Baseball

According to Mike Puma of the NY Post, Mets Minor League left-handed pitcher Angel Calero has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.

Calero, 23, has started the season in Single-A St. Lucie after he pitched there all of last season and part of 2008. So his career could be classified as “stalled” right now. Last year he started 22 games, throwing 107.1 innings with a 3-11 record and a 4.61 ERA.

So far this season the Mets are getting fewer innings from their starters, 105, than all but four teams in the game; only two teams have thrown more innings than their bullpen, 71.

Curt Schilling, former Red Sox ace, current ESPNBoston analyst went on ESPN Radio’s “The Herd with Colin Cowheard” and blasted Yankees starter Javier Vazquez as somebody who can’t pitch in New York or the American League.

Schilling on Vazquez not being good enough for the AL: “I never ever thought the move to New York the first time was a good one [for Vazquez]. And I didn’t think this [move] was good as well,” Schilling said.

I know, I know. You’ve never heard of Tom Milone. He’s just another no-name pitcher toiling somewhere within the deep recesses of the Washington Nationals’ minor league system.

You’ve seen the various top-20 prospect lists for 2010 and he’s nowhere to be found.

*Yawn.*

“Wake me when we get to the All-Star break," you might be thinking.

OK, you’ve never heard of Tom Milone. I got that. But I’m very sure that, prior to his call up in mid 2007, you had never heard of John Lannan either.

I've been debating recently why it is that Javier Vazquez has been put on this Earth.

If you asked Javier, he'd probably say he's here for his wife and three beautiful children. That would certainly make sense. His Wikipedia page states he's a huge wine aficionado, so maybe he's just here for the fermented grapes. Then again, he may go the religious route and say he was here for God. That's kind of the safe choice when asked these types of broad-based questions.

But you and I know none of that is true.

There are probably fewer things more frustrating to a sports fan than watching an expensive, recently imported veteran player repeatedly fail in his efforts to help the team.

The more prior success he's had, the more money he's making, the more you had to give up to get him...well, that all just makes it worse.

And then there's Javy Vazquez.

Vazquez had all of those things against him:

The White Sox begin a six-game road trip in Texas tonight and are currently on a three-game winning streak, winning the team's first series of the year against the Seattle Mariners.

The White Sox offense simply doesn't make sense.

There is really no other way to put it.

The team is batting a Major League-worst .222 to go along with the seventh worst number of runs scored, sitting on 74.

Okay, that makes sense.

As part of the Tampa Bay Rays' housekeeping after Dioner Navarro's two-game suspension, the Rays optioned long man Mike Ekstrom to AAA.

Ekstrom's spot was taken by Durham catcher Jose Lobaton. 

It will be a short stay for Lobaton. Once the Oakland two-game series is concluded, Navarro will be back with the team.

Joining him will be a new reliever.

The 2010 MLB season is a young three-weeks-old. After watching plenty of games, seeing highlights, and looking at too many stats, I’ve already come to many conclusions about many of the teams this year.

These are just my opinions and many are going to disagree with me, but  I’m not going to care if you agree with me or not. Remember, it’s just how I see it.

How I see it is this

The Tampa Bay Rays are going to be in the playoff race throughout the whole season and could very well win the AL East if they keep up their offense.

Major League Baseball finally brought the hammer down on Tampa Bay Rays catcher Dioner Navarro Tuesday morning.  Navarro was suspended for two games for bumping an umpire this past weekend.

Now on to the fun part.

This means Rays fans will get at least two more long looks at the emerging youngster John Jaso.  And it has been a sight for sore eyes.  Jaso has caught the attention of both Rays fans, teammates and coaches alike.