Makes Bruce Bochy and Joe Maddon Great? | FanGraphs Baseball

It's not real hard to figure out or quantify. They consistently make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. If in the pre-season you crunch all the numbers and figure they have a team that is expected to win 81 games, they will win you 85-90 games . In Maddon's case, if you expect 70-75 you get 80-85. The classic making a silk purse from a sow's ear.

Bochy generally ranks higher. Due to the three rings, he takes a higher level roster and that's mainly due to the payroll measurement. That should change going forward with Maddon now being employed by the Cubs. The early returns are good for Maddon. With the increased payroll comes increased expectations. He should do very well under the bright lights, but ultimately that is the last question needing answering for Maddon. Consistent out-performance at the higher levels, where wins are harder to come by, and out-performance when all the marbles are on the table. For that reason, Bochy should get a higher grade for now. Check back in another five or ten years.

Both guys have teams that consistently out-perform expectations regardless of how you measure that. Both seem to have a similar demaeanor and approach to handling players, so no difference or surprise there. Showalter would be next-up for now and deserves to be in the team picture among current managers.

from FanGraphs Baseball:
What Makes Bruce Bochy and Joe Maddon Great? | FanGraphs Baseball:

With the Cubs in San Francisco to face the team just behind them in the wild-card race, it makes sense to compare the two managers. After all, they both ended up within the top five in a recent ESPN.com survey, and their teams have both found success in recent years. Though they were born just a year apart, their styles are different enough that they seem to be a study in contrasts.

Who better to ask about what makes them great than their own players and coaches and beat writers? Well, maybe unbiased observers can be more critical than our sample, but the task at hand is to delineate the managers’ strengths.

So, what makes Bruce Bochy great? What makes Joe Maddon great?

'via Blog this'

Cardinals flying high and first class under Matheny

If Bochy isn't the best manger in the NL , then this guy is IMO, and a class act to boot. Year after year, this team produces. They are resilient and resourceful. After the Dodgers, this is the team I most like to see the Giants beat, but for the right reasons -- because they are so darned good.

Apologies to Joe Maddon, who I still consider an AL manager until he gets either a full year under his belt in the NL or makes a playoff appearance, in which case he will be the Mayor of Chicago.

from mlb.com
http://m.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article/133350366/cardinals-among-fastest-to-50-wins-in-history

"Forgive me, but I really don't know how to respond to it because the message that we're giving inside [the clubhouse] is that it's way too early to be looking at records," Matheny said. "We can't deny [the significance] when you start looking at some things that teams have or have not done in this organization in the past, and you have to be able to respect the fact that not many have been able to get to 50 [this quickly]. So we're not completely oblivious to it, but we're also not spending a lot of time on it. I think it's kind of a distraction for what we have to do next."

Sent from my iPhone

The Rays Changup Revolution

Whether it's defensive shifts, locking up key players like Longoria to long-term deals before they get to arbitration, conditioning pitchers and here with innovative and unique pitching strategies, the Rays have been a franchise noted for their ability to effectively cut against the grain. They seem to do it not just for the sake of doing it, or out of blind necessity, but simply because it works.  

In my opinion, this was part of the culture that flourished under Joe Maddon, and he gets a large part of the credit. Hopefully, it is not lost with Maddons move to the Cubs.

Baseball Prospectus | Overthinking It: The Rays' Changeup Revolution

				Baseball Prospectus | Overthinking It: The Rays' Changeu... There are certain rules about changeup usage. The Rays, unsurprisingly, aren't beholden to those rules.
				View on www.baseballprospect...	Preview by Yahoo

The Rays' Changeup Revolution

by Ben Lindbergh

“The game evolves constantly,” Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey tells me on a Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, after wrapping up a bullpen session an hour before first pitch. Evolution in baseball works a lot like it does in real life: traits that confer a competitive advantage tend to be passed on. But before a new approach is adopted around the league, Hickey says, “someone’s going to have to be successful doing it.”

The Rays are often that someone. If the Rays have an identity—aside from their status as a team that doesn’t draw, locked into a lease that never expires—it’s that they do things differently. Driven by their need to make the most of their limited resources and the creativity of their front office and field staff, the Rays under General Manager Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon have authored a long list of innovations. Shifting more aggressively than almost any other team. Giving defensive specialist Jose Molina a starting job for the first time at age 37. Opening an academy in Brazil. Refusing to sign free agent starters (before Roberto Hernandez). And so on.

One minor innovation Maddon has made hasn’t received much mainstream attention: the manager’s tendency to stack his lineup with same-handed hitters against certain starters, intentionally surrendering the platoon advantage that most teams seek. Dubbed the “The Danks Theory” by Tommy Rancel of DRaysBay, who picked up on it after it was employed against White Sox starter John Danks in 2010, Maddon’s unorthodox tactic is an attempt to deprive opposing pitchers of their nastiest stuff. He’s broken it out against pitchers who throw one of their best offerings almost exclusively to batters who don’t hit from the same side, among them Danks, Mike Mussina, Dallas Braden, Shaun Marcum, Jered Weaver, and Jon Lester. Combat selected righties with righties and selected lefties with lefties, Maddon’s thinking goes, and what you lose in platoon advantage, you more than make up for by eliminating one or more of a pitcher’s most effective options from his arsenal.

More often than not, the Danks Theory is put to the test against starters with good changeups. There’s a reason for that. Traditionally, changeups have been thrown much more often to opposite-handed hitters. “I can remember myself as a minor league pitcher, that was unheard of,” says Hickey, who spent seven seasons in the White Sox, Dodgers, and Astros systems in the 1980s. “You didn’t throw a changeup as a right-handed pitcher to a right-handed hitter.”

The pitchers whom the Rays have deemed susceptible to the Danks Theory still pitch like Hickey did three decades ago; the left-handed Lester, for example, has thrown 93.8 percent of his changeups to right-handed batters this season. But if other teams were to try the Danks Theory, they’d have a hard time turning it against its creators. Most of Tampa’s changeup artists don’t pitch like Lester. Instead, they’re making what Hickey says was once a “taboo kind of pitch”—the right-on-right or left-on-left changeup—into a conventional weapon.

***

Speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference last March, Bill James said, “A lot of baseball’s conventional wisdom starts to sound silly when you become 13.” That may be true of many conventional baseball beliefs: closer usage, lineup construction, sacrifice bunts and the intentional base on balls. But while baseball’s loose ban on same-sided changeups is certainly conventional, it’s not entirely unwise. The theory behind it has some stats to support it.

As Dave Allen noted in a 2010 study on pitch-type platoon splits, if a pitcher releases his changeup with roughly the same initial trajectory as his fastball and aims it around the middle of the zone, “the pitch will end up down and away to the opposite-handed batter and down and in to the same-handed batter. All else being equal a down-and-away pitch is much better than a down-and-in pitch.”

Matt Moore, one of the relatively few Rays who throws almost all of his changeups to opposite-handed hitters, concurs. “When you think of lefties, they like to drop the head, it’s more of a sweepy swing,” says the southpaw starter. “The bottom of the zone, for lefties, it’s such a sweet spot. For me, typically where [the changeup] is going to go is down and in to a lefty, down and away to a righty.” Rays catcher Jose Lobaton, who likes the pitch, says, “The only problem people say with the changeup is that righties against righties, if you hang it, they’re going to hit it pretty good. With some lefties…when they hang it they can hit a popup, righties can hit it better. They say the ball moves inside to them.” If you make a mistake, changeups to same-sided hitters can be bad news.

***

According to Max Marchi’s research, the so-called “straight change” shows a reverse platoon effect: it’s more effective against batters who hit from the opposite side. But what Max called the “power change”—a harder one “with significant lateral movement,” or “movement similar to the fastball”—is platoon neutral: it works well against both righties and lefties.

Despite Max’s study (and others with similar conclusions), there hasn’t been any league-wide movement toward throwing same-sided changeups, at least since the start of the PITCHf/x era.

Year	Same_Side	Opp_Side	Changeups	Same_Side_Pct
2008	20077	60005	80082	0.2507
2009	22110	62594	84704	0.261
2010	23295	64830	88125	0.2643
2011	19440	59758	79198	0.2455
2012	16129	58783	74912	0.2153
2013	8908	30381	39289	0.2267

Cubs Must Hire Maddon

Former Rays manager Joe Maddon. (Joy R. Absalon, USA Today Sports)

That was fast. Tell me they didn't have advance knowledge of Maddon leaving Tampa Bay.

from Bleacher Report:
Cubs Must Hire Maddon:

Rays manager Joe Maddon opted out of his contract, effective immediately.

The Cubs need to hire Maddon, effective immediately.

He’s the right guy. The best manager in the game. The best manager for what the Cubs are building because that’s what Maddon masterfully managed in Tampa.

The Rays were a drafting and development machine the way Theo Epstein said the Cubs would become. The Rays were smart, flexible and good the way Epstein is fashioning the Cubs. The Rays competed almost every season the way Epstein intends. Maddon embraces metrics the way Epstein insists.

'via Blog this'

Joe Maddon Leaving Tampa Bay Rays | Bleacher Report

It will be different to watch the Rays and not see Maddon in the dugout, almost an iconic figure in the franchise's history. I hope he does not end up a Dodger since I like him too much, but it makes the most sense. This can't be good news for Mattingly.

from Bleacher Report:
Joe Maddon Leaving Tampa Bay Rays: Latest Details, Reaction and Analysis | Bleacher Report:

Although it remains to be seen if Maddon intends to go elsewhere, there is bound to be talk regarding the Los Angeles Dodgers due to the fact that former Rays vice president Andrew Friedman was recently hired by L.A. 

'via Blog this'

P.S. - The grapevine ( and Ken Rosenthal ) says that the Cubs are a leading contender for Maddon. They have a Moneyball guy here as the GM, check and a big  budget that Maddon wouldn't mind underwirting his contract and that of his players, check. Put me down as preferring Wrigley as Maddon's destination. Right in time for bushel basket full of Cubs premium prospects to come to fruition. Plus, the Cubs need some good PR for next season. Maddon has them looking like contenders in no time, he's very good with young players.

Rays' Archer: 'Never saw Hank Aaron flip his bat' - Yahoo News

Invoking Aaron is nice. I'm not sure Archer was around when Aaron played, but OK. Nice.

from Yahoo News:
Rays' Archer: 'Never saw Hank Aaron flip his bat' - Yahoo News:

Rays manager Joe Maddon had a thought on the Ortiz show. "The simple answer is, what if it had happened in the '60s when (Bob) Gibson was pitching, or (Don) Drysdale was pitching?" Maddon said. "That answers the question." The Red Sox and Rays will meet again for the start of a four-game series Aug. 29 at Tampa Bay. "I'm proud that our guys have said what they feel," Maddon said. "I dig that a lot, actually. We'll see how it all plays out."

'via Blog this'

I think what your manager is trying to say discreetly is he never saw Gibson or Drysdale pimp their complaints to the media either. Business was handled between the lines where it belonged, not in front of cameras or microphones. He's heard the war of words between Ortiz and Price and now Ortiz and Archer and like many of us, he's waiting for some action.

All talk and no action. You've heard of that phrase haven't you Mr. Archer? Now take care of business.

MADDON WINS A.L. MGR. OF THE YEAR, PINELLA IN N.L.

Congrats to Joe Maddon of the Rays. It would have been unanimous if whoever the delusional Minnesotan who voted for Gardenhire was sober. What do you expect? They apparently want Al Franken to be their U.S. Senator, so this slides down a little bit on the egregious scale from Minnesotans.

The Twins reporter must be drinking buddies with the Milwaukee reporter who cast a protest vote for Dale Sveum who only managed twelve games. That is just dumb. But what do you expect when you reporters the ballot?
------------------
FROM THE Associated Press:

Maddon And Piniella Named Managers Of The Year

NEW YORK -- Joe Maddon easily won the American League Manager of the Year award Wednesday after guiding the Tampa Bay Rays from baseball's basement to the World Series. Lou Piniella of the Chicago Cubs took the NL honor.

He received all but one of the 28 first-place votes -- the other went to the Minnesota Twins' Ron Gardenhire.

There has never been a unanimous winner for manager of the year.

Piniella led the NL Central champion Cubs to the league's best record and beat out Charlie Manuel of the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies to earn his third manager of the year award and first in the NL.

Manager of Year voting

The Rays' Joe Maddon was named the 2008 AL Manager of the Year, while the Cubs' Lou Piniella was voted as the NL's top skipper in '08.

AL voting Manager 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Maddon, Rays 27 1 -- 138
Ron Gardenhire, Twins 1 15 8 58
Mike Scioscia, Angels -- 12 9 45
Others receiving votes: Terry Francona, Red Sox, 6; Ozzie Guillen, White Sox, 3; Cito Gaston, Blue Jays, 2.

NL voting Manager 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Piniella, Cubs 15 8 4 103
Charlie Manuel, Phillies 8 6 9 67
Fredi Gonzalez, Marlins 5 6 5 48
Others receiving votes: Joe Torre, Dodgers, 45; Tony La Russa, Cardinals, 11; Jerry Manuel, Mets, 10; Cecil Cooper, Astros, 3; Dale Sveum, Brewers, 1.
---------------------

----------------------
UPDATE:

My apologies to Minnesota sportswriters, it was a CLEVELAND sportswriter who voted for Gardenhire. Sorry Minnesota, but you're still on the hook for Al Franken, which may be an even greater crime.

FROM THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
November 13, 2008
Pluto defends voting Maddon No. 2 for AL Manager of Year

Terry Pluto, a veteran columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has gone through pretty much everything in his 30-plus years in journalism, from winning awards to writing more than a dozen books.

"But this," Pluto told the Times this morning, "Is a new one."

Pluto was the voter who kept Rays manager Joe Maddon from being the first unanimous Manager of the Year Award recipient in baseball history. Maddon received 27 of 28 first place votes, with Twins Ron Gardenhire getting the other, and Angels' Mike Scioscia getting third.

Pluto voted Gardenhire No. 1 and Maddon No. 2, and joked he now has "many fans in Tampa" after getting more than 20 emails from puzzled Rays fans.

But here's Pluto's explanation:

Gardenhire's Twins didn't make the playoffs (they lost in one-game playoff with the White Sox for the AL Central title), but voting was done in the final week of the regular season. Pluto said he has absolutely nothing against Maddon, whom he has a lot of respect for. It was just a tough decision at the time.

"The voting is done in the final week of the season, so I did not have the playoffs to consider," Pluto said. "If they did the voting after, certainly Joe would have got it. I had great respect for both men, and gave the edge to Gardenhire for keeping his team in contention after losing Santana, etc. I had no idea how anyone else was voting. I certainly didn't set out to stiff Joe by being the lone voice not to have him No. 1."
- JOE SMITH
------------------------------
UPDATE II: Writer explains his moronic decision to Rays blogger who seems to be equally clueless.

http://www.bugsandcranks.com/tampa-bay-devil-rays/david-chalk/al-moy-voter-pluto-i-may-be-a-moron/

David Chalk from Bugs & Cranks (a site listed as a favorite) chastises the Cleveland writer who denied Maddon his unanimous MOY award. But in doing so, he continues to refer to the Rays as the Devil Rays!!!!

He even goes so far as to suggest the writer may have had secret religious motives for not voting for a "devil" Ray. PLEASE.

David, did you not get the memo??? They've been the RAYS all year!!!

Even for a blogger, a little bit sloppy, irresponsible and below the belt writing.
Don't you think you should be better than that? A mea culpa may be in order here. At the very least.

To David Chalk and the normally good folks at B&C:
Trust me, on this one, they are laughing at you, not with you..

ALCS GAME 7 - NOT MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID

LOOKING FOR HELP FROM ABOVE?? - IT COULDN'T HURT - REMIND HIM YOU GOT RID OF THE DEVIL

The Red Sox have responded and pushed the series to a Game 7. They showed the heart of a champion and, in many respects, have taken advantage of the Rays inexperience in these matters. That's to be expected. The surprise would have been if the Rays had finished the deal in Boston in Game 5.

From the moment Joe Maddon lifted Scott Kazmir to start the seventh inning of Game 5, momentum has shifted to the Sox side. Not to second guess Maddon but in that situation, unless Kaz had a history of arm difficulties after a long inning, he's in there until the Sox hitters tell you he's done or his arm comes flying out of it's socket. Kaz had shut them down until that point and he may have done it the rest of the evening if allowed. He should have been allowed to start the inning, if the hitters catch up to him, fine, lift him. But not until then. Bad move. Serious momentum shifter, both within the game and for the series overall. Rays will have a tough time getting old Mo back on their side now. Old Mo is a serious front-runner.

It's strange and almost inconceivable that the Rays could take two of three from Boston in Fenway and come back disappointed, but that may be where we stand. When the teams left St. Pete to head up there, the best most Rays fans were hoping for was to come back to St. Pete at all. If you're down 3-2, with the chance to play at home again, that's still not a bad deal. But they came back UP 3-2. In a sense, they are still playing with house money. That may sound like it's whistling past the graveyard, but that's how players need to think.

The Rays have to believe that the Sox may have grown weary from the uphill climb from 3-1 to 3-3 and have used up their reservoir of clutch, two out hits. Because whereas Old Mo is a consistent front-runner, Clutch is a fickle mistress. As predictable and fair as a seeing eye single that scores two late in the game or a hump back liner off the fists that wins the game. Sox fans are hoping for old Mo to continue to be on their bench and clutch to continue to embrace their hitters. The Rays want to lure clutch back knowing that Old Mo will follow. That's the way I see tonight.

Now, about last night.....

Game 6 was a disaster from the start, but mainly due to TBS. "The Steve Harvey Show"???? Instead of Game 6???? I'd have rather have watched twenty minutes of a test pattern. And thanks for not posting a trailer explaining the blackout for at least ten of the twenty minutes. That had to be good for ratings as casual viewers across the nation assumed rain-out or cancellation. I know, I know, the game's being played in a Dome, but casual fan doesn't know that.

I'm not going to go all Oliver Stone on TBS here either but, if you're going to show the Pitch Trak results when they confirm the umps made the right call on controversial ball-strike calls by Derryl Cousins, then you simply MUST do the same to show when the Trak shows he may have blown the call. Otherwise I think we're on safe ground assuming that since you didn't show it, the ump missed it.

We know from MLB's own reports using Questec that the umps blow somewhere between 5-10% of the ball-strike calls. Given Cousins recent history with the Rays, I'm not sure having a close eye paid to the calls is unwarranted. By positioning yourselves as watchdogs and then only showing a one-sided view puts your integrity and credibility as a network--and that of your announcers--at risk.

You'll either be a watch-dog acting on behalf of the fans or a lap-dog acting on behalf on Major League Baseball. Pick a side and stick with it. Stop dancing from side to side like a spasmodic ballerina

I don't like to see anyone get hurt but I'm just saying Cousins getting drilled in the mask, forcing his removal from the game was a sign. That's all I'm saying.


POETIC JUSTICE?? - WHO'S TO SAY??

None of that matters once tonight's game starts and none of it will matter once the game is over. The potential story lines of a Rays gag job or the phenomenal comeback saga of the Sawks have BOTH been written in the minds of most sportswriters and whichever way the game eventually plays out will determine which copy we see Monday A.M. In a sense neither story line in entirely true, but it makes for the best reading.

I don't think you can make a case that the Rays have done anything more than outperform and over deliver this season. If they don't do it on one night in October it doesn't wash away 162+ games worth of achievement. As Bobby Bowden once said, you have to experience a few "wide right" type of disappointments on the way to becoming a championship caliber team.

If you had mentioned to Rays fan at the beginning of the season that in late October the Rays would be playing at home for the right to advance to the World Series, they would be more than happy. You might have received very generous odds in Vegas on such an event occurring and you would be a bit wealthier today as a result.

This is still a young, talented team on the ascent with more talent in the pipeline. The Sawks are in the midst of a reloading effort similar to the Yankees, albeit they are continuing to win while they retool the franchise. What we are seeing in the Sawks is a proud, veteran team that is well aware of the fact that the clock is ticking on the core members that remain from the first World Series winner. They are making a gallant last stand on this season confident in the knowledge that future Sox teams will likely have a different look and feel to it for Sox Nation.

Sox Nation will not see Manny anymore. Schilling, Lowell and maybe Varitek and Ortiz are soon to follow to other teams or retirement. It's a Custer's last stand for the Sox vets. A last hurrah. Of course they want to milk it for all it's worth.

There's always been a rule of thumb in heavyweight title fights that you have to knock out the champ in order to take the crown. The Rays clearly had the champs on the ropes in Game 5 and couldn't put them away. In Game 6, the Rays did not find the knockout punch. They better find a way to put them back on the ropes early in Game 7, because a decision goes to the Sox.

P.S. to Joe - I've seen enough of Balfour and Wheeler out of the pen. Go to Edwin Jackson early and Bradford and/or David Price to close. Why not find out what you have in Price? You spent a lot of money on him, if he's Rick Ankiel, he's Rick Ankiel. But you need to find out. One of the earlier games might have been a chance to get his feet wet. Wheeler hits too many bats and Balfour seems to be trying too hard not to hit ANY bats. Neither will get the job done for you tonight, both are pitching with fear.

KAZMIR TO DELIVER KILL SHOT IN FENWAY

It's not going to be easy.

The Sawks will show the heart of a champion at some point in this series. Maybe some point tonight.

I understand and have enormous respect for the theory that the Champ is the Champ until he's knocked out. But the KO is coming, likely tonight and if not Big Game James Shields or Matt Garza down the tracks.

Sorry, but from my POV the Sawks will run out of pitching before the Rays do.

I like the tinkering with the rotation by Maddon, who has pushed all the right buttons. The ??'ng of the strategy and the rearranging of the decks chairs is almost comical.

If it was strictly to avoid having Kaz throwing with Cousens behind the dish that would be insane. Cousens was the umpire Kaz openly criticized after his first start for "making up calls" or some other such nonsense. He was scheduled to be behind the dish for Game 6, so the theory is the change is to avoid Cousens. Does who believes this theory consider that Cousens' crew mates might back him? That they didn't hear what Kaz said about one of the brethren? That the rest of the crew can't read the papers? Ever hear of the blue wall?

More likely Shields being a better pitcher at the Trop while getting pounded at Fenway and having Kaz pitching fairly well at Fenway was the main consideration, maybe the only one. You think?

Anyway it seems a little crazy for the Sawks Nation to be ??'ng any move Joe Maddon makes while they are down to his team 3-1 and facing elimination. As they say, check the scoreboard.

GO RAYS!!!!

COCOA CRISP IS A LITTLE PUNK ASSED BITCH

THIS IS A CARRY-OVER FROM WHEN CRISP GOES IN HARD AGAINST IWAMURA

He goes in hard against Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura, when he's actually pissed off at Rays SS Jason Bartlett for blocking the base earlier in the game.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon felt Crisp "intentionally" tried to hurt Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura with a hard slide when he was caught stealing.

Crisp said he was upset with shortstop Jason Bartlett, not Iwamura, after Bartlett put his knee down in front of the bag on Crisp's successful steal in the sixth Wednesday, saying he sprained his left thumb on a headfirst slide.

Ouch!!! He hurt his little thumb did he? Awwww poor little Cocoa Puff. He hurt his itty, bitty little thumb and his mommy is not around to kiss it and make it better. Go find your sister Cream of Wheat and see if maybe she can put a little sugar on it, baby.

So anyway, instead of being patient and picking his spot to get even with Barrett, or having one of his pitchers send Mr. Bartlett a "message" concealed inside a pitch, he takes liberties with the most passive Ray on the team.

And then acts surprised when James Shields does the right thing by protecting his guy. It's not like Acki can go in hard against the Sawks CF now can they?

My man Jonny Gomes apparently lands a couple on Crisp's sorry ass noggin after he and Shields exchange shadow punches. My new Rays hero.



This just goes to show that the Rays are for real. The Yanks and the Sawks best beware and are on notice. The fact that they are expending their energy on the Rays shows that they've arrived on the scene.

Hopefully, this will provide a boost for the Rays down the road.

This is just another reason for me to hate the Sawks. And most everything else Boston lately.

This is really going to make the NBA Finals tough on us here.

Let's see, Celtics or Kobe?
Celtics or Kobe?

I don't know, I'm going to have to get back to you on that one.

2008 AL East Preview

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH:
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles

Red Sox and Yankees battle it out throughout the season, with the eventual difference between the two coming down to who can avoid or adjust to injuries to key players, especially Papelbon and Rivera. The Rays shake off the name Devil and the move pays dividends as the perpetual rebuilding with youth finally pays dividends. Joe Maddon becomes a cult figure and an early candidate for manager of the year. The Blue Jays and Orioles try to retool around some questionable contracts and battle for the basement.

Boston Red Sox
Pitching - Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling begin to show wear and tear. Tim Wakefield should be pitching until he's 50 something. Daisuke Matsuzaka is the wild card for this team. If he has a great year, they cruise, if he struggles, either Jon Lester or Clay Bucholz will have to step in and produce, and both are ready. Jonathan Pepelbon, Hideki Okajima and Mike Timlin are as deep and effective a bullpen as any in the league.

Lineup - Jason Varitek holds down the catching slot, Doug Mirabelli becomes a luxury the Sox feel they can't afford until Wakefield lobs 4 or 5 passed balls by his replacement and then he'll be back. Kevin Youkilis 1B and Mike Lowell 3B on the corners are perfect for the Green Monster. Julio Lugo SS struggles at times but Dustin Pedroia 2B became an overnight sensation, with Alex Cora backing up. Sean Casey provides bench strength. David Ortiz seemingly can DH for another ten years. The only question in the outfield is when Jacoby Ellsbury takes over for Coco Crisp in CF. The over/under is Opening Day. J.D. Drew in RF and Manny Ramirez in LF are firmly entrenched. Bobby Kielty provides back-up along with Crisp, until he's dealt.

Prospects - Clay Bucholz RHP and Michael Bowden RHP, a local product from Waubonsie Valley, both appear to be ready to join the starting rotation. Jacoby Ellsbury CF will add speed to the lineup. Justin Masterson RHP could be a Derek Lowe-clone. Jed Lowrie IF is said to remind scouts of Dustin Pedroia.

New York Yankees
Pitching - Strong and becoming more of a balanced mix between veterans and youth. Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina continue to be the top three. Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy battle for the final two spots. Mariano Rivera continues to hold on to the closer spot. Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins will set up and close in spots where Rivera needs a break. Kei Igawa and Jeff Karstens provide depth, while Carl Pavano is still around to provide comic relief.

Lineup - Jorge Posada is still solid, bordering on spectacular as a hitter (20-90-.338) Jason Giambi 1B (14 HR's) and Alex Rodriguez 3B (54 HR's) provide power from the corners, Robinson Cano 2B (.332) and Derek Jeter SS (.322) hit for average, while providing occasional pop. The outfield mix is mainly provided by Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui in LF Melky Cabrera in CF and Bobby Abreu in RF. Shelley Duncan backs up here and for Giambi at 1B. Wilson Betemit is the infield depth. The DH spot is rotated between tghe LF-1B platoon spots.

Prospects - The furture is now for RHP's Phillip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. RHP Ian Kennedy flies under the radar, but can pitch. Dellin Betances RHP (19 years old) is 6-9 and touches 98 MPH. Good combination. OF Austin Jackson (20) is a year or two away, but a potential five-tool talent. OF Jose Tabata (19) can hit.

Tampa Bay Rays
Pitching - This area could finally be turning into a strength. Scott Kazmir, James Shields and former Twins Matt Garza should be a strong top three. Andy Sonnanstine seems to have a leg up on the fourth sport for now. J.P. Howell and Jef Niemann should crowd out talented, but non-productive, Edwin Jackson. The bullpen adds veteran Troy Percival to close, moving Al Reyes to set up and spot closing duties. Veteran Dan Wheeler can set-up.

Lineup - The offense can put up runs. Dioner Navarro C needs to hit a bit more. Shawn Riggins will be the backup. Carlos Pena 1B (46-121-.282) had a monster year. Rookie phenom Evan Longoria may step in at 3B. Akinori Iwamura moves to 2B and Twins import Jason Bartlett will stabilize the SS position. The outfield is loaded with superstar Carl Crawford in LF B.J. Upton in CF and Jonny Gomes in RF. Cliff Floyd will fill in, pinch-hit and DH. Willy Aybar provides depth in the IF with SS prospects Ben Zobrist and Reid Brignac.

Prospects - Other than the aforementioned Evan Longoria at 3B, an early favorite for ROY, there's Reid Brignac at SS and the pitching, oh the pitching!!! If LHP's Jacob McGee, #1 Draft Pick David Price and RHP's Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann progress as expected, this club will be well-stocked for many year. All could be top of the rotation starters.

Toronto Blue Jays
Pitching - Roy Halliday, A.J. Burnett and Dustin McGowan are as good as anybody when healthy. After that it's anyone's guess, but it will be a RHP. Blue Jays could use a southpaw. Shaw Marcum and Jess Litsch should round out the starting staff. B.J. Ryan and Jeremy Accardo are strong in the bullpen. Ryan needs to stay healthy.

Lineup - Gregg Zaun is OK behind the dish. Sal Fasano is the backup straight out of central casting. Lyle Overbay 1B and newly acquired Scott Rolen 3B both both need to have stronger years. Rolen battles back from injuries, a common theme north of the border. Aaron Hill 2B and former Cardinal David Eckstein SS patrol the middle of the diamond. Marco Scutaro provides the fans an opportunity to develop creative chants.
Frank Thomas will be the full-time DH. Vernon Wells is a stud in CF. Alex Rios RF may be another one. Reed Johnson in LF may share time with Matt Stairs. EEK!!!

Prospects - Robinson Diaz C can hit, he has to prove he can catch. Travis Snider OF (20) is a year or two away. LHP Brett Cecil is needed this year, but may have to wait.

Baltimore Orioles
Pitching - Daniel Cabrera (9-18) is their best, his record should be the opposite. Jeremy Guthrie is average, but he's number a number two here. Adam Loewen pitched thirty innings last year, pencil him in as the #3 starter. Steve Trachsel may challenge for a starting slot. Are we sensing a theme here? This team stinks. Hayden Penn (16 saves may start) and George Sherrill (3 saves with Seattle) will lead the bullpen, for no particular reason. Ex-Ray Danys Baez (0-6 last year) may have to regian his D-Ray form. That's how bad it is in Baltimore. Reliance on former D-Ray castoffs to produce is a recipe for disaster.

Lineup - Ramon Hernandez is a journeyman catcher. Kevin Millar cowboys up at 1B with Melvin Mora 3B hoping to regain his 2006 form. Brian Roberts is an All-Star at 2B, therefore he has to go. Freddie Bynum backs him up and hopes for the trade. Luis Hernandez takes over for Miguel Tejada at SS. That's a brilliant trade-off. Luke Scott LF comes over from the Astros (18-64-.255) Adam Jones may be the starting CF, if not him, then back-up Tike Redman plays. Your staring center fielder may be named Tike?? Nick Markakis (23-112-.300) is a future star in RF, at which point, he will escape this moribund franchise. I pity the players, the fans, and their families that they are trapped in this baseball hell. The over/under on the fans protesting the Angelos regime is the All-Star break.

Prospects - As Mr. T said in Rocky II, "PAIN". Matt Wieters C (21) can flat out rake, a future all-star catcher. After that, not so much. Could be the most painful franchise to watch in the majors, along with the Giants.