Yardbarker: Cristian Guzman

So Where Was Joe Morgan Last Night?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:33:23 -0500

I've been asking and being asked all day today where Dr. Joe Morgan was during the opening HOF introductions during last night's All Star Game and for the life of I me I can't find any answers. Well HR Derby has a thought and it's as good as any....

Did Morgan develop another flareup of Ryne-itis, also known as Sandberg Syndrome, wherein those afflicted can't be anywhere near the man who broke Morgan's record for Second Basemen? As you'll recall, Joe Morgan was conspiculously absent at Sandberg's Hall of Fame induction in 2005.

It's not like Joe didn't know how to get to Yankee Stadium … he was in the building the night before when he announced the 2008 Home Run Derby.

No, I think this is just another case of Joe Morgan not wanting to share ANY stage with Ryne Sandberg.

I can't believe that Morgan is still peeved about Sandberg coming out of retirement to beat is 2nd Basemen HR record, but then again this is Joe were talking about. He also had one of those stellar ESPN chats where he answered about four questions, but still didn't address it....

chris (NJ): Hi Joe, How great was last night? What was your Fav part of last night?

SportsNation Joe Morgan: We talked about Uggla making mistakes, but some guys made great plays under pressure. Cristian Guzman made a few plays with two outs and the winning run at third, and they were not easy plays. The throw McLouth made to home plate when Navarro was trying to score was great. Some of the defensive plays under pressure impressed me. I was also impressed with some of the pitchers on both sides, who struck out pretty good hitters in pressure situations.

SportsNation Joe Morgan: I also liked the aggressiveness the AL showed in stealing bases.

Very very interesting. It's a shame too because as a player he deserves to be there. It's time to stop being selfish and petty but that might be too much to ask of the good doctor.

Why wasn't Joe Morgan at the All-Star Game last night? Oh right, Ryne Sandberg was there. (HR Derby)

It Almost Got Uggla: 2008 MLB All-Star Game Thoughts

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:48:43 -0500

Dan Uggla is the talk of the internets today......yea, he had a pretty bad MLB All-Star game. But he should feel lucky, he could've been even more of a goat. Then again, he was given a couple chances at redemption and came up short.

All-Star '08: The Final Recall

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:15:26 -0500

Every year, MLB.com makes a big production "The Final Vote", letting the fans pick the 32nd man on the All-Star team in each league. But arguing about who got snubbed is really only half the fun of All-Star debates. With that in mind, I thought BBTF commenter "DKDC" had a great idea when he suggested that we vote one player off each team, too. You can now do just that in All Star '08: The Final Recall.

Below I've listed the six eligible players in each league, along with a brief summary of their candidacies. Unlike The Final Vote, you may only vote once in The Final Recall. Unless you can get past the cookies, in which case you can vote as many time as you please.

Joe Crede, CHW: On-base percentage of only .333. Zero triples. Has grounded into nine double plays. 0/3 in stolen base attempts.
Dustin Pedroia, BOS: OBP down 25 points from last year; also not as gritty. Zero intentional walks. Has grounded into eight double plays.
Joe Saunders, LAA: Not actually good; mostly a product of good defense and luck. 63 Ks in 120.3 IP. Zero shutouts.
George Sherrill, BAL: Was the third best player traded for Erik Bedard. 22 walks in 38.2 innings. ~~Five~~ Six blown saves.
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA: .068 ISO. Plays for the Mariners. May be drunk during game.
Jason Varitek, BOS: See here. Has grounded into 10 double plays. Having caught four no-hitters does not make you an All-Star.

Aaron Cook, COL: Has allowed 141 hits and struck out only 64 in 132.2 innings. Plays in a division which is the rough equivalent of AA.
Kosuke Fukudome, CHC: 65 strikeouts, only seven home runs. Has not actually caused his teammates to walk more, despite what you may read.
Cristian Guzman, WAS: 15:7 GIDP:BB ratio, which is not good. 3/6 in SB attempts. Team is rapidly approaching having a 0% chance of reaching postseason.
Alfonso Soriano, CHC: Has played in 51 games. OBP of only .332. Has 191 fewer PAs than Jose Reyes.
Miguel Tejada, HOU: Hitting .207/.262/.333 in last 45 games. Grounded into 11 double plays. Unsure of his actual age. Hitting .243/.294/.378 on the road.
Brian Wilson, SF: 16 walks in 35 innings. 97 ERA+. 131st among NL pitchers in VORP.

Voting will be open until Monday at 4pm EST.

2008 All-Star Snubs and Flubs: NL Edition

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:44:12 -0500

Yesterday, Major League Baseball announced its rosters for the 2008 All-Star Game to be played on July 15 at Yankee Stadium. Now, we take a look at the National League roster, to see who doesn't deserve to go and who got shafted. We don't have quite as many problems with the NL Roster as we did with the AL roster; that likely has something - if not everything - to do with the fact that the Yankees and Red Sox aren't in the NL. But the biggest question is, where are all the New York Mets?!?!?.......

Fantasy Baseball's All-Value Team

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:37:20 -0500

This is a team made up of all those guys who have surprised us with their sterling starts to the season. They may have been early draft picks or late draft picks – the one common denominator is that they have all out performed what most of us mortals expected. So please, sit back, grab a cold beer, and enjoy my all value team for the 2008 season so far…

Top Pickups Around the Diamond- Week 8

Tue, 20 May 2008 21:41:48 -0500

We go around different fantasy leagues to see who some of the most added players are. We look at the numbers and history to determine if this player is worth it or not.

State of the NL East: Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Braves, Nattys

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:33:40 -0500

4and26sports.com delves into the NL East.

Cristian Guzman too slow to play shortstop?

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:01:07 -0500

Guzman, while having a thick frame at 6 feet tall 215 pounds, used to be a speedster and actually a statistically solid defensive shortstop. While he has aged both his speed and his range has appeared to diminish. From 2002-2005 he had only 12, 11, 12, and 15 errors respectively, which is very very good actually. We must also realize, however, that errors don't completely reflect a shortstops range, only the ability to field the balls they get to. Bill James' range index for years has exposed the overrated fielders (Derek Jeter) in the game by studying this. We must also examine the fact that Guzman was fielding for the early part of his career on a carpet in Minnesota, and carpets are extremely

Week 6 Diamond Waiver Wire Gems

Wed, 07 May 2008 08:00:23 -0500

Another one of FIO's weekly baseball articles, staff writer Tim Hays gives you some waiver wire players who you should be paying attention to. Whether you're streaming guys at a position or need a fill-in due to injury, these are the players to look at for a pick-up.

AccuScore: MLB Waiver Wire Wonders

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:58:14 -0500

Adding a player from the waiver wire isn't about chasing the best deals available. It is important to know what your team needs before you go free agent shopping. The question is, do you know what your team actually needs? AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams shows you a three step method of evaluating your teams needs, allowing you to determine if adding Frank Thomas will actually help your team.

Nats Need to Make a Few Changes

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:51:52 -0500

This blogger from our friends at East Coast Bias (and ardent supporter of the Nationals) feels that it's high time to make some changes to the ballclub, and is fed up at the lack of hustle, the mental mistakes, and the lack of accountability by the players.

Fantasy Baseball Weekly Wonders Vol. 2

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:31:36 -0500

A look back at the surprising stars of the second full week of baseball.

2008 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings: National League

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:14:39 -0500

Here are the preliminary 2008 rankings for National League shortstops.

Curt Schilling Out Until All-Star Break, Justin Morneau Finally released

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:53:08 -0500

Curt Schilling and his ailing shoulder look to be out until after the All-Star break now. Justin Morneau, after running into a brick wall is finally being release from the hospital.

Zombies!

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:04:34 -0500

This past Firday the 13th, a baseball squad was put together featuring players pulling down serious coin but offering little in return -- zombies, so to speaK. Some are having decent seasons while others are staying in zombie character. So, have a gander at baseball's walking dead.