Omar knew that those pictures of Charlie Manuel and that goat would pay off someday. Seriously though, I am a unashamed Braves homer and even I am scratching my head over this one. Omar can play almost any infield position, but there were much better choices out there though. I'm hoping this year will be the year that the National League finally starts winning the All-Star Game again.... on an Omar Infante home run.
For those who didn't catch the explanation in the top of the 3rd, the guys calling the Philly game said MLB ordered Manuel to specifically choose a utility player for the reserves. And the fact that he can play almost any infield position is exactly why Manuel chose him. So there's that. Watching my first Braves game of the year, and fucking Heyward is hurt.
One of the only squads worst off than the Phils. We have no Utley and no Polanco, absolute killers. Pedroia is a HUGE kick in the nuts. God knows who is coming out of the NL East, Mets are after Cliff Lee that could cause a huge fucking problem.
If the bottom of the 8th inning in Seattle's game against Kansas City doesn't sum up what it's like to be a Seattle sports fan, I don't know what does. After Chone Figgins sacrifices and brings home Jack Wilson, the score is 3-2, 2 outs. Ichiro is on first, and Russell "The Muscle" Branyan comes to the plate. The Muscle pulls a tough pitch that would have been a ground out if the ball doesn't roll just fair right past first base. The ball continues to roll and roll and roll. It's stopped by a fan with a blown out haircut and tight t-shirt sitting pretty much where the foul ball girl usually sits. Ichiro, hauling more ass than Usain Bolt in a medal race, is held up at third, while Branyan is stopped at second. Naturally, Jose Lopez grounds out to end the inning. If there can be a moral victory in this shitfest, it's that FSN had the heart to show security escorting that fucking douchebag out of the ballpark. Welcome to Seattle sports fandom. Excuse me while I go hang myself. Edit: aaaaaaaand Seattle loses. 3-2. Still going to hang myself.
Wait, it gets better. Cliff Lee might not be returning to Seattle as a Mariner Wow. Is this actually going to happen? Is the Yankee starting rotation really going to be that filthy dirty? It makes my peen tingle just thinking about it.
Nope. Cliff Lee traded to the Rangers. I don't know a whole lot about baseball as I said earlier, but what the fuck? The M's, in desperate need of offensive help, trade their ace for a first baseman hitting .209 and some other scrubs. I know Lee probably wasn't going to stay in Seattle and I know the M's need to build towards future seasons, but this confuses me. I can tell you right now that if any of the acquired prospects pan out, they will promptly be traded away for even more prospects. I had hoped that the M's were on the upswing, but it's starting to seem that they will be mediocre to bad for years to come. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me can point out the silver lining for the M's, because right now the only silver lining I see is that Lee didn't go to the Yankees (because fuck the Yankees on general principle). Edit: Oh yeah, at least the M's traded him in the division so I still have a chance to see Lee pitch. Fuck yeah!
Damn, could the White Sox have entered the All Star break any hotter? Even after losing Peavy, they've won 8 straight and just took the top of the AL Central. Losing Peavy hurts, though. They're going to have to go out and find another starter to replace him, which isn't going to be easy given that their farm system isn't very good right now. They don't need a number 1 starter or anything, but a guy who is a solid number 3 starter would be enough to ensure that their pitching rotation remains very good. Floyd has been incredibly hot, Danks has been solid all season, Buehrle is picking it back up again, and if you'd have told me that Freddy Garcia would lead the team in wins, I'd say you're insane. All of that isn't to say that I wouldn't love them to get a guy who can be a number 1 starter, though, so I hope they don't aim low. I don't know that they can keep up the pace, but I am hoping they don't lose any momentum over the break. The AL Central is going to be a three team race the rest of the year.
The Phillies sweeping 4 from the Reds is about the best way I could have seen the first half closing out. I was hoping for a split at best, but this feels like real goddamn momentum. Granted the offense is still spotty at best, and it seems like 9 innings isn't always enough to get it done, but they're finding a way to win, which is great.
Several news outlets are reporting the death of George Steinbrenner following a massive heart attack. Rest, well, you crazy old son of a bitch. The Boss is dead. Long live The Boss.
Steinbrenner rolls a 7. <a class="postlink" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5375561" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/ ... id=5375561</a>
First Bob Sheppard, now The Boss? What an awful week to be a Yankee fan. RIP George. Thanks for all the memories.
I'm not even a Yankee fan, and Steinbrenner was one crazy fuck, but there is one thing you can't deny about him: he wanted to win, and wasn't afraid to spend the money to do it (I never said it was always spent in an intelligent way, but he spent it). In the days of teams being cheap as fuck (I'm looking at you, Marlins) and others being cheap but consistently good (Fucking Minnesota), Steinbrenner had no issues just writing a big-ass check to get the best players, even if it made him hated by every other team and sports fan in America. As owners go, he was the kind of guy you'd love if he was running your team (sometimes), but you'd loathe him anywhere else (always). Honestly, I don't picture Steinbrenner necessarily like Seinfeld portrayed him, I picture him more like the Crazy Rich Texan from "The Simpsons" (sans the accent).
Sorry Jimmy James but what a waste it is to have Ichirro in Seattle. That guy is not only a stud but he's got a great personality. Who knows what kind of endorsement deals he would have if he was in a big market, I'm sure they could teach him enough English to say "Just Do It." Last Thursday Jason Werth yelled at a fan for catching a foul ball. That's right a foul ball. Werth did have a play on it but the ball was clearly in the stands, he yelled and scared the guys ten year old kid. I had always been a big fan of Werth now I kind of think he's a prick, all he had to do was apologize after the game but he was an arrogant prick about it. Ichirro had almost an identical thing happen and he asked the fan if they were ok, patted her on the shoulder and gave her a signed ball later. All class. I remember being so pumped up for the All Star game and HR derby now these guys seem like they would rather have the days off, (I'm sure you could make a good argument for them as well) but their are still guys like Ichirro and Jeter who hustle on every play and lay it on the line, thank god for them.
People always question me as to why I say Ichiro is one of my favorite players of all time. Stuff like this is why. The guy never stops. Singles aren't always glorious, but he knows his job is to get on base, and he does it. You're totally right about him being wasted in Seattle, too.
The really amazing thing is his consistency. It doesn't matter if the team is contending or in dead last, the son of a bitch is always plugging away, getting on base and stealing bases in hopes of hits behind him that never come. This accompanied by his incredible fielding. His team could be down 10-0 and he'll still lay out for a catch to save a run or two. Like Mike Ness said, all class.
Bravos just shipped their cuban malcontent SS north-of-the-border along with Jo-Jo Reyes getting Alex Gonzalez and two prospects in return. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of talk slamming the Braves on this one, but given a few minutes thought I think the deal makes sense and like it. The two prospects coming along are pitcher Tim Collins and shortstop Tyler Pastornicky.
Speaking of Braves shortstops from Cuba, what's the word on Edward Salcedo, the guy they signed back in February? What's his potential? Timeline for the majors? Dude's only 18, so I'm not expecting to see him until after the Mayans destroy the earth, but I've read comparisons to Hanley Ramirez with this guy. With Heyward already gunning for NL ROY and this Salcedo guy coming up (not to mention Freddie Freeman), it's hard not to get excited about the hitting that will be coming out of Atlanta for the next decade.
From talkingchop.com: I'm also really excited for Christian Bethancourt, and I think Julio Teheran is going to be awesome if he doesn't get hurt. It's a great time to be a Braves fan.