Odd Man Rush

The MLS All Star Game is tonight.  I’ll bet you didn’t know that.  Not a huge surprise.  I’d advise you to flip over and watch it, but I’m not sure I want to expose you to the many flaws that embody soccer in the United States.  You see, the MLS All Star Game smacks of desperation.  Allow me to enumerate the ways that this event is flawed.

1. The Match

The MLS big-wigs want to insult your intelligence.  They want you to believe that this league is just as good as those leagues across the pond that get all of the attention, those bastards.  That’s why they have the All Star Team (that’s right, it’s singular) play one of those vaunted teams.  The fact that it’s 2-1 at the half and our boys are leading is supposed to encourage you that, yes, the MLS is inhabited by a bunch of superstars.  What they don’t want you to know is that this team they’re playing (this year, it’s West Ham United) is actually in its preseason.  Early in its preseason.   This is easily the game’s biggest flaw and also a Catch-22 for MLS executives.  No matter what the result, the MLS comes out looking bad.  Another way to say that is that they are exposed.  If MLS wins, it doesn’t matter because they’re supposed to win.  If they lose, it’s absolutely terrible, because these guys are All-Stars.  The problem is, this set-up is the only way anybody pays attention to the match at all.  If they did it in the traditional manner (West vs. East), the vast majority of fans wouldn’t know who to cheer for.  At least those of us who care about soccer in the US can rally behind a single team.  Let’s not even mention that the MLS probably doesn’t have enough talent to make two teams that could be legitimately considered All-Stars.  In fact, let’s just move on.

2. The Telecast

The MLS thinks it’s doing itself a favor by getting its matches onto ESPN.  I think they’re shooting themselves in the foot, mainly because nobody at the four-lettered network has any respect for the game.  Hockey has a chance at making a legitimate comeback because there are anchors like Linda Cohn and John Buccigross that (thankfully) force the sports world to pay attention.  Soccer doesn’t have anybody like that at ESPN.  Soccer topics on opinion shows like PTI, Around the Horn, and others are openly mocked.  The telecast suffers as a result.  ESPN thinks they’re adding credibility by putting broadcasters like Eric Wynalda in the booth, but in reality it hurts more than helps.  Wynalda is an MLS fanboy who has spent the last 45 minutes in my living rooms ooh-ing and ah-ing over the MLS roster as if I’m going to suddenly agree with him that yes, the MLS is by far the best thing that has ever happened to soccer.  Additionally, they’ve got this Norm Chad-type who does weird and unnecessary segments at odd times during the match, further sucking credibility away from the entire sport.  If MLS execs had any pride, or any other options, they would stay away from ESPN.  Herein lies the problem, once more: they have no choice.  It’s either get in bed with a network that doesn’t respect them, or don’t be seen or heard.    

3. The MLS Itself

Answer me this: How is the MLS different from other, better leagues?  Don’t say that it sucks more, because that’s not what I’m getting at.  Sure, it’s a lot younger than those other leagues, so it’s got less history.  Players don’t want to stay in the league, often using it as a stepping stone to more money, fame, and by the way, better teammates.  But here’s what I’m getting at: the MLS has done nothing to distinguish itself.  Sure, it’s nice that soccer is an international game that is played the same way everywhere, but if that’s the case, why do we have all of these leagues?  Surely geography isn’t – or maybe it shouldn’t be – the only answer.  Frankly, the way the MLS so badly wants to be a European league is embarrasing.  I live in Dallas, so I cheer for FC Dallas, but FC?  Really?  How is that American?  We don’t even have an official mascot anymore.   So what can be done?  Like before, there’s a Catch-22 involved.

For years, soccer leagues in America came and went.  Nobody really believed that any of them were here to stay.  The great Lamar Hunt, among others, brought us the first soccer league in a long time with any staying power, which is a good thing, despite all of my complaints in this post.  Evidence of MLS’ potential can be found in the relative financial success of the existing teams, especially in regards to building soccer-specific stadiums.  Things are looking up, but not in a Chicago Cubs "We haven’t won in 100 years but now we have a legitimate shot" kind of way.  No, it’s more of a Texas Rangers "We were supposed to have a crappy team but it’s actually a bit better than mediocre so let’s try to shovel it down all of the fans’ throats" kind of success.  Texas Rangers fans know exactly what I’m talking about.  Every July that we end up around .500, it seems like management throws the plan out the window and decides to go for it, despite the fact that we’re 10.5 games out with 60 to play.  In the same way, the MLS seems content to say "We got Beckham, come see us play!" and do nothing about the problems, whether real or perceived, that Americans have with the game.  I don’t want to suggest specific solutions here, mostly because the game would end up looking a lot like the recently folded Major Indoor Soccer League, but the MLS needs to do something.  Right now they have bigger Penis Envy than Texas A&M, and on top of that, they’re unwilling to listen to what Americans want from the game.  Innovative ways to increase scoring is a start (Maybe take some cues from the [gasp] NHL?).  After that we can worry about team names and other roadblocks to American fanship. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love the game of soccer.  I really believe that it is a beautiful game, simple and complicated at the same time.  I want so badly for the MLS to pull through and convert the haters, but it has some serious problems if it continues to refuse to distinguish itself from our neighbors across the pond.   The All-Star game, which tries so hard to hide the MLS’ problems, ends up exposing them, and that’s not going to gain many fans.

Some of you may remember this conversation taking place with some conviction.

Many have undertaken to define Sport more thoroughly. At first, my enterprise was the same. I set forth by making a list of every Sport I though was a sport and every Sport I didn’t think was a sport. As I went along I realized I couldn’t really figure out why I was ruling certain sports out. That’s when I looked up Sport in good ol’ Webster’s, and realized that the word is flawed if it is used the way I use it. This is the definition: (1) physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in.

As one may see this didn’t help for clearing things up. So I set out to find a better word and this is what I came up with: when I say sport I really mean contest.

Entry Word: contest
Function: noun
1 an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
2 a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize

3 a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups

I am particularly concerned with definition numbers 2 and 3, because I think together they capture the definition of sport as I use it. When I made this distinction the lines between what is sport and what is not became clearer. So for me sport is no longer sport simply; it is now contest. So if sport is contest, then what is sport and what is not? It is easier to define theses parameters by taking the whole and trimming off the things that don’t qualify, thus building a set of qualifiers for what is a sport.

Does the “sport” require competition between individuals or groups?

This question trims off “sports” in which an individual competes against a course or some apparatus. Now some would argue that gymnasts and golfers do compete against each other, but they only compete against each other based on an individual performance against the course or apparatus. This also rules out events which are scored by judges based on presentation, such as figure skating, or freestyle skating or biking.

Does the “sport” require physical competition?

If one defines physical loosely then no sport is trimmed away by this qualifier, but as you might have guessed I define it strictly. A sport must have, as a friend of mine once said, hustle. I think that nicely defines the physicality of sport, but I will define further. Strength is the ability to exert force, and power is the ability to exert force quickly. Power is 90% of the physicality of sport, the other half is precision. Power is nothing without precision. Now think of these holistically in an individual and set a minimum, then you have what I think of as the physicality of sport. Moreover, concerning physical equipment, it is important for sport to have a certain ratio of individual physicality. I say that the majority of physical exertion needs to be done by the competitor over his/her equipment, thus NASCAR and horse racing are ruled out, while bicycle racing is not. So now we can also trim Poker, Billiards, Scrabble, and the spelling bee. I felt like I had to name everything I’ve seen on ESPN.

Now, these qualifiers are preliminary and meant to be conversational. Please add to me what I lack. Tell me what I haven’t considered.

 

This week’s rankings are a collaboration between Robert and Scott.  Last week’s ranks are in parentheses.

1. Cubs, 57-38 (6)
2. Angels, 57-38 (2)
3. Red Sox, 57-40 (4)
4. Rays, 55-39 (1)
5. White Sox, 54-40 (3)
6. Twins, 53-42 (5)
7. Cardinals, 53-43 (7)
8. Mets, 51-44 (20)
9. Brewers, 52-43 (11)
10. Phillies, 52-44 (13)
11. Rangers, 50-46 (10)
12. Marlins, 50-45 (12)
13. Athletics, 51-44 (8)
14. Yankees, 50-45 (10)
15. Tigers, 47-47 (9)
16. Blue Jays, 47-48 (15)
17. Dodgers, 46-49 (24)
18. Reds, 46-50 (22)
19. Diamondbacks, 47-48 (16)
20. Braves, 45-50 (21)
21. Astros, 44-51 (18)
22. Orioles, 45-48 (17)
23. Pirates, 44-50 (23)
24. Royals, 43-53 (19)
25. Indians, 41-53 (25)
26. Giants, 40-55 (26)
27. Rockies, 39-57 (30)
28. Padres, 37-58 (28)
29. Mariners, 37-58 (29)
30. Nationals, 36-60 (27)

    According to the latest news we could be seeing Video Review influencing MLB umpires’ decision making as early as this year’s Fall Classic. I figure now is the time to weigh in on this touchy topic.

    On allowing video review to influence or reverse an umpire’s call, I’ll quote Roy Munson (when asked what the Bible says about not forgiving people) to state my case, "It’s against it." That’s right I’m against it, and I’ll tell you why.

    Firstly, that’s right firstly; the slippery slope keeps me from taking the first step. I understand that, for now, the MLB wishes to limit replay to the scope of deciding whether or not a batted ball is a homerun when the initial call on the field is suspect. Maybe I’m a pessimist but I see grim days in our future. Sure today it’s, "is it a homer or not?" but tomorrow it’s a small laser emitter in the ball and an infrared projected strike zone. Now I say this with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, but you have to ask yourself where it will end. I mean, take tennis for example: that sport is about half a step away from doing away with human calls all together. As of right now the sport has a challenge system, but the technology is so good it can make every In/Out call with perfection.

    B, this seems to me to be a lot like the institution of the DH. Since the game has become so offensively driven, double entendre intended, those that manage said game don’t want in falters in the Homerun smash-fest that it has become. The DH changed the strategy of the game. Some, including myself, would say it removed a healthy dose of the strategy of the game completely. I think the same of replay. Baseball has always been a game of close calls and finding something deep down that allows one to overcome the adversity of calls going the other way. Remove the chance of a call going the wrong way and I believe you take some of the drama of the game with it.

    Three, and most important to me, the institution of replay removes the innately human aspect of the game. Maybe this is close to me because I spent some time umpiring, but I think that baseball has always and should always be a sport officiated by humans. No other sport creates the same relationship between participant and officiator, and that is at the core of what makes the game great; from a pitcher establishing a Plate Umpire’s strike zone to the Second base Umpire being right on top of that gun down throw. A human should in my mind always be there to make the call, be it a good one or a bad one. Some times the calls will be close, and a good umpire will make few mistakes and learn from the ones he does make. A good baseball player will relish the chance to overcome the adversity of a call that didn’t go his way.

    All in all I think this road leads somewhere I don’t want to see this sport I love travel, but in the end I just write about it. 

RKW 

The Rangers top pitching prospect, 20 year old Neftali Feliz, was called up to AA Frisco on Saturday.  He made his first start on Monday, and I had the opportunity to check it out.  He gave up 6 H and 1 BB for 3 ER in 5 IP with 6 K’s.  Not overly impressive by the numbers.  Well here’s a couple number’s that should get you going.  101- The high mph Feliz threw on Monday.  96-98- The consistent range Feliz threw during his start.  He throws so hard, and the impressive thing is that he does it with minimal effort.  I watched the other pitcher try so hard to throw, and he barely touched 90 mph.  Feliz does throw some off speed stuff (like 88-90 mph), but he hasn’t developed that as much yet, but that is the only thing he really needs to do.  His control was excellent, as evidenced by his one walk allowed.  He’s going to spend another year or two between AA and AAA marinating, but when he gets to Arlington, he’s going to be sick.

If you told me before this series started that Dustin Nippert, Matt Harrison, and Warner Madrigal would play pivotal roles in clinching at least a tie thus far, I would have laughed at you. 

I’ll admit, I was pessimistic about this whole thing on Sunday.  For the first time in what seems like 3 or 4 years, baseball analysts were openly looking forward to this series.  I didn’t see it.  The Angels have probably the most dominant closer in baseball right now, and look at the starting matchups:

Ervin Santana vs. Luis Mendoza
Joe Saunders vs. Matt Harrison
Jered Weaver vs. Warner Madrigal
John Lackey vs. Scott Feldman 

This looks like a sweep for the Angels on paper, but the young guys have been getting it done.  They haven’t been doing it in the typical Ranger way, either.  Since when do we win one-run games? 

Here’s the thing.  We can’t do what we did tonight – throw out a random bullpen guy on a pitch count of 50 and hope the rest of the pen can get it done – for the rest of the 70 games on the schedule.  Will the organization decide to develop Warner Madrigal into a starter, a la Joba Chamberlain?  If they do, I hope they are careful.  Madrigal looked good tonight, but he needs some work.  For instance, when he pitches from the stretch, he grips the ball outside of his glove before getting set.  If anybody gets on second base against him, that’s bad news.  He’s got a great fastball, but needs to develop those other pitches.  

I don’t want to minimize tonight’s amazing win, because I’m actually more optimistic about the Rangers than I’ve been in quite a while, but if they’re going to make a run, there’s going to have a be a perfect storm.  Hurley needs to come back from the DL and show some staying power, the rest of the staff have to pitch out of their minds, Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler need to keep up their torrid pace, and perhaps Jon Daniels needs to make a trade.  Oh yeah, and the Angels need to stay within striking distance.

Are the Rangers in a position to make the playoffs?  Not yet.  But they’re not out of it yet, either, and we couldn’t say that in July last year. 

Today the selections for the 2008 All Star Game were announced.  Here’s a record of my initial reactions.

12:56 PM CT: Before we get started, I’ll share with you who I think each team’s representative should be.  This is not based on position scarcity or likelihood of being named, but who the best player on each team has been thus far.  Teams not likely to get starters voted in are in bold.

Arizona - Brandon Webb
Atlanta – Chipper Jones
Baltimore – Brian Roberts
Boston – Kevin Youkilis
Chicago Cubs – Carlos Zambrano
Chicago White Sox – Carlos Quentin
Cincinnati – Edinson Volquez
Cleveland – Cliff Lee
Colorado – Matt Holliday
Detroit – Miguel Cabrera
Florida – Hanley Ramirez
Houston – Lance Berkman
Kansas City – Zach Greinke
Los Angeles - James Loney
Los Angeles of Anaheim – Francisco Rodriguez
Milwaukee – Ryan Braun
Minnesota – Joe Mauer
New York Mets - David Wright
New York Yankees – Alex Rodriguez
Oakland – Justin Duchscherer
Philadelphia – Chase Utley
Pittsburgh – Nate McLouth
St. Louis – Albert Pujols
San Diego – Adrian Gonzalez
San Francisco – Bengie Molina
Seattle – Ichiro Suzuki
Tampa Bay – Andy Sonnanstine
Texas – Josh Hamilton
Toronto - Roy Halladay
Washington – Cristian Guzman

1:00: Here we go.  Let’s hope we don’t get too many comments about how the "fans got it wrong."

1:05: The AL Starters: Joe Mauer, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton, Manny Ramirez, Ichiro Suzuki, David Ortiz. 

It’s a shame that Pedroia’s going to take someone’s spot, but it’s hard to argue with the others.  I wrote in Carlos Quentin as the third outfielder, but write-ins never make it.  It doesn’t matter that Ortiz got voted in, because he won’t make it to the game anyway.

1:07: Inexplicably, the commentators spend a good 90 seconds talking about Pedroia, the least deserving starter.  Ugh.  You’re better than that, Cal Ripken.

1:18: Great interview with Josh Hamilton.  We’ve all heard his story many times, but hearing it from Josh himself is powerful.  This guy knows that he’s a role model and he tries to live up to that, which is refreshing. 

1:22: NL Starters: Geovany Soto, Lance Berkman, Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Ryan Braun, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome.  Soriano shouldn’t be in, but he probably won’t make the game either. 

1:30: Terrible interviewing of Chase Utley by the three former players.  I couldn’t think of worse questions to ask someone who just got voted into the All-Star Game.  "Tell me about the pitching you face.  (before Chase answers)  Why do you get hit so much?"  "Congratulations on making the All Star Game.  If you didn’t know, I used to play shortstop.  What’s it like playing with Jimmy Rollins?"  "Have you ever played in Yankee Stadium?"  Your research didn’t tell you if he had?  Let’s talk about how some have said that Utley might one day be considered the best second baseman ever, or about how he’s leading the majors in home runs.  This is why players shouldn’t be conducting interviews (or reading highlights, a la NFL).

1:35: NL Pitching Staff: Aaron Cook, Tim Lincecum, Dan Haren, Ben Sheets, Carlos Zambrano, Brandon Webb, Ryan Dempster, Brian Wilson, Edinson Volquez, Kerry Wood, Brad Lidge, Billy Wagner.

1:38: NL Reserves: Brian McCann, Aramis Ramirez, Matt Holliday, Dan Uggla, Miguel Tejada, Russell Martin, Nate McLouth, Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick, Adrian Gonzalez, Cristian Guzman. 

I have to say that I’m pretty satisfied with the selections for the National League, although I’m not sure about Brian Wilson.  I didn’t like Russell Martin over Bengie Molina at first, but on further review, I’ll allow it.

1:49: AL Pitching Staff: Scott Kazmir, George Sherrill, Roy Halladay, Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Justin Duchscherer, Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria, Cliff Lee, Francisco Rodriguez, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders. 

So three Angels pitchers, and no John Lackey?

1:55: AL Reserves: J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Joe Crede, Carlos Quentin, Grady Sizemore, Carlos Guillen, Justin Morneau, Milton Bradley, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Dioner Navarro. 

You’re telling me that the players voted in Varitek?  Apparently the players are unaware of things like, um, statistics and performance.  I also don’t like that Scott Kazmir and Dioner Navarro are the only Rays representatives.  Maybe Terry Francona is showing a little intradivision bias.  Andy Sonnanstine is clearly deserving, and Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford are at least borderline candidates.  As for the Rangers, all four players they’ve been pimping this season made it.  Francona says that Bradley will take Big Papi’s place and then name someone else to the team.  Here’s a chance for him to get it right.

1:58: Final Vote Nominees: Jermaine Dye, Jason Giambi, Jose Guillen, Evan Longoria, and Brian Roberts in the AL.  Pat Burrell, Corey Hart, Carlos Lee, Aaron Rowand, and David Wright in the NL.  My first impressions, without comparing statistics: Longoria and Hart.

2:00: So that’s it.  In my mind, the NL has the best players on the field, while the AL is filled with guys who are there because of reputation.  Look for that to make a difference in the outcome of the game.

2:06: I thought we were done, but now the former players get to say who they thought the snubs were.  Harold Reynolds said Ken Griffey (HR, do you understand what an All Star Game is?), Cal Ripken said Brian Roberts (okay, but a surefire homer pick), and Dennis Eckersley said Gavin Floyd (hard to argue with that).  Today’s show was a case study in why former players don’t make great analysts, especially when there’s no game to comment on.  They weren’t asked to bring insight from their playing days, just do what professionals should be doing: interviewing players, provide great analysis, and keep things interesting.  Instead, we got shameless plugs from Cal Ripken about his book and XM Radio show, then some shameless ribbing from the other two about these plugs.  This show reminded me a little too much of the sophomoric NFL pregame shows, which is not a good thing.

So the Stars signed Sean Avery.  I hate that guy.  Apparently I am not the only one who feels that way.  Brenden Morrow said that he has used the word hate to describe his feelings for Avery in the past.  He then went on to say that he really didn’t know him that well and would make the effort to get to know him because he is his teammate.  Oh Captain, my Captain!  I love Brenden Morrow’s attitude.  When Morrow says jump the rest of the Stars jump, which is why it’s so important that he has this attitude.  Sean Avery is one of those guys that you’re supposed to hate when they play for the other team.  He also happens to be one of those guys you love to watch when he plays for your team.   Sean Avery’s one of those guys who agitates the hell out of Henrik Zetterberg causing him to take a retalitory slashing penalty.  Then for good measure he’ll score the power play goal.  Brett Hull knew that, and so did Brenden Morrow.  I think he’ll end up being a good acquisition, but, at least for me, he’s going to take some getting used to.  But if he doesn’t work out, we’ve always got Steve Ott to kick his butt.

The original title of this post, when I started it in the 6th inning of tonight’s game, was "Take That, Big Fat Ponson."  Instead, it ends up being a reference to my love-hate relationship with Ron Washington. 

When I’m a fan of Wash, it’s because I believe that he is a great players manager.  The Rangers have nothing but respect for him, which is a lot more than could be said for Buck Showalter.  When I hate him, it’s because he never seems to make the right decisions regarding the pitching staff.  For example, I almost always feel like he comes out to pull a pitcher just one pitch too late, after the damage has already been done. 

Tonight, the decision was much worse.  I don’t know that it is ever a good idea to allow a rookie to make his major league debut in the seventh inning of a game where you’re leading by one run at Yankee Stadium with the heart of the order coming up.  The timing of the decision couldn’t have been worse, either.  The Yankees had control of the game, then the Rangers rallied to take the lead in the 6th on the bats of their rookies – after Joaquin Benoit put out the fire in the previous inning.  Sidney Ponson had been chased and Texas was in line to sweep the Bombers, but rather than go back to Benoit, Wash hung poor Warner Madrigal out to dry.  It was one of the worst managerial decisions in recent memory. 

So what about Madrigal?  His ERA is now 162.00.  (Jose Canseco’s is 27.00.)  You can’t just send him back to the minors after that.  His confidence may never be restored.  At the same time, you can’t continue to put him in in key spots.  He looked absolutely mortified pitching to Jeter and A-Rod, and pitching scared is not a good formula for winning in Arlington.  I suppose the best solution is to keep him in the bigs for awhile, pitching him only in games where the outcome is predetermined.  The (highly) unfortunate byproduct of all this is that Chris Davis or Max Ramirez will probably be the one demoted when Hank Blalock comes off the DL.  I think Ramirez needs to get some more coaching at catcher, anyway.  He couldn’t frame a pitch to save his life tonight.

Lost in all the shuffle is the atrocious defense the Rangers played tonight.  The Yankees shouldn’t have even had 6 runs going into the 7th.  Luis Mendoza should have gotten out of both the 3rd and the 5th with no damage, but the infield ensured that 5 unearned runs would score.  I started watching this game thinking this would be a huge boost for Texas and that they would go into Baltimore with a ton of momentum, but I fear that we’re in for more .500 baseball in our immediate future.

I have put out the call to my fellow contributors to collaborate on a weekly power ranking.  I have yet to receive word, so until I do, here’s my personal list.  Check back as this list may change if more input is provided.

1. Tampa Bay Rays
   
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Boston Red Sox
5. Minnesota Twins
6. Chicago Cubs
7. St. Louis Cardinals
8. Oakland Athletics
9. Detroit Tigers
10. New York Yankees
11. Milwaukee Brewers
12. Florida Marlins
13. Philadelphia Phillies
14. Texas Rangers
15. Toronto Blue Jays
16. Arizona Diamondbacks
17. Baltimore Orioles
18. Houston Astros
19. Kansas City Royals
20. New York Mets
21. Atlanta Braves
22. Cincinnati Reds
23. Pittsburgh Pirates
24. Los Angeles Dodgers
25. Cleveland Indians
26. San Francisco Giants
27. Washington Nationals
28. San Diego Padres
29. Seattle Mariners
30. Colorado Rockies