Before the second half of the Major League Baseball season gets underway, Bleeding Sports hands out some awards for the first half of the 2009 season. We'll start with the National League.
Biggest Surprise: Raul Ibanez, Phillies
Ibanez was a solid player who flew under the radar in Kansas City and Seattle, but even hardcore baseball fans couldn’t have seen this type of season coming. The 37 year old outfielder signed with Philadelphia in the offseason and jacked 22 home runs by June 13th before a groin injury put his on the DL. Ibanez has returned, and despite the missed time, is on pace to hit 48 long balls in 140 games played.
Biggest Disappointment: David Wright, Mets
Sure, Wright batted .324 in the first half, but, much like the rest of his teammates, the All-Star third baseman has been a major disappointment and it can’t all be blamed on spacious Citi Field. Wright is on pace to have the worst offensive season of his career after hitting an inexplicable 5 home runs and driving in just 44 runs before the All-Star break.
Breakout Performer: Heath Bell, Padres & Pablo Sandoval, Giants
It’s a tie between a couple of the NL West rivals. Bell has stepped into the closer role in San Diego, replacing all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, and hasn’t missed a beat. The former Met leads the league with 23 saves while posting a 1.69 era and striking out more than a hitter per inning. Sandoval, meanwhile, has come out of nowhere hitting .333 while belting 15 homers and driving in 55 runs for offensively challenged San Francisco. The hefty third baseman’s big bat and stellar pitching have keyed the Giants’ surprise lead in the NL wild car race.
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, Giants
Speaking of that San Francisco pitching, it would be hard to vote against last year’s Cy Young award winner so far this season. The young ace is 10-2 with a 2.33 era and a ridiculous 149 strikeouts in 127.2 innings pitched out by the bay. Is there any wonder why he was picked as the NL starter in the All-Star Game?
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals
This couldn’t anymore obvious as the reigning NL MVP is on the verge of triple crown status. Actually, forget about the Triple Crown because, other than batting average where is currently ranked 4th, Pujols leads in every other offensive category known to man. Pujols’ first half reads like a career season for most major leaguers - .332, 32 HRs, 87 RBIs in only 90 games while leading the league in walks. There isn’t a better, more feared offensive player in the game today.
Smart. Original. Sports Discussion + Analysis.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Any Magic Left in Orlando?
Tonight is Game 5 of the NBA Finals and the Orlando Magic need a victory to take the series back to Los Angeles. The Magic choked away a chance to tie the series in Game 4 by blowing a five point lead in thirty seconds. The Lakers were able to steal the victory in overtime and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The Lakers were a Courtney Lee layup away from losing game 2 and should have lost Game 4, but instead find themselves one victory away from a championship. The Magic could just as easily be leading the series 3-1. Throw out Game 1 and Orlando has been the better team. Moreover, if it wasn't for Lee's missed layup at the buzzer in Game 2 and Derek Fisher's performance down the stretch in Game 4 everyone would be talking about how terrible Kobe Bryant has been in this Finals. Bryant was the who got burned by Lee in Game 2 only to be bailed out and he hasn't been able to buy a basket in the fourth quarter in either of the two games in Orlando. If the Magic win either of the games people would be questioning whether Kobe is pressing too much.
Do the Magic have any chance to comeback from a 3-1 deficit with two still to play in L.A.? Probably not. However, one could argue that the Magic should have won each of the last three and the series isn't over yet. Look for Bryant to really try and force the issue in Game 5 in an attempt to put Orlando away. For the Magic, they have to find a way to get Rashard Lewis going after two fairly quiet performances in Games 3 and 4.
Look for the Orlando to extend the series and bring the Magic back to Hollywood.
The Lakers were a Courtney Lee layup away from losing game 2 and should have lost Game 4, but instead find themselves one victory away from a championship. The Magic could just as easily be leading the series 3-1. Throw out Game 1 and Orlando has been the better team. Moreover, if it wasn't for Lee's missed layup at the buzzer in Game 2 and Derek Fisher's performance down the stretch in Game 4 everyone would be talking about how terrible Kobe Bryant has been in this Finals. Bryant was the who got burned by Lee in Game 2 only to be bailed out and he hasn't been able to buy a basket in the fourth quarter in either of the two games in Orlando. If the Magic win either of the games people would be questioning whether Kobe is pressing too much.
Do the Magic have any chance to comeback from a 3-1 deficit with two still to play in L.A.? Probably not. However, one could argue that the Magic should have won each of the last three and the series isn't over yet. Look for Bryant to really try and force the issue in Game 5 in an attempt to put Orlando away. For the Magic, they have to find a way to get Rashard Lewis going after two fairly quiet performances in Games 3 and 4.
Look for the Orlando to extend the series and bring the Magic back to Hollywood.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Beatdown in Beantown
Just when it looked like the Yankees were turning it around reality set in once again with a trip to Boston. With a 4-3 meltdown loss tonight at Fenway Park the Yankees have now lost all eight meetings with the Red Sox in 2009. This most recent three game series was highlighted by poor Yankees pitching, awful outfield play, and zero clutch hitting.
As has been the case against their arch rivals this season, the Yankees' starting staff let them down once again. In the first two games of the series, Yankee starters A.J. Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang combined to pitch 5.1 innings and give up 9 earned runs. Tonight, CC Sabathia cruised through the first seven innings and entered the eighth win a 3-1 lead. The Yankees' ace, however, ran out of gas in the eighth and left the game without recording an out in the inning. Alfrefo Aceves relieved Sabathia and couldn't bail him out. The final line for Sabathia: 7 IP, 4 ER, 123 pitches. This isn't the first time Yankees have been burned trying to milk Sabathia late in the game and it highlights a glaring issue.
Manager Joe Girardi doesn't have a reliable reliever to turn to not named Mariano Rivera. The Yankees overrated starting rotation, unreliable bullpen, and poor defense may be good enough to win against mediocre competition, but its a mirage. Against the elite squads, like Boston, the only thing the Pinstripes have proven is that they can't get the job done.
As has been the case against their arch rivals this season, the Yankees' starting staff let them down once again. In the first two games of the series, Yankee starters A.J. Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang combined to pitch 5.1 innings and give up 9 earned runs. Tonight, CC Sabathia cruised through the first seven innings and entered the eighth win a 3-1 lead. The Yankees' ace, however, ran out of gas in the eighth and left the game without recording an out in the inning. Alfrefo Aceves relieved Sabathia and couldn't bail him out. The final line for Sabathia: 7 IP, 4 ER, 123 pitches. This isn't the first time Yankees have been burned trying to milk Sabathia late in the game and it highlights a glaring issue.
Manager Joe Girardi doesn't have a reliable reliever to turn to not named Mariano Rivera. The Yankees overrated starting rotation, unreliable bullpen, and poor defense may be good enough to win against mediocre competition, but its a mirage. Against the elite squads, like Boston, the only thing the Pinstripes have proven is that they can't get the job done.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
ESPN Continues to Alienate Fans
ESPN is at it again. The "Worldwide Leader," responsible for such mind numbing ideas like "Who's Now," on its website today is leading with an article assessing how Lebron James would perform in the NFL. The discussion features an article by Tim Graham and video from the "NFL Live" panel speculating on what would be Lebron's ideal position in the NFL. Seriously? Clearly, ESPN has too many analysts and writers on payroll who specialize in the NFL that have absolutely nothing to do right now. So ESPN decides to make its "talent" earn their paychecks by insulting the intelligence of the fans who flock to their network and website as it force feeds an utterly ridiculous discussion.How would Lebron fare in the NFL? Who knows and Who Cares. Any savvy sports fan understands that the mere idea is unrealistic. Lebron James plays basketball and played all of two years of football back in high school. Projecting if he could play in the NFL based on that body of work is illogical and a complete waste of time. Surely, ESPN has something better to feature on the front page of its website. Apparently not.
Such foolish nonsense has become all too familiar at ESPN as the media giants constantly tries too hard to please both hardcore and casual sport fans at the same time. What they have actually managed to do over the last handful of years is alienate the passionate, knowledge sports fan by dumbing down their product and coverage with the nauseating self-promotion of its on-air talent and coddling of the sports figures they cover.
Maybe tomorrow ESPN could lead with a story on the prospects of Yao Ming playing wide receiver. Who would be able to cover Yao in the red zone?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
After Celtics - Bulls, Now What?
Are the NBA Playoffs watchable going forward? It has been widely assumed, even before the playoffs began, that Lebron and Kobe will be meeting in the NBA Finals. So why would any basketball fan even watch? Then the Celtics - Bulls series happened. Critics can argue all day attempting to rate the series among the best of all-time. At the end of the day who cares where the series ranks. The bottom line is that the series captured people's attention and was the only first round playoff series worth watching. So now that the series is over and the Celtics have moved on, what does the NBA have to offer? None of the second round series have much intrigue and the Finals are more than a month away. The most competitive of the bunch again features the Celtics as they face the Orlando Magic.Tonight was Game 1 in Boston and most viewers were probably watching Red Sox - Yankees especially after the Magic opened up a 28 point lead. That means most people missed the Celtics near comeback before falling 95-90. One major reason for the Celtics down performance was Ray Allen scoring only 9 points on 2-12 shooting. Anyone paying attention has noticed that the former UConn star is the key to the Celtics success. Lost in all the excitement of the first round was just how poor Paul Pierce played for Boston. As much as he did to win game 5, he did even more to lose game 6 against Chicago. Allen was unstoppable against the Bulls and is a much more efficient offensive player than Pierce. If the Celtics are going to continue their run without Kevin Garnett, Allen must continue to be their top offensive weapon. But in the end, will anybody be watching?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)