A Second Serving
I just finnished reading Remembering the Montreal Expos by Danny Gallagher and Bill Young. It took me through the rich history of the Montreal Expos and deep into their later years. I found it weird is how much it made me think of the Toronto Blue Jays and their unpredictable future.
In the final years of the Expos, an art dealer named Jeffery Loria purchased the franchise and promised to save it from the relocation rumors. He tried to get a stadium built in downtown Montreal, but failed and ultimately ran off to the Florida Marlins with Montreal’s superb scouts and brand new spring training facility. This guy is a donkey in my books because he took anything left of value in Montreal south to Miami and left Bud Selig and Major League Baseball as the owners of the Expos, which could have only meant contraction or relocation of the Expos.
It scares me thinking back to the Expos final years and comparing them to the present-day Toronto Blue Jays, but if you really break it down, they are quite similar:
1 Loria purchases the Expos promising that he will save the franchise – Rogers Communications purchased the Jays the summer of 2000, however I trust Rogers more because they are able to fund an entire franchise and increase the teams budget at their own expense when requested.
2 Montreal trades away long time ace and fan favorite Pedro Martinez for top prospects (Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr.) who don’t live up to expectations – Toronto Trades Roy Halladay for Kyle Drabek, Travis D’Arnaud, and Brett Wallace, we have yet to see how these prospects turnout but I am hoping for the best.
3 Expos home, Olympic Stadium better known as the Big Oops or the Big Owe, begins to fall apart – The Jays’ home, Rogers Center has yet to have any big construction errors revealed and I doubt it has any. I consider Rogers Center a great feat for the City of Toronto and one of the best stadiums of it’s time. However, it is now sub par to the likes of PNC Park, Petco Park, New Yankee Stadium, really almost any other MLB park.
4 Expos set league lows for attendance – Well, Toronto isn’t near that, although they are in the bottom 10 for season attendance annually. Look for the Jays to be in the bottom 5 this year.
It is a scary thought when It comes to the Jays leaving. I am a Tigers fan but I like the Blue Jays, I feel that I have to. Really with the Jays, it’s a matter of whether you look at the glass half empty or half full. Baseball just isn’t as popular in Canada as it used to be, Toronto just needs another ’92 and they will be set. I really like what Jays rookie GM Alex Anthopoulos is doing with the team, building for the future around current stars Adam Lind and Aaron Hill with high ceiling prospects and international talent. He has the right idea, I’m just hoping that his plan comes through.
Things are looking up for the Blue Jays and by 2011/2012, look for them to be at the top of the American League East with the Yankees and Red Sox.
Goodbye for now, and thanks for reading.
Mike
Game Over
When Guns N’ Roses played through the speakers and ‘Game Over’ flashed on the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium during the early 2000′s, it meant that Eric Gagne was making his way to the mound. This also meant that the Dodgers had just won because whoever was going up to the plate against him didn’t stand a chance. Gagne was the best pitcher to have in the back of your bullpen, but that status didn’t last.
Eric Gagne played 2009 with the Quebec Capitales of the Canadian American League of Professional Baseball. The Canadian American League of Professional Baseball or Can-Am League has six teams located in Quebec City, QE Brockton, MA Pittsfield, MA Worcester, MA Augusta, NJ and Little Falls, NJ. The quality of play in the Can-Am League is comparable to that of AA Baseball. The quality of play wasn’t a factor when Gagne signed with Quebec last May. Because Gagne had little success finding a suitable contract offer from a MLB club that off season, he signed with Quebec to get playing time. Signing with them also gave him the opportunity to live near his hometown of Mascouche, Quebec, and train to become a starting pitcher, one of his ambitions sense signing as one with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 1995.
With little success as a starter for Los Angeles, Gagne was converted to a relief pitcher, a role that allowed him to achieve the status of a dominate pitcher. Gagne made his relief debut at the beginning of the 2002 MLB season, from there he quickly took over the Los Angeles’ closer role. He soon became the National League’s best closer earning 52 saves in the 2002 season. Gagne then went on to have an even better 2003 campaign earning 55 saves on 55 opportunities, he became the fastest ever pitcher to reach the 100 save mark.
One reason why Gagne was so great was because of his strikeout numbers. Out of the batters he retired in 2003, 55% were sent back to the dugout by strikeout. Gagne would blow his near 100 mph fastball by hitters as a set up for his net pitch – ‘The Vulcan’ which was Gagne’s 75 mph changeup. Gagne won the 2003 Cy Young Award the Rolaids Relief Man Award.
After his ascension to the top, Gagne’s career started to go down hill. Suffering from many injuries, Gagne left the Dodgers after 2006 and played the next two years with Texas, Boston, and Milwaukee. After leaving the Brewers as a free agent after the 2008 season, Gagne failed to sign a Major League contract and ended up playing in the Can-Am Independent League. However, Gagne’s MLB career may not be finished yet. The Los Angeles Dodgers have apparently been scouting Gagne and are considering bringing him back on a minor league deal, and I think that would be awesome. Gagne would get to play for the team he loves so much and I think that Dodgers fans still like him too. Anyone remember the 2009 NLDS between St. Louis and the Dodgers? I think it was game two in Los Angeles and the scoreboard showed Eric Gagne who was in attendance. He received a standing ovation from the crowd as ‘Game Over’ flashed on every screen around Dodger Stadium. I thought that was really cool, and very classy of the fans at that game.
It would be great if Gagne could make a return to Dodger Blue, especially for someone like me who loves seeing guys who have been side tracked by injuries or bad performance make it back to the show.
Goodbye for now, and thanks for reading.
Mike
Hope and Disappointment
I’m sure that most of you remember the 2007/2008 MLB off season and the impact the Detroit Tigers made. The Tigers were coming off of two respectable seasons, one of which (2006) got them an American League title, but neither took them all the way. After having the best record in MLB at the 2007 All-Star Break, but finishing 8.0 Games behind the Cleavland Indians at the end of the season, Detroit’s front office thought that something needed to be done.
Tigers Management explored the Trade Market that off season and made some big splashes. They acquired Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from Florida, and Edgar Renteria from the Atlanta Braves. With these trades, the 2008 Tigers were going to look something like this:
C – Ivan Rodriguez
1B – Carlos Guillen
2B – Placido Polanco
SS – Edgar Renteria
3B – Miguel Cabrera
RF – Magglio Ordonez
CF – Curtis Granderson
LF – Jacques Jones
DH – Gary Sheffield
SP – Justin Verlander
SP – Dontrelle Willis
SP – Jeremy Bonderman
SP – Nate Robertson
SP – Kenny Rogers
In 2008, That line up was insane. This team was going to play over .600, no problem, but that never happened. Instead, the Tigers opened the season 0-7 and never recovered. At times, the team played a couple games over .500, but that wasn’t enough. Dontrelle Willis ended up on the DL and in the Minors, Jacques Jones was released, Edgar Renteria failed to hit and play defense, and fan favorite – Ivan Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees in late July.
A dreadful year for the Tigers, one that the Tigers are still suffering from. Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, Carlos Guillen, and Jeremy Bonderman are taking up over $40 million of our payroll and it has put Tigers management in a little situation. So, the Tigers traded away All-Stars Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson this off season in an effort to reduce payroll that is mostly taken up by players like Willis and Robertson. On the other side of these trades, Jair Jurrjens maintained the 5th lowest ERA in the Majors for Atlanta, and Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller are both about to crack the Marlins roster.
What I really don’t understand is how Detroit has this payroll problem that would make them unable to resign Fernando Rodney and Brandon Lyon and have trade away Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, but they are okay to go on and sign closer Jose Valverde for 2yr/$14m. Interesting moves that I am not happy about, but maybe it better all part of a bigger plan that will make the Tigers a winner.
Goodbye for now, and thanks for reading.
Mike
Dawson prefered the Cubs
This Summer, Andre Dawson will be inducted into The National Baseball Hall of Fame. He will go in as a Montreal Expo, who he played for 1976 – 1986. However, Dawson was disappointed by the Hall’s decision to put him in as an Expo, he complained saying he would have preferred being inducted as a Chicago Cub.
“I’m disappointed” Dawson said on Wednesday “I can proudly say that because Chicago was my preference.”
I can see why. The owners of Montreal didn’t treat him well near the end of his time as an Expo, but I think that Dawson should be respectful of the organization that developed and let him play for so many years, and I don’t feel that he had to be so vocal about wanting to go in as a Cub. It was said that Dawson even considered wearing a Cubs hat to an interview. Good thing he didn’t, because that would have been a bit overboard. I respect his decision to want to go in as a Chicago Cub, they were a team he loved playing for so much, but what he said is still offensive to the remaining Montreal Expos fans.
I think it is great that The Hawk will be wearing an Expos cap, of course that is a biased opinion and any Cubs fans will debate that he should go in as a Cub seeing that he won an MVP award in Chicago. However, Andre Dawson going is as an Expo insures that the history of the Montreal Expos lives on, and I think that is what the people in Cooperstown want. On July 25, 2010 he will join fellow Expo Gary Carter as a member of The National Baseball Hall of Fame. I plan to be there, and I hope to get his autograph on my Montreal Expos cap.
In this entry, I mean no disrespect to Andre Dawson or the Cubs. Mr. Dawson has the right to an opinion of what hat he wants to wear in Cooperstown, but I feel that he has forgot about us Expos fans. Just because the team has left Montreal doesn’t mean the fans went with it.
Goodbye for now, and thanks for reading.
Mike
Who will patrol the Outfield at Comerica?
Now that the Tigers have solved their biggest problem this off season by signing a closer in Jose Valverde, I think it is time they move on to their outfield dilemma. There is only one definite lock for an outfield position on the 2010 Detroit Tigers roster, and that is Magglio Ordonez. With Maggs in right field, There are plenty of candidates for the center and left field positions within the organization, including Austin Jackson, Carlos Guillen, Casper Wells, Ryan Raburn, Wilkin Ramirez, Casper Wells, and Clete Thomas. If you take out Carlos Guillen, who will most likely play DH, and Austin Jackson, who is a favorite for center field, there are no standouts for a starting left fielder. Instead of putting in Clete Thomas or Ryan Raburn (who both had experience playing the position last season) and leaving nothing for Austin Jackson to fall back on in case he doesn’t preform, I believe Detroit should look at getting a corner outfielder via trade or free agent signing.
I thought Ryan Church would be a good, affordable fit but the Pittsburgh Pirates signed him. The idea of trading for Tampa’s B.J. Upton also came to mind, but he underperformed last year, and that would most likely scare off the Tigers GM. So, I looked through the remaining free agents and I saw Rocco Baldelli. Now, I’d love to see Baldelli as a Tiger.
Baldelli hasn’t been an everyday player since 2006 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Back then, Baldelli was a very good player, and I think the Tigers signing him would be a good move that would come cheap. If Baldelli were to be played in left every day, he may regain these stats:
Rocco Baldelli stats 2003 – 2006:
2003 – 156 G, .289 AVG, 11 HR, 76 RBI, 27 SB, .989 Fld%
2004 – 136 G, .280 AVG, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 17 SB, .988 Fld%
2005 – Baldelli did not play the 2005 MLB season.
2006 – 92 G, .302 AVG, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 10 SB, .979 Fld%
Those are some good stats, perfect for a lead-off or #2 hitter, both of which Detroit desperately needs. Even if Rocco doesn’t play as good as he did in those years, we wouldn’t have blown millions on him. He signed at only $500 000 with the Red Sox last year, in that case, signing Rocco Baldelli would be a risk I’m willing to take.
Mike
What happened to Dontrelle Willis?
In this entry, I will talk about one of the many stories that contributed to the failure of the 2008 Tigers, the downfall of Dontrelle Willis.
When you heard the name Dontrelle Willis back in his days with the Marlins, you instantly thought Ace Pitcher, Great Personality, Winner, and mostly positive thoughts. Now you think Anxiety Issue, Overpaid, Loser, all negative, and those thoughts make me sad. I have always been a Dontrelle Willis fan, ever sense I saw him pitch against the Expos at Olympic Stadium back in 2003. That season was a great for the D-Train, he won the NL ROTY and a World Series Ring.
Dontrelle Willis’ pitching stats 2003 – 2005:
2003 – 14 W, 6 L, 160.2 IP, 3.30 ERA, 142 K (NL ROTY)
2004 - 10 W, 11 L, 197.0 IP, 4.02 ERA, 139 K
2005 – 22 W,10 L, 236.1 IP, 2.63 ERA, 170 K (NL Cy Young Runner-up)
As you can see, those are some good statistics. He became a fan favorite in Florida with his great personality and interesting pitching style. He also earned a spot at the top of the Marlins rotation after the departure of Josh Beckett to the Red Sox, and Carl Pavano to the Yankees. But after Willis’ 2005, Cy Young caliber season, his statistics slowly declined.
Dontrelle Willis’ pitching stats 2006 – 2007:
2006 – 12 W, 12 L, 223.1 IP, 3.87 ERA, 160 K
2007 – 10 W, 15 L, 205.1 IP, 5.17 ERA, 146 K
Not as good as the stats he put up in 2003 – 2005, but still respectable when playing on a team as young as the Marlins were in 2006 and 2007. However, Dontrelle Willis departed that off-season with fellow teammate Miguel Cabrera. They went to the Tigers, a team that was assembling a lineup for 2008 so threatening that the pitchers wouldn’t have to be that good, considering the run support they were projected to get. However many players on that 2008 Tigers Squad either under preformed or were placed on the DL, and Willis fit into that category, spending time on the DL and playing for the Tigers single-A affiliate in Lakeland, Florida. Willis finished the 2008 campaign with these stats:
Dontrelle Willis’ pitching stats 2008:
2008 – 0 W, 2 L, 24.0 IP, 9.38 ERA, 18 K
So how did one of the best pitchers in MLB turn into a pitcher with such dreadful stats? That is a question that Tigers fans may never know. But Dontrelle went on to work with new Tigers pitching coach Rick Knapp during the following off season and got a lot of work in during spring training before the season started, however he started the 2009 campaign on the DL. He made his return to the mound in May, 2009 versus the Twins and went on to pitch 4.2 innings giving up four runs, respectable numbers, good enough to stay in the rotation for another start which came against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers were on a 9 game winning streak at that time, but In that game Willis shut them down. The D-Train looked like him old self, pitching 6.1 scoreless innings to get his first win in almost two years, I was very happy for him and was looking forward to his next start which came against Colorado. Willis only game up only 3 runs but the Tigers bats failed and Willis got the loss. This is where all the progress he had just made was lost. He then went on to lose to Boston, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh and was put on the DL with an anxiety disorder. From there Dontrelle Willis’ 2009 season quickly came to a close.
Dontrelle Willis pitching stats 2009:
2009 – 1 W, 4 L, 33.2 IP, 7.49 ERA, 17 K
So is the career of once masterful pitcher Dontrelle Willis really over at the age of 27? I think not. Look at the stats, if Willis can get on the mound confident, only thinking about pitching, and returns to pitching every fifth game on a team that can support him offensively, he could return to his old form. The trouble is, finding a team that will give him that opportunity. I hope that Detroit gives him that chance this year, and there is space in their rotation. With Willis showing his old form at times last season, I don’t see why not.
Best of luck to you in 2010, D-Train. I’ll always be pulling for ya.
Goodbye for now, and thanks for reading.
Mike
Bring Back Retro Jerseys!
I recently purchased this hat from the NewEra website:
If they were to come back, I’m not saying every team would change their uniform to a different colour. Some clubs that haven’t changed their uniforms drastically for decades (Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Giants, ect.) would keep theirs while other teams would bring back the jerseys they wore during the 1970′s and 1980′s. Heck, the NHL, NBA, and NFL all have coloured jerseys, so why does MLB only have White and Gray? I guess it doesn’t really matter that much, there is worse problems in this sport. It’s just one of the many changes I think would improve Major League Baseball.
Goodbye for now, and thanks for reading.
Mike
Reflecting On The Last Decade In Baseball
Hello, I hope you all had a good holiday season. In this entry, I will look back on some of my favorite and least favorite moments in baseball that occurred in the last decade. I will also look at who the best players in baseball were in that time period.
Favorite moments in baseball 2000 – 2009
-Underdog Arizona Diamondbacks win the World Series in Seven Games vs. the New York Yankees – November 4, 2001
-Montreal Expos are tied with Houston, St. Louis, Florida, and Philadelphia for NL Wild Card Lead – August 28, 2003
-Eric Gagne wins the NL Cy Young Award – Autumn, 2003
-Randy Johnson throws a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves – May 18, 2004
-Boston Red Sox win their first World Series in 86 years with the help of former Expos Pedro Martinez and Orlando Cabrera – October 27, 2004
-Detroit Tigers acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins – December 5, 2007
Least favorite moments in baseball 2000 – 2009
- Montreal media announces that all ’00 Expos games broadcasted over TV and radio will only be in french – Spring, 2000
- Expos officially leave Montreal – December 3, 2004
- Detroit Tigers open the season 0-7 after many predicted a virtually unbeatable 2008 Tigers team – April, 2008
- Tigers Finish in a disappointing 5th after a tough season where many players on the roster either got injured or underperformed – September 30, 2008
- After a nail biting season, the Twins overtake the Tigers in a heart-breaking 163rd game – October 6, 2009
Best baseball players 2000-2009
-Pedro Martinez, SP (Red Sox, Mets, Phillies)
Best Years – 2000 (18 W, 1.74 ERA, 217.0 IP, 284 K) Cy Young Award Winner
2002 (20 W, 2.26 ERA, 199.1 IP, 239 K)
2003 (14 W, 2.22 ERA, 186.2 IP, 206 K)
2005 (15 W, 2.82 ERA, 217.1 IP, 208 K)
-Roy Halladay, SP (Blue Jays)
Best Years – 2002 (19 W, 2.93 ERA, 239.1IP, 168 K)
2003 (22 W, 3.25 ERA, 266.0 IP, 204 K) Cy Young Award Winner
2007 (16 W, 3.71 ERA, 225.1 IP, 139 K)
2008 (20 W, 2.78 ERA, 246.0 IP, 206 K)
2009 (17 W, 2.79 ERA, 239.0 IP, 208 K)
-Mariano Rivera, CP (Yankees)
Best Years – 2001 (50 SV, 57 SVO)
2004 (53 SV, 57 SVO)
2005 (43 SV, 47 SVO)
2009 (44 SV, 46 SVO)
-Randy Johnson, SP (Diamondbacks, Yankees, Giants)
Best Years – 2000 (19 W, 2.64 ERA, 248.2 IP, 347 K) Cy Young Award Winner
2001 (21 W, 2.49 ERA, 249.2 IP, 372 K) Cy Young Award Winner
2002 (24 W, 2.32 ERA, 260.0 IP, 334 K) Cy Young Award Winner
2004 (16 W, 2.60 ERA, 245.0 IP, 290 K)
-Vladimir Guerrero, OF (Expos, Angels)
Best Years – 2000 (.345 AVG, 44 HR, 123 RBI)
2001 (.307 AVG, 34 HR, 108 RBI)
2002 (.336 AVG, 39 HR, 111 RBI)
2004 (.337 AVG, 39 HR, 126 RBI) MVP Award Winner
-Johan Santana, SP (Twins, Mets)
Best Years – 2004 (20 W, 2.61 ERA, 288.0 IP, 265 K) Cy Young Award Winner
2006 (19 W, 2.77 ERA, 233.2 IP, 245 K) Cy Young Award Winner
2007 (16 W, 2.53 ERA, 234.1 IP, 206 K)
-Ichiro Suzuki, OF (Mariners)
Best Years – 2001 (.350 AVG, 8 HR, 69 RBI) MVP Award Winner, ROTY Award Winner
2004 (.372 AVG, 8 HR, 60 RBI)
2007 (.351 AVG, 6 HR, 68 RBI)
2009 (.352 AVG, 11 HR, 46 RBI)
-Derek Jeter, SS (Yankees)
Best Years – 2000 (.339 AVG, 15 HR, 73 RBI)
2003 (.324 AVG, 10 HR, 52 RBI)
2006 (.343 AVG, 14 HR, 97 RBI)
2009 (.334 AVG, 18 HR, 66 RBI)
-Albert Pujols, 1B (Cardina
ls)
Best Years – 2003 (.359 AVG, 43 HR, 124 RBI)
2005 (.330 AVG, 41 HR, 117 RBI) MVP Award Winner
2008 (.357 AVG, 37 HR, 116 RBI) MVP Award Winner
2009 (.327 AVG, 47 HR, 135 RBI) MVP Award Winner
Well, there goes another decade in Major league Baseball. An 86 year-old curse was broken, some dynasties have begun, and many great players have been developed. I can only hope that the next decade in baseball will be as good as the last.
Goodbye for now, and Happy New Year.
Mike
First Entry
This is my first entry, so go easy on me;
I’m going to write about something that has been on my mind despite the World Series approaching quickly – the Toronto Blue Jays and their stadium. I attend many Jays games at Rogers Center during the regular season, and I find the games boring when compared to the other teams I regularly watch in person (Detroit and the Cubs). It is not because of the quality of play, it is because of the stadium. When I’m at Comerica or Wrigley, it feels like a real ball game. You can smell the hot dogs, hear the vendors, see the city skyline behind center field, and it is a feeling that you can get in no other sport. When in Rogers Center, there is too much vacant space, yet you feel crammed in (especially when the roof is closed), and it doesn’t feel like a true ball game.
I think a new stadium should be built in the same area as Rogers Center with the CN Tower in center field. No roof, just heated/air conditioned concourses, tickets would be cheaper in the colder months, flashback Fridays would include retro jerseys and a post-game fireworks show, my ideas are basically endless. Capacity, stadium name, funding, and all that would be up to Rogers but I think this idea would secure the future of the Blue Jays in Canada.
Goodbye for now, and thanks for reading.
Mike
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