It's been an interesting NFL Sunday thus far, so I had the urge to get my two cents in on the day's events. First thing that comes to my mind, it's going right into this post...

-New York football is riding high, as both the Jets and Giants have improved to 3-0. The Giants had a walk in the park against the laughable Tampa Bay Bucs, but the Jets had to work extremely hard for their victory against the desperate Tennessee Titans. Rex Ryan's boys (and my favorite team) certainly earned the win, but Tennessee's wide receiver drops had a little something to do with it. Kerry Collins' statistics were very misleading today; he actually played well. 

-My preseason predictions suggested a bit of a surprising season for the Washington Redskins in the NFC East, but the surprise is how BAD they are. Congrats to the Detroit Lions on breaking their seemingly endless losing streak against the 'Skins. Jim Zorn's crew had the opportunity to steal away the victory in the late fourth, but Detroit held its ground. Washington simply doesn't have the weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Clinton Portis played banged up but didn't provide much. 

Continue reading "NFL Week 3 Notes and Commentary"

Can he be decent as a one inning middle reliever in not-so-tight situations? Probably, because he has a 94-99 MPH fastball when he works short appearances. But other than that, this guy is probably closer to a AAA pitcher than a major leaguer. 

Unless you have natural ability the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, you have to have a BRAIN to be a successful starting pitcher at the game's highest level. Parnell stays on a plain with the opposing hitters' belts, which is an obvious recipe for disaster. He has extreme difficulty shooting the knees, and that's why his 96 MPH heaters get smacked around like 87 or 88. 

Continue reading "Bobby Parnell is NOT a starting pitcher"

That's the question a friend asked me earlier today, and I said, "Sure. It's not like we have anyone better" -- with the obvious exception of Johan Santana. As far as physical ability goes, Zambrano isn't the 97-99 MPH flamethrower he was four or five seasons ago, but he maintains an effective power sinker that would work nicely at Citi Field. I thought he looked hurt in 2008, but I've seen the life return to his sinker this season. 

The obstacle in the Mets' way would be of the financial variety. By now many of you know that the Wilpons were ripped off by Bernie Madoff, and reports have suggested as much as $700 million in losses. If the actual number is anywhere near that figure, it would be awfully difficult for the Mets to house Zambrano's hefty contract. Only time will tell, I guess. 

Continue reading "Cubs Say They Will Shop Zambrano"

Considering the way they've played in recent months, is a 4.5 game cushion plenty for the Rockies? Can the Giants, Marlins, and Braves kiss their playoff hopes goodbye?

Well, I've never quite been a believer in the Giants. Sure they have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain at the top of their rotation, but it's difficult to gather momentum with an offense as impotent as theirs. They'd be tough in a short series because of their starting pitching, but I doubt they'll get to that point. 

Continue reading "Have the Rockies locked up the NL Wild Card"

And the Mets STILL couldn't find a way to win. Pedro, whom the Mets opted to pass on this offseason, went eight strong innings without allowing a single run. Pedro struck out seven, and scattered six hits. He was featuring an 88-92 MPH fastball, a sweeping curve, and an excellent change-up to left-handed hitters. 

Oh well, I guess the Mets' front office was positive that Redding was the better choice this offseason. Another real winner for this sorry organization. 

Continue reading "Pedro sticks it to his old mates"

Well, this is certainly a matter of perspective. As is often the case when something like this comes up, it's New School vs. Old School. Now I'm admittedly a "New Schooler," but that doesn't mean I'm on board with every aspect of the movement. It's like being a Democrat without a single Republican view -- pretty rare situation to find. 

So what's my take? To be specific, I prefer the Yankees' wedding bouquet celebration to Milwaukee's bowling pin topple. The bouquet thing is subtle in comparison; the toppling pins were a little much for me. I pitched for 15 years of my life, and I know I'd hate it if an opposing team celebrated in that fashion. I think a celebration like that has a home in the NFL (a la the Baltimore Ravens of the past), unfortunately football's hierarchy is so uptight that it cut all of the fun out of scoring.

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The whole situation makes little sense to me. If I were the Mets' front office and management, I'd be looking to start fresh in 2010 -- manager included. Manuel has proven to be a very poor in-game manager, struggling with match-ups and the basics of offensive strategy. His tactics are dated, and his club has lost games as a result of his decision-making. 

Personally, I despise Manuel as a manager. But my personal opinion doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, all that matters is what Omar Minaya and the Wilpons think. 

Continue reading "What has Jerry Manuel done to keep his job"

No. 1 Starter: LHP-Johan Santana

Johan recently had season-ending surgery, but he's expected to be back and ready to go for spring training in '10. Hopefully the surgery will improve Johan's velocity, as he dipped into the 88-90 range during the second half of this year. He was still relatively effective, but nothing like '08 or his days in a Minnesota Twins' uniform. I don't think Santana will be dominant, but I expect him to be a very solid No. 1 starter in 2010. 

Continue reading "2010 Mets Rotation"

When it comes to the Mets' starting rotation, I think all of their replacement-level options are better than Tim Redding. Redding's stuff is disgraceful, and his general approach to the craft of pitching is laughable. He's been embarrassed in his last two starts -- recently against the Marlins, and the Red Sox before that -- and there is little-to-no indication of potential improvement. I don't think there is any doubt at this point...

Redding is not a major league pitcher. With an 86-to-88 MPH fastball and lackluster offspeed deliveries, one wonders how he was given a guaranteed contract this offseason by general manager Omar Minaya. (But I can't get too upset with Omar, he acquired Johan Santana for a bag of groceries.) Regardless of the reasoning behind the signing, it's time to abandon ship. But where should the Mets go from here, until Oliver Perez (another awful signing) returns?

Continue reading "Ive Had Enough of Tim Redding"

(1) For hitters, I consider the following four categories the most important: (in no particular order) batting average, home runs, RBI, and OPS (combined slugging and OBP). 

(2) For pitchers, I consider the following four categories the most important: (again, in no particular order) wins, ERA, strikeouts per nine innings, and opponent's batting average against. Let's call the last two "K's/9" and "Opp. BA." 

Total strikeouts is an unfair category because pitchers went deeper into games in the past. Thus the starters from the mid and early 20th century have a distinct advantage there, due to a longer leash from their manager and organization, and subsequently more innings pitched. K's/9 provides a level playing field. At least, level in comparison to total strikeouts. 

Continue reading "The Top 30 Players in MLB History"