My last post for 2010

I guess it is appropriate that I am in San Francisco for the last day of 2010.For all time, 2010 will be associated in baseball with the Giants and their unlikely title.It was a good year to be a Giants fan... just ask my dad.It was a good year to be a Rangers fan.It was a good year to have Roy Halladay on your fantasy team.It was a good year to be Joe Mauer or Adrian Gonzalez's accountant.And it

Ron Kittle - Another random card found in my old closet

Rummaging through my old closet, I found this gem from the 1989 Topps Traded Series. Ron Kittle, the 1983 Rookie of the Year, had three tours with the White Sox. One with the horrible SOX across the chest uniforms and the last one with the traditional pinstripe Sox uniform.This card has him with the totally forgettable cursive C hat after his brief turns with the Yankees and Indians.I have yet to

The Rays proposed stadium... or Jabba the Hutt's sail barge?

Well if the Rays build this, they should only hope to have as big and lively a crowd as Jabba's crew. Just beware of R2 units shooting light sabers from their head. They can bring the party down in an awful hurry.Either way, they should hire the Max Rebo band.

Rolando Roomes - Another random card found in my old closet

Going through the same box of baseball cards in my old closet, I pulled out this "Score" rookie card for Cincinnati Reds outfielder Rolando Roomes.Let's face it, he had one of the coolest names in baseball. Shouldn't someone whose name has an alliteration as well as a bad ass first name like Rolando be a star? The P.A. announcer should relish saying his name every time he comes to bat. "

Sully Baseball Honors... Luis de los Santos

Going through my old baseball cards tucked away in my parents house, I stumbled across one for Luis de los Santos. Chances are you never heard of him, and don't feel bad if that is the case.But I believe this obscure player, a native of the Dominican Republic who grew up in New York and was drafted by the Royals a few picks ahead of Tom Glavine, is worth honoring for a few reasons. One of those

Tampa Bay—a place to move a team to, and from - My Latest for The Hardball Times

In my latest article for The Hardball Times, I take a look at the two different perceptions of Tampa Bay as a baseball location:An ideal untapped revenue producer that was destined to lure an existing franchise...And a misguided Major League location that just isn't going to work.There seems to be no middle ground on the Sun Coast.To read the article, click HERE.Tampa Bay fans fans can send hate

Sully on What's on Second: The Seamheads.com Radio Hour

Seamheads, the wonderful site of terrific baseball writers, has an in depth baseball discussion every week called What's On Second. Tonight's show features yours truly.Michael Lynch, Dan Schlossberg and Jess Coleman and I discussed Hall of Fame, the value of wins and where will the next 300 winner come from.You can listen to the show HERE.Enjoy!

I can't be the only person who liked the trident Mariners hat

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Mariners and part of me will always love the trident hat. There is something so simple and perfect about it.The trident brings about the image of the sea and they didn't take the obvious route of putting an S on the hat. It is totally a 1970s look without being 1970s outrageous.It was such a cool hat and one that could have survived the test of time, but

A Christmas gift for Padres fan: Optimism

This Christmas, some baseball fans should already be pessimistic about their teams chances in 2011.The Pirates are obviously not going to be good and their losing season streak will no doubt reach a shameful 19. The Royals waved the white flag with the Greinke trade. The Mets and Cubs are a year away from a massive relief of bad contracts expiring. The Diamondbacks should have another year

I hope everyone's December 25th is terrific

I will say Merry Christmas to all of my readers.I will also say Happy Holidays.And if either one of those statements offend you, then that is a YOU problem.No matter what your religion is, or no matter if you even follow a religion, I hope your December 25th is filled with joy, happiness or at least some kick ass Chinese Food.A few years ago, I suggested we celebrate the birth of Rickey Henderson

Manny to the Yankees? Another Christmas gift for Red Sox Nation

Could it be?Seriously... could the Yankees be finally saying to the world "WE ARE RUDDERLESS!"?The Yankees are potentially thinking about bringing in Manny Ramirez?Why not just tell Andy Pettitte to stay home?Why not tell Derek Jeter "We think the clubhouse has been too peaceful"?Could the Yankees be reverting back to all of their awful late 1980s, early 1990s habits of bringing in people that

Some Green from the Teal - Giving the Florida Marlins some credit

It is easy to trash the fish for their cheap ways. But right now they are looking to make the NL East very very interesting in 2012.The Marlins are indeed the strangest franchise in all of American sports. On the surface they look like a classic Quadruple A team like the Royals and Pirates. They trade veterans for prospects, turn those prospects into big league players and when they ask for too

Celebrity sighting of the day: Rickey Henderson

I was driving to the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto today with my wife when she asked me to drop her off and finish her Christmas shopping. There was no parking left so I circled the mall as she ran in and bought her last few gifts.While orbiting the parking lot, I saw a Latino couple walking across the street towards the mall. Walking with them was an African American man who was dressed

I'm really looking forward to playing with Adrian Gonzalez. Wait, what did you say?

This picture was taken at the exact moment that someone informed Orlando Hudson that he signed a contract with a rebuilding team.Don't worry O-Dog. Play well in 2011 and you'll be traded to a contender by August 1.

Instant replay for balls and strikes... my latest for The Hardball Times

Get ready for the hate mail from baseball purists. Not only am I in favor of Instant Replay in my latest for The Hardball Times but I say technology should be used to call balls and strikes more accurately.I just posted it and already the comments are piling up.Enjoy the article HERE.

Zack Greinke helps complete the Gary Sheffield trade

I started thinking about Gary Sheffield when Zack Greinke arrived in Milwaukee yesterday. Let me explain.There was a telling moment in Zack Greinke's introduction to the local press. He said "The main reason I wanted to get out" and he stopped himself with a smile and made a correction "I mean preferred to get out of Kansas City..." and he continued.The first statement was the correct one. He

The Brewers Statement: We are NOT Kansas City (nor Pittsburgh for that matter)

When the Royals traded Zack Greinke to Milwaukee the other day, there was a beautiful symbolism to the move that wasn't lost on me.Greinke wasn't dealt to New York. Forget the spin of "He couldn't handle New York." Neither the Mets nor the Yankees have the prospects to have pulled off the trade.He wasn't dealt to the Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Angels or Dodgers.The Royals, a small market club that

Will by NL Central pick be once again a year early?

This September I pointed out that I am not very good at picking who will actually win the NL Central, but I AM good at figuring out that the consensus pick will probably fall short.In 2009 everyone and their cow was picking the Cubs to win.I picked the Reds. The Cardinals won (I picked the Cardinals for the Wild Card.)In 2010 everyone and their moose was picking the Cardinals to win.I picked the

Brian Cashman is having a hell of an off season

On December 3rd of this year, Brian Cashman rappelled off of a 350 foot building in Stamford Connecticut. He did NOT fall to his death.And that is probably the one positive thing that has happened to Cashman this off season.As of this writing, Cashman's improvements to the team have been NOT losing two Yankee legends, signing a non tendered catcher from the Dodgers, an adequate lefty reliever

Post Season MVPs versus their past or future teams - Another insane Sully Baseball list

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that every once in a while an idle thought would enter my cranium and it would evolve into me doing an elaborate list writing entry here.My entire 800 page Home Grown vs Acquired Series started from the simple question "I wonder if the Red Sox had better luck acquiring players from other teams or developing their own talent."I chronicled how

Bobby jenks and his bond with Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon

Today the Red Sox took a flier on former White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks for some bullpen depth. How could it hurt?But as Jenks changes the color of his Sox, he has a unique bond with current Boston pitchers Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon:All three were the pitchers on the mound when their team won the World Series.Beckett tagged out Jorge Posada on a little dribbler to end the 2003 World

Hey! The Yankees signed an ace! (In 2003)

The Yankees signed Mark Prior.So is THIS their Plan B after losing out on Cliff Lee?A rotation that needs durability and youth has been replenished with a guy who has thrown zero innings since 2006?Why not just activate Whitey Ford?

Can we please ease up on the "Cliff Lee turned down money!" rhetoric?

I am getting a little tired of hearing about all the money Cliff Lee walked away from when he signed with the Phillies.Yes, he could have tens of millions of dollars more if he signed with the Yankees and Rangers. And yes it is rare for a player to NOT sign for the highest dollar.But let's slow down the selfless Cliff Lee not caring about money storyline please.He isn't walking away from the

Rest in Peace, Bob Feller

Baseball lost one of its greatest figures tonight when Rapid Robert, Bob Feller, passed away in Cleveland, Ohio.His biography reads like a slice of Americana that Norman Rockwell would say "Oh come on... that's too much."The farm boy from Iowa whose father builds him a baseball field.The star pitcher who was signed for a dollar and a signed baseball.Striking out 17 batters as a 17 year

A potential solution one of the Vikings problems for this weekend

So the Metrodome roof has collapsed in a piece of video that looked like it was directed by Michael Bay.Now the Vikings need to play more football on Monday night and it looks like they will try to play it at the University of Minnesota.According to Yahoo Sports, there are big problems... like the cold weather freezing the concession stands... clearing off the field... clearing off the stands.All

The six identities of the post-1988 Dodgers - My latest for The Hardball Times

The Dodgers haven't won the National League Pennant since winning the 1988 World Series. And since then what was once the most stable organization in baseball keeps drastically changing their identity every few years... and 2011 will be the beginning of yet ANOTHER incarnation.I wrote about the six identity changes the Dodgers have gone through since the Kirk Gibson homer in The Hardball

File this under HOLY CRAP! Cliff Lee goes back to the Phillies

OK, who saw THIS coming?Seriously... when I heard the Phillies were wandering in the mix for Cliff Lee I thought "They are still trying to make up for sticking Lee in the Roy Halladay trade. They are at least showing their fans that they knew they screwed that up."It seemed like it was for show.And I had asked Phillies fans to let their team off the hook for dealing Lee.But obviously they weren't

Carl Pavano and the American Dream

Has there ever been a player in baseball history with better timing than Carl Pavano? It’s staggering if you think about it from a certain point of view.If I turned the clock back just two years and mentioned Carl Pavano’s name, it would be a baseball punchline.He was the $39.95 million bust with the Yankees… the guy who pitched 9 games total in his last three years with the Yankees… the guy who

Cliff Lee... one the best post season pitchers ever? Not so sure about that.

The Cliff Lee sweepstakes keeps on rolling and I hear commentators and writers talk about how he is an All Time great post season pitcher.Now I am not going to belittle his post season record but let's calm down for a little bit.First of all, if I turned back the back the world a la Superman all the way back to 2008, Cliff Lee's career post season numbers would look like this:0 Games.So he went

I actually am happy for Cleveland fans this off season

Why do you ask?Imagine if Cliff Lee was still with the Indians and he was the bad ass Cy Young winner and hope for any World Series title by the Lake.Then imagine if he was going through this whole footsie with the Yankees, Rangers and the Indians this off season and EVERYONE trying to guess where he is going to go.Will he stay here.Will he take the big bucks elsewhere?Will he go to New York?And

Hope you enjoyed having the Vikings, Minnesota!

The Metrodome roof collapsed.I can't be the only person to think "How did it take that long to finally cave in?"Seriously, it's been open since 1982 and most people first really saw it during the 1987 World Series. And I think EVERYONE thought it looked like a pastry that would collapse if a sparrow landed on top of it.So here we are, nearly 30 years later, and snow caved it in.And with it caves

Reviewing who was traded for Cliff Lee

As the baseball world focuses on Arkansas for the first time EVER and wonder where Cliff Lee will go, one thing is certain:One team will be grumbling when the season begins that all of their courtship yielded nothing.Well, if he goes to New York, the Rangers will get a pair of draft picks.And if he goes back to Texas, the Yankees will still have the money and some prospects to try and make

How happy are the Twins they signed Joe Mauer when they did?

Not that Joe Mauer came cheap. He is paid like a unique superstar which he is.But holy cow, compare Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth's contract and their worth to Mauer... an MVP batting champion home town hero catcher?And if he was on the open market can you imagine the Yankees desperate to make a splash and with a huge hole at catcher and an inviting right field porch doing the bidding?Can you

Another Cliff Lee thought

Each day Cliff Lee doesn't sign, it seems like the Rangers, the Yankees and probably some other team add more money to the offer.Each week that goes by it seems like another year is thrown onto the contract.What if Cliff Lee waited until just before spring training?Get the teams all sweating.He could have a 15 year contract for $375 million.Hey, it's worth a shot!

Hey Arte! You can still make this biggest splash this off season!

Arte Moreno, I understand you aren't happy that the Angels stayed home this October. Since you took over the Angels in 2003 (when they were still the defending champs), the Angels have made the playoffs in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009... yet have yet to make it past the ALCS under your guidance.I know that this year with the injuries and Kendry Morales breaking his own damn leg must have

Aww... Wittle Derek's Feelings Got Hurt

Now before I get bombarded with Yankee fan e mails calling me a gutless, hating Red Sox fan, let me get a few things out of the way.1) Derek Jeter is a great Yankee.2) Derek Jeter has been a wonderful superstar.3) Derek Jeter belongs in the Hall of Fame.4) I would have loved to have seen Derek Jeter in a Red Sox uniform.5) I have praised Jeter on this blog with this post, this post and this post.

If all things were equal, Cliff Lee should be a Cardinal

Wherever Cliff Lee will sign, it will be for the biggest contract. And why not? Would YOU turn down the most dough?And after being a Cy Young winner in 2008, he has played for four different teams. So why shouldn't he go for stability in his life now?And of course the Yankees are front runners.The Rangers want him back and supposedly there are some other clubs in the running.If it weren't a money

Red Sox get Carl Crawford! Two can play this evil game!

It's starting to feel a lot like 2003, 2004 and 2005 in here. And your pal Sully couldn't be happier.As I wrote back in 2007, the Red Sox are an evil empire as well. And MAN it is fun to root for the bad guys!The Red Sox picked up the best two left handed bats available and didn't have to give up Jose Inglesias,, Ryan Kalish or Daniel Bard.They've gone from having a rotation of Darnell McDonald,

Thank Goodness I know Luke Scott's take on Obama's birth

Seriously, it is very important to know this Good Ole Boy's take that he doesn't think Obama was born in America.It's important for all of us to hear the well researched and relevant take of the Orioles left fielder on an event that happened well before he was alive, let alone an event he was a witness to.Now there is a birth certificate, announcements of birth and an eye witness to the

NO! Red Sox... do NOT sign Kevin Gregg!!!!

Ken Rosenthal is pretty good at his job... but PLEASE be wrong with this Tweet!Seriously Red Sox... why bring him in? For MULTI YEARS?You want multiyears?How about 2008 when he all but sabotaged the Marlins playoff run? I wrote about that when I trashed the Cubs for signing him.He was awful with the Cubs in 2009. I wrote about that when I trashed the Blue Jays for signing him.He was mediocre with

TRADING THOSE UNTRADEABLE CONTRACTS - My latest for THE HARDBALL TIMES

In my latest article for The Hardball Times, I take some more awful contracts and see if I can make a few garbage-for-garbage deals.Read the article HERE.

A quick question for whomever designed this Sports Illustrated cover

Looking for a pic of Steinbrenner for another post, I stumbled across this Sports Illustrated cover from 2003.And the premise is clear for the 2003 Baseball preview... pitching wins and George Steinbrenner has paid to make sure he has the best staff.Pettite, Mussina and Clemens all belong. (David Wells who was also on the team just released his book and I guess was persona non grata.)And you have

Miller and Steinbrenner fell short of the Hall... this can't be shocking

Neither Marvin Miller nor George Steinbrenner are going to the Hall of Fame... at least not this year. And no disrespect intended towards Pat Gillick (who I believe deserves his selection) but he didn't have 1/10th the impact on the game that Miller and Steinbrenner had.But it makes sense, their omission. It is like those years when there is a truly daring and fabulous movie that doesn't win the

I guess the Nationals found a drawer with $126 million in it

This is one of those strange moments in sport where the collective wisdom of the entire baseball community all has a single opinion of something... and when it will inevitably come true, there will be a "WE TOLD YOU SO" ringing so loud through the land that windows will vibrate.In 2006, Jayson Werth was an injury prone outfielder who played for the Blue Jays and then the Dodgers. He missed the

I am thrilled about Adrian Gonzalez but...

One element of it is sad and one element worries me.Of course the greedy Red Sox fan in me couldn't care less about the Padres. But the baseball man in me wonders why the Padres, with a staggeringly low payroll and revenue sharing, couldn't sign Adrian Gonzalez to a 5 year extension.A great hitter and San Diego native could have been the face of the franchise like Joe Mauer is to the Twins. A 5

Thank you Hideki Okajima

The Red Sox non tendered Hideki Okajima the other day, thus ending his 4 year run in Boston. It was probably time. He had a mediocre 2010 and pitchers in their mid 30s tend to not improve over the years.But before he goes off (and as a left handed reliever will inevitably find work) I ask my fellow Red Sox fans to tip their hats to him.Remember this was the guy who was basically supposed to be

Hank... you are no George

I never want to hear Hank Steinbrenner try to talk tough about the players ever again.It's like hearing Julian Lennon. You kind of look like your dad and sound like him... but you aren't the real thing.He tried to talk tough about Jeter and his contract and how they don't owe him anything.And guess what? The Yankees caved.Was ANYONE ELSE offering Jeter a contract remotely close to what he signed?

Rest in Peace, Ron Santo

In many ways Ron Santo was the Cubs answer to Phil Rizzuto.He was a great player, a borderline Hall of Famer who, like Rizzuto, was surrounded by many other Hall of Famers (Banks, Jenkins, Williams...)He was a fan favorite whose value went beyond the stats, kind of like the Scooter.And as a announcer, he did not fill the role of skilled broadcaster but like Rizzuto, that's what made him work

THE BIGGEST DEAL OF THE OFF SEASON

I was going to take the weekend off and take care of some things around the home... but the news of the big deal just made it imperative that I chime in.I am of course referring to Jack Hannahan signing with the Cleveland Indians.The left handed hitting jack of all trades infielder is a career minor leaguer with one complete big league season in 2008 for the A's.And now he brings his stick and

Taking a break for a few days

Sully Baseball will be back after the weekend

Saluting Bobby Jenks

Today the White Sox parted ways with Bobby Jenks.It hardly comes as a shock.He had injury issues last year and his production was dipping. He is arbitration eligible and would be paid more than seven million tomatoes. But before he goes and before someone else will come in and pile up saves on the South Side, let's salute a truly odd tale of baseball redemption.Jenks was a product of the Angels

Why I don't believe this Magnum PI clip

Look, I loved Magnum PI like everyone else did. And I LOVE 1980s baseball... so you would think this clip of Magnum at a bar with Tigers greats Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker would be goosebump worthy for me.But there's something about it that doesn't ring true for me. Watch the clip and we'll discuss it.Magnum is such a huge Tigers fan and yet he doesn't recognize the greatest double play combo

Come to Fenway, Carl

It's a little better than the Trop.There is the Green Monster in left rather than those stupid rings in the Trop that you could hit with a flyball.And oh yeah, they don't have to literally GIVE tickets away to fill up the place.I think you'll like it.I know trying to sign Crawford away from Tampa, which the Red Sox are evidently trying to do, makes my team as greedy and as vulture like as the

Giants sign Pat Burrell and fill their need for a hitter who can't field and strikes out a lot

That is according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, and why would he lie to me?But it strikes me as an odd move.Yeah he got a bunch of big homers when he came over to the Giants after being cut by Tampa.And sure he is a graduate of Bellarmine Prep in San Jose was a local kid who helped the Giants win their first World Series title by the Bay.But let's face it, a lot of Pat

The Mets and Cubs should trade their trash

I am currently writing a new post for The Hardball Times where I try to put together a mega trade involving lousy contracts.I wrote two similar pieces last off season... one where I had a three way trade involving Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano and Barry Zito.The other one was a 9 team 11 player deal that was totally insane... although one part of it DID come true: Carlos Silva was in fact traded

Give the Rockies credit... they give their fans players to cling to

You are going to hear a lot of mixed opinions about Troy Tulowitzki's long term contract extension with the Rockies.Jeff Passan has already chimed in on Yahoo. The panel on MLB Network is split on it. (John Hart pointed out what a no brainer Grady Sizemore's super stardom looked like.) And more will come down the pike.And yes people are pointing to the Rockies rotten contracts for Mike Hampton

HARDBALL TIMES POST - The Major League Life of Cliff Dapper

My latest article for the Hardball Times chronicles the life of Cliff Dapper, the former Dodger catcher who was traded for Ernie Harwell.I had written about him before, but thanks to a reader's e mail, I see his life beyond baseball is worth a tribute.READ THE ARTICLE HERE.

The 1978 Kellogg's 3D Super Stars - A Sully Baseball Salute

Today the staff at Sully Baseball are honoring the 3D Super Star cards that used to be shoved into boxes of Frosted Flakes during my youth.1978 was the beginning of me trying to understand and follow baseball. Fortunately for my sanity as a budding Red Sox fan, I didn't understand what was happening with the pennant race and what climaxed with Bucky Dent.I was just trying to learn the team names,

Vazquez won't flop as a fish

I’ve written some nasty things over the last few years about Javier Vazquez… and got an anonymous reader to lash out at me every time I did.I got on his case when he was with the White Sox and I made the easy prediction that he was going to be a flop when he returned to the Yankees.So you might think I am going to kill the Marlins for spending some of their revenue sharing by forking over $7

Rest in Peace, Leslie Nielsen

And thank you for many laughs including this wonderful scene from The Naked Gun.May they never call you Shirley wherever you are.

Take a good look at CitiField, honey...

For this will be the site of my career defining fiasco. You thought Houston and Anaheim were bad? This is New York! They REMEMBER the disasters here!(Seriously... it should be even money Terry Collins doesn't finish the season.)

The Tom House 1979 Topps Card is worth a salute

Today the staff at Sully Baseball salute Tom House and specifically his wonderful 1979 Topps Card.The card is a work of beauty as only Topps could do.First of all, Tom’s look is working big time. The glasses show he is a smart guy (who later really did earn a PhD in psychology) but the porn stache shows it is the 1970s all the way. (The Larry Wilcox blond hair helps too.)Clearly shot at spring

Beware of Birds... Orioles to be specific

What a difference a half season makes.In June, I was telling Orioles fans to save their ticket stub for a 2010 game as proof of their loyalty to the birds. They were on pace for 117 losses and being one of the worst teams in the history of the 162 game schedule era.Now a casual glance at the Orioles would see little to get excited about. They finished the season with the fourth worst record in

Honoring Turkey Stearnes on Turkey Day

Chances are you've never heard of Turkey Stearnes.You might think I am trying to make a joke, pulling an obscure player out of the moth balls and poking fun of his name.Nope.I am taking this moment to honor someone who should have been a legend in baseball history... someone who if he were born a few decades later, would have played in the major leagues and probably have been a star... maybe even

Wondering where some of my anonymous critics are now

I was reading through some old posts of mine and I checked out the Mets Home Grown vs. Acquired entry I did back in December of 2008.For whatever reason it is my most read post ever. And had the most spirited debate in the comments section.And I noticed something interesting. I pointed out that I felt that Billy Wagner's injury caused the Mets to overpay for Frankie Rodriguez and J. J. Putz.And I

Will Cliff Lee's free agency be like the end of Superman 2?

There's a great scene in Superman 2 that I will spoil here.If you haven't seen the movie... it came out nearly 30 years ago. Take your time.In the scene, the evil Kryptonians led by General Zod have been obsessing over one thing: Capturing and defeating Superman.And when they cornered him in the Fortress of Solitude, Superman was forced to go into that chamber that takes all of his powers away.

Good luck Victor Martinez

Victor Martinez has moved on from the Red Sox. There was no post season glory with him behind the plate. Heck the Sox never won a post season game in the year and a quarter he called Fenway home.But he got a few hits for the Sox, made an All Star team and was a likable enough guy to root for.This Red Sox fan wishes him well as he goes off to Detroit.Meanwhile with Martinez gone and Beltre certain

The Red Sox need to offer Mariano Rivera a three year contract

Wait a second! The Yankees are playing hardball with Mariano Rivera?Um… wow.That is the most staggeringly stupid thing I have ever heard in free agent history.YES, stupider than the Cubs offering Milton Bradley a long term deal.YES, stupider than the Rangers making Chan Ho Park one of the top paid pitchers in baseball.If there is ever a lynch pin to the success of the Yankees since 1996, it has

Latest Post on THE HARDBALL TIMES - If Jamie Moyer had been average in his 20s

My latest article for The Hardball Times ponders the question "If Jamie Moyer had pitched better in his twenties, would he be a Hall of Fame candidate?"The debate over the value of wins in determining a pitcher's worth found an interesting case study with Felix Hernandez and the Cy Young Award this year.Imagine if Jamie Moyer was on the cusp of 300 wins?CLICK HERE to read the article.

Would someone else PLEASE bid on Derek Jeter?

Derek Jeter will be a New York Yankee in 2011.Everyone on the planet Earth knows that.I am sure there is a bushman in the Kalahari desert bewildered by a Coke bottle who when asked about Jeter's contract status would reply "Jeter? *Click* He's not going anywhere! *Click*"And yet both Jeter and management are playing out a bizarre charade as if he could play elsewhere.One Yankee executive (whose

Mets search to REPLACE Terry Collins starts tomorrow

So the Mets are going to do it.They are going to hand the keys to one of the most expensive rosters in baseball and what SHOULD be one of the marquee franchises in the game to a guy who couldn't handle the baseball pressure cookers that are Houston and Anaheim.Now you are going to put him in the New York media market who want to run managers out of town on a rail AFTER they win a World Series?The

I didn't get an A in math but...

Some word problems were kind of easy.Like "If you are going to play a football game in a stadium, and the league needs to have 100 yards of playing space, 20 yards of end zone space and six feet on either side beyond the endzone... how big does the playing field have to be?"Simple addition.And if the playing space is less than the sum total of space needed, should they play there?The whole fiasco

Sully Baseball Honors... The 1981 Houston Astros Future Stars

When I was a kid collecting Topps cards, I used to love the Future Stars card.I always trusted the Future Card. Why would Topps lie to me? The players on the card were ALL destined for stardom.Granted, they didn't look 100% reliable when they picked players like Mike O'Berry and Keith MacWorther for future Red Sox stardom... but hey! Everyone can make a bad pick from time to time.Now I stumbled

I always get in trouble when I criticize the Pirates, but...

You can never accuse Pirate fans of being apathetic... at least not the ones who read what I write. As I've said before, I like the Pirates and want them to do well. And I hope that Neal Huntington helps assemble a winner and Clint Hurdle manages them back to the post season.But whenever I point out that their trades have left something to be desired or the team doesn't look that good for next

THE KING IS CROWNED!!!!!!

YES!Felix Hernandez won the Cy Young Award that was rightfully his.And we can all breathe a nice sigh of relief that the writers voting didn't say "Hey! He didn't get as many wins... how good could he be?"Best WAR for Pitchers.The best ERA.Best Hits per 9 IP.2nd best WHIP.Most innings pitched.2nd in strikeouts (1 strikeout behind the leader.)Most games started.2nd most complete games (1 behind

Mack, Grove and Foxx are ghosts trapped between worlds

Baseball loves to honor their ghosts.The legends of Yankees past hover over the Bronx, even after they crossed the street.Ted Williams’ legend is honored inside and out of Fenway.Roberto Clemente … Gil Hodges… Ty Cobb… all are honored in their old cities.Even some players who never played in their team’s new homes are honored by their transplanted franchise.Fan bases that never knew Jackie

Sully Baseball Presents The “No Not THAT One” All Time Roster

There's a great scene in Office Space where David Herman's character, whose name is Michael Bolton, explains why he won't go by "Mike" instead of "Michael.""Why should I change? He's the one who sucks."Alas that character was stuck with a name that everyone today associates with someone else.And some baseball players are stuck with that same fate.Some played before their namesake became famous...

My first article for The Hardball Times

Today at The Hardball Times I have posted my first article. It's about the Pirates and no doubt Pirate fans will hate me for it because I imply that they weren't good last year and that there is no excuse for 18 straight losing seasons.Shooting the messenger will be in the cards today.CLICK HERE to give it a read.I'll be doing articles for them from time to time.But don't worry. I'll be writing

Prove me wrong, baseball writers... vote for the King

Come on, Voters... make the right call.Felix Hernandez was the best pitcher in the American League for 2010.And if you've been reading this blog (which you are right now), you know I've covered this in detail why Felix Hernandez should win BECAUSE of his win loss total.There's nothing left to do but wait... and hope the writers made the correct choice.

How many Buchholzes are we going to get?

You get the feeling that Theo is messing with us Red Sox fans?We now have two Buchholzes for 2011... just in time for us to get confused during a game."Buchholz got hammered.""Which one?"And it gets muddled if the good Buchholz pitches poorly or the mediocre one pitches great.I hear Theo is working on bringing in another pitcher named Daisuke O'Malley.

Rookie of the Year Synergy Happens Once Every 3 Decades

Neftali Feliz and Buster Posey won the Rookie of the Year for 2010 and frankly the picks are spot on.They both had great years, both look like future stars and both sparked their teams to the post season.Voters made their selection before the post season began, so they had no idea that Feliz’s Rangers and Posey’s Giants were going to meet in the World Series. It was a nice coincidence. And it got

Sully Baseball Presents THE ALL STAN TEAM

You don't meet too many Stans any more. Not sure why. It is a good reliable name. But for whatever reason it has faded away as a name the way that Edith and Ethel have fallen out of style for girl names.But to honor that fading from memory name, I decided to create a 25 man roster using only guys named Stan.As always, I list 8 starting players, 5 starting pitchers, 5 relievers, a pinch hitter, 2

Twins... don't change a damn thing about Target Field

Justin Morneau is complaining about the dimensions of Target Field and he wants them changed?Um, Justin. Your team was 52-28 at home. That's a .654 winning percentage. If the Twins played to a .654 winning percentage for a full season, you'd win 106 games.If I were you, I wouldn't want a DAMN THING changed about Target Field. So a few homers turn into doubles... keep winning there and it will

Didn't you used to be Andrew Miller?

In 2006, the Tigers drafted Andrew Miller, a top prospect out of UNC. He was a Golden Spikes nominee, the top pitching prospect in college and the #6 pick overall.He was in the big leagues later that year and looked like he was going to be the real deal.By the end of the 2007 season he was a key part of the trade to bring Miguel Cabrera, one of the legit MVP candidates in the game, and was off to

Who didn't deserve a post season MVP? Who should have won it instead?

Edgar Renteria very well may have ended his long and solid career as a World Series hero. He showed his class by refusing to have a parade in his Colombian home town, wanting those resources to go people who NEED it after a series of floods in the region.(A ballplayer REFUSING adoration? What a concept!)He certainly deserved his MVP award with his unexpected heroics at the plate. But sometimes

Rest in Peace Dave Niehaus

One of the great things about having the XM Radio and the MLB package on the computer is I can listen to broadcasters that normally I would NEVER hear.And when I had the chance to hear the Mariners broadcast, I loved Dave Niehaus... his great pipes, his humor, his "My oh My" calls and of course his grand slam descriptions. "Get out the rye bread and mustard it is GRAND SALAMI TIME!"So it is sad

Batting a thousand

This is my 1,000th post of 2010...more than I posted in 2007 and 2008 combined.Not all the posts have been great.This one won't be my most memorable either. BUT I felt it was worth noting.OK, back to writing about baseball in this off season.

Chris Rock inspired a post about the All Star Team

In the DVD extras for The Tenth Inning, Chris Rock talked about “Affirmative Action Home Runs.” He was referring to the level of play in baseball before integration and how major league baseball’s all white competition lowered the level of the game. He asked us to imagine the All Star Game with no black players and no Latino players.“David Wright would be the best player in baseball.”The staff

Does Omar Vizquel have 201 hits left in him?

Omar Vizquel is going to be 44 next season… and he has a contract to play for the White Sox.He will be a mentor to the talented young infielders with Chicago. Gordon Beckham at second, Alexei Ramirez at short and Dayan Viciedo at third could be as talented a collection of infielders as you will see in the bigs… and each can learn a little from the master.Vizquel will always be considered one of

My wife and I got very different things out of The Tenth Inning

I was watching the second part of The Tenth Inning last night with my wife.I found it to be a wonderfully produced retrospective of the exciting, controversial and tumultuous past 15 years of baseball. I was moved by the heroics of Ripken, Big Unit, the post September 11th World Series and Maddux.I was challenged by the steroid era and its legacy and got goose bumps reliving the roller coaster

THIS is why part of me will always support the White Sox

I watch The Tenth Inning last night, and no surprise at all, it was terrific.But I can't help but think of how a White Sox fan would be annoyed by it. They spend a huge chunk of the episode chronicling the Red Sox, their fans and their agony and the jubilation of 2004.They break down the underrated agony of the San Francisco Giants and the crushing 2002 World Series defeat.They review the Cubs,

HEY BASEBALL!!! Embrace new technology!

New technologies had swept through virtually every home in America… connecting people in ways that had never been seen before. Information traveled at unprecedented speeds. The news cycles were no longer contained by the daily newspaper but became 24 – 7. People were glued to their new devices, constantly being updated, constantly being entertained.The entertainment industry at first feared it,

TERRY COLLINS?

Are the Mets REALLY considering Terry Collins as a managerial candidate?Evidently they are!A guy who flamed out in Houston... a guy who had the players revolt against him in Anaheim... not exactly the two biggest baseball media pressure cookers in the land... is being considered to manage in New York City?And be asked to take over a team that has a combination of veterans and young players... a

It gets lonelier for Don Mattingly

I started thinking about Don Mattingly at the end of the 2010 World Series.Why?Because, as I wrote in a previous post, the Giants had three former Mattingly era Yankees on their coaching staff.Dave Righetti, who was the Rookie of the Year in the AL for 1981, just before Mattingly arrived.Roberto Kelly, who was supposed to be the next great Yankee superstar and make a 1-2 punch with Mattingly.And

Is Bobby Valentine just interviewing poorly?

Seriously, it wasn't that long ago that it looked like Bobby Valentine would have the pick of the litter of terrific manager jobs.Everyone knew the Braves job was going to go to Fredi Gonzalez... but the Cubs job looked available, as did the Marlins and Dodgers.The Mets were out there as were the Mariners and Blue Jays. And a place like Milwaukee could be a fit. And the challenge of Pittsburgh

Rest in Peace, Sparky Anderson

One of my favorite figures in all of baseball died today. Sparky Anderson was one of the great managers of all time and don't let any moron tell you differently.He turned the Cincinnati Reds into one of the great teams in history without a legit Cy Young contending ace.He turned around a Detroit Tigers team and put together one of the great all together ass whuppin' seasons of the past three

And now it is quiet

If the Rangers bats didn't go in hibernation, the 7th Game of the World Series would have been played tonight.For the 7th straight year, the World Series has failed to go the distance... which is as much of a reason as any for the drop in viewership. Only one of the last 7 World Series even went to 6 games... so it is hard to build up any drama there.Either way, the World Series has been clinched

The All Time Home Grown vs. Acquired San Francisco Giants without a ring Rosters

With the Giants and their fans still celebrating their stunning World Series victory, it is as good a time as any to pay honor to those who played their hearts out for San Francisco but finished their playing career without a ring.So I decided to do a Home Grown vs. Acquired entry to honor those San Francisco Giants who never got to be crowned a World Champion.As I did before, I created two 25

Sully Baseball Honors... Bobby Murcer's 1977 Topps Card

I am currently putting together a Giants blog post with lots of baseball card pictures. I needed to find one of the late Bobby Murcer in a Giants uniform and this one kept popping up on Google Images.And I can't lie to you, dear readers. I am fascinated by it.This was the picture that the Topps editor decided to go with.This is TOPPS mind you... not Fleer who, as I wrote before, had a tendency to

MY WIFE DEFEATS A FISH!!!!

As I wrote before, my wife and my fish both predicted a Giants and Rangers World Series.My wife knows a little more than my fish, and yesterday she proved it once and for all.Wifey picked the Giants to win it.Red the fish picked the Rangers.And I've never seen my wife more proud than when she reigned supreme over a fish.I can make fun of wifey half watching the games and my fish swimming around..

Say what you want about New York fans... they don't burn stuff

I know it is chic to trash New Yorkers and their fans... and Lord knows as a Red Sox fan, I get trash from them and I throw it right back.But let's tip our caps to them for a minute.They don't burn stuff when their teams win.I've lived in Los Angeles County for three years and the Lakers have won 2 NBA titles since then. Both times, people turn over cars and burn stuff.When the Red Sox won the AL

I know these are going to be popular in San Francisco but...

Why are World Champion hats always so cluttered and ugly?I was toying with the idea of getting of one these for my son... but look at it.Half of it is in 5 point Helvetica Font.

Color me impressed, Rangers fans

Soak it in Rangers fans.It's called passion for baseball. It's a long season... it's not 16 Sundays. It's every day and investing time emotion and having moments of great joy and winters of agony.And if your team wins, you are overwhelmed with joy that can make each summer after wards a celebration.Enjoy it. This frustration will pay off.I started the post season needling Rangers fans but from

The World Series doesn't top Toy Story yet

As I was watching the Giants whittle the outs away to a World Series title, my sons and a friend were in the other room watching Toy Story.When it got to the bottom of the 9th, I wanted to watch this historic moment with them... especially Aidan who has adopted the Giants as HIS team.But they were at the point when Buzz learns he can't really fly.So I watched the final pitch with my wife and our

Ladies and Gentlemen... the WORLD CHAMPION SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

There's so much to write about..There's so much to say...But right now I just want to say how happy I am for all of my friends who have lived and cried with the San Francisco Giants.And most of all I am happy for my dad.You will never see or meet a more devoted Giants fan. One whose fandom predates Willie Mays and now has taken him all the way to seeing his team win it all.Hum Baby.Enjoy it Giant

Something I DON'T want to hear from Giants fans

I do NOT want to hear Giant fans before this game saying crap like “I’d rather see the Giants clinch at home.”You can’t be picky about how you want your franchise’s defining moment.When the Red Sox were closing in on the 2004 World Series title, I had a couple of people who were RED SOX FANS say “I wouldn’t mind seeing them drop a few games and clinch in Fenway Park.”I of course beat those people

Jonathan Sanchez should start today... and here's why

The Giants should take Sanchez's sorry arm out of the ice pack and throw him today... against Cliff Lee.And I am kind of serious.Right now they have Lincecum going up against Lee. It could be a wash. Two awesome aces, neither had their best game in Game 1.And Lee knows that a win tonight could help him get that $100 million contract in the off season.So I am basically going back to the logic I

Hey Giant fans... wouldn't it have been nice to clinch in those hats?

For old time's sake... seeing the San Francisco Giants finally clinch a World Series title while wearing the orange brim John Montefusco special hats would have been a nice nostalgic touch.Ah well... I suppose you can't pick how to win it.As a Red Sox fan, I can tell you that you will attach some nostalgic value to the unis your team wears while clinching.Part of me wouldn't have mind seeing the

I told the Rangers to start Cliff Lee

As I wrote on Thursday, this is not a second guess. Cliff Lee should have started Game 4. He didn't go 5 innings in Game 1 and this could have been a series changing game.Yes I know Madison Bumgarner pitched brilliantly, but who is to say he would have pitched as well knowing how little margin for error he would have with Lee pitching for the other team.Maybe Lee goes more than 4 innings and

What did YOU do at age 21?

When I was 21 I was finishing up my junior year at NYU, eating too much Chinese food, renting movies at Kim's Video on Bleecker street and sharing a tiny apartment with a guy whose name escapes me right now.When Madison Bumgarner was 21, he pitched 8 shutout innings in the World Series on the road against an amazing offensive team to put the Giants to within one game of their first World Series

Almost first pitch...

You know where MY head is.

I want tricks, not treats from the Giants

Let's make this Orange and black day a good one for the Giants.If not, my dad might egg Jonathan Sanchez's house.

A scary Halloween thought for Giants fans

Want to hear something that should send chills up the spine for any Giants fan?Game 7 starter Jonathan Sanchez.Pretty spooky, eh?Better win these games!

Hope you Giants fans who wanted an exciting series are happy

You've got a series now... you've got drama and tension and a Game 3 starter named Sanchez who looks rattled.My father described it best. "He sh*t on the floor and p*ssed on the furniture."So I don't want to hear from any Giant fan friends that they want more drama. As if this season and the entire existence of the San Francisco Giants was the equivalent of General Zod bellowing "Is there no one

Who is my dad more mad at? Panda or Sanchez

When Pablo Sandoval grounded into a double play in the second, my dad who had been predicting Sandoval wetting the bed all day, just shot me a look that dripped of the phrase "I told you so."He's been saying that Rowand should be the DH. And so far who can argue.When Jonathan Sanchez walked Molina with 2 outs, my dad kept saying "He's going to let up a 3 run homer and put the Rangers right back

The Texas Rangers - A film by Clint Eastwood

The Texas Rangers story this season has unfolded like a movie... but not just any kind of movie.Specifically it has been a Clint Eastwood film.I'm not talking about the Spaghetti Westerns, the Dirty Harry films or even the Clyde the Orangutan movies.I'm talking about the respected Clint Eastwood films of the 1990s and 2000s.You know, the ones he churns out about once every 8 months. The ones

Haven’t you earned this, Giants fans?

I remember when my Red Sox won the 2004 and 2007 World Series, I got flack from a few of my Giant fan friends.One of them, let’s call him Greg Lee… because that is his name… said “You couldn’t have been excited by those World Series. They were blow outs.”I responded “Don’t blame the Red Sox for making those World Series boring. Blame the Cardinals and Rockies for not winning a game.”The person we

This series is OVER! (So were these)

A team that gave their fans generations of frustrations and a heart stopping playoff stormed into the World Series, out slugged the favored opposition one day, out pitched them the next and beat the other team's marquee ace (who was gone after 5.)Now they knew they had their two aces available fully rested for Games 5 and 6. Just split the next two and they'd be in the drivers seat for the World

My son Aidan noticed something

I was watching the game last night and my son Aidan sat with me.At one point he looked at the TV and had a confused look on his face.They cut to the Giants dugout...And Aidan observed "They are all wearing my hat."And with THAT moment, Aidan felt a one on one connection with the team.He took his first step into a larger world.

I don't think Eli Whiteside is getting into a game

I hope you are enjoying the playoff experience, Eli Whiteside. If you couldn't make a cameo in a 9-0 game, then it is clear that Bochy isn't going to use you.It's tough to bust into a box score when Buster Posey is the #3 hitter. And it is important to keep a catcher on the bench invcase of an injury.So enjoy the view. It's the best in the house. After Guillermo Mota pitched yesterday, it made

I know I won't be the only person to say this

And it was high school friend Marina Franco who posted this on Facebook...The Texas Rangers were indeed walkers tonight.I was rooting for the Giants of course... but wow. Derek Holland's appearance was special bad.13 pitches and 1 strike in zero innings pitched?I may not understand all the new stats people use, but I am pretty sure that throwing 0.07% of pitches for strikes is a bad ratio.That

Not a second guess

Note time and date that I am typing this.With Cliff Lee pitching less than 5 innings in Game 1, Ron Washington HAS to throw him in Game 4.As it stands right now, if the Rangers split Games 2 and 3, then they will be handing the ball to Tommy Hunter to prevent it from being a 3-1 hole.Cliff Lee versus Madison Bumgarner is a mismatch and (assuming Texas wins games 2 or 3) would give the Rangers the

Yes we Cain

Going into the World Series, I felt that if the Giants could be tied 2-2 after four games, they would be in terrific shape. So after last night's stunning offensive output, The Hum Babies are almost at the point where 2-2 would be the worst case scenario after 4 games.All it takes is a kick ass Matt Cain outing (because we ALL know the Giants aren't scoring 11 runs again.)Hands up if you would

The ghost of George visits Hank and Hal

(Hank and Hal Steinbrenner sit in their Tampa offices. The TV is on showing the Giants and Rangers playing in the World Series. Each are reading over details of Joe Girardi's contract offer. They both look up when they hear a strange rattling.)HANK:What the hell was that?HAL:Who's there?(The ghost of their father, George M. Steinbrenner III, appears.)GHOST:I am thy father's spirit,Doom'd for a

Poll Results from the Live Blog

During Game 1 of the World Series, I did a Live Blog. And along the way, I would give quick polls to the participating readers.Let's see the results of the polls:When Tim Lincecum looked shaky in the first few innings, I posted this poll.When Linecum forgot to throw to third on a run down, I asked this question.I posed this one after the Giants just looked over matched in the first few innings. A

A win is a win... no matter how ugly

Giant fans should be really happy they don't have style points for World Series wins. Because this was Jabba the Hutt ugly.In what everyone and their moose thought was going to be a classic pitchers duel devolved into a sloppier than Oscar Madison's bedroom fiasco.You had Lincecum, who pitched the first two innings like he was as high as Cheech and Chong during the car scene from Up in Smoke.In

LIVE BLOG OF WORLD SERIES GAME 1

Sully Baseball World Series Game 1

Man... this pre game coverage is making me miss the Bay Area

Don't get me wrong.Southern California is beautiful... but man the shots of San Francisco is making me want to move back up North.Either that or makes me want to eat a crap load of Rice a Roni.

LIVE BLOGGING OF WORLD SERIES GAME 1 - Tonight

I am going to try something new today. I am going to write a live blog on Sully Baseball for tonight's World Series Game.I'll be able to include some of your comments as well for this evening.Stop on by during the game. I'll try to give a different insight than what Tim McCarver can offer.

POST SEASON MVPS WHO BEGAN THE SEASON WITH A DIFFERENT TEAM

When Cody Ross broke camp with the Florida Marlins this spring, I think it is a safe bet to make that he DIDN’T think he was going to become a folk hero for the Giants in 2010.I would say he is one of the great mid season waiver wire pick ups of all time (the greatest STILL being Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1926… who the Cardinals picked up from the Cubs and he clinched the World Series that

Johnny Podres was a Padre?

How did I not know that before tonight?He was a member of the 1969 Padres.... their first season.And I am convinced the GM signed him for the Abbott and Costello esque confusion of "Who's pitching for the Padres?" "Podres." that must have happened that year.It's a tragedy that Billy Brewer never played for Milwaukee.

A SULLY BASEBALL VIDEO "Giant Torture for my Son" October 26, 2010

It's FISH versus WIFE

My playoff predictions this year were off... As they always are. (So much for my Phillies/Tampa Bay rematch.)I got the predictions of my two kids, my sister in law and a random coin toss. None of us got a Rangers/Giants match up.Do you know who DID pick the Giants and the Rangers to win the pennant?MY WIFE, LISA!(She picked the Giants because inactive left hander Barry Zito does yoga and the

A few observations about Brian Wilson

When my wife and I were watching the post game from last night's pennant win, MLB Network flashed a picture of Brian Wilson without his beard.Lisa saw it and said "It's Christopher Meloni!"He does indeed look like Stabler wearing a fake beard... maybe undercover.I will say with the big beard and the strange post game interviews, he is reminding me of Joaquin Phoenix and this whole odd new fake

THIS is why people hate the Yankees

I've had some interesting exchanges with people regarding the whole "people other than Rangers fans are going to take pleasure with the Yankees losing" concept.One person, whose name I will NOT say but you know who you are, kept trying to defend the Yankees saying "Hey, they had a terrific year and you have to give them that."As if people were saying "Man, Joe Girardi led a rag tag bunch of

Bruce Bochy - Hall of Famer?

Don't laugh... Bruce Bochy already has a pretty amazing resume as a manager. If he wins 4 more games as a manager this year, it might be time to start whispering his name around Cooperstown.Don't believe me?Well first of all he has already padded his resume with some solid credentials.He took over a Padres team after the 1994/1995 strike/lockout.Remember the Padres were a team lost in the woods

A message from my son Aidan

What can I say, Rangers fans? I WAS WRONG!

Lots of people doubted the Texas Rangers.Guess who was one of them?ME!I didn't buy them in the first half...I didn't buy them in the second half...I didn't pick them in the Division Series...I didn't pick them in the ALCS...I didn't think they'd recover from Game 1 of the ALCS...And I wondered if they had fans.And guess what?I was wrong every time.I tip my hat to the Rangers and their fans (who

BIGGEST POST SEASON SERIES UPSETS OF WILD CARD ERA - Updated to include 2010 NLCS

Last Friday I wrote a blog post about the biggest post season upsets in the Wild Card Era.And I implied that if the Giants somehow could beat the mighty Phillies that they would have to be included in that list of upsets.Well guess what?The Giants did... and they SHOULD be included.Want to read something creepy?When proposing that the Giants COULD pull off the upset in the NLCS, I tried to make a

GIGANTIC!

Oh there is lots to write about... but I am so happy for the Giants and for my dad.So let's go Giants... 4 more wins and there will be no more grumbling about Dusty Baker handing the game ball to Russ Ortiz!HUM BABY!

I hate to say "I told you so"... no wait! I LOVE saying "I told you so"

10 days ago I wrote a blog post... basically calling Joe Girardi's pitching rotation for the ALCS insane. I thought that lining up the rotation so Sabathia would not be available to pitch Game 7, flip flopping Hughes and Pettitte so Andy faced Cliff Lee and throwing A. J. Burnett in Game 4 gave the Rangers a clear and almost unfair advantage in Games 3, 4 and 7. In other words, Girardi had set

Hey Yankee fans... the Rangers MASCOT is mocking you

Are you going to TAKE THAT?(Savor this feeling, Rangers fans. If it is 1/3 as awesome as 2004, then it is sweet indeed.)

Rangers fans might not want to be throwing stones here

Hey, it's a clever sign... but remember something, Rangers fans:You are the same team that had Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez and Pudge Rodriguez when he was VERY pudgy.And A-Rod admitted he did the stuff while in Texas.(Oh yeah, they traded for Jose Canseco as well.)Best watch out while throwing those stones.Your walls are made of glass.

Giants fans... this glass is HALF FULL

Before Giants fans go all nuts about losing that game the other day, let's pull a Superman and spin the world backwards and go back in time.Let's spin in alllllll the way back ONE WEEK!If I told you as the NLCS was about to start that the Giants would be still alive after 5 games, I am guessing you would have ALL TAKEN THAT, right?Most experts, including me, had the Giants losing in 5 games. So

THE RANGERS DID IT! Mariners and Nationals... you are on the clock

The Texas Rangers are going to the World Series.Those words look strange being typed out.I honestly thought they would never make it in their history. But here they are.And I am thinking about Washington for several reasons.The Rangers WERE the second version of the Washington Senators before they moved to Arlington.The team currently in Washington, the Nationals, are one of only two franchises

Yankee haters... give them 24 hours. Yankee fans... expect to get it BADLY

I urge my fellow Yankee haters to not taunt Yankee fans tonight. In fact give them 24 hours to grieve.Out of courtesy.Out of dignity.Unless of course if you are a Texas Rangers fan.Then by all means let loose. But you must also supply a photograph of you wearing a Texas Rangers hat PRIOR to 2010.Preferably a picture of you with some classic Rangers player. Maybe with Ruben Sierra or Rusty

SPAM IS FUN!!!

Most of my readers who post stuff on the comment sections are either my faithful followers or anonymous posters wondering if I am a homosexual because I want instant replay in baseball.(Still can't figure out the connection there.)But every once in a while, I'll get a piece of spam.And today was no different.Personally, I love Spam when it is honest.I'll check the mailbox and say "Hey! Someone

A SULLY BASEBALL VIDEO "Needing a Bad Guy" October 21, 2010

Of COURSE you couldn't make this easy, Giants!

We all thought it, didn't we? When Halladay was taken out for Ross Gload and he lined into a double play, everyone watching the game thought "This is the turning point... 1 run game... Halladay is out... the middle relief can be exposed... this is going to be the night!"And when Lidge came in... admit it you thought "Oh man... he can blow it can't he?"So now they have to go to Philadelphia and

There's at least ONE family in the Bay Area not excited about tonight

The Giants are on the verge of clinching the National League pennant in what would have to be considered one of the greatest upsets in the Wild Card era.The Bay Area is going nuts and is partially in shock as Tim Lincecum will take the mound with a chance to not only win the Pennant, but set up the rotation while the Rangers and Yankees will battle deep into the weekend.You would think that the

Off sync with the Giants and my parents

I called my parents the second Juan Uribe won the game for the Giants last night to get their thoughts on the Giants somehow taking a 3-1 lead.SULLY:Some game! Up 3-1!SULLY'S DAD:I love it.SULLY'S MOM:It's great but watching it out of sync is driving me crazy.SULLY:(As confused as you)Wait. Are you watching it live or on DVR? Do you not know how it ends?SULLY'S MOM:Oh we watched the ending. But

A mystery that will perplex scientists and historians for generations to come

Why the hell did Roy Oswalt throw Juan Uribe an off speed pitch?Seriously... the guy has a busted wrist and looked overpowered on the first few pitches. He wasn't going to get around on one of those fastballs.And oh yeah, the winning run was on third with less than 2 outs.I would call that a situation where you needed a strikeout.Off speed pitch... deep fly to left... and somehow the Giants with

It is feeling a lot like 1992 around here

A franchise that had been a post season monster was on the verge of losing the ALCS 4-1 in their home park.A franchise that had never ever won a post season series had stunned the biggest and baddest team in baseball to take a 3-1 lead in the ALCS.The proud recent champion sent their stud ace to the mound... and he held serve. The big bad recent champs won Game 5 convincingly and sent the series

You are damn right Giants fans should cheer Barry Bonds

Barry threw out the first pitch yesterday afternoon in San Francisco, and no doubt people will fret over it... wondering what message it will send the kids.Funny, the other night when Andy Pettitte pitched a wonderful game against Cliff Lee, I don't remember people saying how disgusting it was that he was playing.He used the stuff.He followed Clemens from New York to Houston and back again.He

10 thoughts about Game 4 of the 2010 ALCS

Thought 1: A. J. Burnett wasn't good.There will be some defenders of his outing... that he was effective until the 6th inning and that he pitched better than expected.But let's get down to brass tacks. It was only his jaw droppingly low expectations that made this game look good by comparison.6 innings, 5 runs, 6 hits and 3 walks is not a good line. That is a 7.50 ERA. They needed a quality start

How mad were opponents of instant replay tonight?

They should be enraged!Lance Berkman hit a home run! The umpires called it that way on the field... and another one confirmed it.Umpires make calls and whether they are right or wrong and whether or not we have the technology to make calls correct and reward players for what they actually do and not for what they DON'T do... we should NEVER use that technology.That's the HUMAN ELEMENT, right?So I

Regarding A. J. Burnett

He's already thrown 2 more shutout innings than I thought he was going to throw.Color me impressed.

Show of hands, Giants fans...

If I told you at the beginning of the NLCS that the Giants would beat Roy Halladay AND Cole Hamels, raise your hand if your would take it.That if in Game 4, the Giants would face Joe Blanton, who hasn't pitched in nearly a month, and throw Madison Bumgarner, raise your hand if you'd take that.Now how about if I told you that if EVERYTHING goes wrong in Game 4... they lose 20-0 and are no hit...

The Giants leave a special message for Tim Lincecum

But whatever wins the game is fine.

I am a petty little person

My team is out of the playoffs but I am getting great joy in rooting for the Giants, my dad's team.But I am getting another perverse pleasure that I am not proud of... but I admit is there. It is always fun to not only see the Yankees lose, but to read the abject panic that happens in Yankee land by way of the New York press.It's truly difficult to understand what the New York media or any

The Bronx Job

With all of the breaking down of how Game 3 could have unfolded and how the Rangers would do and how the Yankees would do, we all seemed to forget one key factor of the game last night:Cliff Lee was pitching for a paycheck.Remember he is a free agent this off season and will be the most coveted name on the board.And if you get the Yankees lusting after you, then you can basically ask for any

Mr. Girardi... please let my son play in the game

Well it is looking less and less likely that Ramiro Pena and Austin Kearns will get any at bats this series. I mean if they don't get a mercy at bat in an 8-0 blow out, then chances are they'll be sitting along with with Javier Vazquez in the "Have Fun Watching The Game In Uniform" bench.

Wins and Losses can be unfair

Well there is no doubting who WON the game tonight. Heck, when the announcers start bringing up Sandy Koufax in their comparisons with Cliff Lee, you know you are in good company.But Andy Pettitte pitched a GREAT game tonight. He deserved better.I mean he threw 7 solid innings, let up 2 runs, all in the first inning.Technically he lost the game... but let's get down to brass tacks. The Yankees

Cliff Lee can't lose? Neither could THESE 5 guys!

It seems like a foregone conclusion by anyone NOT named Lisa Swan that Cliff Lee will win tonight in Yankee Stadium and put the Yankees in a 2-1 hole.He's awesome! He's unbeaten in the post season!He can NOT lose!Where have I heard THAT before?Oh yeah... many times and believe it or not with people with more impressive post season credentials than Cliff Lee.I am going to pull out five examples of

What if Thurman had lived?

On August 2, 1979, I was in the front yard of our home doing what I did on most summer days... playing whiffle ball with my brother Ted. My dad came out and told me that Thurman Munson had died in a plane crash.The 7 year old version of me took a moment to process this information. I remember the first question I asked was "Will he be buried in Cooperstown?"I don't know why that seemed important

Sully Baseball Honors Freddy Sez

This has been a rough year for Yankee mainstays.Bob Sheppard passed away.The Boss, George Steinbrenner is gone.And now the Freddie Sez guy is no longer with us.For those of you who don't know who he was, Freddy Schuman was a die hard Yankee fan who was at just about every Yankee game there was.(He was at all of them that I went to, and I went to a lot.)And for those of you too young to remember,

A silver lining for Giants fans

Hey!It wasn't a one run game!They've had 6 post season games and the first 5 were one run games. At least with this one Giants fans don't have to grumble about that one play or that one bad break.Yeah it was close most of the game... but 6-1 is 6-1.The Giants got out of Philadelphia was a split.Move on.Nothing to grind your teeth over with this one.

Why should umps have different strike zones?

I'm watching the Giants/Phillies game and already one of my big pet peeves in baseball has reared its ugly head.Dan Iassogna, the home plate umpire, called ball four on Jimmy Rollins to drive in the lone run of the game so far. It looked knee high down the center of the plate.An inning late, he called a pitch lower than the one thrown to Rollins a called third strike on Fontenot to end the

Anything happen in baseball while I was away?

I went to Big Bear Lake this weekend with the family...Went on walks, went kayaking, and reconnected to nature just like Emile Hirsch in Into The Wild.Anything happen in baseball?Oh nothing... except the very balance of the post season was thrown into disarray.The Rangers? Well they made the ALCS a best of 5 series with Cliff Lee pitching in 2 of the remaining 5 games on full strength.Like I said

The Yankees are partying like it is 1999

A team that has struggled to get out of the Division Series (and had a sad tendency of getting swept) crawled their way into the ALCS.They had to win the final Division Series on the road and use their ace... but the ace finished the game and the series and it was a sweet victory.But they now had to face the Yankees... a team that had tormented them over the years... and couldn't use their

Don't look for the silver lining, Rangers. It's not there

It's funny. In a strange way, nothing unusual happened tonight.Sabathia is the Yankees best pitcher and everyone on the planet expected the Yankees to win Game 1.And they did.So why does this feel like a watershed moment of devastation for the Rangers?Because it was all falling into place so wonderfully.A win in Game 1.Knocking Sabathia out early.Taking control of the game and knowing the WORST

The Don of the Phillies

I am rooting for the Giants as is my dad in the NLCS. But I have a soft spot in my heart for the Phillies because of my many relatives who lived most of their lives in the Philadelphia area.This series is going to be an interesting one because my Uncle Don, my dad’s brother, is the biggest Phillies fan of them all. I wonder what their correspondence will be like during the NLCS.Now my Uncle Don

Texas Dragonslayers

You want to slay dragons this off season, Texas… then there’s no better way to do it than this.When my Red Sox slew their many dragons in 2004, they had to go through New York to do it… facing down fears and demons that brought down the franchise for so many generations.Well, so far the Rangers have reached heights that the franchise has never scaled before. They are in the ALCS.They still haven’

BIGGEST POST SEASON SERIES UPSETS OF WILD CARD ERA

I admit, it doesn't look good for the Giants.I am rooting for them to win the National League Pennant and any team that has Tim Lincecum pitching twice in a series can't be counted COMPLETELY out.But it will be a longshot.There is NOTHING the Phillies can't do now and their lineup is a little more fearsome than the Braves.A safe bet would be the Phillies winning in 5 games.But every once in a

Are the Yankees insane?

Let's say you are organizing the entertainment at a casino.While putting the line up of shows together, you realize that you can have Frank Sinatra perform three nights... but you say "Nah... we only want Frank for two nights. We need to save his voice, so we'll book Steve Lawrence instead for a night."And when lining up the shows you say "We won't have Sinatra in our biggest show. We're booking

Circling the bases with Bill Mazeroski 50 years ago

Today is the 50th anniversary of Bill Mazeroski's homer that ended the 1960 World Series. I've seen pictures and clips of it since I was a kid. And I've always been struck by something in this famous celebration picture.There were kids running up to congratulate Mazeroski. There were also his teammates. Then there is a blue collar guy right behind Mazeroski.Then... there's this guy.The guy in the

How did we do with our picks? (And how did the fish do?)

Before the playoffs began, I made my post season picks… and compared them to the picks of my wife Lisa, my sister in law Debbie, my sons Matty and Aidan, a coin toss and which direction my fish Red swam.With the Division Series over, let’s see how we all did.SULLY’S PICKSPHILLIES over REDSGIANTS over BRAVESYANKEES over TWINSRAYS over RANGERS3 out of 4SULLY’S WIFE LISA’S PICKSREDS over

COMPLETE GAME VICTORIES TO CLINCH DIVISION SERIES (Updated with Cliff Lee)

A few days ago I wrote a post about pitchers who threw a complete game victory to clinch the Division Series.I felt it was such a rare occurrence that it was worth noting.Now it has happened twice in three days and Cliff Lee has added his name to the list. It just goes to show you, I shouldn't write lists like this until the round is OVER!Let's update it.Complete Game Division Series

Updating the No Hitter Post

Earlier this year, I wrote up a list of each teams most recent no hitter... and I should update it each time a new no hitter is thrown.And I forgot to when Roy Halladay threw his last week.So dutifully, here is the updated list of each team's most recent no hitter.THE MOST RECENT NO HITTERSFOR EACH FRANCHISEPHILADELPHIA PHILLIESRoy Halladay - October 6, 20104-0 over Cincinnati. (Playoff Game)

Once again, I feel badly for Cleveland

Cliff Lee was the Cy Young winner for Cleveland in 2008.Cliff Lee was the post season pitching stud for Philadelphia in 2009.Cliff Lee has pitched the Rangers into the ALCS with a dominating performance against the Rays this year.You can't ask for more from him... but could you imagine if the Cliff Lee of '08, '09 and '10 was even 75% there in '07?The Indians nearly made it to the World Series

THE DIVISION SERIES MVP... Updated for 2010

If there is one thing that makes less sense than having no instant replay in baseball, it is the fact that there is NO MVP for the Division Series.It's bonkers. The announce the player of the game for spring training games, but a player who has some post season heroics can't get some hardware?Well, in 2008 I had the honor of awarding THE DIVISION SERIES MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS..Last year I did it

Am I high or did Bengie Molina just steal a base?

I SWEAR I've never used a hallucinogenic... but I my eyes are telling me that Bengie Molina stole a base... and my brain can't handle that.Maybe I dropped acid earlier today and didn't know it.If he did steal that base, it takes the sting out of the triple he hit against the Red Sox last July.Then again, maybe I'm high.I'll ask the dragon I am sitting next to if he saw it too.

SULLY vs. A FISH

Earlier this month made my picks for the post season series... as did my wife.When I made MY picks, I compared them to the picks of my kids (who just liked the sounds of certain teams) my sister in law (who was more interested in which players were vegans) a coin flip (always reliable) and my fish, Red.When Red made his choices, I held up a picture of the logo of each team playing in the series

Teams that avoided the big collapse

One of two things are going to happen today at the Trop:The Rays will complete a remarkable comeback in a series where they were 5 outs from elimination and looked dead from the neck up.OrThe Rangers will have fought off a gigantic scare and win their first ever post season series.Both are pretty dramatic.We hear a lot about the teams that have come back from deep holes to win the final 3 games

The Bobby Cox Post Season Home Grown vs. Acquired Roster

I've never been a big Bobby Cox fan. In fact other than their World Series trips against the Yankees, I have always rooted against the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. I can't explain why.But I have tons of respect for Bobby Cox for putting so many winners on the field.Yeah he has had critics... most of them morons."He only won one World Series!" That's as many as Leo Durocher won... that's as

The Braves couldn't sell out the game

Think about that for a second...This is a potential elimination playoff game.The first three games in this series have been down to the wire nail biters with late lead changes.It is could be the FINAL GAME of the Bobby Cox era, the greatest run in the history of Atlanta sports.And if you wanted to go to the game, just go up to the ticket window before the game and say "One Please."That, my dear

GET A HIT, GIANTS!

I love you Derek Lowe... but I do NOT want you throwing a no hitter tonight.The way the Giants bats have been all year, it is almost startling to realize that they haven't been no hit yet.It's a clinching game, Giants.Bat on the ball... let's go!I am getting in my car to go home now. By the time I get home, I expect to see a few hits on the board.

Can't Evan Longoria afford a new cap?

Seriously... if he lost his hat, buy a new one! He signed a $17 million contract. Go on line and get a new one.Why chase down that poor schmuck to a helicopter?And why is some yahoo going to Rays games (and taking public transportation) getting on a private helicopter?Sorry, but these things bother me.

Brooks had a very bad day

Yeah yeah yeah... three errors including 2 that produced runs in a 3-2 game.Lest we forget he ALSO screwed up a sacrifice bunt in the 8th inning.I feel very bad for him.9 years in the minors... he scrapped and clawed his way to the big leagues.... he played 5 different positions in the minors trying to get a big league shot... He gets to the big leagues... hits a dramatic walk off grand slam

Complete Game Victories to Clinch the Division Series

Cole Hamels gave the Division Series a wonderful exclamation point and helped the Phillies continue to serve notice:They intend to roll over the National League.Last night, Hamels gave the Phillies their second complete game shutout in 3 games. (Granted, Halladay’s was more impressive.)But a clinching complete game shutout is nonetheless pretty dang cool.And RARE.In this day and age of high paid

Yet another inning for Bobby Cox to regret

Back in 2007, I wrote about the post season innings that Bobby Cox must grumble and grind his teeth over.Whether it was Lonnie Smith not scoring on Terry Pendleton's double or Leyritz's homer or the Astros come back in 2005... there have been many innings where if the breaks went slightly differently, Bobby Cox might have more than one World Series ring.Well throw tonight's top of the 9th on the

Best Text I Got Today

My friend and Giants fanatic Greg Lee sent me a text today."There are nights I am really happy I am NOT Brooks Conrad. This is one of them."Poor bastard.But at least his defense is distracting people from his .100 series average.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2010 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPION NEW YORK YANKEES

The Rangers are still looking for their first home playoff win in their history... and after being 5 outs from sweeping their way into the ALCS, they are forced to play a winner take all game and either get eliminated or win but not have Cliff Lee ready for games 1 or 2 of the ALCS.Is there ANYONE who thinks the Rangers could actually beat the Yankees?And if the Rays win, they'll be throwing

Teams that played only one home post season game

Reds fans have been waiting since 1995 to see a playoff game in their hometown.And guess what? If they don't win today, all they'll get is a single playoff home game.It seems almost unfair. A fan base gets pumped up and expects to have a ton of October memories... and then blink, it is over.So I wondered how many teams made it all the way to October baseball and then gave their teams only one

Jim Thome and Kenny Lofton’s post season luck

So it goes for the Twins… their post season losing streak at 12 and they have been swept out of the playoffs again.Homefield advantage?New ballpark?No difference.And it also goes for Jim Thome, who in his 20 seasons, is still in search of his first World Series ring.His luck has been truly rotten.He’s appeared in 9 post seasons, including 2 trips to the World Series (1995 and 1997 with Cleveland.

Nobody focuses on the Giants like my dad

My dad (aka Poppy) can tell you anything you want to know about the Giants.He can casually rattle off the 1954 Giants' roster...He can give you a scouting report on the current team...When new players come up from Fresno, he is anticipating their arrival...When prospects are tearing up San Jose, he has his eye on them.He is NOT a casual baseball fan. Far from it.But he is unique.He has Giants

Hey Tommy Hunter... no pressure

All you have to do is win today.And oh yeah, get the Rangers to forget the fact that they were 5 outs away from winning the first post season series in the history of the franchise.Oh yeah, if they don't win tomorrow, then they have to go BACK to Florida and face David Price in a do or die game.The direction of the franchise is at stake.So no pressure. Just win.Relax.

Which Twins would put up a bigger fight against the Yankees?

The Minnesota Twins... or MY Twins?Don't answer right away.It's a tougher question than you think.

It has come to this...

I was watching the Twins/Yankees game... and the Twins just aren't trying.My wife sat down next to me and asked "Can I change it?"I shrugged, realizing that I am about to watch a Yankee post season clinching celebration."Go ahead and change it."So I am watching now an episode of Divine Design on HGTV instead of watching the playoffs.Candice is redesigning a teenage boy's room.It is riveting.It is

Girardi is not so dumb now, is he?

When the Yankees and Rays were going down the stretch, there were a lot of Yankee fans killing Joe Girardi for not playing all of his veterans in every game. "They HAVE to win the Division!" was the rallying cry.I heard one person KILLING Girardi for not using Mariano Rivera in both games of a double header in the last meaningless weekend of the series.The Rays won the Division... the Yankees are

Were there four games played last night?

It really felt like there were more than 2 games played, didn’t there?The Reds and the Phillies played two games yesterday… in the first game the Reds showed some serious guts. They came right out swinging, homering in the first at bat.Bronson Arroyo was in control, Roy Oswalt was faltering, Chase Utley was a mess in the field and the mighty Phillies were vulnerable.Then they played ANOTHER game

Of course it was Troy F---ing Glaus

The MVP of the 2002 World Series... the man who sunk the Giants that year... OF COURSE he's the guy starting the gut punch double play to kill the rally in the 10th.Bad things happen when he plays the Giants.

There goes the "Instant Replay Slows Down The Game" argument

Another day... and once again any argument against instant replay becomes more and more moot.After Chase Utley was put on base as the tying run in the 7th inning after he WASN'T hit by a pitch, there was a bang bang play at second base.The runner was called safe, prompting Dusty Baker to come out and argue... and slow down the game. An argument that would never have happened if a replay official

I’ve heard this song before…

The Giants finished the regular season as Division Champs and got home field advantage in the Division Series. And drew the Wild Card team from the East.They won Game 1 with a complete game shutout from their ace and looked like they were cruising in Game 2.Everyone had their eyes set for the League Championship Series… and maybe if luck with have it a match up against Dusty Baker’s squad.And

That didn't take long for the Reds to show some life

I was wondering how long it would take for the Reds to get their first hit of the 2010 post season. If they went 1-2-3 in the first, I thought "Maybe it won't happen."Nope.One batter in, Brandon Phillips said "You may be a Roy, Oswalt... but you are NO Halladay!"Who knows? Maybe the Reds took their day off and decided not to be humiliated.They are already showing more guts than I thought they had

Posey was out

Hey, I'm THRILLED the Giants won... but there is a sour taste in that they won 1-0... and the only run was scored by Buster Posey who was in scoring position because he stole second base...And he was out.The replay showed it.Very easily fixable. The game pauses after a stolen base. The replay ump could have said "Hey! He was out. I just saw it."Not that it was important... in a playoff game that

A SULLY BASEBALL VIDEO - Rampaging Phillies

THIS IS THE GREATEST RANGERS TEAM OF ALL TIME

This team has already scaled the Mount Everest of the Rangers franchise.They've won 2 post season games.In fact the 11 runs they've scored in the first two games are pretty damn close to the 18 runs they scored in the franchise's first 10 post season games combined.Look, I know the Rangers have bigger fish to fry... and they are one win and one Twins loss from having home field advantage in the

A SULLY BASEBALL VIDEO - What does Fox want?

Lincecum picks up the gauntlet

My dad and I were talking about the Giants game this afternoon. My dad said "people are going to be expecting Lincecum to throw a no hitter on the heels of Halladay."Well, he took care of THAT thought with the first batter.I knew my dad was AT the game and when I saw he let up a lead off double, I thought "Oh man... please don't get rocked."He didn't throw a no hitter... but DAMN he did the next

Michael Young swung

Yup...He struck out.The video showed it.Instead they had to strike him out AGAIN and he hit a three run homer to break a playoff game wide open and possibly sink the Rays.Now were the Rays winning this game if Young struck out?We don't know.But we DO know is they unraveled after they were denied the strike out they earned.Remind me why Qualls needed to get FOUR strikes again?Oh yeah... the HUMAN

The Great Irony about the Tampa Bay Rays and today's game

All year long, the Rays played great baseball but the fans didn't show up.Today, fans packed the Trop but the Rays didn't show up.

Once again, if you are against instant replay... you are wrong

It is to the point where people who are against instant replay sound a lot like people who would insist the world is flat.They have nothing to back up their claims except tradition and an inability to accept new ideas.There isn't a logical reason to be against instant replay.Even one of the people who comment on my blog against instant replay admitted that.But we saw in the final game between the

FRANCISCO LIRIANO IS THROWING A NO HITTER AFTER ONE INNING!

Let's stay on our toes people... something MORE can happen tonight!

I'm calling this series over... Phillies have advanced to the NLCS

You know on election night, sometimes they call certain races with less than 1% of precincts reporting?On the surface it seems unfair. You can say "Hey! How do you know who won until you've read EVERY ballot."But there is the practicality. If a drag queen is running in Salt Lake City... or a Bible thumping "It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" loon is running in the Castro district of San

The Rangers matched their greatest post season ever

The Rangers went into today's game with a grand total of one post season win in their history.Now they have two.To understand how insane that is to double a team's post season success in one day, just imagine if the Yankees played a post season game... and in the process won the World Series 27 times in that day.Thus the storied history of the Rangers just got some story to it!Equally nutty...

Wow... a packed house in Tampa Bay for a playoff game!

I wonder how many of those tickets were free.

My picks... my sister in law's picks... my kid's picks... a coin toss and a fish

The playoffs are starting in less than an hour and it is time to make my official picks.Now my picks tend to suck... despite my following EVERY team in baseball and thinking way too much about, my powers of prediction leave a lot to be desired.So this year I am comparing my picks to Debbie Zambetti, my wonderful Sister in Law and a health and nutrition counselor who maintains a wonderful website

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... October 6, 2010

Oh wait!They DO start today!!!In fact they start in a few hours.Isn't this the best part of the sports year?

My wife is picking the Giants... her logic is sound

Every year I ask my loving and adoring wife for her picks in the playoffs. In 2006 she got every single playoff series correct (including each of the Cardinals upsets.)The thing is that she doesn't follow baseball. Her logic isn't always sound (she picked the Cardinals over the Tigers because Tony LaRussa is involved in animal shelters and Jim Leyland smokes.) But who cares about the method if

Coaches looking for their first ring

When the World Series is over each year, we recognize that the players on the team have their World Series rings... and accomplished the great goal that every player wants to achieve.And the managers as well are praised for reaching the promised land.But what about the coaching staff?A lot of times you see long time veterans win their first ever World Series ring as a player.I remember Harold

Real Yankee fans should be rooting for the Giants in the NL

It's very easy to be a Yankee fan now.They've won a ton of titles and are almost always playing in October. They are THE marquee franchise and virtually every huge star passes through the Bronx.Celebrities are at the games and the new Stadium is the crown jewel of baseball.20 years ago... that wasn't the case. For some people who are young fans or casual fans, this might be something startling to

A guide for Red Sox fans in picking a playoff team to root for

So the playoffs are starting and the Red Sox are on the golf course.Does that mean we Red Sox fans should just NOT watch the playoffs?Of course not... just because our team is dead doesn't mean our interest should be.Seeing that I was too young to remember 1975, I never saw the Red Sox play in October until 1986, when I was 14. Yet I never missed a post season... I would just temporarily adopt a

The Life of Brian's Beard

Whose beard looks more awkward?Brian Wilson, or the women in disguise during the stoning sequence of "Life of Brian"?

See you next season

For 22 teams, today was it. The end. And those fans go back to the drawing board hoping for a better 2011.It is an important day of the baseball calendar. If opening day is the time where optimism is abound, the last day is where some sobering reality kicks in.When you come out today, that's it. The baseball card's stats for the year are done.Some players have played their last games with a team

No person I'd rather watch a clinching with than Poppy

My dad was in town this weekend and we watched a lot of baseball. That wasn't the original plan... the plan was we'd watch his Giants clinch on Friday night and spend the rest of the weekend in L.A. County with my kids.As it turned out Cain got bombed and Barry Zito blew his chance to redeem his contract in the eyes of Giants fans.So we were glued to the set today... and watching a game with my

I can’t call the Padres chokers

I know it would be easy to call the Padres choke artists… heck you might even have the numbers to back it up.On August 25th, the Padres looked like a team of destiny. They improved their record to 76-49. They were up by 8 games in the loss column over San Francisco with 37 games to play.The Padres had a better record than anyone else in the National League by 5 games in the loss column and were

"Hey I have as much managing experience as Don Mattingly as well"

And I bet Hasselhoff would know how to fill out a line up card and what constitutes a trip to the mound.Hey Joe... you are getting out at just the right time.

IN HONOR OF JEFFREY "HAC MAN" LEONARD

An All Star for the Giants in 1987...Won the NLCS MVP in 1987 despite being on the losing team...The good news is he hit 4 homers, batted .417 and had an OPS of 1.417 against the Cardinals and sent the Giants fans into hysterics with his one flap down home run trot...The bad news is none of those 4 homers came during Games 6 and 7 when the Giants were shut out...And a man who had another nickname

Hey Tampa... you are welcome

A disappointing season has come to an end. Devastating injuries, some subpar performances and the fact that the Rays and Yankees were just better did the Sox in.All things considered, 89 wins and not being eliminated until the last week wasn't too shabby.But hey, the Sox won 4 of their last 6 against the Yankees (and the two losses were extra inning losses.) So they showed a little bit of heart

Hey Mariners... let's compromise on Felix Hernandez starting

So the Mariners are at home for the last day of the season... and I guess it is fitting for a year where many people picked them to win the AL West and instead lost 100 games that they are giving their fans nothing to cheer for on the last day.Felix Hernandez, looking to cement a Cy Young resume that has everything except the eye popping win total (although winning 13 games on a 100 loss team

The Red Sox said good bye to a beloved player properly

The World Series MVP became an official award in 1955 and only two Red Sox players have ever received it.Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell.One had his Red Sox career end so badly that he couldn't be more hated in Boston if he took a crap on Paul Revere's statue.And the other got to have a dignified day in his honor to celebrate all he meant to the club.Not bad for a guy who was the expensive

The Mariners truly appreciate their fans

Thank you fans! Now please enjoy the game that we are waving the white flag in before it even starts.Thanks for supporting a team that thought Milton Bradley would be a good power source. Thanks for cheering a team that couldn't put one 20 home run hitter, one 70 RBI man and only one .250 hitter.And seeing that the only thing left to cheer for is King Felix Hernandez, we'll take THAT away from

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... October 3, 2010

Here we are... the last day of the season... and not one single Division Series match up has been set.The Yankees played a combined 20 innings yesterday and very well might have lost the Division in the wee small hours of the morning. And the Twins may have lost homefield advantage in the Division Series and ALCS with a poorly timed losing streak.But that is NOTHING compared to the potential

Oh PLEASE start A. J. Burnett in the playoffs

Not only did he finish the season with a nifty 5.26 ERA and lost 15 games on a team that has won 95 games (he's the REVERSE of Felix Hernandez) but last night pulled a classic Chuck Knoblauch... arguing a call without calling time and letting a run score.Seeing the Yankees lost the game in the 10th inning, it is safe to say the run was important.And seeing the loss may have cost the Yankees home

Look at that! The Red Sox won a game!

Christ, I forgot what that even felt like.Well a night where the Red Sox and Yankees played a combined 20 innings, it is nice to know they had one more comeback and one more walk off win.Granted it was the Red Sox JV team beating the Yankees JV team... but think of THIS, lovers of Schadenfreude... if the Rays win a game against the 94 loss Kansas City Royals tomorrow, they will be AL East

Are the Giants and Braves drunk?

Seriously... did they start celebrating when they realized all it took was one Padres loss and they'll be October bound?The Giants are playing with the urgency of a temp checking their Facebook page.The Braves got shut down twice by the Phillies and haven't yet faced a starting pitcher named Roy.The only Phillies pitcher the Braves offense has gotten to was Mike Zagurski, who not only won't be on

Now pitching for the Red Sox... Ted McGinley

Have you ever flipped around the channels on TV and landed on a show you really liked. And you start watching it because, well, you love the show.Then you realize it isn't an episode from one of the good seasons... and it is very clear from the beginning that, while it is the same show, you aren't going to get any pleasure out of watching it.Like finding an All in the Family episode, but it isn't

Chances are there will be an upset in the Division Series

As we get ready to start the second to last day of the season, not one single Division Series match up is official yet… and that’s pretty cool. All four AL participants are in, but will it be Rays/Rangers? Yankees/Twins? Rays/Twins? Yankees/Rangers?It can’t be Yankees/Rays… the logic of which will be questioned in another post.And we know the Phillies and Reds are in… but the game of musical

Go for 20, Ubaldo

Remember when Ubaldo Jimenez was 15-1 at the All Star break? It looked like not only was he a lock for the Cy Young Award but had a legit shot at 30 wins.He got his 15th win on July 8th.If I told you that in the second half, the Rockies would have a 10 game winning streak and Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez would enter the MVP race, you'd think he'd have AT LEAST 25 wins going into the last

Was it really necessary to play a double header between the Orioles and Tigers yesterday?

Did even the fans in Baltimore want to see these two games?I mean I guess the 20,000 fans who paid to see the games must have been happy to see the birds win both games. But it is one team that played well to avoid 100 losses playing a team that has to run the table to finish about .500.One lousy team versus an underachiever who has as much chance to play a meaningful game this October as the

NOBODY can blame Freddy Sanchez

Normally when someone gets doubled up at first on a fly ball in the 9th inning of a potential clinching game with your team down, you get pissed.But I can't get pissed at Freddy Sanchez. Everyone on the Planet Earth thought that was a triple in the corner. Why the hell Ludwick was playing there I have no idea. So instead of a run in and they tying run at third with nobody out, it was 2 outs,

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... October 2, 2010

The only change in the playoff match ups came from the weather. The Red Sox and Yankees were rained out and the Rays couldn't take advantage and lost ANOTHER to the Royals.And the Twins couldn't take advantage and lost again themselves.Am I the only one who has noticed that the American League pitching for the playoffs has been pretty lousy this week, save for Cliff Lee, David Price and CC

Even God doesn't want to see this Red Sox/Yankees game

Man... ending the season with a Red Sox/Yankees showdown looked so good on paper, didn't it?Now it has all the pleasure of a trip to the DMV.Don't stop raining...

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... October 1, 2010

September is over after today... teams that are still alive tomorrow can officially say they were in it into October. But how far?It is now October and only 2 National League spots are locked up while all four playoff teams in the American League have clinched.However by the end of the day, the two Division Series could be set in the National League while nobody could know who is playing who in

Can Yankee fans read this headline without vomiting?

Carl Pavano?Leadership?The man dubbed as "American Idle" by the New York press.The man who signed arguably the worst contract in the history of the New York Yankees.I guess for a Yankee fan, a more likely headline would be ...SYNAGOGUE VOTES MEL GIBSON AS MAN OF THE YEARorPETA HIRES SARAH PALIN AS SPOKESWOMANorMICHAEL AND DINA LOHAN WIN PARENTS OF THE YEARJust goes to show you, some people are

With one swing of the bat, so many things go wrong for the Red Sox

When I heard Paul Konerko hit his grand slam while driving this evening, my heart sank. I thought all emotion was over once my team got eliminated... but I guess not.I really wanted Jon Lester to get 20 wins... Not going to happen.I wanted Jon Lester to get Cy Young consideration... Not going to happen.And I wanted the Red Sox to get to 90 wins.Well after this sweep, there's a chance they won't

IN HONOR OF KENNY LOFTON

The well traveled veteran who made a memorable cameo with the Giants in 2002...A man who played in 11 post seasons in his 16+ big league seasons but somehow never won a ring...The lead off man who homered in the Giants Game 1 victory in the 2002 NLCS over St. Louis...But he saved his most heroic moment for last when he singled home David Bell in the bottom of the 9th to end Game 5 and clinch the

IN HONOR OF BRETT BUTLER

The man who was one of the best lead off hitters during the 1980s and 1990s...The man who had to fill Chili Davis' shoes after the 1987 season and did so admirably...The man who led the National League in runs in his first year with the Giants and led the NL in hits in 1990...The man who led off Game 1 of the 1989 NLCS with a single and scored in the first off of Greg Maddux to send the Giants on

I still think 20 wins is cool

Jon Lester goes for win #20 tonight and I really hope he gets it.Of course I want ANY Red Sox pitcher to win and with the Sox still having a shot at 90 wins, I want them win as often as they can now.But 20 for Jon Lester will be sweet.I know we're not supposed to care about win totals anymore.I had someone say they are a meaningless stat.And while I wouldn't go as far as meaningless (Hello! You

IN HONOR OF BILL TERRY

The greatest first baseman the Giants ever had before moving to San Francisco...The man who in 1930 batted .401, had an OPS of 1.071, hit 23 homers with 129 RBI while striking out only 33 times. A good guy to have on your fantasy team...The man who had the unenviable job of replacing John McGraw as Giants manager...In his first full season as manager he led the Giants to the 1933 World Series,

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... September 30, 2010

September is over after today... teams that are still alive tomorrow can officially say they were in it into October. But how far?Time is running out on San Diego and despite a slew of injuries the Braves just might limp across the finish line. The Giants have all but clinched a better record than the Reds (2 games up with 4 to play is hard enough to make up for Cincinnati... but San Francisco

Rays fans got their money's worth

Free tickets!It turns out Rays fans aren't bad fans... they are just bargain hunters.Try that out in Boston or New York or Chicago or St. Louis... free tickets for a potential World Series team.20,000 of them.Actually Oakland and Pittsburgh should try that out.Hell, San Diego should have over Labor Day. They gave ONE free ticket to me. What's another 19,999 between friends?The Rays offense didn't

Girardi and Vazquez talk on the mound

At one point during a typical Javier Vazquez start (less then 5 innings, more than 5 runs) he got hit by a line from Blue Jays' John Buck.Joe Girardi and the training staff came running out to talk to him.GIRARDI: Javy! Are you alright?VAZQUEZ: I'm fine skip. Let's play ball.GIRARDI: Man this looks bad. You could have been killed.VAZQUEZ: What are you talking about? I picked it up, I threw the

A SULLY BASEBALL VIDEO - "A Question for Rangers fans" September 28, 2010

IN HONOR OF MEL OTT

The first National Leaguer to hit 500 homers...A devastating power hitter despite his small 5'9" frame...Would be the envy of Sabrmetric fans because along with his homers, he also constantly was among the league leaders in walks...Posted a 1.222 OPS, hit .389 with 2 homers in 1933 World Series win for the Giants...One of those homers came in the top of the 10th of Game 5 that put the Giants

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... September 29, 2010

All games count equally in the baseball schedule. A game won in April is the same as a game won in September... mathematically. But with less than a week to go, we have entered "You can't afford to lose a single game" territory for some teams.The Red Sox and Rockies are officially done.And look out Padres... 1 game back in the loss column is nothing in April, but quite a big margin with 5 games

2010 Boston Red Sox... Rest in Peace

Play taps.Pay your last respects.The Red Sox are not making the 2010 postseason... it doesn't matter if they throw no hitters the rest of the way and the Yankees only start Javy Vazquez, Joba Chamberlain and A. J. Burnett.They are done.I have a Red Sox fan friend who wrote to me saying "We can't blame the injuries for this season." Which is like saying "We can't blame the ice berg for sinking the

Wasn't that better than watching the Reds clinch on an off day?

Seriously. The Reds could have clinched yesterday on their off day if the Pirates defeated the Cardinals. I am sure it would have been fine for Reds fans who have been waiting since 1995 for a trip to the post season (after falling ever so short in 1999.)I guess when you've missed the playoffs for a decade and a half, you shouldn't get picky.But I am guessing there isn't a Reds fan around who

Remembering September 28th, 1987

23 years ago today, a great moment happened in San Francisco Giants history... and I would be remiss if I didn't pay tribute to it.In 1987, my family moved from the Boston area to the San Francisco Bay Area. I was still smarting from the 1986 World Series when I saw my new local team make an unlikely trip to the post season.The Giants (or the "Hum Babies" based on manager Roger Craig's

1/3 of all MLB have a shot at 90 wins

90 wins is a big number for a team.In a 162 season, teams that win 90 have a legit shot at the post season.90 wins is a mark of excellence.And by that rationale, 10 of the 30 big league teams could be excellent by the time the year is up.Right now the Rays, Yankees, Twins and Phillies have all reached 90.If the Giants and Braves win 2 more they will get to 90.If the Red Sox, Rangers, Reds and

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... September 28, 2010

The Phillies clinched home field advantage throughout the postseason (and Roy Halladay probably clinched his second Cy Young.) And soon the Phils might be aiming for the title of greatest team in Philadelphia sports history (they MUST be in the conversation!)The Reds couldn't count on the Pirates to beat the Cardinals so they'll have to clinch it themselves. It is better that way.Let's hope Cincy

I don't often quote Don Henley but...

... all I can say to Red Sox fans is "Don't look back, you can never look back."When I saw that Clay Buchholz was showing off his ace stuff and A. J. Burnett was proving that he shouldn't even be allowed to BUY a playoff ticket... I did what every single Red Sox fan on the planet Earth did:Lament what happened last night in the Bronx.3 outs away from the sweep... and tonight we'd be 3 GAMES BACK

IN HONOR OF ROBBY THOMPSON...

The man who was runner up in the 1986 NL Rookie of the Year vote...The man who put the Giants on the board in their come from behind win Game 4 of the 1987 NLCS...The man whose homer in Game 3 of the 1989 NLCS put the Giants ahead for good. (A game attended by yours truly)...The man who was a 2 time All Star, Silver Slugger Award winner and a Gold Glover winner...And a man whose glove was so old

Victor hurt again? Why not?

When it looked like Victor Martinez was going to be taken out of the game last night during that grotesque 10th inning, I thought "Why not?"Seriously... after seeing the stat that among the 19 players put on the Red Sox DL, there were 6 players on the Red Sox opening day starting line up and 9 either former or current All Stars.Victor Martinez was one of the 19, one of the 6 and one of the 9...

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... September 27, 2010

The playoff picture is a little clearer than it was yesterday...Going into yesterday there would have been a one game playoff whose outcome would determine BOTH National League Division Series match ups... and Red Sox fans had some hope.Well going into the final week of the season, three teams can clinch a playoff spot on Monday. Actually the Phillies already did clinch a spot today, but if they

Yankees read the Red Sox their Miranda rights

So many things went right this weekend...The Sox won the series and avoided elimination...The Sox knocked the Yankees out of first place...The Sox showed some grit and resolve...Jon Lester won #19...Dice-K was great...Rivera was vulnerable...And yet it ended with such a bad taste in my mouth.A bases loaded walk off walk?I never understood how those are possible.LOB IT DOWN THE HEART OF THE PLATE!

IN HONOR OF KEVIN MITCHELL

The man who scored on The Wild Pitch in Game 6 for the Mets and was dealt away the next off season to San Diego...The man who arrived in San Francisco midway through the 1987 season (with Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts) and fit into the Giants team like a glove...The man who famously didn't NEED a glove when he made that amazing bare handed catch in St. Louis...The man whose barehanded catch

A SULLY BASEBALL VIDEO - Red Sox fans... do the math

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... September 26, 2010

As we finish the second to last weekend of the season, things are clearer and things are muddier.Congrats to the Texas Rangers who clinched a playoff spot and essentially has no chance to catch the Rays, Twins or Yankees and won't have home field in the Division Series.Get your starters ready and do what you can to get Hamilton back in the line up.Meanwhile the National League race is clearer (

PLEASE TELL ME THE RANGERS GAME IS BEING BROADCAST IN TEXAS

I saw a TV listings of the national Fox games and they did NOT list the A's/Rangers game today.And it didn't list a local channel either.If the Rangers win they will win their first Division Title since 1999.PLEASE tell me that Rangers fans can... you know... watch their team win a championship.You'd think that would be a big deal, even for Rangers fans.

#1 on the Oakland A's

Flipping through pictures in Yahoo Sports tonight I stumbled across this one.A's second baseman Aki Iwamura signing autographs in an empty Oakland Colliseum (I have no clue what its official name is any more.)Do you know what struck me as odd? That #1 was available to a player who was cut by the Pirates earlier this year.Iwamura didn't have a year good enough to stick around on the worst team in

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... September 25, 2010

Things are shuffling around on the deck of the SS Playoffs... teams are being added and others dropped and playoff match ups are being mixed up.Frankly I wouldn't mind this exact playoff set up in the National League to be the final one. And the top of the American League has three teams with identical win totals and 1 game separating the three in the loss column.Let's see the current match

IN HONOR OF MATT WILLIAMS...

The Carson Crusher...The man who had an amazing NLCS in 1989, including a game winning homer in Game 4...The man who looked like he was going to make a run at Roger Maris when the strike hit in 1994...The man whose trade to Cleveland was KILLED by everyone. Who was Jeff Kent anyway?In HIS honor we will say...THE GIANTS MAGIC NUMBER IS 9!

I thought of another reason to watch the Red Sox/Yankees series

When I wrote my piece about why we should even watch this Red Sox/Yankees series, I forgot one other factor... The Red Sox could pass the Rangers in the standings. For some reason I think I will feel better about our 2010 season if they won 90 games and had a better record than one of the AL Playoff games.Now of course tonight's game was WAYYY more suspenseful than it had any reason to be... but

How bad are Joba Chamberlain and Javy Vazquez?

I know Joba and Javy have been pinatas for me all year... but let's face it, they've earned every single whack the way they've pitched.Don't believe me? Just look at last night... a game where their supposed 8th inning stud and supposed new rotation workhorse were used in their playoff roles: Mop up men.Actually Joba was given the role to get out of a 6th inning bases loaded jam and keep the game

YES... you can be a .500 winner and deserve the Cy Young Award

I heard the panel on MLB last night talk about the American League Cy Young Award today and they unanimously picked C. C. Sabathia, mainly based on his 20 wins.John Hart said that Felix Hernandez had the great numbers but his win total wasn't enough.I don't claim to know more about baseball than John Hart nor the panel.That being said, that is "smearing feces on the wall crazy."And yesterday's

10 Reasons to watch this weekend's Red Sox/Yankees Series

When the 2010 schedule was published showing the season beginning and ending with Red Sox and Yankee series, it sure felt exciting, didn't it?Perhaps there would be a great showdown for the AL East... maybe playoff positioning?When the Red Sox were hovering around contention the 6 head to head meetings over the final 10 games sure looked inviting.Now...Flop.The Red Sox are all but done... the

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY... September 24, 2010

It's getting late and tight.1 game in the loss column separate the Twins, Yankees and Rays... but they are all getting in.Atlanta, Cincinnati, San Diego and San Francisco are all tied in the loss column... and while the Reds are safe, the Braves, Padres and Giants are fighting for 2 spots.Let's see what the match ups are.AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES MINNESOTA TWINS (AL Central Champion)has

A funny thing happened on the Twins off day

The Twins didn't play on Thursday and they are still buzzing from their Division Title clinching.But guess what?With the Yankees losing, New York dropped to 92-61.The idle Twins have a record of 92-60.In the loss column, they are ahead.Can you say it with me?As I type this, the Minnesota Twins are THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL.Just something for Twin fans to savor as they eat their Corn Flakes.