Category: MLB General

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MLB Cost Index for Mon August 7 2006

[The MLB Cost Index is a calculation of the amount each team pays for a win and the efficiency of the payroll that the GM has put together.]

We hate to rub it into Cubs fans’ faces but it always amazes us that the Marlins have 1/6 the payroll but more wins than the Cubbies.

** all $ are in millions.

Rank (Pv) Team 2006 Payroll GP Wins YTD Payroll Cost/Win
1 (1) Marlins $15.0 111 51 $10.28 $0.20
2 (3) Rockies $41.1 110 54 $27.93 $0.52
3 (2) Devil Rays $35.4 112 47 $24.49 $0.52
4 (6) Pirates $40.2 112 42 $27.82 $0.66
5 (4) Twins $63.8 110 65 $43.33 $0.67
6 (9) A’s $62.3 111 60 $42.70 $0.71
7 (5) Reds $59.5 111 57 $40.76 $0.72
8 (7) D’backs $59.2 111 56 $40.58 $0.72
9 (8) Brewers $56.8 111 52 $38.91 $0.75
10 (10) Tigers $82.3 111 75 $56.39 $0.75
11 (15) Rangers $65.5 112 56 $45.26 $0.81
12 (11) Indians $56.8 110 47 $38.57 $0.82
13 (13) Padres $69.7 111 58 $47.77 $0.82
14 (12) Blue Jays $71.9 111 58 $49.28 $0.85
15 (14) Royals $47.3 111 38 $32.41 $0.85
16 (16) Nationals $63.3 111 49 $43.35 $0.88
17 (17) Cardinals $88.4 110 60 $60.05 $1.00
18 (18) Orioles $72.6 112 50 $50.18 $1.00
19 (19) Mets $100.9 110 66 $68.51 $1.04
20 (20) White Sox $102.9 109 65 $69.22 $1.06
21 (23) Phillies $88.3 110 53 $59.94 $1.13
22 (22) Mariners $88.3 110 53 $59.97 $1.13
23 (21) Giants $90.9 111 53 $62.26 $1.17
24 (24) Astros $92.6 111 53 $63.41 $1.20
25 (28) Dodgers $99.2 111 56 $67.95 $1.21
26 (25) Braves $92.5 110 51 $62.78 $1.23
27 (27) Angels $103.6 111 57 $71.00 $1.25
28 (26) Red Sox $120.1 110 65 $81.55 $1.25
29 (29) Cubs $94.8 111 47 $64.98 $1.38
30 (30) Yankees $198.7 108 66 $132.44 $2.01

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MLB General

MLB Power Rankings Roundup for July 28 2006

Don’t look now folks but the Yankees are creeping up the Power Rankings charts, making it into the top slot on the ESPN and TSN polls. The reasoning? Well, as TSN puts it: “Bringing in Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle is the kind of bold move that gives the Yankees the kind of boost in the lineup, and help in the rotation that will make them contenders right to the end, again.”

Here are the MLB Power Rankings by major sites this week.

Rank Sportscolumn ESPN FoxSports Sportsline USA Today TSN.ca
1 Tigers Yankees Tigers Tigers Tigers Yankees
2 Red Sox Tigers Yankees Mets Red Sox Twins
3 Mets Twins White Sox Red Sox Mets Mets
4 Yankees Mets Red Sox Yankees Yankees Tigers
5 Twins White Sox Mets Twins White Sox Angels
6 White Sox Red Sox Twins White Sox Twins Red Sox
7 Cardinals A’s Blue Jays Blue Jays Blue Jays Blue Jays
8 Blue Jays Angels A’s Cardinals Cardinals White Sox
9 A’s Blue Jays Angels A’s A’s A’s
10 Padres Cardinals Cardinals Angels Angels Cardinals
11-30 more more more more more more

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MLB General

Odds and Ends: Britney Spears Baby Safety Night



Ron Mexico strikes again

Ahhh those crazy minor league baseball teams and their attempts to get people to their ballparks. Tonight, the Newark Bears are hosting Britney Spears Baby Safety Night where information about baby safety will be handed out as fans dressed as babies, bringing baby toys or an actual baby will get in for free. In the spirit of Britney’s white trash hitting it big story, lottery tickets will be given out to the first 2000 fans.

No word on when ‘How-not-to-be-a-disgusting-ho-with- herpes-by-the-time-you’re-15 Jamie Lynn Spears Night’ is.

In other news…

[ESPN]:NFL debuts ref’s ugly new uniforms

[MSNBC]: Dateline’s Stone Phillips investigates how Terrell Owens could be the silent killer of your children!

[Pittsburgh Post Gazette]: Big Ben’s comeback is right on track

[NY Post]: Bill Laimbeer says he could have done a better job than Larry Brown

[NBC4]: San Jose football player arrested for robbing people via craigslist

[The Oregonian]: Akili Smith is waiting for a call

[Phillyville]: Could the Phils end up with the NL Wild Card?

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MLB General

The Full Count: It’s some sort of no hitter… right?



6 no-hit innings

1. You can’t hit me: What a tumultuous year Greg Maddux has had. After going 5-0 in April, Maddux lost 11 of his next 16 decisions. Then, he was traded to the Dodgers last week. Maybe that will start another upswing, as last night in his LA debut Maddux was almost perfect. He allowed no hits in 6 innings against the Reds but was taken out after only 72 pitches due to a rain delay. He won his 10th game of the season and 328th of his career as the Dodgers blanked the Reds 3-0. Takashi Saito recorded his 11th consecutive save chance of the year, and Los Angeles in now on a roll. The team has won 6 in a row and they are now three games back of San Diego for the division lead.

2. Let there be losing: The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds still have control of the Central division and Wild Card leads. But neither team has really helped their stock lately. After last night’s 8-1 loss to Philadelphia, the Cardinals have lost seven in a row. Chase Utley of the Phillies recorded three hits to extend his hit streak to 35, while Cole Hamels struck out 12 in the best start of his young career. St. Louis is still up by 3.5 due to the Reds’ five-game losing streak (see above). Milwaukee and Houston have hardly gained any ground either, with .500 play in their last 10 games. Some could even make a case now that the Central division is worse than the West.

3. Where was this?: Mark Teixeira puzzled fantasy owners and Rangers fans alike with his muddling 9 homerun, 49 RBI first half. But in the second half, he has shown the power that gave him 43 homers last year. Tex has equaled his first-half homerun total already with 9 since the break. He has a 1.15 OPS in that time, shaming his first-half .797. last night he hit probably his most important homer of the season, a 12th inning shot that lifted the Rangers 7-6 over the Angels. The win put Texas just a half game back of the Angels for second place in the division, and there are still three games left to play in this series.

4. Welcome to the Club: After Toronto took 3 of 4 from the Yankees in July, New York was ready to roll the next time these two teams met. They just swept a series from the Jays, showcasing their new acquisitions in the process. Yesterday Cory Lidle won his first start in a Yankees uniform, Bobby Abreu went 3-5, and Craig Wilson hit two RBI. The Yanks have now won 8 of their last 9 to take first place from the stunned Boston Red Sox. They will have an easy series next as they face the pitiful Orioles, though after that they play the White Sox and Angels.

5. The Next Best Thing: After losing team captain and leader Jason Varitek, the Red Sox will get help at catcher. The team is close to a deal with the Orioles for Javy Lopez. Lopez is upset because of his lack of playing time, and is only hitting .265 with 31 RBI. The catcher was an All Star in a record-breaking 2003 season in which he hit 43 homeruns. Now he is in the final year of a contract signed with Baltimore after that season, and he is not happy. Lopez will be traded with cash for a player to be named. The O’s are fine at catcher with near-All Star Ramon Hernandez.

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The Full Count: Chase streak at 34


1. One Crazy Night: If you like great pitching matchups or low-scoring contests, then the Phillies-Cardinals game last night was not for you. The Cardinals came into the game with five consecutive losses, and they needed a win against the weak Phillies at home. But unfortunately, Jeff Weaver was pitching for them. Weaver has maintained a consistent 6+ ERA all season, and last night was no different. He allowed 7 runs to the Phils, including a lead-off homer to Jimmy Rollins. After the 5th inning the Phillies were up 8-2, but the Cards stormed back to knock Brett Myers out of the game. Suddenly the Phillies lead had disappeared and the Cardinals had made it an 8-7 game. But then Philadelphia put the game away with a 5-run eighth, including a hit by Chase Utley to extend his hitting streak to 34. the hit was initially ruled an error, but it didn’t matter anyway because Chase added a single in the ninth. The final tally was 16-8, with St. Louis losing yet another game. They are still 3.5 up on the second place Reds, who have lost four in a row themselves.

2. Here we go: It’s August now, which means it’s time for another run by the Houston Astros. They won their 3rd game out of 4 last night to put themselves within 7.5 of the division leading Cardinals. Brandon Backe had one of his better starts as the team bested San Diego 7-1. Despite playing without stud first baseman Lance Berkman, the Astros were able to put some runs on the board. Craig Biggio, who amazingly is still playing, hit two homers to bring his season total to 13. For the Padres, this is their fifth loss in their last six games. They still have held onto the division lead, but who knows what will happen in the West.

3. Pitching beats pitching: When the Angels and the A’s get together, you know you’re in for a low-scoring contest. Both teams have won with great pitching despite awful hitting. A series between the teams has now wrapped up, and the A’s won this important divisional battle. Last night (amazingly) Esteban Loaiza did not get shelled! He won the game, only his fourth win of the year. Just imagine where the A’s would be without Loaiza, who is allowing a .322 batting average to opposing hitters. But he came up big in a big game last night, and Oakland now has a 1.5 game lead over their Anaheim rivals.

4. Bad Decision: The Indians traded away aging closer Bob Wickman in part because they wanted to see what youngster Fausto Carmona could do. Well now they’ve seen, and they would probably like that trade back. Carmona has allowed 9 runs in his last 3 appearances, losing each time out. He gave up another Boston Red Sox ninth-inning win yesterday, with Mark Loretta doubling to win the game. The Red Sox and the Yankees both won yesterday, and they are still virtually tied for the AL East lead. The Yankees have crushed Toronto to basically put them out of the race.

5. Ailing pitchers: A variety of pitchers are out with a variety of injuries, and Full Count is here to give you the scoop. Kris Benson, who has been mediocre in his first year with the Orioles, will likely be headed for the 15-day DL. But Chan Ho Park is in much bigger trouble. He will need a blood transfusion to treat intestinal bleeding that has plagued the Padres starter lately. Don’t expect him to pitch for a few weeks. Francisco Liriano won’t be put on the DL, though he missed his start last night with an elbow issue. But–ready to be shocked?–there is some good news for one pitcher. Kerry Wood, who has been injured nearly his entire life, has opted to forego surgery on his shoulder. But it’s still unlikely that he will pitch the rest of the year.

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August 3 in Sports History: Satchel Paige makes his MLB debut


In 1948: After years of pitching in the Negro Leagues, Leroy “Satchel” Paige makes his first Major League start for the Cleveland Indians at the age of 42 (nobody was ever sure of his exact age, however). Paige pitched seven innings in a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Browns. It seemed that the legend of Paige was just as great as the pitcher himself, as Joe DiMaggio once called him “the fastest and best pitcher I‘ve ever seen,” (according to Paige’s official website). Although there were very few official records in the Negro Leagues, it was believed that Paige once threw 64 straight shutout innings (Orel Hershiser holds the ML record with 59), won 21 consecutive games (Carl Hubbell had 24) and once had a 31-4 season. Paige pitched in the majors until he was 59 years old. He helped the Indians win the World Series in 1948 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.

In 1949: The NBA as it is known today is formed in a merger between the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL). The league then had 17 teams, including the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Fort Wayne (now Detroit) Pistons, Minneapolis (Los Angeles) Lakers and Syracuse Nationals (who became the Philadelphia 76ers). The Lakers won the first championship in the new league.

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The Full Count: Guillen hits for the cycle


1. The kind of Cycling we care about: Who needs the Tour de France when you can see cycling in baseball? That’s right, for the first time this season a player hit for the cycle. It was Carlos Guillen, the Tigers’ underrated shortstop. Guillen finished 4-5 with a single, double, triple, and homerun. On July 23rd he finished a homer short of the feat. Now Guillen is hitting .306 with 13 homers, 64 RBIs, and 15 steals. That makes that he is one of the top all-around shortstops in the game, and he carried the Tigers to a 10-4 victory over the Devil Rays yesterday. Justin Verlander got his 14th win, giving him the major-league lead. Verlander is now 14-4, giving him a 21-win pace. He has led the Tigers to a 71-35 record, matching last season’s win total and the best in baseball by 8 games.

2. Expect the expected: This shouldn’t surprise anyone, but the Yankees and Red Sox are where they usually are–deadlocked. The teams are tied for first place after a Yankee win yesterday while Boston was off. In Bobby Abreu’s debut with the team, he went 0-3 but they still defeated the Blue Jays 5-1. Toronto, after tying New York a few weeks ago, has stumbled and is 6.5 back now. AJ Burnett lost again yesterday and is now 2-5 with an ERA of 4.84. For those who care, the next Yankees/Red Sox series is an enormous 5-game set starting August 18th.

3. Different Directions: The NL West is crazy, has been crazy, and will be crazy for the foreseeable future. Remember when the Giants were in second place? Now they have dropped 9 straight and have free-falled to last. The Dodgers, a few weeks removed from the cellar, are in third after a four game win streak. Last night they downed the Reds 10-4 using a lineup that included the just-traded-for Julio Lugo and Wilson Betemit. As for the rest of the division, San Diego and Arizona are still clinging to the first and second spots while the Rockies are average as usual.

4. Reversal of fortunes: The Astros have been plagued over the last two seasons with 1-0 losses, usually with Roger Clemens or Andy Pettitte on the mound. But yesterday, they finally won a 1-0 game of their own. Pettitte pitched wonderfully in the win while the bullpen allowed just one baserunner. The bad luck went to Jake Peavy of the Padres, who fell to an eye-opening 5-11 after losing. Though Peavy was the Padres’ ace in 2004 and 2005 with sub-3 ERA seasons, this year he hasn’t gotten on track. He has a 4.81 ERA despite striking out more batters than ever. Strange.

5. Who wants scoring?: Apparently the Rockies don’t. According to Brewers infielder Jeff Cirillo, the team is using water-logged balls to decrease scoring at Coors Field. Once the best hitters’ park in the majors with 15 runs scored per game, now only 9 combined runs per game are scored at the park. Cirillo said he compared a ball from Milwaukee with a ball used at Coors yesterday. The one from Denver was apparently puffy, heavy, and water-logged. That’s in part because they use a humidor to prevent balls drying out due to the altitude. But are they over-using the device? Just hear this: Coors Field has hosted the most shutouts in the majors this season with eleven. Last night’s 1-0 game was the third of its’ kind at the park this year.

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August 2 in Sports History: Thurman Munson dies in plane crash


In 1979: New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson was killed when the single-engine plane he was learning to fly crashed in Canton, OH. Munson, the clubhouse leader of an outstanding Yankee team that had won back-to-back World Series titles, was 32. He was a seven-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and won the 1970 A.L. Rookie of the Year award and the 1976 A.L. MVP. He was a career .292 hitter, but hit .356 in 30 postseason games. A memorial service would be held the next night at Yankee Stadium vs. the Orioles, with 51,151 fans attending. It was the largest crowd of the season.

In 1921: The eight Chicago White Sox players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series are acquitted by a jury in Chicago. According to trial accounts, the jurors hoisted the “Black Sox” on their shoulders as they left the courtroom. Newly appointed Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis would have none of it, and the very next day he banned Buck Weaver, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Chick Gandil, Happy Felsch, Lefty Williams, Swede Risberg and Fred McMullin from baseball for life. Weaver and Jackson (although he earlier confessed to it) contended that they were not in on the fix; and despite their best efforts to be reinstated, they never again played a big league game.

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The Full Count: Big Papi does it again


1. Mr. Walk off: David Ortiz has now easily established himself as one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time. Ortiz, just two days removed from a 4-5, 4 RBI performance complete with a game-winning single, hit a walk off three-run homer in the ninth to defeat Cleveland. His 4 RBIs gave him a whopping 105 for the year, bringing his pace to 164. The last player to drive in that many runs in a season was Ortiz’s teammate Manny Ramirez, who had 165 ribbies in 1999. Papi hit two homers on the day to once again bring back his major league lead (Ryan Howard had tied him at 35). Though Ortiz is 30 and only has 214 career homers, he will elevate himself to the level of the all-time great power hitters if he can keep this pace up.

2. Hey, it’s another rookie pitcher!: The American League class of rookie pitchers has dominated the headlines. Francisco Liriano, Jered Weaver, Jonathan Papelbon, and Justin Verlander have all performed above any level expected for a rookie. But one of the best rooks comes from the National League. He’s Josh Johnson, Florida’s youngster who has a 2.52 ERA. That is good for the NL lead, which means each league’s ERA leader is a rookie and it’s the end of July. That, needless to say, is the first time that’s ever happened. Johnson received plenty of run support and won his 9th game of the season yesterday against the Phillies. He allowed just one run and five hits, with one of the hits coming against the Phillies’ Chase Utley. That extends Utley’s hit streak to a whopping 32, the best since Jimmy Rollins’ 38 game streak that ended this April.

3. Almost perfect: The Twins just wrapped up their 61st win of the season, putting them eight games back of the Tigers (who lost). They absolutely ripped through the Texas Rangers, shutting them down 15-2. The Twins’ performance was almost perfect, as they collected 18 hits, with seven starters having multi-hit games. Carlos Silva, though he has been incompetent so far this year, pitched well to earn his seventh victory. His ERA stands at 6.49, and he is the weakest link of the Twins’ otherwise solid rotation. The stunned Rangers have suddenly moved into last place in the AL West.

4. Powerhouse: What got into the Arizona Diamondbacks last night? They pounded the Chicago Cubs for 15 runs, 10 extra base hits, and 6 homers in a rout. They were one of three teams (see above) that scored 15 runs last night, a rare occurrence for sure. Secondbaseman Orlando Hudson had a career effort, with 2 homers and 6 RBIs. Arizona moved to a game back of the Padres in the NL West, and they now stand at 54-51. Brandon Webb didn’t have his best stuff but rode his offense to his 12th victory of the year. The Diamondbacks are used to wild games like this; they have scored and allowed the most runs in their division.

5. More trading: Some of the trades that went down yesterday were revealed after FC was written. The Dodgers were probably the biggest winners, acquiring shortstop Julio Lugo from the Devil Rays and legend Greg Maddux from the Cubs. LA is Maddux’s third team, and will probably be his last. Meanwhile, the Mets got reliever Roberto Hernandez and Olivier “Remember 2004?” Perez from the Pirates. They dealed outfielder Xaiver Nady for those two pitchers. Those were likely the biggest two trades of the eight that went down yesterday, but the biggest news is who didn’t get moved. Alfonso Soriano and Miguel Tejada were rumored like crazy for a trade but will stand pat.

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August 1 in Sports History: Raffy caught with steroids



I did not have sexual relat..

In 2005: Just 135 days after self-righteously wagging his finger in front of Congress and the nation, claiming, “I have never used steroids, period,” Rafael Palmeiro of the Orioles is suspended for using steroids. Palmeiro stood by the statements he made on March 17, claiming that he did not knowingly take anything illegal (where have we heard that one before?). He was still suspended for 10 days, however, and the Orioles cancelled a celebration of his recent 3,000th hit. Palmeiro only appeared in seven more games and is currently out of baseball.

In 1978: Pete Rose’s National League record-tying 44-game hitting streak came to an end, 12 games short of Joe DiMaggio’s 1941 feat. Rose’s streak (shared with Willie Keeler) began on June 14 in Cincinnati against the Cubs, and ended against pitchers Larry McWilliams and Gene Garber in Atlanta. After the game, Rose publicly blasted both pitchers for not throwing him any fastballs, despite the game being a 16-4 rout in favor of the Braves. Charlie Hustle would go on to become the all-time leader in hits with 4,256. He was permanently banned from baseball for gambling in 1989 (baseball-almanac.com).