Baseball

One idea that I have seen in multiple places recently is to sign Ben Sheets to a one-year contract with incentives, and I couldn’t be more against that potential acquisition.

First of all, haven’t we learned anything about those who have been hurt? Maybe we should bring some healthy bodies into the fold. I would much rather the Mets pony up the dough for John Lackey, but that’s just me.

Dan Uggla, the big bat in the Marlins lineup, is bound to be dealt in the offseason due to his raise in salary via arbitration.  Dan Uggla is very valuable to a team as he can hit homers and drive in runs; for this reason, the Braves are in pursuit for his bat.

The Braves need a big bat in their lineup since, this year, between their three and four hitters Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, they only hit 39 HR. 

They say "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence," leaving one to believe that they have never played in Jeff Paolino's back yard.

Paolino is the Head Groundskeeper for the Lowell Spinners, Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and was recently named the New York-Penn League Sports Turf Manager of the Year for his work at LeLacheur Park.

An avid baseball fan and criminal justice major, Paolino, in his second season as the Spinners head groundskeeper after three seasons as the assistant. 

There is a saying with sports that at the moment, I can't remember exactly, but it ends with: “refs ruin them.”

“Them” being great games.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers have played a combined 226 seasons of professional baseball. They have won 16 World Series, 38 NL pennants, and almost 20,000 games. Over 100 players and managers that have worn either uniform are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Both franchises are widely considered the crown jewels of the National League...

And come 8:07 p.m. CST Wednesday night, none of it will mean dick.

Before I write anything else, I have to offer congratulations to the Minnesota Twins. They were seven games back on Sept. 7, and closed the season on an incredible hot streak, winning 17 of their final 21 games—including the one-game playoff against the Detroit Tigers.

Remember, Minnesota accomplished all of this without All-Star first baseman Justin Morneau. Coming back from a large deficit in the final month of the season without one of your best players? Minnesota deserves their playoff berth and all of the accompanying accolades.

The Angels and Red Sox starting rotations were statistically very similar throughout the season...how the starters perform over the next week will go a long way in determining who will advance to the '09 ALCS.

I have just placed my crystal ball on my desk...let's take a look at the likely matchups:

Game One: John Lackey and Jon Lester

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not trying to float my own boat.

This is an attempt to thank some of the people who have helped me, as well as a look back at some of my experiences.

So, here it is.

My 100th article.

Yeap...

I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to feel about this.

Is this the revelation that I have spent way too much time tapping away on this site as I perpetually did stat checking at baseball-reference.com?

Or is this the stamp of excellence?

Heading east on Sunset, miles and miles away from where it becomes "the Strip" and just before it hits Alvarado, is a sign that reads "Slide Area." 

If you don't think this is relevant to an article about the Dodgers, who nearly ceded the NL West Division and their 15.5-game lead at the beginning of June to the Colorado Rockies, then may I introduce you to my old friend, the metaphor?