Kuzul

The Angels need bullpen help.

The Indians need payroll relief.

The Angels are about to give up on their top prospect Brandon Wood.

The Indians are about to give up on their season and closer Kerry Wood.

These are just a few of the reasons why a Wood-for-Wood trade might make sense for both teams.

Kerry’s bloated 7.02 ERA and 1.56 WHIP are not exactly living up to his bloated $10.5 million salary. It’s going to make it extremely hard for the Indians to get anything for him if they choose to try and get out from under that albatross of a contract.

Cleveland (28-47) is in another early death spiral, as they have already fallen 13 games behind first place Detroit.

The Indians probably felt they could trade Kerry for prospects mid-season this year if things didn’t go their way. Unfortunately, they probably weren’t counting on Kerry to have such a disastrous start.

Good luck getting anything for him now. The best Cleveland can hope for is to convince a large-market team to take Kerry’s salary off their hands.

Similarly for the Angels, things could not have gone worse for their 25-year-old infield prospect Brandon Wood, who was compared to the likes of Troy Glaus and Mike Schmidt during his minor league career.

The reality has been a nightmarish .176 batting average with four extra base hits and 45 strikeouts over 150 at-bats. Brandon hasn’t exactly made up for his anemic offense with stellar defense either. He has made eight errors in 399 innings.

However, Brandon’s upside might appeal to the Indians. Baseball America had Brandon ranked no lower than the 16th best prospect in baseball for three straight years—ranking him as high as third at one point.

Did I mention he also makes only $410,000 per year?

Brandon hit 43 homers, 116 RBI and had a .321 average one year in the minors. He seemed to be on track to put up similar numbers in the majors until the wheels fell off that turnip truck.

Many have speculated one reason was the unrealistic and unfair expectations put on the kid by the Angels organization and their fans. A change of scenery where not much is expected might be just what the doctor ordered for Brandon, who is obviously pressing.

Kerry Wood is a player that can probably relate to not living up to the hype, even though his problems were more physical than mental.

Kerry might be an excellent gamble for the Angels, who desperately need help at the back end of their pen, and are one of the few clubs who could handle that kind of a payroll hit.

A closer look at Kerry’s stats show 13 of his 16 innings this year were clean. His poor numbers are largely because of a horrible outing against Kanas City, where he gave up 5 runs while only recording one out.

Although he has been wild at times, Kerry is still recording almost a strikeout per inning. When he is on, he has proven he still has the mental toughness and “stuff” to come into games at big moments and shut teams down. Playing for a contender again might start to stir Kerry’s competitive juices and bring back some of his intensity.

It would definitely be a gamble for the Angels to take on the $10.2 million contract of a fragile and declining Kerry Wood, but I like his upside over that of Brian Fuentes.

There really is no gamble in this scenario for the Indians, who stand to save almost $10 million with this move—a move that they would be hard pressed to pull off with virtually any other club.

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It felt like a heat wave in New York City on that October 8 night back in 2007.

Fans were funneling into Yankee Stadium extra early for Game 4 of the ALDS .

The prior evening, I had watched my Yankees pull out a win to avoid getting swept.

Which, was all thanks to a home run hit by Johnny Damon in the seventh inning. I remember how I jumped on my stadium seat as my Yankees dreams of the post-season were not over yet.

Now, the Cleveland Indians were up 2-1 over the New York Yankees . Losing meant the season would end, but there was a lot more on the line that year for the Yankees.

Fans were just as aware as the players, but no one wanted to believe it. It broke my heart to think of being in the Bronx without Joe Torre , as he had become such a figure and was a father to an entire city.

In my life, I have never been to a baseball game with such tense and ardent fans, which made it difficult to imagine how the players were handling it.

By the end of the seventh inning, the Yankees chances were bleak. The Yankees were playing as hard as they could, but the Indians were the better team and the fans knew it.

As the eighth inning began, low chants of “JOE TORRE, JOE TORRE, JOE TORRE, JOE….” were becoming louder every moment, as fans started to rise and join in a slow, chaotic wave that took over Yankee Stadium.

It continued well after the last pitch because the team’s loss was incomparable to losing our skipper. For 12 years, Joe Torre lead the Yankees to four World Series titles, six AL Pennants, and a record of 1173-767 in games. More than all the baseball accomplishments, Torre was admired by Yankees fans for his everyday demeanor and were so proud to call him our leader.

As I dried my tears and exited the Stadium , it was hard to let go of never seeing Mr. Torre in pinstripes again. That is why I bought a photo from a stadium vendor of Torre with Mariano Rivera . Early the next morning I had my ticket and the image professionally framed, so I would never have to forget it.

No one knew this would be the last post-season ever played in the Old Yankees Stadium that night, as well. Crazy.The days right after October 8 were filled with Yankees fans fighting for Torre. To describe it as an uproar would be an understatement, as protests, newspaper ads and innumerable letters were sent to the Boss all pleading to keep Torre here forever.

Now it is 2010, and numerous adverse events have come between my feelings about Joe Torre. Sadly, it eventually led me to taking down my Joe Torre collage from my wall. Today was the first time in nearly two years I took it out of my closet to look at it again. I was not angry anymore, but still cannot forgive Torre for taking cheap shots at players who still play with the Yankees. Overall, it is the former impression that came to the forefront of my mind.

As I literally wipe the tears from my face, I can finally remember Mr. Torre this way again. No hard feelings but still not worthy enough to hang on my wall ever again.

Now I can say it was a much needed separation, and the Yankees have a new Joe. Girardi embodies all I loved about Torre, and then some.

In the end this worked out for the best, but back in 2007 it tore me apart.

The Yankees will be at Dodger Stadium tomorrow for a three-game series against Joe Torre and his Los Angeles Dodgers . It is still business as usual, with the desire to win.

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The Yankees are back home, and not much has changed in regards to catching the Tampa Bay Rays , who have held onto first place in the AL East all season. The Yankees are still two games behind, but continue to keep themselves the wild card team.

As I predicted, the Toronto Blue Jays have fallen to behind the Red Sox to fourth place, and this is a trend that will continue for Toronto.

The Blue Jays don’t play small ball at all, which is what comes in handy when team is slumping. Hitting home runs alone isn’t enough, but the Blue Jays pitching has allowed them to look more dominant.

This weekend begins interleague play for all teams. Many feel it is unfair, as the American League has bullied the National League since these games were incorporated in 1997.

Why is the AL always better?

The AL is much more competitive because the designated hitter is a power bat, compared to having the pitchers bat.

NL pitchers almost get a break with every ninth batter being a pitcher, instead of facing the likes of a David Ortiz , Vladimir Guerrero , or Hideki Matsui.

Matsui was the World Series MVP as the Yankees DH last season, which clearly proves it is a significant position.

The two highest grossing teams in MLB are in the AL, the Red Sox and the Yankees. These two alone hog so much attention from fans, media, and anything baseball-related.

The NL has had less competitive teams overall for over a decade. This allows for the brutal beatings the NL takes in interleague play and the All-Star game.

Another weird observation is that the NL has mascots and fans who love to spin towels in the air, which drives me absolutely crazy.

Let’s be fair, the NL is home to the Philadelphia Phillies , who are about as good as a team can get. Also, viably the best player in baseball now and maybe ever is Albert Puljos, who has always been an NL player on the St. Louis Cardinals . Don’t forget the NL now has the best pitcher in baseball too, Roy Halladay , who moved from the Blue Jays to the Phillies.

My prediction is that the 2010 season is still owned by the American League, but not by much because the NL has been on the rise big time. I bet that in 2011 the National League will finally matchup.

Well, let the games begins, as interleague matchups start tonight.

Up in the Bronx, the Yankees host the Houston Astros for three games. Astros will be followed by the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks, so this should be interesting to see how the Yankees fair against teams fans rarely get to see, but fans think it is a necessity to sweep the Dodgers! I think you know why…

What is your opinion on this subject?

Do you think both leagues should have the same rules regarding DH or no DH?

Why do you think the AL more competitive?

Please share your outlook in the comments box below.

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A serious Triple Crown candidate is emerging in Detroit.

Miguel Cabrera’s 18 homers and 53 runs batted in pace the American League and he ranks fourth in batting average (.339).

I know precisely what you’re thinking. It’s the second week of June.

How dare you utter “Triple Crown”!

Well, let’s look at it this way—with each mention of the feat, writers offer a refresher course in history.

Who was the last player to earn the Triple Crown?

Carl Yastrzemski.

When was this feat last achieved?

1967.

Through print, we honor those who achieved this suddenly unachievable conquest with each mention. So if you believe it’s premature to link Cabrera to this group of conquistadors, simply focus on the respect element.

Yaz’s family certainly likes seeing their kinsman cited 27 years after his retirement.

One of baseball’s smallest clubs, only 15 players are members in the Triple Crown Society. Not even Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez, today’s top MLB players, have procured this distinction.

It has become virtually unattainable.

Back to Cabrera. Logic does not indicate it’s too early to begin the discussion. Sure it’s only June, but the first baseman’s track record suggests he has a better chance than most.

Cabrera annually finishes near the top in dingers and RBI’s, and has placed as high as runner-up in batting. In the past five years, the average for AL batting champs has been .346—Miggy lurks seven points away.

Eight months removed from swearing off alcohol, his approach is no longer influenced by hangovers or mental lapses resulting from late night partying. Cabrera is on pace to shatter previous career highs.

He’s projected to wrap 208 hits, slug 51 homers, and plate 149 runners.

Health issues might also trip up less extraordinary players on the long-distance run to the Triple Crown.

But the 27-year-old has taken a few chapters out of the Iron Horse’s book. Cabrera’s never been placed on the disabled list in his eight-year career. In each of the past seven seasons, he has played at least 157 games.

Cabrera defines reliability.

And this isn’t the first year he has flirted with the Triple Crown. He often places top-five—even top-three—in the required categories, and he’s regularly mentioned in the same sentence as Prince Albert and A-Rod.

Now, if you believe this achievement may be surmountable, we must address the obstacles he will face en route.

Since no one has grabbed the distinction in 43 years, press covering the anomaly could grow overbearing. Interview-seekers would flood Cabrera’s voicemail and inbox—and his name would be plastered on headlines across the US.

A pair of Twins—Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau—along with Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, won’t willingly let Cabrera coast to a batting title.

Morneau is terrorizing the league, emerging as another Triple Crown contender. And Cano is blistering the ball at a .376 clip. Combined, usual suspects Mauer and Ichiro have won five batting titles since 2001.

This foursome will present Cabrera’s biggest challenge.

Division rival Chicago will also attempt to stand in the way of history. Detroit plays the White Sox 14 more times in 2010, a team that gives Miggy fits. In 177 career at-bats against Ozzie Guillen’s crew, he has hit .243.

This year, he’s a measly 1-for-14. Normally allergic to extended slumps, the White Sox have neutralized his bat.

While the odds Cabrera will complete the feat are low, spectators outside of Detroit need to recognize history may be in the making.

Keep your eyes glued to Miguel Cabrera this summer.

One of the best pure hitters of this generation is having a career year.

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Bud Selig is reportedly “very comfortable” with his decision not to award Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga with a perfect game.

Glad we could get that out of the way, Bud.

Professional sports’ most aloof commissioner remains just that.  The other side of his aloofness (you know, aside from arrogance) is that he’s also utterly out of touch with fans.

You remember fans, Bud?  The ones who used to follow baseball before your lockout.  The ones who used to follow baseball before they found out all of their heroes were juicing. 

But, as with the use of performance enhancing drugs, Selig is going in entirely the wrong direction with regards to umpiring and the state of replay

Keep in mind it took an act of Congress, literally, to convince Selig to address PED use.

Now, in the midst of pitching’s recovery from the Steroids Era, we have an umpiring controversy.  And not just any controversy.  No, we’ve got a controversy in which, by Selig’s own admission, the pitcher, umpire, manager, team and fans handled it all in an extremely classy way.

The commissioner, sadly, did not follow suit.

Selig spoke at length in complimenting the way others handled Galarraga’s loss of a perfect game.  I’m certain that was very gracious of him.  Selig also stated his belief that “baseball people” are against the use of replay.

If he meant the same stodgy “baseball people” who wanted to sweep the Steroids Era under the rug or who wanted to keep African-Americans segregated from the majors for as long as possible, he would be right.

The rest of us checked our calendars and it was 2010. 

Selig’s reasoning for not updating the way games are called?  That’s right, people have been complaining about umpires since the 1950s.  He then extended that window to major league baseball’s beginnings in 1865. 

Based on that wonderful logic, I’d imagine the MLB office doen’t employ women.  I mean, why change for change’s sake?

For me, one of the dumbest things about Selig’s comments was that he acknowledged that people have been complaining about umpires for that length of time, but didn’t acknowledge, or even address, that the use of replay would result in a significant reduction in those complaints.

When initially responding to the Galarraga situation, Selig also cited that human error was part of the game.

As long as he is the commissioner, that would appear to be the case.

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They may have beaten Toronto to win their latest three-game series, but many of the same problems that have plagued the L.A. Angels through their first two months of the season were still evident Wednesday.

Horrible defense. Horrible bullpen. Horrible intensity.

* Juan Rivera forgets how many outs there are, and almost gets picked off in a key part of the game.

* The underachieving Howie Kendrick almost hits into a double play, when all he had to do was hit the ball in the air to win the game. The man that has been touted as the “future batting champion” for the past five years is now hitting .257.

* Bobby Abreu commits his fifth error of the year by slowing up on a fly ball to shallow right and dropping it—putting the tying run on second base in the ninth.

Let me just repeat that: Five errors in two months of playing right field. That gives him a .938 fielding percentage through 45 games—the worst among outfielders in the majors.

* Brian Fuentes ultimately blows another save—only to thieve another win away from Joel Piñeiro. 

Abreu atoned for his defensive sins with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth, which really cloaked another sloppy game for the Halos.

Here is the good news.

The Angels get to play virtually nothing but horrible teams for the next month.

The bad news is, their opponents are probably thinking they are lucky to get to play the Angels, who have now managed to pull within three games of .500.

The Angels had an unusually tough schedule to start the season. They have already played Boston, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, St. Louis, Texas and the New York Yankees a total of 29 times in their first 49 games.

In those 29 games against contending teams, the Angels had a record of 8-21. Against all other opponents, they are an amazing 15-5.

Considering that lopsided statistic, June might be just what the doctor ordered for the Angels—a steady prescription of anemic teams to find their stroke against. In fact, their next 14 games are all against Seattle, Kansas City, and Oakland.

The only teams they will play in the next 29 games with winning records are the Dodgers, and Colorado. The Angels always play their cross-town rivals tough, and Colorado is playing at two games over .500.

The June finale will be against first place Texas before the Angels begin July with another light stretch against Kansas City, Chicago, and Oakland.

Given that schedule, don’t be shocked if you see the Angels emerge from June with a record that is at least 10 games over .500.

That being said, the Angels are going to have to beat a good team sometime. They miraculously won a three-game series against the Yankees, but wins against teams with winning records have been few, and far between this season.

Hopefully June can help them get their groove back, since they have proven they are at least still good enough to dominate second-rate ballclubs. They are going to need to find their swagger soon if they have any interest in seeing their seventh playoff appearance in nine years materialize.

Too bad they won’t get to play Kansas City if and when they get there.

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With baseball a full two months in the books, teams are starting to make their runs toward the All-Star break.

With so much parity in MLB, teams with nearly identical records are separated by a few spots, sometimes more.

There are still many teams in realistic contention for their division title, but I will narrow it down to five teams right now that we could see playing in late October.

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Admit it Angels fans. You’ve been spoiled.

Since Bryan Harvey took over the role in 1989, the Angels have been blessed with a shut-down closer every year until now.

Harvey, Troy Percival, Francisco Rodriguez and yes, Brian Fuentes, have provided an unbroken, 20-year chain of confidence for Halo managers to go to the pen in the ninth.

That amazing streak of good fortune seems likely to be ending this year.

In just 11 appearances this season, Fuentes has already allowed four homers, blown two saves, and lost a game.

With an ERA hovering near 6.00 and a WHIP of 1.31, Fuentes has been far from automatic and anything but intimidating for opposing batters.

Normally, a sampling of 11 games might not be all that much to be concerned about—especially for a guy that led the majors in saves last year with 48 and made the All-Star team.

Lost in those stats from 2009 are his seven blown saves, five losses, 1.40 WHIP and a blown save in the playoffs.

A trip to the DL earlier this year gave the newly acquired, former Detroit Tigers closer Fernando Rodney a shot at locking down wins. Rodney promptly went five-for-five in save opportunities and had fans advocating for manager Mike Scioscia to make the change permanent.

Rodney then promptly blew a save against St. Louis on Sunday, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of Angels fans everywhere.

With all the hand-wringing over the Angels’ offense and inconsistent starting pitching, the biggest letdown of all has been the bullpen. No longer can they count on the best set-up man in baseball to hand the game over to one of the best closers in baseball—a luxury Scot Shields and Brendan Donnelly provided for the past decade.

If the Angels could have simply held on to leads this year in the same way they have held on in the past, they still would be tied for first place despite all of their other woes.

Until the Halos solve their relief problems, the $30 million they are spending on their starting rotation will be utterly worthless, which begs the question: Was Francisco Rodriguez worth $12 million per year after all?

I was front and center on the “don’t re-sign K-Rod” bandwagon two years ago. After all, the Angels had rookie sensation Jose Arredondo, who looked like he was separated at birth from K-Rod with his 1.62 ERA.

Paying the league minimum to a guy that might end up being as good as Rodriguez seemed to make far more sense than paying $12 million for redundancy.

The Angels still obviously put a high priority on the closer slot, despite letting Franky walk. They spent $9 million to bring in Fuentes, 34, because of reservations management had about Arredondo’s readiness in making the jump to closer.

After Arredondo flamed out in his sophomore season, and ultimately ended up needing Tommy John surgery, the insurance move paid off for the Halos.

However, with Fuentes seeming to have lost a step just one year later, questions about the wisdom in letting Rodriguez walk in the first place deserve to be revisited.

Did the Angels actually save money with the move or did they waste $9 million by making Brian Fuentes their highest-paid pitcher?

For $3 million more, would they have been better served to keep the real deal in K-Rod?

$3 million more might start to look like a bargain when you consider K-Rod is only 28 and has already accomplished the following:

He’s a season away from already joining the 300-save club.

Crushed the all-time single-season save record with 62.

Has more saves than any other closer since 2005.

685 K’s in 542 innings pitched (they don’t call him K-Rod for nothing).

Batters are hitting .191 against him for his career (lower than Mariano Rivera).

He’s a World Champion.

Consistently one of the top three most intimidating closers in baseball.

Through 21 appearances this season, he has 25 K’s, with a  1.96 ERA.

Further consider that the Angels spent $5.75 million to sign Rodney as a backup plan to Fuentes this season. That means the Angels ended up spending more on two mediocre closers than they would have if they had just signed their elite closer in the first place. $2.75 million more, which ironically is almost the exact difference between the Fuentes and Rodriguez contracts.

Granted, hindsight is 20/20, but I promise I will never take pitching depth for granted again. It would be wise for General Manager Tony Reagins to take heed as well. It may have taken this year to remind the Angels and their fans what pitching is worth.

The Angels have gone from having the third best team ERA in baseball two years ago, to the second worst in the American League this season.

Now, the Angels are seeing the consequences.

Until the bullpen gets righted, a team that has been built on pitching a defense for the past decade with much success can no longer succeed.

Don’t look for the Angels to make any trades to remedy the problem. They are pretty much stuck with what they have for the season because of all the money they have already allocated to Rodney and Fuentes.

Unless several relievers step up from within the organization in the next month, the Angels will be in for a long, frustrating and forgettable summer.

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A Fit Full of Tasers : MLB Enjoying A Week of Hearty Storylines

It usually happens like this. Everything is going great, there’s no drama, no over-excited story that garners far more national attention than it deserves, and all of a sudden the stories hit like a thunderstorm in a Michigan summer.

Of course, we’re talking about the 2010 major league baseball season here.

A number of stories have begun to compound upon one another over the last week. From Milton Bradley’s emotional collapse to a 17-year-old Tasered in the middle of the Citizen Bank outfield grass, there is no shortage of storylines in major league baseball right now.

Umpires May Want to Taser Milton Bradley, but Listen, He Really Does Have Feelings

When it comes to Milton Bradley, the criticism seems to be easily justified.

Here we have a talented athlete, seemingly wasting away his career, a style of living most can only dream of, and a life that could be so much better if he just learned to control his emotions, something an average teen-ager should be able to do.

I think it’s rightly justified that we fume when those who are given the opportunity to flourish, flat out fail.

It seems that Bradley falls into this category.

But I beg a counter argument here, that, while surprising to myself that I actually feel this way, makes sense when you really think about it.

His history is shaky; he has flipped off countless fans, managers, players, and umpires in his 10 years and eight stops in the major leagues.

His longest tenure for one club was from 2001-2003 with the Cleveland Indians. He is a clubhouse cancer, an infectious disease.

He has never, ever, admitted that anything he ever did was, in fact, wrong.

Until Tuesday night.

Sometime after he struck out looking with the bases loaded but with several innings still left to play, an upset Milton Bradley left Safeco Field and went home.

Sometime after that, he decided that he needed help.

On Wednesday morning he called manager Don Wakamatsu and general manager Jack Zduriencik and asked if he could speak with them in person.

When he did so, he told them he is dealing with personal problems and asked the club for its help.

Pause.

He asked management for help.

After his meeting, he went to a Seattle elementary school as part of the Mariners annual education day and spoke emotionally about his mother’s financial struggles while raising him. He then went to Safeco Field and spoke to his teammates and asked them for their support at a team meeting.

Pause.

He asked his teammates for support.

Then, he willingly sat out the first of an unspecified number of games while the struggling Mariners give him time to get himself together.

See, here’s the thing, folks.

You can say all you want about how athletes make too much money to be allowed to screw up.

Go ahead, I’ve said it in the past, and while I don’t really believe it, it’s a stereotype and admit that I’ve copped out to please my audience.

But, the beauty of us, as human beings is that we all screw up.

We all have our faults and it doesn’t matter if we are presidents, athletes, judges, plumbers, pastors, or zookeepers.

We all screw up.

When those who have found incredible success do it, those who are honest with themselves can find a sense of understanding, a sense of likeness with that and a realization that these guys aren’t that much different than you and I are.

And guess what, Milton Bradley asked for help.

Let’s see you or I put aside our pride and admit that we are wrong every once in a while, forget about admitting we have major character issues.

MLB Players Apparently Want to Pack Tasers Themselves, the Way They Talk

So, this story got so big that I don’t even need to introduce it with an explanation.  

On Monday of this week (the day before Bradley’s situation), Steve Consalvi and his youthful idea made national headlines that night and prompted major league baseball and local police from each city to investigate the appropriate way to deal with fans on the field.

While some believe that the use of a Taser Gun is a little extreme, what do you honestly expect in the society we live in today?

I’ve been to dozens upon dozens of games.

The rush of running onto the field does not outweigh a misdemeanor charge.

From a player’s perspective, when a strange fan is darting toward you, like an animal charging you at a zoo, what do you think his natural reaction will be?

I don’t want anyone ever to run at me acting like a total moron, and neither do you.

Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth was prepared to strike the fan with his glove as he approached him, but once the fan realized Werth considered him hostile, he said, “No! I love you!” and ran in a different direction.

“You’re just kind of programmed to know that if somebody comes on the field, they’re fair game, because you just don’t know what they’re going to do,” Werth said. “History could repeat itself.”

The recent history?

Two fans ran onto the field and pummeled former Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa in Chicago in 2002. A folded up pocket knife fell out of one of the fan’s pockets.

Nelson Figueroa perhaps sums it up best:

“We don’t know if this guy has a weapon on him. We don’t know if this guy is on drugs or alcohol. We didn’t even know how old he was. You don’t know what his mind-set is. This guy is obviously not happy.

“You never know. I’ve played all around the world. The Dominican, Mexico, China. You’ve got fans who get very animated at games, and at times, they throw bottles and rocks and they want to come down on the field and fight the players. “In the best interest of the player you try to have security there and whatever means necessary to keep us safe. Hopefully, it was an example and set a precedent where people realize they’re not playing.

“He was corralled. He was surrounded. It might not have been the best, most fit, youngest force we had out there to take him down. But he realized he was wrong and he knew when he started circling, the gentlemen were winded and they went to the next level. Once he tried to make a run for it and got Tasered in the back, he stopped.”

Chuckle slightly to yourself.

Think about it.

And finally, think about Honoring the Greats

Ernie Harwell (1918-2010)

Robin Roberts (1926-2010)

Joshua David Worn  is an editor, journalist, and sportswriter who spends way too much of his time studying major league baseball box scores. He has been published or linked on The San Francisco Chronicle, CBS Sports, and the Bleacher Report, among others. He publishes The Most Interesting Column in Sports  on his personal website. Contact him at thebaseballglutton@comcast.net .

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Attention mediocre American League pitchers and hitters.

If you’d like to build Hall of Fame numbers, it would be in your best interest to transfer to the National League as soon as possible.

We see pitchers like Brad Penny, Carlos Silva, and Jose Contreras, recent transfers to or back to the National League, as examples of the most recent hilarities the National League has produced.

Penny went from a 5.61 ERA in 24 starts with the Boston Red Sox last year to a 2.12 ERA in 11 starts with the San Francisco Giants last season and on the St. Louis Cardinals this season.

Silva went from a 6.81 ERA in 34 starts the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners to a 2.90 ERA in his first five starts for the Chicago Cubs.

Contreras has gone from a 5.42 ERA in 21 games started for the Chicago White Sox to giving up four earned runs and striking out 29 batters in 23.2 innings in two starts with the Colorado Rockies last season and out of the bullpen for the Philadelphia Phillies this season, where he may start closing until Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson get healthy.

On the other side, Joel Pineiro has gone from a 3.49 ERA in 32 games with the Cardinals last season to a 5.76 ERA in five starts with the Angels.

Jake Peavy has gone from a 3.20 ERA in 40 starts with the San Diego Padres in 2008 and 2009 to a 4.52 ERA in nine starts with the White Sox in 2009 and 2010.

After sporting a 4.67 ERA with the White Sox two seasons ago, Javier Vazquez was a Cy-Young candidate in the National League last season with the Atlanta Braves sporting a 2.87 ERA in 11 more innings pitched. Vazquez currently has a 9.78 ERA in his first 23 innings with the Yankees.

Pitchers who have proven time after time they simply aren’t that good like Livan Hernandez (0.87 ERA), Barry Zito (1.53 ERA), Jon Garland (2.06 ERA), Mike Pelfrey (2.40 ERA), and Tom Gorzelanny (2.48 ERA) seem to be having no problem with the National League in 2010.

Roy Halladay is making a complete mockery of the “senior” circuit with a 1.47 ERA and 0.88 WHIP to go along with 39 strikeouts in 49 innings.

We’ve watched as good pitchers like C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee take nice vacations to the National League for half a season and completely destroy it and everything in between, but this trend of mediocre pitching somehow becoming talented by a simple plane ticket is getting old.

It doesn’t stop at the mound either.

We see Placido Polanco go from hitting .285 with 10 home runs and 72 RBI in 153 games with the Detroit Tigers last year to hitting .290 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 23 games with the Phillies this year.

Marlon Byrd hit .283 with 20 home runs and 89 RBI last year in the launching pad in Texas. Byrd is hitting .354 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 25 games in the National League. Could we see another guy over 30 breakout in the National League?

Juan Uribe was a .253 hitter in eight seasons, including back in the early 2000s in the National League before it crumbled, before coming to the San Francisco Giants two years ago. Uribe is now a .289 hitter in 470 at-bats combined the last two seasons in the National League.

Scott Rolen had eight home runs and 43 RBI in 338 at-bats with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009. He has eight home runs and 35 RBI in 208 at-bats since coming to the Reds last season.

And who could forget Raul Ibanez hitting a career high in home runs last year with 34 at the prime age of 37 upon moving to the National League for the first time?

And on the other side you have Juan Pierre who hit .308 with a .365 OBP in 145 games in the National League, currently batting .204 with a .271 OBP in 98 at-bats with the White Sox

The examples go on and on with guys like Casey Blake heading to the Dodgers, that Manny Ramirez guy, who said National League pitching was like the minor leagues, Edgar Renteria bouncing from league to league only succeeding in the National league, Mike Jacobs going from 32 home runs with the Marlins to 19 with the Royals last season, Miguel Olivo, Aubrey Huff, and Carlos Gomez finding some kind of swing this season in the National League and so on and so forth.

I understand the 2010 season is a young one, but one has to not only question the National League’s talent, but when will it change?

I also understand the changing of the dominating league is usually cyclical (just like the economy, right?), but this trend seems to not be going anywhere.

How long can this disparity in the two leagues continue?

The never ending excuse is the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox steal everyone. Although that may be true from time to time, National League teams do spend money.

Mostly irresponsibly and idiotically, which could be the main downfall of the league.

The Cubs have the third highest and the Phillies have the fourth highest payrolls in all of baseball in 2010. Let’s not forget about that New York Mets team, which ranks sixth this season in payroll.

Of the top ten payrolls in 2010, six are from the American League and four are from the National League.

The money excuse is simply overused. The problem lies that in fact the National League does not draft as well or spend their money as wisely as the American League.

This has led to such a massive shift in talent and simply has made playing in the National League almost unfair.

In recent years, two or three National League teams could be argued as to not even belonging in the playoffs over eliminated American League teams. But since the team was a benefactor of a bad league and/or division, the team was given a chance for a championship.

From there, all you have to do is go 11-8 (seven of those wins coming against National League teams) and you are suddenly the best team in baseball.

There is a reason the American League has won the last 12 All-Star games.

There is a reason the American League is 578-430 in inter-league play since 2006.

There is a reason Jamie Moyer can pitch until he’s 90 as a Phillie.

The American League is simply better than the National League, but, so far in 2010, the National League has found a new low.

When do we start questioning why the National League gets as many playoff spots as the American League?

“Because that’s the way it is” is an unacceptable answer.

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