My Championship Series Predictions

The American League and National League Championship series are set as Major League Baseball has their own version of the Final Four. In the American League the Kansas City Royals continue to shock the world and head into Camden Yards to take on the Baltimore Orioles for the American League pennant while in the National League we have the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants.

Kansas City is a team that can come up with the big hits and pound the baseball as they lull you to sleep with great pitching. If the starters can get six innings in the books with the lead that Royals bullpen will shut them down more times than not. Baltimore is more of the team that will out-slug you and outscore you. The pitching in Baltimore is good, not great, but the back end of the bullpen with Andrew Miller and Zach Britton are going to be hard to beat in this series. The clear edge in my opinion goes to Baltimore simply because Buck Showalter has been here before. Good pitching beats good hitting but when you have a team full of stars the better manager tends to win nine times out of ten so I am going with Baltimore in six games.

I have been picking against the Giants all season long so you would think I would be silly to do it again right? Call me silly but St. Louis is just too good. St. Louis has the hitting, the pitching, the bullpen, the depth and versatility, and are the most complete team in my opinion. The Giants are good, don’t get me wrong, and have been continually finding a way to win with the cards stacked against them but that has to come to an end eventually and I think it will in a classic seven game series.

What say you? Leave your predictions in the comments section below. Thanks!

Will The Real Buck Schowalter Please Shut Up?

We started the day off with a rant on the blog so why not end it with one? Does Buck Showalter HAVE to be a dick or is he just pretending? I mean seriously. First Schowalter gives Derek Jeter a framed picture of the Jeffrey Maier "home run" ball from the 1996 postseason. Cool, funny, creative, 18 years ago but okay fine whatever. Now he has to basically trash Jeter, or maybe that's just how I am taking it because I'm overly sensitive today, saying the flip play wasn't great because Jeter was late getting there.

 How many shortstops are in that position when the ball is overthrown? Your guess is as good as mine but my guess is none on purpose and maybe a couple by chance. How many shortstops have their head in the game enough to cut it off if they are by chance standing there and get it to Jorge Posada in time? Again your guess is as good as mine but I am going with none, by chance or not.

Buck hates the Yankees, how original, but you can't hate or hate on Derek Jeter. Stay classy Buck or shut the hell up. That is all.

Adam Jones, Please Shut Up

I made the comment on Twitter Wednesday night that I was growing tired of hearing Michael Kay and the YES Network crew talk about Adam Jones. It seemed like every couple of innings we had a new Adam Jones comment or quote we were discussing. Is that all the guy did during the Yankees and Orioles series, talk to the media? It sure seems like it and I wish the guy would just shut up.

I respect the hell out of Adam Jones for his on the field play and all that he does in his community, for charities, etc. but the guy is becoming borderline annoying here. It all started when Jones gave his two pennies about Yankees fans running onto the field, and by the way when it happened in Toronto while New York was up there nobody in the media said a word that I saw, by saying the following:

"They should let us have a shot to kick them with our metal spikes on because it's stupid."

Say what? No LOL afterwards, no "jk guys jk," nothing? For what it's worth MLB is looking into the comments and are considering a fine, also known as a slap on the wrist, for Jones. Jones did do a little back peddling saying while he stood by his comments he did not want to inflict pain or injury on anybody, right.

The very next day it was Tanaka day in the Bronx and Jones had something to say about the Yankees shiny new toy, a new toy he has never faced in a Major League game yet. Here is what Jones had to say about Tanaka when asked in an interview:

"Why don’t you ask Tanaka about me? I’m the one who’s been over here in the major leagues for a while. Congratulations, he did it over there. Don’t make it like he’s the dirtiest guy in the world. He was 24-0 — in Japan."

Bitter much? Well at least he backed it up on the field right? Oh wait, he had two strike outs and a single? Sounds pretty dirty to me. Surely he stopped talking after that right? Nope... see below:

"Am I (supposed) to go home and say I faced Tanaka tonight? Just go throw a party that I faced Tanaka? It's another pitcher. Another pitcher in the rotation. Nothing special to me. It's just another guy that we have to go through to get to where we want to be."

Shut up Adam, your making yourself look silly right now. Take a page out of Buck Schowalter's book, you know your manager, and give respect when respect is due and when you run your mouth be prepared to back it up.

Johan Santana Is About To Come Off The Yankees Board

Told #orioles are, indeed, nearing minor league deal with Johan Santana. Was in camp today.
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) March 3, 2014

Brian Cashman talked about dumpster diving but the Baltimore Orioles are actually doing it as evident with the news that they are close to signing Johan Santana to a minor league deal. Whether the Yankees had any interest in Santana or not really became a moot point when he came to camp throwing a less than blazing fastball after a second torn shoulder capsule surgery. Obviously Baltimore would be getting Santana on a minor league deal and see him as a left handed relief pitcher, not a starter.

Santana is in his age 35 season and was seen in Orioles camp today before the deal was announced on Twitter. The last time Santana was on a mound was in 2012 when he threw the first "no hitter" in New York Mets history. I actually like the idea of Santana maybe being a LOOGY with that Bugs Bunny changeup of his, good call Buck.

This Day In New York Yankees History 10/29

On this day in 1920 the Yankees hired ex Boston red Sox manager Ed Barrow to be their General Manager. Over the next quarter of a century the Yankees would see 14 American League pennants and 10 World Series Championships while Barrow would see a Hall of Fame induction.

On this day in 1991 the Yankees hired Buck Schowalter to replace Stump Merrill as the Yankees manager. In four seasons, including the strike shortened 1994 season, Buck would compile a 313-268 (.539) record as a 36 year old manager. Buck would win the American League Manager of the Year Award and the AL East title in 1994 and would lead the Yankees to the playoffs in the first Wild Card series in 1995.

On this day in 2009 Derek Jeter would win the Roberto Clemente Award which is given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, and community involvement. Jeter would be the 3rd Yankees to ever win the award, Ron Guidry and Don Baylor the other two, and would join 13 Hall of Fame players with the award.

On this day in 2010 the New York Yankees signed Joe Girardi to a new three year deal to remain the Yankees manager through the 2013 season. In 2010, much like this offseason, the Cubs were rumored to be making a run at Girardi but in the end the Yankees kept him on their bench.