That's All, Folks

www.CardinalsFrontOffice.wordpress.com


Well, it's been fun!

Just wanted to let everybody know that FANdemonium Sports may have seen its last days. I started this blog in October of last year, and I think it is time to "call it a day"...

After a good seven months and over 60 articles later, I have decided to bring FANdemonium Sports to an end.

For weeks, I was pondering the thought of possibly creating a new blog... One more centered and not quite as broad as FS. As you all know, I am a HUGE Cardinals fan. Sports are my life, but baseball is my favorite sport, and the St. Louis Cardinals are my favorite team. After reading this article on BloggingTips.com (http://www.bloggingtips.com/2008/10/28/blog-ideas-sports-blog/), my mind was made up. It explains how you want a blog based on something easy to write about and something you can always right about. With FS, it almost seems like a chore writing. With my new blog, Cardinals Front Office, I can think of something to write about and I can write continulously for hours about that subject.

Cardinals Front Office is obviously based on the St. Louis Cardinals, and is not your typical Cardinals blog. At CFO, I take on the role as the Cardinals General Manager, John Mozeliak. My dream is to be a GM. Well, at CFO, I get to take on that illusive role. I discuss issues as though I am the current General Manager, let you know what I would do, and tell you what I would do differently. Stay tuned for my next move!

In a shorter version:
I got tired of the "vagueness" of FS, and decided to create a blog more centered on a certain area. Doing that, I always have something I can write about, and it is just so easy to do.

I think I have done the right thing by switching. Cardinals Front Office has been up and running for four days now, and is doing awesome. The all-time high views/day at FS was 82. Yesterday, CFO ended the day at 73 views.

As I wrap this up, I just want to thank the following people or sites that made up FANdemonium Sports:

Cory Guinn
Lucas Cipkowski
Joseph Kelley
Jakob Kagel
DraftBug.com
CollegeBasketball247.blogspot.com
EnglandHouse.blogspot.com
ALL of the 2430 (and counting) viewers


If you don't mind, go by and check out www.CardinalsFrontOffice.wordpress.com. That is where I will be keeping my work for now.

I put SO much time into this blog, and I loved watching that view-counter rise, but today will likely be FANdemonium Sports' last. Again, thanks.

With that, I quote a famous doctor I know...

"Don't frown because it is over. Smile because it happened."
- Doctor Seuss


Thanks again,
Justin Hulsey

New Anti-Cubs T-Shirt is Out: "Zambrano Mows My Lawn"

Wow.

That's pretty much all there is to say. Wow.

On the day that Carlos Zambrano goes on the DL, and on Cinco De Mayo, this shirt is available to buy. I do not know the specifics, but I hear that the guy who first wore it actually bought it from a street vender, wore it to multiple games, and several fans asked where he got it. Now, to my understanding, you can buy them online. I am sure the guy is making a killing, but that is incredibly racist.

Now, to be honest, I did laugh over it. I won't lie to you about it. Being a die hard Cardinals fan, I laughed at the jab towards Chicago and Zambrano. I DID NOT laugh because I am racist.

With that in mind, I am going to be the first to say I am relatively embarrassed that a fellow Cards fan wore, and sold, this shirt. I hate the Cubs, and Zambrano, but that just crosses the line as far as the Cubs Suck shirts go.

As embarrassingly racist as these t-shirts are, it would be just as ignorant to make the assumption that this type of behavior is typical of the fans of the St. Louis Cardinals. From reading the message boards that talk about this particular shirt, everybody thinks it is wrong. I live Missouri, about 40 miles from Busch Stadium, and you would be stupid to think we are all like this. While there may be Cardinal fans who would buy this shirt, about 85% of us think it is pretty over-the-top.

Cub fans haven't been entirely innocent in the realm of inappropriate T-shirt sales. You'll recall last year's tasteless "Horry Kow" shirts whose arrival corresponded with that of Kosuke Fukudome. Yeah, so I don't want to hear ANYTHING from Flub fans about it.

*comment section below this article, post a review at the bottom of the home page, follow on right sidebar under the article archive, and subscribe by sending me (StLDieHard24@gmail.com) your email*

Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

FANdemoniumSports.blogspot.com

Sunday Debate: Should Steroid Users Be Allowed Into the Hall of Fame?

Welcome to the newest FANdemonium Sports segment. It is called Sunday Debates. Every Sunday, I will think of a hot topic subject in the world of sports. Today’s subject argues one thing. Should MLB players who take steroids be allowed into the Hall of Fame?

So I will debate each point of view and then give you my opinion on the subject.

If you want to view my take on any topic that is suitable for a Sunday Debate, let me know about it. Email me any suggestions (along with anything else you want) at StLDieHard24@gmail.com.

I made a “Sunday Debates” section on the right side of the page under the “It’s FANdemonium, baby!” portion. There you will be able to view all of the Sunday Debates. Let’s get started with the seventh Sunday Debate.
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Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, and Jason Giambi all have a few things in common with each other. Most notable: They are all big-name steroid users that were busted for juicing. What’s interesting though is that all of these guys may be first-ballot Hall of Famers WITHOUT steroids. Take the asterisk off their name, and they are among the best to play. The question is, are these guys in the HoF WITH ‘roids? Here are the best arguments for whatever you think on the subject.

YES- Steroid users should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. After all, which ever way you look at it, these guys changed the game. They shattered records, won multiple World Series, and are known as some of the best to ever play. Some look at Mark McGwire as a savior of the game in the late 90’s. Barry Bonds owns the all-time home run record; the most prestigious record in all of baseball. Like I said before, Roger Clemens would have been regarded as the one of the best pitchers ever. Some things steroids just cannot improve. Steroids or no, they had to have some serious skill to be this good. ‘Roids can’t improve your ability to see the ball, and hit the ball.

Also, we have to realize the fact that not all ‘roid users will be busted. I bet my house that there will be a ‘roider that sneaks into the HoF. With that said, why shouldn’t these guys get in? Unless you can get every steroid user to come forward, maybe we should consider letting these guys in.

There are some specifics we must remember too. For some of these sluggers, these PEDs were not illegal when they were playing. These players had a chance to make there selves better. If they had stuff like this at their demand, should we blame them from trying to win? Let’s not forget that HGH and other PEDs were NOT illegal, and not against MLB rules, when some of these players took them.

NO- Steroid users should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. There’s no sugar-coating it, no grey areas… they cheated. While other players worked and strived to be great, there were guys that were sitting in the locker room with a needle in their ass. It is not fair to the players who worked their entire lives to be good.

Does anybody remember the Pete Rose? One of the greatest hitters ever, and he doesn’t get in for gambling. I personally think Pete Rose should be in the Hall. People gamble every day. Somebody just bet on a baseball game. Can you sit here and tell me that injecting yourself with stuff to artificially make you better is not as bad as gambling? Come on.

Why would you put a cheater of the game into that company? Condoning - or especially rewarding - the use of any banned substance that may provide an advantage for one athlete over another is ethically wrong and has no place for enshrinement.

CASE BY CASE- Steroid users should be viewed at case by case when filling out the Hall of Fame ballot. You cannot, essentially, make a rule that is put into place for every player that is busted. That is like saying you have to hit at least 300 homeruns to be considered for the HoF. It just doesn’t make since.

For example, some say Bonds should get in for how many HRs he hit. He is the all-time homerun hitter and you leave him out of the Hall of Fame?

The manner of which you come clean also factors into it. Alex Rodriguez decided to let it all out after we found out just a couple months ago. Now compare that to Roger Clemons and Big Mac who keep denying it or just doesn’t say anything at all. Wouldn’t you say you have more respect for somebody who regretfully comes clean over somebody who denies it for years? I have a hard time respecting any of these guys, but I would say yes.


We are nearing the end of the tunnel in the Steroid Era. While baseball tries to clean this mess up, I think it is slowing going to end.

I love this game. It is my favorite sport. I would like to think I know quite a bit about sports, but I think my expertise lies in baseball. For me, I just cannot bring myself to say yes to somebody that put a huge dent into the game I love. Think about this… For somebody who destroyed the game we once had, how could we possibly put them alongside the games greatest. No way. End of discussion.

That’s it for this Sunday Debate. Have a good week.




*comment section below this article, post a review at the bottom of the home page, follow on right sidebar under the article archive, and subscribe by sending me (StLDieHard24@gmail.com) your email*

Justin Hulsey
StLDieHard24@gmail.com
FANdemoniumSports.blogspot.com

Should 'Roid Users Be Allowed in Cooperstown?

FANTASY: Who's Hot and Who's Not

We are a few weeks through the MLB season and things are starting to fall into shape. Just like every year, players start the season hot, and some start the season extremely cold. All you can do is hope you drafted right and don’t end up with a bust. The first month of the season is almost over, that means only five left. For some, the end could not come soon enough. Hopefully it’s not that bad, but here are some players you would kill to have on your team right now. As well as some you would kill yourself if you did own them. Not only will I help you out in that aspect, but I will try to explain why they are doing so well or why they are just flat out struggling.

Who’s HOT

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Pujols is just doing his thing. He is hot right now, but the funny thing is that this is just normal Pujols. His team is in first place and he is certainly the catalyst. He has only swung and missed 11 times this year out of 75 ABs already. When you can do that, you rarely strikeout. In fact, Pujols only strikes out in 9% of his at bats. Here are some stunning stats for The Machine: He swings at only 20% of pitches that are out of the zone and 71% when it is a strike. When Albert does swing at a bad pitch, he makes contact 87% of the time! That number is up 12% from 2008. When he swings at strikes, he hits it 93% of the time.
Pujols is doing well…
… because he isn’t missing. If he swings, he will put it in play. That aspect of his game is considerably better than years past (just when we thought he couldn’t improve).

Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
I drafted Braun with my first round pick. It was the fourth pick and considered a reach by some. So far, it looks like I am a genius. One of the reasons I took him was because the real genius, Bill James, predicted a 41 HR season from Braun. Ryan is certainly not disappointing James so far. Braun’s OBP is up 145 points from last year, and brought his OPS up 120 pts. He has a .382 BABIP so far. For those of you unfamiliar with that stat, he has a .382 average when he puts the ball in play. I looked through all these players stats and looked which ones were considerably different from past seasons and the one Braun has that caught my eye was his line-drive percentage. A typical All Star player hits a line-drive 17% of the time. Ryan Braun hits a liner 25% of the time so far.
Braun is doing well…
… because he is making consistent solid contact. Even his outs are hit solid. He is locked in right now.

Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals
In a previous FS post, I said that Greinke had superstar-type potential and my statement is looking prophetic right about now. KC has gotten off to a pretty good start, and Greinke is the one behind it all. His K/9 ratio is up three from last year, he is only averaging one walk per game, and has allowed no home runs so far. He is hitting his spot and doing whatever he wants. Want proof? 48% of his batters have grounded out.
Greinke is doing well…
… because he is locating his pitches. Zach is simply putting it where he wants and, like I’ve always said, a great pitcher beats a great hitter.

Danny Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks
I cringe every time I talk about Haren. If you are not aware, my St. Louis Cardinals traded him a while back when he was a young prospect. The year after, he exploded in his breakout season. A sensitive subject for me to say the least just because how great Haren is. When on, there are only a small handful of pitchers you can even compare to him. He made an interesting decision in the offseason by choosing to use his curve ball again. He dropped it for a couple seasons before using it again this year. 2006 was the last time he used it – his second best win total year. The unfortunate thing about him doing great is the fact that the D’Backs can’t get him a win. He is pounding the mitt, but his team refuses to score for him.
Haren is doing well…
… because he avoiding solid contact. The number of line-drives hits he has had against him is down 5%.


Who's NOT

Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
In Colorado, how can a player struggle? Seriously! They are like 12 miles above sea level. It is like playing baseball on the moon. All you have to do is make contact and the ball soars. Tulo was spectacular last season and everything pointed toward the start of an offensive explosion from the young shortstop. I said all he has to do is hit the ball. Well, he is having a hard time doing that. In 2008 he struck out 15% of his Abs. This season, he strikes out 30% of the time. He strikes out more than he hits safely. Kinda sad.
Tulowitzki is struggling…
… because he won’t take the bat off his shoulders. I mentioned the clip he is striking out at… but the scare thing is that he isn’t even swinging. In 2008, he swung at 45% of the pitches he saw. This season, that number is down 10%.

Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
Wasn’t this dude the Rookie of the Year? Well he hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype. But who are we kidding? That is the definition of a Flubbie, I mean Cubbie. I guess Soto is just going to suck now instead of sucking in only September and October. When he puts the ball in play, he has a .150 average. In his ’08 campaign that number was hovering around .340. Come on, Soto! Yadier Moline is batting over .300, by the way lol. What is even sadder is that he only has 5 line drives so far.
Soto is struggling…
… because he can’t get the ball out of the infield. Surely those coaches in Chicago can fix a simple groundball problem, right? Here is a staggering number for you… Over half of Soto’s at bats have resulted in a groundball out. Woah.

Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins
After Liriano’s unreal second half last season, he came into this season as a legitiment Cy Young candidate. But right now it looks like last year’s first half that got him sent down to AAA ball. His breakout season was in 2006 and it’s obvious he is not doing the same things as his 12-3, 2.16 ERA season. In ’06 he pitched 43% fastballs, 38% sliders, and 19% changeup. So far this year he has pitched 61% fastball, 27% slider, and 11% changeup. So basically he is an entirely different pitcher. The numbers do not lie. Out of all the batters that have got a hit off of him, 22% of them hit a liner into the outfield.
Liriano is struggling…
… because he is relying too much on his fastball, he is not using his best pitch – the slider – like he should be, and is simply making bad decisions. The pitching coach has to be aware of these numbers. I don’t understand why he hasn’t said lay off the fastball and throw that slider.

CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
Heading into draft time, I kept saying Lincecum over Sabathia and everybody thought I was an idiot. Well, not so much. While Lincecum is destroying everything in his path, Sabathia is having a hard time doing anything. He may have sat down all the batters he faced last season, but he is only averaging 3 Ks per outing so far. With that you look at how many guys he has walked, but it is no alarming stat there. This leads me to believe he is just throwing hit-able pitches. He has a similar problem to Liriano. Like I said with Liriano, he was relying way to much on his heater. While he isn’t throwing as many as FL is, Sabathia is still throwing 8% more than last year. I don’t know if you have played baseball yourself, but fastball is generally the easiest to hit. Let’s think this one through… It is the only pitch that is straight. It doesn’t matter how fast it is, it doesn’t move.
Sabathia is struggling…
… because he has been watching Francisco Liriano pitch. Liriano doesn’t lay off that fastball, and neither does Mr. Sabathia. CC needs to chill out, look at what worked last year, and try that. Something is out of whack, and he needs to figure that out before he is killed by Yankee fans.


If you are, unfortunately, an owner of CC, Liriano, Tulo, or Soto, don’t freak out and trade trade trade. Sit them for a week or two and see what happens. A lot of fantasy owners see a big-name player having a hard time and trade them, or even drop them. A month later, they are on this list under WHO’S HOT. Some of the biggest mistakes I have made as a fantasy owner are with this. Trust me; you will kick yourself all the way up to September.

Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com
FANdemoniumSports.blogspot.com

Sunday Debate: Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, or Hanley Ramirez?

Welcome to the newest FANdemonium Sports segment. It is called Sunday Debates. Every Sunday, I will think of a hot topic subject in the world of sports. Today’s subject argues one thing. Who is the best baseball player on the planet? So I will show and analyze some of the top candidates and then give you, what I think is, the best baseball has to offer.If you want to view my take on any topic that is suitable for a Sunday Debate, let me know about it. Email me any suggestions (along with anything else you want) at StLDieHard24@gmail.com.I will make a “Sunday Debates” section on the right side of the page under the “It’s FANdemonium, baby!” section. There you will be able to view all of the Sunday Debates. Let’s get started with the fourth Sunday Debate.
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Who is the best overall baseball player in Major League Baseball? Notice something… I do not say the word “fantasy” once in that question. This has nothing to do with fantasy baseball, but everything to do with overall play. Although, honestly, I would take the same player with the #1 pick in my fantasy draft.

Different from past Sunday Debates, this one is a little more close-minded. When debating this topic, there are very few players that fit the description. You may get a career year here and there from decent players, but I am looking for consistency. I want the guy that you KNOW will put in the staggering numbers and lead his team to victory.

Even with Alex Rodriguez’s injury (probably is back early-May), I think he is part of the three-man discussion. After all, he may very well be the man that takes over Bonds’ spot atop the career HR list. Sure, he can’t win in October, and we ALL know that he roided… but can you honestly tell me that he is not one of the top-three players in the Majors?

Realistically, there are only a few players you can even mention in this debate. You have many great players along way that include Ryan Bruan, Jose Reyes, Rollins, Hamilton, etc, etc, etc… but there are three men that stand out. I don’t want give anything away but the initials are Hanley Ramirez, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez. Let’s do work.

Looking at stats, it may be misleading with Ramirez being substantially younger than the other two, and ARod being substantially older than both Han Ram and AP. The only way to make it close to fair would be to get a 162-game average. You gotta take a peek and here’s what we got:

Rodriguez: .306 AVG, 127 RBIs, 191 hits, 22 SBs, .578 SLG, .967 OPS, 3 MVPs
Pujols: .335 AVG, 128 RBIs, 200 hits, 6 SBs, .624 SLG, 1.050 OPS, 2 MVPs
Ramirez: .309 AVG, 73 RBIs, 199 hits, 47 SBs, .528 SLG, .908 OPS, 0 MVPs

Looking at those, it appears as if Pujols has the best numbers. The only weak part there for El Hombre, is his stolen bases. Ramirez and Rodriguez have him beat pretty well there, but he dominates the rest of the field on the hitting stats. I think when it is all said and done, both Pujols and Ramirez will both accumulate more MVPs than ARod. Speaking of stats, Pujols had better numbers yesterday than the entire KC Royals team has had over the course of the season! LOL

When I break these kinds of comparisons down, I like to look at the “most valuable player” aspect of it. If you take that player out of the team, what will happen? Can the team survive without the player? How valuable is he?

In ARod’s situation, well it is happening as we speak. The Yankees will be without ARoid for at least a month. Can they survive without him? Yes, they most certainly can. How much of a hit is it to lose him? Not nearly as much as Pujols’ and Ramirez’s impact. People will argue that it is because the Yanks are simply better than the Cards and Marlins (I can argue that point BTW). However, you cannot avoid the fact that a Pujols/Ramirez-less Cardinal/Marlin team is nowhere near contention.

Pujols is the most valuable of all three. He IS the St. Louis Cardinals. Things turned around for STL baseball when Albert “rose from beneath”. As a die-hard Cardinal fan, I can tell you that Pujols takes the Cardinals from a dead-last finish, to a playoff-caliber team. I ask you, fellow Cardinal fans. Where would we be without this man? Answer: Nowhere. On Albert’s shoulders, the Cardinals have become the best NL team of this decade. The start of the new millennium coincided with a new era of success for the Cardinals as the team, led primarily by Albert Pujols, won the NL Central in six of eight years. Not only have they consistently made the playoffs, the Cards have been in the Pennant game in 2005-2007, made an appearance in the World Series in 2004 and 2006, and have been crowned Champ in 2006. All because Albert Pujols.

While Hanley Ramirez is more valuable than ARod, he is a notch below Pujols. It is the same kind of deal with him and being the only thing Florida has, but even with him, they have a hard time winning. Again, he is younger than AP, so is it possible that he could take the Pujols role and lead the Marlins through the playoffs in the future? It’s possible, but as of right now, Pujols is the most valuable to his team.

He's a winner. Pujols just keeps winning games - with his bat, his defense, and his base running. We've talked about Pujols' statistics and his awards, but he just has a hard time losing. Since Pujols made his debut in 2001, the Cardinals have a regular-season record of 731-570, or the most victories in the National League. Only the Yankees (777) and Red Sox (741) have won more games than the Cardinals.

As Bernie Miklasz brilliantly points out in his recent article (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/128641979), Pujols has been surrounded by some fine players, but don’t be fooled. I don't include Pujols in these listings, but since he became a Cardinal, the team has started 13 catchers, 18 first basemen, 19 second basemen, 14 shortstops, 22 third basemen and 42 outfielders. They've started 47 pitchers, and used 100 pitchers overall.

The cast keeps changing but the Cardinals keep winning. Wanna know why? It’s Albert Pujols. The St. Louis Cardinal Organization rides on his shoulders, and I think they should feel pretty safe with that analogy. Tony LaRussa is as good as it gets, and Dave Duncan is one of the best pitching coaches to live. But Albert is just phenomenal, and what he has done for St. Louis - and baseball in general – is beyond words.

The only on-field constant to the Cardinals’ game has been Pujols. St. Louis wins over 69% of their games when “The Machine” drives in a run; he has in 554 games. The Cards are 209-86 when Pujols hits a home run. Here’s another way to put it in perspective: Pujols has more game-winning RBIs (150) and go-ahead RBIs (246) than any major-league player. St. Louis has won over 150 games due to Albert. Nobody else can say they’ve done stuff like this.

Like I stated before this season, Pujols will have the best year of his nine-year career this season. Pujols has always had a nagging injury here or there to start the season. Whether it be elbow, obilque, or whatever it may be, the only season he has started 100% was his rookie campaign. Heading into the 2009 season, he is 110% and ready to kill the ball. He has not disappointed anybody so far. As of Sunday morning, he is batting over .425, with three homers, and nine runs batted in. The only players that have had a comparable start would be Miguel Cabrera, Adam Lind, and speedster Emilio Bonifacio.

Hitting is Pujols’ expertise, no doubt, but what sets him apart (way apart) from Ramirez and Rodriguez, is his intangibles. His defense, base running, and just pure knowledge of the game can only be mentioned with one other name. Willie Mays.

When Albert was drafted and brought up through the minors, the only flaw in his game was his fielding. Well, after winning a Gold Glove Award in 2006, I think it is safe to say that he is one of the best fielding first basemen in the game today.

If you have not had the privledge of sitting down and watching Pujols, you gotta give it a try. If you do, watch him on the bases. There is nobody in the league that runs the base paths like he does. So far in this young season, there have been two perfect examples of this:

During Friday’s game, Pujols was on third when Ankiel(?) hit a ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher did what he was supposed to and looked Pujols back. After looking him back, he took one extra, unnecessary step (first thing AP saw) and then proceeded by almost lobbing the ball to the first baseman (second thing AP saw). After noticing that, Pujols – who was about ¼ of the way down the line – took off and beat the throw to the plate to score.

Another example of Pujols being Pujols came just today when Ludwick was up to bat. Pujols had just been walked and was standing at first base. Ludwick hit a bloop shot into left field, that the LFer caught on one bounce. Whether you believe it or not, Albert acutally went from first to third on the play. Don’t ask me how it was done (he isn’t even that fast). All I know is that this guy is sooo baseball-smart on the base paths, to where he can make up speed with knowledge like nobody I have ever seen.

Against Roy Oswalt Sunday, Pujols calmly launched two home runs; including a Grand Slam MOON SHOT and a casual three-runner. After yesterday’s game, Tony LaRussa, Chris Duncan, Skip Schumaker, and Adam Wainwright all said that Albert Pujols was THE best hitter/player the game has ever seen. You can hardly argue them considering they would be the people that know.

Pujols is running under the radar because he is in a relatively small market, but one of these days he will make a nice speech as a first-ballot HOF’er. Just thinking of that hurts. As a Cardinal fan, and sports fan in general, I cannot begin to imagine a Pujols-less St. Louis team. He has changed the way all Cardinal fans view the game, and unfortunately I think we take him for granted.

As every game passes… I won’t lie… I am getting closer and closer to agreeing with TLR, Duncan, Schumaker, and Waino. He is only 29 years old, and is already being talked about as the greatest hitter ever. If he isn’t now, he will be at some point. I firmly believe, baring something awful, that he will go down as the best player to live.

This debate isn’t even close, and really shouldn’t be discussed. The better debate may be this: Is Albert Pujols the Greatest Player Ever?

For now, he’s just doing what he does best – obliterating the opposition's pitching. Caps off to #5.

Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

FANdemoniumSports.blogspot.com

*tell us your thoughts in our "post a review" section at the very bottom of the home page*

Who is the Best Player in the MLB?

Sunday Debate: Which Team Is Most Improved for '09 Season?

Welcome to the newest FANdemonium Sports segment. It is called Sunday Debates. Every Sunday, I will think of a hot topic subject in the world of sports. Today’s subject is the most improved MLB team heading into the '09 season. So I will show and analyze some of the top candidates and then give you, what I think is, the most improved team.

If you want to view my take on any topic that is suitable for a Sunday Debate, let me know about it. Email me any suggestions (along with anything else you want) at StLDieHard24@gmail.com.

I will make a “Sunday Debates” section on the right side of the page under the “It’s FANdemonium, baby!” section. There you will be able to view all of the Sunday Debates. Let’s get started with the second Sunday Debate.

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With the offseason officially finished, the 2009 MLB season is in full swing. Many teams did some shuffling with free agency, trades, and resigns. Some teams did it more than others, and some did it little at all. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008. I love the phrase, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” That is the exact mindset Philly had going into the layoff. Out of the 25 WS players, 22 of them are suiting up tonight against the Braves.

So let’s talk about the teams that made the most improvement. Surprise, surprise… it is not the Yankees.

Yeah, they picked up the biggest names on the market. They spent half of a billion dollars to improve their club. New York locked in the most dominant pitcher in the MLB last season in CC Sabathia, one of the best pure-sluggers in the league in Mark Teixeira, and another Cy Young capable pitcher in A.J. Burnett.

But, when it was all said and done, did they really make the stride we all think they did? There is no doubt about it; they improved. However, with the people that they signed, they also gave up a ton.

Mike Mussina was 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA. Sabathia was 17-10 with a 2.70 ERA, including the second half of the season in the mediocre National League Central.

Andy Pettite, who turned down a one-year, $10 million offer from the Yankees, was 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA. Burnett was 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA.

Bobby Abreu hit .296 with 20 home runs and 100 runs batted in. He also had a .371 on-base percentage. Swisher batted .219 with 24 home runs and 69 runs batted in. He had a .332 OBP.

And at first, Jason Giambi batted .247 with 32 home runs and 96 runs batted in, with a .373 OBP. Teixeira batted .308 with 33 home runs and 121 runs batted in, with a .410 OBP.

Overall, the Yankees replaced 34 wins with 35 wins. They replaced 52 home runs with 57. They replaced 196 RBI with 190. As you can see, they improved. But, in contrast to what everyone thinks, it wasn’t nearly as good as you may think.

Also, let’s not forget that the Yanks will be without their star for AT LEAST a month. Some think it could be a few months. I would think he would be back in uniform by mid-May, but still, that is a hit nonetheless.

Meanwhile, there are some other teams that are seriously going under the radar as the most improved. The team that has caught my attention more than any other (maybe for obvious reasons), is my own St. Louis Cardinals.

There have been questions surrounding the Cards from Day 1 of the offseason, but they have taken care of every single one in the past couple months. The closer? A hard-throwing, confident, BIG, rough-looking, long-haired, bearded, 26 year old righty that has been looming in the minors for years. He killed everybody in the Majors last season with and ERA under one. He has some serious potential, and has the swagger all closers need to succeed.

Carpenter? He is healthy, and throwing like he was in ’05. In three starts at the back end of 2008, he accumulated an ERA under two. The most comforting news is that nobody could touch him in the Spring. In multiple – healthy – starts, he brought them up and put him down like the Carpenter of old. A 0.81 Spring ERA helped all Cardinal fans sleep at night.

When the Cards take the field tomorrow afternoon, not only are the going to have all of their young hitters a year older (Schumaker, Ludwick, Ankiel, Rasmus, Freese, etc)… They have a more complete rotation with a healthy Chris Carpenter. When you add a good rotation with a near-dominant offensive lineup, you get good things.

To conclude this Sunday’s debate, here is my most improved team heading into the ’09 season.

The, don’t be surprised, Cleveland Indians. You got it; the less heralded (and more appropriately thrifty) Indians have made more significant changes in a weaker division.

They replace the troubled Borowski with Kerry Wood as the full-time closer. The rotation has improved as well with the addition of Carl Pavano, not to mention having a healthy Fausto Carmona after an injury-plagued 2008 season. The Tribe polishes the hot corner with an acquisition of an extremely underrated Mark DeRosa. The outfield will always be above par with Grady Sizemore out in Center.

Last year, the Indians finished in third place, just like the Yankees. They have traded away a handful of prospects and given only Wood a significant free agent contract. The difference of a solid closer and the leadership and versatility of Wood might be enough to overcome the White Sox 7.5 game advantage in the division last year.

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Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

FANdemoniumSports.blogspot.com

Which Team Is the Most Improved?

Down On the Farm: MLB's Future

With the way things are run now in the minors, college, high school, and little league, it seems as if up-and-coming talent is getting better and better.

Unlike the past, young pitchers are now being heavily restricted on their pitch count in every level of play. Little league and high school actually have rules on how many pitches a player can have per day, and per week.

For those who don’t pitch, and put their focus toward hitting, the ways have also changed. Do you think Ralph Kiner had all those contraptions that them kids have these days? NO. They just hit the baseball. These days, there are millions of shindigs you can buy to “improve your game.”

Maybe that is the reason for all the freakin’ prodigy ball players out there. Steroids maybe be the leading reason for stars in the MLB, but you can hardly say it is the reason for the freak players ranging from all levels, little leagues-minor leagues.

Let’s take a look at those “freaks” we have roaming the farm:
*These are players that play in the minors, not MLB rookies (i.e. no David Price)

Tim Beckham, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Most know him as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 MLB draft, but few actually know his game. He is the part of the reason I think that the Rays will DOMINATE the next 10 years. There are tons of players like this in Tampa’s farm leagues. He is an amazing athlete with A+ speed, excellent defense, and a bat to go along.

Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles
He is arguably the top player in the minor leagues. He is virtually the complete package. He has Y. Molina defense to go along with McCann offense. He absolutely crushes the ball, and may be one of the best offensive catchers in the game already! Between A and AA ball – mostly AA - last year, he hit .355/27/95. He will likely play MLB ball in ’09, but not until the second half.

Aaron Hicks, CF, Minnesota Twins
He was the Twins’ top pick in this most decent draft, and he deserved it. He was one of the best five-tool players in the draft. He has speed, defense, and a bat. He can make an impact on every single part of the game. In rookie ball, he batted .317 and 12 steals.

Matt LaPorta, OF-1B, Cleveland Indians
Yes, Cleveland does have something to look forward to. Surprising, I know. He is regarded by most as the guy directly behind Wieters on this list, with a similar game. He has fantastic power, which is the bright spot in his overall game. He totaled 22 homers last year in AA.

Gordon Beckham, SS, Chicago White Sox
The other Beckham. He was another stud in the 2008 draft, and yes, it was an extremely good draft. He has some rare power for a great middle-infielder who plays baseball like Physco T plays basketball. He puts 115% of his heart into his game, and wouldn’t even think about giving in. He batted .312 in Class A last season.

Jordan Zimmerman, SP, Washington Nationals
He may be the best starting pitcher the Minors has to offer. He put together an incredible season last year when he gathered 10 wins and only 3 losses, 2.80 ERA, and averaged 9.3 SOs per nine innings. Most of that with the AA Nats’ team.

Colby Rasmus, CF, St. Louis Cardinals
Last year was thought to be his breakthrough year, but when injury struck, he spend all of 2008 in AAA. He is without a doubt the most experienced player on this list, and the only one that spend last year in the AAA. Most of last year’s prospects that hung out in AAA, are on the MLB team this season. But with a deep STL outfield, he has been kinda screwed. He is a five-tooler that will soon destroy the MLB.

Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants
This former Golden Spikes Award winner, is right up there with Wieters and LaPorta if you ask me. He is an athletic catcher with outstanding defense and possesses moderate power and ability to hit for average.

Kyle Blanks, 1B, San Diego Padres

There is only one word to describe. Mammoth. A prototypical firstbaseman, he stands 6’6” and weighs an impressive 280 lbs. He simply bashes the ball. He is the next 40 HR guy to enter the MLB, not a question. In AA last year, he hit .325/20/107 and got on base 42% of the time! Just not fair.


None of these guys will likely see the bigs until the second half of the season. But when they do, they will begin to dominate… and they will continue to dominate. The cool thing about it is, there are players on this list that won’t even see the MLB, but there are also a few players on this list that are future first ballot Hall of Famers!

2009 Fantasy Baseball- Breakouts/Sleepers/Busts

The first Spring Training game is exactly 8 days, 15 hours, and 47 minutes from now and the MLB season is going to be here super fast. With all of this steroids (A-Rod) crap that is going on, people are forgetting that there is actually a season to be played. There are fools out there that are saying the MLB is becoming harder and harder to enjoy. I then say… you are being Jewish and the only thing that’s as good as baseball is fantasy baseball. With that, I welcome you to my 2009 Fantasy Baseball don’t/do draft lists.

I will run you through MY sleeper picks, MY busts, as well as MY breakout players. Anybody can take a look at a top-200 list and study what everyone at your draft will know. I feel that the key to dominating your fantasy league is scoring the unknown players that will shine, and avoiding the players that people want but will destroy a team – i.e. BREAKOUTS, BUSTS, and SLEEPERS. Hopefully the guys I play with don’t get a hold of this.


Breakout Players
Players that are underrated and will dominate the 2009 season.

Matt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
The sky is the limit for this guy, and we may see greatness in ’09 from Kemp. He is approaching the prime of his career and I expect an enormous year. He is 24 years of age, and unless Manny is resigned, he will be the core of the Dodger’s lineup. He now has one full year under his belt, he will soon have one all star year under his belt.
Jay’s Prediction: .295 AVG, 24 HRs, 94 RBIs, 37 SBs

Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
He is coming into his 3rd year of his major league career and is starting to look like another big left-handed first baseman I know. Ever since he starting bashing the ball in the minors, he caught everybody’s eye as a major power threat. He will fulfill his potential this year with the beginning of a fantastic career.
Jay’s Prediction: .310 AVG, 32 HRs, 101 RBIs, 5 SBs

Chris Perez, CP, St. Louis Cardinals
As a Cardinal die hard, I know quite a bit about this guy. I’ve been monitoring him since he started in the Cards’ farm leagues. He shared the closer role last year and proved that he was definitely the closer of the future for STL, and for the MLB. When he is on his best stuff, he looks like Mr. Rivera. Chris has one of the best fastballs in the league – often touching 100 mph -, and pinpoints it. In his 2008 big-league stent, he struck out almost two batters per inning. As a huge St. Louis fan, I am here to tell you that he will dominate as a closer throughout the next several years.
Jay’s Prediction: 3.02 ERA, 2-4 record, 1.25 WHIP, 74 Ks, 36 SVs


Bust players
Players that will not live up to all the hype.

Carlos Delgado, 1B, New York Mets
After a rock solid season last year, this aging first baseman might have seen his last good year. He is getting, umm, very old. At 37, he is considered dirt in the major sports world. He has numerous injuries every single year. My advice to you, do not draft this guy. Take young guns such as Conor Jackson, Joey Votto, etc that will be available at that time in the draft.

Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Seattle Mariners
I hate watching the Mariners, I don’t know about you but it is awful. His age is finally getting to him and I think this will be the year it really shows. He had is worst season in 2008 and has been declining since his first couple great years. He has never been a fantasy god; the only great stat is his average. This has also been on a downhill slump.
Jay’s Prediction: .290 AVG, 6 HRs, 38 RBIs, 32 SBs

Bengie Molina, C, San Francisco Giants
Molina #6 of 435, I’m sorry but you did not convince me of anything last year. He was a borderline free agent last year, but this year will be different. He is in a very difficult lineup to hit in, that and his age has me wondering when he will give in. He is a catcher, so the age will hit him sooner than others. I expect him to start out ok, but the second half will be rough.
Jay’s Prediction: .273 AVG, 11 HRs, 75 RBIs, Molina’s do not steal bases.


Sleeper players
Some unknowns who will make a mark on the 2009 season.

Nate Schierholtz, OF, San Francisco Giants
I didn’t even know who this guy was until I did some research yesterday for this post. He is the dude who barreled over the Chinese catcher in the Beijing Olympics. He batter over .300 for the Giants last year in just over 100 Abs. With Molina on the bust-list, do not be surprised if Nate gets more playing time than we all may think.
Jay’s Prediction: .289 AVG, 5 HRs, 51 RBIs, 15 SBs

Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers
He didn't even sniff the show until finally being called up August 25. He went 3-for-5 with a home run that night and hasn't stopped hitting since. In the 28 games he's played, he has six home runs, 23 RBI, 16 runs, three steals and has hit at a .320 clip. He hadn't hit better than .235 in each of his first two years with the Rangers and Brewers. He now looks to be the starting right fielder for Texas next year and will factor heavily into an absolutely stacked lineup.

Jay's Prediction: .296 AVG, 24 HRs, 83 RBIs, 13 SBs

David Purcey, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
This guys is a strikeout machine (more SOs than innings in his 10 big league starts), and Toronto looks to have some kind of replacement for Burnett. He will be in the starting rotation for Toronto this upcoming season. Most people do not know this guy at all, but he may soon be a household name.
Jay’s Prediction: 9-10 W/L, 4.05 ERA, 168 SO

Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

FANdemoniumsports.blogspot.com

No Need To Worry, St. Louis

I am ready for baseball. It is just that simple. Both basketball and football have been awesome, but when you live in or near St. Louis, you just have a natural passion for baseball. That’s just how it goes. It’s unavoidable, inevitable.

I am an avid sports fan and I love ALL sports. However, baseball is different. I closely follow the entire MLB, but I have a serious relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals. There’s no doubt that the Cards are my favorite team in all of sport. The way I see it, the Cardinal fanbase is an illustrious group. The best in all of baseball.

Cardinal fans will pack the new Busch no matter how the team is doing. Over the past few years, even the World Series year, we have had some really tough stretches. I’d be willing to bet that it was still standing-room-only. For those of you that have had the privledge of being able to attend a Cardinals’ game, you understand what I am talking about. It doesn’t matter the quality of play that the Cardinals are playing at, we still have the best fans in the MLB.
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This offseason has seemed very, very, very pointless for the Cards. At some times… Wait no, all times… it has been boring. St. Louis has signed a whole slew of great baseball players. My boy, Royce Ring, has recently been acquired. He torched the baseball world with an 8.46 ERA with the Atlanta Braves. Let’s give him a little credit though… He only played 22 innings all year and those stats are (hopefully) higher than they would be if he hung around all season. To think that an MLB pitcher would allow, on average, a point/inning, is hard to believe. But, hey, crazier things have happened.

We have locked in on a few other players. Khalil Greene leads the pack and he used to be great. He logged in a 27 HR, 98 RBI season the year before last. Not to mention, 36 year old reliever Trevor Miller. He is a career 4.45 ERA middle reliever, which is not that bad considering he's a reliever. We did resign Wellemeyer, Thompson, and Duncan, both on one-year deals. So no problem right? Ehh, I’m not sure.

There are some good things to look at. We still have, basically, the same team that won 86 games last year. 86 games, in some divisions, would have landed us a spot in the playoffs.

The Cubbies and the Brew Crew really haven’t done a whole lot either. Chicago actually lost their top prospect, Pie. It seems like all three NL Central contenders are kind of idling right now but I’m not convince that it will stay that way.

When you look at it, we really don’t have that bad of a team. Some people act like we are the Washington Nationals here with nothing to look forward to. Not true.

Pitching is going to be our biggest concern. There is talk of the Cards pursuing Randy Wolf, which would be a great move. What we have now though is looking like: Carpenter, Wainwright, Lohse, Wellemeyer, and Peneiro. Carpenter played great last year in the three starts that he did have, and they say that he will be 110% come the start of the season. Wainwright was injured part of 2008, but still recorded a solid 11-3 record. Lohse led STL in most major pitching categories with a 15-6 record and a 3.75 ERA. Wellemeyer was hot and cold with a 13-9 record but had a 3.71 ERA as well. I am anxious to see what Peneiro will do this coming year. He had a great 2007, but followed up with a very rocky ’08… So we will see.

The bullpen could be anywhere from the worst, to the best. Every team’s ‘pen looks that way before the season just because relievers are rarely consistent. The closer spot for us has yet to be filled. It could be another year of situational closing. I would go ahead put Chris Perez in there and give him the job he will have for plenty of years to come. But some people say Carp should be our 9th inning man. I do not like that change. Why take one of our best arms, put him in the closer role, and have the prodigy closer-to-be throw in the middle innings? Oh, Ryan Franklin you ask? NO. I don’t want to go through all that again.

Behind the plate, we have an all-star. Yadier Molina is in his prime. Not only is he the best defensive catcher in the MLB, his batting average as improved from .216 to .304 in the matter of two years. Remember the game when he threw the runner out falling down face-forward? Yeah, I know you do.

At first base, what is there to say? We have the best player in the MLB if you ask me. Two-time MVP award winner, Albert Pujols. I predict his best season so far and another MVP.

In the middle infield, we are really throwing the chips in. Adam Kennedy looks like the starter at second-base and he says that he is ready to contend against anyone who wants to compete with him at the position. Our new shortstop, Khalil Greene, used to be really good but has been on a slight decline lately. He put in a 27 & 98 season two years ago but had a terrible season in 2008 with a .213 average. He is a decent defensive player and is super fast, and often uses his hair as a cape..

Troy Glaus should keep his spot at third that he received last season. I almost screamed when I got a text today stating that he needs shoulder surgery, but thankfully he should be okay come April. Some people complain about his average, but I hate to tell you that it isn’t getting any better than the .270 he had last year. Everyone should be EXTREMELY happy with what he did last year. Not only did he defend the hot corner, he gave us his best offensive season since he was considered one of the heavy weights in the MLB.

The outfield is led by centerfield slugger Rick Ankiel, a man with a lot of potential in Skip Schumaker, and Mr. Ryan Ludwick. Rick just needs to do his thing, provide a huge bat, and gun down some more players. Schumaker busted through as a first-year starter and is now expected to do that. Ludwick guarantees that he will pop 50 homers this season and says him and Pujols will go 1-2 in MVP voting. What he needs to do is pull a Pujols-Rolen-Edmonds, and ask Ankiel if he feels like going 1-2-3 in voting.
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If I am the one that you are talking to, I will say that the Cardinals are going to be fine. On the other hand, to be a true contender, we need to get pitching help. The way things are looking right now, I am predicting a neck and neck finish with us and the Cubs come September. Milwaukee is good but I think they will be what we were last year.

I have four words for you Mr. DeWitt and Mr. “Mo”, I want some Wolf. You do that, and hello Cubbies.

Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

http://www.thejaystick.blogspot.com/