MLB Announces Expanded Playoffs for This Year

Article first published as MLB Announces Expanded Playoffs for This Year on Blogcritics.


If you go by the old philosophy of less is more, then you may be baffled by the announcement by Major League Baseball that it is expanding the playoff schedule for this season. Commissioner Bud Selig has been hinting at this happening for years, but now it is a reality that was condoned by Players Association executive director Michael Weiner, who claims players are in favor of the expanded format. "Players want to expand the the importance of winning the division." You have to wonder if Bud has his hand up this guy's back and is working his lips.

I have never liked the idea of expanding anything in sports because more games mean more risk for injuries. Look at the NFL going to a sixteen game season. There have never been more injuries and more players threatened by not just losing a season but also their careers.

Another worry is weather, and that is not coming into play in the thought process here. Teams like Minnesota and Milwaukee can realistically expect that being in the playoffs (and then the World Series) could mean snow delays instead of rain delays, and even canceled games because of snow. I doubt that Selig is going to grab a shovel and help out in that case, so why is he so hot for this expansion?

Of course, the answer is revenue. By expanding the playoffs to include ten teams, the idea is to no doubt push the playoffs to a longer (and more lucrative) format. For this year only the scheme will involve a one-game playoff between the four wild card teams, with those teams then having the home field advantage for the first two games of the division series. Yes, you read that correctly! It doesn't make much sense rewarding the teams who did not finish first in their divisions, but that is how it will be this fall.

In the 2013 season the Houston Astros will move to the American League west, making two fifteen team leagues with three divisions of five. While Selig isn't saying so, the future looks like there will be more playoff games in the future, meaning perhaps two more wild card teams (giving each division a wild card) and more games between these teams (perhaps a three-game series).

I don't know about you, but to me this "expansion" is all about more money, and the prospect of watching Game 7 of the World Series over Thanksgiving weekend becomes more of a possibility. So if you like the idea of hearing "Play ball" and passing the sweet potatoes, enjoy! For me this is just another example of a executives ignoring what is good for a sport, the players, and the fans. I hope all that revenue allows teams to purchase long johns for their players; their going to need them.

Photo Credit - Sports Illustrated

Bobby Valentine Attacks the Yankees - The Spin Starts Here

Article first published as Bobby Valentine Attacks the Yankees - The Spin Starts Here on Blogcritics.

Whether you like Bobby Valentine, new skipper of the Boston Red Sox, or not, you have to admit he knows how to stir the pot and cause a commotion. Bobby V (as he is affectionately known here in New York) is a master provocateur, a spin artist of the highest caliber. Bill O'Reilly's famous catch phrase is "The spin stops here." Bobby's might as well be "The spin starts here." Believe it or not, he would not have it any other way.

It has been ten years since Bobby has managed a Major League Baseball team. In that time he has not climbed a mountain in Tibet and become enlightened; no, Bobby hasn't changed one bit. He started talking to the press and you know there is always a game plan. There was some negative press going on about the Red Sox: beer was being banned in the clubhouse, Jason Varitek was retiring, the team blew it last year, etc. What better way for Bobby to spin things his way than to attack the New York Yankees? You can either get agitated about it or sit back and admire how crafty Bobby V can be.

Today Bobby Valentine is splashed across the headlines in the New York papers. Yankees fans are outraged that he spoke about the sacred cow Derek Jeter, and the less than sacred cow A-Rod. Jeter lied about a play being practiced by the Yankees a decade ago; who can even remember what happened last season? Varitek beat A-Rod up; I am not even sure about when or where this happened. For Bobby V the devil is not just in the details - it is the light of his life to get people agitated about them.

As a Mets fan I still like Bobby Valentine. I admire how he managed my team, how he stood up for New York after 9/11, and the way he pushed his team to be the best team it could be (even when that was difficult to say the least). All the other stuff with Bobby V is the package deal: getting thrown out of the game and sitting with a disguise in the clubhouse, for example. Saying things that he knew were going to get people angry or talking. That's Bobby and there's no changing him.

The problem is that Yankees fans now want to break down Bobby's comments and defend their guys. They want to prove that Jeter did practice that play, that A-Rod didn't get beaten up, and on and on. The problem is that is exactly what someone like Bobby wants. You argue about what he says, you get into a debate, you rage against him and the Red Sox, and he thinks he is winning. You know what, since the focus is off his team and on these silly comments, he has succeeded exactly as planned.

So take it from a Mets fan who knows Bobby V's act - the devil is in the details. Yankees fans (and anyone else for that matter) should not get sucked in by what he says. They shouldn't get angry and bothered and want blood, because in that way Bobby thinks he is winning, and maybe he is because it is his fault the spin gets started but it's everyone else's for letting it spin out of control.

One thing is for certain, the baseball season will be a lot more entertaining with Bobby V back in the picture. Welcome back, Bobby Valentine!

Photo Credit - AP

Braun Free Pass on Technicality Is Bad for Baseball

Article first published as Braun Free Pass on Technicality Is Bad for Baseball on Blogcritics.

So now we know how it goes in regard to Major League Baseball testing a player for a PED (performance enhancing drug). You get a really good lawyer, you find a loophole, and you get away with it. If Commissioner Bud Selig doesn't realize that this is bad for baseball, then he is hiding behind a curtain somewhere like the Wizard of Oz, hoping that people will fear his altered voice and the smoke and mirrors about there being zero tolerance for drugs that make one hundred pound weaklings into sultans of swat. Yeah, right.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun professed his innocence during a press conference after reporting to spring training in Phoenix on Friday, February 24. Braun said that MLB's testing program is "Absolutely fatally flawed." He also blamed the media, the process for collecting urine samples, the guy who collected it, and everyone else except the most glaringly obvious person: himself. He said, "I would bet my life this substance never entered my body." Okay, Ryan, don't go near Vegas anytime soon.

The problem here is not that a guy got past the process for the first time after being ruled a violator, but with the guy who got the pass. This isn't just a lowly shortstop playing for any team, but rather the National League MVP and star of the Milwaukee Brewers, a team which Selig once owned. If these things start to make you uncomfortable, think about how Selig was going to make steroids and other PEDs a big issue, but somehow allowed the Barry Bonds drama to stay on the back burner until Bonds hit his record breaking homers.

The question is in essence what is good for baseball? Guys pumped up with drugs hitting homers, winning championships, and filling the seats, or MLB taking a stand and shutting them down? Now, with Braun's free pass, I think the answer should be obvious.

Braun is a poster boy for the feel-good image Selig wants baseball to project. He is good looking, talented, and knows how to play the game. He is not the angry Barry Bonds, the press unfriendly guy who ballooned into a swollen home run god. So the press didn't like Bonds and then it seemed to be that he was going to go to jail. That was it. Baseball couldn't or wouldn't protect him or any violator of the drug policy - until now.

I am certain Braun will have his defenders, and there are a lot of young ladies in Milwaukee (and elsewhere I imagine) that are relieved that he won't be suspended for 50 games. His team needs him; Milwaukee needs him, MLB needs him, right?

The sad part is that this opens a door, and Selig - that Wizard behind the curtain - is not going to be able to use any tricks to get it closed. One guy got away with it. Yes, he says he is innocent - as did Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and too many others to mention. They always say they are innocent. Always.

So forget talk about asterisks on Bonds' record. Forget talk about keeping guys out of the Hall of Fame because Braun doesn't miss one game. Either there is a policy and zero tolerance or there is not. At this point, other players are thinking about their home run totals, batting averages, earned run averages, and prospects for the Hall of Fame. They have options and now an open door. What happens next, Mr. Selig?

Photo Credit - Getty Images

Hope Springs Eternal for Old Brooklyn Dodgers Fans

Article first published as Hope Springs Eternal for Old Brooklyn Dodgers Fans on Blogcritics.

For old Brooklyn Dodgers fans, 1957 is not long ago and far away; it is like yesterday. That is when their team packed up and went to Los Angeles. To them these last fifty-four years have been sort of a long hiatus. Some became NY Mets fans in 1962, and others chose to pull up stakes and follow their Dodgers to California, but there still are those who cling to the mystique of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who believe that a new field could spring up somewhere in the borough and that their Dodgers will be coming home.

Admittedly, they will tell you it is a long shot, but they still keep dreaming of that day. Recently, with the financial troubles of Dodger owner Frank McCourt in the news, these fans have something to stoke the flames of their kindled dream. They hear rumors of Major League Baseball taking over the Dodgers, and some will come out and tell you that is the beginning of the Dodgers coming home to Brooklyn.

While I don't take much stock in these fantasies, I have learned that these Dodgers fans are sometimes so earnest and determined that perhaps anything is possible. They talk about the Dodgers building a new field on the spot where Ebbets Field used to be. The existing housing on the site is not seen as an impediment; they are certain eminent domain can be used to get that new stadium built.


Others think the Dodgers could share Citi Field with the Mets. "Why not?" they ask. The New York Mets and The New York Yankees once shared Shea Stadium for two seasons while the old Yankee Stadium was being rebuilt, so anything is possible. They see the fact that Citi Field was built to resemble Ebbets Field as an omen, yet another reason why the Dodgers will be coming home.

Even if MLB does take over the Dodgers, I doubt that Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig would ever condone having three teams in one town. A long time ago New York had three teams, but these days I don't imagine that would work for most people. New Yorkers might be pleased, but there are many other towns looking for a MLB franchise.

It does break my heart to listen to these old Dodgers fans talking. In between hearing them mention names like Branca, Hodges, Reese, and Robinson, they will discuss the "what ifs" they have been discussing since 1957. They know what happened but still can't believe it. As a Mets fan, I kind of understand their hopes and dreams and know what it is like to be kicked in the teeth again and again by the team you love.

So for the record, Brooklyn Dodgers fans, your team is not coming home. It is staying in LA for now and I am sure for many years to come. Hold on to the dream if it makes you happy. I still keep thinking about the Mets being in contention this year, so I know all about impossible causes.

If it makes you feel any better, there is the one thing we Mets fans and Brooklyn Dodgers fans have in common: the hope of next year. Mets fans can dream of an injury free season and a chance for the play-offs; Brooklyn Dodgers fans can keep hoping for that miracle of a return engagement. It probably will never happen, but back in 1955 after Brooklyn beat the Yankees in the World Series, did anyone ever think their team was moving to LA?

Keep dreaming, old Dodgers fans, and hang in there!

Photo Credits:
Ebbetts Field - nyc.gov.
Citi Field - NY Daily News

Interleague Play Should End This Year

Article first published as Interleague Play Should End This Year on Blogcritics.

I don't know about you, but I am tired of interleague ballgames in Major League Baseball. As the Mets play the Los Angeles Angels this weekend at Citi Field, I feel no compulsion to go to a game. Even a matchup against the Oakland A's (long ago opponents in the 1973 World Series) does little to attract my attention. There is simply no reason for me to want to see these games and I think many people feel the same way.

Yes, I can see that regional rivalries could attract interest - St. Louis and Kansas City, Cleveland and Cincinnati and so on - but this would be limited at best to one three-game series a year. Here in New York City the luster of Mets-Yankees games has long worn off, making me long for the old Mayor's Trophy Game that was played once a year.

Let's look at the reality of it: American League teams are asked to lose the DH in a National League park and have their pitchers hit. This really highlights the incongruity of the two leagues (and reasons why people want to get rid of the DH). Conversely, National League teams have to find a guy to DH - which may be easier, but it is unnatural in the scheme of things for those teams.

In general, I think interleague play should be reserved for when it really counts - the World Series. Otherwise, let's get back to baseball the way it used to be played within the leagues for more games that really matter during the season. That is what puts this fan (and I'd say many more) in a seat at the park, and that should be what is most important to MLB rather than games that have as much appeal as hot chocolate during a heat wave.

Photo Credit: Daily News

Former Mets Catcher Gary Carter Has Cancer Scare

Article first published as Former Mets Catcher Gary Carter Has Cancer Scare on Blogcritics.

It was reported this weekend that former New York Mets catcher Gary "Kid" Carter has been diagnosed with four small brain tumors. Carter released a statement in which he bravely discussed the situation and asked for respect for his family as he waited to learn more about how he will handle the situation.


This is sad news indeed for Mets fans - and all baseball fans - for Carter surely epitomized the type of play we would want all players to embrace in sports. He was always a very positive influence in the clubhouse during his five years with the Mets (and his overall 19 year career), and his effervescent smile and "we can win" attitude was certainly an important part of Carter's appeal.

As one of the central figures of the 1986 Championship Mets, Carter loomed as a strong and stable personality. In a turbulent clubhouse with many larger than life players, Carter's steady nature was needed and the other players knew that. He hit 24 homers, drove in 105 runs, but it was his handling of the pitching staff (and sometimes other personal clubhouse matters) that made him a leader on that team.

People may remember some big moments from the 1986 Series, and one image usually stands out (the ball that went through Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's wickets). Still, it was Carter who knocked in 11 runs in that seven game series and provided a key hit against Boston's closer Calvin Schiraldi when the game was down to the final strike. No Carter hit - no championship. It's that simple.

Carter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, and he has always been respected by Mets fans (and other fans of the game too) for his "Kid" persona. He has seemed eternally youthful in his attitude about the game and loved playing it in a way just like his nickname suggests. Major League Baseball is a man's game, but Carter always made it look like he was having fun. Maybe that's his greatest legacy of all.

So while we wait and hope to hear good news about this baseball legend's condition, let's all remember what kind of player Carter was: he never gave up, even down to the last strike in the World Series. That should tell us something about how the "Kid" will handle what lies ahead.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Hell of Fame: Manny Ramirez "Retires" From Baseball

Article first published as Hell of Fame: Manny Ramirez "Retires" From Baseball on Blogcritics.

Word that Manny Ramirez was "retiring" from baseball (after a 1-17 start with Tampa Bay) didn't send shock waves through the land. After news leaked that he had a problem with drug testing - that could land him on 100 days suspension - Ramirez opted for the relatively easy way out.

Of course, Ramirez has never been easy to figure out, but he helped the Red Sox win two World Series titles and has been seen as one of the most talented players in the game, certainly considered by many as one of the truly gifted hitters. His potential for an explosive bat that could lead a team to the crown always seemed to outweigh his penchant for wearing out his welcome.


Just looking at his statistics - Career: 555 HR, .312 BA , 1831 RBI - the twelve-time All-Star would have seemed to have been a shoe in for the Baseball Hall of Fame but, now after this latest drug test, it is more likely his retirement will be seen as forced and the likelihood of his earning a berth in Cooperstown will be highly doubtful.

This happens as the jury in the Barry Bonds Trial deliberates his fate out in San Francisco, and this summer we have the Roger Clemens Show waiting to come to a TV screen near you. The steroid era is certainly coming into a new place in our consciousness, and is it possible that Ramirez thinks that by retiring that he sweeps the problem under the rug? The truth is he - and probably other big stars - will have their own dates in court in the future, and they have no one to blame (not the trainers, the drug dealers, Major League Baseball, the owners) but themselves.

If the whole thing were a Shakespearean play, The Steroid Era would most definitely be a tragedy, and those once highly respected and idolized are going to end up like most of the characters in Hamlet or other such plays in the end, but in this case they are being taken down by their own swords (in a sort of baseball hara-kiri). So now Manny can join a growing list in a Hell of Fame of their own creation, where something decidedly more dark than flights of angels will sing them to anything but rest.

Photo Credit: bostoncondoloft.com

Mets Mess: The Forecast for 2011 Is Cloudy With Plenty of Meatballs

Article first published as Mets Mess: The Forecast for 2011 Is Cloudy With Plenty of Meatballs on Blogcritics.

I have been a fan of the New York Mets all my life, sometimes causing myself much pain and anxiety. I can't help but to tell you the truth; just like Lady Gaga, I was born this way. I like lots of Mets fans emerged from the womb, born of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. With orange and blue blood coursing through my veins, I have gone through life loving the team but cursing my lot, and this season isn't going to make life any easier for any of us. Who besides me has thought that this year Flushing will not only be the name of our team's home but also what we can do with the season?

Most fans of baseball teams are excited now. Opening Day should be "Anything Can Happen Day," but this year it's a Friday for the Mets and not a Wednesday. As fans of the old Mickey Mouse Club show know, "Talent Roundup Day" was on Friday, and that is about the best description of the Mets roster this year.

Now we get the latest of the "Good News from Mets Camp" in today's paper: Jason Bay will likely land on the disabled list to start the season. Sore ribs? Man, this is enough to make a guy want Ed Kranepool to come back, even now, and take a few swings.

We have Carlos Beltran hopping along worse than Cassidy; Angel Pagan has a bad back; Jason is now in Sick Bay; Johan Santana will probably miss most or all of the year, and the starting lineup and pitching rotation have more holes in it than that piece of Swiss cheese on your ham and rye. People used to laugh about the old Mets; well pull up a chair folks and get your handkerchiefs ready, because this season is going to be a cross between a tearjerker and a knee slapper.

Sport Illustrated just came out with its Major League Baseball preview. In the article the Mets are rightly picked to finish fifth in the National League East. Hey, I'll go them one better: I'll bet they will have the worst record in the National League this year. That's right: they will be worse than the Diamondbacks, the Astros, and probably that little league team up at the park.


Hey, I'm a Mets fan, but I'm also honest. All I can say is the Mets are back home - in the basement - which is right back where they started so many years ago. So I'll watch the games, go to a few, and have no expectations. I'll yell at the bums, just like my grandfather and uncles did with the Dodgers all those years ago, but I'll never stop loving them. That's the lot of the Mets fan and I'm sort of used to it by now. Good night Basement Bertha, wherever you are!

Photo Credits:
Jason Bay - espn.com
Basement Bertha - nydailynews.com

MLB News: Realignment of Divisions Could Come Soon

Article first published as MLB News: Realignment of Divisions Could Come Soon on Blogcritics.


The thought of Major League Baseball's 28 teams staying the way they are is probably appealing to some people, but there is definitely a history of change in baseball that has seen teams switch leagues, inter-league games, and an extra round of playoffs. It can be said the more things change the more they stay the same, but it looks like Commissioner Bud Selig has an eye on radical change for baseball.

I heard this conversation on the radio today about the possibility of teams switching divisions and the leagues merging, and that sounded a lot like what happened in football (when the AFL joined the NFL). I did a little searching on the Internet, and quickly came up with an article from the New York Daily News by Bill Madden, a writer whom I've followed a long time and respect a great deal.

Madden's take on it seems pretty scary if you're a New York Mets fan like I am. Can you imagine the Mets being in the same division as the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies? This new order could make sense in a "regional" way, but it would really be the biggest change to hit baseball since the designated hitter.

Speaking of which, according to Madden the DH is on its way out. That means all those guys who are planning on winding up their careers as a team's DH better start taking balls at a different position. American League pitchers should be on notice too; they should start picking up those bats and learn how to use them again.
If you look at the chart of the new baseball divisions based on regional alignment, you can see that the Northeast Division would be a tough place to be. The concept of two leagues and two different sets of rules would come to an end. Besides the DH that would also include strike zones, game schedules, and number of men on the rosters. Can you imagine a scenario if a team could have 27-30 active players? This certainly would increase the number of pitchers and catchers a team would be able to carry.

I don't know about you, but I remember the good old days of two divisions in each league (my father remembers when there was one division). Things seemed simple then; East played West and then there was the World Series. This new alignment means probably more playoff games, and that no doubt appeals to baseball owners and executives because that means more revenue.

Madden goes on to say that a team would play every team in all four new divisions twice (once at home and once on the road) each season. That means six games against every team in the league every year. I know it makes sense if you do the math (27 x 6 = 162 games), but doesn't that mean teams are going to do a heck of a lot more traveling?

How will baseball fans and the players react to this news? In the end it probably won't matter what anyone thinks if baseball's power elite have made the call already. It looks like we will have to face the inevitable, which probably includes a World Series being played around Thanksgiving, so we can say "Pass the cranberry sauce" as we watch the players run the bases in the snow. Isn't change lovely?

Image Credit: Madden Daily News

Mets Mess: MLB Gave Mets $25 Million Last Year

Article first published as Mets Mess: MLB Gave Mets $25 Million Last Year on Blogcritics.

If the dire situation on the field was not enough for Mets fans, the situation in the executive offices can make them worry even more these days. Today, the New York Daily News is reporting that team owner Fred Wilpon borrowed $25 million big ones from Major League Baseball to help "shore up the team's liquidity." In other words this was a one-time bailout that helped the team get back on its feet.


At the heart of all this is the shadow of Bernie Madoff, Ponzi schemer extraordinaire who bilked many investors, including Wilpon, out of hard earned money. While this may make Mets fans squirm as they hear about this loan (that, by the way, must be paid back), they think about the future of this organization and fear things are quite grim indeed.

Last month Wilpon announced that he was searching for a limited partner to buy a stake in the Mets. It seems everyone from Donald Trump to Justin Bieber has been rumored to be looking to get involved, but what price will be ultimately paid besides money? How will this affect day-to-day operation of the club, and more specifically, what happens on the field?

Right now Mets fans have little if anything to look forward to this season. Johann Santana will probably not pitch until after the All Star break, and with no major trades and returning players who, besides David Wright and Ike Davis, inspire little if any confidence, 2011 is shaping up to be a long wait until next year exercise in more futility.

The only bright side is that perhaps this revelation will lend credence to Wilpon's plea that he too was a victim of Madoff. We will have to see what happens in court in regards to that, but right now we Mets fans might as well settle in for the bumpy ride this season; from all indications things are going to get worse before they get any better in Metsville.


Photo credit: Simmons/Daily News

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spring Training Kind

Article first published as The Eternal Sunshine of the Spring Training Kind on Blogcritics.

There is nothing more scintillating for me as a baseball fan than when I hear the words, "Pitchers and catchers report for duty today in Florida." That sentence makes the hairs stand up on my arms, and I think back to the countless cool spring days that I played ball myself, with the dream of being like my heroes Cleon Jones, Ron Swoboda, or Tom Seaver. Any kid whoever pounded a glove on the cool wet grass of a field on a spring day knows the feeling, and that is why spring training makes us all young again and filled with hope.


Of course, every team - whether it is the major league franchise or the pee-wee league variety - has the fever that spring brings. No one has any wins or losses that count; everyone's batting average or ERA is zero, and there is the feeling that this year we will go all the way. The eternal hope of spring training manifests itself in these cool bright days, and the only way you become boys of summer is by first being the ones of spring.
Reality will set in eventually for all of us as the long schedule that drags its feet through March produces some malaise even among the most ardent fans. We want opening day to come quickly, but as injuries happen and old knees creak, the prospects begin to look less rosy and some of us may even wish to put off that first pitch of the season if we could somehow.

As a New York Mets fan, I don't have that much to be happy happy about this spring. Other teams have signed free agents of note and are ready to compete, but for the Mets fans we are stuck with mediocrity and the prospect of a quiet spring that will blossom into what seems like it will be another one of those wait until next year scenarios.

You know you're in trouble if the most promising new signings are people named Boof Bonser. I mean, even George (the Stork) Theodore had a more baseball appropriate name than that. The Mets are going to struggle this year because of a lack of starting pitching, a suspect bullpen, and question marks about regular players like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Jason Bay. In fact, there are so many questions about this team, I think they should adopt the Riddler costume as their new uniform. Can you imagine Luis Castillo walking around saying, "Riddle me this; riddle me that; does anyone dare, give me a bat?"

Still, I want to think of those springs long gone and the ghosts of players who once wore the orange and blue. Where have you gone Tommie Agee? I know you're somewhere up there with Gil Hodges, Tug McGraw, and the rest of the gone but never forgotten Mets greats. At one time we dared to dream and we got a team that beat Hank Aaron and the Braves and Brooks Robinson and the Orioles. That's when they earned their moniker The Amazins. Man, that does seem like a long, long time ago.

So as baseball fans everywhere get ready for a glorious spring, pound a ball wet with dew from the grass inside a glove. Tilt the hat back on your head and look up at the endless blue sky. In the eternal sunshine of spring, anything is possible, even for Mets fans. Even we can dare to dream these days for a little while, or at least until that first pitch on opening day when everything counts and reality sets in.

Photo Credits:
Cleon Jones - Phoenixnewtimes.com
The Riddler - Batman-Superman.com

K-Rod Blows Save; Ump Blows Call; Mets Avoid Sweep

Article first published as K-Rod Blows Save; Ump Blows Call; Mets Avoid Sweep on Blogcritics.

Any Mets fans watching the almost sweep of the Mets in the four-game series in San Francisco this weekend should have been listening to Tony Bennett. If the Mets didn't leave their hearts in San Francisco this weekend, maybe they should be looking for them on the team bus or the airplane that brought them there. It was a weekend of poorly played games and only a blown call by an umpire stopped it from being a sweep.



Having written about the notorious blown call by umpire Jim Joyce that robbed Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers of a perfect game, I have been bothered by the idea of umpire incompetence in Major League Baseball. In San Francisco yesterday umpire Phil Cuzzi joined the Joyce Fraternity with a call that cost the Giants a win and sweep over the Mets.

Travis Ishikawa, who had already tied the game with a two-run single off Francisco Rodriguez, was coming home on a bouncer to David Wright by Freddy Sanchez. Wright's throw to home was high, but catcher Henry Blanco got the ball and brought down a tag. The problem is that Cuzzi called Ishikawa out but replays showed that he was safe. Even catcher Blanco said as much after the game. Giants' manager Bruce Bochy argued the call to no avail.

So here we had a blown save, a blown umpire's call, and the Mets going on to get the win when red-hot rookie Ike Davis doubled home Jason Bay with the winning run in the tenth inning. As a Mets fan I am happy the team avoided the sweep, but not with the way they did it. The team looked lethargic this weekend, and the Mets's brass needs to face the facts that K-Rod is looking more like BS-Rod (Blown Save) everyday. With the trading deadline quickly approaching, it is painfully clear that the Mets need bullpen help as much as they need a front-end starter.

Getting back to umpire Cuzzi, he insisted after the game that he thought Ishikawa was out, but that he would take a look at the replay. Cuzzi and Joyce and all the other horses and king's men can't give a win back to the Giants, or a no-hitter to Galarraga, or the countless other missed opportunities to all the players and teams that have been robbed by bad umpiring recently and over the years.

Once again, this is a golden opportunity for Major League Baseball to think about expanding the use of instant replay. I have argued for its use on a limited and equitable basis in all professional sporting events, but never has it been more obvious that baseball has to be the place where it gets done as soon as possible.

Umpires are indeed human and thus likely to make mistakes. Why not put a system in place that will limit the cost factor of human error? If such a system were in place, my Mets would have lost that game yesterday, but maybe there would have been other games won over the season and in the years to come. The time is now for fans to get the message out to Major League Baseball: we need instant replay for questionable calls by umpires and we need it now!

Mets Series with Marlins: Proof There Should Be Major League Baseball in Puerto Rico

This article first published as mets-marlins-series-proof-there-should on Blogcritics.


The baseball games between the New York Mets and the Florida Marlins at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, are proof enough that major league baseball can be played there. Seeming infinitely better than Jarry Park in Montreal, Canada (original home of the now defunct Montreal Expos), which I visited as a kid in 1970 just to see Rusty Staub, the park would be a sufficient venue for Major League Baseball games.



A flight from New York City to San Juan, Puerto Rico, takes approximately three and a half hours. That is less time than if you were flying from JFK to LA or San Francisco. Baseball teams would not have a problem getting there, and the surrounding area is amenable for the players when not on the field.

Watching the three games of this series (which the Marlins took 2-1), I noticed that every seat in the house was taken. Even on Thursday night after a twenty minute rain delay, the place was packed. The crowds are enthusiastic, they are baseball savvy, and they certainly deserve a team of their own for a number reasons.



First, according to the Baseball Almanac, there has been a rich history of players from Puerto Rico (or Puerto Rican descent) in the Major Leagues, including Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Currently, the Mets alone have Angel Pagan, Jesus Feliciano, Alex Cora, Pedro Feliciano, and the injured Carlos Beltran. This certainly gives the local fans an incentive to come out and see the games on a regular basis.

Second, besides Puerto Rico, the region is a spawning ground for Major League baseball players. Think especially of Cuba and the Dominican Republic. There would be an interest of people in those neighboring countries to come to Puerto Rico to see baseball games. This would encourage tourism and inspire more local prospects to bring their talents to the game.

Third, think of the team that could be established to play there. Veterans and new players would be brought in, making the team an intriguing one that could no doubt be in contention in its first couple of years in the league.

Finally, a Major League baseball team would be wonderful for the Puerto Rican economy. It could also facilitate the long-held desire for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state of the United States.

The idea of bringing a Major League Baseball team to Puerto Rico makes dollars and sense. While baseball in Canada (at least French-speaking Quebec) may have been a bad idea, this island and US Commonwealth would be an excellent place for a franchise and promote the notion to eventually expand the league into other countries, making the future possibility of a true World Series all the more intriguing.

Baseball's "Sign" of the Times

Article first published as Baseball's "Sign" of the Times on Blogcritics.

"Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?"
- Five Man Electrical Band

This week's latest soap opera moment, coming on the heels of the A-Rod crossing the mound debacle, has to do with the Philadelphia Phillies sign-stealing during a game against the Colorado Rockies. As a Mets fan, I am not usually in a position to defend the Phillies (even when Phils Manager Charlie Manuel accused the Mets of sign-stealing too), but aren't teams giving signs in a public way? If a third base coach is touching his nose, ears, lips, and toes, isn't that in full view of all in the park?

Of course, technology is or seems to be what is coming into play here. No, the Phillies aren't going all CIA with eavesdropping equipment or using computer wizardry to do this; it seems it's a pair of old-fashioned binoculars causing all the stir, and what's allegedly being stolen are the ever sacred catcher's signs to the pitcher.

Okay, since it's Friday, just the facts, ma'am. During a game in Colorado earlier this week, the local Rockies network cameras showed shots of a Philadelphia coach using binoculars in the bullpen. Now, I don't want to pry into Mick Billmeyer's personal life either, but it just could be he was checking out that cute little blonde in the stands behind home plate. How the heck can they be sure what Billmeyer was looking at?

Well, Dan O'Dowd (Rookies GM) called Major League Baseball and lodged a complaint. After what seems to be a quick review of the "case" against the Phils, a "warning" was issued for the Phillies to lose the binoculars or else. Duhn-duhn-duhn-duhn!!!

In checking the rules of baseball, with which I am somewhat familiar, I have not found anything official about sign stealing. My feeling is that if it is something publicly visible in the ballpark, then it is open to being "stolen" by anyone in the park, including the strange guy in the bullpen with the binoculars.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I am a Mets fan, and I do recall a while back when my own team accused the Phillies of doing this same thing in Citizens Bank Park. It appeared in our local newspapers a few years ago, and there was just another log on the fire of the combustible Mets-Phillies rivalry, but as far as I recall this never went into an official complaint to MLB.

I believe sign-stealing is probably happening in baseball and always has happened: just like spitballs, nails embedded in pitcher gloves, and pine tar where it shouldn't be. It's the nature of the game to steal; I mean, Lou Brock made a career out of it.

So, as in that good old Five Man Electrical Band song that featured signs telling people what or what not to do ("Long-haired freaky people need not apply"), baseball teams could put huge signs up alongside "No Pepper Games" warning "No Sign Stealing" or "No Binoculars!" These will probably work as well as the ones here in New York City that say "No Jay Walking," but that's for another article.

For now I think we should just let the whole thing slide, but as with the Mets-Phillies rivalry, soap opera moments in baseball only add to the drama. Man, what a waste of time. Don't they know we only have one life to live?