30 Teams In 30 Days

Oakland Athletics: Moneyball Madness
(Over the next 30 days, BERNing on Sports will be previewing every team in the Majors, yes, even the Royals. Only one a day, every day, so try not to get too hooked.)


Finally Some Pressure To Win
The Oakland A's normal course of action when they have a top flight player entering their prime is to let him walk at the end of his contract or trade him for four or five prospects before his deal expires. Remember the Mark Mulder trade to St. Louis? Or when Tim Hudson was dealt to Atlanta? How about letting go of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Miguel Tejada, all in their respective primes? The rationalization for these peculiar management decisions was always that they could be replaced by players using Moneyball (more on that later). But considering Oakland is a combined 21 games below .500 over the last two years, management told General Manager Billy Beane to go get some bats in this lineup. Enter Matt Holliday acquired via trade, resigning an older yet still effective Giambi, picking up former White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera and taking Nomar Garciaparra off the scrap heap, all of a sudden this lineup may not be so bad. Is it great? No. But when was the last time Oakland was the team making key free agent acquisitions? Exactly, I can't think of a time either, at least before this off season. I'm not saying the A's will be good, but at least they'll be more watchable this season.

Would You Want Any Of These Five Men In Your Starting Rotation?
If you're an educated baseball fan, and you were told your opening day starter would be some girl named Dana Eveland (kidding), and he'd be followed by Justin Duchscherer (say that 5 times fast), Sean Gallagher, Dallas Braden and Gio Gonzalez, would you think your team had a fighting chance this season? The answer, clearly, is no. This rotation might be the weakest in baseball, at least in terms of name recognition, and as Scott pointed out, the Royals rotation at least has two viable pitchers in it. Beane usually constructs a pitching staff full of young talent, but other than Duchscherer, this staff has youth but not much talent. Starting pitching will be the Achilles of the A's all season long unless one of these guys blossoms in that big ball park (which is an atrocity, by the way). Otherwise, Oakland will struggle again in the AL West.

A Three Month Solution?
While I did give some props to the A's for acquiring Matt Holliday, let's reserve some of those props for the end of the season. Because those props go right out the window if the Athletics go par for the course and trade Holliday at the deadline or let him go after this season. Holliday is a young player, and while his splits do suggest he was helped a bit by Coors Field in Colorado, he's a good player who could be the the face of the franchise for a while if they keep him around. When asked about his future on "Jim Rome is Burning" on ESPN a couple days ago, Holliday said he was told by management he likely wouldn't be sticking around very long. As he put it, management told him they "don't really do long term contracts" and that they may not have the money to offer him anyways. We can cut the A's a little slack because they're trying to finance a new ballpark but can't get it, and the franchise appears to be in limbo. But if Holliday hits by the bay this year, this guy should be kept in the fold. Unless Beane has a left fielder in AA who has a .405 on base percentage. Groan.

How Great Is Moneyball Anyway?
Michael Lewis wrote a book about it, and the topic has been discussed and analyzed around baseball ever since it came out. The truth is, "Sabrmetrics" the system that is money ball has been around since Bill James came out with those boring stat magazines almost thirty years ago that no one took seriously at the time. Moneyball has certainly had an influence on the game since it was re-popularized by Beane in the 199os, in that on base percentage has become a far more important statistic than it ever was before. Bu the teams that seem to be most successful using Moneyball tactics also employ good baseball wisdom: signing good free agents, developing quality pitching, etc. I'm not saying that Beane hasn't or doesn't do that, because his track record certainly shows that he did and still does. But what I am saying is he relies too much on his system and not enough on common sense. Look at the pitching staff he has? It's terrible from top to bottom. I don't care how many of these guys throw a high percentage of strikes with a 1-1 count. It's still bad.

Bold Predictions

1. Oakland will finish in last place in the American League West. Yes, last place. This team won't be able to win enough games out-slugging people and their pitching is bad, as I have already mentioned.
2. Matt Holliday will prove his doubters wrong and have a big year in a big park. 30HR, 100RBI for the special occasion.
3. Nomar Garciaparra will return to being a good MLB hitter. If he gets the at-bats, expect 20 homers and 85RBI.

Up next...Friday, Angels.

30 Teams In 30 Days

Houston Astros:  Their Ballpark is Stupid, But They Might Be Decent

(Over the next 30 days, BERNing on Sports will be previewing ever team in the majors, yes, even the Royals.  Only one a day, every day, so try not to get too hooked.)

Still Making Moves

Just a day ago, the Astros added catcher Ivan Rodriguez to their plethora of catchers within the organization (pending a physical since he's been playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic).  Sad fact is though, Pudge is better than any of the other backstops in the system.  No, he's not the same steroid pumped catcher that helped lead the Marlins to the world series crown in 2003 (allegedly), but he is still a good defensive catcher who can hold his own at the plate.  He should fit nicely into a lineup that doesn't get a lot of credit but has a lot of quality in it (more on this in a bit).  The Astros pitching staff has a lot of question marks, but Pudge's leadership behind the plate can only help a staff that needs to be effective if they want to contend with the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central this year.

Killer B's Are Gone, but the 'Stros Still Pack A Punch

If I asked you to come up with the best offenses in baseball, I bet the Astros lineup wouldn't enter into the discussion.  But maybe they should.  With the exception of Michael Bourn (can't hit) and Aaron Boone (generally bad, except for one swing in his career), the Astros lineup features some dangerous hitters.  Lance Berkman looks like a fat version of Elvis, but he's probably the best hitter in baseball no one talks about.  Carlos Lee (a.k.a. El Caballo) is a feared hitter from the right side of the plate, especially with that joke of a left field porch at Minute Maid Park.  Miguel Tejada had a bad year last year and may be on the downside, especially with the off-field issues he's dealing with (namely lying, about taking steroids and about his age).  But sandwiched between the right hitters and Tejada can still be a solid guy.  And even though Hunter Pence has an allergic reaction to walks, he's still produces and has a lot of speed.  Add in Pudge and Kaz Matsui and it's not a bad lineup, and potentially could be very potent if each of them plays to their capability.   

No Matter How You Spin It, This Pitching Staff Is Not Good

Other than Roy Oswalt, there is not one starter projected to be in this rotation that I would want on my team.  Oswalt though, is great.  17 wins again last year, and he continues to be a top flight pitcher in baseball despite not having a great team around him.  But the rest of this staff is brutal.  Wandy Rodriguez is pretty good at Minute Maid Park, but take the man out of there and he's a lost soul.  His ERA was almost a run and a half higher away from home.  Brandon Backe made it a habit to get tattooed once every couple of games last year, Mike Hampton hasn't been good in almost a decade, and he's usually hurt, and Brian Moehler, well, I shouldn't have to convince you why he's undesirable.  The simple fact is this staff is just not good enough to win the division or contend for the wild card.  And except for Jose Valverde, they don't have any effective arms in the pen.  Unless the 'Stros make a move to help their pitching staff, they will not be able to sustain winning, unless their offense is outrageous.

As I Was Saying...

Their ballpark is stupid.  Who the hell thought it was a good idea to make the left field fence 310 feet away and the center field fence 430 feet away?  Why is there a hill in center field with a flag in play?  I know, I know, it's honoring tradition.  But it may be the dumbest thing in baseball.  There's a reason why flag poles and hills aren't in any modern parks.  They're dangerous and hazardous!  Why not just put an obstacle course out in center field so that when Michael Bourn has to go after a fly ball he can jump hurdles and hula hoop to the ball?  It's absolutely ridiculous.  And, in left center field, the yellow line is indiscernible so half the time you don't know whether a ball that ricochets off the big wall there is a home run or not.  They should build the Astros a new park and torch that monstrosity in Houston.  I've never been to Minute Maid Park, and I don't care how clean the concourse might be or how good the food might be.  The playing field is a joke.  Get rid of this place.

Bold Predictions

1. The Astros will hang around the playoff race all year, but unless they trade for a starter they won't make the playoffs.  However, they'll rank in the top five in the National League in home runs.
   
2. Michael Bourn will hit .260 this year, and the thirty-one point increase in his batting average will allow him to reach 50 steals this season.
3. Hunter Pence will make the all-star team in the National League.

Up next...Thursday, Cardinals.

Hump Day Headlines

In this week's Hump Day Headlines, we discuss the Netherlands shocking upset of the Dominicans, LaDainian Tomlinson's choice to stick with San Diego, Roger Clemens' roiding, and what Cleveland State's win means for the NCAA bubble...

• Apparently they play baseball in the Netherlands. Who knew? Actually, the team is comprised of a lot of players from Dutch Territories and a couple players who's ancestry may have included someone who knew someone Dutch. Either way, their stunning upsets of the Dominican Republic have sent La Republica home and Rik Smits' countrymen to the second round in Miami. The Dominican team had a team loaded with major league superstars, such as Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, David Ortiz and Miguel Tejada. The Netherlands had, who, exactly? Some guy named Kingsale, Sidney Ponson, and a man better known for beating running sausages than anything else. Talk about your David vs. Goliath type match-up. La Republica's roster was collectively making more than $83 million, while the Dutchmen were making a combined $0.4 million. There were 23 major-leaguers on the Dominican team, and just two on the Netherlands. The fact that David was able to win twice though really is something. The Dominicans were a favorite to win the World Baseball Classic, and why not? They had a team full of stars! How is it that a team with six pitchers I've never heard of combined to shut down a lineup filled with not only major league players, but star players last night? Unreal. Maybe the Dutch will start playing more baseball, which I guess is one of Bud Selig's goals: globalize the game.
• Ladainian Tomlinson is returning to the Chargers after all. The star running back must really love playing in San Diego, because I'm not sure I could work for an arrogant jerk like GM A.J. Smith. Then again, with the weather and the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop I could probably be persuaded. So could Tomlinson too, apparently, as team president Dean Spanos was apparently able to smooth over the strained relationship between the running back and the organization. This ultimately allowed the restructuring of Tomlinson's contract to happen. He'll make a bit more than back up back Darren Sproles, who was franchised this off season. This deal had to happen for the Chargers. If Tomlinson wanted out the Chargers just wouldn't be as good. Granted, Tomlinson's numbers weren't all-world last year like they usually are. But he's crucial to a team that has flirted with greatness in the AFC for awhile now. Good job by the Chargers, and by Tomlinson for getting the deal done.
• Here's a story that's not surprising. Federal authorities found that the syringes, vials and gauze pads used on Roger Clemens that Brian McNamee supplied investigators all had performance enhancing drugs on them. Shocking! As we have mentioned before, there was no reason for McNamee to lie, because the man just doesn't want to live his life behind bars. Clemens on the other hand, could end up behind bars, since he has denied steroid use under oath. The Rocket still maintains that he was only injected with lidocaine and B-12. Apparently that's not the case, according to these tests, and the DNA found in the blood on the syringes (reported February 6th int he Washington Post). "I assumed, and I am not surprised, that the tests were positive for both DNA and for performance-enhancing drugs, because that's what Brian said all along, and there's not much doubt that Brian's been telling the truth," Richard Emery, the attorney for McNamee told the AP. "The confirmation of that fact, once again, just seems to me to be another significant step towards jail for Clemens." I agree.
• With Cleveland State's win over 17th-ranked Butler, two Horizon league teams will be heading to the NCAA tournament. That means bad news for the bubble dwellers, who can only hope this week that as few surprise teams as possible force their way into the field of 65. Other than their big win over Syracuse on that 60-foot 3-pointer in December, Cleveland State's tournament resume wasn't good enough to make the dance otherwise. Their other quality wins were against...well, nobody. So now teams like Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Northwestern, San Diego State and the like will need to make big moves in their conference tournaments, even more so now than before. And they'll have to sweat out every conference championship the rest of the week. The next few days are why we love college basketball. Teams are fighting for that chance to dance. And then next week begins the glory that is the tournament, with non-stop basketball action for four straight days. Ahh how I love it.
• Bonus Point: Did anyone see that Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin told a recruit that if he goes to the University of South Carolina he'll end up pumping gas like everyone else there? I've said in the past Lane Kiffin is a moron. I don't think I need to say it again, do I? This guy better win a lot of games for those rocky toppers down there. If he doesn't, what a total loser this guy is.

Hump Day Headlines

In this week's version of Hump Day Headlines, we discuss the latest steroid news in baseball, Mo Williams finally gets his all-star bid, Mike Brown crushes the referees, and the best in hockey duke it out in Beantown...

• A day after the A-Rod steroid saga that has taken up post after post on our blog (thanks for the tremendous feedback by the way), now baseball has a new name to worry about.  Miguel Tejada has been charged with lying to Congress, although it was for lying about an ex-teammate's use of steroids, not his own.  Tejada is a real winner, not only because he himself has been accused of taking steroids by his own former teammate, known 'roider Rafael Palmeiro, but the all-star shortstop also lied about his age after he forged documents when coming to play baseball in America to make him appear to be a younger, more marketable player.  So it's not like lying isn't a trend with Mr. Tejada.  The teammate wasn't identified in the court documents, but apparently played with him in Oakland in 2002.  And for the record, the '02 season was the year Tejada won the American League's Most Valuable Player honor.  Miggy is expected to plead guilty.  If convicted, Tejada could spend a year in jail on the misdemeanor charge, but it is believed he won't get that great a sentence.  (Remember, constitutional law doesn't always apply to athletes.)
• After being snubbed, and then being snubbed again, Mo Williams finally has his all-star selection.  First he wasn't selected as a starter, which was no surprise.  But the curious part of this saga is that he wasn't selected as a reserve by the Eastern Conference coaches, and then was passed over by Commissioner David Stern in favor of the Celtics Ray Allen when Jameer Nelson's injury had him out of the game.  Now that Chris Bosh is out, Williams finally will get a chance to represent the Eastern All-Stars at the game in Phoenix this weekend.  The Cavs' point guard is having a very solid season this year, averaging 17.1 points and 4.2 assists per game, and is one of the biggest reasons for Cleveland's 39-11 start.  He ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring among point guards and second in free-throw percentage.  Congrats on the selection, Mo.  I'm sure you're looking forward to feeding LeBron in the All-Star game on Sunday.
• And while we're talking about the Cavaliers, how about their loss lass night in Indiana?  Two fouls called with less than a second remaining in regulation determined the outcome.  First, with the Pacers leading 95-93 with 0.8 seconds left, the Cavs tried an alley-oop inbounds play to LeBron James.  Danny Granger went up with him, and James drew the foul on the contact.  He hit both free throws to tie the game.  Then with 0.2 seconds left, referee Joey Crawford called a foul on Bron, and Danny Granger hit one of two free throws to ice a 96-95 win.  Cavs coach Mike Brown was livid after the game, calling referee Joey Crawford's call "horse crap" and "the worst call I've ever been a part of."  (Click here to read more of Brown's comments.  They're worth the read.) Expect a fine for that one, Mr. Brown.  But the man has a point.  A foul with 0.2 seconds left?  Seems like a make-up call to me.  That's what Brown alleged, and after seeing the replay, it certainly looks like overtime would have been the better option.  Another point here, why is Joey Crawford still employed?  This guy has butchered many calls over the years.  He thinks fans are coming out to watch him referee.  David Stern should have his pink-slip in the mail today.
• Finally, for all you puckheads out there, a great match-up last night may have changed the argument for which team is the best in hockey.  A lot of hockey experts would probably tell you the Boston Bruins are the best team in the league this year.  In 55 games played, they have accrued the most points, with 85, as they're 39-9-7 on the year.  But last night the best of the west, the San Jose Sharks slapped the B's with a 5-2 win in Boston to come within 4 points of the black and gold.  San Jose, in just 51 games, is 37-7-7 after the win, and scored four goals in the 3rd period on Tim Thomas to win it.  (And no, it's not the same Tim Thomas who Scott awarded a spot on the "All Don't Give a Crap Team".)  San Jose is loaded, just as is Boston, but last night was definitely a statement win, especially when you consider the Bruins only have lost four times in regulation on their home ice.  Granted, I'd say the Eastern Conference is tougher than the Western Conference this year in hockey from top to bottom, but the Sharks definitely showed that the best of the west is just as good if not better than the best in the east.  Oh, and what sweet revenge for former Bruins captain Joe Thornton.