Well folks, time again for another Giants baseball blog. This one comes with a little frustration from me. Let me explain why. Based on their record, the Giants will pick 19th in the Major League Baseball Draft for 2016. Obviously the MLB Draft is nowhere near as popular as the NFL or NBA Draft, plus is insanely longer than either of those 2 with up to 40 rounds. That's actually even shorter than it used to be. Remember Mike Piazza? He was drafted in the 62nd round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988. That turned out to be a pretty good pick, considering it was only done as a favor by Tommy Lasorda who was a childhood friend of Piazza's father....unless you're a Giants fan, then F*@! Mike Piazza!!!! 1993, soon to be named Rookie of the Year Piazza hits 2 Home Runs on the final day of the season and the Dodgers beat the Giants 12-1 to eliminate them from the playoffs despite the Giants winning 103 games in the last great pennant race. 103 wins is the most wins by a team to not make the playoffs, but I digress. That is an argument for another time. Back to the point.
Where was I? Oh yes, the MLB Draft. So the Giants select 19th which is fine I suppose. But I just read today that this is not a protected draft pick. The Giants would have needed to lose 9 more games for the draft pick to be protected as only picks 1-11 are protected. Believe me, I am not wishing that the Giants had lost 9 more games this season. But it certainly does throw a bit of a wrench into what I had previously written I would like to see the Giants do.
For those of you who do not know how the protected vs. non-protected draft pick effects free agency (and until maybe 5 minutes ago I was among you), here's the basics. For a free agent, their current team has first shot at re-signing them (or Exclusive Negotiating Rights). The team must decide whether to submit a qualifying offer to the player. If the free agent declines the qualifying offer and opts for free agency, the team that signs them will lose their first round pick, unless the team has one of the 10 worst records from the previous season, in which case the team loses a 2nd round pick. So what does this mean to the Giants who will inevitably be looking for pitching? If they sign Jordan Zimmermann (my preference) or Zack Greinke (if he voids the remainder of his current contract with the Dodgers), they lose the 19th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. If they sign a player who was traded at the 2015 trade deadline, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Scott Kazmir, etc. they keep the pick.
I wrote previously that I think Kazmir would be a good fit as the #3 starter if the Giants decide not to pursue re-signing Mike Leake. But I thought Zimmermann would be the crown jewel if they could sign him. Now that they risk losing a 1st round draft pick, I think they might want to look elsewhere. I also wrote that I think David Price will (no pun intended here) price himself out of the Giants plans. So that brings my focus to Johnny Cueto.
So what would the Giants get with Cueto? Well, they would get a player who has shown brilliance in his career, and a player who will be 30 when the 2016 season begins. His 2 best seasons were 2012 when he went 19-9 with a 2.78 ERA, and 2014 when he went 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA and 242 Strikeouts in 243 2/3 Innings Pitched. In 2014 Cueto was an All-Star and finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting. Cueto made $10 million in both 2014 and 2015, but is coming off a bit of a down year (11-13, 3.44 ERA) so Cueto may not warrant much of a salary increase, if at all. He has also not performed well in the Postseason going 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in 4 Postseason starts with Cincinnati and Kansas City. The Giants do seem to have a habit with picking up players coming off down performance years, though they are not always success stories (Aubrey Huff - 2010 vs. McGehee - 2015). So maybe this move makes sense. Let's revisit how this could potentially set up the Giants rotation for 2016:
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Mike Leake/Scott Kazmir
4. Jake Peavy
5. Matt Cain/Chris Heston
That would be a pretty solid rotation, right? But for historical reasons, let's look at the Giants history of picking 19th. They have done it 4 times with those selections being:
Rob Dressler - 1972
Terry Lee - 1974
Eric Christopherson - 1990
Tony Torcato - 1998
Of those 4, only Dressler (82 games) and Torcato (43 games) made it to the Majors. So maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give up the 19th pick. On the other hand, let's look at some other 19th overall picks from years past:
Roger Clemens - 1983
Bobby Grich - 1967
Alex Rios - 1999
Mike Scioscia - 1976
Shannon Stewart - 1992
James Loney - 2002
Shelby Miller - 2009
Brian Bohanon - 1987
Ron Robinson - 1980 (on a personal note, I met Ron Robinson while I was working at Silverthorn Resort in 1998)
Sean Burnett - 2000
So maybe there would be a possibility that the Giants could get a good player at 19 (or a guy who should be in the Hall of Fame, again, argument for another time). The thing you have to weigh is whether you take a chance on an amateur player that he will contribute to your team success down the road, or a known commodity who could contribute to your team success right now. Wow, that is a tough one. I'm glad I don't have to make that decision. So, go Giants in 2016 and thanks for reading.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
Cheesy Ham Potato Bake
Hey everyone!!!! So recently I've been posting some pictures of some of my cooking endeavors on my Facebook page. Several people have suggested filming the prep and cooking process and posting them on my YouTube channel. Now I'm not quite that sophisticated just yet, so I decided to post at least the recipe on my blog here. And then perhaps I can work my way up to YouTube.
Tonight I'm going to re-hash a recipe I tried about a week ago. This is a cheesy ham potato bake. The recipe can be found on All Recipes at:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229370/cheesy-ham-potato-bake/
I'm going to make a couple of modifications to it tonight, the most significant one is I'm not going to use sour cream. I'm not really a fan of sour cream anyway, so not a super loss in my mind. Also, I used cream of mushroom soup instead of the cream of chicken. I just think using cream of chicken with a ham dish might be a little weird. So tonight I'm going to use cream of mushroom and cream of potato in place of the cream of chicken and the sour cream. Oh, and no onions. Nope, no onions. So, if you like cheese, and ham, and potatoes, give this recipe a try.
Tonight I'm going to re-hash a recipe I tried about a week ago. This is a cheesy ham potato bake. The recipe can be found on All Recipes at:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229370/cheesy-ham-potato-bake/
I'm going to make a couple of modifications to it tonight, the most significant one is I'm not going to use sour cream. I'm not really a fan of sour cream anyway, so not a super loss in my mind. Also, I used cream of mushroom soup instead of the cream of chicken. I just think using cream of chicken with a ham dish might be a little weird. So tonight I'm going to use cream of mushroom and cream of potato in place of the cream of chicken and the sour cream. Oh, and no onions. Nope, no onions. So, if you like cheese, and ham, and potatoes, give this recipe a try.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Looking forward to 2016!!!!
So my last blog was regarding the Giants infield as compared to other infields in Major League Baseball. Well if you enjoyed that....and even if you dont, it's my blog so I'll write what I want....here's a look at the Giants possible plans for 2016 and hopefully another even year World Series run.
First let's look at the lineup. Surprisingly it's pretty well set. The only hole appears to be in Left Field and possibly their leadoff hitter. Currently the entire infield is under contract, as well as C Buster Posey. Right Field is set with Hunter Pence. The Giants do have a decision to make in Center Field. How much longer can Angel Pagan hold up? Do the Giants pursue a Free Agent? Do they insert Gregor Blanco into the starting lineup? Is there someone in the Minor Leagues who can fill that position with Blanco remaining as the #4 Outfielder? My thinking is they should stick with Pagan, but be sure to give him a good amount of rest. Think about what the Giants did with Barry Bonds in his later years. He rarely, if ever, played a day game after a night game. So I would guess they can take a similar approach with Pagan. He was having a great Spring and a good start to the season before suffering a knee injury and has seen his production fall off since then.
As for Left Field, Nori Aoki has done pretty well this year other than suffering a number of injuries due to erratic pitching. Seriously, he suffered a fractured leg getting hit by a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers, then suffered a concussion getting hit in the head by a pitch against the Chicago Cubs. Speaking of the Cubs, they are also the reason Hunter Pence was lost at the beginning of Spring Training. He suffered a fractured forearm getting hit by a pitch. Both the Cubs and Dodgers appear that they will make the playoffs, so my hatred for both teams increases. Anyway, Aoki has a $5.5 million club option and I feel the Giants will probably pick that up. He seems to be a good spark at the top of the lineup where he batted leadoff to begin the season with Pagan batting 3rd. The only question for me would be whether Aoki or Pagan bats leadoff and which player bats 8th. If the Giants choose not to pick up the option, it will cost them a $700,000 buyout.
Another possibility that has been raised has been should the Giants pursue free agent Alex Gordon from the Kansas City Royals. You may remember him as being stranded on 3rd when the Giants closed the door on the Royals in the 2014 World Series. I think the issue here will be the money. It was largely assumed that Gordon would exercise his 2016 player option to stay with Kansas City. Recently this has become a less certain based on statements made by both Gordon and his agent. Gordon's player option with Kansas City would cost the Royals $12.5 million (possibly $14 million based on performance escalators), which may be a bit steep for a small market team. If the Giants can afford it, Gordon could be a perfect fit in Left Field and at the top of the batting order. It may also benefit the Giants that this is a fairly deep Outfield free agent class. Gordon is rated the 4th best Outfield free agent for 2016 behind Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Yoenis Cespedes. So the Giants can wait and see what kind of contracts those 3 might command and determine whether Gordon will be priced out of their future plans. If they decide to go with a more affordable option, Gerardo Parra might be of some interest.
The Giants also have a decision to make with Marlon Byrd who they acquired in a trade on August 20. Byrd has an $8 million option that automatically vests if he reaches 550 at bats. He's close to that. Byrd seems to be a better right handed bat option than Justin Maxwell and could be the right handed half of a Byrd/Aoki platoon in Left Field if the Giants decide to go that way. It makes more sense to sign a player with a higher On Base Percentage and gap to gap power (doubles and triples) rather than a player with great home run power but is going to strike out a lot and not take a lot of walks. This team is just not built that way. So players like Heyward, Upton, or Cespedes probably wouldn't be ideal fits. I like the Gordon idea if the money is right, and I still think a Byrd/Aoki platoon would be a better option than Parra. Let's look at what the lineup could look like if the Giants were able to sign Gordon and decline their option on Aoki:
1. LF Alex Gordon
2. 2B Joe Panik
3. 3B Matt Duffy
4. C Buster Posey
5. RF Hunter Pence
6. 1B Brandon Belt
7. SS Brandon Crawford
8. CF Angel Pagan
Bench:
C Andrew Susac
IF Ehire Adrianza
IF Kelby Tomlinson
OF Gregor Blanco
OF Marlon Byrd
There's also a possibility the Giants could use one of their young prospects as a trade chip. We've seen quite a bit of promise from young players such as Susac, Trevor Brown and Jackson Williams (the Giants have a ton of depth at Catcher), Jarrett Parker, and Mac Williamson.
Now let's talk about the pitching staff. After 3 World Series championships that were largely won because of pitching, to say the Giants biggest need going into the offseason is pitching seems a bit strange. But here we are. There are a number of contracts coming off the board which should afford the Giants the ability to pursue some good pitching options in Free Agency. Here are the expiring contracts:
SP Mike Leake
RP Santiago Casilla
RP George Kontos
RP Yusmeiro Petit
SP Ryan Vogelsong
RP Jeremy Affeldt (retiring)
SP Tim Lincecum
SP Tim Hudson (retiring)
As far as Starting Pitchers, the Giants still have Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy and Chris Heston. In the Bullpen they still have Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Hunter Strickland. There are also several pitchers on the big league roster who were September callups who could contribute next year. I can see the Giants resigning Casilla and Kontos from this group. I could also see Petit being resigned, but if Matt Cain starts the year in the bullpen rather than the starting rotation it wouldn't make a lot of sense to commit to 2 long-relief pitchers. As much as I enjoyed watching Tim Lincecum pitch since 2007, he is a shadow of the pitcher he used to be. Vogelsong will also always be a great story in San Francisco, but should also probably not be resigned.
2B Marco Scutaro and OF Alejandro de Aza also have expiring contracts which will add additional money the Giants can use to sign a pitcher or 2.
As for additions, the Giants will entertain several of the top pitching Free Agents and the 2nd tier pitchers during the Offseason. David Price, Jordan Zimmermann, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke (assuming he voids the remainder of his contract with the Dodgers), Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, Ian Kennedy, etc. Of these I think Zimmermann makes the most sense. I think he's the perfect balance of talent and value, and will likely allow the Giants to be more flexible to resign Leake and to carry 6 Starting Pitchers, where Price and Cueto will likely demand larger contracts which would place more pressure on Matt Cain to regain at least some of the form that he showed before signing a massive contract extension. Scott Kazmir could also make a lot of sense as a 2nd tier pitcher as the Giants have expressed significant interest in adding another left-hander to the rotation so MadBum is not the only lefty. So assuming the Giants can sign Zimmermann and sign Leake or Kazmir for the 3rd spot, here's what the starting rotation could look like.
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Jordan Zimmermann
3. Mike Leake/Scott Kazmir
4. Jake Peavy
5. Chris Heston/Matt Cain
That's not bad. Now if the Giants decide to push hard for Price, the domino effect would likely be pushing Peavy, Heston and Cain up one spot in the rotation. I'd love to see a top starter in a Giants uniform, but the reality is Bumgarner is already a bona fide #1. I'd rather see the Giants go for value in the rotation and spend to upgrade a spot in the lineup rather than go all in for another #1 starter.
As far as the bullpen, the Giants have had strong bullpens in all of their championship seasons, but realistically the bullpen can be a revolving door. The Giants have several young arms who can contribute next year including Josh Osich, Michael Broadway, Derek Law, and Cody Hall. There is also speculation that the Giants could pursue a big name closer in the offseason like Joakim Soria, Tyler Clippard, or a trade for Craig Kimbrel. Personally I don't like that approach, particularly if you truly feel that Hunter Strickland is your closer of the future.
So there you go. The Giants will have quite a bit of payroll flexibility to improve the parts of the team that need improvement. So let's go 2016!!!!!!
First let's look at the lineup. Surprisingly it's pretty well set. The only hole appears to be in Left Field and possibly their leadoff hitter. Currently the entire infield is under contract, as well as C Buster Posey. Right Field is set with Hunter Pence. The Giants do have a decision to make in Center Field. How much longer can Angel Pagan hold up? Do the Giants pursue a Free Agent? Do they insert Gregor Blanco into the starting lineup? Is there someone in the Minor Leagues who can fill that position with Blanco remaining as the #4 Outfielder? My thinking is they should stick with Pagan, but be sure to give him a good amount of rest. Think about what the Giants did with Barry Bonds in his later years. He rarely, if ever, played a day game after a night game. So I would guess they can take a similar approach with Pagan. He was having a great Spring and a good start to the season before suffering a knee injury and has seen his production fall off since then.
As for Left Field, Nori Aoki has done pretty well this year other than suffering a number of injuries due to erratic pitching. Seriously, he suffered a fractured leg getting hit by a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers, then suffered a concussion getting hit in the head by a pitch against the Chicago Cubs. Speaking of the Cubs, they are also the reason Hunter Pence was lost at the beginning of Spring Training. He suffered a fractured forearm getting hit by a pitch. Both the Cubs and Dodgers appear that they will make the playoffs, so my hatred for both teams increases. Anyway, Aoki has a $5.5 million club option and I feel the Giants will probably pick that up. He seems to be a good spark at the top of the lineup where he batted leadoff to begin the season with Pagan batting 3rd. The only question for me would be whether Aoki or Pagan bats leadoff and which player bats 8th. If the Giants choose not to pick up the option, it will cost them a $700,000 buyout.
Another possibility that has been raised has been should the Giants pursue free agent Alex Gordon from the Kansas City Royals. You may remember him as being stranded on 3rd when the Giants closed the door on the Royals in the 2014 World Series. I think the issue here will be the money. It was largely assumed that Gordon would exercise his 2016 player option to stay with Kansas City. Recently this has become a less certain based on statements made by both Gordon and his agent. Gordon's player option with Kansas City would cost the Royals $12.5 million (possibly $14 million based on performance escalators), which may be a bit steep for a small market team. If the Giants can afford it, Gordon could be a perfect fit in Left Field and at the top of the batting order. It may also benefit the Giants that this is a fairly deep Outfield free agent class. Gordon is rated the 4th best Outfield free agent for 2016 behind Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Yoenis Cespedes. So the Giants can wait and see what kind of contracts those 3 might command and determine whether Gordon will be priced out of their future plans. If they decide to go with a more affordable option, Gerardo Parra might be of some interest.
The Giants also have a decision to make with Marlon Byrd who they acquired in a trade on August 20. Byrd has an $8 million option that automatically vests if he reaches 550 at bats. He's close to that. Byrd seems to be a better right handed bat option than Justin Maxwell and could be the right handed half of a Byrd/Aoki platoon in Left Field if the Giants decide to go that way. It makes more sense to sign a player with a higher On Base Percentage and gap to gap power (doubles and triples) rather than a player with great home run power but is going to strike out a lot and not take a lot of walks. This team is just not built that way. So players like Heyward, Upton, or Cespedes probably wouldn't be ideal fits. I like the Gordon idea if the money is right, and I still think a Byrd/Aoki platoon would be a better option than Parra. Let's look at what the lineup could look like if the Giants were able to sign Gordon and decline their option on Aoki:
1. LF Alex Gordon
2. 2B Joe Panik
3. 3B Matt Duffy
4. C Buster Posey
5. RF Hunter Pence
6. 1B Brandon Belt
7. SS Brandon Crawford
8. CF Angel Pagan
Bench:
C Andrew Susac
IF Ehire Adrianza
IF Kelby Tomlinson
OF Gregor Blanco
OF Marlon Byrd
There's also a possibility the Giants could use one of their young prospects as a trade chip. We've seen quite a bit of promise from young players such as Susac, Trevor Brown and Jackson Williams (the Giants have a ton of depth at Catcher), Jarrett Parker, and Mac Williamson.
Now let's talk about the pitching staff. After 3 World Series championships that were largely won because of pitching, to say the Giants biggest need going into the offseason is pitching seems a bit strange. But here we are. There are a number of contracts coming off the board which should afford the Giants the ability to pursue some good pitching options in Free Agency. Here are the expiring contracts:
SP Mike Leake
RP Santiago Casilla
RP George Kontos
RP Yusmeiro Petit
SP Ryan Vogelsong
RP Jeremy Affeldt (retiring)
SP Tim Lincecum
SP Tim Hudson (retiring)
As far as Starting Pitchers, the Giants still have Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy and Chris Heston. In the Bullpen they still have Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Hunter Strickland. There are also several pitchers on the big league roster who were September callups who could contribute next year. I can see the Giants resigning Casilla and Kontos from this group. I could also see Petit being resigned, but if Matt Cain starts the year in the bullpen rather than the starting rotation it wouldn't make a lot of sense to commit to 2 long-relief pitchers. As much as I enjoyed watching Tim Lincecum pitch since 2007, he is a shadow of the pitcher he used to be. Vogelsong will also always be a great story in San Francisco, but should also probably not be resigned.
2B Marco Scutaro and OF Alejandro de Aza also have expiring contracts which will add additional money the Giants can use to sign a pitcher or 2.
As for additions, the Giants will entertain several of the top pitching Free Agents and the 2nd tier pitchers during the Offseason. David Price, Jordan Zimmermann, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke (assuming he voids the remainder of his contract with the Dodgers), Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, Ian Kennedy, etc. Of these I think Zimmermann makes the most sense. I think he's the perfect balance of talent and value, and will likely allow the Giants to be more flexible to resign Leake and to carry 6 Starting Pitchers, where Price and Cueto will likely demand larger contracts which would place more pressure on Matt Cain to regain at least some of the form that he showed before signing a massive contract extension. Scott Kazmir could also make a lot of sense as a 2nd tier pitcher as the Giants have expressed significant interest in adding another left-hander to the rotation so MadBum is not the only lefty. So assuming the Giants can sign Zimmermann and sign Leake or Kazmir for the 3rd spot, here's what the starting rotation could look like.
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Jordan Zimmermann
3. Mike Leake/Scott Kazmir
4. Jake Peavy
5. Chris Heston/Matt Cain
That's not bad. Now if the Giants decide to push hard for Price, the domino effect would likely be pushing Peavy, Heston and Cain up one spot in the rotation. I'd love to see a top starter in a Giants uniform, but the reality is Bumgarner is already a bona fide #1. I'd rather see the Giants go for value in the rotation and spend to upgrade a spot in the lineup rather than go all in for another #1 starter.
As far as the bullpen, the Giants have had strong bullpens in all of their championship seasons, but realistically the bullpen can be a revolving door. The Giants have several young arms who can contribute next year including Josh Osich, Michael Broadway, Derek Law, and Cody Hall. There is also speculation that the Giants could pursue a big name closer in the offseason like Joakim Soria, Tyler Clippard, or a trade for Craig Kimbrel. Personally I don't like that approach, particularly if you truly feel that Hunter Strickland is your closer of the future.
So there you go. The Giants will have quite a bit of payroll flexibility to improve the parts of the team that need improvement. So let's go 2016!!!!!!
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Do the Giants have the best infield in Major League Baseball?
Yesterday, Grantland.com published an article looking ahead to the San Francisco Giants 2016 season. You can read the article here: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlb-san-francisco-giants-even-year-2016-world-series/. In the article, the author Jonah Keri referred to the Giants infield of 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, and 3B Matt Duffy, also including C Buster Posey, as the best infield in the game. Now I have felt that, since Joe Panik was promoted to the big club on 6/21/2014, and including Pablo Sandoval until this season, that the Giants have had a very good infield, but I don't know if I'd be so bold to call it the best in the league. But that got me to thinking, what other team has a better infield? My first reaction would be the Chicago Cubs. 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Starlin Castro (although Castro initially started at SS and of late has been coming off the bench), SS Addison Russell, and 3B Kris Bryant. Now that lineup certainly has more power potential than the Giants, especially from Rizzo and Bryant, but you know, I'd still take my chances with the Giants infield. So, just because I feel like it, here are the starting infields for every team in Major League Baseball. I've also included the primary 5th Infielder. Which do you think is the best?
Arizona Diamondbacks - 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Chris Owings, SS Nick Ahmed, 3B Jake Lamb, IF Aaron Hill
Atlanta Braves - 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Jace Peterson, SS Andrelton Simmons, 3B Adonis Garcia, IF Pedro Ciriaco
Baltimore Orioles - 1B Chris Davis, 2B Jonathan Schoop, SS J.J. Hardy, 3B Manny Machado, IF Ryan Flaherty
Boston Red Sox - 1B Travis Shaw, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Xander Bogaerts, 3B Pablo Sandoval, IF Brock Holt (note: Allen Craig was supposed to be Red Sox starting 1B, but has only played in 60 games with the club since being acquired from St. Louis in 2014)
Chicago Cubs - 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Tommy La Stella, SS Addison Russell, 3B Kris Bryant, IF Starlin Castro
Chicago White Sox - 1B Jose Abreu, 2B Carlos Sanchez, SS Alexei Ramirez (can also pitch in a blowout, see White Sox vs. A's from 9/15/2015), 3B Mike Ott, IF Gordon Beckham
Cincinnati Reds - 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips, SS Euenio Suarez, 3B Todd Frazier, IF Skip Schumaker (note: starting SS Zack Cozart was lost for season to a right knee injury on 6/10/2015)
Cleveland Indians - 1B Carlos Santana, 2B Jason Kipnis, SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, IF Mike Aviles
Colorado Rockies - 1B Justin Morneau, 2B D.J. LeMahieu, SS Jose Reyes, 3B Nolan Arenado, IF Daniel Descalso
Detroit Tigers - 1B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Ian Kinsler, SS Jose Iglesias, 3B Nick Castellanos, IF Andrew Romine
Houston Astros - 1B Chris Carter, 2B Jose Altuve, SS Carlos Carrea, 3B Luis Valbuena, IF Jed Lowrie
Kansas City Royals - 1B Eric Hosmer, 2B Omar Infante, SS Alcides Escobar, 3B Mike Moustakas, IF Ben Zobrist
Los Angeles Angels - 1B C.J. Cron, 2B Taylor Featherston, SS Erick Aybar, 3B David Frese, IF Ryan Jackson
Los Angeles Dodgers - 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS Jimmy Rollins, 3B Justin Turner, IF Alex Guerrero
Miami Marlins - 1B Justin Bour, 2B Dee Gordon, SS Angel Hechavarria, 3B Martin Prado, IF Derek Dietrich
Milwaukee Brewers - 1B Adam Lind, 2B Scooter Gennett, SS Jose Segura, 3B Elian Herrera, IF Hernan Perez (note: starting 3B Aramis Ramirez was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates)
Minnesota Twins - 1B Joe Mauer, 2B Brian Dozier, SS Eduardo Escobar, 3B Trevor Plouffe, IF Eduardo Nunez
New York Mets - 1B Lucas Duda, 2B Daniel Murphy, SS Wilmer Flores, 3B David Wright, IF Ruben Tejada
New York Yankees - 1B Greg Bird, 2B Stephen Drew, SS Didi Gregorius, 3B Chase Headley, IF Brendan Ryan (note: starting 1B Mark Teixeira was lost for season to a leg injury)
Oakland Athletics - 1B Mark Canha, 2B Brett Lawrie, SS Marcus Semien, 3B Danny Valencia, IF Eric Sogard
Philadelphia Phillies - 1B Ryan Howard, 2B Darnell Sweeney, SS Freddy Galvis, 3B Cody Asche, IF Andres Blanco (note: starting 2B Chase Utley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers)
Pittsburgh Pirates - 1B Pedro Alvarez, 2B Neil Walker, SS Jordy Mercer, 3B Josh Harrison, IF Jung Ho Kang
San Diego Padres - 1B Will Myers, 2B Jedd Gyorko, SS Clint Barmes, 3B Yangervis Solarte, IF Cory Spangenberg (note: starting 1B Yonder Alonso out for season with lower back injury)
San Francisco Giants - 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Matt Duffy, IF Ehire Adrianza
Seattle Mariners - 1B Logan Morrison, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Ketel Marte, 3B Kyle Seager, IF Brad Miller
St. Louis Cardinals - 1B Matt Adams, 2B Kolten Wong, SS Jhonny Peralta, 3B Matt Carpenter, IF Pete Kozma
Tampa Bay Rays - 1B James Loney, 2B Logan Forsythe, SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Evan Longoria, IF Tim Beckham
Texas Rangers - 1B Mitch Moreland, 2B Rougned Odor, SS Elvis Andrus, 3B Adrian Beltre, IF Hanser Alberto
Toronto Blue Jays - 1B Justin Smoak, 2B Ryan Goins, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 3B Josh Donaldson, IF Cliff Pennington
Washington Nationals - 1B Ryan Zimmerman, 2B Anthony Rendon, SS Ian Desmond, 3B Yunel Escobar, IF Danny Espinosa
Some of these lineups have been altered due to trades, injuries, etc. Some of them were hard to fill out because some teams have a utility player currently listed at the top of their position depth chart. But there you go. So who do you think has the best infield?
Arizona Diamondbacks - 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Chris Owings, SS Nick Ahmed, 3B Jake Lamb, IF Aaron Hill
Atlanta Braves - 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Jace Peterson, SS Andrelton Simmons, 3B Adonis Garcia, IF Pedro Ciriaco
Baltimore Orioles - 1B Chris Davis, 2B Jonathan Schoop, SS J.J. Hardy, 3B Manny Machado, IF Ryan Flaherty
Boston Red Sox - 1B Travis Shaw, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Xander Bogaerts, 3B Pablo Sandoval, IF Brock Holt (note: Allen Craig was supposed to be Red Sox starting 1B, but has only played in 60 games with the club since being acquired from St. Louis in 2014)
Chicago Cubs - 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Tommy La Stella, SS Addison Russell, 3B Kris Bryant, IF Starlin Castro
Chicago White Sox - 1B Jose Abreu, 2B Carlos Sanchez, SS Alexei Ramirez (can also pitch in a blowout, see White Sox vs. A's from 9/15/2015), 3B Mike Ott, IF Gordon Beckham
Cincinnati Reds - 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips, SS Euenio Suarez, 3B Todd Frazier, IF Skip Schumaker (note: starting SS Zack Cozart was lost for season to a right knee injury on 6/10/2015)
Cleveland Indians - 1B Carlos Santana, 2B Jason Kipnis, SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, IF Mike Aviles
Colorado Rockies - 1B Justin Morneau, 2B D.J. LeMahieu, SS Jose Reyes, 3B Nolan Arenado, IF Daniel Descalso
Detroit Tigers - 1B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Ian Kinsler, SS Jose Iglesias, 3B Nick Castellanos, IF Andrew Romine
Houston Astros - 1B Chris Carter, 2B Jose Altuve, SS Carlos Carrea, 3B Luis Valbuena, IF Jed Lowrie
Kansas City Royals - 1B Eric Hosmer, 2B Omar Infante, SS Alcides Escobar, 3B Mike Moustakas, IF Ben Zobrist
Los Angeles Angels - 1B C.J. Cron, 2B Taylor Featherston, SS Erick Aybar, 3B David Frese, IF Ryan Jackson
Los Angeles Dodgers - 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS Jimmy Rollins, 3B Justin Turner, IF Alex Guerrero
Miami Marlins - 1B Justin Bour, 2B Dee Gordon, SS Angel Hechavarria, 3B Martin Prado, IF Derek Dietrich
Milwaukee Brewers - 1B Adam Lind, 2B Scooter Gennett, SS Jose Segura, 3B Elian Herrera, IF Hernan Perez (note: starting 3B Aramis Ramirez was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates)
Minnesota Twins - 1B Joe Mauer, 2B Brian Dozier, SS Eduardo Escobar, 3B Trevor Plouffe, IF Eduardo Nunez
New York Mets - 1B Lucas Duda, 2B Daniel Murphy, SS Wilmer Flores, 3B David Wright, IF Ruben Tejada
New York Yankees - 1B Greg Bird, 2B Stephen Drew, SS Didi Gregorius, 3B Chase Headley, IF Brendan Ryan (note: starting 1B Mark Teixeira was lost for season to a leg injury)
Oakland Athletics - 1B Mark Canha, 2B Brett Lawrie, SS Marcus Semien, 3B Danny Valencia, IF Eric Sogard
Philadelphia Phillies - 1B Ryan Howard, 2B Darnell Sweeney, SS Freddy Galvis, 3B Cody Asche, IF Andres Blanco (note: starting 2B Chase Utley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers)
Pittsburgh Pirates - 1B Pedro Alvarez, 2B Neil Walker, SS Jordy Mercer, 3B Josh Harrison, IF Jung Ho Kang
San Diego Padres - 1B Will Myers, 2B Jedd Gyorko, SS Clint Barmes, 3B Yangervis Solarte, IF Cory Spangenberg (note: starting 1B Yonder Alonso out for season with lower back injury)
San Francisco Giants - 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Matt Duffy, IF Ehire Adrianza
Seattle Mariners - 1B Logan Morrison, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Ketel Marte, 3B Kyle Seager, IF Brad Miller
St. Louis Cardinals - 1B Matt Adams, 2B Kolten Wong, SS Jhonny Peralta, 3B Matt Carpenter, IF Pete Kozma
Tampa Bay Rays - 1B James Loney, 2B Logan Forsythe, SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Evan Longoria, IF Tim Beckham
Texas Rangers - 1B Mitch Moreland, 2B Rougned Odor, SS Elvis Andrus, 3B Adrian Beltre, IF Hanser Alberto
Toronto Blue Jays - 1B Justin Smoak, 2B Ryan Goins, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 3B Josh Donaldson, IF Cliff Pennington
Washington Nationals - 1B Ryan Zimmerman, 2B Anthony Rendon, SS Ian Desmond, 3B Yunel Escobar, IF Danny Espinosa
Some of these lineups have been altered due to trades, injuries, etc. Some of them were hard to fill out because some teams have a utility player currently listed at the top of their position depth chart. But there you go. So who do you think has the best infield?
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
I HATE radio
I realize the subject of this post is a little strongly worded. But if it got your attention, then it is worded exactly right!!!!
I do not listen to the radio in my car. I mostly listen to CD's. I realize even that is old school, but I do not have an auxiliary jack or USB port in my car to hook up my iPod so I work with what I have. Those occasions that I do listen to the radio, I mostly listen to the stand up comedy station. There are 2 main "rock" stations in Denver, 93.3 and 106.7, both owned by Clear Channel. I rarely listen to either of them because in my opinion, their playlists are (expletive) awful.
I'll first explain my distaste for Clear Channel as a company. In 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Clear Channel distributed a memo to its 1,200+ stations. The memo contained 165 songs containing "questionable lyrics" and a "suggestion" that these songs might not want to be played. As a society, we have argued and fought to protect our freedom of speech and our right to artistic expression. This memo should be looked at as a slap in the face of that freedom. Clear Channel used a tragic event to "suggest" increased censorship on its stations. I won't post the entire list of songs here, but among the highlights are ALL songs by Rage Against the Machine, Imagine by John Lennon (really?????), and Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm (but not the original recording by Michael Jackson oddly enough).
Now for the local issue, 106.7 has a love affair with the band Five Finger Death Punch. You literally cannot listen to this station for an hour without hearing this band at least once. The reason for this is the singer of the band is from Denver, CO. Keep in mind, Five Finger Death Punch IS NOT from Denver, they did not get famous in Denver, but for some reason 106.7 and their DJ's seem to have a need to claim some sort of responsibility for their success. Personally I dislike the band. Nothing personal, I just am not a fan. So this morning I'm driving to work and I decide to skim through the channels to see what they're playing. Who do you think is playing on 106.7 the first time I've turned on that station in months? Five Finger Death Punch OF COURSE. I listened for all of about 2 seconds before I just turned the radio off.
So there you go folks. I hope this entertained you a bit. See you next time.
I do not listen to the radio in my car. I mostly listen to CD's. I realize even that is old school, but I do not have an auxiliary jack or USB port in my car to hook up my iPod so I work with what I have. Those occasions that I do listen to the radio, I mostly listen to the stand up comedy station. There are 2 main "rock" stations in Denver, 93.3 and 106.7, both owned by Clear Channel. I rarely listen to either of them because in my opinion, their playlists are (expletive) awful.
I'll first explain my distaste for Clear Channel as a company. In 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Clear Channel distributed a memo to its 1,200+ stations. The memo contained 165 songs containing "questionable lyrics" and a "suggestion" that these songs might not want to be played. As a society, we have argued and fought to protect our freedom of speech and our right to artistic expression. This memo should be looked at as a slap in the face of that freedom. Clear Channel used a tragic event to "suggest" increased censorship on its stations. I won't post the entire list of songs here, but among the highlights are ALL songs by Rage Against the Machine, Imagine by John Lennon (really?????), and Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm (but not the original recording by Michael Jackson oddly enough).
Now for the local issue, 106.7 has a love affair with the band Five Finger Death Punch. You literally cannot listen to this station for an hour without hearing this band at least once. The reason for this is the singer of the band is from Denver, CO. Keep in mind, Five Finger Death Punch IS NOT from Denver, they did not get famous in Denver, but for some reason 106.7 and their DJ's seem to have a need to claim some sort of responsibility for their success. Personally I dislike the band. Nothing personal, I just am not a fan. So this morning I'm driving to work and I decide to skim through the channels to see what they're playing. Who do you think is playing on 106.7 the first time I've turned on that station in months? Five Finger Death Punch OF COURSE. I listened for all of about 2 seconds before I just turned the radio off.
So there you go folks. I hope this entertained you a bit. See you next time.
ESPN East Coast Bias
Alright everyone. Now, for years people have accused ESPN of having an East Coast bias when televising sporting events, in particular baseball games. I will first present an argument why this makes sense. For the East Coast baseball fan, a game will start at, say, 6:40 PM. Now assuming this game doesn't get crazy out of hand, like the score is 15-14 or something, it will complete in about 3 hours. So all those East Coast fans can get to bed at a reasonable hour, between 10 and 11 PM. That same game begins at 6:40 on the West Coast, well that's 9:40 for the East Coast fan. Now despite this argument, let me be clear that I am not defending the decision, in fact I am 100% against it and tonight is a prime example of that.
As a San Francisco Giants fan I will admit that I am biased in this matter. But here are the facts. Tonight the Los Angeles Dodgers play against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. First, let's state the obvious. The Giants and Dodgers have a fierce and historical rivalry. This is right up there with Yankees-Red Sox, if not even more heated. I can't recall a game where a Yankees or Red Sox player went after an opposing player with a bat. Guess what? It HAS happened in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry (see Juan Marichal vs. John Roseboro, August 22, 1965). Even if you still think Yankees-Red Sox is the #1 rivalry in baseball, Giants-Dodgers has to at the very least rate a close 2nd. So that's the obvious.
Now for the not so obvious, the pitching matchup this evening. Pitching for the Dodgers is Clayton Kershaw who, despite being off to a slow start in his first 3 starts, was the National League Cy Young Award winner as well as the NL MVP (which has only happened 10 times in HISTORY). Pitching for the Giants is Madison Bumgarner who was the National League Championship Series MVP AND the World Series MVP. So you have arguably the 2 best pitchers in the National League facing each other tonight. And where is ESPN? Why, they're in Washington, DC televising the Cardinals at the the Nationals of course. East Coast bias is in tact.
Let me also go one step further to defend the National League game. In football they constantly talk about Quarterbacks head to head. Take Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. But the reality is the Quarterbacks aren't really facing each other. They're never on the field at the same time, so a head to head record is really meaningless. In the American League pitchers never have to face each other due to the Designated Hitter. But in the National League the pitchers do hit. So yes we would actually get to see Madison Bumgarner face Clayton Kershaw, both as a pitcher and as a hitter. All the more intrigue to this game, and all the more reason that this game should be televised, but the heads at ESPN apparently feel the bedtimes of people on the East Coast are more important.
As a San Francisco Giants fan I will admit that I am biased in this matter. But here are the facts. Tonight the Los Angeles Dodgers play against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. First, let's state the obvious. The Giants and Dodgers have a fierce and historical rivalry. This is right up there with Yankees-Red Sox, if not even more heated. I can't recall a game where a Yankees or Red Sox player went after an opposing player with a bat. Guess what? It HAS happened in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry (see Juan Marichal vs. John Roseboro, August 22, 1965). Even if you still think Yankees-Red Sox is the #1 rivalry in baseball, Giants-Dodgers has to at the very least rate a close 2nd. So that's the obvious.
Now for the not so obvious, the pitching matchup this evening. Pitching for the Dodgers is Clayton Kershaw who, despite being off to a slow start in his first 3 starts, was the National League Cy Young Award winner as well as the NL MVP (which has only happened 10 times in HISTORY). Pitching for the Giants is Madison Bumgarner who was the National League Championship Series MVP AND the World Series MVP. So you have arguably the 2 best pitchers in the National League facing each other tonight. And where is ESPN? Why, they're in Washington, DC televising the Cardinals at the the Nationals of course. East Coast bias is in tact.
Let me also go one step further to defend the National League game. In football they constantly talk about Quarterbacks head to head. Take Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. But the reality is the Quarterbacks aren't really facing each other. They're never on the field at the same time, so a head to head record is really meaningless. In the American League pitchers never have to face each other due to the Designated Hitter. But in the National League the pitchers do hit. So yes we would actually get to see Madison Bumgarner face Clayton Kershaw, both as a pitcher and as a hitter. All the more intrigue to this game, and all the more reason that this game should be televised, but the heads at ESPN apparently feel the bedtimes of people on the East Coast are more important.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
People need to read a dictionary
Hey everyone. So it's been a bit since my last blog, but I saw something today that kind of made me shake my head. At first I wasn't going to comment on it, but then I read some other people's comments and It's a little comical the level of ignorance of some people. So let me tell you what I'm talking about.
This week, a pizzeria in Walkerton, Indiana closed it's doors due to backlash over comments the owner made regarding same-sex marriage. Basically, the owner said they would not cater a same-sex marriage because they are a Christian establishment. Phone calls and backlash over social media have caused the pizzeria to close until the backlash cools down. Now, before we get into some of the things that have been said, let me first say that I am not defending nor condemning the actions of the shop in any way. I am a heterosexual male and I am for same-sex relationships and marriages. While there are some of you who may disagree with my opinion, remember it is MY OPINION. I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong. You have the right to feel and believe whatever you wish. I'm not going to try and sway you one way or another. But as far as myself, I see nothing wrong with it. Who am I to deny you what makes you happy, or WHO makes you happy?
The owner's father spoke to ABC and said, "That's a lifestyle that you choose. I choose to be heterosexual, they choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head because they choose that lifestyle?" Now, there is something wrong with this statement. Science tells us that genetics and the structure of the brain have something to do with determining whether a person is gay or straight. So in that sense, no it is not a lifestyle choice. A person can choose not to act upon their urges, but this is the same as an alcoholic choosing not to drink. It doesn't mean they're not an alcoholic. But they are making a choice. The part I do agree with in the statement is, why should anyone be beat over the head because our choices are different than another's? We see this type of uproar more often where some establishment refuses to serve gay customers and the public reacts this way. Remember Chick-fil-A? But flip the roles, what if an establishment owned by a gay individual or a gay couple refused to serve heterosexual customers. Would the public outcry be the same?
Now, here's where we're going to get into some of the comments made. The owner has said the business is not discriminating against anybody, but she and her family have their beliefs and other people are entitled to their own. Some people who have to come to their defense say it is not discrimination because homosexuality is not a race. I'll give you a minute to contemplate that last one there and hopefully your head didn't explode. At what point did discrimination become solely a race issue? Did I miss that memo? Now, this particular individual goes on to say that homosexuality is immoral and against the word of God. I have no hatred towards Christians for the most part, but statements like this really suggest these people are intellectually at the bottom of the curve. As a business owner you do have the right to refuse service, but don't try to say this isn't discrimination. The definition of discrimination is "treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit". So to refuse to serve someone because they are gay is textbook discrimination. Your religious belief does not justify that. So please, stop trying to use Christianity like it's some sort of fiery shield to hide behind while also rationalizing your personal bigotry.
So, there you go folks. Let me clarify for any of you who may think this is some veiled manifesto, this is not a pro-gay/anti-gay message. This is not a way for me to bash on Christianity. This is merely a report of something that happened this week and my own commentary, MY OPINION, on these facts. If you agree with me or disagree with me, great. Leave a comment telling me why. Dialogue is a great thing. If what I've said pissed you off, maybe you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. But if it made you think, if some of my commentary made you laugh a little bit, whether inside or out loud, then really that was the whole point. Yes I'm going to have my own opinions, and yes I hope I do get to comment on more serious or controversial topics, but my goal is to entertain you. So I hope you enjoyed the read. Until next time.
This week, a pizzeria in Walkerton, Indiana closed it's doors due to backlash over comments the owner made regarding same-sex marriage. Basically, the owner said they would not cater a same-sex marriage because they are a Christian establishment. Phone calls and backlash over social media have caused the pizzeria to close until the backlash cools down. Now, before we get into some of the things that have been said, let me first say that I am not defending nor condemning the actions of the shop in any way. I am a heterosexual male and I am for same-sex relationships and marriages. While there are some of you who may disagree with my opinion, remember it is MY OPINION. I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong. You have the right to feel and believe whatever you wish. I'm not going to try and sway you one way or another. But as far as myself, I see nothing wrong with it. Who am I to deny you what makes you happy, or WHO makes you happy?
The owner's father spoke to ABC and said, "That's a lifestyle that you choose. I choose to be heterosexual, they choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head because they choose that lifestyle?" Now, there is something wrong with this statement. Science tells us that genetics and the structure of the brain have something to do with determining whether a person is gay or straight. So in that sense, no it is not a lifestyle choice. A person can choose not to act upon their urges, but this is the same as an alcoholic choosing not to drink. It doesn't mean they're not an alcoholic. But they are making a choice. The part I do agree with in the statement is, why should anyone be beat over the head because our choices are different than another's? We see this type of uproar more often where some establishment refuses to serve gay customers and the public reacts this way. Remember Chick-fil-A? But flip the roles, what if an establishment owned by a gay individual or a gay couple refused to serve heterosexual customers. Would the public outcry be the same?
Now, here's where we're going to get into some of the comments made. The owner has said the business is not discriminating against anybody, but she and her family have their beliefs and other people are entitled to their own. Some people who have to come to their defense say it is not discrimination because homosexuality is not a race. I'll give you a minute to contemplate that last one there and hopefully your head didn't explode. At what point did discrimination become solely a race issue? Did I miss that memo? Now, this particular individual goes on to say that homosexuality is immoral and against the word of God. I have no hatred towards Christians for the most part, but statements like this really suggest these people are intellectually at the bottom of the curve. As a business owner you do have the right to refuse service, but don't try to say this isn't discrimination. The definition of discrimination is "treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit". So to refuse to serve someone because they are gay is textbook discrimination. Your religious belief does not justify that. So please, stop trying to use Christianity like it's some sort of fiery shield to hide behind while also rationalizing your personal bigotry.
So, there you go folks. Let me clarify for any of you who may think this is some veiled manifesto, this is not a pro-gay/anti-gay message. This is not a way for me to bash on Christianity. This is merely a report of something that happened this week and my own commentary, MY OPINION, on these facts. If you agree with me or disagree with me, great. Leave a comment telling me why. Dialogue is a great thing. If what I've said pissed you off, maybe you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. But if it made you think, if some of my commentary made you laugh a little bit, whether inside or out loud, then really that was the whole point. Yes I'm going to have my own opinions, and yes I hope I do get to comment on more serious or controversial topics, but my goal is to entertain you. So I hope you enjoyed the read. Until next time.
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