Spring Fever

When I went outside yesterday morning, I heard the sounds, saw the sights, and felt the feelings of spring.  It was definitely in the air.  The temperature was in the mid-60s, birds were singing, and the air felt more like late March than late January.  By contrast, this morning when I went outside, it was 32 degrees and spitting snow.  Needless to say I was wishing for yesterday’s weather to return.  The more I thought about it, the more I was starting to get spring fever.  And spring fever can only mean one thing: baseball season. 

Other than Christmas, the beginning of baseball season is the most wonderful time of the year.  All 30 teams begin the marathon that is a 162 game season, each with aspirations of making the postseason.  Last year, three surprise teams made the playoffs: the Nationals, the Orioles, and the A’s.  The San Francisco Giants rode the hot bat of Buster Posey to their second World Series title in three years.  The first ever Wild Card games were played and the National League Wild Card Game led to a heated debate over the infield fly rule.  Every season brings new excitement and fresh storylines.  Here’s a preview of what I am looking forward to in the 2013 season.

7. Will the O’s and A’s Still Be a Factor?  There was a great debate at the end of last season as to which team was the most surprising in the American League.  Both the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics came into the season with little to no expectations for success (except in their own minds, of course).  Both teams were well under .500 in 2011 and had made no earth-shattering moves to improve their rosters leading into the 2012 season.  But that is why they play the games.  Baltimore valiantly battled the vaunted New York Yankees in the division before falling two games behind at the end but secured a wild card spot.  The A’s hung around all year before catching fire in September and making a gritty run at the Texas Rangers who had dominated that division the last couple of seasons.  Over the final ten days of the season, the A’s clawed from several games back and overtook the Rangers (mainly by winning several head-to-head games during that stretch) to win the AL West.  The Orioles were able to win by using young talent like Adam Jones, Matt Weiters, and Manny Machado on offense and a ragtag starting rotation on the hill.  Oakland won by throwing out solid, young starting pitchers and a bunch of ragtag, journeyman players who most teams had given up on.  I’ll be curious to see if either team can sustain last year’s success now that they will no longer be sneaking up on anyone.

6. Can’t Get Rid of the PED Stain: Here we are just a few weeks before pitchers and catchers report for spring training and a new PED scandal has emerged.  It was bad enough that the PED stain from the late 90s-early 2000s kept a few clean cut guys out of the Hall of Fame this year, but now we have a new PED mill in Miami and several names have already been linked to the clinic.  Among those are Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, and Yasmani Grandal, each who has served or is serving a 50-game suspensions from MLB last season.  The most surprising name on the list was Nationals starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez who had a breakout year last season.  Of course, the biggest name involved was that of Alex Rodriguez.  (I’ll have more on A-Rod a little further down.)  As much as we would like for this stain on the game to go away, it doesn’t appear as if that is going to happen any time soon; especially now that we have to worry about guys using deer antler extract.

5.  Billy Hamilton in Cincy:  This kid was the Minor League Baseball player of the year in 2012 and even though he has never played in an MLB game, he is generating some buzz in the Queen City.  He is expected to be in center field at some point this season and with the numbers he posted last year, there is no reason he shouldn’t be.  The thing that the 22 year old Hamilton brings to the table is speed and lots of it.  The kid is a burner.  He stole 155 bases last season in 132 games.  He attempted 192 steals!  That is ridiculous.  If he can even steal half that many in the majors, the Reds may have the perfect table setter for that powerful lineup for years to come.  And he may be able to achieve something that has not been achieved since 1987: swipe 100 bags in a season.  Vince Coleman was the last to accomplish this feat and it has only been done 8 times since 1900 by four different players.  Pre-1900, one player stole over 100 bases four separate seasons.  Ironically, his name was Billy Hamilton.

4.  Oh Canada!: It has been several years since the Toronto Blue Jays have had this much reason to be excited about the start of a baseball season.  Since the re-emergence of the Yankees in the mid-1990s, the breaking of some confounded curse in Boston, and the rise of the Rays in Tampa, the Blue Jays have been lost in the shuffle.  They have had solid teams but have been buried by the bankroll in New York and Boston and the scrappiness of Tampa (and even Baltimore last year).  Look for 2013 to be different.  The Jays have been very aggressive over the offseason.  They have acquired R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, and Josh Johnson for the top of their rotation.  They added a bonafide table setter in Jose Reyes and super utility guy, Emilio Bonifacio.  They signed (cheater) Melky Cabrera for the outfield and expect Jose Bautista to bounce back from his wrist injury.  Also, the Jays hope that Edwin Encarnacion can duplicate his career 2012 season.  With the Yankees looking the shed payroll and not making major noise this offseason and with Boston still trying to clean house from a horrendous collapse in 2011, this just might be the year of the Blue Jays in the AL East.

3. The A-Rod Saga:  I’m not ashamed to admit that I like to watch a good soap opera and in today’s TMZ-crazed world, celebrities provide us with real-life suds.  The biggest soapstar in MLB, it should go without saying, is Alex Rodriquez.  Before the Miami PED story broke, the biggest question concerning the aloof superstar was when and for whom would he return to the field after offseason hip surgery.  It’s no secret that the pouty infielder has worn out his welcome in The Big Apple but the Steinbrenners are on the hook for four years at over $25 million per for a guy who got pinch hit for several times in clutch September/October games.  Now the Steinbrenners, in a move that would make their papa smile, are trying to void the terrible contract.  It seems they were the last ones in the game to figure out it was a horrendous deal.  This story is just getting started, so like any good sudser, you must stay tuned.

2.  Up, Up, and J-Hey:  Honestly, coming from the perspective of a Braves fan, I should have put this as the number one reason that I am looking forward to the MLB season.  The Upton brothers, B.J. and Justin, are going to be keeping time in the Atlanta outfield this season with Jason Heyward.  This young outfield has the potential to be the most dynamic outfield in the game for the next three seasons (and beyond if they are able to sign Justin and Heyward to long-term deals).  The Braves have not had this much outfield firepower since 2002-03 when they had Chipper Jones in left, Andruw Jones in center, and Gary Sheffield in right.  If the three current outfielders can match the numbers projected in The Bill James Handbook 2013, they will combine for 74 HR, 243 RBI, and 74 SB.  After making the trade to get Justin last week, many analysts now feel that Atlanta is in the top two or three teams in baseball.  I hope they’re right.  (And in the spirit of giving just credit, David O’Brien, the Braves beat writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, was the first person I saw use the Up, Up, and J-Hey catchphrase.)

1.  Hollywood Nights: Look out Hollywood!  The Lakers will be old news by the time this baseball season gets under way.  With the arrival of Albert Pujols and Mike Trout in Anaheim and Magic Johnson headlining the new ownership of the Dodgers in 2012, Tinseltown has dominated the baseball headlines.  The Angels added to their lineup for 2013 by nabbing the biggest name and most productive offensive free agent in the game, Josh Hamilton.  The big question now is can Hamilton handle the glamour and the spotlight of Hollywood living?  If not, look for a major crash and burn.  Hamilton is already on his last strike when it comes to drug suspensions and if he were to get another, he is banished from the game for life.  Hopefully he will have the kind of presence around him in the Angels locker room that he was surrounded with in Texas because when he is on, he is the most fun to watch hitter in the game.  Picture a lineup with Trout leading off, Pujols batting third, Hamilton cleanup, and Trumbo batting fifth.  As for the Dodgers, they rolled the dice wildly last year trading and getting as many contracts as possible.  Time will tell if their aggressive front office moves will pay off but they certainly have revitalized an historic franchise that had run amok.  Since taking over, the new ownership added the large contracts of Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and Zack Greinke to go along with the already large contract of Matt Kemp.  When you add in possibly the best left-handed pitcher in the game, Clayton Kershaw, and the much underrated Andre Ethier in right field, the Dodgers have a chance to become the Yankees of the west.

These are just a sample of things that I am looking forward to seeing this season.  Remember, pitchers and catchers report on February 11, the World Baseball Classic will begin in late February, and opening day is just around the corner on April 1.  Let me hear from you.  What are you looking forward to in the 2013 season?

P.S.: Some of you may have noticed that I did not mention expanded interleague play and the Houston Astros becoming part of the American League.  The simple reason is because I’m not looking forward to it.  My traditionalist views get in the way of such things but I don’t see why it was necessary to even the two leagues with 15 teams apiece allowing for interleague play on a daily basis. 

A Weekend to September

September is a wonderful time of the year for me.  The weather begins its transition from the sultry heat of summer to the crispness of fall.  You have the stretch run of the Major League Baseball season in conjunction with the start of the NCAA and NFL football seasons.  And my youngest son, Spencer, celebrates his birthday in September as well.  What could be better? Here is a look at the weekend that was in the world of MLB, NCAA, and NFL.

*The University of Louisiana-Monroe shocked the world defeating #8 Arkansas in OT, 34-31.  Kolton Browning was 42-68 passing for 412 yards and 3 TDs and scored the winning TD on a fourth and one from the 16 yard line in overtime.   The turning point for Arkansas came when All-SEC QB Tyler Wilson was knocked out the game with a head injury.  You would have to expect that this ends any hope the Razorbacks had of competing for the crystal football.  Oh yeah, ULM plays Auburn next and if you saw Auburn play against Mississippi State this weekend, the Tigers should be on upset alert.

*Kansas St. opened up a can butt-kick on Miami.  That just goes to show that you can never underestimate a Bill Snyder coached team.  Wow, how the U has lost its swagger?  Those falls from grace tend to have the hardest landings.  At the pace things are going  at the U, don't be surprised if head coach Al Golden's seat starts to get warm.

*Texas A & M and Missouri both got rude welcomes to the SEC.  One can't help but question whether A & M really expected to get away with the billboard in Gainesville and all that trash talk?  It looked as if they might early in the game but the Gators finally found their footing and were able to pull ahead of the Aggies.  And Missouri hung in well with Georgia for three quarters but the Bulldogs' physical defense proved too much for MIZZOU to handle, even without several key starters being out due to suspension.

*Take note of this name.  Maxwell Smith.  It is probably only know by University of Kentucky football fans and his family but the sophomore QB has been sick in the first two games of the season.  He is 65-89 passing for 634 yards, 6 TDs and no interceptions.  Watch out SEC, this Cat is for real. 

*The Pac 12 was looking to make a statement against the Big 10 (which has twelve teams) and the Big 12 (which has ten teams).  On a day that former Kentucky coach Rick Brooks and his 1962 Oregon St. Beaver teammates were honored for their Liberty Bowl victory that year, the 2012 edition of the Beavers laid the wood to #13 Wisconsin.  It is not often a team can play as physical with Wisconsin as OSU did.  Also, UCLA defeated #16 Nebraska.  And for all of you West Virginia and Michigan fans, Rich Rodriguez is back with a vengeance.  Arizona and Rich Rod flexed their muscles against #18 Oklahoma State beating the Cowpokes 59-38. 

*Savannah State's  athletic director is pimping out his team to get big pay days and his coach and players are not happy about that. His team has lost 139-0 the last two weeks and it could have been worse if not for the mercy of a weather situation forcing the game against Florida State to end in the third quarter.

*How bad do you feel for Penn State kicker Sam Ficken?.  The  young man was 1/5 on field goal attempts, including a potential game winner as time expired.  He also missed an extra point as the Nittany Lions lost to Virginia 17-16.  We all knew things were going to be tough for Bill O'Brien and his players but the way they have lost their first two games has been absolutely brutal.

*It doesn't get much better than baseball in September.  In a great baseball city like Baltimore, the fans there have not had much to cheer about in the past fifteen years.  But this year is different.  The Orioles went  toe-to-toe with the Yankees, splitting a four game series and remaining just one game back.

*How impressive have the Braves and their pitching been this September?  The Braves have already won seven games in nine days this September (it took them 17 games to do that last year).  They are winning the games they were losing last year.  And Dan Uggla has responded to his brief time riding some pine.  He had six hits over the weekend against the Mets, including a homer.

*The Nationals finally shut down their ace, Stephen Strasburg, after his performance was being affected by his lack of focus. Strasburg only went three innings Friday night because he got shelled by the Marlins.  On Saturday, a day when it looked as if the Nats were folding the tent and possibly allowing Atlanta back into the race, they staged an unlikely rally to win in extra innings.

*The Saints received great news late in the day on Friday.  Jonathan Vilma and the rest of the players suspended for their part in Bountygate are vindicated and eligible to play this season.  Looks like they will need them on the field as soon as possible.  New Orleans gave up 40 points to Washington and rookie QB Robert Griffin III.

*Speaking of RG3, he looked for real in his debut.  He threw for 320 yards and 2 TDs.  The other heralded rookie, Indianapolis Colt starting QB Andrew Luck, had an eerily similar pro debut  to Peyton Manning.  Luck threw for 309 yards and 1 TD but did have 3 INTs.  (Manning threw for 302, 1 TD, and 3INT in his debut in 1998).

*Adrian Peterson is apparently healthy.  He ran for 84 yards on 17 carries and had 2 TDs.  Of course, I listened to the fantasy experts and kept him on the bench this week.  Great coaching on my part!

*Apparently the Jets offense is not as screwed up as the meaningless preseason made everyone believe.  Mark Sanchez looked like he had some confidence and he ran the offense in such a way that one would never have known there had been so much preseason drama.

*In what very well could be an NFC Championship matchup game, the 49ers defeated the Packers in what could prove to be a significant game.  If the two teams finish tied for the best record in the conference, then home field will be in San Francisco.  I think the Niners will find it much more difficult to beat the Pack in Lambeau in January.

*Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning.  The wily veteran led his new team, the Denver Broncos, to a big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Peyton's final numbers were 19-26 for 253 yards and 2 TDs (numbers 400 and 401 of his illustrious career).

*Four former Kentucky Wildcats had nice games on Sunday.  Wesley Woodyard (10 tackles, 1 sack) and Jacob Tamme (5 rec, 43 yds, 1 TD) came up in Denver's win.  Randall Cobb (9 rec, 77 yds, 75 yd punt return for a TD) was used as an H-back in many formations but the he was not able to help the Pack defeat San Fran.  Stevie Johnson (4 rec, 55 yds, 1TD) proved to be Buffalo's go to guy once again in a blowout loss to the Jets.

*Couple of get well wishes.  Brandon McCarthy, a pitcher for the Oakland A's who took a line drive off his head last Wednesday, had to have emergency brain surgery.  He is in stable condition and has been up and moving around but he is not completely out of the woods yet.  And Tulane safety, Devon Walker,  broke his neck on Saturday and had to have emergency procedures performed on the field.  He was taken to an area hospital and is now in stable condition.  Doctors say it is too early to tell if the young man will be paralyzed.  Here's wishing both players a speedy recovery.