Just Joshin'

Here's hoping Josh Hamilton stays on the wagon. He's every bit as gifted as his 1st overall draft selection indicated in 1999. Hamilton hit 28 home runs in the first round of tonight's home run derby, a new record, before succumbing to Justin Morneau in the final round, 5-3. Hamilton put on one of the great All-Star showings in recent memory.

Spitting Seeds midseason awards

AL MVP - Josh Hamilton, TEX: .310 AVG/60 R/21 HR/95 RBI/7 SB
NL MVP - Lance Berkman, HOU: .347 AVG/79 R/22 HR/73 RBI/15 SB
*Hamilton's 95 RBI make him the AL MVP by a longshot. Berkman's the most well-rounded.

AL CY - Cliff Lee, CLE: 12-2/2.31 ERA/124.2 IP/20 BB/106 K
NL CY - Edinson Volquez, CIN: 12-3/2.29 ERA/117.2 ERA/56 BB/126 K
*Lee's hot start earned him the CY over Halladay. Volquez over Lincecum and Webb.

AL ROY - Evan Longoria, TB: .275 AVG/45 R/16 HR/53 RBI/6 SB
NL ROY - Geovany Soto, CHC: .288 AVG/37 R/16 HR/56 RBI/0 SB
(tie) Jair Jurrjens, ATL: 9-4/3.00 ERA/111 IP/41 BB/81 K
*Ellsbury is still chasing Longoria. Flip a coin on Soto vs. Jurrjens.

Deny the DH

I stumbled upon this week-old Wall Street Journal article on the state of the two leagues in Major League Baseball. The assumption is the American League is superior to the National League, and that's proved with all sorts of statistical models. The argument turns to the designated hitter, and while I thought I didn't have a position on the DH and what should be done with it, I do now. Thank you Wall Street Journal.



I have, for a long time, believed the DH helps American League teams in the World Series. The DH typically means American League teams have more pop in their lineup. If they play in a National League park, they have a bigger bat to bring off their bench. This is an inherent advantage that an NL team cannot counter, because a player that can hit but can't field is more likely to take a starting spot as a DH than he is a bench spot on an NL roster.

If this is not cyclical, if the National League doesn't come around and show competitiveness, if the American League continues to dominate interleague play, the post season and the All-Star game, then the DH rule and what to do with it is eventually going to come up. A lack of competitive balance between the leagues is not a good thing, so baseball will eventually have to tackle the issue.

My guess is baseball will analyze all the statistical data, interview a bunch of players, managers, owners and front office types, and decide to install the DH in both leagues. They'll argue that pitchers are not good hitters, and to make them hit would be to take a step backward in baseball evolution. Most pitchers do not hit as they climb through the minor leagues, and none make it to MLB because of their stick. The argument will be fairly tidy and smack of lowest-common-denominator appeasement.

That said, I'm going to cast my vote against the DH. I think it needs to go. If it hurts competitive balance for one league over the other, it must die. Pitchers can't hit, but that doesn't mean allowing them to try takes away from the game. It actually adds to baseball, forcing managers to use more strategy to work around the pitcher slot late in games. If the DH is a step into the future, and pitchers hitting is de-evolution, then why are designated hitters a bunch of 35 year-old Neanderthals posing as baseball players. We watch these hangers-on do nothing but swing for the fences, padding their careers with gaudy numbers that help them reach he Hall of Fame.

It's time for the DH issue to be put to rest.

Is baseball insane?

Bud Poliquin, a columnist with the Syracuse Post-Standard sums up my feelings exactly on the midsummer classic's attachment to the World Series. Bud laments the follies of baseball, wishing the sport could do better than give meaning to an exhibition.

But Major League Baseball is the sport with different rules for different teams (i.e., the continuing DH lunacy) . . . legislated, integrity-compromising scheduling imbalances (brought on by inter-league play) . . . "competition" that includes clubs with $207-million payrolls (Yankees) vying for the same title as those with $23-million payrolls (Marlins) . . . and various and sundry other sins.
Associated Press/Chad RachmanThis is Madonna, who may or may not be dating Alex Rodriguez, who will play in Tuesday's All-Star Game when not possibly partying with Madonna, who could help to determine the World Series winner in October. Savvy?

So anointing a rompish nine innings, squeezed around parties where scoring takes on a meaning beyond what Abner Doubleday had likely considered, is ridiculous. Which suggest that MLB is consistent, if nothing else.

Thanks, Bud.

Somethin' Brewin'

Ben Sheets is about to be named the NL starter for the All-Star game. Some special season Milwaukee is having. They haven't made the postseason in 26 years, now they're buying last year's Cy Young winner on the trade market and landing their first-ever starter in the All-Star game. Expect the Cubs to counter immediately, trying to get Carlos Zambrano or Ryan Dempster on the hill for the American League.

Like putting a shoe on

Che-Hsuan Lin won the Futures Game MVP for his two-run homer, pushing his World team past the USA team, 3-0. Lin is a Red Sox farmhand.

In case you're wondering, his name is pronounced Chee shoo-ahn Lin. Start practicing.

Bad column alert

I just can't understand this point of view. The All-Star game deciding home-field advantage in the World Series is asinine. What's more, MLB shouldn't receive "props" or any other outdated congratulatory slang for such a terrible idea. If giving the winning side of an All-Star game home-field advantage for the championship series is such a good idea, why hasn't any other major sport in this country or any other country picked up on it?

Take your time, hurry up - the choice is yours

My post on Reds radio delaying broadcasts to match up with TV caused a bit of a stir. A number of blog communities picked up on it and commented on which is better: letting fans at home match TV and radio for their enjoyment, or leaving the radio signal as is to allow fans at the game a chance to listen live. Delaying the signal means less enjoyment for fans who like to listen from their ballpark seats.

Well, the original article picked up on this problem yet failed to offer a solution. The Reds say delaying broadcasts is currently just an experiment, and they welcome feedback from their fans on what to do with it in the future.

The solution fans should ask for, I'm fairly certain, is quite simple: simulcast the game on two radio stations. The Reds, just like any team in baseball, could simulcast the game with an immediate feed of the play by play via one station while a second station delays the feed for fans watching TV at home. This shouldn't be too expensive, because I know there are at least a few college football teams that put their games on both AM and FM stations in order to reach a wider audience. It makes so much sense that I wouldn't be surprised if we start to see this in the coming seasons with a number of teams.

Tell the Reds Spitting Seeds suggestion here: breinberger@reds.com

Kurt Cobain once sang, "take your time, hurry up, the choice is yours" in "Come as you are." Who knew he was singing about radio broadcasts? The choice is easy in this case: choose both immediate and delayed feeds on two different stations!

Harden makes it look easy

Not much posting here this weekend due to a younger brother's bachelor party. The party happened to be held at Wrigley Field, however, which was a very interesting place to be on Saturday. Rich Harden made his Cubs debut, striking out 10 in 5.1 innings, but he was denied the win when Carlos Marmol blew the lead with a five-run Giants ninth. The Cubs did prevail in 11, 8-7.

Most striking in this impressive debut performance was Harden's pregame. Pregame, you ask? Yes. Harden's first jog as a Cub, a 40-yard trot across left field before warm up tosses, was met by a standing ovation from the bleachers. His second cantor was met by half of the stadium (half of what had arrived in time to see Harden prepare to pitch a half hour before the game) rising for another ovation. Without a tip of his cap or even a slight acknowledgment of this overwhelming welcome, Harden went about his business with straightforward workman-like determination, looking totally unaffected.

What followed was a pitcher dominating his opposition, striking out 10 of the 24 batters he faced. It was such a smooth performance, I turned to my father at one point in the fifth amazed at having learned Harden had fanned nine batters already. Harden looked almost too comfortable out there. He looked in complete control. Only later did I read that he felt like this was his first start in the majors.

"That was a pretty cool feeling," Harden said. "I've never really had anything like that pitching in Oakland."

Pitching in Wrigley is not pitching in Oakland, and it looks like Rich Harden will fit in around the Friendly Confines just fine. He does, however, need to go a little deeper into games unless he wants to continue leaving things up to the bullpen.

Marmol makes N.L. squad

Carlos Marmol is replacing Kerry Wood on the National League All-Star team. Marmol started the year strong, but he's also struggled badly in the last month of the season. Just yesterday he blew a 7-2 lead in the ninth with four earned runs, raising his ERA to 4.13.

There are many better choices than Marmol, but he was the highest voted pitcher left from the player balloting, so he makes the team. My guess is he never sees the field.

Benito been bad

Bob Brenly says on CSN Chicago that Benito Santiago used to lean into batters at home plate when base runners got a good jump from first. The interference call would get would-be base stealers even if they had the bag stolen. That's brilliant, but is there anything Santiago didn't cheat at? First steroids, then obscure rules; Santiago played the angles.

Bay on banks of Mississippi?

Here's one that hasn't been ballyhooed enough in recent weeks: The Cardinals going after Pittsburgh's Jason Bay. While it looks like this might take a while, it could prove the Cardinals' feel the same as most critics of their own OF corps, which includes Rick Ankiel, Joe Mather, Brian Barton, Skip Schumaker and and All-Star Ryan Ludwick.

One executive with a National League team said he thought "it would go down to the wire'' whether Bay would be dealt.

"We're looking for what we deem appropriate value. We're not going to limit ourselves to guys who are close (to the big leagues),'' Huntington said. "Our goal is to maximize our return and find a good match.''

Bay in St. Louis could add some extra pop to the Cardinals lineup. He's having a good year: .291/62/17/46/6

Fantasy Impact: Can't see how this would do anything but improve Bay's fantasy value. You never know how a player is going to react to being traded, but entering a more potent Cardinals lineup should would only increase his offensive output. The only way his numbers would flatten out is if the Cardinals continue to platoon their corner OFs, including Bay, but he's a superior talent to anyone they're trotting out there.

Best record to wild card

Tampa's ugly 13-2 loss to last-place Cleveland leaves them just 1.5 games ahead of Boston in the AL East. The Red Sox won their last game, 18-5 against Minnesota.

We're just a couple of weekend sweeps away from having the team with the best record in baseball when the week began (Tampa) falling into second place in their own division by week's end.

Clark could move

The San Diego Padres will listen to offers for Tony Clark, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. It makes sense to deal the 36-year-old switch-hitter, as the Padres need to upgrade several positions (I don't think they'll get anything more than a mid-level prospect), but if they're actually clearing space for 31-year-old career minor leaguer Brian Myrow, that's odd. Myrow has a .188 average in 33 at bats in MLB. There's a reason he hasn't gotten much of a chance at this point in his career.

Analyzing Hart & Longoria selections

Fans voted Evan Longoria and Corey Hart to their respective All-Star teams with this year's final vote. I'm a bit surprised. Longoria is in his first season with the Tampa Bay Rays while Hart is in just his second season with Milwaukee. Neither is putting up Albert Pujols-type numbers, and they're not playing in the biggest of the big in terms of media markets. I guess word on good young players gets out faster these days with fantasy baseball and the internet. Here's a look at their ranking in the five most common fantasy stat categories (AVG/R/HR/RBI/SB) vs. the players they were up against:

NL:
Corey Hart (.292/47/15/57/13) - (3/3/4/3/1) Total: 14
David Wright (.288/59/17/70/10) - (4/1/3/2/2) Total: 12
Pat Burrell (.279/48/22/54/0) - (5/2/1/4/5) Total: 17
Aaron Rowand (.296/40/8/47/1) - (1/5/5/5/4) Total: 20
Carlos Lee (.293/46/21/72/4) - (2/4/2/1/3) Total: 12

AL:
Evan Longoria (.281/44/16/53/6) - (3/4/3/T3/2) Total: 15
Jermaine Dye (.301/52/20/53/3) - (1/2/1/T3/3) Total: 10
Jason Giambi (.256/45/18/54/2) - (5/3/2/2/4) Total: 16
Brian Roberts (.291/59/7/32/25) - (2/1/5/5/1) Total: 14
Jose Guillen (.274/41/13/65/1) - (5/5/4/1/5) Total: 20

(Players are listed in order they finished in the voting)

Low score wins in the "Total" column, so Hart finishes 3rd among NL final vote candidates. Longoria finishes 3rd among AL final vote candidates.

A quick note on the NL "Total" rankings - batting average was very tight between the NL players, so Hart could actually be the top-ranked player with a single day of good hitting vs. a bad day for the other guys. He's a solid choice, but I like David Wright better. Wright is fourth in average, and still ties Carlos Lee with 12 points. Wright doesn't hit as many homers as Lee, but his numbers across the board are very good in every category. I think Wright should've been the All-Star here, while Lee and Hart finish a close second. Fans gave Lee absolutely no credit for an outstanding first half.

As far as Longoria's selection, I think the fans did the right thing in voting him on to the AL roster. He only finishes 3rd in these rankings, but he also missed a large chunk of the season in the minors. Given that, he's still competitive in the R/HR/RBI categories, which is very impressive. Unless he wears out, Longoria is poised to have monster numbers at season's end. Maybe he is Pujols-like, afterall. I like Dye and Roberts second and third, respectively, but Giambi and Guillen had no chance.

Huston, not Houston

Huston Street, in an interview with Yahoo! Sports tells us why his first name is spelled with out the 'O' like the city of Houston.

My parents, like all people from Texas, are very proud of their state and wanted me to have a name that resembled it; they wanted me to have a "Texas" name but didn't want people to think I was named after the city, so they took the "O" out.

They could have named him Cody or something and that would've sufficed. I actually like Huston better.

How much of their time did they waste talking about third grade? Ridiculous.

Sid the Mechanic

Sidney Ponson has an explanation for his one bad start sandwiched in between two solid outings for the Yankees. His mechanics were off. In between his second and third starts, Ponson worked on not allowing his left shoulder to fly open, and it led to success.

"My mechanics were way better than it was last start," he said. "My sinker was sinking downward instead of side to side and I got myself in a couple of jams. But I was lucky enough to get out of them."

Fantasy Impact: Ponson falls into the Jose Contreras category for fantasy play: good enough to consider, but make sure he's hot when you pick him up. If Ponson can keep his shoulder in for another outing, however, there's no harm in giving him a try over other options.

Moustache to stay

Jason Giambi says he has no choice. He's keeping the moustache. Apparently he thinks growing it during his long early-season slump helped him get back to hitting the ball.

I think Giambi needs a new gimmick. He's hit no home runs in his last six games, and his average dropped 12 points to .256. Full beard time, perhaps.

No Bonds offer

Even after the Diamondbacks expressed general interest in Barry Bonds, no contract is coming from Phoenix or any other Major League city. I don't expect Bonds to play baseball again.

Was it Peter Gammons who said, "Bonds has more baggage than O'Hare airport" recently? For anyone that's visited Chicago, Midway airport has a lot of baggage. O'Hare is insane.

Mariners replace Sexson quickly

After jettisoning Richie Sexson earlier in the day, the Mariners move quickly, acquiring Crag Wilson from the Pirates. Wilson was at Triple-A this year, but you'd have to imagine he'll be up with the M's.

Wilson was hitting .230 with 10 HR for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Update: Wilson was acquired for a player to be named, but the Pirates continued to make moves. None of them are major, especially if you're from the fantasy baseball crowd. Wilson is the most intriguing as he could provide the Mariners some pop.

Update: More info on the deals thanks to Bucs Dugout.

I'll have to agree that I'm not sure that Wilson does much for Seattle. They moved Ichiro back to RF, so it's not like Wilson has anywhere to play but first or DH, and he's not that great of a hitter. I expect Wilson to be up, though, and to contribute a some home runs.