Let the Games Begin

MLB free agency officially began today, and I can't think of a better way to kick things off than to spend it with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time!

It's been quite some time since we've heard from our good friend, Daniel Marino (no relation that we know of, although we like to believe so). I'd like to think that he's been so busy willing his former football team to victory that he hasn't had time to write about his hobby on the side: baseball (Dolphins are 5-4 WOOP WOOP!!!). The following article is about baseball, however, and it's entitled Let The Games Begin. It's a commentary/prediction of where he thinks certain free agents should or will end up this offseason. It's really not all that bad. There was one portion that particularly caught my eye, though:

CC Sabathia
Who should sign him: Phillies - Imagine if the World Champions added Sabathia to their rotation? He and Hammels (sic) would be a lethal 1-2 atop the rotation. Signing Sabathia would instantly make Philly the team to beat in 2009.
Who will sign him: Dodgers - They won’t resign Manny, but that money could be used to sign Sabathia.

It's funny how signing Sabathia "would instantly make Philly the team to beat in 2009." As if winning the World Series does not already accomplish that. Anyways, that's not even the best part.

Manny Ramirez
Who should sign him: Mets - They need a run-producing right handed bat that won’t fold down the stretch.
Who will sign him: Dodgers - He became a fan favorite and put on a hitting clinic that impressed the Dodgers. Other teams may be wary of the baggage.

Let's backtrack real quick to C.C. Sabathia:

Who will sign him: Dodgers - They won’t resign Manny, but that money could be used to sign Sabathia.

Now, another look at the Manny Ramirez "who will sign him" portion:

Who will sign him: Dodgers

Looks like 'ol Marino may have been sacked one too many times. To sum things up, the Dodgers will sign Manny and C.C. this offseason. However, at the same time the Dodgers will not re-sign Manny, therefore freeing up enough money to sign Sabathia, which was part of the original plan. Also, despite winning the World Series last season, the Phillies are not considered the "team to beat."

I'm not so sure Mr. Parcells would take kindly to this type of absurdity, Danno! Go Dolphins!

Grading the BBWAA

For many years now the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) have gotten away with putting forth historically bad recipients for their respective awards. Since there is apparently no one else to hold them accountable for their actions, I thought I'd go ahead and do it on this blog, which Commissioner Bud Selig reads every day, hence assuring that all incompetence will be extinguished.

Class is now in session.


A.L. Cy Young: Cliff Lee






BBWAA Grade: A







You really couldn't have gone wrong here with Lee or Halladay. Both were very good, but I'd agree with the voters and give Lee the slight edge. The only real gripe I have hear is the fact that K-Rod finished third in the Cy Young voting. You could maybe make a case that he was third best A.L. reliever, although even that would be pretty farfetched. However, I can live with it since Lee and Halladay finished 1-2. Good job here, guys.


NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum






BBWAA Grade: A










Thankfully, there was no real scare here with Brandon Webb. Lincecum won it easily, and it was much deserved. Kudos to the writers for also recognizing Santana's great season as well. Maybe they're learning? Or getting smarter voters? Who knows.


A.L. Manager of the Year:
Joe Maddon





BBWAA Grade: B







Maddon has gotten FAR too much credit for what he's done in Tampa Bay. Sure, he's done a fine job and it's great that they were able to turn things around this season, but he had much less to do with it than what would be perceived by the media. As Grif has attested to many times (not here, but other places), Maddon made quite a few God-awful decisions throughout the season. The grade would be worse were it not for the implement of the bullpen ace format--although it's unclear whether that's a front office creation or managerial preference. Obviously I can certainly understand the reasoning for voting for Maddon, it just seems evident after looking deeper into it that Gardenhire would've been the better choice. Still not the worst decision, though.


NL Manager of the Year:
Lou Piniella




BBWAA Grade: A





No argument here. Great manager. Great choice.


AL Rookie of the Year:
Evan Longoria





BBWAA Grade: A








Mike Aviles probably should've finished higher, but they got the most important one right so I'll let it pass. This was a pretty easy one, though.


NL Rookie of the Year:
Geovany Soto





BBWAA Grade: C-








Don't be fooled here. Geovany Soto was the right choice. I'm penalizing the voters for something much worse. Edinson Volquez finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting DESPITE NOT EVEN BEING A ROOKIE! That's right, somehow a player who is not even eligible to win the award snuck on to the ballot. Not only that, HE GARNERED THREE SECOND PLACE VOTES! So, while I've overlooked the entirety of the ballot with other awards, I simply can't ignore such sheer stupidity. Seriously, how were these ballots even allowed to be counted? How hard is it to look up the eligibility of a player before you vote? I just looked it up on B-R in about 9 seconds. So the answer is: not very hard. These three writers--whoever they are--should be removed lest we see Derek Jeter finish third in the Cy Young voting in 2009. I applaud you guys for at least getting the winner right, but this is just... there are no words.


Overall BBWAA Grade So Far: C+


I know, the math doesn't quite add up. I ended up docking some serious points for Edinson Volquez receiving three goddamn votes (not to mention Kosuke Fukudome???). But hey, I'm surprised I was able to stay objective for as long as I did. Chances are the BBWAA will tragically fuck up one of the MVP awards, anyways, thus justifying my exaggerated disdain.

Delgado for MVP!

Goodbye

Today, the single greatest blog of all time called it quits.

















It truly is a sad day. Bad sports journalism must now find a new place to die. In honor of FJM, the writers here at ATH will now dedicate their time to providing non-stop satirical scrutiny to all sports stories everywhere. If you're a regular reader, this news will probably disappoint you because it means we will no longer be providing in-depth, philosophical views and analysis on Descartes' cartesian dualism and whether or not it is admissible to look inside the metaphysical box. Our political views and insights on things such as the state of the economy, war on Iraq, and health care will also be taking a back seat as well. To those loyal readers, I apologize.






R.I.P. FireJoeMorgan

It's a Conspiracy, I Tell You

At least according to former Royals pitcher and current Dugout Central writer Doug Bird. I'll just let you enjoy this for yourself. Beware of the tin foil.

For someone who pitched in the majors, I have a hard time believing that one could be so willing to accept a conspiracy so easily. The last paragraph is especially ridiculous:

The 2008 ALCS nearly saw another Boston miracle comeback. But then Tampa Bay managed to turn back Boston’s momentum with a game seven victory, getting the former doormats into the World Series for the first time. Did Major League baseball decide the game needed this new Tampa Bay fan enthusiasm more than it needed the safe and always paying Red Sox nation? Although Fox couldn’t have been enthused with the promise of poor ratings, might there be something more devious behind Tampa’s ascension? Is it just coincidence that Tampa’s new, good fortunes come at a time when the team is trying to get a deal for a new stadium?

Let me take a stab...YES IT'S A COINCIDENCE!!

Three Non-BCS Teams in the BCS?

I totally didn't notice this was going on, but the highest ranking ACC team in the BCS is Florida State at #15.

They just lost to Georgia Tech.

The highest ranking Big East team in the BCS is South Florida at #23.

They lost 24-10 to Cincinnati.

Now, in the BCS selection guidelines, it says this:

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:


A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

At this writing, Utah ranks 10th. Boise State is up 28-0 and ranked 11th. TCU is up 14-0 and ranked 13th. Ball State is 16th.

That puts two schools inside the auto-bid top 12 range. Four in the top 16, and with FSU losing they will likely be ahead of not one but TWO BCS champs (if they win out). Now, Utah and TCU can't both go, but that would still put THREE! (3!!!) non-BCS schools in BCS games this year. Which is good or bad depending on how you look at it, but it's absolutely hilarious any way you look at it.

Now, I believe every conference champ from the BCS gets an auto-bid regardless of any other stuff. I know at at-large team has to win at least nine games, and it's possible the Big East and ACC champs won't have nine wins (Georgia Tech has eight with two or three games to go, WVU, Cincy, Pitt and UConn all have 6 left with three or four to go), but I don't think that will matter.

So, you could have three non-BCS schools and two awful BCS schools playing, and that leaves you just one auto-bid for whoever doesn't win their conference out of Alabama, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and maybe Georgia.

How interesting. . .


UPDATE: I missed a bit of wording.

No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year. If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be in the pool of teams eligible for selection by the bowls as at-large teams.

So, nevermind. There probably won't be three teams. There is still a chance for it, though, and a decent shot at two.

I'm linking to Royals Review a lot lately.

But you just HAVE to read Mike Jacobs: the Musical!

This is just too brilliant, I have to share it.

I defy you not to laugh at this picture someone made in honor of yesterday's Halloween Around the Horn.