One thing that you can usually count on each April is one prediction…the New York Yankees being the team to beat in Major League Baseball. 2010 will be no different, with the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays scrambling for second place and hoping for the Yankees to stumble. The likelihood of a stumble this season appears slim, but that is why they play the games.
Jeter Looks For One More Ring
New York Yankees
The reigning World Series champs returned to their late 1990s form and displayed pure dominance during the playoffs as they kicked aside the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies en route to their 27th championship. Last year’s team had very few holes and they left little question as to who was the best team.
During the offseason, they Yankees didn’t sit idly by and revamped their roster for a run at back-to-back titles. Aging All-Stars Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui were bid adieu along with starting CF Melky Cabrera. Replacing these key components are OF Curtis Granderson, DH Nick Johnson and P Javier Vasquez. Within the shakeup, they Yankees placed their left field fortunes in the hands of OF Brett Gardner with veteran free agent signee Randy Winn as a parachute.
No question, the Yankees offensive output will be down, but even with the departures, they’ll likely still put up huge numbers and possibly lead the league in most offensive stat categories. The improvements come in the pitching rotation where they plugged the hole in the fifth starter position and returned Joba Chamberlain to the bullpen where he is better served. Javier Vasquez and Phil Hughes will hold down the 4th and 5th starter spots for the best pitching rotation in baseball. And should they get the expected 7 inning quality start, Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera will combine together again to close the door on any ideas of a late-run rally.
Key Additions: OF Curtis Granderson, 1B/DH Nick Johnson, OF Marcus Thames, P Javier Vazquez, OF Randy Winn
Key Subtractions: Melky Cabrera (OF), Johnny Damon (OF), Hideki Matsui (DH), Xavier Nady (OF), Chien-Ming Wang (P), Phil Coke (P), Brian Bruney (P)
Prediction: 102-60 (World Series Champs)
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox once again were the bridesmaids in the AL East in 2009, assuming their familiar position of watching the Yankees from the hindside. After a strong start to the season led by Jason Bay, the Red Sox fizzled as their starting pitching fell apart and their offense went quiet. Limping into the playoffs, the Los Angeles Angels made quick work of the Sox and sent them home for an early fall vacation.
The Red Sox went to work in the offseason, opening their wallets and spending big to secure free agents that will plug the holes which troubled them in 2009. The big acquisition was John Lackey, whom Red Sox fans hope will be the Yankee killer he was in Los Angeles. Despite recent injury woes, the Red Sox unloaded a huge contract on a pitcher that has flown under the radar for most of his career. In Boston, he will be unable to avoid the spotlight and how he responds to the glare will be the big story in Beantown. A player known to unleash on his teammates that make errors, Lackey will be under a microscope early and often.
Offensively, the Red Sox have major question marks. The loss of Jason Bay is huge, especially when you replace him with journeyman Mike Cameron. Bay was the lifeblood of last year’s offense, carrying the team of his back as David “Big Papi” Ortiz watched his skills evaporate as he came down from his steroids abuse behavior. While Victor Martinez brings some added pop to the lineup, his hitting is already beginning to tail of with age and his ability to call a game behind the plate pales in comparison to Jason Varitek. The left side of the infield is brand new, as Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro bring less than adequate pop to a struggling lineup.
The Red Sox changes really came off unbalanced. The pitching staff was less of an issue than the bats in the field and they went for the arms in the free agency. Acquisitions like Cameron and Beltre are unlikely to payoff and the Red Sox will struggle to earn second place in the division.
Key Additions: John Lackey (SP), Mike Cameron (OF), Adrian Beltre (3B), Marco Scutaro (SS)
Key Losses: Jason Bay (OF), Billy Wagner (RP)
Prediction: 90-72
Tampa Bay Rays
The biggest disappointment of 2009 was without a doubt the Tampa Bay Rays. With huge expectations on their shoulders, the team got off to a rocky start and never recovered. The starting pitching was average, the batting was underwhelming and the bullpen was a disaster. It was a fraction of the performance from a team that surprised the baseball world and finally broke through in 2008.
Despite the issues, the Rays held pat during the offseason, being their usually frugal selves. The main move was to secure Rafael Soriano, who will without question help them maintain a few more leads than they did in 2009. But keeping up with the Yankees and Red Sox required more than hoping the young players will improve significantly after a poor campaign. The pitching staff is anchored by Matt Garza and Jamie Shields, but the Rays success will hinge on the growth of Jeff Niemann, David Price and Wade Davis. The offense can plate runs, but they aren’t going to knock the cover off the ball, so their success will ultimately reside on their bullpen delivering, which is unlikely.
Key Additions: Rafael Soriano (RP)
Key Losses: Akinori Iwamura (2B)
Prediction: 85-77
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles finally look to be moving in the right direction in hopes of breaking the annual losing record streak that has stretched now for 13 years. The Orioles made a few nice veteran additions during the offseason that will likely blend well with the stream of young future stars that the Orioles are banking their success upon. The young offensive core is led by Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold. On the mound, the Orioles have a legitimate AL Rookie of the Year candidate in Brian Matusz.
For the first time in many years, Orioles fan have some optimism that is well deserved. The team should improve significantly over a lost 2009 campaign and set itself up to be a future contender in the AL East.
Key Additions: Kevin Millwood (SP), Mike Gonzalez (RP), Garrett Atkins (1B), Miguel Tejada (3B)
Key Losses: None
Prediction: 75 – 87
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays cut ties with GM J.P. Ricciardi after a host of awful contract extensions and inability to develop a minor league system to build for the future. Ricciardi’s tenure has likely set this team on a direction to be the cellar dwellars for the next few years as they rebound from his poor decisions.
In the offseason, the big move was sending Roy Halladay on his way to a winning ballclub for minor-league prospect and budding star pitcher Kyle Drabek. Unfortunately for Jays fans, Drabek is at least one, perhaps two years away from making it to the bigs, as is Brett Wallace, the budding third base prospect that was the other keystone of the Halladay trade.
For the Blue Jays just to stay out of the cellar, everything will need to go right. With a below average pitching staff and struggling offensive output, the Jays will find a 4th place AL East finish to be a huge accomplishment.
Key Additions: Alex Gonzalez (SS), Kevin Gregg (RP)
It’s the end of the year. Its the end of a decade. Nothing great ever ends without a list and a debate over that list. Today, we focus on the 10 best sports stories of the 2000 decade and their impact on sports in America.
10. Emergence of Mixed Martial Arts
In January 2001, Zuffa LLC purchased the fledgling, close-to-bankruptcy MMA promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship for $2 million. They then secured state sanctioning with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Zuffa struggled for a few years to emerge from the shadows of the negativity that surrounded MMA until it secured a reality TV show called The Ultimate Fighter which first aired in January 2005 on Spike TV. The sport then exploded with a multitude of competitive promotion both regional and national. The sport is now on the brink of generating near $1 Billion in revenues per year and is on the cusp of mainstream acceptance. Love him or hate, Dana White is responsible for making MMA the sport it is today.
9. Rulon Gardner Upsets Alexander Karelin
Do you believe in miracles? Most fans of the Olympics are familiar with that saying and its forever bond with the 1980 USA Hockey team’s upset of Russia. In the Summer Olympics of 2000, a much more unimaginable upset of a Russian occured when Rulon Gardner shocked the world with his stunning victory over undefeated superstar Alexander Karelin. Coming into the finals, Karelin had not lost a match in 15 years and had not even surrender a point in the last 10 years. Gardner pulled out a 1-0 victory and delivered the most stunning upset in Olympics history against the 3-time gold medal winner that was deemed to be invincible.
8. New England Patriots Near-Perfect Season
The New England Patriots were the darlings of the 2007 NFL season, putting together the first perfect regular season in a dominating fashion never before seen in the sport. One toughed out victory against Baltimore and a valiant effort by the New York Giants in the final game of the season were as close as anyone got during the regular season. The Patriots then carved out two solid, conservative victories in the playoffs, setting up a rematch with the upstart New York Giants to end the season 19-0 and go down in history as the greatest team ever. An Eli Manning circus-like pass to and catch by David Tyree will forever be remembered in NFL lore that drove the nail into the coffin of this special team that was denied greatness. And in the process, the Patriots scored the largest Super Bowl viewing audience in the history of the game.
7. Red Sox Break The Curse
Buck F-ing Dent. Bill Buckner. Aaron Boone. The Red Sox were perhaps the unluckiest team in professional sports. Down 3-0 to their bitter rival New York Yankees in the 2oo4 ALCS, the Red Sox forged the biggest comeback in baseball history to defeat the Yankees and go on to win their first World Series since 1918, the year before they traded Babe Ruth away to those very same Yankees. Curt Schilling pitched one of the most courageous game ever by a pitcher, his bloody sock on display in Cooperstown for all to remember the pivotal moment of that amazing playoff season.
6. Roger Federer Streak at Top Ranking
There having been many great tennis players over the years. Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Bjorg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Federer did something that none of them ever did, holding the #1 ranking in tennis for almost four and half consecutive years between February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008. During that span, Federer won 65 straight matches at Wimbeldon and holds a 72-1 record on grass over the past seven years. Federer also holds the record for most Grand Slam titles at 15, while finally earning his first French Open championship this past year. Without question, the greatest tennis player in the history of the game and he still has a lot left in the tank to set records that may never be matched.
5. Tiger Woods Wins Four Straight Majors
Woods made history in April 2001 winning his 2nd Masters championship. With that victory, he became only one of five player in the history of golf to win all four major titles in his career. To one up them, Woods won the championships consecutively, becoming the first ever to hold all four major golf championships at the same time, earning him a pseudo Grand Slam. Woods has gone on since that point to win 8 more majors, bringing his career total to 14, leaving him just four shy of the all-time record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus.
4. 2001 World Series
With the country reeling from the recent terrorist attacks that had taken over 3,000 lives, Major League Baseball gave grieving Americans an outlet to cope with their losses. The New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks provided perhaps the most exciting World Series in history, filled with riveting National Anthems, seventh-inning stretches echoing to God Bless America and some of the most unbelievable ends to World Series games ever seen. In Game 4, Tino Martinez hit a game-tying two run homer in the bottom of the ninth and Derek Jeter closed the game with an opposite field walk-off homer in the 10th to win the game. The very next night, Scott Brosius hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that would lead to another extra inning victory. The magic would fade in Game 7 though, as Mariano Rivera would surrender two runs in the bottom of the ninth to end the Yankees consecutive World Series run. A truly magical World Series for the ages at a time when America needed its pastime the most.
3. Major League Baseball Steroids Scandal
In a sport defined by stats and where Hall of Fame hitters fail 7 out of 10 times, baseball has been defined by its statistical records and comparison of current ballplayers to those in its past. At the end of the last decade, MLB treated its fans to the most compelling drama in years when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battled it out to surpass Roger Maris’ single season home run record. At the turn of the decade came BALCO, a book by Jose Canseco and revelations that MLB owners and execs turned a blind eye to rampant steroids abuse. After a humiliating Congressional hearing where Mark McGwire pleaded the 5th Amendment so, baseball was forced to implement drug testing. The Mitchell Report would then follow, containing over 100 names that were linked to steroids, many of them the biggest names in the sport. In the end, we are left with era that will forever be scarred and represents some of the darkest hours in the sport’s history.
2. Michael Phelps’ 8 Olympic Gold Medals
The swimming star from Baltimore MD had prepared for this moment all his life, but nobody expected the drama that would go down at the pool in Beijing. Phelps and his relay teammates were heavily favored in six of his eight races. The remaining two races will go down in Olympic history forever. Teammate Jason Lezak would anchor the final leg of the 4 x 100, facing off against Alain Bernard of France, the current world record holder in the 100 freestyle. The Frenchman was provided an ample lead for the final leg, all but assuring Phelps quest being over. But in the final 25 meters Lezek tracked Bernard down for the gold. The drama was even more amazing a few days later, as Phelps dug deep in the final 25 meters of the 100M butterfly to defeat Serbian Milorad Cavic by 1/100 of a second for his seventh gold medal. You can be assured most Americans will not forget that moment as they cheered and screamed in front of their TVs trying to help will Phelps to victory.
1. Lance Armstrong Winning 7 Tour De France Titles
Armstrong lays claims to the greatest story of the decade. In a sport dominated by Europeans, Armstrong did the unthinkable…he dominated them at their own game. Armstrong set the record of seven victories, besting the previous record of five held by Miguel Indurain. A survivor of testicular cancer, Armstrong became an American hero in a sport that most in this country rarely followed or cared much about. With his unbelievable climbing ability in the mountains and untouchable time-trial sprinting, Armstrong dominated the competition like nobody before him. His victories spawned an explosion of interest in cycling in America and his story gave hope to everyone around the world that you can beat cancer and strive forward to be the best in your craft.
The signing comes after weeks of speculation that Bay’s negotiations with his former team, the Boston Red Sox, had gone sour. The Red Sox had offered Bay a 4-year, $60 million deal which he declined. Boston moved on two weeks ago when it spent its budget on pitcher John Lackey and outfielder Mike Cameron. It appears Cameron will take over for Bay in front of the Green Monster.
Jason Bay Is Newest Met
Jason Bay, the most sought after outfielder in the free agency marketplace, came to agreement yesterday with the New York Mets. Terms of the contract call for $66 million guaranteed over 4 years. The deal will become official upon Bay passing a physical exam.
The addition of Bay adds much needed power to a ballclub that hit a major league low 95 homers last year in its new ballpark, Citi Field. The Mets were ravaged by injuries to its top hitters, missing Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado for large portions of the season. Bay will likely plug into the lineup either as the fourth or fifth hitter in the lineup.
Bay, 31, hit .267 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs in 2009. Based on his contract, Bay signed the 6th richest deal ever for a left fielder. With suspect fielding skills and a penchant for swinging too freely at times, it begs to question if the Mets overpaid for the former Red Sox and Pirate.
Given the spacious surroundings at Citi Field and perceived difficulty in hitting balls out of the new park, Bay will likely see his numbers decline given he’s not much of a doubles hitter in a ballpark which really calls for such a swing. It will be interesting to see how Mets fans will respond if Bay does get off to a slow start.
The New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves completed a trade Tuesday involving Javier Vazquez and Melky Cabrera. The Yankees in hopes of bolstering their starting pitching pick up Vazquez for Center Fielder Melky Cabrera. In addition to Vazquez, the Yanks picked up left handed pitching prospect Boone Logan. The Braves in turn get a couple of pitching prospects in left hander Mike Dunn and Right Hander Arody’s Vizcaino plus 500,00 in cash.
Javier Vazquez becomes a Yankee for the second time.
Cabrera batted .274 with 13 homers and 74 RBI’s. He provided stellar defense at times and was a bit of a fan favorite of the Yankee fans. With the addition of Center Fielder Curtis Granderson from the Detriot Tigers, Cabrera became expendable. As a lifelong Yankee fan, I wish him well in Atlanta.
Vazquez turned a stellar last season with the Braves posting a 15-10 record with a 2.87 ERA. He also posted 238 strikeouts with only 44 base on balls. That equals a impressive 1.03 WHIP. His first stint with the Yankees in 2004 produced his only All-Star appearance. He had a winning record of 14-10 but had a high ERA of 4.91. His last appearance in the pinstripes was less than memorable as he came on in relief trailing the Boston Red Sox in game 7 of the ALCS 2-0 and promptly game up a grand slam to Johnny Damon.
Javier will turn 34 in July and the Yankees hope that he can build on the momentum from last year and make his last outing as a Yankee a distant memory. The American League is a much tougher hitting league thanks to the DH, but you can never have too much pitching. I think Vazquez will be calmer and more mature this time around making his second stint as a New York Yankee better and more memorable than his first.
Reports have begun to swirl of an imminent trade that will bring pitcher Roy Halladay to the Philadephia Phillies in a three-team trade that includes both the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. The deal hinges on Halladay signing a three-year contract extension reportedly worth $60 million. The contract is expected to include performance vesting options that can trigger to extend the deal beyond the three years.
To make the deal happen, the Phillies reportedly will trade its pitching ace and postseason stud Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners and send three minor leaguers believed to be catcher Travis d’Arnaud, outfielder Michael Taylor, and top prospect pitcher Kyle Drabek to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Phillies would receive two minor leaguers Phillippe Aumont and Tyson Gillies from the Seattle Mariners farm system.
The deal is a head scratcher. Cliff Lee proved during the postseason he is an ace, someone you hand the ball when you need to win a game. Without Lee, the Phillies get swept by the Yankees in the World Series. While Halladay has an impressive resume, he has pitched in relative obscurity in Toronto without big game pressure and media focus on every pitch. There are huge question marks on Halladay’s mental makeup to handle such pressure, as the New York Yankees and Boston have taken off the table talks of a contract extension until Halladay proves he can pitch on a bigger stage.
The subplot lost in this story are the additional price tags with the prospects. Kyle Drabek was the unquestioned top pitching prospect in minor league baseball in 2009, a guaranteed major leaguer believed to have ace potential. Michael Taylor was to be the guy to take over in left field in Philadelphia after batting .320 with 20 HRs and 21 SBs in 2009. Given Raul Ibanez’s awful decline in the second half of last season, Taylor was the guy to potentially push Ibanez into early retirement. These guys are not prospects, they are major leaguers in waiting.
The details and sensibility of this trade goes beyond just the players being mentioned here, as you have to consider in the equation the cost of the Cliff Lee service rental. To obtain Lee for their unsuccessful World Series run, Philadelphia unloaded half of their minor league system. Included in that deal were Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Lou Marson and Jason Knapp. When you add this into the deal, it means the Phillies have given up six of their top eight prospects for Halladay.
The Phillies are clearly gambling for short-term wins and mortgaging their long-term success. With a team that is aging and moving from its prime into sunset years, lets hope for Ruben Amaro Jr’s sake the moves payoff. If they don’t, he’ll be the fall guy and Phillies fans will pay a significant price for years to come.
The Red Sox unloaded $85 million dollars today to secure the perceived best arm on the free agent market in John Lackey, signing him to a five-year contract. Lackey will join Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield to form the starting rotation.
Lackey, who turned 31 years old in October, has battled through injuries the last two seasons in Anaheim, limiting him to 24 and 27 starts respectively. His lack of durability has contributed to him only gaining 23 victories during the injury-riddled span. Lackey revitalized himself with a solid postseason performance with strong outings against the Yankees, making him a sought after commodity despite a body that appears to be physically breaking down.
With gaping holes at first base and and left field, the signing of Lackey brings questions to GM Theo Epstein’s strategy on righting his ballclub given his starting staff without Lackey was considered a strength of the team. The megadeal for Lackey all but assures that All-Star Jason Bay will not be returning and that Boston will look for a lower quality replacement such as Milwaukee’s Mike Cameron.
The Red Sox contract offer is intriguing for a player that is entering the backend of his prime and is on the decline. Lackey has seen his WHIP and BAA increased for two consecutive seasons, while his Ks per 9 innings has dropped five consecutive seasons from 8.56 to 7.10. These are not numbers for a $17M per year pitcher. His most valuable traits is his ability to pitch in big games, but he has to help get his team there first before he can pitch in those games.
Probably the most interesting part of this signing is Lackey’s fiery attitude and how it will fit in the Boston locker room. Criticized by many for his on-field behavior of berating teammates for errors, Lackey’s explosive behavior could be a challenge as he joins a team where he is not the star, or even the ace of the staff.
The leaders off the Red Sox are Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia. Rest assured, Youkilis will not take being chastised by anyone and if Lackey steps out of line, there could be trouble in Beantown. For Boston’s sake, Lackey better recognize that before he dons his new jersey.
Major League Baseball’s free agency period kicked off on November 5th with a flurry of activity as 171 players filed and flooded the marketplace with baseball job seekers. We are now one month into the process and only 15 signings have occurred. This lack of activity is finally displaying some prudence by team owners in their spending activities, although the contract amount given to Placido Polanco still has many scratching their heads.
Here’s my breakdown on the Top 10 available free agents and where they will likely land:
John Lackey
Without question, the best player on the market. Given his performance in the ALCS, Lackey showed he is the man to give the ball to when it counts. He is a #1 starter and will be paid like one. Right now, it appears that the Mets and Red Sox are the leaders in the hunt for his services. But don’t be surprised if the Texas Rangers make a push to sign him.
Prediction: New York Mets
Matt Holliday
Holliday showed scouts last year that his place is in the NL after proving to be nothing but an average player when facing more curveballs and change ups in the AL. Don’t expect any AL teams to be hunting for Holiday’s services. Re-signing with the Cardinals makes a lot of sense, as he proved to be a great complement to Pujols in the lineup. I see the other major suitor for Holliday this winter to be San Fran. The Giants are in desperate need for hitting and will be going after Holliday hard. Keep an eye on the Astros and Braves making a play as well.
Prediction: San Francisco Giants
Vladimir Guerrero
Vlad’s playing days in Anaheim are over. Despite his recent injury woes, he is still one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. I don’t think we’ll see Vlad going back to the NL, as his body no longer can withstand the rigors of a 162 game season. Look for him to land in a DH role somewhere in the AL. The most likely landing spots are Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago (AL). All have a need for a solid middle of the lineup bat and have an open spot for him at the DH position.
Prediction: Chicago White Sox
Jason Bay
One of the highlights of the Red Sox’ dismal season, Bay displayed his tools that make him one of the more desired players in free agency. One of the concerns coming out of Pittsburgh was Bay’s ability to play in the spotlight. He showed that wasn’t an issue at all. At 31, Bay is still in his prime and can be a solid producer for years to come. There are a slew of teams that are going to be after Bay, including Chicago (AL), St. Louis, San Fran, New York (AL), New York (NL), Seattle, and Atlanta. This is not to mention the Red Sox want him back.
Prediction: New York Yankees
Johnny Damon
His agent Scott Boras has sealed his doom in New York. There is no love lost between Cashman and Boras. Damon’s demands are outrageous given his declining skill sets. His outfield range is gone, he has no arm and has lost a step on the base paths. I expect Damon to be this year’s Bobby Abreau and he will price himself right out of the market. Boras will leave him hanging out there to take a beating. Whatever team is not able to fill their needs early will lean to Damon come March. I am putting my money on either the Mets or Atlanta here.
Prediction: Atlanta Braves Jarrod Washburn
Washburn couldn’t have picked a better year to shine in 2009. Heavily sought after during the trading deadline, Washburn unfortunately went down due to a lingering issue with his planting knee that got him hammered in his final few starts with Detroit. Washburn still has great stuff and has a solid 2-3 years left in his arm. The Yankees have been enamored with Washburn for years and will likely finally score him. Boston will be in the mix mainly to just drive up the price knowing the Yanks love this guy.
Prediction: New York Yankees
Rich Harden
The super-talented, oft-injured Cub will generate a lot of interest. It’s hard to believe Harden has been in the league for so long and he is still just 28 years old. Going back to Chicago doesn’t look likely given the disappointment in his durability. Cost conscious teams are likely to stay away. I see the biggest interest coming from Boston, Los Angeles (AL), New York (NL) and Philadelphia. In the end, Philly and the Mets will likely shy away. Boston needs to fill in some holes in the staff, look for them to take the risk.
Prediction: Boston Red Sox
Fernando Rodney
This guy strikes me as someone that wants to win. His days in Detroit are over and he is likely going to sign with a contender and accept a setup role that could turn into a stopper job if called upon. While Seattle, Florida and Tampa Bay may make a push for Rodney, Philadelphia will generate interest with him and they need him more than anyone. Rodney can flourish in setup or closing role, he’s just that versatile. His ability to take over for Lidge if he continues to struggle makes Rodney enticing.
Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies
Jose Valverde
Without question the best closer on the market. Unfortunately for Valverde, none of the big market teams that can offer an outlandish contract need a stopper. Just the wrong year to be a free agent stopper. Valverde will generate some interest from Tampa, Seattle, Florida and perhaps Chicago (NL). Houston has offered arbitration and I wouldn’t be shocked if Valverde accepted it. He stands a great chance at getting a nice ruling in his favor and he can step back out in the market next season when the Yankees may be looking for Rivera’s replacement.
Prediction: Houston Astros Miguel Tejada
Despite the steroids baggage that comes with Tejada, the guy continues to smash the ball and shows no signs of decline. Unbelievably durable, you cannot dismiss this guy earns his paycheck. There is not much of a market out theew for shortstops given Boston and Toronto have filled their needs. Houston, Detroit and Minnesota all have issues at the position and need to fill the hole with a dependable player.
Prediction: Detroit Tigers
Hideki Matsui
The World Series MVP is on the market, but his inability to play the field any longer given his age make him a difficult pursuit for most teams. While Matsui had a productive 2009 season, his inflexibility to play the field hurt the Yankees ability to rotate its aging team. The Yankees need to open up a hole to allow Jorge Posada’s bat at DH now that he is going to be needing more off days behind the plate. This signals an unlikely re-signing unless Matsui takes a huge paycut. If Yanks choose not to bring him back, Seattle is the only other team that appears to make sense.
Prediction: Seattle Mariners
Check back in March to see how close I was on these predictions. It’s going to be a real interesting offseason.
In January 2001, Zuffa LLC purchased the fledgling, close-to-bankruptcy MMA promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship for $2 million. They then secured state sanctioning with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Zuffa struggled for a few years to emerge from the shadows of the negativity that surrounded MMA until it secured a reality TV show called The Ultimate Fighter which first aired in January 2005 on Spike TV. The sport then exploded with a multitude of competitive promotion both regional and national. The sport is now on the brink of generating near $1 Billion in revenues per year and is on the cusp of mainstream acceptance. Love him or hate, Dana White is responsible for making MMA the sport it is today.
Do you believe in miracles? Most fans of the Olympics are familiar with that saying and its forever bond with the 1980 USA Hockey team’s upset of Russia. In the Summer Olympics of 2000, a much more unimaginable upset of a Russian occured when Rulon Gardner shocked the world with his stunning victory over undefeated superstar Alexander Karelin. Coming into the finals, Karelin had not lost a match in 15 years and had not even surrender a point in the last 10 years. Gardner pulled out a 1-0 victory and delivered the most stunning upset in Olympics history against the 3-time gold medal winner that was deemed to be invincible.
The New England Patriots were the darlings of the 2007 NFL season, putting together the first perfect regular season in a dominating fashion never before seen in the sport. One toughed out victory against Baltimore and a valiant effort by the New York Giants in the final game of the season were as close as anyone got during the regular season. The Patriots then carved out two solid, conservative victories in the playoffs, setting up a rematch with the upstart New York Giants to end the season 19-0 and go down in history as the greatest team ever. An Eli Manning circus-like pass to and catch by David Tyree will forever be remembered in NFL lore that drove the nail into the coffin of this special team that was denied greatness. And in the process, the Patriots scored the largest Super Bowl viewing audience in the history of the game.
Buck F-ing Dent. Bill Buckner. Aaron Boone. The Red Sox were perhaps the unluckiest team in professional sports. Down 3-0 to their bitter rival New York Yankees in the 2oo4 ALCS, the Red Sox forged the biggest comeback in baseball history to defeat the Yankees and go on to win their first World Series since 1918, the year before they traded Babe Ruth away to those very same Yankees. Curt Schilling pitched one of the most courageous game ever by a pitcher, his bloody sock on display in Cooperstown for all to remember the pivotal moment of that amazing playoff season.
There having been many great tennis players over the years. Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Bjorg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Federer did something that none of them ever did, holding the #1 ranking in tennis for almost four and half consecutive years between February 2, 2004 to August 17, 2008. During that span, Federer won 65 straight matches at Wimbeldon and holds a 72-1 record on grass over the past seven years. Federer also holds the record for most Grand Slam titles at 15, while finally earning his first French Open championship this past year. Without question, the greatest tennis player in the history of the game and he still has a lot left in the tank to set records that may never be matched.
Woods made history in April 2001 winning his 2nd Masters championship. With that victory, he became only one of five player in the history of golf to win all four major titles in his career. To one up them, Woods won the championships consecutively, becoming the first ever to hold all four major golf championships at the same time, earning him a pseudo Grand Slam. Woods has gone on since that point to win 8 more majors, bringing his career total to 14, leaving him just four shy of the all-time record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus.
With the country reeling from the recent terrorist attacks that had taken over 3,000 lives, Major League Baseball gave grieving Americans an outlet to cope with their losses. The New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks provided perhaps the most exciting World Series in history, filled with riveting National Anthems, seventh-inning stretches echoing to God Bless America and some of the most unbelievable ends to World Series games ever seen. In Game 4, Tino Martinez hit a game-tying two run homer in the bottom of the ninth and Derek Jeter closed the game with an opposite field walk-off homer in the 10th to win the game. The very next night, Scott Brosius hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that would lead to another extra inning victory. The magic would fade in Game 7 though, as Mariano Rivera would surrender two runs in the bottom of the ninth to end the Yankees consecutive World Series run. A truly magical World Series for the ages at a time when America needed its pastime the most.
In a sport defined by stats and where Hall of Fame hitters fail 7 out of 10 times, baseball has been defined by its statistical records and comparison of current ballplayers to those in its past. At the end of the last decade, MLB treated its fans to the most compelling drama in years when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battled it out to surpass Roger Maris’ single season home run record. At the turn of the decade came BALCO, a book by Jose Canseco and revelations that MLB owners and execs turned a blind eye to rampant steroids abuse. After a humiliating Congressional hearing where Mark McGwire pleaded the 5th Amendment so, baseball was forced to implement drug testing. The Mitchell Report would then follow, containing over 100 names that were linked to steroids, many of them the biggest names in the sport. In the end, we are left with era that will forever be scarred and represents some of the darkest hours in the sport’s history.
The swimming star from Baltimore MD had prepared for this moment all his life, but nobody expected the drama that would go down at the pool in Beijing. Phelps and his relay teammates were heavily favored in six of his eight races. The remaining two races will go down in Olympic history forever. Teammate Jason Lezak would anchor the final leg of the 4 x 100, facing off against Alain Bernard of France, the current world record holder in the 100 freestyle. The Frenchman was provided an ample lead for the final leg, all but assuring Phelps quest being over. But in the final 25 meters Lezek tracked Bernard down for the gold. The drama was even more amazing a few days later, as Phelps dug deep in the final 25 meters of the 100M butterfly to defeat Serbian Milorad Cavic by 1/100 of a second for his seventh gold medal. You can be assured most Americans will not forget that moment as they cheered and screamed in front of their TVs trying to help will Phelps to victory.
Armstrong lays claims to the greatest story of the decade. In a sport dominated by Europeans, Armstrong did the unthinkable…he dominated them at their own game. Armstrong set the record of seven victories, besting the previous record of five held by Miguel Indurain. A survivor of testicular cancer, Armstrong became an American hero in a sport that most in this country rarely followed or cared much about. With his unbelievable climbing ability in the mountains and untouchable time-trial sprinting, Armstrong dominated the competition like nobody before him. His victories spawned an explosion of interest in cycling in America and his story gave hope to everyone around the world that you can beat cancer and strive forward to be the best in your craft.
Matt Holliday
Jason Bay
Jarrod Washburn
Fernando Rodney
Without question the best closer on the market. Unfortunately for Valverde, none of the big market teams that can offer an outlandish contract need a stopper. Just the wrong year to be a free agent stopper. Valverde will generate some interest from Tampa, Seattle, Florida and perhaps Chicago (NL). Houston has offered arbitration and I wouldn’t be shocked if Valverde accepted it. He stands a great chance at getting a nice ruling in his favor and he can step back out in the market next season when the Yankees may be looking for Rivera’s replacement.
Miguel Tejada
