New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been battling to hit his next home run. That homer would give him 600 for his career and would allow the extra media and fan attention thrown on him lately to subside (at least a little).
- Most baseball fans are not A-Rod fans for many reasons. Seattle Mariners fans have always showered Rodriguez with boos and derogative chants because they feel A-Rod left his team for the Texas Rangers for money. Rangers fans do not think positively of the All Star because he signed the biggest contract in pro sports history with Texas and never helped produce a winning team. Most other baseball fans have issues with A-Rod because of his personality, his contract, the over hype, and the list goes on.
- According to ESPN.com there will be another reason for Rangers fans, and baseball fans, to feel some anger towards Rodriguez. The Rangers are a team in bankruptcy and are hoping to be bought out by a new owner who will pump more money into the team doing well right now. A-Rod, however, filed an objection to the Rangers bankruptcy plan on Wednesday over concerns he will not get the $24.9 million owed him by the club through deferred payments.
- Rodriguez wasn't the only player to file an objection. In fact current Rangers player Michael Young and former Rangers Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla also objected to the plan, not to mention Major League Baseball itself objected. But that probably won't matter as much. The guy who has signed two $200 million plus contracts, the guy who almost crippled the Rangers, the perceived diva star, will probably feel most of the wrath of fans wanting Texas to move forward by filing a bankruptcy plan. Kind of funny that for years A-Rod's contract crushed the growth of the franchise, and years removed from Texas, that contract is still crushing the Rangers potential growth. (ESPN.com)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
No Hitters
Matt Garza pitched a no hitter on Monday night in Tampa for his Rays against the Detroit Tigers. Garza obviously went the distance striking out six batters and only walked one batter to give Major League Baseball it's fifth no-no of the season (sixth if you count the Tigers Armando Galarraga's 28 out perfect game).
- I have expressed at great length my reasoning behind this recent incline in no-hitters. One highly discussed and overly debated word sums it all up; Steroids. Although I think MLB should rectify it's issues with the immediate past as it relates to steroid users (see our poll question), it's tough not to give Commissioner Bud Selig credit for the new crack down on all performance enhancing drugs. Once testing became regular and once public perception of users ruined careers (see Palmeiro, Rafael - McGwire, Mark, - Sosa, Sammy - Clemens, Roger - Bonds, Barry) players, one could assume, became afraid to cheat.
- As the game has weened itself of PEDs statistics have come back down to earth which has led to five no-hitters before August this year alone. Is it fair to say that only hitters were juicing back when testing was non-existent? No, not at all, especially when you factor in how many pitchers that have been implicated by either gossip or failed tests. It is, however, impossible to ignore this trend. It seems like there are one or two run games every night in baseball and it also seems like we have had just as many no-hitters as we have had near no-hitters. Pitchers losing their bid for history in the eighth or ninth innings.
- Take Garza for example. A talented pitcher with a wealth of potential, but the Rays pitcher, after pitching his and Tampa Bay's first ever no hitter has a 4.06 ERA. 4.06 earned runs after nine scoreless and hitless innings on Monday. In fact Garza gave up seven earned just seven days ago in his last outing. He's young (26) and he is on a team in the Rays that is loaded with young talent similar to him. The issue for me, any other year a pitcher like Garza doesn't pitch a no-no.
- 'Roids came into baseball and ruined many of the great All Time record and I think, as a whole, the sport has ignored those players. That is going to have to change soon - especially with Cooperstown losing so much revenue on a regular basis. Now, with baseball closer to an even playing field than in the past 20 plus years, baseball has to deal with the impact of consistent no-no's. For decades batters exploited avenues to find an edge over the pitching in the game. Now pitchers are benefiting, but once again history is suffering.
- I have said repeatedly on the show that although the steroids in baseball seem to be close to done, the Steroid Era is not over. Not yet, not when record holders aren't allowed in to the Hall of Fame and not when pitchers are putting their dent into the record books on an every game basis. Garza is the latest pitcher to go nine without allowing a hit, but you can expect he won't be the last.
- I have expressed at great length my reasoning behind this recent incline in no-hitters. One highly discussed and overly debated word sums it all up; Steroids. Although I think MLB should rectify it's issues with the immediate past as it relates to steroid users (see our poll question), it's tough not to give Commissioner Bud Selig credit for the new crack down on all performance enhancing drugs. Once testing became regular and once public perception of users ruined careers (see Palmeiro, Rafael - McGwire, Mark, - Sosa, Sammy - Clemens, Roger - Bonds, Barry) players, one could assume, became afraid to cheat.
- As the game has weened itself of PEDs statistics have come back down to earth which has led to five no-hitters before August this year alone. Is it fair to say that only hitters were juicing back when testing was non-existent? No, not at all, especially when you factor in how many pitchers that have been implicated by either gossip or failed tests. It is, however, impossible to ignore this trend. It seems like there are one or two run games every night in baseball and it also seems like we have had just as many no-hitters as we have had near no-hitters. Pitchers losing their bid for history in the eighth or ninth innings.
- Take Garza for example. A talented pitcher with a wealth of potential, but the Rays pitcher, after pitching his and Tampa Bay's first ever no hitter has a 4.06 ERA. 4.06 earned runs after nine scoreless and hitless innings on Monday. In fact Garza gave up seven earned just seven days ago in his last outing. He's young (26) and he is on a team in the Rays that is loaded with young talent similar to him. The issue for me, any other year a pitcher like Garza doesn't pitch a no-no.
- 'Roids came into baseball and ruined many of the great All Time record and I think, as a whole, the sport has ignored those players. That is going to have to change soon - especially with Cooperstown losing so much revenue on a regular basis. Now, with baseball closer to an even playing field than in the past 20 plus years, baseball has to deal with the impact of consistent no-no's. For decades batters exploited avenues to find an edge over the pitching in the game. Now pitchers are benefiting, but once again history is suffering.
- I have said repeatedly on the show that although the steroids in baseball seem to be close to done, the Steroid Era is not over. Not yet, not when record holders aren't allowed in to the Hall of Fame and not when pitchers are putting their dent into the record books on an every game basis. Garza is the latest pitcher to go nine without allowing a hit, but you can expect he won't be the last.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
College Football Issues
In the last week football programs across the country have had to deal with possible NCAA investigations. Football programs from Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and even defending BCS champion Alabama have all come under fire in regard to rules violations involving their players and agents.
- The issue of agents infiltrating football programs, or any collegiate athletics, is hardly anything new. Agency firms, boosters, alums, and general fans have found ways to provide benefits for players for decades. However, with the latest round of possible violations involving players either signing with an agent or illegally taking money from an agent it seems like the problems has become an epidemic.
- The schools named in recent reports have mostly denied any wrong doing, but it is still likely some of the teams (if not all) will have to forfeit wins if an illegal player was involved in the games. Is that cutting the core of the issue? Schools already have administration set up to help combat illegal activity in it's athletic department. Coaches already go to great lengths to try and control each and every player 24 hours a day (outside of USC where anything goes). Further punishing the schools isn't exactly helping.
- One way to help, and I mentioned this on the show on Monday, would be to set up restrictions and regulations on the actual agency's that give the benefits to the players. I am not advocating for government involvement, but penalties that actually have an effect on the agency rather the school would probably start to curtail all of this illegal NCAA activity. In all reality it seems like there are more rules violations involving agents by the day, but how many do not get reported? It's far to rampant to stop at the collegiate level, this problem needs to be regulated with the agents themselves.
- The issue of agents infiltrating football programs, or any collegiate athletics, is hardly anything new. Agency firms, boosters, alums, and general fans have found ways to provide benefits for players for decades. However, with the latest round of possible violations involving players either signing with an agent or illegally taking money from an agent it seems like the problems has become an epidemic.
- The schools named in recent reports have mostly denied any wrong doing, but it is still likely some of the teams (if not all) will have to forfeit wins if an illegal player was involved in the games. Is that cutting the core of the issue? Schools already have administration set up to help combat illegal activity in it's athletic department. Coaches already go to great lengths to try and control each and every player 24 hours a day (outside of USC where anything goes). Further punishing the schools isn't exactly helping.
- One way to help, and I mentioned this on the show on Monday, would be to set up restrictions and regulations on the actual agency's that give the benefits to the players. I am not advocating for government involvement, but penalties that actually have an effect on the agency rather the school would probably start to curtail all of this illegal NCAA activity. In all reality it seems like there are more rules violations involving agents by the day, but how many do not get reported? It's far to rampant to stop at the collegiate level, this problem needs to be regulated with the agents themselves.
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