Yardbarker: Joe Mauer

MLB Top Weekly Performances - Catchers

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:58:36 -0500

Who were the top three fantasy performers at each position this past week? Beginning with the catchers, the Screaming Sports team hand out gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three statistical players at every position. Navigational links appear at the bottom of each article.

The Race: American League Central

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:48:04 -0500

In case you haven't noticed, the best pennant chase in Major League Baseball is not happening in the American League East. It's actually happening in the AL Central, where the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are fighting for the top spot.

How Are The Twins Leading The AL Central?

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:08:06 -0500

I wasn't surprised to watch the Twins take 2 out of 3 from the Tribe over the weekend. Anytime you face an Indians lineup that features the Humanitarian's Row of Marte (.167), Gutierrez (.213), and Cabrera (.204) in the 7,8,9 holes, you have a good chance of taking the series (and Cabrera's average is inflated due to the hitting tear he's been on over the past few days). Here's what surprised me; entering tonight's action the Minnesota Twins held a half game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

Twins prepare Liriano defenses

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:33:37 -0500

Only a few days after the Minnesota Twins were seemingly discovered to be conspiring to limit Francisco Liriano’s service time, SSNN got a hold of an internal memo that outlined the ten potential defenses that the Twins could use when they are taken to task by the players’ union in the coming weeks. Here it [...]

MLB Top Weekly Performances - Catchers

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:14:18 -0500

Mid Season Report

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:07 -0500

The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins. Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far. AL East Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that's with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox. Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won't make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything. Red Sox win division. If it wasn't for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era. Twins win the division. AL West Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won't be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Angels' pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson. The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball. Needless to say, Angels win the division. I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series. NL West Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it's hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That's right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more? The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place. This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks' pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship. Arizona wins the division. NL Central This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively. This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn't this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs' lineup reads like it's very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto. Cubs win the division. NL East The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA. The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place. The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies' playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets' pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped. I just don't think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good. The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils' struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that's without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division. I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I'm going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs. That will bring us to the ESPN's ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again) Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama.

The National Spotlight

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:30:27 -0500

It was a long night for those that watched the entire All-Star Game and festivities. If you tuned into FOX from the beginning to end, it was more than five hours of baseball. I decided to watch the game from beginning to end, all the way up to Morneau's winning run. It was a lot of fun, and with the Homerun Derby and game put together was one of my favorite All-Star Breaks to date. Joe Mauer represented the Twins well, drawing a walk and reaching on a single in his two plate appearances. Joe Nathan entered the game early and received a lot of praise from the FOX crew. It was nice to see Nathan do so well, and it was refreshing to see him finally get some credit for his career accomplishments. Justin Morneau wasn't a starter, but entered the game in the sixth inning and by the night's end played an entire game's worth. Morneau was the Twins' MVP representative in New York, winning the Derby and then doing very well in his five at-bats. Morneau went 2-4 on the night for the American League including an intentional walk, a double and a single in the final inning. Justin started the fifteenth inning with a single, and came around to score for the second time on the night. Morneau received a lot of national attention over the past two days, making covers of newspapers all over the Nation after winning the derby and crossing the plate to the give the American League home field advantage in the World Series.

Bodog AL MVP Odds

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:52:52 -0500

On to Bodog's MVP odds. They're all listed prior to their write-ups, so I won't bother posting a table up top.

Josh Hamilton, +200
Last night certainly helped, although his odds haven't changed since Monday afternoon. The Triple Crown talk has fizzled, at least for the moment, as his average is down to .310. The MVP campaign is obviously still in full force though, as he has 25 more RBIs than anyone else in the league.

There are various concerns here. One is how his body will hold up. He played just 90 games last year, and only 26 after July 7. But the more important issue is the quality of his team. Thanks to a team ERA+ of 81, the Rangers are 7.5 games back in the West, and only fifth in the Wild Card race, six games behind Tampa. It's entirely possible that Hamilton wins the MVP, but he's got way too much going against him to be worth it at +200 in mid-July.

Justin Morneau, +400
Morneau is a former MVP, has 68 RBIs, and his team is overachieving. That is essentially his campaign at the moment. Considering the Twins' chances of making the playoffs are about +400, and it's highly unlikely he wins the award if they don't, this is certainly not a good price.

Ian Kinsler, +550
This number actually came out at +400. There is no doubt Kinsler's having a great year, hitting .337/.397/.548 with 23 steals in 24 attempts. The second baseman leads the league in VORP, at 52.4. But the MVP? Even with his first half, he hasn't received much hype at all. He runs into the same problem as Hamilton, of playing on a third place team, except Kinsler is miles behind him in terms of name recognition, public perception, and the ever-important RBIs (Kinsler has 58).

Alex Rodriguez, +750
He missed three weeks, which means his counting stats won't jump off the page at the end of the year, so the Yankees would have to make a run at the playoffs for him to have a shot. He does have a current line of .312/19/53, so it's not unreasonable to think he could end up at .310/40/115. The problem is that won't be good enough if the Yankees don't make the playoffs, and it's far from a lock if they do. He's got a shot, but it's probably more like 12-1.

Carlos Quentin, +1200
I'd say this is the best value on the board. Quentin is looking great in the HR (22) and RBI (70) categories, and his batting average isn't bad at .276 (his OBP is .375; he walks a lot, but I doubt that'll help his case too much). He has the added advantage of his team is the favorite to win their division. If he had more of a name, he'd probably be the second favorite after Hamilton.

As it stand, though, the fact that he was a relative unknown before this year will hinder his campaign. It also makes it unlikely he can sustain this pace--his PECOTA, pro-rated for 650 PAs, coming into the year was .263/17/77. Even considering that, I think we'll start hearing a lot more about him in the national media if the White Sox stay on top of the Central, and he's got a chance at winning the MVP.

Jermaine Dye, +1500
Manny Ramirez, +1500
Evan Longoria, +2000
J.D. Drew, +2000
Joe Mauer, +2000

Dye would have to catch up to Quentin--he only has 56 RBIs--to receive any serious consideration. Considering some of the years that Manny has had without ever even finishing second, he would have to have an absolutely enormous second half. Longoria has gotten a lot of attention recently, but he's still only at .275/16/53, and his team isn't exactly a lock to make the playoffs at this point. Drew is having a monster year--.302/.412/.572--but his counting stats aren't as impressive, and it's likely that his reputation precedes him with a loft of the writers. Most of Mauer's value is in his position, his defense, and his OBP, which aren't exactly in the forefront of the voters' minds.

Francisco Rodriguez, +2500
Grady Sizemore, +2500
Kevin Youkilis, +2500
Carl Crawford, +3000
Mariano Rivera, +3000
Milton Bradley, +3000
Miguel Cabrera, +5000

Did you know K-Rod has walked 26 guys in 42 innings? That certainly doesn't portend well for his ERA over the next 2.5 months. Thigpen in '90 isn't the great comparison, since he had a better ERA (1.83), but his team didn't make the playoffs (he finished 5th). In '03, when Gagne went 55/55 with three losses and a 1.20 ERA, the Dodgers missed the playoffs and he finished sixth, while winning the Cy Young. The best comparison is probably Smoltz in 2002; 55 saves, 3.25 ERA, Braves won the division by 19 games. He finished eighth.

Field, +550
The only hitters I can reasonably makes a case for here--and this is really stretching it--are Vlad, Curtis Granderson, Jim Thome, and Magglio. I guess you can throw Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay in the mix, and maybe some unlisted closers--Papelbon, Nathan, maybe Jenks. Regardless, I can't see there being any value in this. Those guys are all real longshots.

Random All Star Festivities Thoughts

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:32:56 -0500

You know me and my random thoughts that seem to go in many tangeants. Well it seems that I have a lot of things to talk about during the All-Star Break but unfortunately nothing of great substance. So here's a few quick hits to let you know what's going on at The BearDown during the slowest sports week of the year.

Roto Reference First Half Fantasy All-Stars

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:32:58 -0500

*Hint* Josh Hamilton isn't just a Home Run Derby Wonder!

All-Star Lineups

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:34:20 -0500

AL Lineup:

1. rf Ichiro Suzuki

2. ss Derek Jeter

3. cf Josh Hamilton

4. 3b Alex Rodriguez

5. lf Manny Ramirez

6. dh Milton Bradley

7. 1b Kevin Youkilis

8. c Joe Mauer

9. 2b Dustin Pedroia

P Cliff Lee

NL

1. ss Hanley Ramirez

2. 2b Chase Utley

3. 1b Lance Berkman

4. dh Albert Pujols

5. 3b Chipper Jones

6. rf Matt Holliday

7. lf Ryan Braun

8. cf Kosuke Fukudome

9. C Geovany Soto

P Ben Sheets

The Yankee Stadium All Star Game: 1977 vs. 2008

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:52:31 -0500

In case you haven't been paying attention to the rampant stretches of white columns that have been terrorizing New York landmarks in the commercials airing on Fox, next week happens to be the MLB All Star Game which is being played for the final time at the current version of Yankee Stadium.

The last time the All Star Game was hosted by the Yankees was 31 years ago in 1977, years before it "counted". Lots has changed for the mid-summer classic since those days. In 2008 we have the whole "winner takes home field" scenario, the phenomenon that is Internet voting, the phenomenon that is Japanese people taking full advantage of Internet voting and two days before the game we get to see a softball exhibition that features baseball legends, celebrities and occasionally Kevin James. We have an underwear company as the title sponsor, a four-hour Homerun Derby and of course we have the Best Damn Red Carpet Special which features the coveted record for longest red carpet in the history of man.

With all that, you have to assume Bud Selig is beaming with pride at what he's created.

But does all the fluff make for a more enjoyable game? You can dress it up as much as you'd like, but ultimately the quality of the game itself is going to depend on the quality of the players playing. With that in mind, how would the 2008 All Star Lineup stack up against its 1977 counterpart?

With roughly 73 players on each roster, for brevity's sake our comparison was kept to starting lineups only. And trust us, that was not a decision made lightly since a couple of fellas by the name of Goose Gossage and Dennis Eckersley were on the bench in '77. We don't bypass easy mustache jokes often.

First Base
Steve Garvey, Rod Carew vs. Lance Berkman, Kevin Youkilis
In 1977 Rod Carew finished the season batting .388, hit a career high 14 homeruns, won the MVP and presumably did it all while occasionally sporting an Olivia Newton John headband. Opposite him was Steve Garvey, he of the multiple paternity suits and celebrity bill-fishing tournaments that featured the sheriff from Murder She Wrote.

The 2008 lineup brings us a man who calls himself The Big Puma hitting .344 with 22 bombs as we approach the break (Lance Berkman) and Kevin Youkilis, the Greek God of Goatees That Look Like They Could Used As Belt Sanders. Berkman's comparables on baseball-reference.com at this point in his career include Albert Pujols and Hack Wilson. Youkilis' comparables include someone named Wayne Nordhagen.

Verdict: 2008 ? Because if Steve Garvey were to host a celebrity Puma hunting tournament, he'd get mauled.

Second Base
Joe Morgan, Willie Randolph vs. Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia
Both the old-timers have their own set of issues in 2008, as Randolph just got canned from his job with the Mets two years removed from an NLCS appearance and Morgan has become best known for being a stubborn, stats-hating announcer who really doesn't watch much baseball despite it being his job to. As players, neither had any problems with Morgan winning two MVP's in leading the Big Red Machine and Randolph, while not quite the equivalent of his counterpart, appearing in five All Star Games, four of those coming as a Yankee.

If any modern day player could warrant comparisons to Joe Morgan, it might be Chase Utley. Both have a unique combo of power, average and quality defense from a premium position. If only Chase could start spouting off idiotic commentary and motivate someone to start a site called firechaseutley.com we might not be able to tell them apart (besides Utley's precious locks). Pedroia is only in his second season so there's no real way to predict if he'll surpass Randolph in his career, so we'll call that matchup a push.

Verdict: 2008 ? Maybe we just can't get past Joe Morgan: Professional Announcer.

Third Base
Ron Cey, George Brett vs. Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez
Let's do this one by nicknames:

Ron Cey = The Penguin
George Brett = Mullet
Larry Jones = Chipper
Alex Rodriguez = A-Rod

So you've got The Penguin and Mullet (seriously, apparently George Brett was known as "Mullet" early in his career; the guy was so far ahead of his time) versus Chipper and A-Rod. The MLB Nickname Selection Committee was clearly much more creative in the 70's.

Verdict: 1977 ? Because Chipper sounds like the type of named that should have been retired after being mocked in 5th grade gym class.

Shortstop
Dave Concepcion, Rick Burleson vs. Hanley Ramirez, Derek Jeter
In 1977, Rick Burleson was a starter on the All Star team after posting a .298 average, 2 homeruns and 28 RBI, and that was the good half. He inexplicably made a repeat appearance in the All Star Game the next year in a season which he wound up hitting .245/.295/.339 with 5 homeruns and 49 RBI. In '77 and '78 he finished 22nd and 36th in MVP voting respectively, proving once and for all that it's really sort of pointless to count all the way to 36th place in MVP voting. But damned if this guy wasn't camera friendly.

Of course, rugged handsomeness aside, all this means that Dave Concepcion is pretty much on his own in taking on rising star Hanley Ramirez and New York legend Derek Jeter. Those two have both the hype and the performance covered. Sorry, Dave, you lose.

Verdict: 2008 ? But we think that Burleson could give Jeter a run for his money in groupies if he were in his prime today.

Catcher
Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk vs. Geovany Soto, Joe Mauer
Soto is quickly establishing himself as close to a lock for the NL Rookie of the Year and Mauer has a batting title and vintage "Brandon Walsh from 90210" sideburns to his credit, but c'mon they're up against Carlton Fish and Johnny freaking Bench, two of the greatest catchers to play the game. Maybe in ten years this will be closer, youngsters.

Verdict: 1977 - And just so you know, Mauer, you aren't the first catcher to strap on some sideburns.

NL Outfield
George Foster, Dave Parker, Greg Luzinski, vs. Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Ryan Braun
Screw baseball, the combination of George Foster, Dave Parker and Greg Luzinski could beat the ever-living shit out of the entire 2008 roster without so much as putting a scratch on Foster's tinted pimp shades. And they might be motivated to do so when they saw that Japanese voters somehow got Kosuke Fukudome voted in as a starter.

Verdict 1977 ? Greg Luzinski scares me.

AL Outfield
Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Jackson, Richie Zisk vs. Manny Ramirez, Ichiro Suzuki, Josh Hamilton
Let's assume that the two legends of the Red Sox franchise ? Manny and Yaz ? pretty much cancel each other out. One is a Hall of Famer, the other is going to be, both are beloved in Boston, one was the last player to win a Triple Crown, the other looks like he hasn't washed his hair in ten years, blah, blah.

That leaves us with Reggie Jackson and someone named Richie Zisk for the old timers, and Ichiro and Josh Hamilton for the newbies. In Hamilton, the game has its feel-good story - a former phenom turned crackhead turned phenom again who leads the Majors in RBI at the break. In Jackson, you have a phenom turned combatant with Billy Martin turned potential assassin of the Queen of England. Both have overcome their share of problems en route to their success.

I would go over why Ichiro Suzuki is superior to Richie Zisk, but frankly I have no idea who Richie Zisk is.

Verdict: 1977 ? Crack is one thing, being robotically programmed to kill the Queen of England is another.

As for the pitchers, it's not official who will be named starters for the 2008 game, but it is probably a safe bet that both leagues won't be sending future Hall of Famers to the mound. That was the case in 1977 when Jim Palmer started for the AL and Don Sutton started for the NL. Yeah, that's right, a man who wasn't afraid to be photographed wearing nothing but a glove and a g-string went up against one of the best white jheri curls the league has ever seen. Advantage 1977.

Overall
Even in spite of Bud Selig's laundry list of intended improvements to the All Star Game, according to our very pragmatic viewpoint, it still appears as if the 2008 game will have slightly less star power than last one to hit Yankee Stadium. It's tough to duplicate a game that featured nine eventual Hall of Famers in the starting lineups alone. With eight more on the benches, the grand total of players who ultimately got plaques in Cooperstown on hand at the 1977 All Star Game was 17.

Not even the world's longest red carpet can make up for that gap in talent.

FInal AL All-Star Game Voting Update has Tight Races

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:36:12 -0500

Many of the American League races will hinge on the final days of balloting for the 79th All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, July 15th at Yankee Stadium. Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, Boston Red Sox teammates Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia and Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who is vying for the third starting outfield slot, cling to tight leads.Mauer (1,632,338 votes), who has an edge for the second straight week, leads Boston’s Jason Varitek (1,487,390) by less than 145,000 votes. On the right side of the infield, the pair of Red Sox continues to hang on in their bids to make their Midsummer Classic debuts; Youkilis (1,915,376) is in front of Minnesota’s Justin Morneau (1,641,467) at first base and Pedroia (1,669,216) is outpacing Ian Kinsler (1,485,530) of the Texas Rangers at second. Suzuki, an A.L. All-Star in each of his seven Major League seasons and a fan-elected starter six times, leads a crowded pack in contention for the final starting outfield position with 1,397,460 votes. Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero is fourth with 1,187,273 votes.The two leading American League vote-getters comprise the left side of the infield of the host New York Yankees. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who was Major League Baseball’s most popular choice in last year’s All-Star balloting, has vaulted to the top of this year’s A.L. totals for the first time with 2,518,067 votes. Right behind him is his teammate, shortstop Derek Jeter, with 2,507,534 votes. Rounding out the top five most popular American Leaguers are designated hitter David Ortiz (2,482,981) and outfielder Manny Ramirez (2,409,388) of the Red Sox along with Major League Baseball’s RBI leader, outfielder Josh Hamilton (2,327,467) of the Rangers.With the in-stadium phase of balloting at Major League Baseball’s 30 ballparks complete, final votes can be cast exclusively on MLB.com and all 30 Club Web sites via Monster All-Star Online Balloting, which closes at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2nd. The 2008 American League and National League All-Star Teams will be revealed on Sunday, July 6th on the “MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevy,” televised exclusively on TBS at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) with Ernie Johnson as host and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken as analyst. The American League All-Star Team will have nine starters elected via the fan balloting program, while the National League All-Star Team will have eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads – 23 for the N.L., 22 for the A.L. – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers – American League skipper Terry Francona of the Boston Red Sox and National League manager Clint Hurdle of the Colorado Rockies – in conjunction with Major League Baseball.Immediately following the announcement of the American League and National League All-Star rosters, fans will have the opportunity to select the final player for each League's 32-man roster at MLB.com. The Monster 2008 All-Star Final Vote will provide fans the opportunity to cast their votes from a list of five players from each League over a four-day period. For the fourth year, fans will be able to vote for their Final Vote selections on their mobile phone. Both winners of the Monster All-Star Final Vote will be announced after the voting has concluded on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, fans once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the 79th All-Star Game’s Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet via the Monster All-Star Game MVP Vote on MLB.com.The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, being held at Yankee Stadium in its final season, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage that will also be available on XM Satellite Radio, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage.The remaining updates will be released as follows: BALLOTING ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULE Tuesday, July 1st NL Balloting Release #6 Sunday, July 6th: Starters Reserves Announced Select Read More (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=2311 Itemid=1) to see details of the final American League All-Star Game voting update

How Will the Twins End Up?

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:42:59 -0500

How good will the Minnesota Twins do this year?

Series Preview: Twins at Red Sox

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:14:20 -0500

3 game series at Fenway Park Game 1 Monday 7;05 ESPN Baker (5-2, 3.65) vs. Matsuzaka (9-1, 3.12) Game 2 Tuesday 7:05 Blackburn (7-4, 3.78) vs. Lester (7-3, 3.21) Game 3 Wednesday 1:05 Hernandez (9-5, 5.18) vs. Beckett (8-5, 3.70) Season Series: Minny leads, 3-1 Key Twins: -C Joe Mauer .325, 4HR, 37BI, 54R, .415OBP Minnesota's All Star catcher is second in the league [...]