I took a look at the top of the AL Central earlier this month, now let's look at the rebuilding projects. Very rarely do you have an entire division that will compete throughout the year. There are some years when you will see four teams make the division really competitive and fun to watch. Teams changing places and every series is even more important because of it. Other years, well, there are just teams that will do nothing but create pain for your favorite team. That team that is going to lose ninety games, but still find time to sweep your favorite team at a critical part of the season. That's the fun part of baseball (but also the most aggravating).
The Cleveland Indians. The 2014 Cy Young pitcher resides there. They have that annoying drum that is kinda racist. Speaking of racist, Chief Wahoo. For some reason, baseball talking heads are expecting something out of this team this year. Early in the season, they lost their primary catcher which hurt their batting lineup, but it also hurts their young pitching staff. I think that defensive first catchers are underrated. I would rather have a catcher bat .220 and be able to handle a pitching staff well enough that they pitch above their level. Their catcher, Yan Gomes, both hit well and controlled the pitching staff. They do have a few pieces, but not enough to get anywhere near Detroit, Kansas City, or even Chicago. Just like Minnesota, Cleveland is in a spot where they are waiting for their farm system to develop. It seems like a lifetime ago that this organization had players like Cliff Lee, C.C. Sabathia, and Victor Martinez. How far they have fallen.
Strengths: Corey Kluber, young and talented players. Weaknesses: Just about everything else.
The Minnesota Twins. The nice guys of MLB. A team that if they did not play in the same division as the Tigers, I would root for. They have a lot of young players that will help turn the organization around. There are a few problems though. A lot of them have been rushed and have not had time to develop. So, while they are heralded as future stars, they are taking their licks in the big league. This is the problem when you don't have time for them to develop. Then, while they are figuring the game out, the analysts wonder if they really were going to be stars or if they are duds. Then the fanbase starts to think that. Then maybe even the players themselves. The Twins fans have to be patient while the players who have not been called up yet develop. But how long are they going to wait? Being a small market team, they cannot draw many big name players. They have pieced together a starting rotation that was going to win them some games until Ervin Santana was suspended for half the season. Now, they are back to having one decent pitcher and some that are not so good. They will have to rely on their batting lineup to win them games because they cannot depend on the rotation. And their batting lineup is not going to give opponents nightmares. They'll fight with Cleveland for last place again this year as both teams wait for the future.
Strengths: farm system, veteran leadership. Weaknesses: Management, pitching staff, players not named Mauer.
21 April 2015
Underrated List
I had a lot of fun writing my overrated post that I thought I would do the opposite and look at some underrated things. Admittedly, I have not been writing as much as I would like. Part of it is because we do not use our laptop as much as we use to once we got a tablet. I have an app to write posts, but there's just something about typing on a real keyboard that makes me feel better. Anyway, here's some underrated things:
- Hamm's beer
- Sam Rockwell and Michael Fassbender (seriously, watch 'Moon' and 'Hunger')
- Podcasts (although they are gaining traction)
- Curling
- Stannis Baratheon (for you Game of Thrones fans)
- Orphan Black
- A well prepared bratwurst
- Productive days off
- A burger and beer for lunch
- comic book characters Warpath and Daredevil
- Transformers movies (not the fourth one, I heard that was shit)
- College baseball
- Two handed fly ball catches
Okay. I will try to get back on track with writing.
18 April 2015
AL Central Rundown (part one)
Full disclosure: I started this post before the baseball season started. I will try to finish it while keeping the first couple of weeks out of my mind. I'm going to break this up into two posts because I want to.
We are about to embark on a grand journey that starts next month and will conclude in October. The MLB season is upon us! As always, let's take a look at the AL Central. It wasn't that long ago that the division was a bit of a joke. That was when the Twins and White Sox were running the show. The rest of the teams (Detroit, Kansas City, and Cleveland) were kind of wandering around in circles trying to find their identities. Those were dark times. So very, very dark. But now, the teams are stronger and one could make an argument that the AL Central is one of the strongest divisions in all of baseball. Looking at the other divisions in baseball, the NL West looks to be stacked as well.
The Detroit Tigers. Four time divisional champ. They've been running the show in the division for the past six years or so. The other teams have been making steps towards the top, but with the Tigers spending big money on free agents and locking up their top players for extended contracts, it'll be tough for any other team to topple Detroit. The exit of Max Scherzer leaves a big hole to fill. Also, the trade of Rick Porcello (in my mind a guy who is just coming into his prime) hurts the rotation. The batting lineup improved and will depend on the health of Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Everyone knows that. Just like last year, the big question mark, and rage inducing part of the team, is the bullpen. If a team wants to beat the Tigers this year, they have to get the starting pitcher out of the game. I still think that they Tigers will win the division this year. The Royals, much like last year, will make it interesting all the way to the end of the season. And it's going to be glorious. Also, please Dave Dombrowski, resign David Price. I'll even throw in a couple bucks if it'll help. Strengths: batting lineup, starting pitching. Weaknesses: bullpen, base running, defense
The Kansas City Royals. Defending American League champions. One well struck ball away from being World Series champions. A young, athletic, talented team that scares the ever living daylights out of me. All those years of being basement dwellers is paying off as the high draft picks are coming to their own. It seems like just a few years ago, Alex Gordon was being sent back down to the minors because he was struggling at third base. Now, he is the veteran leader and a gold glove defender in the outfield. Speaking of the outfield, if a hitter doesn't put the ball over the fence, chances are the defense out there is going to run it down. They combine speed on the bases with solid contact to produce runs, but can also hit the ball out of the park. Watching them last year, they seem to be a streaky team. When everyone is hitting well, the team can be unstoppable (look at their playoff run last year), but if they get into a funk, everyone seems to get in that funk at the same time (but then again, most teams are like that). The departure of James Shields will put a hurt on the starting rotation, but what they lack in a big name they make up for in solid pitching. Their bullpen is the complete opposite of the Tigers. It's amazing to watch their relief pitchers come in, you know the game is all but over. The big question will be, what happens if the starter doesn't make it to the sixth inning? Do they have a middle relief, long inning guy that can bridge the gap? Strengths: defense, bullpen, base running. Weaknesses: back end of the rotation, streakiness.
The Chicago White Sox. Last AL Central team to win a World Series (gross). They had about a three to four year run in the mid-2000s. Ever since, they have fallen off. They are a team that you kind of forget about, which makes them dangerous. They are also dangerous because outside of Jose Abreu and Chris Sale, you can't name a player on that team. Seriously, I had to look up the team roster. Okay, I guess I forgot about Jeff Samardzija. But I think he is one of the more overrated starting pitchers in the game right now. Just hasn't ever impressed me. Other than Sale and Samardzija, they don't have a rotation. Jose Qunitana is another young talent that they have, but has not come into his own. They have players that you can't name up and down the lineup. Their players are young and talented. The veterans on their team will help out their younger players. A few years from now, once their farm team players make it to the bigs, they will be contenders. Their fan base just has to be patient. Much like the Kansas City Royals, outside of their fans, many people don't know them. Yet. Strengths: Chris Sale, Dave Robertson, Jose Abreu. Weaknesses: rest of the team.
We are about to embark on a grand journey that starts next month and will conclude in October. The MLB season is upon us! As always, let's take a look at the AL Central. It wasn't that long ago that the division was a bit of a joke. That was when the Twins and White Sox were running the show. The rest of the teams (Detroit, Kansas City, and Cleveland) were kind of wandering around in circles trying to find their identities. Those were dark times. So very, very dark. But now, the teams are stronger and one could make an argument that the AL Central is one of the strongest divisions in all of baseball. Looking at the other divisions in baseball, the NL West looks to be stacked as well.
The Detroit Tigers. Four time divisional champ. They've been running the show in the division for the past six years or so. The other teams have been making steps towards the top, but with the Tigers spending big money on free agents and locking up their top players for extended contracts, it'll be tough for any other team to topple Detroit. The exit of Max Scherzer leaves a big hole to fill. Also, the trade of Rick Porcello (in my mind a guy who is just coming into his prime) hurts the rotation. The batting lineup improved and will depend on the health of Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Everyone knows that. Just like last year, the big question mark, and rage inducing part of the team, is the bullpen. If a team wants to beat the Tigers this year, they have to get the starting pitcher out of the game. I still think that they Tigers will win the division this year. The Royals, much like last year, will make it interesting all the way to the end of the season. And it's going to be glorious. Also, please Dave Dombrowski, resign David Price. I'll even throw in a couple bucks if it'll help. Strengths: batting lineup, starting pitching. Weaknesses: bullpen, base running, defense
The Kansas City Royals. Defending American League champions. One well struck ball away from being World Series champions. A young, athletic, talented team that scares the ever living daylights out of me. All those years of being basement dwellers is paying off as the high draft picks are coming to their own. It seems like just a few years ago, Alex Gordon was being sent back down to the minors because he was struggling at third base. Now, he is the veteran leader and a gold glove defender in the outfield. Speaking of the outfield, if a hitter doesn't put the ball over the fence, chances are the defense out there is going to run it down. They combine speed on the bases with solid contact to produce runs, but can also hit the ball out of the park. Watching them last year, they seem to be a streaky team. When everyone is hitting well, the team can be unstoppable (look at their playoff run last year), but if they get into a funk, everyone seems to get in that funk at the same time (but then again, most teams are like that). The departure of James Shields will put a hurt on the starting rotation, but what they lack in a big name they make up for in solid pitching. Their bullpen is the complete opposite of the Tigers. It's amazing to watch their relief pitchers come in, you know the game is all but over. The big question will be, what happens if the starter doesn't make it to the sixth inning? Do they have a middle relief, long inning guy that can bridge the gap? Strengths: defense, bullpen, base running. Weaknesses: back end of the rotation, streakiness.
The Chicago White Sox. Last AL Central team to win a World Series (gross). They had about a three to four year run in the mid-2000s. Ever since, they have fallen off. They are a team that you kind of forget about, which makes them dangerous. They are also dangerous because outside of Jose Abreu and Chris Sale, you can't name a player on that team. Seriously, I had to look up the team roster. Okay, I guess I forgot about Jeff Samardzija. But I think he is one of the more overrated starting pitchers in the game right now. Just hasn't ever impressed me. Other than Sale and Samardzija, they don't have a rotation. Jose Qunitana is another young talent that they have, but has not come into his own. They have players that you can't name up and down the lineup. Their players are young and talented. The veterans on their team will help out their younger players. A few years from now, once their farm team players make it to the bigs, they will be contenders. Their fan base just has to be patient. Much like the Kansas City Royals, outside of their fans, many people don't know them. Yet. Strengths: Chris Sale, Dave Robertson, Jose Abreu. Weaknesses: rest of the team.
03 April 2015
Overrated! (clap clap clapclapclap)
Here's something fun. Let's talk about things I think are overrated. Because I don't have anything else to really write about.
Wasn't that fun? Yeah, that was fun.
- Slaughter House Five and Catch-22.
- Overused hashtags. Unless you use them to make fun of them. Examples: #blessed and #BostonStrong
- Speaking of #BostonStrong: Boston. Just everything about it.
- Speaking of Boston: Sam Adams beer.
- Speaking of beer: IPAs. Stouts are where it's at.
- The Dark Knight movie trilogy. It's Christian Bale's fault.
- Football.
- ESPN.
- Sabermetrics.
- Joe Maddon.
- Daryl Dixon (THAT'S RIGHT, I SAID IT! COME AT ME!)
- Just kidding, Daryl is awesome.
- All CSI/NCSI/any cop or fire show that your parents love.
- Seriously, there's like, twenty versions of those shows.
- Grey's Anatomy after season 2. I liked the first two seasons.
- Reality television. All of it. There's better ways to kill your brain cells.
- Jared Leto
Wasn't that fun? Yeah, that was fun.
09 March 2015
Sin of My Youth
I'm sure we all have a story or two we could tell about our younger days and some stupid things we have done. Right? It's not just me? Right? Don't pretend like you didn't just think of three instances of being not smart in a situation.
I was thinking about this today as I was listening to a podcast called 'Tell the Bartender'. The host has guests on and they tell stories. The topic varies from episode to episode, and it's a lot of fun. It's something different for me. It's not sports related or political. Just another thing to listen to on my work commute. So here's a story about a kid talking to me while I was getting drunk...
It is very safe to say that the summers of 2004 and 2005 were my making up for not partying in college. I did go to a few parties in college, but not many. They were fun, but I was always paranoid about getting busted underage drinking. So I didn't really partake. I did, however, make up for it while working on Mackinac Island. Being of legal age while working there, I made too many trips to the bars. And while I may have spent more than I saved, they were the best of times. I made numerous friends working there. More than I did while attending college. These friends are who I consider my college friends. And as you would expect a group of twenty one to twenty three year olds to do, we drank. A LOT. At our house, at the bars, on the porch, in the kitchen, in the shower. All places where I consumed alcohol as I'm sure my friends did as well. We had our favorite bar, Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub. Mainly because they tolerated us, but also because it was named after the guy that helped to build where we worked. It was almost a guarantee that on at least one night of the week you would be able to find either a whole group of us or a small number. Just relaxing and being college kids.
I don't remember the exact circumstances to this instance, but I was having a bad day at work. It was hard to have them, but was possible. About halfway through the day, I started asking my co-workers if any wanted to go to the bar after work. Just have a couple of beers and a shot or two and then go home. Something to help forget whatever it was that was causing the day to be so bad. After getting a few nos, I was able to convince a couple of people to go with me. So off we went once we were finished. Smelling of wool, sweat, and sobriety.
I remember walking in and it being around dinner time, so 5:30ish. They never had a hostess, so we found a small table off to the side and a waitress came over with menus, welcomed us back. I handed the menu right back to her and said 'I'll have a Guinness and three shots of whiskeys.' She kinda stammered and walked away after the rest of the orders were put in. We all chuckled about it and waited for the drinks.
It is very safe to say that the summers of 2004 and 2005 were my making up for not partying in college. I did go to a few parties in college, but not many. They were fun, but I was always paranoid about getting busted underage drinking. So I didn't really partake. I did, however, make up for it while working on Mackinac Island. Being of legal age while working there, I made too many trips to the bars. And while I may have spent more than I saved, they were the best of times. I made numerous friends working there. More than I did while attending college. These friends are who I consider my college friends. And as you would expect a group of twenty one to twenty three year olds to do, we drank. A LOT. At our house, at the bars, on the porch, in the kitchen, in the shower. All places where I consumed alcohol as I'm sure my friends did as well. We had our favorite bar, Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub. Mainly because they tolerated us, but also because it was named after the guy that helped to build where we worked. It was almost a guarantee that on at least one night of the week you would be able to find either a whole group of us or a small number. Just relaxing and being college kids.
I don't remember the exact circumstances to this instance, but I was having a bad day at work. It was hard to have them, but was possible. About halfway through the day, I started asking my co-workers if any wanted to go to the bar after work. Just have a couple of beers and a shot or two and then go home. Something to help forget whatever it was that was causing the day to be so bad. After getting a few nos, I was able to convince a couple of people to go with me. So off we went once we were finished. Smelling of wool, sweat, and sobriety.
I remember walking in and it being around dinner time, so 5:30ish. They never had a hostess, so we found a small table off to the side and a waitress came over with menus, welcomed us back. I handed the menu right back to her and said 'I'll have a Guinness and three shots of whiskeys.' She kinda stammered and walked away after the rest of the orders were put in. We all chuckled about it and waited for the drinks.
We got our drinks and just kept to ourselves. Conversing, cursing, and not paying much attention to anyone or anything around. I drank some of my beer, took a shot. Drank more of my beer, took another shot. Conversed, cursed, and staying oblivious to what was going on around me. The waitress never really came by to check on us, but why would she when we ordered everything we needed right after we sat down. The empty beer glasses and shot glasses just kinda hung out on the table. I finished my beer, took the last shot and we waited for the waitress to get our check.
While we waited, there was a family a few tables over that had finished their meal. They paid their check and got up to leave. Before walking out the door, out of the corner of my eye, I see this kid start walking towards our table. He couldn't have been more than six or seven. He walks right over to me, tugs on my shirt sleeve, and said 'thanks for showing me your gun today!' Without a care in the world. I look over, and was at a loss for words for a second. The alcohol may have attributed to that. Just maybe. All I could muster up was 'you're welcome.' I mean what do you say to that? Getting blindsided by a kid like that. The mom and dad, of course, look at the table semi-full of empty beer and shot glasses and ushered the kid out the door. The dad might have mustered a 'have a good night.' to us on their way out. I don't quite remember.
At the table, we just did our best to keep from busting out in laughter. The kid obviously had no clue we were on our way to getting stumbling drunk. He just recognized us from earlier in the day. Oh, to be oblivious to the drunks at the bar!
Looking back, I'm sure the parents were terrified. But it's also fucking hilarious to think about. It makes me wonder if they'll tell their kid one day 'hey Junior, remember that one summer we went to Mackinac Island and that soldier at the fort? Well, he was completely shit faced and you told him thanks for seeing his gun!'
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