NL East Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC – The last division that I’ll be covering is also my favorite. The NL East has some genuine contenders in the Braves, Mets, and Phillies. With all of these foolish predictions by players in the division, it’s time to shake out the pecking order…

1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins

I believe that I would have switched the 1 and 2 seeds if it weren’t for the Mets’ acquisition of Johan Santana. Some key things need to happen for the Mets to recapture the division back from the Phillies. The aging vets – Pedro Martinez, Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou, and Luis Castillo must stay healthy. The back end of the rotation must pull through – John Maine (who has had an excellent spring), Oliver Perez, and El Duque. And finally, the bullpen must stabilize, starting with Billy Wagner. But I think with the Santana trade, the Mets helped stabilize the weakest part of their team last year, starting pitching.

Here’s hoping that Tom Glavine still has a little fuel left in the tank. Aside from John Smoltz and Tim Hudson, the Braves couldn’t get any quality starting pitching last year. Signing Glavine and plugging him into the 3 slot helps and I love the trade of Renteria to the Tigers for Jair Jurrjens – not a strikeout pitcher, but somebody to sure up the back-end of a week rotation. This team can mash starting with the back-to-back switch hitting combo of Jones and Texeira. Keep an eye out for Yunel Escobar at short, he can play. I like the Braves as the representative for the Wild Card in the National League.

Coupled with the Mets choking down the stretch and an amazing September run, the Phillies just barely squeezed by the Mets to capture the NL East crown last season. The Phillies two best starters, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels, are injury-prone. Who knows that the Phils will get out of Brad Lidge at the closer position. Rollins, Utley, and Howard can’t all have career years again together. I seem this team regressing to the middle of the pack.

Aside from the Rays, the Nats had one of the best offseasons of any team. Yes, they’re taking on some risk with problematic, but talented outfielders Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes. This team is still two years away from contention; it’ll take that long to allow the stockpile of young pitchers at the A-class level to mature and develop. I believe in “The Plan.” Who’s going to throw out the first pitch at the new Nationals Park? We know it’s not John Patterson.

The Marlins are also conducting a rebuilding project of their own in hope of reaping the rewards in time for their proposed new ballpark. The two biggest pieces of the team, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, were moved to Detroit in exchange for two talented young players Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller. Don’t overlook this team though… Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Mike Jacobs are a nice, young infield core. If Jeremy Hermida could stay healthy, this team would be building a deep lineup for the near future. Still, I predict a basement finish for the Phish in 2008.

AL East Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC – We move to the eastern divisions during the next two days. Starting with quite possibly the “toughest” division in all of baseball, the AL East, how can you not initiate the conversation without the Red Sox and Yankees? With the Blue Jays always labeled as the “sleeper” team and the “Rays” developing into a gulp, “contender possibility,” this division will be a meat grinder until the end. Oh yeah, the Orioles play in this division too. Here’s the grand finish…

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles
   

Last year, I accurately predicted that the Red Sox would win the division because of their superior starting pitching. With Schilling out, Beckett hurt, and Colon struggling, that isn’t the case anymore. The Yankees – with no major free agent acquisition – will win the division this year based on their starting pitching: Wang, Pettitte, Hughes, Kennedy, and Mussina. We all know their lineup is stacked with perhaps on the Tigers trotting out a better one. And finally, they have that 8th inning bridge to Rivera in the 9th that they’ve been lacking since they were winning World Series titles in Joba Chamberlain.

Call it the “World Series hangover,” but the Sox almost choked down the stretch to the Yankees last summer. They barely hung on despite beating up on the Yankees early on in the season and possessing a 14½ game lead in June. While the same lineup is back, the starting pitching took a hit with some spring training injuries. This team still oozes talent, especially in its young players: Pedroia, Ellsbury, Buckholz, Lester. I’ll give them the Wild Card.

The Blue Jays never lack in talent; it’s always that one key player gets hurt and their season is derailed. Halladay, Burnett, McGowan, Chacin, and Marcum comprise a formidable rotation. Still, this team needs major contributions from its veterans, Thomas, Wells (earn that contract!), Rolen, Eckstein, Overbay, and Rios. All of these guys are capable of producing big numbers – the question is if they can stay healthy and out of prolonged slumps.

The Rays have a fine system in place – yes fine. If a media member calls them the “Devil Rays,” they are fined $1.00. That dollar goes to charity, but it shows you that the “Rays” have fully changed the culture of their organization. I think this will be the year where the organization takes a step forward, but they’ll need another year or two after this one to be a legitimate contender. There’s been a lot of talk about this team and here’s why: check out the rotation.

• Kazmir
• Shields
• Garza
• Sonnastine
• Jackson

How about this lineup…

• Crawford, LF
• Iwamura, 2B
• Upton, CF
• Pena, 1B
• Floyd, DH
• Longoria, 3B – will probably be sent down to Triple A to avoid a “super 2” situation
• RF (Baldelli is out indefinitely)
• Navarro, C
• Bartlett, SS

If the Rays can sure up the bullpen (signing Troy Percival augments the pen), they could be a force to be reckoned with.

By trading away some pricey veterans (Tejada, Bedard, Roberts?), the Orioles have put up the white flag on the 2008 season. This team won’t be ready to compete until 2010 if Angelos can keep his hands off the rebuilding process. The rotation is a mess – Guthrie (one year wonder?), Loewen (basically injured all of last year), Cabrera (erratic), and Trachsel (a below average veteran). The lineup has some pieces, but not many. Markakis needs to get off to a hot start unlike the past two seasons. Who will start at shortstop? If the O’s do trade Roberts to the Cubs, why not swing a deal with the Nats for one of their extra mid infielders – Lopez, Belliard, or Guzman? I’ll go out of a limb and say 65 wins for this squad.

NL Central Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC – Switching leagues today, we’ll take a look at the NL Central division. Last season, the Cubs spent around $360M to overhaul their roster after a dismal 2006 season. It paid immediate dividends as they captured the NL Central crown. I figure that the Brew Crew will again make some noise this year as well. The remaining four teams still have their work cut out for them – some more than others. Here’s the 2008 lineup…

1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Houston Astros
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
   

I can’t see any team matching up to the Cubs in both pitching and hitting. Their lineup is pretty well rounded. As I mentioned before, I still think Felix Pie is the next Corey Patterson; a ton of hype and speed, but nothing else. Ramirez, Theriot, DeRosa (Brian Roberts by Opening Day, maybe?), Lee can all mash and possess Gold Gloves. Japanese import Kosuke Fukodome, along with Soriano adds both power and speed. Zambrano, Lilly, Hill, Dempster, and Marquis form a solid rotation. The only question mark on this team is who will be the closer; Carlos Marmol or Kerry Wood?

The Brewers made a nice run last year until they faded down the stretch. They may have the best lineup in the division and one of the best stables of young players out of any team. However, the beer men lack starting pitching depth. When ace Ben Sheets goes down again (as always), who will step up? Gallardo (9-5, 3.67 ERA), Suppan (12-12, 4.62 ERA), Bush (12-10, 5.12 ERA)? The starting pitching depth will haunt the Brewers all season.

It was only a couple of years ago that the Astros has one of the best rotations in the game (Clemens, Oswalt, Pettitte, Miller) and no offense to complement it. Now, it’s a role reversal with Oswalt being the last man standing. Berkman, Tejada, and Lee are a powerful trio in the middle of the lineup. However, you can’t tell me Backe, Rodriguez and Williams are sufficient starters.

This season will be one of rebuilding for the Cardinals. Their top two pitchers, Carpenter and Mulder are on the shelf. Pujols has an impending elbow ligament surgery that he’s trying to avoid. The heart and soul of the World Series team are all but gone; Eckstein, Rolen, and Edmonds have left via free agency and trades. Look, the Cardinals aren’t going to be competitive this year; why not have Pujols get the surgery over now and come back at full strength for a reloaded 2009 team?

The Reds added some nice pieces this offseason by subtracting offense (Hamilton) and adding pitching (Volquez, Cordero). The Reds are still a season or two from being competitive, but it’ll be fascinating to watch star prospect Jay Bruce take over in center field. The Reds won’t be hurting for hitting with the return of Dunn, Griffey, Phillips, and Freel. The best thing that could happen this season for the Reds would be to develop their young pitching – Volquez, Bailey, and Cueto.

The Pirates (finally) pulled the plug on GM Dave Littlefield. Littlefield was responsible for several botched free agent signings and trades (Matt Morris) and poor drafting. Frank Coonelly takes over as President of the Bucs. In addition to Coonelly, fresh off a stint as Major League Baseball's chief labor counsel, Neal Huntington took over the GM position and John Russell takes over for Jim Tracy as manager. Huntington comes from the very successful Cleveland Indians organization where he was an assistant to GM Mark Shapiro. I firmly believe that having intelligent baseball people running the front office will result in more wins on the field. Unfortunately, at this time, there’s not enough talent on the field to compete. Give the Pirates three years and they’ll have this ship turned around (no pun intended).

AL Central Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC – In today’s breakdown, we’ll take a look at the toughest division to predict, the AL Central. There are two powerhouses at the top, the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers. The White Sox may be the most difficult team to predict where they’ll finish. With the Twins regressing to the bottom with the losses of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter, coupled with the major strides made by the Kansas City Royals, this division is a toss-up in stacking order. I’ll take my best shot here:

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Kansas City Royals
   

The Tigers, with quite possibly the best lineup in the majors, appears to be the team to beat. Check out this stacked lineup:

1. Granderson, CF
2. Renteria, SS
3. Sheffield, DH
4. Ordonez, RF
5. Cabrera, 3B
6. Guillen, 1B
7. Polanco, 2B
8. Rodriguez, C
9. Thames, LF

I think their pitching staff is underrated. It didn’t match their performances of the 2006 season when they made an appearance in the World Series. Still, I’d take Verlander, Rogers, Bonderman, Willis, and Robertson any day of the week.

The Indians came within one game from winning the AL pennant. Their lineup is very balanced with speed at the top – Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera – and power in the middle – Hafner, Martinez, and Garko. The Indians also possess a powerful 1-2 punch in their pitching staff with reigning AL Cy Young Winner C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. With Westbrook, Byrd, and Lee, the Indians have a well above-average staff.

I’m not sure what to expect out of the White Sox this year. Clearly, they need pitching and they’ll be fine. A trio of Buerhle, Vazquez, and Contreras is formidable, but what are they going to get out of John Danks and Gavin Floyd? A lineup featuring Swisher, Dye, Konerko, Crede, Orlando Cabrera, and Thome will have no problem scoring runs.

I can never count out the Twins because of their front office proficiency. However, with the retirement of talented GM Terry Ryan and the botched trade of Johan Santana to the Mets, I’m unsure where this team lies. Delmon Young can flat out rake. Cuddyer, Mauer, and Morneau will be pumping runs across the board all season. But take a look at their current staff: Liriano (didn’t pitch last year), Bonser (8-12, 5.10 ERA last year), Baker (9-9, 4.26 ERA last year), and rookie Kevin Slowey. That rotation spells a .500 season.

The Royals definitely have a game plan thanks to the mastermind GM Dayton Moore. Who would’ve thought that Gil Meche would be the stalwart starter that only Moore predicted? Greinke, Bannister, and De La Rosa are learning on the job. The lineup is full of young players in Gordon, Buck, Butler, Teahen, Pena, and Gload waiting to breakout. Their new manager, Trey Hillman, is a players’ coach. Read his biography if you get the chance and see how he performed managing in Japan during the past couple of years. I think this team is one year behind the Rays in terms of development and waiting to make some noise in the division.

NL West Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC -- We switch leagues now and head over to the NL West, arguably the toughes division to predict. With the exception of the Giants, this division houses four legitimate contenders. The Rockies, fresh off an appearance in the World Series, are still very young and strong. The D-Backs, with the acquisition of Dan Haren and an appearance in the NLCS, will be back. The Dodgers, with the addition of Joe Torre, will be in the mix. And, let's not forget the Padres, who have a great 1-2 punch in Peavy and Chris Young, and the best bullpen in the game. Here's my rundown...

1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. San Diego Padres
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. San Francisco Giants

I like the D-Backs because of their blend of youth mixed with seasoned veterans. They have two aces in Webb and Haren, and a wild card in Randy Johnson. Their lineup isn't stacked, but it's solid. They have a thirst to get back in the postseason, especially after having a bad taste lest in their mouths by the red hot Rockies.

The Padres will be in the thick of the race until the end. If Chris Young can remain injury-free, I see this team taking Arizona until the final game. Their outfield offense is a bit weak, but it'll be their pitching that carries them.

There's something about teams reaching/winning the World Series, and then having a hangover the next season. I'm predicting just that with the Rockies. Their starting pitching is a little suspect. They are the converse to the Padres; there bats will carry this team as far as it will go.

I like the hiring of Joe Torre and all, but I don't think the Dodgers have the pieces to be a legitimate contender. They have strong starting pitching and that's about it. Garciaparra, Furcal, Kent, and Ethier are all injury-prone. Who knows what kind of production they'll get out of Andruw Jones? Matt Kemp is a star in the making.

The Giants, as their own manager calls them, are horrific. See my earlier blog about Rowand. They aren't even worth mentioning.

AL West Breakdown

Winston-Salem, NC -- B's Bistro is starting his divisional predictions with the AL West because, other than the NL Central, it's probably the easiest division to predict. Here goes the rundown:

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Oakland A's
4. Texas Rangers

The Angels are the "powerhouse" of the division. If I owned a baseball team, I'd run it the same way that Angels owner Arte Moreno runs it; solid drafting, using free agency for complementary pieces, making ballpark tickets and food affordable, and creating a branded marketing plan around town. Lackey, Jered Weaver, Escobar, and Ervin Santana are a rock solid rotation. On the hitting side, the Angels finally found some protection for Vlad in Torii Hunter. I can't see the M's catching up with this first class organization.

The Mariners added a nice pitching piece in Erik Bedard to round out their above-average rotation. Still, I don't think that Felix Hernandez, Bedard, Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn, and Miguel Batista are enough to surpass the Angels. They're too many holes in the lineup. Wilkerson is a liability in rightfield and Sexson is a strikeout machine at first base. Remember when Sexson went in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of a fantasy baseball draft? There's not enough offense to contend legitimately.

The A's sold all of their marketable parts -- Nick Swisher, Mark Kotsay, and Dan Haren -- to restock the farm system. I still think that the A's will nudge the Rangers in the fight to stay out of the cellar. Their pitching staff with Harden healthy still isn't bad -- Harden, Joe Blanton, Chad Gaudin, and Lenny DiNardo. It'll keep them from finishing below the Rangers.

The Rangers still don't get the memo. They overpay for mediocre arms in free agency and load up on bats. I think Michael Young will bounce back after a subpar year at SS. I'd like to see one of my favorite players Jarrod "Salty" Saltalamacchia step up into superstar status. This team has no true ace; no, Kevin Millwood doesn't count. It's another year in the basement for the Rangers until they start scouting, drafting, and developing quality starting pitching.

Spring Training Wrap-Up

Greensboro, NC -- I arrived back to Carolina last night after spending the last four days in the greater Phoenix area. Aside from the two dozen strawberry mojitos, poolside sunbathing, and a round of golf at the luxurious We-Ko-Pa golf course, we did manage to catch some ballgames in Arizona.

• Had a half slab of ribs and half a chicken at the famous Don and Charlie's restaurant in Scottsdale. We saw Steve Stone there taking in a meal. Upon entering the restaurant, the foyer is covered with autographed photos of Don and Charlie standing next to a famous athlete or celebrity. The wall ranged from Oprah to Dan Patrick to the Monday Night Football crew to Mike D'Antoni to Peter Forsberg to Hammerin' Hank Goldberg holding a drumstick.
• Took in the Cubs-Mariners game from HoHoKam Park (Cubs) in Mesa. The Cubs won 6-4. Saw a couple of Mariner relievers warming up in the pen close up, but judging by their high uniform numbers, I don't think we'll see them in the majors.
• You heard it hear first: Felix Pie is the next Corey Patterson... a ton of hype, but ultimately a bust.
• We were chilling out at the ultra cool Fairmont Hotel bar (where we stayed) when two guys (holding hands) came up and sat next to me as I was engaged in a conversation with Pearl. They overheard us talking about baseball and such. While the gay act was ultimately about to make me the butt of their joke, we quickly learned that the famous father-son umpire tandem was introducing themselves to us, Paul and Brian Runge. Paul was actually the union crew chief for two years in the mid-1990's. We drilled the father and son with questions for about 30-40 minutes. Brian actually shared a pretty cool story with us. He was the umpire who stepped in between the 3rd base umpire and Lou Piniella last year when Sweet Lou threw his first and only tirade to date with the Cubs. About a week later, Piniella sent each umpire an apology letter in the mail and meant no hard feelings whatsoever. We also learned that as soon as family is brought into the argument, that player or coach is immediately ejected from the game. All and all, a pretty cool experience.
• Brian's umpire number is 71. I'm allowed to yell at him if we're at the same game and he'll see about taking me down to the clubhouse.

If you're a baseball fan, Arizona is a sweet destination to soak in spring training. 77 degrees and no humidity prevents you from being crabby regardless of your mood. Everyone in Scottsdale was talking baseball, and that's something that you cannot beat.

Spring Training

Phoenix, AZ -- I finally made it out here to Arizona after sleeping through my alarm for my original flight. I missed the A's-Cubs game because of my ineptitude. Today, we're checking out the Cubs-Mariners from HoHoKam Park -- the Cubs spring training site. More details on the game and site will follow.

I saw my first cactus within 2 minutes of arriving here. They're located on the airport grounds. However, I did not know that Arizona had palm trees. We're staying in Scottsdale; this place must be the ritzy side of town. It's full of upper class dining and shops. We ran into Steve Stone, the White Sox new television analyst and a personal TV favorite, at dinner last night. Word is that we just missed Alfonso Soriano at the bar "E4" when we walked in. For the record, it was "Latin Night" at this particular swanky bar.

More to follow from Arizona...

U23D

Winston-Salem, NC – Last week, I saw the incredible “U23D” movie which was basically like having a front row seat to the world’s best live show. In this glossy, 3D movie (yes, you get your own cool Bono-esque 3D shades), U2 performs 14 of their most mainstream songs from their most recent tour, The Vertigo Tour, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 3D effects place the audience on mobile pedestals built around the stage. During “Love and Peace or Else,” animation facetiously comes into play as Bono mimics turning the volume of a television down. Subsequently, in “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” the audience and the instrumented are phased out as Bono pleads, “No More (war, hunger).”

There was another unique aspect that I caught during the encore. No matter how many shows U2 plays and no matter how many edits take place of the filming itself, there is a major error in “The Fly.” In the opening guitar riff, Edge’s echoic guitar malfunctions. In the background, you can hear The Edge screaming for Dallas (his guitar technician) that the guitar is broken. To buy some time, Bono asks the crowd, “Where is the fly?” I thought that it was pretty cool that U2 intentionally threw that breakdown in the movie. If you were in the crowd, you would have never noticed that there was a technical difficulty.

By memory, here is the set list:

• Vertigo
• Beautiful Day
• New Year’s Day
• Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
• Love and Peace or Else
• Sunday Bloody Sunday
• Bullet the Blue Sky
• Miss Sarajevo
• Pride (In the Name of Love)
• Where the Streets Have No Name
• One
• The Fly
• With or Without You
• Yahweh

Go check it out; it’s worth the price of admission.

The Brave Triumphate

Greensboro, NC -- If you're a baseball fan, you shouldn't go a day without reading the daily blog of Buster Olney. Olney brought up a great point today in the possibility of the three former Braves stalwarts, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz all retiring in the same year.

Both Maddux and Glavine will be turning 42 this year, and Smoltz will be turning 41. Maddux has 357 career victories, placing him 7 wins behind Roger Clemens. Glavine has 303 wins, and Smoltz has 207 with 154 career saves. Between the three of them, they have seven Cy Youngs. Conceivably, all three could return in 2009 with their respective clubs. However, all three could retire at season's end. I'm always a proponent for a "good" storyline. Wouldn't it be great if all three retired after the same season and were inducted into the Hall-of-Fame together? Unlike fellow pitchers and friends Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, none of these three pitchers has been linked to the steroid scandal that has plagued baseball during their time. However, you could almost compare Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz to David Halberstam's book, "The Teammates." Halberstam illustrates how four teammates for the Red Sox, Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr, Dominic DiMaggio, were best friends both on and off the field. That friendship carried all four of them through difficult times, especially during the 1946 World Series heartbreaking loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. It lasted all the way up until Williams' death in 1999.

The current differences among the three are where they're slotted in thir respective rotations. Glavine couldn't stand being away from Atlanta, even after his icy ending in 2002. He'll gladly slide in as the number three starter for the Braves. Similarly, Maddux doesn't have to be, nor is he the ace that he once was for the Braves. He can mentor the two young stud pitchers, NL Cy Young Winner Jake Peavy and Chris Young, from the third starter spot. Conversely, Smoltz still has an above average fastball and a dominant splitter. The latter does cause an enormous strain on his elbow. By cutting out the simulated games and reducing the number of spring training starts, Smoltz hopes to build some endurance for the full season. The Braves will need it if they're going to challenge the Mets and Johan Santana.

Stan's Man

Winston-Salem, NC -- Can you believe that this man is running a $100M baseball operation? I guess when you make some shrewd roster moves, have the best baseball draft (ranked by Baseball America), and aren't expected to win many games, you can do whatever you want.

We're Back!

Greensboro, NC -- Apologies for the LONG delay in churning out a new blog. Believe me, the lack of blogs wasn't due to a shortage of stories, more like a shortage of free time. The student loan industry usually has a mini "peak" during this time of year due to the number of students needing cash before they go back for second semester. I hope to have the blog return to its normal daily schedule starting next week when things begin to slow down for me. For now, I'll clean out the sports notebook with some "this and that."

• The Redskins hired a coach! As a diehard fan, I always want this team to succeed, but there's something about Daniel Snyder that makes me want to see them fail until he learns his lesson. By "learning his lesson," I mean hiring a real GM and staying as far away as possible from the football operations. Snyder may be a competent and successful business man, but that doesn't equate to success on the football field. The draft is there for a reason, Danny Boy!
• I like Jim Zorn... as an offensive coordinator. Something scares me about someone who has never called a play before in the NFL becoming a head coach. Spagnuolo was a wise man by taking the Giants' offer of 3 years-$6M to remain their defensive coordinator. Time to start from scratch on implementing a new offensive scheme, considering that worked wonders when Al Saunders came in 2006.
• Still can't believe the Giants won the Super Bowl... are you happy now, Giants fans?
• I set-up my annual fantasy baseball league today, the second sign following the opening of spring training that baseball is right around the corner! For those of you in my league, your $20 donation to my money clip is greatly appreciated!
• It's funny how Angelos is so hands-on about being involved in trades and free agent signings. Every deal has to cross his desk. The Bedard trade moved at a snail's pace because there was a rumor that Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the deal coming to the Orioles, might have had a degenerative hip. Sound familiar? How about Albert Belle and that 5 year-$65M mistake to make-up for the Palmeiro gaffe? And now it's reported that LHP Troy Patton, the crown jewel of the Tejada trade, might need elbow ligament surgery. Is there a pattern here with meddlesome owners?
• Stan Kasten's "The Plan" surely looks good right now. A year ago today, we thought that the Nats would be playing for the worst record in baseball history. What a turnaround... Baseball America has ranked the Nats' farm system 9th this year after finishing 30th last year. The front office has amassed several talented pitching prospects. Dukes, Pena, Milledge, and Kearns vying for 3 spots in th outfield. Young and Johnson fighting it out for first base. Lopez, Guzman, and Belliard for the middle infield. There's talent here, something that you can't say about the team 35 miles to the north. I wouldn't be surprised if the Nats finished above .500 this year.
• The Giants replaced Barry Bonds with Aaron Rowand. Rowand signed a 5 year-$60M contract with the Giants this past offseason. Rowand, considered a tough, crowd pleasing ballplayer, said this this past fall: "I'm all about winning." Sure.
• My sleeper team this year: The Cincinnati Reds. The NL Central is the weakest division in baseball.
• Do you remember the bestseller Moneyball? Here's a classless article from The New York Times' Murray Chass on Jeremy Reed, the misfit catcher and central character of the book, who Billy Beane selected with the A's first pick in the 2002 draft. Speaking of classless articles from The New York Times, what an utter piece of garbage/senseless journalism that the paper produced about John McCain this week.
• There's nothing better than seeing overpaid people going down... Clemens, Boras, Bonds, etc. Boras has been ripped by Gary Sheffield, Kenny Rogers, and A-Rod for his egregious negotiating methods. You know it's bad when the players are complaining, not the GM's. As for Clemens, his fate rests in the hands of his best friend, Andy Pettitte. Bonds is out of work and will probably be for the rest of his life. Signing baseballs at auctions and trade shows do not count. Even with his tax issues, perjury charges, and the like, I think he's ok, considering that he's made $188,245,322 in career earnings.
• Mets, Braves, Phillies, Nats, Marlins in that order for the NL East Standings this year.

So Much for Continuity

Greensboro, NC -- Well, Dan Snyder is at it again! As a professed "Danny Boy" hater, I must say that my thoughts of Snyder changed immensely after the superb way that he handled the Sean Taylor tragedy -- chartering his private plane (Redskin One) for the team to attend the funeral in Miami, hanging the Sean Taylor #21 banner in the stadium, etc. I really thought the guy had turned the page and was starting to "get" what Joe Gibbs has always referred to as the "Redskin" way. The last thing Danny Boy needed to do with his vacant Head Coach position was to blow things up and hire someone from outside the organization. No one would have faulted him for hiring Gregg Williams; fans and players alike would have applauded him for doing what is right, which is keeping the team's momentum from this year going into next year. However, it appears Danny Boy is going to be Danny Boy and he will do what he and his pawn, Vinny Cerrato, Executive Vice President of Football Operations, want to do, regardless of what his 53 players or his millions of fans want. By doing so, he will set this franchise back another two to three years and completely undermine any chemistry, continuity, and stability that Gibbs left behind. So, it seems Danny Boy is flying Redskin One to all corners of the country to hire another "yes" man, Jim Fassel, and then assemble his staff for him! Doesn't anyone else think that it's odd that Snyder is hiring the head coach and then is hiring his coordinators for him?

Gregg Williams must really feel loved with the 4 interviews and all. I thought there was a clause in his contract that when Gibbs retires, he'll assume the Head Coach position? Or, if he doesn't get the job, he gets $1M. He could pull a mini-Cowher and retire for a year, play with the kids, and then come back in 2009 as a head coach or defensive coordinator for a better organized team. Right now, if he was even their 3rd option for Head Coach, they would have already named him by now. When he leaves (and he will), the team will be in trouble because the players really liked him and wanted him to get the job. The problem is that Danny Boy and Vinny are running things and neither of them are qualified to do so. They're out-thinking themselves, trying to make some brilliant hire or big splash when all they need to do is make a safe one. Yes, there are some holes and surely some others will develop during this offseason, but the team was starting to "get it". Now, they'll have to relearn two brand new systems, and come together all over again.

Assessing Gibbs 2.0

Greensboro, NC -- When Joe Gibbs stepped down as the President and Head Coach of the Redskins last week, the natural inclination was to compare his second stint to the Hall-of-Fame first go-around. Coming off of a disastrous 5-11 season in 2003 under The Ol' Ball Coach, the first objective after signing a 5-year, $27.5M contract was to build his coaching staff. Knowing that there's no salary cap for coaches (and the Redskins take full advantage of that every year), Gibbs hired "Double G" Gregg Williams to coach up the D and old pal "Buges" Joe Bugel to restore the offensive line. Obtaining a power running back in Clinton Portis, a tackling machine at linebacker in Marcus Washington, and a premier cornerback in Shawn Springs was next on the agenda. The 2003 roster needed a major shake-up to clean out Spurrier's fun n' gun players.

Gibbs' record during his 4 seasons:

• 6-10
• 10-6
• 5-11
• 9-7

I think the 5-11 2006 season was a fluke. The defense regressed so dramatically. The Skins were also in a quarterback transition from Brunell to the youngster Jason Campbell. But look at the players that were acquired by Gibbs:

Draft

S. Taylor, C. Cooley, J. Campbell, R. McIntosh, C. Rogers, L. Landry

Free Agents

L. Fletcher, C. Rabach, A. Randle El, S. Springs, M. Washington

Trades

C. Portis, P. Kendall, S. Moss

I seriously though Gibbs would stay for the five years that he refers to each offseason. Turning down a 2-year extension wasn't a big deal; it was a sign that 2008 would be his last year. But all fairy tales must come to an end. I was told that his grandson, Taylor, is ferociously battling leukemia, and if something were to happen to him this fall, it would put Gibbs in a major bind. So, don't blame Joe for walking out a year early. Let's just tag the line to him what the Cowboys said about Parcells: "He left the refrigerator full of groceries."

The Best Job

Greensboro, NC -- Before I tap into the resignation of Joe Gibbs as head coach of the Washington Redskins, I'd like to point out one of the quirkiest positions in the history of professional sports. As everyone knows by now, Joe Gibbs stepped down as President and Head Coach of the Redskins yesterday. What a complete shock -- I seriously thought that Gibbs would fulfill his 5-year contract and step down after the 2008 season. With two positions to fill, I researched the front office structure of the Redskins to see if any suitable candidate could be promoted from within. Listed under the title of "Director of Player Personnel" was Vinny Cerrato.

We all know that Gibbs had a heavy hand in free agent signing and drafting. We also know that Dan Snyder signs the checks (before Gibbs, he was the defacto GM). What in world does Vinny Cerrato do?

Old pal Faris Ghareeb of the satirical blog, "toddcoll15.blogspot.com" mentioned to me that Cerrato is Snyder's racquetball partner! Snyder needed an opponent to match his particular skill level. I've also seen him smoke cigars with Snyder at training camp, often sitting in the same golf cart together. When the Skins' season took a turn for the worse last year (2006), it was all of a sudden Cerrato's fault! However, during the two playoff seasons, we didn't hear a peep about Vinny. Seriously, what does he do? Professional loafer? Snyder's personal assistant? He reminds me of Smithers on The Simpsons, the type of guy who would lay his Armani suit jacket in a rain puddle so that Snyder wouldn't smudge his Bostonians. I attempted to look up Cerrato's salary figure, but it was nowhere to be found. One thing is for certain, we all know that Snyder pays well. But what exactly is he paying for?

In with the new (year)

Greensboro, NC -- I haven't "blogged" all year. That's the running joke during this first week of the year... I haven't done so n' so "in a year." At B's Bistro, we like to combine the best of music and sports, specifically focusing on sports in the Southeast. To celebrate the new year, I thought of some tunes that would help us transition into a fresh, new start. Let's do all songs and bands that feature the word, "new" in them... because 2008 will be nothing short of great.

• U2 - "New Year's Day" - The first song that I hear every year (on purpose). My favorite bar in Winston-Salem jammed this song out at the stroke of midnight. Well done!
• Paolo Nutini - "New Shoes" - The lyrics are simple, but I can see this song being a very catchy and big hit.
• New Radicals - "You Get What You Give" - The definition of a "one hit wonder." This particular song rocked the airwaves in the late 90's/early 2000's.
• Beck - "The New Pollution" - How does Beck write lyrics with words that have nothing in common, yet rhyme so beautifully?
• The Shins - "New Slang" - 9 out of 10 people would say that they've never heard of this song, and probably 8 out of those 9 have heard of this popular hit.
• Inxs - "New Sensation" - IMO; quickly becoming one of the most underrated bands. Bono loves Michael Hutchense's work as they were friends.*
• Ryan Adams - "New York, New York" - A "guilty pleasure" song.
• New Bohemians via Edie Brickell - "What I Am" - Did you follow the connection there?
• Sting - "Brand New Day" - Did you know that Stevie Wonder plays the harmonica on this tune? This song is very well done and definitely flys under the radar.
• Duran Duran - "New Moon on Monday" - Similar to Inxs, I wasn't really into this band growing up, but now I'm a full fledged fan.

* Brendan Magee once told me to listen to bands that your favorite artists grew up listening to. As a hardcore U2 fan, The Ramones and The Beatles would come into play, and I enjoy their music. As I mentioned before, with Bono and Michael Hutchense being good friends before Hutchense's death, I can now see why I'm an Inxs fan.

DC Sports Quotes of the Year

Winston-Salem, NC -- One of life's biggest oxymorons is the professional sports athlete. These guys are paid millions of dollars, but their ability to conjure up a complete sentence escapes their mind. To point out the absurdity of their lack of the English language, I initiated the "Quote of the Week" in my weekly Football Pick 'em pool this year. Now, it's time to expand beyond the football hashmarks, and countdown the best sports quotes from DC athletes that were uttered this year. Without further ado...

10. "We want to win all games. When you win, you have good feelings. When you lose, it feels like someone died." – Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin
9. "What a bad pitch it was." – Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik, asked if anything struck him while watching replays of Barry Bonds's record-setting homer
8. "No man, a kicker is nobody I even pay attention to on the field. Waste of my time." – Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers, when asked if he had ever fought a kicker
7. "This year will be different because I won't be caught up looking at all the stars in the stands. Well, unless I see Beyonce out there." – Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas on the NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas
6. "He's chasing history. Whoop-dee-doo." – Dmitri Young on the Nationals' impending date with Barry Bonds 5. "I drink beers before the game, and then I go to play hockey. That's why I do some crazy moves, because I'm drunk." – Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, joking (presumably) about his pregame rituals
4. "It's Valentine's Day. We're in love with each other." - Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan on the team’s mood
3. “If he says, 'Clinton, I need you to run through that brick wall,’ and that brick wall, it’s hard to run through a brick wall, I’ve got to find a way to get as close as I can and dive over the top of this brick wall and tell him, ‘[Bleep], I made it over.’” – Redskins running back Clinton Portis on offensive coordinator Al Saunders ... I think?
2. “My swag was phenomenal.” – Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas on shooting a game-winner from 32 feet as time expired
1. "It was a pretty serious situation. I pray for his buttocks and his family." – Nationals GM Jim Bowden on Jesus Colome’s injury

Courtesy of Lindsay Applebaum, The Washington Post, 12.27.07

Going "Back"

Winston-Salem, NC -- The days following Christmas are usually marked by "returning" (gifts) and going "back" home or to work. The 52nd week of the year is also probably the least productive of the preceding fifty-one. Everyone is on vacation (at least in my office). So, I thought that it would be appropriate to shuffle through the ol' ipod and find some songs featuring the word, "back."

After a crisp 5 hour, 17 minute commute covering 314 miles from Ashton, MD to Greensboro, NC last night, I need some tunes to get me back in the working mode. As always, your suggestions are better than mine, so please feel free to chime in. Here's what I have:

• The Pretenders - "Back on the Chain Gang" -- a classic on DC's Arrow 94.7 back in the day
• Aerosmith - "Back in the Saddle" -- probably Aerosmith's best song performed live
• Oasis - "Don't Look Back in Anger" -- the song heard after the popular hit "Wonderwall" on the "What's the Story (Morning Glory)?" album
• AC/DC - "Back in Black" -- a headbanger's dream
• The Beatles - "Get Back" & "I'll Be Back" -- two out of a thousand Beatles' classics
• Amy Winehouse - "Back to Black" -- a very talented artist that will eventually go to waste
• R.E.M. - "Don't Go Back To Rockville" -- just found out that this song was written by guitarist Mike Mills, telling his girlfriend not to go back to Rockville, MD
• Matchbox 20 - "Back to Good" -- a hidden song on the album with Push and 3 a.m.
• Steve Winwood - "Back in the High Life Again" -- not too familar with this song
• Tom Petty - "I Won't Back Down" -- a Petty classic

While we're on the topic of road trips and going back home, what's the best "in-car food?"

a) McDonald's Fries.

b) Taco Bell.

c) Popcorn and/or Trail Mix.

d) Candy bars.

e) French Onion Soup.

Cleaning Out The Notebook

Ashton, MD -- I'm shuffling through the notebook this afternoon, cleaning out any unused topics before the 2007 year comes to a close. Some random thoughts:

• Are the Redskins trying to replicate the 2005 season's finish? One more win on this Sunday versus our arch-rival Dallas would give us 9 wins and good enough for the final Wild Card spot. Just one win either against the Bills, Bucs, Eagles, Packers, or Giants would allow us to relax going into the final week of the season. However, I think Gibbs had his best coaching game of Gibbs II against the Vikings. The "12 men on the field" challenge was brilliant.
• If Roger Clemens did not take steroids, then why would his trainer Brian McNamee rat out Andy Pettitte (who admitted taking hGH) and lie about Clemens?
• Check out the Dave Mathews Band's Live from Piedmont Park (Atlanta) DVD from this past September. Those talented guys know how to play so effortlessly.
• Looking forward to U2's new album in 2008. They average 4 years to produce a new album nowadays.
• Any new music suggestions, please send them my way.

And finally, my last "B's Bistro" poll question of the year...

What's the best Christmas song ever?

a) The Christmas Song (Chestnuts) by Nat King Cole.

b) Blue Christmas by Elvis.

c) Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives.

d) White Christmas by Bung Crosby.

e) The Channukah Song by Adam Sandler.

Season's Greetings!

College vs. NFL Coaches

Greensboro, NC -- Last week, Bobby Petrino quit on his team, the Atlanta Falcons, and ran off to accept the University of Arkansas's head coach position. I've noticed an increasing trend among hot-shot college coaches testing their skills in the NFL, then departing after a season or two, only to run back to college.

Recently, the list of failed college coaches includes:

• Bobby Petrino: Louisville, Falcons, Arkansas
• Nick Saban: LSU, Dolphins, Alabama
• Steve Spurrier: Florida, Redskins, South Carolina
• Butch Davis: Miami, Browns, North Carolina
• Dennis Erickson: Washington, Seahawks, 49ers, Arizona State

Look, not only have these coaches had zero experience in the NFL prior to their first gig, but each of them if offensively minded. And, as Spurrier confirmed in Washington, the Fun' n' Gun doesn't work at the professional level. Defenses are too quick and more intelligent than your average college football team. As we've seen across the board with the successful teams, they have hired a defensively minded coach. Most of the coaches that I'm referring to here were defensive coordinators in the NFL at some point.

• Bill Belichek, NE
• Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville
• Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh
• Lovie Smith, Chicago
• Wade Phillips, Dallas
• John Fox, Carolina
• Jeff Fisher, Tennessee
• Romeo Crennel, Cleveland
• Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati

When Petrino took over the Falcons during training camp, he placed a list of 5 inspirational quotes outside the locker room that were supposed to rejuvenate players as they left for the field. The fourth quote read, "Always Finish." That's advice that Petrino didn't take.

Playing devil's advocate: The NFL is a "business," right? Employees leave jobs all of the time for a better paying job. Isn't that what Petrino did in this case? He left because he was unhappy at his old job. Can we fault him for that?

B's Bistro asks...

Winston-Salem, NC -- B's Bistro asks...

What gift have you never gotten?

a) A pony.
b) A cool ten-speed Schwinn bike.
c) Cash... just give me cash!

Busted

Greensboro, NC -- In the early part of summer 2005, I attended an Orioles' game versus the Tigers at Camden Yards. The highlight of the game wasn't any one play on the field. Following the game, a bunch of us went to grab a burger at Johnny Rocket's at the Inner Harbor place. Brendan, wearing his Dylan Hall dorm house intramural shirt, was called out by a restaurant patron for be a Tigers' fan. The "D" (for Dylan) on Brendan's shirt mirrored the Detroit Tiger's "D" found on their caps and home jerseys.

Anyways, during the game, I was chatting with a casual fan sitting next to me on various baseball topics. With Jay Gibbons up to bat, my new friend uttered, "Lay off the juice, Gibbons!" I asked him if he really thought that Gibbons was using steroids, to which he replied, "yes!" Looking at the sculpting of his arms that day flicking the bat, I quickly realized what he was talking about. No matter how many weights he lifts, protein or creatine consumed, his body sculpture was completely unnatural.

I'm as sick as anyone about the linkage between steroids and baseball. The story got old about two years ago. But what is so damning about the Gibbons bust is his path of lying.

Aug. 2005 (after Palmeiro was caught): "Not one person has come out and said, 'Yeah, I took steroids.' I don't know, is everybody telling the truth? Something's got to give here eventually."

Nov. 2005: "We want to end the problem now and get back to playing ball and not worrying about steroids every day."

Nov. 2006: " have passed every test administered by Major League Baseball over all the years. I have never taken anabolic steroids. And I am not going to dignify these claims and accusations with any further response."

And now yesterday: "I am deeply sorry for the mistakes that I have made. I have no excuses and bear sole responsibility for my decisions. Years ago, I relied on the advice of a doctor, filled a prescription, charged the hGH, which is a medication, to my credit card and had only intended to help speed my recovery from my injuries and surgeries."

If Gibbons was a baseball "good guy," who can we believe going forward? Gibbons gave back to the community, signed autographs while on a rehab assignment in Class-A Frederick (I was the official statistician of that game), and until now, he was a great story being a Rule V pick out of nowhere. He parlayed several productive seasons as the cleanup hitter of awful early-2000 teams into a 4 year, $21M contract before the start of the 2006 season. Just another example of another athlete that we cannot believe -- and another fatal management error of the Orioles' front office.

Bowden's Moves Razzle & Dazzle

Greensboro, NC -- Since the MLB hired Jim Bowden to run the Nationals following their move to DC in the fall of 2004, Bowden has definitely grown on me. I had a perception of him being a trigger-friendly fantasy baseball player-esque type GM. To the contrary, he has "developed" into the GM that I like: build around the draft, make shrewd trades, and use free agency only as a stopgap.

Recapping some of Bowden's Trades:

• J. Rivera for Guillen
• T. Kim for J. Spivey
• Day for P. Wilson
• Wilkerson for Soriano
• Majewski, Bray, Clayton for Kearns, Lopez, Wagner
• A bag of balls for Pena
• Schneider, Church for Milledge
• (Prospect) Gibson for Dukes

Stopgap Free Agent Signings:

• D. Young -- obtained for pennies on the dollar
• N. Logan
• R. King

When he tries to sign a player to a long-term deal, that's when Bowden runs into problems:

• C. Guzman
• V. Castilla
• N. Johnson (for injury reasons)
• Schneider (now traded)

Bowden absolutely fleeced the Mets for Milledge. I remember last year that Minaya wouldn't trade Milledge for Zito during the trading deadline. Maybe the Mets would have a '06 banner in Shea had the deal been made.

Here's "Capitol Punishment's" Chris Needham's take on the acquisition of Elijah Dukes:

"In a pure talent sense, it's a solid swap.
I'm not especially high on Gibson's long-term potential, thinking that he's
putting up stats with excellent command of mediocre stuff.
But the stathead side of me is superseded by the fanboy side. Any player whose Wikipedia
profile needs a separate off-field issues section is one you've gotta be careful of. And
it's a player I'm going to take no joy in rooting for."

And Rob Neyer adds this:

"I guess I'm an idiot, because the trade for Dukes seems to me right in
line with the signing of Dmitri Young and the acquisition of Lastings Milledge.
Yes, Dukes is in a class of his own. I understand that. But all three players
came with particular sorts of baggage; not coincidentally, all three suffered
dramatic drops in perceived value within a short period of time."

Also, it doesn't hurt that I got to meet Bowden last summer (June 2006) in Boston and he posed for a quick photo:

What the Dukes trade a wise decision?

New Uni's

Greensboro, NC -- One of my "secret indulgences" that I partake in online is a running blog called "Uni Watch" by Paul Lukas. This blog is updated every time a professional or collegiate sports team changes their uniform or alters it slightly. Picture examples are usually provided. However, I'm going to beat "Uni Watch" to the punch because I discovered that three teams have already introduced a new "alternate" jersey for the 2008 season. Off the top of my head, excluding the traditional teams such as the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Yankees, every team has an alternate (third) jersey. Both the Blue Jays and Royals are bringing back the popular retro color "powder blue" to their jerseys. Home Run Derby's Richie Rich has the breakdown here:

"In 2008, the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals are going to do something that no baseball team has done since 1991.

They're going to break out the Powder Blue Uniforms. Mind you -- they'll only occasionally be used as home alternate uniforms, but that's a feat in and of itself. I don't think anyone's ever worn the powder blue in their home stadium before.

The Royals will be wearing blue shirts (with white pants) while the Blue Jays will go completely retro and bust out the baby blue from head to toe. The Jays will also bring back their old logo, a pullover jersey, and their old two-color cap. I have one of those hats. I love it.

Considering that we haven't seen the powder blue for the last sixteen seasons (and the fact that no one under the age of 21 likely has any memory of powder blue baseball), let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit the teams that dared ... to wear blue"

The Denver Nuggets have made this "retro" color very popular in today's modern culture. While searching for some baseball news earlier this week, the Philadelphia Phillies are adding a new alternative uniform as well, to be worn on Sunday home games. The uniform slightly tweaks their current one; the pinstripes are removed and the caps are blue, giving it an "old new" look.

Ok, so which of these three new uni's do you like the best?

The Sean Taylor Case

Greensboro, NC -- I actually met Sean Taylor at Redskins Training Camp during the summer of 2004. He was a nice, but quiet guy. I remember that he had a large tattoo going around his neck as if it were a permanent necklace. An extremely large man, I can see why wide receivers go the opposite direction when contact is made with him. Nevertheless, all it takes is 9 mm of sheer metal to end this gifted athlete's life. With four suspects in custody as of this writing, the remaining debate in the case is whether Taylor was a victim of a burglary or a planned attack.

The burglary vs. planned attack dilemma befuddles me. Isn't a burglary a planned attack? If one and two are both the same, wouldn't the number of years sentenced be the same as well? Here's what I think what happened... Taylor's family friend threw a party at his mansion behind his back while he was feasting on turkey back in DC. At least two of these four thugs probably attended the party and saw the lavish possessions of Taylor's in his house. With Taylor expected to be in DC on Monday morning for workouts, Sunday night would be the least likely time that he wouldn't be home. The burglary is planned and executed until they see Taylor in his bedroom with a machette. Shots fired. That would be my guess.

Why else would these individuals return to his estate in the middle of the night? Jealousy, precious medallions, and cash could all be factors. But what if the average NFL player earned the average salary of any other U.S. job? What if a star NFL player earned the same amount as a star player of a major company? The answer to the latter question is quite vague depending on the company. Could be $75,000 - $2,000,000 for example. You don't need an education to play football. What you need is body with physical gifts that only several thousand people on this planet possess. That's what you're paid for. What if Taylor had been making a typical salary for a job for someone right out of college? $15K-$75K? Would these hoodlums be looting his house if he were making that kind of dough? Probably not. But that's one of the many downfalls of professional sports (and in life); money -- and therefore, greed.