Baseball

The Reds are both blessed and cursed at the same time. Blessed in the fact that they have two really good catchers. Cursed in that they are starting the wrong one.

Fans should never expect much out of their catcher. His most important job is to know his pitchers and call a good game. If your name isn't Joe Mauer then it's safe to say that you won't be expected to hit much.  

Ramon Hernandez was acquired in an offseason deal that sent Ryan Freel to the Orioles with a couple of prospects.

There were a lot of high hopes for infielder Eugenio Velez when he first broke on the stage in 2007.

In a cup-of-coffee 14 game stint at the end of the 2007 season, Velez hit two triples, scored five runs, and stole four bases.

And he did this in only 13 plate appearances.

The following spring training, Velez tore it up and built on that small stint he had the previous season. The buzz about this kid was something special.

In the 2008 Sports Illustrated baseball preview, a club official likened Velez to Willie McGee.

The Giants number one prospect Madison Bumgarner just won again, but you know what? What else is new with this kid?

Madison Bumgarner is quickly becoming the David Price of this year and his numbers continue to show why the Giants regard him so high.

Let's take a look at his numbers between Advanced Single A and Double A.

W-L: 9-2

ERA: 1.63

CG: 1

IP: 77.1

SO: 66

Pretty spectacular numbers if you ask me. 

It was gut check time for the Red Sox on Wednesday at Baltimore.

They were coming off an embarrassing loss that featured the Sox bulletproof bullpen to blow a nine run lead.

Piled on top of that was the fact that the Sox infielders thought there were three outs in the eighth inning and ran into the dugout.

"Ya gotta believe" are the magic words, the "open sesame" of baseball history, immortalized by Tug McGraw in 1973. But the baseball good wish fairy doesn't always respond. Chicago Cubs fans and players remember the year, 1969, when the wish was never fulfilled.

In the span of two months, the Cubs slipped from nine-and-a-half games in front of the Mets to eight games behind.

"It's true," said the late Jack Brickhouse before his death in 1998. He watched it all go down in '69 from the great heights of the radio announcer's booth. "The Cubs lost it," he said.

The last time the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays met, things were very different.

Welcome to Bizarro, Arizona. 

Population: Four Professional Sports Teams

Established: 2009

Ok, can I see a show of hands of everyone that believed this is how the Arizona sports scene would look like half way through 2009?  Anyone?  No, no one.

Well at least you are not alone.

To think that the Arizona Cardinals are not only the best team, but have the best running organization, is a sight I would have never believed.

Magglio Ordonez provided easily the best baseball experience in the past 24 years for Detroit Tigers' fans. The walk-off home run he hit to win the 2006 ALCS and propel the Tigers into the World Series set off a love fest in Comerica Park. It brought tears to the eyes of any fan that saw it.

In 2005, he signed a mega-deal to play for the Tigers, when no one wanted to play here, and when no one wanted to pay him.

Tim Wakefield has been good, if not great, for the Boston Red Sox. He has stepped up big when it matters the most and I give him all the props in the world.

He is an excellent pitcher with an excellent story. However, he is no All Star.

The All-Star Game is reserved for the 33 best players in the American League. Tim Wakefield is not one of them. However, we will likely get voted in by the managers/players for his feel good story.

It was in a fit of boosterism, some two years ago, when I took leave of my senses and banged out some tripe on this very blog about the bourgeoning third baseman of the Tigers, Brandon Inge.

I all but called him Mr. Tiger, declaring that he would never play for another big league team. Since his career would extend a dozen or so years in Detroit, why not go ahead and erect a statue of him in left center field at Comerica Park to join the other Tigers' greats in bronze?

Well, guess what? I stand by that boisterous tripe.