The Sportz Assassin's posts tagged Arizona Diamondbacks

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• Why Care About The Red Sox?

  May 15, 2004

  You know, every year all we hear is about the "Curse Of The Bambino" and how sad the history of the Red Sox is.  HBO even had a documentary about their "long suffering fans". 

  To be frank, to hell with the Red Sox.  For a team that hasn't won anything in 86 years...they sure do get a lot of TV pub.  I mean, you can't watch Baseball Tonight without a Pete Gammons take about Pedro and the Bunch.  And they get almost as many games as the Yankees on national TV.

  But why should I, a non-Red Sox fan, give a damn about that? 

  What about the Chicago White Sox?  Those Pale Hose have won TWO World Series in their history [Boston has won 5] with their last title the year BEFORE the Red Sox last title.  So, they've suffered a year longer.  And those White Sox have been in ONE World Series since 1919.....the year they THREW the World Series to the Reds.  No one talks about that curse.  Their last World Series appearance was back in 1959.  That means a 44 year old man has never seen the ChiSox in the World Series.  Granted, you don't see memorable ChiSox hearbreaks like Bucky, Buckner and Boone....but they did have Disco Night.

  Oh, and we know about the Cubs.  They haven't won a World Series since 1908.  They haven't even BEEN to the WS since 1945.  But, ask Steve Bartman if those fans are bitter.  This team, though, hasn't had consecutive winning seasons since the early 70s.

  What about some teams you don't normally think about when it comes to heartbreak and misery?

  How about the Atlanta Braves?  Unlike the Red Sox, these Braves have won 13 straight division titles.  THIRTEEN straight playoff appearances.....and 1 World Series title to show for it.  In fact, THREE times have they seen the team that finished behind them get to the Series ahead of them [Marlins '97 and '03, Mets '00].  Hell, the Florida Marlins....who played their first game in franchise history the season the Braves won their 3rd straight division title....have won TWO World Series rings.  Then, they watch the Arizona Diamondbacks in their 4th season win a title. 

  How about the Cleveland Indians?  They haven't won a World Series since 1948, and since then were the punchline of theMLB.  And, you want heartbreak.....how about blowing a 9th inning lead in GAME 7 OF THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!  That happened in 1997. 

  How about the Philadelphia Phillies?  In 120 years of Phillie baseball...they have one World Series ring.  One.  And, just like the Red Sox, they blew a Game 6 that they had won.  RememberJoe Carter? 

  How about the Houston Astros?  They've been around since 1962 and have never won a playoff series.  Ever.  Oh, and neither has the Texas Rangers...and they became a franchise in 1961.  So, 74 seasons of Texas baseball and they have ZERO playoff series wins.  In fact, the Astros have lost 19 of their 25 playoff games.  The Rangers have lost 9 of 10 playoff games in franchise history.  A robust 7-28.

  What about the Milwaukee Brewers?  They've had 12 straight losing seasons.

  What about the San Francisco Giants?  They've had Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.  And the Giants haven't won a title since moving to the West Coast.  Pssst....they also had the heartbreak of relinquishing a lead late in the WS winning game.

  What about the Montreal Expos?  They've only had Randy Johnson, Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez, Vlad Guerrero, Gary Carter, Andres Galaragga and Andre Dawson.  And the season they held the best record in the majors, the strike ended the season.

  So while the media believes the Red Sox to be the "loser darlings" every year....find a little space in your heart for some of the other teams who have had travesty filled moments in their histories.

   

  

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• Au, Revoir...Les Expos!!!

  September 30, 2004

  So the Expos are now heading to our nation’s capital.

  And in a fitting end to a shameful episode that has basically stabbed the hearts of the Montreal Expos' fans....they get the word just a few hours before their final home game. 

  This, sort of, ends an odd chapter in Major League Baseball history. Les Expos. While Montreal baseball wasn’t as rabid as it is in St. Louis, or as legendary as it is in Chicago, or as successful as it is in New York….it did have its niche. It was Canada’s team before the Blue Jays were there. It was French and English. It had the Stade D’Olympique. Those weird looking seats. That weird “retractable” roof. A tough road trip. That unique logo. Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Dennis Martinez, Larry Walker, Vlad Guerrero, Andre Galaragga, Moises Alou, Gary Carter, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson. Heck, Pete Rose and Tony Perez played there. It was a different kind of baseball culture.

  However, in today’s marketplace….teams like this don’t fare well. By “like this”….I mean Canadian teams. No one wants to go to Canada to play. The NBA’s Vancouver Grizzlies left for America. Vince Carter may have saved the Toronto Raptors franchise….which is still in some problem areas. Even as successful as the Toronto Blue Jays have been….they still aren’t in the greatest of positions. Canada isn’t “cool”. But, you cannot fully blame that. Even the hockey teams are struggling. Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa are puttering along. The mighty Montreal Canadiens are even going thru some tough times. And all this after Winnipeg and Quebec City went south with their teams. Financially, it is tough for Canadian teams to compete with American ones.

  They aren’t really out of the water yet. We all know that DC has had two shots at baseball before. One of those franchises is now the Minnesota Twins…..the other is the Texas Rangers. Also, this will be the first franchise movement in baseball since those Washington Senators moved to Texas 32 years ago. We all know that just because you plop a MLB team somewhere….it may not completely take off. Just look at the Florida teams.

  Also, this is a franchise that has hit very hard luck. It usually has had one of the top farm systems in the league. But, since MLB has taken over the Expos….the entire operation hasn’t been as top notch. Basically, the team has been run by people who know their jobs were temporary and really didn’t have much at stake in the team’s success [other than maybe jobs elsewhere]. They’ve lost their GM and are running on a skeleton crew.

  Realize, too, that this announcement was made on September 29th. Spring training will be in 4 months. So, in that time…they have to actually move the team, find an owner for the team, approve it, finalize all the stadium deals, renovate RFK Stadium so it can house baseball until the new stadium is built, get an entire new staff together for the team, figure on a new name and logo [which, I’m sure, the new owner will want to select], securing a television deal in a market that already has the Orioles on, actually selling tickets to people, etc…etc….etc. Expansion teams usually have THREE years to pull a move like this off. The Expos have 4 months. The Expos’ 2005 season will be pretty disastrous. Since this whole thing will be hurried along….there will be a lot of “unfinished” segments of the franchise.

  Oh, yeah. Remember, they are selling the Expos to this fan base. A franchise that has been to the playoffs ONCE in 36 years….and that was over 20 years ago. A franchise known more for trading players on the verge of greatness than having great players themselves. Their lone Hall Of Famer is Gary Carter….and he barely made it in….and he almost went in as a New York Met.

  And, this team cannot be called the Washington Expos….can it?? Even for a year?? In this day and age, a name, logo, team colors and uniform are paramount to a team’s financial success. Get a cool look…and people will wear your gear…regardless how bad your team plays. Teams pay all kinds of money to firms that specialize in these matters. The Expos won’t have the luxury of (1) the wishes of the new owner [who may not be in place by opening day] to what the team’s direction is or (2) studying the demographics to understand what may flourish. The DC mayor has already nixed naming the team Senators again. 

  They could stay the Expos….but that just gets rather touchy. In recent times, it has been extremely rare that a team changes its nickname a year or two after moving. The only one that comes to mind is the Tennessee Titans….who, oddly, faced a similar rush when moving the franchise. A late decision to leave Houston, the Oilers scrambled to get everything in place. The played their first season in Memphis as the Tennessee Oilers. They then moved to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University for a season. Then, played their first season in their new stadium in Nashville as theTitans. The Expos may have the same fate.

  But, the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, LA/St. Louis Rams, LA/Oakland Raiders, St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota/Dallas Stars, Kansas City/Sacramento Kings and New Orleans/Utah Jazz all kept their nicknames after the move. The Baltimore Ravens [Browns], Colorado Avalanche [Nordiques], Phoenix Coyotes [Jets] and Carolina Hurricanes [Whalers] all had brand spanking new names when they first hit the new scene.

  Maybe, at least, the new team can keep that red-white-and-blue "M" logo from the Expos hat.....turn it upside down into a "W" to honor the past.  Probably not.

  In the end, this really looks bad for baseball. A league that has actually prided itself for having franchise stability for over 30 years….something even the mighty NFL cannot compete with….after being known as the league of franchise moves. Now a team has defected. Will others now follow?? As badly as other teams also want to move, this whole process has shown that there really isn’t anywhere for a team to go. The Expo options were Washington, Portland, Northern Virginia and [slightly] New Jersey. DC is now taken…which pretty much eliminates Northern Virginia. Now, with the precedent of MLB paying off Baltimore Orioles Peter Angelos for stepping on his market toes….what stops anyone else from making the same demands?? If a team wants to move to Jersey, you know the Mets and Yanks want some cash. Especially since Steinbrenner uses Jersey as his threats. The Seattle Mariners would cry fowl over a team moving to Portland. And if the Oakland A’s want to move down to San Jose….the Giants will want a little chat. There are smaller areas like Norfolk, Raleigh and Nashville that want teams….but Norfolk is out with a DC and B-more teams nearby…and Raleigh and Nashville are struggling with teams they already have. Baseball is tapped out. And cities like Minneapolis, Miami, Tampa and Oakland are barely holding on.

  The fans in Montreal have basically viewed the past 5 seasons as maybe being “the last one”. Again, they are the ones who have really been suffering here. Watching their beloved team treated like a stepchild no one wants around. Their players develop and leave. Their finest season ends in September with a strike. They have been told that the team may just die instead of moving. They also got to see their team play home games in Puerto Rico. Today, they got the official word that their team will be leaving….just 3 hours before their final home game. But, don’t be so sure that the Expos won’t still be in playing in Montreal next year…so they have a 6th chance to say goodbye.

  I mean, au revoir!

  

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• THE NEW CURSE

  April 11, 2005

        

  On May 15, 2004....I wrote this in my Blog:

  WHY CARE ABOUT THE RED SOX??

  You know, every year all we hear is about the "Curse Of The Bambino" and how sad the history of the Red Sox is.  HBO even had a documentary about their "long suffering fans".  To be frank, to heck with the Red Sox.  For a team that hasn't won anything in 86 years...they sure do get a lot of TV pub.  I mean, you can't watch Baseball Tonight without a Pete Gammons take about Pedro and the Bunch.  And they get almost as many games as the Yankees on national TV.  But why should I, a non-Red Sox fan, give a crap about that? 

  What about the Chicago White Sox?  Those Pale Hose have won TWO World Series in their history [Boston has won 5] with their last title the year BEFORE the Red Sox last title.  So, they've suffered a year longer.  And those White Sox have been in ONE World Series since 1919.....the year they THREW the World Series to the Reds.  No one talks about that curse.  Their last World Series appearance was back in 1959.  That means a 44 year old man has never seen the ChiSox in the World Series.  Granted, you don't see memorable ChiSox hearbreaks like Bucky, Buckner and Boone....but they did have Disco Night.

  Oh, and we know about the Cubs.  They haven't won a World Series since 1908.  They haven't even BEEN to the WS since 1945.  But, ask Steve Bartman if those fans are bitter.  This team, though, hasn't had consecutive winning seasons since the early 70s.   What about some teams you don't normally think about when it comes to heartbreak and misery?

  How about the Atlanta Braves?  Unlike the Red Sox, these Braves have won 13 straight division titles.  THIRTEEN straight playoff appearances.....and 1 World Series title to show for it.  In fact, THREE times have they seen the team that finished behind them get to the Series ahead of them [Marlins '97 and '03, Mets '00].  Hell, the Florida Marlins....who played their first game in franchise history the season the Braves won their 3rd straight division title....have won TWO World Series rings.  Then, they watch the Arizona Diamondbacks in their 4th season win a title. 

  How about the Cleveland Indians?  They haven't won a World Series since 1948, and since then were the punchline of theMLB.  And, you want heartbreak.....how about blowing a 9th inning lead in GAME 7 OF THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!  That happened in 1997.  How about the Philadelphia Phillies?  In 120 years of Phillie baseball...they have one World Series ring.  One.  And, just like the Red Sox, they blew a Game 6 that they had won.  RememberJoe Carter? 

  How about the Houston Astros?  They've been around since 1962 and have never won a playoff series.  Ever.  Oh, and neither has the Texas Rangers...and they became a franchise in 1961.  So, 74 seasons of Texas baseball and they have ZERO playoff series wins.  In fact, the Astros have lost 19 of their 25 playoff games.  The Rangers have lost 9 of 10 playoff games in franchise history.  A robust 7-28.

  What about the Milwaukee Brewers?  They've had 12 straight losing seasons.   What about the San Francisco Giants?  They've had Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.  And the Giants haven't won a title since moving to the West Coast.  Pssst....they also had the heartbreak of relinquishing a lead late in the WS winning game.   What about the Montreal Expos?  They've only had Randy Johnson, Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez, Vlad Guerrero, Gary Carter, Andres Galaragga and Andre Dawson.  And the season they held the best record in the majors, the strike ended the season.

  So while the media believes the Red Sox to be the "loser darlings" every year....find a little space in your heart for some of the other teams who have had travesty filled moments in their histories.

  I wasn't hate for Boston as much as it was wondering why other teams don't get the love for being bad, or even worse, that the Red Sox.  So....who is the darlings now??  Well, I'll rank them and add some points in there.

                    

  #1a-CHICAGO CUBS.  Let's see.  The Cubs play in a small ancient ball park.  They have those ol' skool uniforms.  And they haven't won a World Series since 1908. That is 97 years to you and me.  Just imagine....imagine...when the Cubs hit that 100th year of not winning the series.  I'll bet they'll be wearing some patches celebrating that 1908 team.  They have a goat curse, Steve Bartman and they have a grounder that rolled between a first baseman's legs [Leon Durham in 1984].  But what puts them numero uno is the fact that they haven't even BEEN to the World Series since 1945.  That means you'd have to be 60 years old to even be alive the last time the Cubs won the NL pennant.  Amazing.

                                 

  #1b-CHICAGO WHITE SOX.  The other Chicago team is a mere smidge below.  Why?  Well, they haven't won a World Series since 1917 [the year BEFORE the Red Sox last title] and they've only been to one World Series since 1919 [that was in 1959].  And, again, that 1919 team was the one that threw the World Series to the Reds.  "The Curse Of Shoeless Joe" never gets discussed.  Why do these Sox get placed this high?  Well, unlike the Cubs they play in one of the least attractive ballparks and really haven't been close to even getting to the World Series in quite a while.  Not to mention those uniforms in the 1970s get sympathy from me.

                      

  #3-CLEVELAND INDIANS.  When they make a movie about how bad your franchise sucks [Major League], you are bad.  The Indians might as well been dirt for 40 years until their resurgance in the mid-1990s.  They haven't won a Series since 1948....but have been to two Series in 1995 and 1997.  In fact that 1997 series they had a 2-1 lead in Game 7 going into the bottom of the ninth against Florida and blew it.  Blew the game...blew the Series.  At least when Bill Buckner blew that grounder, they got to play one more game.  And barely anyone remembers that it was Jose Mesa that gave up that HR to Bobby Bonilla in that 9th.

                               

  #4-TEXAS RANGERS.  This is the highest rated franchise that has done nothing.  Nothing.  The Rangers [formerly the Washington Senators] have exactly ONE playoff win in their un-illustrious history.  Just one.  No World Series titles.  No appearances.  This is a team that had Nolan Ryan, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodgriguez and Juan Gonzalez [heck, Ryan, Sosa and Juan were on the 1989 team together].  They played in a minor league park for years and were owned by the current President of the United States.  Not to mention they were the ones that broke the payroll structure in baseball by signing A-Rod to $250M.

                             

  #5-SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS.  I normally do not feel sorry for the Giants or their fans.  They have a beautiful ball park.  They have Barry Bonds, who holds the single season HR mark and could soon break Hank Aaron's record.  But, they haven't won a World Series in 47 years of baseball on the left coast.  They lost the 1962 World Series with the winning run on base in the ninth.  They lost the 1989 World Series to Bay Area rivals Oakland in the "Earthquake Series".  They lost the 2002 World Series with a 5-run lead late in Game 6.

                        

  #6-HOUSTON ASTROS.  The Astros came around in 1962.  Last year was the first time they won a playoff series.  Ever.  They almost won a second series...leading the Cards 3 games to 2 in the NLCS before bowing out.  Add that to the 1980 NLCS loss when they led games 5 and 6 in the 8th inning.

  

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• Hey....I've Been Busy!!!

  July 14, 2005

  This week I am hosting my entire family [sans my Dad who is staying home in Charlotte]....so I really haven’t had time to really delve into my blog or really anything sports related. However, I will just throw out some quick takes on stuff I’ve caught on the fly in those precious moments when I don’t have to have Spongebob Squarepants on.

                      

  *Apparently the NHL and the NHLPA have agreed on a deal that would keep the peace for 6 years. There will be nearly a 25% rollback....meaning that everyone is taking a quarter paycut. There WILL be a hard salary cap that will require teams to spend $21M and no more than $37M...and that number will move with revenue. They will allow buyouts of contracts that wouldn’t count against the cap. No player can make more than 1/5 of his team’s payroll. So if a team is at the cap of $37M, then the highest player can only make $7.4M. The top 10 money making teams will dump money into a pool for the bottom 10 money making teams. There will be salary arbitration [perhaps similar to MLB’s] and the NHL will shut it down in February 2006 so the NHL players can participate in the Olympics [there will be no 2006 All Star Game].

  So...who are the winners and losers???? Well, I can’t say the players won anything. In any labor dispute...the public perception of athletes worsen as they are considered greedy. Also, the NHL pretty much got their wishes by installing a hard cap and rolling back contracts. The arbitration aspect lends owners a shot at lowering a player’s salary if he underperformed. The owners also established a entry salary cap so that this garbage of not being able to afford your draft pick will go away.

  I also do not agree with the revenue sharing plan. Why should the #10 team be forced to share money but not the #11 team? I know what this is supposed to be for...but the execution is wrong. I’d like to see just a straight revenue percentage taken from each team...and that money gets placed into an "emergency fund". That fund only gets used when something extreme happens...like when the Sabres were having trouble to make payroll payments.

  _________________________________

                                    

  *On Thursday, the NFL’s supplemental draft will be held. It is a special draft for guys that didn’t get in on the first NFL Draft. Guys like Chris Carter, Bernie Kosar, Brian Bosworth, Steve Walsh and Dave Brown came into the league via the Suppy Draft. But now, the supplemental draft is a haven for abandoned players. Guys with no where to go. So...who are the names this year?

  Manuel Wright, a DT from Southern Cal, will most likely be drafted...as well as possibly eight others.

  _________________________________

         

  *Wow...are the Washington Nationals for real or what!?!? Not only have they surprised everyone with their NL East lead heading into the All Star Break...but they just dealt for Preston Wilson and Eric Byrnes!!!

   

  

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• Sportz Look Back At MLB Predictions

  October 05, 2005

     

  NL EAST
  1-Florida Marlins
  2-New York Mets
  3-Atlanta Braves
  4-Philadelphia Phillies
  5-Washington Nationals

  VERDICT:  It is no fun to pick the Braves every year!!!  Aside from that, everything went a tad bit topsy turvy in this division.  Before the season, I liked the Fish's overall talent and that "intangible" that just makes me like that team.  The Nats took a better liking to DC than I figured [credit to former Reds GM Jim Bowden]....but, technically, they did finish in last place [which would have put them just 1 game back in the NL West].  The Fightin' Phillies did an admirable job moving on without Jim Thome.  But that Braves farm system is not to be underrated.  Guys went out...and young guys stepped in and did the job.  That Bobby Cox sure can manage.
  
  NL CENTRAL
  1-St. Louis Cardinals
  2-Chicago Cubs
  3-Houston Astros
  4-Cincinnati Reds
  5-Milwaukee Brewers
  6-Pittsburgh Pirates

  VERDICT:  It isn't some wild prediction...but I got it right.  St. Louis is the class of the National League.  But how in the heck do the Cubs continue to falter?  There's a ton there, but they just don't get it done.  What a turnaround the Astros had...for the 2nd straight season.  I mean, this team was so bad on the road early in the season.  The Reds, Brewers and Pirates continue to be fodder for those teams with big payrolls...though Milwaukee emerged with a surprisingly mediocre season.  It was nice to see Ken Griffey blast again in Cincinnati....but so did everyone else in that ballpark.

  NL WEST
  1-San Francisco Giants
  2-San Diego Padres
  3-Los Angeles Dodgers
  4-Arizona Diamondbacks
  5-Colorado Rockies

  VERDICT:  Well, I made this prediction under the assumption that Barry Bonds would have been back around the All Star break.  If he was, they would have taken this division.  I am dead sure of that.  But, it didn't work out.  But the team I had just below them did win the division, with a sad 82-80 record.  Ugh.  That was worse than 3 NL teams that didn't make the playoffs.  The Dodgers felt the squeeze from their defections [but losing Beltre was worth it, eh?  I mean...he isn't worth that money].  Oh, and those Rockies sure did suck.

  AL EAST
  1-New York Yankees
  2-Boston Red Sox
  3-Baltimore Orioles
  4-Toronto Blue Jays
  5-Tampa Bay Devil Rays

  VERDICT:  I felt before the season began that the Yankees were built better for the regular season.  It took most of the year to get this done...but they won by the slimmest of margins [head-to-head].  Of course, the defending champ Boston would be there with them.  Baltimore was there in the mix before the entire bottom fell out.  Once Raffy was suspended....the O's just weren't the same.  Toronto continues to live in that mid-level land.  Did those D-Rays finish last again?

  AL CENTRAL
  1-Minnesota Twins
  2-Chicago White Sox
  3-Detroit Tigers
  4-Cleveland Indians
  5-Kansas City Royals

  VERDICT:  Two things.  One, the White Sox exploded from the gate and didn't look back until September.  And I grossly underestimated the Indians.  While everyone was picking them as a vogue playoff team....I wanted to knock them down a peg.  Well, the team did make a strong push which ended with a late, late, late season slump.  To me, personally, the Twins were the biggest disappointment.  And those Royals finished with the worst record in baseball.

  AL WEST
  1-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
  2-Texas Rangers
  3-Seattle Mariners
  4-Oakland Athletics

  VERDICT:  I've liked Anaheim to win the AL pennant all year long...and I am sticking with them.  Texas was rolling along nicely for a spell...until the A's took their thunder.  I honestly believed that Oakland's personnel changes would kill them for this year, at least.  But, never underestimate those A's.  Always underestimate those Mariners. 

  FANTASY:  I did end up crushing everyone in my work's MLB SLUGGERS LEAGUE.  For a recap, ten of us each drafted 10 players [each position and one extra player], collect pts for HR, RBI, H and R....as well as Wins and Ks for the pitchers....and after lopping off the worst 4 players, whomever has the most pts wins!  My team consisted of:  1B-Derek Lee, 2B-Ray Durham, SS-Michael Young, 3B-Alex Rodriguez, OF-Bobby Abreau, Gary Sheffield, Johnny Damon, C-Mike Piazza, P-Johan Santana, X-Sean Casey.  Of course, A-Rod, Sheff and Santana got off for me.  But my shrewd move to take Derek Lee [whom I had the previous year] paid off.  Going into the draft in which I had the #2 pick [which I used for A-Rod], I was hoping to land David Ortiz in the 2nd round [who ended up being the best player in our league].  He was gobbled up pretty quickly, so I went with Sheff and made a note to eye Derek Lee later in the draft. 

  POSTSEASON:  Hmm...here it goes.  Angels over Yankees.  Red Sox over White Sox.  Braves over Astros.  Cardinals over Padres.  Angels over Red Sox.  Cardinals over Braves.  Cardinals over Angels. 

  

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• Oh, Yeah.....Interleague Play

  May 20, 2006

      

  I admit that I am one of those guys that likes interleague.....in moderation.

  I'm on record, in this blog, saying that we need to keep the interleague rivals.  But, don't keep the interleague setup as it currently exists. 

  Again....move one team from the National League over to the American League....please.  My pick would be the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Then, move the Houston Astros to the NL West [hey detractors....the Astros were in the NL West for 30 years].

  Then have your ONE interleague rival which you played every year.  And with the odd number of teams in each league, you can have every series have an interleague matchup.

  I mean, wouldn't it be more fun with just the one MAJOR rivalry at a time.  Instead of having the Cubs-White Sox and Yankees-Mets at the same time....the Subway Series gets it's own stage.  Then, later on, the Chicago series gets it's own stage.  As will the Freeway Series....Bay Series, Battle of Ohio, the Show Me Series, Beltway Series etc. 

  So...here are your rivalry matchups.

  Braves-Red Sox [no real rivalry, except the Braves once called Boston home]
  Marlins-Devil Rays [Florida]
  Mets-Yankees [New York City]
  Phillies-Blue Jays [Phills once were called the Blue Jays]
  Senators-Orioles [Beltway]
  Cubs-White Sox [Chicago]
  Reds-Indians [Ohio]
  Brewers-Twins [Upper Midwest]
  Pirates-Tigers [Rust Belt]
  Cardinals-Royals [Missouri]
  Rockies-Mariners [Northwest]
  Astros-Rangers [Texas]
  Dodgers-Angels [Los Angeles]
  Padres-Diamondbacks [Southwest]
  Giants-Athletics [Bay Area]

  *Only two of the "rivalries" don't make that much sense....but it works out.

  Those are great.  Especially in those natural geographic rivalries which the fans get into it as much as the players do.  In a city like Chicago, seeing that fight at home plate today had to have been special.  I'm a Reds fan, and the city does get up a bit for the series with Cleveland.  And because of the two-league format....baseball is really the only major league that can capitalize off this.  I mean, look how much this does for college sports!

  You can still have an interleague schedule....but tone it down.  Maybe just two or three more interleague rivals during the year.  That way, instead of being bogged down...these series become special again since they would be played infrequently again.  I don't need to see the Mariners come into Great American Ballpark every three years.  Every 5-7 years is fine. 

  

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• REMEMBER MEMORIAL DAY

  May 28, 2006

  

  Tomorrow is Memorial Day.

  And during your day off.....visiting family....grilling burgers....swimming in the pool....lying on the couch watching TV.....take a second to remember why you are doing those things.

  People died to give us and keep these freedoms.

  My aunt's [my mom's sister] father was killed in World War II.  Something called D-Day.  When you watch Saving Private Ryan this weekend.....he was one of those poor souls in the opening sequence.  My mom's father [my mom was born after WWII so she and her sister have different dads] served in the same war.  My father served during the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam.  Several of his uncles served.  One of my good friends was in the first Gulf War.   My wife's grandfather was in Korea.

  Now, I am the Sportz Assassin....and I try to keep this blog tracked in the sports mode.  And I will.  But I always feel that we tend to forget holiday meanings.  At Christmas, we are always told to "remember what the day is about".  Same thing with Thanksgiving or Independence Day.  But Memorial Day is tangible.  It affects us all.  Everyone of us is related to...or is friends with someone related to....a soldier.  Many are fortunate enough to return home.  Others are not.  These people died so we can live on without a hiccup in our daily lives.  Honestly, how many of us are willing to do that?  We rather gripe about gas prices or NBA officiating or traffic jams or that idiot in front of us at the bank or how lousy our favorite team's GM is than think about putting everything we have on the line to serve our country and it's citizens.

  The "Greatest Generation" is growing thin.  The soldiers who fought and survived World War II are fading away.  If you were 18 when Pearl Harbor happened....you'd be 83 right now.  Soon....very soon....there won't be anyone left who fought in that war.  There are barely anyone left who fought in World War I.  And the veterans of Korea and Vietnam are taking their places as our grandfathers.  We don't have much more time to have ol' grandpa or Uncle Bob sit around the porch and tell us all those war stories.

  It's up to us to remember. 

  Again....I run a sports blog here....so I want to tie this in.

                                        

  Remember guys like Pat Tillman, who quit a million dollar NFL career to serve his country.  And no matter what all of the fog around his death is....the fact that he did that in a time where we'd NEVER expect any athlete to do so is quite admirable.  It's the reason we cared in the first place.

  Remember Bob Kalsu of the Buffalo Bills, who was killed in North Vietnam in 1970 by mortar fire. 

  Remember all those athletes in World War II.  There were 638 NFL players who left the gridiron to take part in the bloodiest war ever.  Nineteen of those players were killed.  There were at least 3,000 minor league baseball players and over 300 major league players who also fought.  At least 50 were killed. 

  Remember guys like Nile Kinnick.  He won the 1939 Heisman Trophy....but is better known as the name on the front of the Iowa Hawkeyes football stadium.  He died in a fighter plane crash during training in 1943. 

  Remember Hobey Baker, who died right as World War I was ending in a fighter crash.  Baker was a star hockey player in college.  Today, an award in his honor is given in collegiate hockey as well as many other high school awards given for character.

  Remember that while not everyone was killed in the war....many were wounded and would later die from complications from those wounds.  Or maybe they couldn't live life the way the did before they served. 

                      

  And remember Ted Williams.  No, Williams didn't die in combat.  But he was in combat.  Imagine that.  Imagine if now, during this War on Terror, guys like Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, Dontrelle Willis, Kobe Bryant, Greg Oden, Michael Vick, Jim Thome, Brandon Webb, Shaun Alexander, Antonio Tarver, etc had to stop their sports jobs to go and fight.  That would be insane, huh?  Well, it used to not be like that.

  So, please take a second to remember those who were willing to die....and ultimately did....to protect your way of life.

  I know I will. 

  

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• The Grimsley Truth About Baseball

  June 07, 2006

      

  The baseball era we currently live in has the darkest of clouds overhead.  The best player of our time, Barry Bonds, basically has a career that is worthless in most people's eyes.  Even baseball's eyes.  The magical "Summer of '98" also has a bad taste as many feel now that both Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were juiced up.  We've had TWO MVP award winners [Ken Caminiti, Jose Canseco] admit to using the stuff, and two more MVP award winners [Bonds, Jason Giambi] allegedy admit in sworn testimony to  a grand jury that they may have/probably used steroids too. 

  But now this.

  Unsealed court documents state that Arizona pitcher Jason Grimsley told federal investigators he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs, mainly HGH [human growth hormone], after federal agents searched his house yesterday.  And apparantly, he rolled over on a few guys as well.

  Some notes:

  -According to one IRS agent, Grimsley told him some names of other players that may have been using.  The names of those players have been blacked out of court records.

  -Grimsely's big league career started in 1989 and he holds just a 42-58 lifetime record with a 4.77 ERA.

  -According to the court documents, Grimsley failed a league drug test in 2003.

  -Authorities said Grimsley admitted to using HGH, amphetamines and steroids.  He added that amphetamine use was prevalent in the majors, and that coffee in clubhouses [marked "leaded" or "unleaded" to indicate which pots contained the drugs] even was laced.

  -The Arizona Republic, which broke the story, said that Latino players were cited by Grimsley as the source for the drugs....and that players on the California teams [presumably the Angels, Padres and Dodgers] could easily go over to Mexico to buy the drugs.

  -Grimsley has not been arrested and no charges are currently pending.

  -He received two "kits" of HGH on April 19th.

  -To corroborate some of his statements, Grimsley agreed to make a recorded telephone call to his supplier of HGH in the presence of agents.

  I'm sure we will all hear more about this.  When the feds are involved in something like this.....they aren't looking for the small guys.  They are looking to cut off the head.  The affidavid states that they were looking for lists or any records of contacts.  Meaning, where was he getting this from and where was it going??? 

  And THAT, my friends, is the biggest can of worms.

  

  1 Comment
• Heels Beat Fullerton In Wild Extra Inning Affair

  June 17, 2006

    

  from SI.COM

  OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- When Cal State Fullerton couldn't score after having five men reach base in the 11th inning, North Carolina coach Mike Fox figured it must be his team's game to win.

  Turns out, Fox was right.

  Josh Horton broke a tie with an RBI single in the 13th inning to key the Tar Heels' 7-5 victory Friday night in the second-longest game in College World Series history at 4 hours, 53 minutes.

  The only longer game in the CWS' 60-year history was Oklahoma State's 5-hour, 13-inning win over Arizona State in 1981.

  The Tar Heels survived a quirky 11th that saw Cory Vanderhook's baserunning blunder take Fullerton out of a good scoring opportunity.

  "As my assistant likes to say, we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat," Fox said. "It was true. We were very fortunate to win. We dodged a number of bullets big-time in extra innings."

  North Carolina had four straight singles to open the 13th against Lauren Gagnier (14-5), Fullerton's No. 2 starter who was making a rare relief appearance.

  Andrew Carignan pitched an inning of two-hit relief to earn his 14th save. Matt Danford (7-1) was the winner.

  The Tar Heels (51-13) advanced to a Sunday game against Clemson, which scored all its runs in the eighth inning to rally for an 8-4 afternoon win over Georgia Tech. Fullerton (48-14), which saw its 12-game winning streak end, will meet the Yellow Jackets in a Bracket 1 elimination game.

  North Carolina's Mike Cavasinni singled leading off the 13th, and Reid Fronk followed with hard grounder that bounced off second baseman Justin Turner for a single. Horton singled into right for the tiebreaking run, and the Tar Heels got an insurance run on Tim Federowicz's bases-loaded hit.

  North Carolina gave Fullerton an opportunity to win in the 11th after two Titans reached base on dropped third strikes.

  Vanderhook drew a leadoff walk, and Justin Turner struck out but was safe at first when catcher Federowicz's throw hit Turner in the back of his helmet. Vanderhook ended up on third on Blake Davis' grounder.

  When Danford sent a pickoff throw to third, Vanderhook reacted slowly and was forced to take off down the line. Federowicz made the easy tag at home.

  "He just got caught off third," Fullerton coach George Horton said. "Young kids get caught up in the emotion. We had information that they use that (pickoff) play. They put that play on, executed it and Cory fell asleep a little bit."

  After Brett Pill struck out but reached when the ball got past Federowicz, Danny Dorn was intentionally walked to load the bases.

  The Tar Heels escaped when Seth Williams made an adventurous catch on David Cooper's fly in short right.

  "That inning was crazy, and the whole game was intense," Turner said. "Both teams played great baseball, and that's what everybody came to see."

  Fox said he couldn't recall having an opponent go scoreless with so many baserunners in an inning.

  "That was the inning where we were very, very fortunate," Fox said. "Once we got out of that inning, this might be our game to win. You don't do that very often."

  The anticipated pitching duel between Fullerton's Wes Roemer and North Carolina's Andrew Miller didn't materialize until after the third inning.

  The Tar Heels' four runs off Roemer in the first two innings were one more than he gave up in his previous 25 innings.

  Fronk homered in the first and Benji Johnson's two-run homer in the second put the Tar Heels up 4-1.

  Miller, who had given up one home run in a team-leading 110 2-3 innings, surrendered two homers in the first three innings against Fullerton.

  Evan McArthur homered in the second to cut the Tar Heels' lead to 4-2, and Brandon Tripp ripped a three-run shot in the third to put the Titans up 5-4.

  North Carolina tied it at 5 in the fifth, with Garrett Gore singling, moving up on a sacrifice and coming home on Horton's single.

  Miller allowed one hit from the fourth through seventh innings. He left with one out in the eighth, having allowed five runs on six hits. The five runs matched the most against him this season. He walked three and struck out nine.

  Roemer, who gave up five runs on nine hits in eight innings, walked none and struck out six. He retired the Tar Heels in order four out of five times between the third and seventh.

  SPEAKING OF GOOD TAR HEEL NEWS

  NBADraft.net informs the NBA draftniks of the world that David Noel, the lone senior on last year's UNC basketball team, rated #1 in athleticsm.  Hard to tell what that will mean for Noel's possible draft status or NBA future....but they wouldn't test him for nothing.  Currently, Noel isn't on NBADraft.net's board. 

   

  

  2 Comments
• North Carolina Is In The College World Series Championship!!!!

  June 22, 2006

           

  I cannot believe that the UNC Heels are just two wins away from a BASEBALL National Championship!  The team is good, but they've had good teams recently that seem to get beaten in the first round or in the Super Regionals. 

  UNC is in the championship series.....without losing a game yet!  They were undefeated in the round robin first round in Chapel Hill.  They beat Alabama 2-games-to-0 in Tuscaloosa in the Super Regionals.  And they've beaten Fullerton [twice] and Clemson to get to the championship series [against either Rice or Oregon State].

  The Championship series....a best of three.....begins Saturday. 

  Here is the story from ESPN.com:

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  OMAHA, Neb. -- Jay Cox's two home runs helped North Carolina build a lead against Cal State Fullerton.

  His ninth-inning catch at the left-field wall helped the Tar Heels keep it.

  With their 6-5 victory on Wednesday night, the Tar Heels won Bracket 1 at the College World Series and moved to the best-of-three final, where they'll play for their first national title beginning Saturday.

  Carolina (53-13) will meet either Rice or Oregon State. Those two teams played later Wednesday, with Rice needing one victory to win Bracket 2. Oregon State would have to beat the Owls twice to reach the final.

  "It's obviously exciting to think about and say the words that we're playing for a national championship," said North Carolina coach Mike Fox, whose program had lost six of eight games in four previous CWS appearances.

  North Carolina, which defeated Fullerton 7-5 in 13 innings on Friday, won a rematch that featured 27 hits in what was an anticipated pitcher's duel between Carolina's Daniel Bard and the Titans' Wes Roemer.

  Cox's three-run homer in the third inning put Carolina up 4-2. He and Tim Federowicz hit back-to-back homers in the fifth -- the first consecutive homers in the CWS since Missouri State's Greg Mathis and Jacob Hilgendorf did it in 2003 -- to give the Tar Heels a 6-3 lead.

  Carolina led by a run in the ninth when Cox robbed David Cooper of extra bases when he caught a long drive while crashing into the wall in left.

  The Titans (50-15) had proved dangerous in the late innings, scoring three runs in the ninth to beat Georgia Tech on Sunday and erasing a three-run seventh-inning deficit to beat Clemson on Tuesday.

  "We didn't want a double right there," Cox said. "I realized the ball was carrying a little bit. I got back to the track. As soon as I felt the track I jumped up and caught it. It felt pretty good, I guess."

  So did his home runs, which more than made up for his 1-for-11 start at the CWS.

  "I was kind of beating myself up a little bit, and I felt I was letting the team down," Cox said. "Coach talked to me a little bit and said I would get big hits when it counts. I got in the batter's box [in the third] -- we had struggled a little bit the first couple at-bats -- and I just tried to put the barrel on the ball. It just happened that it went out twice."

  Bard (9-3), a first-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, gave up a career-high 12 hits in six innings.

  Roemer (13-2) allowed six runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings, the shortest of his 30 career starts. The Big West pitcher of the year gave up both of Cox's homers and Federowicz's solo shot.

  After allowing three home runs in 16 regular-season starts, Roemer surrendered six in four NCAA tournament starts. He gave up two in his first CWS start against the Tar Heels.

  Roemer said he felt good the first two innings. Then Mike Cavasinni reached when Roemer couldn't field a comebacker to start the third.

  "That led to quicksand," Roemer said. "Everybody was getting hits and stuff was going wrong."

  Bard left in the seventh with two runners on base. Cooper's single off John Estes and pinch-hitter Cory Vanderhook's sacrifice fly pulled Fullerton to 6-5.

  The Titans (50-15) tried to tie it after John Curtis doubled leading off the eighth and moved to third on a groundout. Curtis took off for home on a suicide squeeze but was thrown out when reliever Andrew Carignan picked up Blake Davis' bunt in front of the mound.

  "I knew I was going to be out," Curtis said. "I just wanted to slide in hard and see if I could jar it loose."

  Fullerton coach George Horton said it was the perfect time to try the play.

  "Blake is a very good bunter and we had it set up," he said. "We're not going to second guess that. We're not going to beat ourselves up over a play that didn't work."

  The Titans, who had come from behind to win their previous two games, stood at the top of the dugout steps in the bottom of the ninth, hats backward and linked with their arms behind each others' backs.

  After Cox made his big catch against Cooper, first-round draft pick Andrew Miller came on for his first relief appearance since 2004. Miller earned the save by getting pinch-hitter Bryan Harris on a soft grounder to shortstop for the final out.

  

  0 Comments
• Shimmy Shimmy Ya!

  August 28, 2006

  Since I've had a really busy week....I haven't been able to properly keep up with all the haps in the sports world.  So this will hopefully rectify it...

  49 DIE IN KENTUCKY PLANE CRASH:  A plane crashed just after taking off in Lexington, KY on Sunday morning.  It happened about an hour away from where I sit now.  Only one person has survived, a co-pilot, and he is still in critical condition.  Speculation is that the plane used the wrong runway.....one that was too short.  Of the 49 dead is Jon Hooker....a former pitcher for the Kentucky Wildcats [a teammate of D-backs' pitcher Brandon Webb] who had a stint in the minor leagues.  He was married on Saturday night and was on his way to his honeymoon this morning.  He was 27. 

  PANTHERS STEROID TROUBLE:  Go to AOL SPORTS: PANTHERS to check out the story written by David Warner on the recent breaking story on the Carolina Panthers and the steroid scandal.  It really begs the question.....is baseball set to a higher standard??  I mean, if something like this broke in the MLB....it would be a firestorm.  Imagine if the 2004 St Louis Cardinals had a ton of guys taking roids that year....and that it was a well known thing.  All hell would break loose.  But, in the NFL...it is a mildly buzz worthy story. 

  TIGER WOODS WINS AGAIN:  Let's see.  Tiger wins his 52nd event.  He won his fourth straight event he's entered....and on the 10th anniversary of him turning pro.  In the 13 events he's entered this year....he has won 6 of them.  Yikes!

  REDS FALLING:  When the weekend began, the Reds and Cardinals were tied atop the NL Central.  Then the Reds got ripped in three straight with the Giants....while the Cardinals won three straight over the Cubs.  Now Cincy's lead in the wildcard is just 1/2 a game over the Padres....who the Reds will visit next weekend. 

  OWENS SAGA:  Now the Cowboys have fined T.O. $9,500 for being, well, T.O.  Couldn't happen to a better franchise!

  TEAM USA:  Our hoops team dismantled Australia to advance to the World Championships quarterfinal round.  Now, we get Dirk Nowitki and the German team.  Most likely the Americans should cruise to the gold medal game where they get to face off against either Argentina or Spain....the two teams that could topple them. 

  HEISMAN WATCH:  Um, why is there one??  Oh, because the Heisman is the most ridiculously overhyped award in sports.  I mean, does the NBA put out a list of MVP candidates before the season starts??  How about the NFL or MLB???  And it is a bullcrap voting system anyways that bases everything on exposure.  That's why they should just ship the award to Brady Quinn since you know every Notre Dame game will be on national TV.

  

  3 Comments
• The Cincinnati Reds Have Baseball's Best Team!!!

  November 02, 2006

  

  The Reds won't compete for anything ever again.....but they will at least sound good.  Since the season ended, the Reds have put together a broadcast team that would rival anyone.

  This is a franchise that has been built on great radio voices.  Marty Brennaman [a UNC graduate] is in baseball's Hall of Fame and has been a Reds staple for over 30 years.  He had been calling games with the recently retired [but still working here and there] Joe Nuxall for decades now...and with Nuxall stepping aside....a shakeup has insued. 

  Here is the lineup.

  Hall of Famer Marty Brennaman will work a bulk of the radio as he usually does.  Joining him will be Jeff Brantley, the former ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" analyst who did some TV work as well for the network.  Flexing in there will be Marty's son, Thom Brennaman, who leaves the same post with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Now, Thom's work with Fox [mainly the Saturday game plus NFL work] will limit how many games he will call with the Reds....but it is still quite a get. 

  On the TV side, George Grande and Chris Welsh will be together for the 15th year calling Reds games.....something they do very, very well.  Filling in the holes [like when one or both of those guys are off] will be Thom Brennaman and Brantley.  Quite a remarkable team. 

  Here is the game breakdown from Cincinnati.com:

  Marty Brennaman: The veteran Reds broadcaster is expected to be in the radio booth for 150 games this upcoming season.
  
  Thom Brennaman: He will work 45-50 games on the radio and 45 on TV. His FOX deal keeps him from doing weekend radio games.
  
  Jeff Brantley: The former Red will be mostly in the radio booth (120 games) but will do color commentary on TV for 25 games.
  
  George Grande: Grande will provide his play-by-play from the TV booth for 100 games.
  
  Chris Welsh: Welsh will offer his color commentary to TV viewers for 120 games.
  
  Joe Nuxhall: The Ol' Left-hander is expected to join the radio booth for six to 12 games.

  

  1 Comment
• Going Back to the Way Things Used to Be

  October 20, 2009

  Please indulge me here. I'm just going back the basics with the divisions and conference set up when I was a teenager coming up (the 1980s-1990s) ... but with the newer teams added in. What would we be looking at?
  
  
  MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
  
  NL EAST: Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals.
  
  NL WEST: Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
  
  AL EAST: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays
  
  AL WEST: Anaheim Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers
  
  (We go back to the 1993 setup with two divisions in each league. I kept with the original divisional members ... including the horrible Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston trifecta in the NL West. I put the Brewers back in the AL East where they were at. I also put both of the 1998-expansion Diamondbacks and Rays in the American League. When I was growing up, the AL always had the more teams.
  
  The dynamic of MLB would be some interesting division races. The Phillies and Cardinals in the NL East; the Dodgers/Rockies/Braves/Giants in the NL West; the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry will be joined with the Tigers; and how about an Angels/Twins run in the AL West?)
  
  NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
  
  ATLANTIC DIVISION: Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards.
  
  CENTRAL DIVISION: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors.
  
  MIDWEST DIVISION: Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs.
  
  PACIFIC DIVISION: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz.
  
  (Now, I wanted to go with the original format that was used prior the the Bobcats entry into the league six years ago. To accomodate the new Bobcats and the relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City, I had to make a few changes. The Atlantic Division is exactly the same as it was back then. The Central Division is essentially the same, though I kept "Charlotte" there and move the "Hornets" to the Midwest Division. Also, I switched the Jazz and Thunder in the Western Conference.)
  
  NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
  
  NFC EAST: Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins.
  
  NFC CENTRAL: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  
  NFC WEST: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers.
  
  AFC EAST: Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets.
  
  AFC CENTRAL: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans.
  
  AFC WEST: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks
  
  (Interesting since I basically made few changes to the format. Remember how jacked up the NFL divisions were back then: Arizona and Dallas in the East; Atlanta and Carolina in the West? I have the divisions set up exactly how they were just before Houston joined the league a few years ago. That meant that I added the Texans to the NFC West because, well that's where they make the most sense. )
  
  NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
  
  ADAMS DIVISION: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning
  
  PATRICK DIVISION: Atlanta Thrashers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals
  
  NORRIS DIVISION: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs.
  
  SMYTHE DIVISION: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks
  
  (The Winnepeg Jets move to Phoenix was easy, as was the Hartford Whalers move to Carolina and Minnesota North Stars move to Dallas. But with all the expansion since 1990 -- nine teams have been added since -- and Quebec's move to Coloardo, it was tough to keep things sane.
  
  I put the two Florida teams in the Adams Division because Carolina was already there. Ottawa joining them made just as much sense. That meant Atlanta and Nashville got sent to the Patrick Division. Pretty easy to put Minnesota and Columbus in the Norris. Even simpler to put Anaheim, San Jose and the relocated Colorado in the Smythe.)

  1 Comment
• Realigning MLB like the NBA

  September 29, 2009

  This is just me typing stuff out, so don't think I'm a nut. I like the idea of a National and American League.
  
  I just had a wild hair about the possibility of baseball realigning completely by geography.
  
  EASTERN LEAGUE
  
  NORTHEAST DIVISION
  Boston Red Sox
  New York Mets
  New York Yankees
  Philadelphia Phillies
  Toronto Blue Jays
  
  ATLANTIC DIVISION
  Atlanta Braves
  Baltimore Orioles
  Florida Marlins
  Tampa Bay Rays
  Washington Nationals
  
  CENTRAL DIVISION
  Cincinnati Reds
  Cleveland Indians
  Detroit Tigers
  Milwaukee Brewers
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  
  WESTERN LEAGUE
  
  MIDWEST DIVISION
  Chicago Cubs
  Chicago White Sox
  Kansas City Royals
  Minnesota Twins
  St. Louis Cardinals
  
  MOUNTAIN DIVISION
  Arizona Diamondbacks
  Colorado Rockies
  Houston Astros
  Seattle Mariners
  Texas Rangers
  
  PACIFIC DIVISION
  Los Angeles Angels
  Los Angeles Dodgers
  Oakland Athletics
  San Diego Padres
  San Francisco Giants
  
  Now, it isn't perfect ... but it isn't that bad. The hiccups were in the team that would be in the Central Division with the Reds, Indians, Pirates and Tigers. The next closest would be one of the Chicago teams and I didn't want to split them up. Next option was Milwaukee, which I wanted to keep with the Chicagos but they made more sense then anything else. I can't take the Cardinals away from the Cubs ... or the Royals away from the Cardinals ... leaving the Twins or Brewers. It's the Brewers!
  
  The other issue was the teams between Kansas City and California. Since there are five Cali teams, it was easy to throw them together. So the other five teams ... which spread from Houston to Seattle ... are stuck with each other. It's a larger geographic area than I like, but it works in real life with the Rangers and Mariners in the same division.

  

  3 Comments