The MLB Playoffs: They're Fan-tastic!

As I'm sure the reader can tell, this blog heavily favors the Mariners. On a personal level, this is not a very gratifying team to root for, as they have been mostly worthless throughout their history, save right around the turn of the century. Well it most certainly could be worse (see: Cubs, Chicago), the Mariners aren't about to be making the playoffs anytime soon and as such, one needs to examine the other teams still in it to waste their time rooting for.

While I am already decided on rooting for the San Diego Padres, which I decided roughly twelve years ago, not all of the Seattle fan base is so lucky as to have another favorite team with equally little historical success. And so, that brings us to this years contenders.

New York Yankees

Pluses: Very good chance of winning, rich and colorful history, very in-tune with the needs of fans.

Minuses: Kind of dicks, Evil Empire, boring uniforms.

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: Nobody can really hold a candle to some of the bats that the Yankees can trot out every night, with guys like Robinson Cano (.376 OBP, 106 RBI), A-Rod (.343, 121), and Mark Teixeira (.368, 107) capable of a winning games on their own. The bench is filled with high-energy young guys like Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena, and a strong starting staff rounds out the team. Unfortunately, the pitching has been struggling mightily lately, with guys like Phil Hughes (4.85 ERA in September) and A.J. Burnett (5.33 ERA, +1.0 WAR) really blowing it. If Andy Pettitte really is completely healthy, they've got a pretty good chance.

Tampa Bay Rays

Pluses: Not many other fans to get in the way, plenty of tickets, likeable players/coaching staff, fish tank at ballpark.

Minuses: Operates on a budget similar to my middle school allowance, defense is boring, absolutely no fans in the state of Florida.

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: The Rays have a small group of excellent hitters (Carl Crawford, Evan Longaria) and a much larger handful of guys that know their place, like Carlos Pena and his power (30 percent of his hits are home runs). This team understands the limitations their budget has placed on them, and as such have grown powerful by building with some great defensive players, specifically Carl Crawford and his 22 UZR, though Ben Zobrist (9.7 UZR/150 in the outfield) and Reid Brignac (9.3 UZR/150 and, we can only hope, future winery owner) aren't too shabby themselves. Strong pitchers abound on this roster too, though most of the young starters have struggled quite a bit lately, especially Jeff Niemann and his 10 ERA since August. Don't count them out, as they are as David Eckstein-y as possible without actually having Eckstein.

Minnesota Twins

Pluses: Adorable, won't care how much you eat as you will never be larger than their current fans, definitely won't ever fire you, very friendly.

Minuses: Almost too friendly, never actually show up in the postseason, employed Eddie Guardado.

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: Nobody seems to be as consistent as the Twins these days, who just win every year. This year, they've won with offense thanks to a team of strong hitters, though not exactly overly powerful (2nd in MLB in average, 19th in homers). Even without the power, the Twins always drive guys in and pitch admirably if not exactly well. Unfortunately, they're a bit beat up, as Justin Morneau looks to be out perhaps the whole playoffs and Joe Mauer is nursing his own injuries. Just like always, however, the Twins have other guys picking up the slack, with Delmon Young (.299/19/108) and Matt Capps (2.16 ERA, 20 Ks in 25 IP) filling in more than adequately. As always, it'd be great to see the Twins do well, but they probably won't.

Texas Rangers

Pluses: Not the Angels (even if Vlad tells you otherwise), have roughly as much money as you, hit quite well, which I'm told is enjoyable to watch.

Minuses: Still not the Mariners, make me feel bad, Ian Kinsler isn't really actually that good.

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: Being the Texas Rangers, they can hit well. Surprising, isn't it? Josh Hamilton has been a beast in almost every sense of the word (94 runs, 97 RBIs, crazy arm tatoos, .449 wOBA) and guys like Nelson Cruz, Vlad, and Michael Young have provided some crazy power. Additionally, Elvis Andrus is amazing and has some kind of crazy afro thing. However, this year's Rangers are in strange territory for them, having an excellent bullpen. As someone used to the Rangers of the 90's, it's still weird to see guys like Neftali Feliz, Frank Francisco, and the inpenetratable Darren Oliver strike out everybody and their mother. The starters have been the innings-eaters that Nolan Ryan longs for, though haven't been exactly "great". Even so, the Rangers seem to have a strong team and are getting hot at an excellent time.

Cincinnati Reds

Pluses: Scott Rolen seems like a nice guy, red is a nice enough color, generally nice enough in most categories, Aroldis Chapman throws faster than jet planes (which cannot throw anything).

Minuses: I... I guess Francisco Cordero's a bit overweight, he could cut back a bit?

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: They really aren't that exciting here either. The Reds have an exceptionally relief core, highlighted by both the young (Aroldis Chapman) and the old (Arthur Rhodes, the first dead body to pitch in a major league game). Furthermore, I can think of nothing more confusing for a team than having to face Chapman's 100 MPH fastball followed by Daniel Ray Herrera's 3 MPH curve. Pretty disconcerting. The starters have been up and down, though they've had enough dominating performances to help even everything out. On the offensive side, Joey Votto's been unbelievable while the rest of the lineup has been average to good, thanks especially to Scott Rolen's resurgence (84 RBI in 130 games) and Brandon Phillips' attempted all-around game (98 RBI, 15 SB, 12 CS). Something about these guys just doesn't feel that great (terrible justification, I know) and I wouldn't expect a whole lot.

San Francisco Giants

Pluses: Barry Bonds is gone, pitching is fun, they give you an excuse to kayak AND watch baseball, Kung Fu Panda.

Minuses: Kung Fu Panda isn't an ACTUAL panda, their success means the Padres' failure, their lineup is entirely throw-away waiver guys that nobody likes.

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: The Giants pitch really well, we get it. They pitch like the Padres but worse, up until recently. Matt Cain has been crazy good (almost 3 K's to every walk) and Madison Bumgarner looks to be living up to his ridiculous, ridiculous name. The relief staff has been good too, though how Ramon Ramirez is stranding 93% of all baserunners is beyond me. With as good of pitching as this, you'd think they'd be unstoppable. Of course, that is before looking at their offense. Three everyday starters have been picked up on waivers in the last year (Cody 'Strikes Out 30% of the Time" Ross, Pat Burrell and his knee-less legs, and Jose Guillen), and the rest of the lineup may as well have been. The only impressive hitter seems to be Buster Posey, who is unstoppable and has put up stats comparable to Jason Heyward in about half the games. If Posey keeps hitting like this, they could go far.

San Diego Padres

Pluses: I'll like you more, David Eckstein is the most adorable stuffed animal ever to play in the major leagues, they're scrappy, the Hairstons make you feel like you and your brother could play in the majors.

Minuses: I'll like you more, you'll have to learn a lot of names of random utility players.

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: I understand that the Padres may not even make it. In fact, it's looking more and more like the Braves will take their spot. However, being a Padres fan, I'm going to hold on to the hope they make it and preview them. Besides, I actually know stuff about them. Anyways, the Padres can't really hit much at all, employing guys like Chris Denorfia on a daily basis. Tony Gwynn won't ever be mistaken for his dad hitting-wise, but boy can he roam the outfield (35 UZR/150). Plus young guys like Aaron Cunningham and Luis Durango perform relatively well and learn to maximize their talents from guys like David Eckstein (3000 Scrappiness/150) and Yorvit Torrealba (7 SBs. No, really. Look it up). However, the pitching has carried them all year, thanks to career years from former journeymen like Jon Garland (career 4.34 ERA, 3.58 this year) and Tim Stauffer (career 4.13 ERA, 1.89 this year) while developing plenty of young talent in Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc, Clayton Richard, and really the entire rest of their staff. Unfortunately, their whole season took a downward spin when Gwynn went down, and it looks like it'll end very quickly in the playoffs, if they even make it.

Philadelphia Phillies



Pluses: You won't get vomitted on, there are no sportsmanship standards for fans, Raul Ibanez and Jamie Moyer can tell you stories about growing up in the Depression.

Minuses: Literally everything else about the Phillies.

But Seriously, the Baseball Side: For all the hype some of their players get, they aren't actually that great of a hitting team. Jimmy Rollins is painfully overrated (.246 batting average, 7 HRs), and all their power numbers are inflated by such a ridiculous home park. That being said, Placido Polanco remains the epitomy of consistent hitting, batting over .285 for the 11th consecutive year. Ryan Howard remains a home run threat in every at bat, despite striking out as much as Greg Halman (28% of the time, which only can mean that Greg Halman is equally talented, right?), and Chase Utley and Jayson Werth continue being quite excellent. Their pitching has been quite good as well, with imports Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt living up to their reputations and Cole Hamels being quite serviceable to say the least after last year's disaster. Brad Lidge has been surprisingly good as well (3.09 ERA) but hey, it's not the postseason yet. They've got the makings of a championship team and the experience, but we'll wait and see.

The Subtle Mind of Ichiro

Oh, hello there.

I see you've caught me doing what I enjoy least: exerting myself. it is alright, I shall commence gliding for the rest of the season, lest the grass of these so-called baseball "fields" scuff my shoes. Do not worry though, for my hitting will distract you. How do I hit so good? Do not worry. This is not for you to know. This is for me to know and exploit, for there is not enough of this ointment to go around.

What is that you say? Yes, I do enjoy playing for the Seattle Mariners baseball club team. No, I do not worry about our continued ineptitude. Every team loses occasionally. It happens, this is not of my concern, for I am here to hit the baseball. Would you like to know my secret?

I do not know the rules of baseball. There, now it is out in the open. When I came to the America, I was told that I could hit the baseball. You see, this is all I know in life. My family raised me to hit a baseball, and after years of training at a remote monastery in the Himalayas, I became good enough to reach the America.

I have been told that there are other parts of baseball. The one called Rool Ibanyes once told me that sometimes people like to hit the ball very far and win games. Ha! This is ridiculous. Needless to say, I laughed quite hardily at him. How can it be that people wish to do this? I had to explain to him that no team would employ people like Yuniesky Betancourt and Carl Everett and Brad Wilkerson if this were true. No, it must have been a cruel joke from the mind of Rool.

What is this you say? Baseball IS for winning? No. Do not distract me. I must single for the good of mankind.

The Perils of Expectation

Sports Illustrated is prone to some odd predictions. Be it choosing the Steelers to win the Super Bowl this year or the Red Sox to win the World Series every season since 1952, Sports Illustrated seems to frequently throw common knowledge to the wind in an attempt to win over readers. Unfortunately, this hurts those teams greatly.

Nothing creates expectations for a team like national news media saying they'll be great. At the end of last season, most of the fans I knew hoped the Mariners would make some smart moves and have a good chance at making a run for the playoffs this season. All of a sudden, SI chose the Mariners to run away with the West, cover stories started popping up all over and, before you know it, the fans were thinking about a World Series run.

Obviously, this is ridiculous. If you look back at the team, there was no chance they'd make a deep playoff run and, honestly, a division title was pushing the boundaries of sanity. There was absolutely no offense to be seen anywhere on the roster, and far too many players with serious question marks (Bradley's health/sanity, Bedard's health, Lopez's defense, Griffey's everything) to believe this team could roll the dice and win on everyone.

If the national media had recognized this, maybe this season wouldn't have quite as humongous of a negative feel. Yes, nobody likes this year, the Mariners are terrible. My point is that expectations run rampant and can ruin a season and, for guys like Don Wakamatsu, careers.

This brings us to the Seahawks and Huskies. Many saw the Seahawks as strong contenders for the division title, able to make a huge bounce back with Pete Carroll at the helm and a strong draft class incoming. Somehow, no one seems to have managed to look at the actual roster before making this pick. Matt Hasselbeck is about a hundred years old and has more aches and pains than my grandfather. Deion Branch and Mike "Out of Football for Two Years" Williams are our top receivers. Kelly Jennings is playing regularly. This is a team that should be setting its sites on a couples years from now, and the brain trust running the team understands this. However, fans don't seem to.

Similarly, people were amazed when the Huskies didn't blow out BYU in Utah. The Huskies haven't made a bowl in longer than I care to remember and still boast a defense consisting of one or two strong contributors and a bunch of young guys who can't do much of anything. There are problem spots all around. Yet everyone is already disappointed in this season, as if it is a failure because Jake Locker won't win the Heisman (another bit of ridiculous hype there) and the Huskies won't be going to the Rose Bowl.

Honestly, temper expectations. Regardless of what the national media thinks or what hope you may let sink in, don't ever try and assume any team will be contenders for a title. If you make the only positive outcome a title, than every season will be a failure, with the exception being 1979.

The Huskies best hope is to make a terrible bowl as a 6-6 team. The Seahawks may make 9-7 in a bad division. Husky hoops will probably finish 2nd or so in the Pac-10 and maybe push to the second round, barring some amazing play. The Washington sports scene is slowly rebuilding. Don't push too hard, no matter how long we've had to wait.

More NFL Salary Stuff

Pop quiz time, who is the highest paid player on the Seattle Seahawks? If you guessed Matt Hasselbeck you are right. The star QB is going to make $6,256,240 this year. That shouldn't come as to much of a surprise to most people. Matt has been the face of the franchise for about 7 years. He holds almost all of the Seahawks all time passing records (one of the only things he doesn't have is career TD passes, that honor is Dave Krieg's).

Next question, who is the second highest paid Seattle Seahawks? No not Julius Jones. No it isn't Lofa Tatupu. Give up? It is Stacy Andrews who makes $5,620,000 per year. What you have never heard of Stacy Andrews? Didn't you see the game last week, he had that one big run... oh wait that was someone else. Well what about when he... no still someone else. It turns out he is a 29 yr old offensive lineman. You are probably thinking something like, "Aren't offensive linemen important though? When they do their job right they keep Matt Hasselbeck healthy, which is important." Not this o-lineman, he doesn't even start.

Stacy's Salary. Did the Seahawks front office not get the memo about paying good players, not bad players, lots of money? I decided to looked at a few other teams and see if they followed suit. I tried to pick a random sample of team talent. Here are the highest and second highest paid players on five other teams:

Detroit Lions:
1. Corey Williams, DT, $7,800,000
2. Dominic Raiola, C, $7,500,000

New England Patriots:
1. Tom Brady, QB, $8,007,280
2. Randy Moss, WR, $6,507,280
(weird the Pat's front office likes giving out an extra $7,280)

Cincinnati Bengals:
1. Carson Palmer, QB, $9,500,000
2. Keith Rivers, LB, $9,185,000

Atlanta Falcons:
1. Roddy White, WR, $12,007,280
2. Dunta Robinson, CB, $9,957,000

Kansas City Chiefs:
1. Matt Cassel, QB, $15,005,200
2. Glenn Dorsey, DE, $13,070,000

So the highest paid players on the other teams are all really good or pretty young with an upside. Stacy Andrews is neither of these. So the mystery still remains, why is Stacy Andrews paid so much money?

Sources: Yahoo Sports,

USSM Fan Night

Last weekend on Saturday September 4th both Matt and I went to a Mariner’s fan night hosted by USS Mariner and Lookout Landing (for those of you that don’t know these are two great Mariners blogs). The event was awesome. It started with a Q&A with four authors from the blogs. After about 20 minutes of that, GM Jack Z showed up with Amateur Scouting director Tom McNamara and Special Assistant to the GM Tony Blengino. As GMZ fielded questions about the M’s we were treated to getting to watch the mariners batting practice. After all that everyone headed to a mixer where we got t-shirts and a chance to hang out and talk baseball with like minded fans.

There were several highlights through out the night. For me the best part had to be getting to have a small group question and answer session with Tony Blengino. To my surprise both Tony and Mac headed to the mixer along with the fans. Neither made it inside the gated area though as the Mariner’s faithful surrounded each of them to ask some burning questions. About ten of us huddled around Tony and fired off Mariners related questions which he was very happy to answer. It was really cool to get to hear someone with so much insider information talk about the Mariners, something he is obviously passionate about.

With all that said here is a list of some of the interesting things we heard and saw during our time at the event.
• When asked about this season GM Z described it like flipping heads on a coin 25 times in a row. Basically every single player on the team has underperformed this year (Felix excluded). He is still confident in the direction the team is headed.
• Tacoma Rainier’s Outfielder Greg Halman is a very unique player. The Mariner’s front office thinks he has all the tools to be successful but as a young player has not developed them enough yet. Halman’s two most striking skill sets are his power and ability to strikeout. The power is something the Mariners could use dearly. Halman hit 33 dingers in AAA this year. However, he is currently striking out 39.9% of his at-bats. This is a staggering high rate. When asked about it Tony B said with a laugh, “at least he isn’t making two outs.”
• During our time with Tony B, someone asked a question about the Yankees and other teams that tend to out spend everyone. Tony’s response was reassuring. He stressed to the crowd that the teams that win do it with home grown talent and only use free agents to supplement a few weak positions. He highlighted teams like the Phillies (Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels) and the Red Sox (Kevin Youkillis, Dustin Pedoria, Jacoby Ellsbury). The Mariner’s plans are to focus on developing a strong farm system that will allow them to succeed for years to come.
• When asked about the draft, Tom McNamara mentioned that he prefers hitter to pitchers, but will also take the best available player regardless of position.
• All three team exec’s gushed over Felix Hernandez. Basically the Mariners know how absolutely blessed they are to have a pitcher of his caliber on their team for so long. When describing Felix Tony B said, “he is the man” and “the guy has four plus pitches.” On top of that they are all impressed with Felix’s character. That is really good. Hopefully he spends his whole career here.
• When asked if the team had any bright spots this year other then Felix, Tony B talked about Josh Wilson and Michael Saunders. It sounds like with Josh Wilson the current regime envision a player something like Mark Mclemore or Willie Bloomquist, a super sub. The team is really high on Saunders, specifically his progress at the plate this year.
• Everything you read about Ichiro’s hidden power is true. During batting practice he launched 4 or 5 consecutive homers, none of them cheap shots.
• The conversation with Tony B didn’t stay on baseball the whole time. Some how he got talking about Brett Favre. Apparently baseball front office types are sickened by the whole drama surrounding number 4 as well. He told a funny story about his shock at the level of Brett Favre love in Wisconsin. Before he worked for the Brewer’s Tony lived in Philly. As many people know the fans there are famous for being terrible. Tony described them as, “eating their young.” When Tony first got to Milwaukee it was still at the height of Brett’s Packers career. Every weekend, during football season, all of the Wisconsin media would run 10-12 hours of Brett Favre worship. This was straight Brett Favre talk to, nothing focused on the Packers, just Favre. This came as a huge shock to someone used to Philadelphia media.
• Tony’s B thinks Mariner’s have a shot at making the playoffs soon, even as early as next year. He explained his rationale. Every team in the division has weak spots. Even this year’s current leaders, the Texas Rangers, don’t have a clearly strong team next year. The Mariners have a lot of high variability players. On top of that since the AL West is the only division with 4 teams they all have a better shot at making the playoffs every year. Those things added together mean if the coin flips go the other way next year the Mariners could have a chance. Of course this is a big if.
• Tom McNamara is really impressed with Nick Franklin. Currently a shortstop in AA, Franklin set a team record for homeruns this year. He is still really young and a few years away, but McNamara sees the tools for him to put it all together at the major league level.
• Tony B said something about Yuniesky Betancourt being one of the best 700 baseball players in the world. The list is still being calculated but we have gone through 664 players so far and he isn’t on there.

Bright Spots: The Mariners

As I'm sure some of you may have noticed using your deeply analytical minds, the Mariners aren't exactly doing well this season. In fact, the recent question and answer period with the GM, assistant GM, and scouting director, attended by this blog, helped shed light on a lot of these problems and some of the bright spots for the future.

One excellent point made was that the Mariner had a wide range for this season: the best case scenario for each player ended with the Mariners winning around 90 games, while the very worst case scenario put the team at exactly where they are now.

This may make it seem like every single player has failed. Obviously, this isn't true. The Mariners do indeed have a few bright spots:

Felix Hernandez: Sure, Felix has had a few struggles, mainly early in the year, but this year has served to cement the fact that Felix is, at his worst, one of the five best pitchers in baseball and can shut down just about anyone. With him around for the long haul, at least the Mariners have a strong foundation in the pitching staff.

Rob Johnson: Just kidding. On the bright side, he's probably gone forever now, so there's that.

Tacoma: The Mariners suck, that is undeniable. Luckily, the Rainers have been killing it, as has most of our minor league system. All our best prospects have performed up to standards if not over expectations. Hell, even Greg Halman had a great year, as long as you don't mind strikeouts. Lots and lots of strikeouts.

San Diego Padres: Oh wait, that's just for me.

Franklin Guiterrez: Yes, his average isn't amazing and yes, he was pretty horrible last month. Even so, Cute-ierrez has managed to display some amazing all around skills, hitting for light power, stealing bases (20 as of today), wooing the ladies, walking aplenty (at least when not frustrated), and still playing great defense.

So there you have it. Now let's never, ever mention Jose "Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now" Lopez.

NFL Holdouts

Every year around August, as the new NFL season approaches, a slew of players decide to hold out from playing. Their decision is usually driven by a desire to make more money or sign a longer contract. This year the big names holding out for more money (and with it more problems?) include Vincent Jackson, Darrelle Revis and Chris Johnson. You have probably heard the most about Darrelle Revis’s holdout. He is asking for $162 million dollars over 10 years.

I used to hate it when NFL stars held out for more money. I thought it was such a selfish move. The players seemed so out of touch with reality. Here is a guy who makes millions of dollars a year and whose only job is to play a game for 6 months a year and he is holding out to make more? These players needed to suck it up, get off their lazy asses and do their jobs.

As I have learned about the NFL and the player contracts my opinion has changed almost completely. Unlike MLB or the NBA, the majority of the money in an NFL is not guaranteed. This is the case because the rate of injury in the NFL is so high. Owners are not willing to commit to a player for 3 years that might get hurt after one game and never play again. By not guaranteeing players money the teams and owners are protecting themselves. If a player gets hurt they can just cut them from the roster and quit paying them. It also means that if a player is under performing and the team no longer thinks they are worth $10 million a year they can cut them and quit paying them the non guaranteed money. So if a QB signs a 4 year $40 million dollar deal and then underperforms the first 2 years so the team cuts him, he only makes $20 million.

What if that QB over-performs his contract? He plays the first 2 seasons and wins the MVP both years. He now is playing at a $15 million dollar a year rate. He can try to renegotiate with the team in hopes that management wants to keep him happy. There is not a lot of incentive for the team to pay him more. They have him under contract for 2 more years at only $10 million. They have a heck of a bargain, a $5 million a year discount. The biggest bargaining chip on that QBs table is refusing to play until they pay him what he wants.

An NFL player’s refusal to work is not unlike most regular jobs. If an engineer or an accountant feels they are getting paid to little they are going to shop around for better work. They will probably send out some resumes and see if other companies are interested in paying them more. Once they know their market value, they might ask their boss about a raise or quit and take a new job elsewhere. The main difference is the sums of money involved (more for a football player), the years of potential earning power (less for a football player) and the media coverage (infinitely more).

Now days I understand exactly why players do hold out. I even side with some of them. With such short and volatile careers, NFL players need to get paid as much as they can every second they are on the field. They have a much smaller window available for them to earn a living in their chosen career. By playing at an undervalued rate for a couple of years the player is putting his future financial stability at risk. Guys like Chris Johnson, who were clearly underpaid, need to have some way to get their money while they can.