And finally the starting pitchers to complete this year's rankings. The list is made up of the top 120 pitchers in games started. Francisco Liriano did not make the cut while Roger Clemens and Jered Weaver were among the last five to make it. I factor in the same stats as I did for the relievers but I also include ERA+ for the starters.
As I mentioned in my 2006 awards entry I wasn't sure if I'd end up changing my selection the 3rd best pitcher in the A.L. I picked C.C. Sabathia for 3rd when I posted the entry but as you'll see that changed here in the rankings.
2004 Top 10
1. Randy Johnson
2. Johan Santana
3. Ben Sheets
4. Curt Schilling
5. Jason Schmidt
6. Roger Clemens
7. Jake Peavy
8. Carl Pavano
9. Brad Radke
10. Oliver Perez
2005 Top 10
1. Roger Clemens
2. Johan Santana
3. Andy Pettitte
4. Pedro Martinez
5. Dontrelle Willis
6. Chris Carpenter
7. Jake Peavy
8. John Smoltz
9. Roy Oswalt
10. Mark Buehrle
2006 Starting Pitcher Rankings
1. Johan Santana, Twins
2. Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks
3. Roy Oswalt, Astros
4. Chris Carpenter, Cardinals
5. Roy Halladay, Blue Jays
6. John Smoltz, Braves
7. Bronson Arroyo, Reds
8. Aaron Harang, Reds
9. John Lackey, Angels
10. Jason Schmidt, Giants
11. Mike Mussina, Yankees
12. Curt Schilling, Red Sox
13. C.C. Sabathia, Indians
14. Carlos Zambrano, Cubs
15. Jered Weaver, Angels
16. Derek Lowe, Dodgers
17. Chien-Ming Wang, Yankees
18. Dan Haren, A's
19. Chris Capuano, Brewers
20. Jason Jennings, Rockies
21. Roger Clemens, Astros
22. Scott Kazmir, Devil Rays
23. Erik Bedard, Orioles
24. Chris Young, Padres
25. Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers
26. Justin Verlander, Tigers
27. Brett Myers, Phillies
28. Barry Zito, A's
29. Josh Johnson, Marlins
30. Jake Peavy, Padres
31. Kelvim Escobar, Angels
32. Dave Bush, Brewers
33. Kenny Rogers, Tigers
34. Greg Maddux, Cubs/Dodgers
35. Matt Cain, Giants
36. Nate Robertson, Tigers
37. Kevin Millwood, Rangers
38. Tom Glavine, Mets
39. Jose Contreras, White Sox
40. Dontrelle Willis, Marlins
41. Jeff Francis, Rockies
42. Clay Hensley, Padres
43. Freddy Garcia, White Sox
44. Jon Garland, White Sox
45. Aaron Cook, Rockies
46. Ervin Santana, Angels
47. Jake Westbrook, Indians
48. Brad Penny, Dodgers
49. Andy Pettitte, Astros
50. Vincente Padilla, Rangers
51. Javier Vazquez, White Sox
52. A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays
53. Cole Hamels, Phillies
54. Jamie Moyer, Mariners/Phillies
55. Scott Olsen, Marlins
56. Felix Hernandez, Mariners
57. Woody Williams, Padres
58. Ted Lilly, Blue Jays
59. Zach Duke, Pirates
60. Jeff Suppan, Cardinals
61. Josh Beckett, Red Sox
62. Brad Radke, Twins
63. Miguel Batista, Diamondbacks
64. Pedro Martinez, Mets
65. Orlando Hernandez, Diamondbacks/Mets
66. Randy Johnson, Yankees
67. Cliff Lee, Indians
68. Mark Hendrickson, Devil Rays/Dodgers
69. Ian Snell, Pirates
70. Joe Blanton, A's
71. Doug Davis, Brewers
72. Jarrod Washburn, Mariners
73. Gil Meche, Mariners
74. Tim Hudson, Braves
75. Matt Morris, Giants
76. Livan Hernandez, Nationals/Diamondbacks
77. Jon Lieber, Phillies
78. Daniel Cabrera, Orioles
79. Noah Lowry, Giants
80. Jaret Wright, Yankees
81. Claudio Vargas, Diamondbacks
82. Cory Lidle, Phillies/Yankees
83. Tim Wakefield, Red Sox
84. Mark Buehrle, White Sox
85. Esteban Loaiza, A's
86. Kris Benson, Orioles
87. Paul Maholm, Pirates
88. James Shields, Devil Rays
89. Eric Milton, Reds
90. Rick Nolasco, Marlins
91. Chan Ho Park, Padres
92. Steve Trachsel, Mets
93. Byung-Hyun Kim, Rockies
94. Jamey Wright, Giants
95. Paul Byrd, Indians
96. Mike O'Connor, Nationals
97. Adam Loewen, Orioles
98. Josh Fogg, Rockies
99. Taylor Buchholz, Astros
100. Tony Armas Jr., Nationals
101. Elizardo Ramirez, Reds
102. John Koronka, Rangers
103. Rodrigo Lopez, Orioles
104. Mark Redman, Royals
105. Casey Fossum, Devil Rays
106. Scott Elarton, Royals
107. Jeff Weaver, Angels/Cardinals
108. Ramon Ortiz, Nationals
109. Sean Marshall, Cubs
110. Jae Seo, Dodgers/Devil Rays
111. Odalis Perez, Dodgers/Royals
112. Wandy Rodriguez, Astros
113. Carlos Silva, Twins
114. Jason Marquis, Cardinals
115. Jason Johnson, Indians/Red Sox/Reds
116. Joel Pineiro, Mariners
117. Runelvys Hernandez, Royals
118. Brian Moehler, Marlins
119. Shawn Chacon, Yankees/Pirates
120. Oliver Perez, Pirates/Mets
Game of the Day: Notre Dame 40, Michigan State 37. It was almost like the Spartans decided they'd have a game that would mirror the way they usually play every season. Hot start, then a lousy finish. Being that this was on ESPN on ABC on ESPN2 on Disney this is now "one of the ages" or something. Of course if this game had been played in South Bend and thus been televised on NBC, ESPN probably wouldn't care that much. ESPN did nail it though in what this game meant as Notre Dame just earned $14 million last night with this win, though they seemed to celebrate the fact more than look down on it. The Irish simply don't have another challenging game the rest of the year until they travel to Los Angeles and even they get humiliated in that game they will still be guarenteed a BCS bowl. Like I said last week they will play themselves back into the national title picture whether you like or not.
WTF Score of the Day: Georgia 14, Colorado 13. There was no jaw dropping upset yesterday (sorry Ball State, you're barely I-A as it is) and this was as close as we were going to get. The Bulldogs were the Top 10 that was a mystery to people coming into this week. The mystery is over, they aren't a Top 10 team.
Other Games that I Make Little Analysis and Lame Jokes About
Arkansas 24, Alabama 23. You know people have been lynched in Alabama for a lot less than what kicker Leigh Tiffin did yesterday. Time to transfer to Florida State, kid. I'm guessing the good feelings Tide fans had for Mike Shula last year will dissapear in a hurry this year.
SMU 55, Arkansas State 9. Isn't there something in the NCAA rules that if you lose by more than 40 to SMU you are demoted to Division II the next day? I mean god damn, it's fucking SMU! Let's not forgot Arkansas State is the defending Sun Belt champions. I think a 46 year old Eric Dickerson could run circles around a Sun Belt defense.
Maryland 14, Florida International 10. Maybe it's time Ralph Friedgen started putting weight back on as the Terps were much better a 100 pounds ago.
Ohio State 28, Penn State 6. I was watching the A's game so I missed most of this one and I unfortunately missed sideline reporting about Joe Paterno almost shitting his pants during the game.
Houston 34, Oklahoma State 25. I only mention this game because Vern reads the blog and I won my match-up against him in my pick 'em contest yesterday because of this game. Kevin Kolb is yo daddy Vern!
Whack Pac Wrap Up
California 49, Arizona State 21. God damnit.
Washington 29, UCLA 19. Newsflash, the Huskies don't suck this year. Isaiah Stanback is becoming quite the competent quarterback.
USC 20, Arizona 3. Zzzzzz. Good lord was that boring. That Emmanuel Moody though is pretty damn good.
Oregon State 38, Idaho 0. If you're still wondering how Michigan State coul blow that game last night then remember that they acutally made Idaho look halfway decent in their opener.
Washington State 36, Stanford 10. Hey the Cardinal defense allowed 238 rushing yards, their best showing of the year. Progress! I wanna cry.
All weekend I had to hear how the A's Opening Night game against the Yankees was going to be a rainout. It rained all day here in the Bay Area and then suddenly tonight it clears up a bit. So I was happy at first that I wouldn't have to stay up until one in the morning tonight to watch the entire game but that changed pretty quick. Barry Zito was chosen as the Opening Night starter even though everyone knows the ace of the staff is Rich Harden. I think manager Ken Macha fell into the manager trap of letting the "veteran" get the start. Zito has a knack for getting into 3-2 counts way too often and against a patient team like the Yankees that will get you killed and they have killed him in recent years. Zito's line tonight: 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Woof. It's 11-1 Yankees in the 5th inning as I type this so safe to say it's not the hometown heroes night.
In my aborted preview of the A's I had talked about Zito likely leaving after this season and might as well go briefly into that now. Now preface of course my thoughts aren't scewed simply because Zito pitched like Russ Ortiz tonight. I can pretty much predict the media outcry when Zito leaves for a big money deal to a big market team after this season but it will all be moot. He simply isn't worth the money he is going to get as starting pitchers are the most overpriced position in baseball right now. Just take a look at A.J. Burnett. Very talented but very injury prone and has yet to have that breakout season where he emerges as a top of the line starter yet he signed a 5-year, $55 million deal. Her certainly benefitted from a weak crop of free agent starting pitchers but it also shows how painfully overvalued starting pitching is. Zito has had a better career to this point than Burnett, has zero injury history (with his easy delivery he may never have arm problems), and is even slightly younger than Burnett. Barring a disasterous season he'll almost certainly parlay a contract that is at least worth as much as Brunett's and maybe even a a million or two more a year. Can anyone legitimately say Barry Zito is worth possibly $12-14 million a year? Now the fact that you can pencil him in for 220+ innings a year at above average production does certainly make him more valuable than maybe his peripheral numbers would indicate. But really that type of money should only go to the elite pitchers which Zito is by no means. The A's also have three good, young starting pitchers on their staff that they have under their control thru the end of the decade and money like that would be much better spent on a position player (or two).
Now 13-1, Yankees still batting in the 5th. It better be a rain free night with Harden pitching tommorrow or mother nature can kiss my ass. At least Frank Thomas homering in his first at bat with the A's didn't make this night a total loss.
-Brief Final Four thought, the "Greatest Tournament Ever" ended with a big thud. This was the first time since 1976 that the Final Four didn't have a game decied by single digits when Indiana finished off their undefeated championship run. And wow is that Noah kid from Florida is good...and wow is he one ugly mother fucker.
Been a little while now since the last MVP Watch as was waiting for Hardball Times to finally update the Win Shares totals.
Hey so did you hear that Ryan Howard is now the N.L. MVP winner? If your left handed and fat, this is your year! You know the media goo-goos and ga-gas over homeruns and RBI and then they wonder why players take steroids? Of course is Howard even the MVP of the Phillies is a more interesting question. As for the league he's in Top 10 but with a month left he's got no shot at the top spot on my ballot. Now as for the #1 spot things keep getting more interesting. I really, really wanted to give Beltran the top spot finally but I didn't pull the trigger but that might change a month from now. Also we may have a late 3rd candidate to the race as Miguel Cabrera clocks at a very strong #3.
#10 Nick Johnson, Nationals
.286/.423/.511, 93 RC, .312 EQA, 42.5 VORP, 22 Win Shares
#9 David Wright, Mets
.294/.369/.511, 97 RC, .294 EQA, 34.4 VORP, 24 Win Shares
#8 Ryan Howard, Phillies
.294/.382/.628, 96 RC, .313 EQA, 50.2 VORP, 22 Win Shares
#7 Jose Reyes, Mets
.298/.351/.488, 103 RC, .285 EQA, 47.9 VORP, 25 Win Shares
#6 Chase Utley, Phillies
.317/.385/.525, 94 RC, .296 EQA, 53.5 VORP, 23 Win Shares
#5 Alfonso Soriano, Nationals
.294/.365/.603, 110 RC, .303 EQA, 52.9 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#4 Lance Berkman, Astros
.308/.414/.614, 112 RC, .323 EQA, 54.7 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#3 Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.337/.426/.585, 117 RC, .328 EQA, 64.8 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#2 Carlos Beltran, Mets
.286/.389/.631, 111 RC, .321 EQA, 63.1 VORP, 34 Win Shares
#1 Albert Pujols, Cardinals
.323/.424/.665, 114 RC, .337 EQA, 65.4 VORP, 30 Win Shares
For the A.L. it's still anyone's guess but by the way things are shaking out now Derek Jeter may win the real award by default and he's still in strongly my Top 5. I nearly had a new #1 here and originally had Manny Ramirez taking the top spot but changed my mind due the uncertain staus of his knee. The media favorite David Ortiz is now clutching his heart (awww I'm mean) and his season could be over. Joe Mauer is still in the Top 5 but he needs a strong September to grab the award.
#10 Vernon Wells, Blue Jays
.319/.374/.583, 93 RC, .310 EQA, 59.0 VORP, 21 Win Shares
#9 Jason Giambi, Yankees
.261/.420/.594, 101 RC, .330 EQA, 46.9 VORP, 22 Win Shares
#8 Jermaine Dye, White Sox
.326/.392/.649, 99 RC, .328 EQA, 59.3 VORP, 22 Win Shares
#7 Johan Santana, Twins
153 ERA+, 5.03 K/BB, 1.02 WHIP, 62.7 VORP, 21 Win Shares
#6 Jim Thome, White Sox
.294/.413/.615, 103 RC, .331 EQA, 53.9 VORP, 22 Win Shares
#5 David Ortiz, Red Sox
.287/.400/.633, 105 RC, .329 EQA, 61.0 VORP, 22 Win Shares
#4 Joe Mauer, Twins
.356/.434/.514, 91 RC, .322 EQA, 57.6 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#3 Derek Jeter, Yankees
.337/.413/.480, 108 RC, .311 EQA, 61.3 VORP, 25 Win Shares
#2 Manny Ramirez, Red Sox
.326/.442/.628, 108 RC, .345 EQA, 62.8 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#1 Travis Hafner, Indians
.307/.434/.643, 120 RC, .347 EQA, 74.6 VORP, 23 Win Shares
All the talk on ESPN and the TWiB threads when it comes to the American League MVP award in 2006 is about Clutchie McClutchie of the Boston Red Sox being the MVP favorite. One debate that has creeped up again and will certainly be talked about as we get closer to the end of the season is whether or not a DH should win the MVP. In my 1995 A.L. MVP redo I showed that a DH should be able to win the MVP award. Well okay my original intention when doing the redo was to show the voter bias against Albert Belle by the media and then in turned out Edgar Martinez should have won the MVP. An everyday DH has never won the MVP award so I'll take a look back at the closest thing we've had to a DH winning the award.
Don Baylor won the 1979 A.L. MVP while splitting time between the outfield and the DH spot. He played 97 games in the outfield and 65 games at DH, the most games ever played at DH by an MVP winner to date. As usual it's not particularly hard to figure out why a player won the MVP. Baylor played on the A.L. West champion Angels and he led the league in RBI and runs scored. Baylor was also his very own Clutchie McClutchie as he hit .330 with RISP. Despite his high RBI total and also finishing 4th in the A.L. in homeruns who only finished 10th in the league in slugging. In fact the Angels team leader in slugging was not Baylor but Bobby Grich. But because of his 139 RBI Baylor won the award in a lopsided vote, taking 20 of 28 first place votes.
In second place was Ken Singleton who had the best year on the best team in the league but received only three first place votes as his RBI total was only 111. George Brett picked up two first place votes and then other three first place votes were for Mike Flanagan although he only finished 6th. He was the near unanmious choice for Cy Young but as you'll see he was agruablly not the best pitcher in the league. Ahead of Flanagan were two Red Sox, Fred Lynn and Jim Rice. Lynn led the league in average, obp, and slugging while playing a Gold Glove center field. Awww I just gave away my pick didn't I?
Actual Results
1) Don Baylor 2) Ken Singleton 3) George Brett 4) Fred Lynn 5) Jim Rice 6) Mike Flanagan 7) Gorman Thomas 8) Bobby Grich 9) Darrell Porter 10) Buddy Bell 11t) Jim Kern 11t) Mike Marshall 11t) Eddie Murray 14) Brian Downing 15) Sixto Lezcano 16) Roy Smalley 17t) Steve Kemp 17t) Willie Wilson 19) Mark Clear 20) Paul Molitor 21) Rick Burleson 22) Tommy John 23) Cecil Cooper 24t) Willie Horton 24t) Reggie Jackson 26t) Dan Ford 26t) Ron Guidry 26t) Mike Hargrove
#10
.322/.372/.469, 102 RC, 126 OPS+, .296 EQA, 59.6 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#9
148 ERA+, 2.54 K/BB, 1.19 WHIP, 72.6 VORP 24 Win Shares
#8
.321/.414/.573, 113 RC, 164 OPS+, .334 EQA, 56.0 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#7 (I couldn't find a 1980 or 1979 card for Grich, first time I've had that problem)
.294/.365/.537, 105 RC, 144 OPS+, .310 EQA, 62.5 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#6
.296/.371/.530, 122 RC, 144 OPS+, .310 EQA, 57.0 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#5
.291/.421/.484, 109 RC, 142 OPS+, .319 EQA, 59.5 VORP, 31 Win Shares
#4
.325/.381/.596, 141 RC, 154 OPS+, .317 EQA, 71.2 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#3
.295/.405/.533, 124 RC, 156 OPS+, .327 EQA, 58.7 VORP, 32 Win Shares
#2
.329/.376/.563, 137 RC, 148 OPS+, .313 EQA, 69.3 VORP, 33 Win Shares
#1
.333/.423/.637, 143 RC, 176 OPS+, .341 EQA, 82.8 VORP, 34 Win Shares
So what did we learn today? That outfield/DHs should never win the MVP! Wait okay that really doesn't make sense. Okay RBIs are overrated! Well you probably already should have known that. Okay we didn't learn anything but at least we had the first reference ever to Sixto Lezcano in this board's history and it's about fucking time.
Can you believe that it will be 10 years since the McGwire/Sosa homerun chase and 10 years since the Yankees tore through the American League on their way to an 114 win season? I really have nothing to add to that and I am just posting one of my random lists, this time around every team's Opening Day/Night starter from the '98 season. I went to every A's Opening Night game from 1995-2002 and in '98 it was actually a fairly momentous occasion as they were playing the Red Sox in Pedro Martinez's first ever start for them. Pedro dominated as expected but glancing at the boxscore I forgot it was also Dennis Eckersley's first appearance in Oakland since 1995 as he played his final year with the Sox. On to the list...
Angels: Chuck Finley
Astros: Shane Reynolds
Athletics: Tom Candiotti
Blue Jays: Roger Clemens
Braves: Greg Maddux
Brewers: Cal Eldred
Cardinals: Todd Stottlemyre
Cubs: Kevin Tapani
Devil Rays: Wilson Alvarez
Diamondbacks: Andy Benes
Dodgers: Ramon Martinez
Expos: Carlos Perez
Giants: Shawn Estes
Indians: Charles Nagy
Mariners: Randy Johnson
Marlins: Livan Hernandez
Mets: Bobby Jones
Orioles: Mike Mussina
Padres: Kevin Brown
Phillies: Curt Schilling
Pirates: Francisco Cordova
Rangers: John Burkett
Reds: Mike Remlinger
Red Sox: Pedro Martinez
Rockies: Daryl Kile
Royals: Tim Belcher
Tigers: Justin Thompson
Twins: Bob Tewksbury
White Sox: Jamie Navarro
Yankees: Andy Pettitte
Dan Plesac, Relief Pitcher
Milwaukee Brewers 1986-1992
Chicago Cubs 1993-1994
Pittsburgh Pirates 1995-1996
Toronto Blue Jays 1997-1999, 2001-2002
Arizona Diamondbacks 1999-2000
Philadelphia Phillies 2002-2003
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 3 (1987, 1988, 1989)
League Leader
None
Career Ranks
Games: 6th
Saves: 59th
K/9: 10th
K/BB: 61st
Best Performance
April 25, 1990 - Kansas City at Milwaukee
Comes in with the bases loaded, none out in the 8th inning with a 1-0 lead and George Brett coming up. Brett pops out and then Willie Wilson grounds into an inning ending double play. Plesac retires the side in order in the 9th.
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Pitching - 17 (1143) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 8.0 (981) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 54.0 (231) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Mike Jackson, Mike Timlin, Mike Stanton, Willie Hernandez, Dave LaRoche, Darold Knowles, Craig Lefferts, Roger McDowell, Paul Assenmacher, Roberto Hernandez
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1986: 13/6.4
1987: 14/6.2
1988: 10/4.1
1989: 11/5.5
1990: 6/3.1
1991: 4/2.0
1992: 6/2.8
1993: 3/0.8
1994: 2/1.3
1995: 6/3.2
1996: 8/3.2
1997: 5/2.2
1998: 7/2.4
1999: 2/1.2
2000: 4/1.7
2001: 5/3.2
2002: 3/1.7
2003: 4/1.4
Career Win Shares: 113
Career WARP3: 52.5
My Stupid Opinion
Along with Jesse Orosco, I'm pretty sure Plesac is the first pitcher to make the HOF ballot who was primarily a middle reliever. Closers are gaining more acceptance when it comes to HOF voting but just a hunch we are way off from LOOGYs gaining enshrinement. Maybe if they open a middle reliever wing of the HOF Plesac would be worthy of consideration but for the real HOF he's no where close.
***OMG SPOILERS***
As I've mentioned I have purchased the 1975, 1979, and 1986 World Series box sets released by MLB this year. I decided to start by watching the bonus disks on the 1986 set before viewing the World Series games. The DVD sleeves are very cool as they have little facts on the cover of them and then on the back they have the boxscore to the game on that disk, then on the inside they have a completely play-by-play account of the game. There's two bonus disks on the 1986 set, one featuring the classic Game 6 of the '86 NLCS that went 16 innings and the other featuring a few clips and interviews. Here are the complete list of features on that bonus disk:
1. Mets Clinch Division Title (final out of game against Cubs on 9/17)
2. NLCS Game 3: Lenny Dykstra's Walkoff HR
3. NLCS Game 5: Gary Carter's Walkoff Single
4. Lenny Dysktra: Red Sox Premature Celebration
5. Keith Hernandez: Perspective On Game 6 Rally
6. Keith Hernandez: Nerve-Wracking Game 6
7. Kevin Mitchell: Coach's Tip Before Scoring in Game 6
8. Mookie Wilson: Mindset Of His Historic At Bat
9. Mookie Wilson: Unfair To Blame Buckner
10. Bill Buckner: Mookie Wilson's Gronder And The Error
11. Bill Robinson: Perspective On Buckner's Error
12. Ray Knight: Game 6 Memories
13. Lenny Dykstra: Full Team Effort
14. Mike Piazza And Mookie Wilson Discuss Game 6
15. Inside The Moments Of Game 6 (has a clip of Dave Henderson's Game 5 ALCS homerun)
16. Ray Knight: Confidence Entering Game 7
17. Keith Hernandez: Mound Conversation With Jesse Orosco
18. Gary Carter: Catching The Last Out
19. World Series Last Out, Clubhouse Euphoria
20. Trophy Presentation
21. Championship Clubshouse Interviews
22. 1987 Opening Day Ring Ceremony
The N.L. East clinching out was interesting because it gives a you a glipse of what no longer is allowed, fans storming the field like it was a college football game. Probably for the best as it looked like a riot was ready to breakout before the clip ends.
Of course the real treat is that other bonus disk with the complete Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS. The game itself clocked in at 4 hours and 42 minutes but with the commercials cut out the game and the postgame coverage clocks in at just about 4 hours on the disk. The game went so long that ABC's postgame coverage is short as they had to switch coverage to Game 7 of the ALCS that night.
I took down some notes as I was watching the game (no I didn't watch it all in one sitting). Keith Jackson and Tim McCarver were the announcers and McCarver was not nearly as annoying back then as he is now. I'm not going to go over every moment of the game of course so here's the boxscore and play account from retrosheet.org
-Bob Knepper started for the Astros on three days rest. They threw out a stat at the beginning of the telecast that Knepper was 14-5 with a 2.17 ERA on three days rest over the last three years.
-There were several empty seats in the upper deck when the game started. They did fill up a few innings but don't think it was a sellout.
-A sign in the crowd "Knepper + Scuffy = World Series". Scuffy was Astros ace Mike Scott and was known for allegedly scuffing the baseball by using sandpaper. It's very interesting during the game Jackson and McCarver often joke about Scott's possible cheating ways. Of course 20 years later there is all this phony moral outrage over cheating baseball players.
-Knepper was a being bitch on the mound the whole game. Almost every close pitch that was called a ball he'd slump his shoulders down and look straight at the umpire. In a regular season game he probably would have been ejected at some point. Until the 8th inning I thought Jackson and McCarver were calling the umpire "Brock Landers" but they they finally said his full name which was actually Fred Brocklander.
-That being said Knepper was throwing an absolute gem the first eight innings. Mets only had three baserunners with two singles and literally were hitting nothing hard.
-Jackson and McCarver mention the Mets set the record for most strikeouts by a team in an LCS and think it will last for a while. They casually mention that the record was held by the Royals just set the previous year and don't bother to bring up that it was the first year that LCS series were best out of 7 so of course strike out records were being broken with more games being played. I wasn't Bored enough to look up who holds the record now.
-I had forgotten that the Mets were down 3-0 going into the 9th of this game (I didn't look at the boxscore before viewing so I'd be mildly unaware of the events of the game). Dykstra hit a pinch hit triple to start the rally and it was first hard hit ball all day by the Mets.
-Astros closer Dave Smith was the goat of the series as he had given up the Dykstra homerun in Game 3 in his only apperance and came in here with it 3-2 with a runner on 2nd and one out. Tough situation but he proceeded to walk Carter (who the flash a graphic that he was 0 for his last 12 against Smith) and Strawberry before Ray Knight hits a sac flay to tie it. McCarver says it's unusual that Smith was having problems as he has "excellent command." On the year Smith's BB/9 ratio was 3.54. Not terrible but certainly not excellent.
-There was a wild moment in the Knight at bat with the bases loaded. The first pitch on the outside corner was called a strike, and it looked pretty good to me, but Knight being the dick he always was complained about it. Then on a 1-2 pitch a pitch clearly outside is called a ball but then the fun starts. Astros catcher Alan Ashby slams his fist and then Dickhead Knight complains about the call too claiming it was the same spot as the first pitch. Astros manager Hal Lanier runs out to the mind to talk to Smith all the while yelling at the umpire. Shorstop Dickie Thon then runs to the mound yelling at the umpire and Lanier has to restrain him to keep him from getting ejected. Again if this was a regular season game plenty of people would have been ejected.
-The signature moment of the game was actually by the losing team when Billy Hatcher hit a homerun in the bottom of the 14th to tie the game up after the Mets took the lead It was a majestic shot off the left field foul pole with Hatcher having his own Carlton Fisk moment as he ran backwards down the line hoping the ball would stay fair. Hatcher though in the top of the 16th would help the Mets to a three run inning by misplaying a fly ball by Strawberry leading off the inning that he would then let bounce over his head and allow Strawberry to go to 2nd. It was lamely scored a double.
I think I'll do little notes on all the games on each set and group each Game 1 in a single entry and then Game 2, etc. I'm looking forward to watching the '79 series as I know very little about the series itself beyond the ugly (or great?) uniforms.
Vern/Culloden asked to do a redo on this one so I'll put off the 1995 A.L. MVP for another day. 1989 is kind of an interesting year to examine, and hey my favorite sporting year, as Robin Yount won the MVP which I can remember at the time being surprised. Ruben Sierra was the hot young superstar of the moment and he broke out with a great year at age 23 and I always figured he should have won it, without every actually looking to deeply into the issue.
When I'm trying to find an interesting year to do a redo on the first thing I always check are Win Shares. If a player led the league in Win Shares and won the MVP he had to have been at the very least deserving of serious consideration. I had glanced at 1989 before and Yount tied with Sierra for the lead Win Shares so that's partly why I haven't bothered. But there was no clear choice that season, six different players received first place votes, and the Brewers were only a .500 team and the Rangers won 83 games. Usually in a year like this when there is no clear choice it can open the door for an undeserving player on a division winner to steal the award but that wasn't the case. It was a very weak year for offense and is the last time the A.L. homerun leader had fewer than 40 homeruns (Fred McGriff, 36).
The other four players to receive first place votes are an interesting group, due to none of them deserving any serious consideration. Cal Ripken finished 3rd on a the surprise team of the A.L. that season. Baltimore had come off their infamous 107 loss season and started year with a staggering 0-21 start, a record that might never be broken. The rebounded in '89 with a shocking run at the A.L. East title coming up just two games short of the Blue Jays. But even Ripken's writer friendly numbers (.264 avg, 21 hr, 84 rbi) hardly screamed MVP even in a weak year for offense.
Fourth and fifth place went to players on the division winning teams. George Bell received four first place votes even though his teammate McGriff had a far superior year. Dennis Eckersley was next and I don't need to repeat my argument about closers. Eckersley had a stint on the DL and only threw 58 innings although was of course his dominant self when healthy. The last player to receive a first place vote was Eck's teammate Carney Lansford. What was so interesting about this was Lansford finished 17th in the voting so he appeared on hardly any ballots at all yet someone gave him a first place vote. He actually had a very good year, not MVP calibar mind you but hey may have deserved passing consideration for a 10th place vote.
In a year without much offense and no clear choice among the players you would think a pitcher could emerge as the MVP and there was a very interesting candidate out there. Bret Saberhagen won the Cy Young, receiving all but one first place vote, and finished 8th in the MVP voting. With a 23-6 record, 2.16 ERA, and throw in playing on a Royals team that won 92 games I have to say I'm surprised he didn't receive more support from the writers.
One last note about the voting, this season had possibly the worst player (in terms of the season they had) to receive an MVP vote ever. Someone gave Mookie Wilson a 10th place vote, who had been acquired by the Blue Jays from the Mets at the trade deadline. Even a truly great player shouldn't garner an MVP vote if they were in the league for just the final two months of the season. In 247 plate appearances Wilson put up a .298/.311/.370 line. I'm sure he probably had a couple of "clutch" hits down the stretch which I'm assuming swayed some idiot writer to give him a spot on his ballot.
Actual Results
1) Robin Yount 2) Ruben Sierra 3) Cal Ripken 4) George Bell 5) Dennis Eckersley 6) Fred McGriff 7) Kirby Puckett 8) Bret Saberhagen 9) Rickey Henderson 10) Bo Jackson 11) Dave Parker 12) Gregg Olson 13) Bert Blyleven 14) Dave Stewart 15) Don Mattingly 16) Joe Carter 17) Carney Lansford 18) Nick Esasky 19) Tony Fernandez 20) Mike Moore 21t) Wade Boggs 21t) Steve Sax 23t) Alvin Davis 23t) Nolan Ryan 25t) Chilli Davis 25t) Mark McGwire 25t) Mookie Wilson
#10
140 ERA+, 2.98 K/BB, 1.12 WHIP, 65.0 VORP, 22 Win Shares
#9
.315/.379/.439, 103 RC, 132 OPS+, .307 EQA, 53.7 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#8
.305/.424/.496, 104 RC, 156 OPS+, .335 EQA, 51.8 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#7
.339/.379/.465, 112 RC, 131 OPS+, .306 EQA, 59.0 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#6
.274/.411/.399, 89 RC, 133 OPS+, .325 EQA, 50.9 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#5
.330/.430/.449, 120 RC, 143 OPS+, .324 EQA, 62.5 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#4
.269/.399/.525, 115 RC, 161 OPS+, .335 EQA, 53.9 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#3
.306/.347/.543, 120 RC, 146 OPS+, .314 EQA, 58.8 VORP, 34 Win Shares
#2
178 ERA+, 4.49 K/BB, 0.96 WHIP, 79.5 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#1
.318/.384/.511, 120 RC, 152 OPS+, .326 EQA, 75.8 VORP, 34 Win Shares
There you have it, Robin Yount was the best choice and in a year with no run away winner the writers actually picked the right guy. Any of the Top 4 would have been fine choices and I shuffled 2 thru 4 a couple of times before settling on it.
Greg Vaughn, Left Fielder
Milwaukee Brewers 1989-1996
San Diego Padres 1996-1998
Cincinnati Reds 1999
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2000-2002
Colorado Rockies 2003
Awards
1998 NL Silver Slugger - OF
All-Star Selections: 4 (1993, 1996, 1998, 2001)
League Leader
None
Career Ranks
Homeruns: 73rd
Best Performance
September 7, 1999 - Cincinnati at Chicago (Game 2 of DH)
Hits three homeruns against the Cubs.
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Batting - 22 (928) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 25.0 (418) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 50.0 (368) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Jeromy Burnitz, Ron Gant, Rocky Colavito, Roy Sievers, Andruw Jones, Darryl Strawberry, David Justice, Greg Luzinski, Dave Kingman, Jack Clark
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1989: 6/1.1
1990: 10/1.3
1991: 20/8.4
1992: 16/6.4
1993: 22/6.7
1994: 9/4.9
1995: 5/1.2
1996: 17/6.3
1997: 8/1.8
1998: 30/10.6
1999: 24/7.2
2000: 16/5.1
2001: 15/3.8
2002: 1/0.6
2003: 1/0.4
Career Win Shares: 199
Career WARP3: 65.3
My Stupid Opinion
Vaughn was your prototypical low batting average slugger. His one really standout year in 1998 was of course completely overshadowed by a couple of other sluggers who's names escape me at the moment. Really nothing special about him outside of his power.
The thread title is a parody of the typical comments after the first couple of rounds of every NCAA Tournament. Every single year there are big upsets and "mid-majors" getting past the first weekend and every year it seems to come as a big shock to CBS and ESPN's analysts, or they pretend to be shocked at least. I guess we can chalk this up to the typical short attention span of networks and the people who watch. Really the biggest surprise maybe that no #10 seed made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in ten years but not that CBS or ESPN would notice.
Here's a look back at the "surprises" of the NCAA Tournament in just the last five years and I'll work backwards just to show how quickly people forget how "crazy and wild" past tournaments have been.
2005
-A #14, #13, #12, and a #11 seed win first round games.
-#12 seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee advances to the Sweet 16.
-#5 seed Michigan State advances to the Final Four.
2004
-Two #12 seeds win first round games.
-Two #1 seeds are elminated in the second round.
-A #8 and #7 seed make it to the Elite Eight.
2003
-A #13, #12, and a #11 seed win first round games.
-#12 seed Butler advances to the Sweet 16.
-#7 seed Michigan State advances to the Elite Eight.
2002
-Three #12 seeds win first round games.
-#11 seed Southern Illinois advances to the Sweet 16.
-#12 seed Missouri advances to the Elite Eight.
-#5 seed Indiana advances to the title game.
2001
-#15 seed Hampton wins in the first round.
-#12 seed Gonzaga advances to the Sweet 16.
-#11 seed Temple advnces to the Elite Eight.
So you get the point. This year is really no different from any other. If George Mason reaches the Final Four then we can talk about this being a surprising tournament.
-Speaking of upsets as mentioned in a prior entry I picked Bradley to make it the Sweet 16. I've been near perfect in that Oakland Region as only missed the Alabama/Marquette game. Of course every other upset pick failed miserably and this was probably one of my worst years ever picking the tournament but I prefer just to brag about picking Bradley. Oh and hey did you notice the game? It was Brad/Pitt in the little scorebox. Get it? Brad Pitt! Didn't take them long to drive that into the ground.
-Enough with the gratuitos shots of the coaches wives at the end of games. Does this really bring more viewers in? Is there some sort of extra drama I'm supposed to feel because the coaches' wife is praying? It got really out of hand at the end of the UCLA/Alabama game as literally every five seconds they were cutting to one of the wives.
-One final thing, March Madness On Demand was simply the greatest thing ever. Kudos to CBS and NCAA for agreeing to do this for free when they certainly could have charged a subcription fee for it and made a killing on people wanting to watch games while they are at work. It allowed me to not watch the Cal game (although I tuned in for the final minute to watch N.C. State win, woo hoo!) and for that I will always be grateful.
AFC Championship: Houston Oilers vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Scoring Summary
HOU: White 4 Run
LA: Allen 7 Run
HOU: Dishman 12 Interception
LA: Jackson 46 Run
HOU: White 1 Run
LA: Horton 29 Pass from Schroeder
HOU: Hill 57 Pass from Moon
Chris Dishman had two huge interceptions as the Oilers advance to their first ever Super Bowl. With the game tied, on the last play of the first half and backed up on their own 9, the Raiders inexplicably chose to pass instead of running out the clock and Jay Schroeder threw a pick six to Dishman to give the Oilers the lead going into the half. Then on the Raiders final possession in the 4th quarter, Dishman picked off Schroeder again on a 3rd and Goal to go to seal the game.
NFC Championship: Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers
Scoring Summary
SF: Craig 17 Run (Kick blocked)
Scoreless 2nd Quarter
SF: Cofer 52 FG
Min: Reveiz 56 FG
Scoreless 4th Quarter
Pierce Holt had seven sacks in a defensive struggle as the 49ers win their third NFC Championship in four years. The Vikings had absolutely nothing going on offense amassing a pitiful 46 yards in total offense. This negated a superb effort by the Vikings defense that held the 49ers’ juggernaut of an offense to single digits.
With Baseball-Reference.com now adding an extensive amateur draft database I thought for a quicky entry it might be mildly interesting to take a look back at who were the best picks for each round by the A's since the draft started in 1965. I originally thought of going through every round but settled on the first 20 rounds as you get later into the draft you have some rounds where they have zero players ever making it to the Majors.
1. Reggie Jackson, OF, Arizona State, 1966
Hard to go wrong with Reggie or Mark McGwire (1984). The year before taking Reggie #2 overall they had the #1 pick overall in the first ever draft taking Rick Monday. Other A's first round picks include Chet Lemon (1976), Walt Weiss (1988), Eric Chavez (1996), Mark Mulder (1998), Barry Zito (1999), and Nick Swisher (2002).
2. Jason Giambi, 3B, Long Beach State, 1992
Next best pick was Vida Blue in 1967. After those two you get Kevin Tapani (1986) and then drop to Mark Bellhorn (1995) and Mike Gallego (1981).
3. Mike Davis, OF, Hoover High School, 1979
Almost no success at all in this round for the A's as the only other player with an extended career in the Majors was Floyd Bannister in 1973 but he didn't sign.
4. Rickey Henderson, P, Technical High School, 1976
Yup RICKEY~ was a pitcher but obviously he went on to other things. Curt Young is the next best pick from this round but who cares when you have RICKEY~?
5. Mickey Tettleton, C, Oklahoma State, 1981
Tettleton did nothing for the A's but he's the easy pick here. Only middle reliever Dave Hamilton (1966) really contributed anything of signifcance for the A's form this round.
6. Sal Bando, 3B, Arizona State, 1965
The captain of the 70's championship teams is the pick here. They drafted Jim Sundberg (1969) and Alvin Davis (1981) in the 6th round but neither signed. Tim Hudson also drafted here in 1997.
7. Matt Keough, 3B, Corona del Mar High School, 1973
Slim pickings in the 7th, Keough became a pitcher for the A's with one good year in 1980. Todd Burns and Dan Johnson are the only other players to do anything with the A's.
8. Eric Byrnes, OF, UCLA, 1998
Glenn Abbott (1969) and Craig Paquette (1989) the only other "legit" Major Leaguers.
9. Terry Steinbach, 3B, Minnesota, 1983
A's regular catcher for a decade is an easy choice here. Another long time starter Wayne Gross was picked in 1973.
10. Lance Blankenship, 3B, California, 1986
Nothing of note here so I'll go with the only professional athlete I ever had a brief conversation with. Probably because I was one of about five people on line at a autograph signing appearance at a grocery store in 1990 but as a 12 year old kid it was pretty cool.
11. Greg Caderet, P, Grand Valley State, 1983
They drafted Eric Soderholm, third baseman with some pop who played with the Twins and White Sox, in 1967 but he didn't sign and Caderet is the only player from this round that had more than a cup of coffee in the Majors.
12. Chris Michalak, P, Notre Dame, 1993
Fewer than 200 innings in the Majors, and none with the A's, but there was literally no one better.
13. Rod Beck, P, Grant High School, 1986
A's traded him to the Giants for some nobody in a minor league deal in 1988.
14. Ron Coomer, 3B, Taft Junior College, 1987
Former "All-Star" was released by the A's in 1990. No A's 14th Round pick made it the Majors before him.
15. Jose Canseco, 3B, Carol City High School, 1982
Besides this piece of shit the A's also drafted defensive wizard Dwayne Murphy (1973) and fat power hitter Bob Horner (1975) although he didn't sign.
16. Doug Johns, P, Virginia, 1990
Only three 16th round picks made it the Majors and this is the best.
17. Rich Harden, P, Central Arizona College, 2000
Hall of Fame stuff but looks like the A.L. Mark Prior right about now. David Newhan (1995) the only other the Major Leaguer from this round.
18. Darren Lewis, OF, California, 1988
Just one of two 18th round picks from this franchise to make it the Majors but at least he did have an extended career and was a superb defensive center fielder.
19. Rick Lysander, P, Cal State-Los Angeles, 1974
See why I stopped at 20 rounds?
20. Gene Tenace, SS, Valley High School, 1965
Getting a guy who played 15 years in the Majors with .388 OBP is pretty good value here I'd say. Also picked Scott Brosius in 1987 in the 20th.
You know I was going to do a "Steve Howe Memories" entry and just post the lyrics to "White Lines" but thought better of it.
I needed to do something to keep me from punching a wall thinking about the A's sinking $22 million Esteban Loaiza so might as well do a redo. I've been trying to find a year with a truly bad choice for MVP and with the best choice receiving little support and I'm kinda running out of examples in my lifetime so picked out an old one.
1974 was a historic year as Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career homerun record, Lou Brock stole a then record 118 bases, and hey the A's won their third consecutive World Series. The Dodgers paced the National League with 102 wins and their young first baseman Steve Garvey took home the MVP despite not even being the best player on the team. Now you may say it would be unfair to pick apart an older MVP choice as stats such as Win Shares and VORP were a long way from being known and batting average was still considered the best stat to identify a good hitter by the general public. And I say "fuck you", hindsight is a wonderful tool.
Garvey won the award due to having a high average, finishing 3rd in the leauge in RBI, and playing on the best team in the league. But one big mark against Garvey through out his career as he didn't get on base at a very good rate and in '74 he didn't crack the Top 30 in OBP in the league. He was one of three Dodgers to finish in the Top 5 in the voting. Reliever Mike Marshall pitched in a record 106 games, throwing 208 innings, finished 3rd (also win Cy Young) and the always underrated Jimmy Wynn finished 5th. Wynn really played in the wrong era as he'd be much better appreciated now with his good power and great ability to draw walks. Marshall likley received so much support due to the insane number of apperances he made but he also wasn't the best pitcher on the Dodgers, that being Andy Messersmith. Even with his incredible workload as a reliever he only finished tied for 5th on the team in Win Shares.
Brock's record stolen base record resulted in him getting a 2nd place finish and was the only real competitor to Garvey in the voting as he received eight first place votes. Like Garvey though he wasn't the best player on his team as ex-Red Sox and future Dodger Reggie Smith was. In fact Brock was probably a worse 2nd place choice than Garvey was a 1st place choice. The great Johnny Bench and a young Mike Schmidt received solid support but no first place votes.
Actual Results
1) Steve Garvey 2) Lou Brock 3) Mike Marshall 4) Johnny Bench 5) Jimmy Wynn 6) Mike Schmidt 7) Al Oliver 8) Joe Morgan 9) Richie Zisk 10) Willie Stargell 11) Reggie Smith 12) Ralph Garr 13) Ted Simmons 14) Dave Cash 15) Dave Concepcion 16t) Jack Billingham 16t) Cesar Cedeno 16t) Al Hrabosky 16t) Andy Messersmith 20) Buzz Capra 21t) Richie Hebner 21t) Blake McBride 21t) Lynn McGlothen 21t) Rennie Stennett 25t) Bill Buckner 25t) Ron Cey
#10
.321/.358/.475, 104 RC, 136 OPS+, .301 EQA, 48.2 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#9
132 ERA+, 2.35 K/BB, 1.10 WHIP, 67.8 VORP, 25 Win Shares
#8
.353/.383/.503, 116 RC, 143 OPS+, .300 EQA, 50.7 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#7
.309/.389/.528, 107 RC, 157 OPS+, .318 EQA, 51.1 VORP, 25 Win Shares
#6
159 ERA+, 2.22 K/BB, 1.12 WHIP, 81.0 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#5
.271/.387/.497, 105 RC, 151 OPS+, .314 EQA, 45.5 VORP, 32 Win Shares
#4
.301/.407/.537, 110 RC, 168 OPS+, .331 EQA, 52.3 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#3
.280/.363/.507, 114 RC, 143 OPS+, .306 EQA, 57.8 VORP, 34 Win Shares
#2
.282/.395/.546, 122 RC, 158 OPS+, .318 EQA, 68.0 VORP, 39 Win Shares
#1
.293/.427/.494, 108 RC, 159 OPS+, .336 EQA, 80.0 VORP, 37 Win Shares
SMARTBALL~!
Morgan didn't receive a whole lot of support but he would win the MVP the next two years but maybe it should have been three in a row. Garvey doesn't crack the Top 10 but he was always overrated. And the Mike Schmidt card is the greatest thing ever although I'm not sure how exciting that image would be in 3-D.
Woo hoo, my three World Series box sets showed up today. I’ll try to figure out some sort of entry to do on the sets beyond a simple review. Probably will start by watching the bonus disk on the 1986 set that has Game 6 of the NLCS.
Hey remember how overrated Carlos Beltran was and how he was overpaid? What happened to that talk? He’s arguably the best healthy player in baseball right now. To no surprise Pujols is still on top even on the DL but Beltran is making a serious push for the top spot. If the Mets do end up winning the East you could have an interesting teammate duel for the MVP with him and David Wright, depending on how much Pujols’ injury time affects his chances. Scott Rolen has stepped up in Pujols’ absence and makes his first appearance in the Top 10. After a huge jump into the Top 10, Alfonso Soriano goes cold and nearly tumbles out of it while his teammate Nick Johnson is red hot. The slumping Chase Utley drops out of the Top 10 for the first time this season.
#10 Alfonso Soriano, Nationals
.289/.350/.585, 57 RC, .299 EQA, 23.9 VORP, 13 Win Shares
#9 Bobby Abreu, Phillies
.292/.455/.500, 54 RC, .318 EQA, 23.9 VORP, 14 Win Shares
#8 Scott Rolen, Cardinals
.355/.430/.589, 42 RC, .323 EQA, 27.7 VORP, 12 Win Shares
#7 Nick Johnson, Nationals
.309/.436/.554, 55 RC, .328 EQA, 30.5 VORP, 13 Win Shares
#6 Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.339/.435/.562, 54 RC, .330 EQA, 34.0 VORP, 11 Win Shares
#5 Lance Berkman, Astros
.308/.386/.602, 53 RC, .313 EQA, 24.2 VORP, 14 Win Shares
#4 David Wright, Mets
.335/.404/.587, 55 RC, .319 EQA, 33.0 VORP, 12 Win Shares
#3 Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks
226 ERA+, 5.69 K/BB, 1.07 WHIP, 41.6 VORP, 13 Win Shares
#2 Carlos Beltran, Mets
.300/.408/.643, 59 RC, .329 EQA, 34.3 VORP, 17 Win Shares
#1
.308/.442/.751, 65 RC, .357 EQA, 38.1 VORP, 19 Win Shares
Finally we have a new #1 in the A.L. as Jim Thome is starting to cool off. He actually leads the league in Win Shares still but the new #1 topped him in every other category. Joe Mauer pulls off what Alfonso Soriano did last week and makes a huge jump into the Top 10. Vernon Wells also makes a big jump and might be emerging as a serious MVP candidate this year. I do have some sad news this week…Baseball Jesus has dropped out. Do not cry though, there will be a resurrection.
#10 Curtis Granderson, Tigers
.282/.379/.464, 49 RC, .290 EQA, 18.5 VORP, 13 Win Shares
#9 Ramon Hernandez, Orioles
.292/.353/.498, 50 RC, .291 EQA, 17.7 VORP, 13 Win Shares
#8 Miguel Tejada, Orioles
.333/.392/.556, 51 RC, .318 EQA, 37.1 VORP, 11 Win Shares
#7 Jermaine Dye, White Sox
.298/.393/.639, 47 RC, .325 EQA, 23.1 VORP, 12 Win Shares
#6 Alexis Rios, Blue Jays
.335/.386/.623, 51 RC, .320 EQA, 28.2 VORP, 12 Win Shares
#5 Jason Giambi, Yankees
.270/.443/.616, 54 RC, .341 EQA, 26.5 VORP, 12 Win Shares
#4 Joe Mauer, Twins
.378/.443/.523, 44 RC, .331 EQA, 33.0 VORP, 12 Win Shares
#3 Vernon Wells, Blue Jays
.328/.384/.624, 53 RC, .320 EQA, 34.7 VORP, 12 Win Shares
#2 Jim Thome, White Sox
.281/.415/.615, 61 RC, .331 EQA, 29.8 VORP, 14 Win Shares
#1
.303/.454/.620, 65 RC, .356 EQA, 37.7 VORP, 13 Win Shares
Closer list is the Top 30 in saves, of course saves are not factored in the rankings. Same statistics taken into account as middle relievers but I also include Win Shares for closers.
2004 Top 3
1. Brad Lidge
2. Joe Nathan
3. Eric Gagne
2005 Top 3
1. Mariano Rivera
2. Billy Wagner
3. Todd Jones
2006 Closer Rankings
1. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox
2. B.J. Ryan, Blue Jays
3. Joe Nathan, Twins
4. J.J. Putz, Mariners
5. Francisco Rodriguez, Angels
6. Mariano Rivera, Yankees
7. Takashi Saito, Dodgers
8. Billy Wagner, Mets
9. Trevor Hoffman, Padres
10. Akinori Otsuka, Rangers
11. Huston Street, A's
12. Chris Ray, Orioles
13. Chad Cordero, Nationals
14. Mike Gonzalez, Pirates
15. Francisco Cordero, Rangers/Brewers
16. Brian Fuentes, Rockies
17. Bobby Jenks, White Sox
18. Tom Gordon, Phillies
19. Bob Wickman, Indians/Braves
20. Joe Borowski, Marlins
21. Todd Jones, Tigers
22. Jorge Julio, Mets/Diamondbacks
23. Jason Isringhausen, Cardinals
24. Brad Lidge, Astros
25. Ryan Dempster, Cubs
26. Armando Benitez, Giants
27. Jose Valverde, Diamondbacks
28. Eddie Guradado, Mariners/Reds
29. Ambriorix Burgos, Royals
30. Derrick Turnbow, Brewers
Jose Rijo - Starting Pitcher
New York Yankees 1984
Oakland Athletics 1985-1987
Cincinnati Reds 1988-1995, 2001-2002
Awards
1990 World Series MVP
All-Star Selections: 1 (1994)
League Leader
1991: W/L Pct., WHIP
1993: Strikeouts, K/9
Career Ranks
K/9: 34th
K/BB: 90th
Best Performance
September 25, 1993 - Cincinnati at Colorado
Pitched a complete game, one hitter in Mile High Stadium with a Charlie Hayes single in the 2nd being the only hit.
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Pitching - 9 (250) (Average HOFer ≈ 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 93 (228) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 20.0 (289) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 28.0 (446) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Sid Fernandez, Bruce Kison, Gary Peters, Ray Culp, Bob Veale, Bob Ojeda, Mike Scott, Don Wilson, Sonny Siebert, Joe Horlen
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1984: 1/0.8
1985: 4/2.3
1986: 5/2.2
1987: 0/0.0
1988: 15/6.3
1989: 9/3.8
1990: 17/6.4
1991: 17/6.9
1992: 19/7.6
1993: 26/11.5
1994: 11/6.1
1995: 4/1.8
2001: 2/0.3
2002: 2/1.1
Career Win Shares: 132
Career WARP3: 57.1
My Stupid Opinion
This is Rijo's second different appearance on the HOF ballot as he was also on the 2001 ballot (received just one vote) but he made a comeback with the Reds later that year. Very good pitcher in the early 90's including a Cy Young caliber year in 1993 but the 257 innings he pitched that season probably did in him as his elbow was never the same. Ended up having four different Tommy John surgeries so he belongs in the infirmary wing of the HOF.
Shawon Dunston - Shortstop
Chicago Cubs 1985-1995, 1997
San Francisco Giants 1996, 1998, 2001-2002
Pittsburgh Pirates 1997
Cleveland Indians 1998
St. Louis Cardinals 1999, 2000
New York Mets 1999
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 2 (1988, 1990)
League Leader
None
Career Ranks
None of note
Best Performance
June 4, 1989 - Chicago at St. Louis
Hit two homeruns and a triple in a rout of the Cardinals.
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Batting - 6 (1622) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 16.9 (835) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 14.0 (950) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Jim Fregosi, Juan Samuel, Terry Steinbach, Carlos Baerga, Phil Garner, Greg Gagne, Bill Freehan, Granny Hamner, Hubie Brooks, Daimon Easley
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1985: 8/3.2
1986: 14/4.7
1987: 5/2.2
1988: 13/5.2
1989: 18/6.1
1990: 15/3.6
1991: 14/4.1
1992: 1/0.6
1993: 1/0.2
1994: 8/2.5
1995: 16/4.9
1996: 8/3.4
1997: 11/3.7
1998: 3/0.1
1999: 8/1.8
2000: 4/1.2
2001: 4/1.7
2002: 0/-0.8
Career Win Shares: 151
Career WARP3: 48.3
My Stupid Opinion
Gives Todd Stottlemyre a run for his money for the weakest player on the ballot honors. Decent player in the late 80's and early 90's but back surgery basically wiped out two seasons for him in 1992 and 1993. Had decent power for a shortstop but never saw a pitch he didn't like (.296 career OBP, 203 walks in 6276 plate appearances) and was a mediocre defensive shortstop. He lasted 18 years but the second half of his career was as a utility player and clubs loved his "veteran presence", especially the Giants.
AFC Divisional Playoff: Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Scoring Summary
LA: Allen 1 Run
Mia: Stoyanovich 20 FG
LA: Jaeger 58 FG
LA: Jackson 75 Run
Mia: Clayton 59 Pass from Marino
Mia: Stoyanovich 45 FG
Mia: Duper 28 Pass from Marino
LA: Horton 23 Pass from Beurlein
After squandering a couple of first half scoring opportunities the Dolphins appeared they would be on their way to another second half comeback playoff win but Steve Beurlein came off the bench for an injured Jay Schroeder to lead a 4th quarter touchdown drive for the win. The key sequence in the game came late in the first half when Mike Hardin intercepted a Dan Marino pass in the endzone and would be followed a few plays later by a 75 yard touchdown run by Bo Jackson to give the Raiders a 17-3 halftime lead.
NFC Divisional Playoff: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings
Scoring Summary
PHI: Sherman 14 Run
MIN: Fenney 1 Run
PHI: Ruzek 50 FG
MIN: Carter 21 Pass from Wilson
MIN: Fenney 28 Pass from Wilson
PHI: Barnett 38 Pass from Cunningham
MIN: Carter 56 Pass from Wilson
Wade Wilson threw three second half touchdowns, two to Anthony Carter, as the Vikings continue their surprisingly strong season with a trip the NFC Championship Game. After killing the Redskins with both his arm and legs in the Wild Card round, QB Eagles was unable to break any big runs in this one.
AFC Divisional Playoff: Houston Oilers vs. Buffalo Bills
Scoring Summary
Scoreless First Quarter
Hou: Givens 54 Pass from Moon
Hou: Hill 27 Pass from Moon
Buf: Mueller 1 Run
Hou: Givens 57 Pass from Moon
Buff: Reed 14 Pass from Kelly
Hou: Hill 31 Pass from Moon
Buf: Thomas 64 Pass from Kelly
The Houston Oilers go into Buffalo in a playoff game and don’t blow a big lead! Warren Moon was unstoppable with four touchdown passes as he leads the Oilers to their first AFC Championship Game appearance in 12 years. Thurman Thomas had over 200 yards in total offense in the losing effort.
NFC Divisional Playoff: Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers
Scoring Summary
LA: Ellard 47 Pass from Everett
SF: Craig 4 Run
LA: Warner 6 Run
SF: Rice 4 Pass from Montana
LA: Warner 4 Run
LA: Ellard 15 Pass from Everett
SF: Rice 55 Pass from Montana
SF: Craig 4 Run
LA: Gary 4 Run
SF: Rice 12 Pass from Montana
SF: Taylor 65 Pass from Montana
In a classic shootout, the 49ers outlast in their divisional rival Rams in overtime 41-35. This game featured some “great” Tecmo computer logic in overtime as after the Rams won the coin toss the 49ers decided to catch the Rams off guard I suppose by going for an onside kick. It backfired and the Rams returned it to the 49ers 35. Then rather than try to move the ball closer the Rams elected to attempt a 52 yard field to win it but Mike Lansford’s kick hit the left upright. Joe Montana would hit a wide open John Taylor on the next play for the winning touchdown.
In kkk's most recent entry on K-Mart customer service he made mention of how he had thought Harold Baines didn't get enough credit as a player. Now Baines best season was probably 1984 when he was still an everyday outfielder. Now he was never a serious MVP cadidate and '84 was no different but the MVP voting that year was quite interesting. For one a closer won it in Willie Hernandez of the Tigers. A closer winning an MVP should always raise a few eyebrows as it's pretty much impossible for them to equal the value of an everyday player.
Now Hernandez was far from your one inning and done closers of today. He pitched 140 innings that year which is a ton of innings for someone who didn't make a single start. He was dominating with 112 strikeouts to 36 walks, a 1.92 ERA, and ridiculous 0.94 WHIP. Obviously since he won the MVP, he also won the Cy Young. Now a closer winning a Cy Young is something that probably shouldn't happen too often but can happen and be a legitimate choice. In 1984 there simply wasn't starter with numbers (at least the standard ones) that really jumped out and when a closer has a year like Hernandez did under those circumstances it's not surprising he won the Cy Young. Dave Steib would have been the better choice but of course the writers overlooked him due to only having 16 wins (not his fault). But Hernandez was not a bad choice at all for winning the Cy Young.
Now in 1984 the A.L. was a one team league: Detroit Tigers. They started the year 30-5 and basically it was all over after that as the second place Blue Jays finished 15 games back, who had the second best record in the league overall. Really it's hard to blame the writers for wanting to give a Tiger the MVP that year when they were so much better than the competition. But was Hernandez the right Tiger? Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell finished 6th and 9th in the voting repsectively and as I mentioned before a closer can't match the value of a star everyday player like those two.
But there was something else that was interesting about the '84 A.L. MVP voting, it was who finished 2nd: Kent Hrbek. The Twins that year finished 81-81 and Hrbek didn't crack the Top 5 of any writer favored offensive categories (AVG, HR, RBI). How could a first baseman on the Twins get more votes than a household name like Eddie Murray and a rising star in the media capital of the world in Don Matttingly who played the same position? You would think Hrbek would get overshadowed. This really puzzled me but when you look at the A.L. West that year in conjuction with the Tigers dominance of the East it starts to make "sense" how the writers voted Hrbek that high. See since the Tigers great start eliminated any chance of a pennant race all the attenion went to the West. Now the race in the West was almost as bad as the race in the N.L. West in 2005. The Royals would win the division at 84-78 with the Twins and Angels tied for second just three games back at .500. Royals would have finished 6th in the East with that record. The West was so bad that the last place Rangers were closer to first than the second place Blue Jays were in the East to Tigers. The Twins were neck and neck with the Royals and Angels going into the final couple of weeks of the season when the MVP voting was going on. The Twins would lose six straight to end the season but it was the added attention that Hrbek received and the lack of a race of the East that nearly propelled him to the MVP.
So should have a Tigers position player won the MVP? Should one of the big name first basemen with better numbers than Hrbek have won the award? Or was it someone who received almost no support at all for the award? Now I'll tell you...if your still reading.
For reference here is the actual order of finish in '84:
1) Willie Hernandez 2) Kent Hrbek 3) Dan Quissenberry 4) Eddie Murray 5) Don Mattingly 6) Kirk Gibson 7) Tony Armas 8) Dave Winfield 9) Alan Trammell 10) Willie Wilson 11) Dwight Evans 12) Alvin Davis 13t) Harold Baines 13t) Dave Kingman 13t) Jim Rice 16t) Lance Parrish 16t) Willie Upshaw 18) Brian Downing 19t) Steve Balboni 19t) George Bell 19t) Andre Thorton 22t) Buddy Bell 22t) Lloyd Moseby 22t) Dave Steib 25t) Juan Beniquez 25t) Mike Boddicker 27t) Doyle Alexander 27t) Cal Ripken
#10
.284/.391/.497, 110 RC, 146 OPS+, .318 EQA, 59.5 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#9
.293/.399/.458, 91 RC, 145 OPS+, .327 EQA, 60.6 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#8
130 ERA+, 2.25 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 74.3 VORP, 25 Win Shares
#7
.340/.393/.515, 116 RC, 154 OPS+, .328 EQA, 61.5 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#6
.298/.361/.441, 101 RC, 126 OPS+, .302 EQA, 69.1 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#5
.295/.388/.532, 130 RC, 147 OPS+, .321 EQA, 63.0 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#4
.314/.382/.468, 99 RC, 136 OPS+, .308 EQA, 66.4 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#3
.343/.381/.537, 125 RC, 156 OPS+, .328 EQA, 72.7 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#2
.306/.410/.509, 123 RC, 156 OPS+, .335 EQA, 75.8 VORP, 33 Win Shares
#1
.304/.374/.510, 122 RC, 145 OPS+, .318 EQA, 92.2 VORP, 37 Win Shares
OMG SWERVE~!
As you see in the actual results, Ripken is the last name listed. He received just a single a 10th place vote. It wasn't like he was some young player no one had heard of yet, he won the the MVP the year before! But what happens to a lot MVP winners who were on the top team in their league, like the Orioles were in '83, and the following year the team isn't as good the perceived value of that MVP drops like a rock. Really him, Murray, Mattingly, Trammell, or the always overlooked Evans would have made fine choices. Hrbek just missed the Top 10 and Hernandez may have cracked the Top 15 if I extended the list that far but neither were deserving as much support as they received. As you'll see I did include a pitcher in Steib and two players in Yount and RICKEY~ who didn't receive a single vote in '84. The legendary Juan Beniquez, who had 382 plate apperances, received more support than Ripken, Yount, and Henderson. That's pretty bad.
Tony Fernandez - Shortstop
Toronto Blue Jays 1983-1990, 1993, 1998-1999, 2001
San Diego Padres 1991-1992
New York Mets 1993
Cincinnati Reds 1994
New York Yankees 1995
Cleveland Indians 1997
Milwaukee Brewers 2001
Awards
1986 AL Gold Glove - SS
1987 AL Gold Glove - SS
1988 AL Gold Glove - SS
1989 AL Gold Glove - SS
All-Star Selections: 5 (1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1999)
League Leader
1990: Triples
Career Ranks
None of note
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Batting - 3 (499) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 51 (477) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 31.5 (254) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 74.0 (225) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: 3 (Red Schoendienst, Billy Herman, Pee Wee Reese)
Other Similar Batters: Dick Bartell, Alvin Dark, Dave Concepcion, Jimmie Dykes, Alan Trammell, Garry Templeton, Omar Vizquel
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1983: 1/0.3
1984: 6/2.7
1985: 21/8.9
1986: 24/9.1
1987: 24/10.1
1988: 25/8.6
1989: 20/8.2
1990: 25/10.6
1991: 21/7.5
1992: 15/6.1
1993: 20/8.1
1994: 14/6.0
1995: 9/2.9
1997: 11/3.6
1998: 19/6.6
1999: 20/5.6
2001: 1/0.5
Career Win Shares: 280
Career WARP3: 105.4
Would he get my vote?
No. Not a HOF but I think a much better player than most people remember, including myself, and I think I'd rate him slightly better than Dave Concepcion. An excellent fielder during his prime and almost always a good hitter for a shortstop, only once finishing with an OPS+ of under 90 in a full season, and finished with a career OPS+ of 101. Overlooked I think for several factors as he brokeout when Cal Ripken and Alan Trammell were already established with his power numbers paling in comparison to those two. Then in his 30's he bounced around from a different team almost every year including missing one season due to injury and spending another in Japan. A knock against him is that even though he had 246 career steals he was a poor base stealer being thrown out 36% of the time.
Mark McGwire - First Baseman
Oakland Athletics 1986-1997
St. Louis Cardinals 1997-2001
Awards
1987 AL Rookie of the Year
1990 AL Gold Glove - 1B
1992 AL Silver Slugger - 1B
1996 AL Silver Slugger - 1B
1998 NL Silver Slugger - 1B
All-Star Selections: 12 (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
League Leader
1987: Homeruns, Slugging %, HR/AB
1989: HR/AB
1990: Walks
1992: Slugging %, HR/AB, OPS+
1995: HR/AB
1996: Homeruns, OBP, Slugging %, HR/AB, OPS, OPS+
1998: Homeruns, Walks, OBP, Slugging %, HR/AB, Runs Created, OPS, OPS+
1999: Homeruns, RBI, HR/AB, OPS+
Career Ranks
HR: 7th
RBI: 60th
BB: 34th
OBP: 78th
SLG: 10th
HR/AB: 1st
RC: 82nd
OPS: 13th
OPS+: 11th
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Batting - 36 (41) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 110 (189) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 42.0 (126) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 169.5 (60) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: 2 (Harmon Killewbrew, Willie McCovey)
Other Similar Batters: Jim Thome, Jose Canseco, Carlos Delgado, Manny Ramirez, Juan Gonzalez, Norm Cash, Jason Giambi, Dave Kingman
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1986: 1/-0.1
1987: 30/8.9
1988: 28/7.6
1989: 21/7.0
1990: 27/10.0
1991: 18/6.1
1992: 29/10.1
1993: 6/2.5
1994: 6/2.5
1995: 23/7.8
1996: 29/9.8
1997: 25/9.4
1998: 41/11.6
1999: 30/8.6
2000: 20/6.0
2001: 8/1.5
Career Win Shares: 342
Career WARP3: 109.5
Would he get my vote?
Yes. I thought about doing a very long rant about the entire issue regarding if McGwire should go into the HOF or not but we all know that when the results are announced Tuesday he will not have been elected so this issue is going to last for at least one more year so I'm not going to waste my time for now. What I will say when it comes to considering a player for the HOF who has either been proven to have used steroids or have likely used steroids I feel that if a player is a true borderline candidate that use of steroids can tip the scales against a player as being a deserving HOF. Mark McGwire is not a borderline candidate. 7th all-time in homeruns, 10th all-time in Slugging, 11th all-time OPS+, a .394 career OBP, and he averaged 50 homeruns for every 162 games played. Whether or not he will ever get in, it is too early to tell. The projection seems to be he'll get only 25-30% of the vote on this first ballot and this percentage should increase substantially next year as several voters are using an arbitrary one-year boycott for likely steroid users. What is revealed or not revealed in the following years about his use of steroids and the use of others during his playing days will determine if he ever gets in. No one should feel sorry for McGwire if he never gets in but I think it'd be a real shame if he didn't.
December 30th - Meineke Car Care Bowl (Big East #3/Navy vs. ACC #6)
Navy vs. Clemson/Boston College/Miami
The mean 'ol Naval academy is stealing the Big East's bid here due to a conditional bid they had with this unfortunately named bowl. Clemson is likely to end up here after having what appeared to be promising Orange Bowl hopes just a couple of weeks ago.
December 30th - Alamo Bowl (Big XII #4 vs. Big Ten #4)
Texas A&M/Missouri/Nebraska vs. Purdue
Purdue will end up here by default and A&M is obviously favored here, if the Holiday Bowl doesn't grab them. Nebraska would probably be passed on if their available since they played here last season.
December 30th - Chick-fil-A Bowl (ACC #2 vs. SEC #5)
Virginia Tech/Georgia Tech/Maryland/Boston College vs. Georgia/Alabama/South Carolina
And just another reason why people have a hard time taking bowl game seriously. Chick-fil-A just wasn't satisfied with being the sponsor of the Peach Bowl so they bought out the name. I'd never even heard of Chick-fil-A when they first sponsored the bowl. The assumption right now by the projections is that the SEC will get two teams in the BCS thus leaving this game with a 7-5 team at best from the SEC. Although none of them picked them, when you look at the remaining schedule there is a distinct possibility Kentucky ends up here as they could go 7-5 while the other three all finish 6-6 and thus would have to be passed over. If Georgia Tech loses the ACC title game they'll end up here which obviously would eliminate Georgia from consideration.
December 31st - MPC Computers Bowl (WAC #1 vs. ACC #8)
Nevada/San Jose State vs. Miami/Florida State/Wake Forest
Larry Coker's last stand will likely be freezing his ass off in Boise. Like I said in the prior entry I'd be surprised if Nevada isn't Boise State's replacement here. Of course though perennial doormat San Jose State playing perennial national power Miami on blue turf would be delicious is so many ways.
Jaunary 1st - Gator Bowl (Big East #2/Big XII #5 vs. ACC #3)
West Virginia/Nebraska vs. Wake Forest/Clemson/Maryland
The Gator Bowl has become the ugly stepchild of the January 1st bowls and has been passed over the Peach and Holiday Bowl on the bowl totem poll in recent years. As mentioned before if Nebarska is available they will pass on an 11-1/10-2 Big East team to do so. A lot will depend on who ends up in the Holiday Bowl from the Pac-10 as if it's Cal is there then they will probably grab Nebraska but if it's USC they'll have to pass on them.
January 1st - Outback Bowl (Big Ten #3 vs. SEC #4)
Penn State vs. Tennessee/LSU/Arkansas
Although the Gator Bowl is the ugly stepchild of January 1st, this game has always felt like an unecessary January 1st game to me. It's starts way too early for us on the West Coast (8:00 AM after New Year's Eve? Fuck that) and the 3rd or 4th best team from the Big Ten playing the 4th or 5th best team from the SEC isn't all that exciting to me especially when there is a much bigger Big Ten/SEC match-up later in the day. It will be especially unexciting this year as an unranked Penn State team will be here by default barring something bizarre happening in the Big Ten in the last couple of weeks.
January 1st - Cotton Bowl (Big XII #2 vs. SEC #3)
Oklahoma vs. LSU/Arkansas/Auburn/Tennessee
I always kind of hope that the Cotton Bowl will one day regain it's status as the 2nd biggest bowl game but that will never happen. Oklahoma is almost a lock here at this point unless Texas gets upset in the Big XII title game and there is always a preference to take a team from the SEC West division so not sure what CFN is thinking with Tennessee.
January 1st - Capital One Bowl (SEC #2 vs. Big Ten #2)
Wisconsin vs. Tennessee/Florida/Arkansas
There's 99.99999999% chance the Badgers end up here. As for the SEC a lot will depend on what happens in the SEC title game.
January 1st - Rose Bowl (Pac-10 #1/BCS vs. Big Ten #1/BCS)
California/USC vs. Michigan
Aww the Grand Daddy of them all back where should always be played, on January 1st. Won't get the Big Ten champ but at least we will get a Pac-10/Big Ten match-up. Of course if Cal beats USC I will not be watching this game until Michigan has a substantial lead in the game. And as you can see no one is picking them to beat Ohio State.
January 1st - Fiesta Bowl (Big XII #1/BCS vs. BCS)
Texas/Notre Dame vs. Boise State
This appears to be the easiest bowl to predict at this point. Texas wins the Big XII and Boise State wins out, they'll be playing each other. Now you see Notre Dame and well that's because Ivan Maisel thinks Texas will end up in the BCS Title Game which is too scary to think of right now. Although I think they'll get crushed at least Boise will get to prove themselves against an elite team unlike Utah a few years ago who were stuck playing a Pittsburgh team that had no business being there in a year that turned everyone on the Big East.
Jaunary 2nd - Orange Bowl (ACC #1/BCS vs. BCS)
Georgia Tech/Wake Forest vs. Auburn/LSU/Louisville
I'm sooooooooo rooting for Wake Forest and Rutgers to win their conferences and play here as it might cause the Apocalypse. Obviously the popular choice seems to be the 2nd SEC team getting here.
January 3rd - Sugar Bowl (SEC #1/BCS vs. BCS)
Florida/Arkansas/Auburn vs. Notre Dame/Louisville
Convential wisdom is the Sugar Bowl will gobble up Notre Dame as they are ahead of the Orange and Fiesta on the BCS pecking order this year.
January 6th - International Bowl (MAC #3 vs. Big East #4/#5)
Ohio/Western Michigan/Kent State vs. Pittsburgh/South Florida
Exhibit A why when a bowl is played is overrated. It seems unlikely USF would be picked here to travel all the way to Toronto.
January 7th - GMAC Bowl (Conference USA #2 vs. MAC #2)
East Carolina/Tulsa/Houston vs. Ohio/Western Michigan/Central Michigan/Northern Illinois
And Exhibit B as nothing bowl game GMAC decided to get cute and schedule themselves the day before the BCS title game.
January 8th - BCS Championship Game (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2)
Ohio State vs. Louisville/Florida/Texas
Playing two bowl games at the same site a week apart is lame and January 8th is looooooong time to wait for the title game. Words can not describe how I don't want to see a Ohio State/Texas rematch although the elitist in me would prefer to see Florida than Louisville, not to say I don't think Louisville wouldn't be more deserving if they finish undefeated.
Brady Anderson - Outfielder
Boston Red Sox 1988
Baltimore Orioles 1988-2001
Cleveland Indians 2002
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 3 (1992, 1996, 1997)
League Leader
1996: Extra Base Hits
Career Ranks
None of note
Best Performance
August 7, 1998 - Baltimore at Minnesota
Career high five hits which included two homeruns and two doubles.
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Batting - 37 (643) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 26.1 (376) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 38.0 (473) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Johnny Callison, Devon White, Rick Monday, Roy White, Lloyd Moseby, Chet Lemon, Claudell Washington, Jimmy Wynn, Ray Lankford, Amos Otis
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1988: 3/1.4
1989: 7/2.1
1990: 7/3.0
1991: 6/1.8
1992: 29/11.3
1993: 18/6.4
1994: 12/6.2
1995: 19/6.6
1996: 28/10.0
1997: 26/7.2
1998: 13/4.4
1999: 23/8.8
2000: 15/5.4
2001: 8/2.4
2002: 0/0.2
Career Win Shares: 214
Career WARP3: 77.3
My Stupid Opinion
A bit of a late bloomer as his breakout year didn't come until age 28 as to that point he looked like he might be a bust. Will always be remembered for being the least likely player ever to hit 50 homeruns. He's the only player in MLB history to hit 50 homeruns in one season without having a 30+ homerun season at any other point in his career (not counting Prince Fielder). Interesting enough his breakout year of '92 is ranked as being better than his '96 season by both Win Shares and WARP. I'm guessing it has to do with his 53 stolen bases that year and I think he was probably a much better defensive outfielder at that point. Also in 1996 everyone seemed to be hitting 50 homeruns so his year doesn't really standout. Not as good as what his similar batters show as Wynn and Otis in particular were much better players.
