Syracuse at (#20) West Virginia: Keys to the Game

Submitted by: Ace 10/21/10

After a disappointing 45 to 14 loss at home against Pittsburgh, the (4-2) Orange are looking to make a better stand in Morgantown. The betting line has West Virginia favored by 14, but Syracuse could have a chance at an upset if they keep things simple. Here are my keys to the game: 

1. Run the Football: Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey have to have a big days if Syracuse wants any chance at keeping this one close. You cannot expect Nassib to set back and throw it 46 times like last week. Stick with the run and control the clock. 

2. No Mistakes: West Virginia's defense ranks 5th in the nation only allowing an average of 245.8 total yards per game. Syracuse's offense will struggle to put points on the board. One turnover or one boneheaded penalty could be the difference. Play smart and win the turnover battle.  

3. Special Teams: Syracuse cannot give up a big special teams play. Special teams is commonly overlooked, but it has killed them over the last few weeks. Last week Syracuse was forced to start almost every drive deep in their own territory. Help the offense put points up by giving them good field position. 


Syracuse faces (#20) West Virginia Saturday at Noon and for the first time this season they will be playing in front of a national TV audience on ESPN 2.

American League Cy Young Award Winner

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

The Cy Young voting, like the MVP voting can be difficult to assess.  Cy Young is most well-known for winning 525 games in his amazing career.  The wins are a record, and no other pitcher has ever reached the 500-win plateau.  Some voters believe that the Cy Young Award should go to the pitcher with the most wins in the league.  However, voters are instructed to vote for the best pitcher in the league.  This isn't always the pitcher with the most wins, although some voters will refuse to vote against the winningest pitcher.  In my opinion, that should not be the case.  Any person who saw Phil Hughes pitch Game 2 of the ALCS know that his 18 wins are not indicative of his ability.

The only real way to discover the best pitcher in the league is to the real out the ones who aren't the best.  This pitcher could be a horse in his rotation, a strikeout artist, or a winner.  In the end though, only the best pitchers will be at the top.

Here are the pitchers who came on my radar for the CY Young Award:

27:  James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays:  Shields fanned 187 batters this season but he had a losing record on a winning team and a terrible ERA.
26:  John Lackey, Boston Red Sox:  Lackey pitched 215 innings for Boston and had a decent record but his ERA ruled him out.

25:  Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox:  Buerhle pitched 210.1 innings and had a respectable record but his ERA is too high.

24:  Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays:  Cecil had a good record but his ERA takes him out of contention.

23:  Phil Hughes, New York Yankees:  Hughes won 18 games but he had the best run support in the league and his ERA reflects that.  On any other team Hughes wouldn't even be in this conversation.

22:  Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals:  Greinke pitched 220 innings but his ERA is too high and his record terrible.

21:  Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:  Santana won 17 games and pitched 222.2 innings with a 3.92 ERA.  Unfortunately, that won't cut it this year in the AL.

20:  Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays:  Garza won 15 games and had a 3.91 ERA.  Solid, but not good enough.

19:  Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore Orioles:  Guthrie pitched 209.1 innings and had a 3.83 ERA but his record takes him out of the discussion.

18:  Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians:  Carmona pitched 210.1 innings and had a 3.77 ERA but posted a losing record.

17:  Carl Pavano, Minnesota Twins:  Pavano won 17 games and pitched 221 innings with a 3.75 ERA.  That's good, but not Cy Young material.

16:  Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays:  Romero posted a decent record and pitched 210 innings with a 3.73 ERA, but he just wasn't good enough.

15:  Colby Lewis, Texas Rangers:  Lewis pitched 201 innings ans fanned 196 batters with a 3.72 ERA but he had a losing record on a winning team.

14:  John Danks, Chicago White Sox:  Danks had a good record and pitched 213 innings with a 3.72 ERA, but that's just not good enough in the AL this year.

13:  Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins:  Liriano fanned 201 batters with a 3.62 ERA but his record was only so-so and he didn't get to 200 innings pitched.

12:  Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers:  Scherzer fanned 184 batters with a 3.50 ERA but his record was only so-so and he failed to reach 200 innings.

11:  Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers:  Verlander had 18 wins, pitched 224.1 innings and fanned 219 batters with a 3.37 ERA.  Good, but not good enough.

10:  C. J. Wilson, Texas Rangers:  Wilson had 15 wins and pitched 204 innings with a 3.35 ERA.  He's in the top ten, but he's clearly not the winner.

9:  Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox:  Lester won 19 games, pitched 208 innings and fanned 225 batters with a 3.25 ERA.  Good, but there were better pitchers than him this season.

8:  Gio Gonzalez, Oakland Athletics:  Gonzalez won 15 games and pitched 200.2 innings with a 3.23 ERA.  He was one reason Oakland's turnaround this year, but he isn't Cy Young material yet.

7:  Cliff Lee, Texas Rangers:  Lee pitched 212.1 innings with a 3.18 ERA but his record was only so-so.  He probably would have had a lot more consideration had he not pitched for the Seattle Mariners for four months this season.

6:  C. C. Sabathia, New York Yankees:  Sabathia had a league-leading 21 wins with 237.2 innings pitched and a 3.18 ERA.  The wins are watered down, as he gets the second-best run support in the AL (behind his teammate Phil Hughes) and they only account for about 20% of his team's victories.  Without the run support he wouldn't have pitched as many innings either.  Take that away and you don't have much left.

5:  Jerad Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:  Weaver pitched 224.1 innings and fanned 233 batters with a 3.01 ERA but his record was only so-so due to a lack of run support.

4:  Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics:  Cahill won 18 games with a 2.97 ERA but failed to reach 200 innings.

3:  David Price, Tampa Bay Rays:  Price won 19 games and pitched 208.2 innings with a 2.72 ERA but there are better candidates out there than him.

2:  Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox:  Buchholz won 17 games with a 2.33 ERA but he failed to reach 200 innings pitched.

And the 2010 American League Cy Young Award Winner is:

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners:  Hernandez only posted a so-so record, but he received horrible run support on a terrible team and still managed to post a winning record, which is essentially a miracle.  He also led the AL in ERA (2.27), games started (34), innings pitched (249.2), and was second in strikeouts with 232.  

NFL Week 6: What We’ve Learned

Submitted By: Ace
10/18/10

1. Parity in 2010: On any given week almost any team in the NFL can beat any opponent. The field is closer than it’s ever been in recent years, making it impossible to consistently pick winners (Vegas has got to be loving it). This past week we saw St. Louis upset San Diego and Seattle took down Chicago. Eight of Sunday’s thirteen games were decided by less than a touchdown. Every division is still up for grabs with at least three contenders in each. We may see a division winner with a losing record (hint NFC West). We may see only a few playoff teams break the 10 win mark. Get use to it, it’s going to be one hell of a season.

2. Concussions on the Rise: This week we saw another batch of violent collisions that resulted in concussions. Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson, Atlanta’s Dunta Robinson, Cleveland’s Mohammed Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs, Detroit’s Zack Follett, and Baltimore’s Todd Heap all had to leave their games. Dunta Robinson’s helmet to helmet hit on DeSean Jack, Brandon Meriweather’s on Todd Heap, and James Harrison’s on both Massaquoi and Cribbs should have resulted in immediate ejections from the game. I know violence is part of the sport but the NFL needs to step in sooner rather than later before someone gets maimed on national TV.

3. More Injuries: This week we saw another swarm of injuries that makes any fantasy owner’s stomach turn. Antonio Gates, DeSean Jackson, Todd Heap, Joseph Addai, Malcom Floyd, and Shaun Hill just to name a few. Why are so many big names going down this season? I really don’t know, it could be poor conditioning or just bad luck, but it makes me wonder how teams will ever be able to survive an 18 game schedule. Star power and fantasy players are driving the league's popularity past casual fans and gamblers. If an 18 game schedule becomes a reality this patter will likely increase. Star loses will result in frustrated fans and lower ratings.

4. You are Done: The following teams can pack it in, your season is officially over. Buffalo (0-5), Carolina (0-5), Cleveland (1-5), Detroit (1-5), and yes Dallas (1-4). Better luck next year.

5. My Power Rankings (Top 10): 1. Jets 2. Steelers 3. Ravens 4. Colts 5. Falcons 6. Packers 7. Patriots 8. Giants 9. Eagles 10. Chiefs

American League Hank Award Winner

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

There has been controversy in the past regarding the Most Valuable Player vote.  Namely the selection of IF Alex Rodriguez with the 2003 Texas Rangers.  But the selection of A-Rod raised an interesting question.  What was the MVP Award for?  For the most valuable player?  This would be the player who most single-handedly helped his team win.  Or for the most talented player?  A-Rod's selection with the '03 Rangers is an example of the latter.  Were the Rangers better off with A-Rod in 2003?  Maybe, I mean he must have helped them win at least a few games.  Right?  Hard to tell.  A better question might be would the Rangers have been any worse without A-Rod in 2003?  The answer:  Probably not. 

There's not much of a point in honoring the best player in the league with an MVP Award.  To begin, the best player isn't always the most valuable.  And secondly, we have an award that honors the league's best player.  I feel that ana ward honoring the best player in the league should be called the Willie Mays Award, who I consider to be the game's greatest player of all-time.  But at the inception of the award MLB was infatuated with home runs, and the award was named the Hank Aaron Award (Aaron also ranks in my top five all-time best players).

Without further adieu, this season's American League Hank Aaron Award winner is:

1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers.  It's hard to argue against Cabrera.  He's a slugger, but he turned in a .328 batting average in 180 hits, both impressive numbers for a power hitter.  He also scored 111 runs and had 128 runs batted in, leading the league.  He didn't disappoint in the power categories either, hitting 38 home runs to go along with 45 doubles.  Props to 1B Mark Teixera of the New York Yankees. 

Giants 4, Phillies 3

FOX has been fighting with Cablevision over sporting rights recently, and there was some specualtion that they would lose TV coverage of MLB postseason games.  The was speculation that people would turn to MLB.com or ESPN Radio to catch the NLCS and World Series.  There was speculation that FOX's ratings would be terrible.  Luckily for them, they couldn't have asked for a better Game 1 matchup in Philadelphia last night, pitting RHP Tim Lincecum against RHP Roy Halladay.

Both pitchers cruised through the first two innings.  But the Giants got to Halladay in the third.  Or, more like RF Cody Ross got to Halladay in the third.  Ross had spent his entire carrer with Florida Marlins before the Giants claimed him off waivers in August.  Not getting much publicity in Miami, Ross had been a valued, underrated player for the Marlins.  Now he's getting a chance to shine on a national stage.  In the top of the third inning, Ross took Halladay deep for a long home run to left field at Citizens Bank Park.  Expect the Giants to take advantage of the homer-friendly ballpark this postseason.  San Francisco has never been a great home run city, and AT&T Ballpark is no exception.  Power hitters like Ross will probably revel playing in the tiny stadium.

The lead was short-lived for the Giants, though.  In the bottom of the third, C Carlos Ruiz answered for the Phillies, hitting a lazy fly ball to right field which somehow managed to clear the fences.  Ruiz's homer tied the game at one.

Unfortunately for Halladay and the Phillies, Ross was due up again in the fifth.  He responded with another homer to left.  This one, too, was a no-doubter to give the Giants the lead once again.  The Giants padded the lead in the sixth when C Buster Posey scored on a double by LF Pat Burrell.  San Francisco pinch-ran for Burrell with the speedy Nate Schierholtz.  This proved to be a smart move as the speedster scored on a single by SS Juan Uribe.

A three-run cushion isn't much in Philadelphia, and the Phillies proved that again in the bottom of the sixth.  2B Chase Utley singled to lead off the inning.  Two batters later, RF Jayson Werth hit an inside-out fly ball to right-center field.  Once again, this lazy fly ball improbably turned into a home run to narrow the margin to 4-3.  But Lincecum stopped the bleeding there.

LHP Javier Lopez relieved Lincecum in the eighth and retired the only two batters he faced, earning a hold.  RHP Brian Wilson entered the game and recorded a four-out save to preserve the 4-3 victory.  Lincecum was solid as usual, giving up three runs in seven innings.  Halladay, though, may have to reevaluate his game plan against the Giants.  He was roughed up for four runs in seven innings.

Game two will be played tonite at 8:00 PM, following the NFL on FOX.

Rangers 7, Yankees 2

The Yankees took Game 1 of the American League Championship Series from the Rangers in front of their home crowd in Arlington.  Texas had a four-run lead when LHP C. J. Wilson left in the top of the eighth.  But the Yankees then rallied to score five runs and take the lead in the midst of a Texas bullpen meltdown.  Texas looked to break even before heading back to New York on Monday.

Starting the day for Texas was RHP Colby Lewis, a diamond in the rough plucked out of Japan.  Lewis pitched a scoreless first and hoped to get something from his team that he lacked during the regular season, run support.  It wasn't conventional, but he got it.  With runners on first and third and RF Nelson Cruz at the plate with two outs, CF Josh Hamilton broke for second.  C Jorge Posada threw down to second base.  The throw was bad; SS Derek Jeter, covering the bag with Cruz at the plate, had to go several steps to the right side of second base to field the throw.  Hamilton, however, appeared to have no interest in stealing the bag, as he was content to force a rundown.  SS Elvis Andrus then broke for home, scoring the game's first run on the back end of a double steal.  The Yankees had a chance to nail Andrus at the plate, but a short, off-line throw by Jeter back to the plate nixed any chances of that.

The Rangers did it the small way in the first, and the big way in the second, when LF David Murphy crushed a homer to right field.  Later on in the inning, 1B Mitch Moreland and Andrus lined base hits before 3B Michael Young hit a booming double to right field scoring Moreland for Texas' third run of the game.  That would be all the Rangers would need, although they went onto score four more runs in the game.

The Yankees had some chances to get back into the game.  They had a rally going in the fourth with 2B Robinson Cano on third and no outs.  But Lewis then rebounded to strike out RF Nick Swisher and Posada.  DH Lance Berkman finally broke through with a single to right field but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double for the third out, debilitating New York's offense.  Cano hit a solo home run in the sixth, but the Yankees couldn't get anymore there either.

The real story of the day was pitching.  The two starters couldn't have been more different.  RHP Phil Hughes has a great record this season but a sub-par ERA, the beneficiary of the best run support in the AL.  Lewis has a great ERA this season but a losing record, as he gets some of the worst run support in the league.  In the postseason, though, the good starters prosper while the bad ones wither.  That's exactly what happened in Arlington yesterday.  Hughes was unable to complete five innings and gave up all seven of Texas' runs (all earned).  Lewis pitched 5.2 stellar innings, allowing only two runs and really only throwing one bad pitch (the homer to Cano).  The Rangers bullpen cruised this time, ensuring that they wouldn't be down going back to New York.  

American League Gold Glove Award Winners

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

Some of the most disgraceful awards have been given out in the form of American League Gold Gloves over the past two decades.  Perhaps the most notorious was given to Rafael Palmeiro in 1999, who was a Designated Hitter for the Texas Rangers at the time.  But there have been other travesties, including a snub of former Cleveland Indians SS Omar Vizquel, considered by many to be the greatest fielding shortstop of his generation.  There will likely be more disasters in this category this year, but LeRoy in the Afternoon will make you happy with the right picks.

Here they are:

Catcher:  Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins:  Mauer has won the last two Gold Glove Awards at his position in the AL.  There's a reason:  He's the juggernaut, bitch.  Mauer will undoubtedly win a third Gold Glove this season, as he is still the best fielding catcher in the AL.

First Base:  Casey Kotchman, Seattle Mariners:  Kotchman probably won't win because he's not exactly a household name.  But he's a superb fielding first baseman.  In fact, Kotchman is known for his glove work and not his bat.  So he probably should win.  But, like I said, he won't.  Why?  Because he's not a good enough hitter.

Second Base:  Mark Ellis, Oakland Athletics:  Ellis is a guy who has been in Oakland for years.  He's a moneyball-type player whom despotic GM Billy Beane likes.  Since he came on the scene, he has persevered as a good, solid middle infielder.  But it's about time that he got a little recognition for his fielding.  In a league still searching for its next Roberto Alomar, managers and coaches have stopped looking at players like Ellis.  The smart money says that the AL Gold Glove Award for second baseman may go to Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees, which would be a shame of Biblical proportions.  Again, Ellis probably won't win, because he's not a great hitter.

Third Base:  Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers:  Peralta played almost as much at short as he did at third this season for Detroit.  In fact, play at shortstop was so pathetic in the AL this season that I named Peralta as my runner-up offensively at that position.  So how does Peralta win the Gold Glove at third base?  Well, AL shortstops turned in the worst all-around season collectively that I've ever seen.  But fielding at third base this season was overly pathetic, the absolute worst that I've ever seen, at any position, ever.  Go ahead, take a look at the stats.  Three of the starting 14 third basemen in the AL had fielding percentages below .950.  Peralta probably won't win, but he should by default.  I think that maybe the AL should hire Brooks Robinson to teach these guys how to field at the hot corner.

Shortstop:  Derek Jeter, New York Yankees:  Did I mention that shortstop play was terrible in the AL this season?  Well, it just got worse.  Jeter has won four Gold Gloves, he didn't deserve any.  He has no range to his right, can barely throw across the infield, and makes a good amount of errors.  Remember that snub to Vizquel I mentioned earlier?  They snubbed him for Jeter.  It wasn't like shortstop play in the field was terrible in the AL this season, it just wasn't that good.  Jeter will probably win his fifth Gold Glove this season.  He should be winning his first.

Outfielders:  Ah, the dilemma.  To name three center fielders?  To name one left fielder, one center fielder, and one right fielder?  I usually opt for center fielders, but this time I'm making a well-deserved compromise.  CF Vernon Wells of the Toronto Blue Jays, CF Franklin Gutierrez of the Seattle Mariners, and RF Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays all turned in flawless seasons in the outfield in the AL this season.  Wells and Gutierrez are no-doubters.  I wouldn't normally vote for a player like Zobrist, a natural infielder-turned utility player-turned outfielder.  But he didn't make any errors this season.

Pitcher:  RHP Jerad Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:  When I went looking for the link for Weaver's profile I scrolled to the bottom of the Angels' roster.  Did you know that there are three people lower alphabetically than Weaver on the Angels' roster?  After scrolling all the way down, I had to move my cursor four slots up.  All that to name the best fielding pitcher in the AL.  He didn't make any errors.

Coming Tomorrow:  American League Hank Aaron Award Winner

   

Yankees 6, Rangers 5

Submitted by:  Dan

Game one of the American League Championship Series got under way last night in Arlington, Texas.  The Rangers played host to the New York Yankees (the Bombers had a better record but are the fourth-ceded team in the AL because they won the Wild Card) in the first playoff game there in ten years.  The Rangers had some bad news from the beginning, as New York has dominated Texas in postseason play (although none of the players on the current Rangers roster were there the last time the two teams met in the postseason).  More bad news came to the Rangers as LHP Cliff Lee was unavailable to start game one due to pitching game five of the American League Division Series.

It was a different story for the Yankees.  They've dominated Texas in the postseason (and four Yankees were there the last time these two teams met in the postseason), LHP C. C. Sabathia was available to start game one, and the Yankees were unbeaten in postseason play in 2010.  The only negative surrounding this team was the six-day layoff between their sweep of the Minnesota Twins and the start of the ALCS.

The game started on a promising note for Texas, as LHP C. J. Wilson turned the Yankees away scoreless in the top of the first.  Things were not as promising for Sabathia.  After allowing base hits to SS Elvis Andrus and 3B Michael Young, CF Josh Hamilton ripped a three run homer to give the Rangers a quick early lead.

It looked like three runs might be all the cushion Wilson would need.  He's not Lee, but the rest of the AL is starting to find out how good this guy actually is.  He baffled the Yankees for six innings, dominating their lineup like few pitchers have this season.  In between, the Rangers added a couple of more runs when C Matt Treanor and Andrus scored on a two-run double by Young.  That made it 5-0 Texas.

The Yankees got on the board in the seventh when 2B Robinson Cano hit a solo home run.  But Wilson stopped the damage there.

Then everything fell apart in the eighth.  LF Brett Gardner hit an infield single to lead off the inning, barely beating Wilson to the bag on a ball fielded by 1B Jorge Cantu with a headfirst slide.  Wilson followed that up by allowing a more traditional single to SS Derek Jeter.  Manager Ron Washington then went to his 'pen.  With RF Nick Swisher and 1B Mark Teixera due up (Swisher a switch-hitter and weaker batting righthanded and Teixera left-handed) Washington opted to bring in LHP Darren Oliver, his most trusted southpaw.  Oliver responded by walking both batters, the second walk bringing in Gardner with New York's second run.  With 3B Alex Rodriguez due up, Washington went with RHP Darren O'Day, a submarine-arming right-handed specialist.  O'Day threw one pitch which A-Rod turned into a two-run single, scoring both Jeter and Swisher to narrow the margin to 5-4.  Then, with Cano due up and runners on first and second, Washington went with LHP Clay Rapada.  Rapada threw one pitch which Cano laced for a single, scoring Teixera to tie the game at five.  Both O'Day and Rapada only lasted long enough to throw one pitch each.  Washington then brought in LHP Derek Holland with DH Marcus Thames due up.  Holland was the fifth pitcher Texas used in the inning.  None of the previous four had recorded an out.  Thames responded by hitting a broken-bat RBI single to score A-Rod and give the Yankees a one-run lead.  Holland then rebounded to retire the Yankees without allowing any further runs and went onto pitch a scoreless ninth, but the damage was done. 

RHP Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth to record the save for the Yanks and preserve the 6-5 victory.  Sabathia will have a lot to think about before his next start, as he lasted only four innings and allowed five earned runs.  RHP Dustin Moseley earned the win in relief by pitching two scoreless innings.  RHP Kerry Wood earned a hold in the victory.  Wilson pitched seven innings and was charged with three earned runs, two of which came into score after Wilson yielded to the bullpen.  He received a no-decision.  O'Day was charged with the loss, as he allowed A-Rod to reach base who eventually came around to score the game-winning run.

It will be curious to see how Texas responds after imploding in the eighth.  They play game two in Arlington today at 4:00 PM.  RHP Colby Lewis is set to start beside RHP Phil Hughes.  Hughes has the best run support in the AL, so Lewis will try to stymie what should prove to be an overly potent offense.

Note:  The Rangers loaded their pitching staff with left-handers for the ALCS, apparently with the belief that New York would be susceptible to lefthanded pitching.  Four of the five Texas pitchers in the disastrous eighth inning were lefthanded.

American League Silver Slugger Award Winners

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

The American League Silver Slugger Award is awarded to the best hitters in the AL at eight of the nine positions and a ninth award is given to the the League's best DH (it would be pretty stupid to give an award to a pitcher in the AL in spite of Interleague Play).  Selection of Silver Slugger Award winners in the AL have not been as ridiculous as Gold Glove Award winners have over the past two decades, but some mistakes have definitely been made.  It is easy to see why.  What is "the best hitter at each position?"  Is it the best hitter?  Or is it the best home run hitter?  The voting rules do not specify, and voters seem to be split over how the award should be voted on.  I scoffed at first, but after thinking all day about my decisions, I came to realize that picking the best hitter at each position is pretty hard, at least in the AL in 2010 (I had to decide between two players at all but two positions).  In all but two situations, I will name the runner up in my explanation (those two explanations were the only positions where there weren't two potential winners). 

The choices were far from obvious and are probably the most debatable of my picks, but here are my 2010 AL Silver Slugger Award Winners:

Catcher:  Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins.  Some would say that Mauer regressed horribly in 2010, hitting only nine home runs and producing 75 RBIs.  But he still batted .327 and led all AL catchers with 88 runs scored.  Bottom line is that he’s still the best hitting catcher in the American League.  Props to Victor Martinez of the Boston Red Sox.

First Base:  Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers.  A lot of people forgot about Miguel Cabrera late in the season after Detroit stopped playing good baseball.  But his end of the year numbers don’t lie:  A .328 batting average, 111 runs scored, 38 home runs, and 126 RBIs, which led the AL.  Props to Mark Teixera of the New York Yankees.

Second Base:  Robinson Cano, New York Yankees.  This wasn’t much of a competition.  Robinson Cano led all AL second basemen in batting average, runs, hits, home runs, RBIs, and was tied for the league lead in doubles among second basemen.

Third Base:  Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees.  A-Rod catches a lot of flack around the league.  He has a huge ego, gets a lot of attention, has been criticized for his play in the clutch, is surrounded by over paid All-Stars, has been involved in numerous scandals, and is an admitted cheater.  None of that stops him from being the best third baseman in the AL.  It didn’t take a whole lot.  30 home runs and 125 RBIs sets him apart from the rest of the league.  Props to Michael Young of the Texas Rangers.

Shortstop:  Derek Jeter, New York Yankees.  Talk about a total buzzkill.  Shortstop play in the American League this year was pretty intolerable.  Who led AL shortstops in batting average?  Alexei Ramirez, at .282.  The award goes to Derek Jeter who was one of four standouts at the position this season.  The others – Elvis Andrus, Erick Aybar, and Cliff Pennington – are base stealers.  Jeter scored 111 runs.  He benefits from sitting atop the Yankee lineup and playing in their miniscule stadium, but those are his benefits to reap.  Props to Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers, I guess.

Outfielders:  In many ways, picking the three outfielders is the hardest choice.  Are we to pick one left fielder, one center fielder, and one right fielder?  Or are we to simply pick the three best hitting outfielders?  I opt for the latter, although I admit I may be wrong in doing so.  This was a little easier to pick than other positions at the same time, though, because there weren't six deserving winners (this being the second occasion where I couldn't find a runner up for one of the winners; I also couldn't justify naming a runner up to Cano at second base).  Jose Bautista was an easy choice.  He hit 54 home runs for the surprise Blue Jays and also chipped in with 124 RBIs and 109 runs scored.  Delmon Young finished 33 homers shy of Bautista’s total, but he batted .298 and knocked in 112 runs in his own right, all while playing in spacious Target Field.  Carl Crawford batted .307, scored 110 runs, and stole 47 bases for Tampa Bay, behind only Juan Pierre and Rajai Davis and tied with Brett Gardner in the AL.  Crawford also pitched in with 19 homers and 90 runs batted in.  Props to Austin Jackson of the Detroit Tigers and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.

Designated Hitter:  Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers:  The Designated Hitter position is about offense only.  There was a time when all 14 teams in the AL could center a lineup around their star DH.  Those days are past, as only two DH’s in the AL got to the 100-RBI plateau.  Vladimir Guerrero batted .300 with 29 home runs and 115 RBIs and was the center of his lineup in Arlington with the surprising Texas Rangers.  Props to David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox.

Coming Tomorrow:  American League Gold Glove Award Winners  

American League Delivery Man of the Year

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

Today's Pick:  American League Delivery Man of the Year

The American League Delivery Man of the Year is the award given to the league's best relief pitcher.  There are some notable relief pitchers this season.  RHP Rafael Soriano led the league in saves, RHP Joakim Soria turned in a 40-save season, RHP Neftali Feliz had a sensational rookie season, RHP Mariano Rivera was his usual self, and quite a few pitchers had sub-2.00 ERAs and save percentages of 90 % of better.

All are worthy candidates, but the American League Delivery Man of the Year should be:

RHP Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics:  Bailey notched 25 saves for second-place Oakland (81-81) despite missing a month in late July and August with an injury.  He led all AL closers in ERA and posted an impressive 89.3% save percentage.  Plus, he's more important in the Bay Area than Soriano in Tampa Bay, Feliz in the Dallas Metroplex, and Rivera in the Bronx.  Soria is big in Kansas City, but Bailey's A's are better and the saves are more important.   It was Bailey which allowed Oakland to trade Huston Street for Matt Holliday.  He has been a beast in the bullpen since his Rookie of the Year campaign and is deserving of recognition.

Coming Tomorrow:  American Silver Slugger Award Winners

American League Rookie of the Year

Submitted by:  Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will continue in the American League.

Today's Pick:  American League Rookie of the Year

There wasn't much variety in the AL Rookie of the Year race this season.  Basically, it comes down to the age-old question.  Hitting or pitching?  More specifically hitting or relief pitching?  It is not an easy choice to make.  In most situations, this is an organizational decision.  A team built on pitching and defense would prefer the closer (ideally), and the team built on offense would prefer the hitter.  Still, every juggernaut offensive team needs a closer (see Mariano Rivera with the New York Yankees) and every team built on pitching needs enough offense to score some runs (see the 2010 New York Mets, or better yet, don't).

But this decision is not as easily reached when considering Rookie of the Year candidates, unless of course both the pitcher and the hitter are on the same team.  In that situation, a voter could weigh organizational philosophy in his or her vote.  In most situations, though, a voter must rely on a different kind of philosophy.  His or her own regarding Rookie of the Year voting.  My personal philosophy is that, when considering Rookie of the Year candidates, position players and hitters have the edge, if only because they're pretty much guaranteed to play everyday. 

So let's talk about this year's AL Rookie of the Year.  But first, let's take a look at some other worthy candidates.

1.  RHP Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers:  Texas was so desperate to find some degree of stability at the closer’s position that they opted for a closer by committee scenario – including RHP Frank Francisco and LHP C. J. Wilson – hoping to find a reliable ninth-inning man.  However, a consistent and reliable back end of the bullpen proved to be a hot commodity for Texas as no one in the Dallas Metroplex could seem to record a save.  It looked like saves could be even more elusive for Texas after Wilson was moved to the rotation.  That all changed when RHP Neftali Feliz, groomed in the minors as a starter, stepped up and slammed the door for 40 saves.

2.  LF Brennan Boesch, Detroit Tigers:  Brennan Boesch also had an impressive rookie year, leading all AL Rookies in home runs and RBI, but his overall season was well below the standards set by his teammate Austin Jackson.

I may have given away my choice for AL Rookie of the Year by talking about Boesch, but with further adieu, onto the AL Rookie of the Year:

CF Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers:  Austin Jackson led AL Rookies in most categories, including hits, batting average, and an impressive 27 stolen bases all while playing superb defense at Comerica Park for Detroit.  Perhaps most impressive, though, is the 113 runs that Jackson scored in his rookie campaign.

Coming Tomorrow:  American League Delivery Man of the Year

Labels:  MLB Awards

Make It Stop!

Submitted By: Ace

Can we please talk stop talking about this? My question goes out to the media, the ESPN’s and HLN’s of the world. Over the last week or so you’ve made the Favre “sexting scandal” you’re top story. Why? Do you really have nothing else to talk about? As a life long Brett Favre fan I’d like to give you my thoughts on this whole situation. This story first broke on Deadspin.com, not the most credible of media sources in my opinion. If you’ve ever explored their website you know that their main focus is on sports gossip and humorous stories. You would think major media outlets would do some fact checking before running with this story, but I guess not, just ask Fox News.  Do I believe that Favre sent explicit messages and photos to Jenn Sterger? Probably. Look at her, I could see why he would be interested. He wouldn’t be the first professional athlete to cheat on his wife. Was it wrong? Of course, we’re talking about sexual harassment here, but it’s not the end of the world. I’ll let the media continue to speculate on whether Favre will be punished by the league, but I don’t think he will, there’s really no proof he did anything. Isn’t it convenient though? This story breaks a week before the Vikings play the Jets in NY on Monday Night Football. Jenn Sterger hosts a struggling TV show, “The Daily Line” on Verses. This story has brought a ton of free publicity to Sterger, the Jets, and MNF. I’ll leave the conspiracies for our friend Pete Tomaino, but it makes you wonder. I have one request for the media. Please move on, we don’t need to ruin another professional athlete’s life over hearsay and speculation. Do your job, report on the facts.

American League Manager of the Year

Submitted By: Dan

The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made.  LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason.  All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew.  Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks.  We will begin in the American League.

Today's Pick:  American League Manager of the Year

There could be a variety of choices for American League Manager of the Year this season.  Some would be partial to Joe Maddon, whose Tampa Bay Rays finished the 2010 season with the best record in the American League and an AL East division crown.  Others may be more inclined to pick Joe Girardi, who feel that his managing of the New York Yankees in September made them better prepared for the Postseason and, thus, better prepared to repeat in the World Series.  Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins always seems to make something out of nothing in the cold and frozen north and is a worthy candidate.  One may even go with Cito Gaston and his surprising Toronto Blue Jays.

But the best answer for AL Manager of the Year is Ron Washington.  Washington's Rangers provided a typical high-octane offense but managed to couple it with strong pitching from former closer C. J. Wilson, Nippon Professional Baseball star Cobly Lewis and midseason acquisition Cliff Lee. Washington seemed to survive everything this year, from the troubled sale of his team to a cocaine scandal. It helped that the rest of the division was terrible, but Washington earned the title. He's an easy choice.

The sale of the team was probably the biggest bump in the road for Washington.  The on-field product was solid and Washington's failed drug test went off the radar like a blip during the Cold War.  Tom Hicks, owner of the financially-strapped Hicks Sports Group (which includes the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars), wanted to sell the team to a group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan for a reported $525 million.  However, team creditors (who gained control of the franchise after Hicks declared bankruptcy) refused to sell to Ryan because a second group of potential buyers had offered more money than Ryan's group.  It is easy to perceive the sale from the side of the creditors.  Hicks wants to sell the team to Ryan out of some sense of failure.  Ryan, a former Ranger, had previously taken a front office position with Texas and took control of the reins of the organization, which had seem doomed since the signing of IF Alex Rodriguez in 2001.  Ryan immediately changed the focus of the organization to pitching; namely abandoning the 100-pitch pitch count and preaching stamina and accumulating innings pitched to his minor league starting pitchers.  After lengthy court proceedings, a federal judge eventually sided with the creditors over Hicks.  The sale eventually went to auction, which is exceptionally rare in MLB. 

The last time this happened was in 2001 with the Montreal Expos.  The Expos were never purchased, and eventually became funded by the 29 other teams in MLB.  This culminated in the eventual contraction of the Expos and the relocation of MLB's 30th franchise to Washington, D. C.  Given the struggles and distractions surrounding the team and Washington's ability to guide his team through all of this turmoil, it is hard to choose any other candidate for AL Manager of the Year.

Note:  With Strolling Nolan still squarely in the picture in Texas, a winning Rangers team may not be a surprising thing to see in the future.  In fact, ten years from now, they may be the ultimate American League powerhouse.

Coming Tomorrow:  American League Rookie of the Year 

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