Strasburg Redux

Washington has many fine sportswriters. Atop the list are Tom Boswell, Tim Kurkjian, and until recently John Feinstein. Last season Feinstein was one of the louder voices calling for the Nationals to keep sending Strasburg out every five days in September. And now he is using the failure of the Nationals to make the playoffs […]

To Santa From Red Sox Nation

Dear Santa; Please know we remain thankful for your gifts of 2004 and 2007. We also know that you are aware the Red Sox were bad in September and naughty to Tito upon his exit. We hope you know that we fans were good all season and the Sox pitching staff were naughty and Bobby […]

Here Come the Miami White Sox

Mark Buehrle has long been the best pitcher in the National League and that distinction will likely grow more evident now that he’s actually going to be pitching in the National League. After 12 seasons, 161 victories, four All-Star games, three gold gloves, one no-hitter, a perfect game, a World Series victory and the coolest […]

Clearing The Bases

    Well the 2011 season has successfully come to an end with an unlikely champion, the St. Louis Cardinals.  Who saw that coming?  Manager Tony LaRussa goes out on top as he retired a champion, have to wonder if his retirement will push free agent Albert Pujols towards another team.  That is a perfect […]

Fixing the 2012 Red Sox

The implosion of the 2011 Red Sox came as a surprise. It was an excruciating, agonizing surprise that played out over the course of a month, and left Boston fans at a loss for answers. The team that looked like it had an excellent chance at winning the World Series this year, went down in […]

Know When to Hold Them, When to Fold Them

Last year at this time the Washington Nationals were patting themselves on the back about reeling in Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps. It was a good trade because everyone was a winner. Fishing for Denard Span off the same pier in July 2011 has proved not as productive. The Twinkies wanted the keys to the […]

Red Sox Front Office Must Confront The Lackey Dilemma

Red Sox pitcher John Lackey, with his wife Krista, during less troubling times… More than a dozen years ago, I struggled as my first marriage was disintegrating. While I had always prided myself on being able to separate my personal life and my professional life, I suddenly found myself unable to do so. I brought […]

Guaranteed 2011 AL East Predictions!

Led by a rejuvenated Manny Ramirez, Tampa Bay will lead the division at the all-star break.  On his return from the All-Star game in Phoenix, Manny will become rejuveniled and absent-mindedly enter Boston’s clubhouse when the Rays resume their season in Beantown on July 15th.  He’ll don a Red Sox uniform and shag balls in […]

El Látigo versus Roberto Clemente

La noticia del avión en el aeropuerto de Maracaibo había estallado en nuestra habitación. Felipe y Jesús Mario hablaban de un juego entre Venezuela y Puerto Rico luego de la temporada 1967-68. Sus voces emergían entrecortadas por la humareda del impacto. Isaías Látigo Chávez subió al montículo por los venezolanos. José Palillo Santiago hizo lo propio por los borícuas.

“We Had to Pay the Price:” How the Pirates Traded for Chuck Tanner

Chuck Tanner’s death last Friday struck particularly close to the hearts of longtime Pirate fans.  He was the down-to-earth local kid who went away, made good, and then returned to lead his hometown club to a World Series title in 1979.  But as the Pittsburgh media reminisced about Tanner’s life and career last week, they […]

Is The Bronx Zoo Returning?

If you followed the Yankees in the latter half of the 20th century, you know why the team earned the title “The Bronx Zoo.” From fights between Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson, to routine managerial firings, to passenger seat managing from George Steinbrenner, the Yankees were an absolute mess. As 2010 comes to a close […]

Dear Yankee Fans: Be Proud, Be Grateful

Just a day removed from the Yankees elimination, it isn’t hard to find a disappointed New Yorker. The beloved Yankees are done for the year, and their dreams of a second consecutive world championship are diminished. As many love to do, we can sit here and talk about what could have happened and what should […]

Bottoming Out in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

They should bottle Showalter’s elixir and sell it outside Camden Yarks.  The Baltimore Orioles are showing signs of life in response to their new manager’s tonic after flat-lining for more than half of the 2010 season. The Orioles’ record since Showalter stepped into the dugout is 17 – 10.  That is a .630 winning percentage […]

Dickey, Wakefield, and the Not-So-Lost-But-Sorta-Lost Art of the Knuckleball

With roughly six weeks remaining in the 2010 season there are a number of bloggers, writers, and analysts that have started looking ahead to the offseason. While the writing itself hasn’t actually begun yet, I’ll admit I’ve started thinking ahead to the format I hope to encapsulate my year-end thoughts within. Of course, the season’s […]

Time for Red Sox to clean house

With the trade deadline come and gone and the Red Sox doing very little to shore up a run for the post season, perhaps the rest of this season is more or less try outs for next year. Of the regular players on the 25-man roster the following players should all be eligible for trading […]

Sweeping Our Cares Away

Earlier this year, the Cardinals took the first two games from the Toronto Blue Jays on the road and sent out Adam Wainwright to complete the sweep.  Wainwright, though, had one of his rare off games and the Cards weren’t able to use the brooms. This time, though, Wainwright was able to seal the deal and […]

Gaining On The Off Day

The Cardinals hit the Big Apple yesterday.  They saw the sites (Ryan Franklin went to the Statue of Liberty with his family, according to the official Cardinal Twitter feed), made some appearances (more on Albert Pujols in a bit) and picked up a half-game on the Reds when Milwaukee beat them 3-2.  In other words, just […]

Cardinals Continue to Battle Injuries

Things were rolling along.  Matt Holliday was back from his rib cage injury and starting to find his groove.  Albert Pujols was back from his back, relieving a lot of worries in Cardinal Nation.  Everything was great, until yesterday’s game, when Yadier Molina pulled up lame, left the game, and was diagnosed with a strained […]