SORRRYYYY

For the long delay in between posts. The past couple weeks have been pretty crazy with the beginning of the internship and what not.

However, here are a bunch of random thoughts, both baseball and non-baseball:

- I don't think Ubaldo Jimenez is this good. There's no way anything like this is sustainable. He's gotten very lucky, especially with his strand rate and the fact that he pitches in that ballparkk. As the summer heats up I fully expect Jimenez to cool down.

- Troy Glaus is the real deal. I think he's going to be one of the top corner infielders by the time the season is over. He's not as old as everybody thinks he is (33) and that lineup is not too bad.

-Speaking of the Braves: I put on my facebook before the season started that they had the best rotation in baseball. While it may not be THE best, it's still pretty good. And the back end of that bullpen has been nothing short of spectacular with Saito, Venters, and Wagner holding it down for them.

- I hate pitchers in the AL. I don't trust any of them. I realized today that on most of my mixed league teams I have a propensity to go NL-heavy with my pitching. Even guys like C.C. are guys that I don't completely love. However, C.C. does heat up in a big way once July hits.

- I think that Blake Lively is beautiful.

- I can't believe the U.S. actually won today.

- I really want a long-sleeved away German national team Bastian Schweinsteiger jersey and can't find it anywhere: is that too much to ask?

- Robinson Cano seems to have finally put it all together. He is easliy one of my favorite players to watch, and although he isn't built like your average 2nd baseman, he's still quick enough to play the position well. If you think about it, some of the Yankee's offense hasn't really played up to expectation. Teixeira and A-Rod have been decent, but not spectacular. It will be scary when those two guys actually do wake up and sprint away from the AL East.

- I think the Rangers are about to run away with the AL West relatively early. This is their division for the taking. The Angels will stick around because of Mike Scioscia, but not for very long. If the Rangers somehow manage to acquire Roy Oswalt (which I think they shouldn't because of their poor economic situation), then they turn into a World Series contender, and I honestly believe that.

- The Orioles are absolutely terrible. Maybe one of the worst teams I have ever seen.

- The Padres will fade. I don't know when they will do it, and I don't know how they will do it. But they will fade. The Dodgers and Rockies are too talented to not win the NL West. The top 4 teams are separated by 4 games as of today, but the cream will rise to the top. It always does.

- Stephen Strasburg is this good. I saw his first start at AAA Syracuse and was absolutely mesmerized. I think he'll have a few rouch patches, but they will be in innings not games. Damage control is the biggest thing all ace pitchers possess, and Strasburg's ability to locate anywhere in the zone is the most significant contributor to his success thus far.

- The Diamondback's bullpen is absolutely atrocious. I feel bad because that offense has such a great young core. They are the 8th best offense and have THE WORST ERA in the majors by .3 runs/9 IP.

- Josh Hamilton has been ridiculous in June. He's hit in 17 straight games and is getting on base 1 out of every 2 plate appearances. since June 1. That's absolutely filthy. From a fantay perspective I'm selling selling selling because he hasn't proven that he can stay healthy for a whole season. Every great game he has serves as a smaller reminder of what his career could have been. His success now is a great story though.

- It took me a while, but I now think Adam Wainwright is the best pitche on the Cardinals staff. I have always been a huge Carpenter fan, and still am, but if it weren't for that Jimenez guy, Wainwright would be the clear cut NL Cy Young winner. Those two guys, coupled with the sudden and pleasant success of rookie Jaime Garcia has made this a formidable rotation for an NL roster. I'm still pretty shocked they went out and got Suppan, but Dave Duncan proves year after year that he's a pretty good pitching coach.

- The World Cup has been fantastic. I realized I like soccer for the same reasons I love baseball. It's a little bit slower, but when that window of opportunity opens and the team takes advantage of it, it's a beautiful thing. The game happens slow and it's great to watch.

- I'm legitimately worried about the Phillies. This has been a very long funk, and I know Rollins just got back, but something just hasn't been right. I will give it more time before I write them out of the playoffs, but this team has some holes in it that are being exposed, like the poor middle-relief and the absence of a consistent offense. I'm still confident they'll make the playoffs, but I'm worried they may start losing their heads soon.

- How irrelevant is the AL Central?

- I'm more confident that Miguel Cabrera could win the triple crown than I have ever been with somebody this late in the season. This guy turns it ON in the 2nd half, and I think that he's got the skills. I love me some Miggy.

- I'm trying to come up with another intriguing storyline for the AL Central and I just can't do it. Other than Mauer not hitting for power. Indications seem to be that Target field is playing very pitcher-happy. Target Field ranks 28th in the Majors in Home Runs.

-I agree with the Marlin's firing of Freddie Gonzalez today. They needed to do something different. Yes, it sucks that they are in the NL East, one of the toughest divisions in baseball, but there's so much talent on the Marlins team. That offense has a lot going for it, and the pitching isn't awful. That team should be winning more. The offense is 5th in the NL in runs and in the middle of the pack in pitching. The infield defense has always been a problem, even since Girardi was let go a few yeras ago, and Gonzalez didn't do anything to fix it.

- Sorry for the delay between posts, but I hope you enjoy. Become a fan. Give feedback!!!

The Week that was...

There it is. I'd like to first start by saying that I don't think ALL the animosity towards Jim Joyce is fair. In my opinion the ball was still moving a little bit when Galarraga caught it, so everybody should hold their horses just a bit. Do I think that he was out, yes. Was it as close as everybody said it was, no.

That being said (for all the Curb Your Enthusiasm watchers), WHAT A TERRIBLE CALL?!?!? I don't care if it was close or not, you still have to call that out. Jim Joyce had to be saying to himself that if it was close, it was an out, no matter what. And nobody would have argued. To just jack a perfect game away from a completely mediocre pitcher is absolutely astounding. What the hell was he thinking?? Even if it was one of the more unimpressive perfect-game bids in history, with just 3K's and a ton of ground balls, it was still an amazing game by Galarraga. To get through 28 batters on just 88 pitchers with 3 K's means 2 things: a.) It's just his night and he was feeling it. b.) He got lucky as hell.

From the baseball perspective, I'm actually very happy that Bud Selig didn't overturn the call despite it being in his power to do so. Aside from the fact that it would have opened up a whole can of worms as far as making calls retroactively, it's just not good for the game. Letting the call stand was the right thing to do, and instituting replay on calls like these is the wrong thing to do. I'm furious enough as it is that they have the home run replay. As maddening as it is to have a fantasy player have a home run robbed from him, it's just not a part of the game. Baseball has always prided itself on being judged to the fullest based solely on the human element. Umpires are an integral part of the game, and they are completely qualified to make these judgement calls. I would trust the commissioner to remove them from duty if they weren't.

Onto other news and notes:
- Great series played by the Reds and Cards. I don't know why the NL Central has become a big topic of discussion on the blog, but I always feel obliged to comment on it. These two teams are very good baseball teams.

- Ubaldo Jiminez will not keep his ERA under 1 or win the 30 games he's on pace to. It's too impossible for him to do because he pitches at Coors. That being said, he sure did make Lincecum look silly on their Memorial Day tilt. While he's clearly the best pitcher in the NL right now, I don't think he will be in the top 3 at the end of the season: Wainwright, Lincecum, Halladay.

- Orioles fire Trembly. Who cares? This is a lost season already for the O's. They might as well bring Reimold back up and pray that they have a good draft. They need it, and they'll have the first pick in next year's draft.

- Bravo!- The Atlanta Braves are now playing great baseball. This team may be one of the most complete teams in the NL, offensively and defensively. Their pitching has been pretty good. Even poor old 0-7 Kenshin Kawakami has only allowed 5 earned runs in his last 3 starts. This team has really turned it on, and while I think the Phillies are too good to lose this division, the Braves could make it very interesting. I will note that my 23rd round Troy Glaus pick is making me look veeeery good. Their hot hitters vs. the Dodgers hit pitching should make this weekend's tilt one of the most competitive series of the weekend.

- The Diamondbacks haven't won in June. Granted it's only June 4th, but considering they also lost their last 8 games of May, things aren't looking too good. It's really ashame that this offense has so much pop, but the pitching has been terrible. Their acquisition of Dontrelle Willis perfectly encapsulates how desperate this team is for pitching. I wish I was a professional writer so I could think of something truly brilliant to properly insult the Diamondbacks for making this move.

- Cliff Lee needs to be traded. When you strike 50 guys out and walk only 4 and pitch for one of the worst offenses in baseball, it's clear what should be done. The guy just wants to win, and he can't do it for this team. All of the Mariner's top prospects have turned out to be busts and they have gotten rid of them: Adam Jones, Wladamir Balentein, and Jeff Clement to name a few. They need to trade Lee to get something in their farm system.

-Speaking of the Mariners, I think that Ken Griffey Jr. did one of the most noble things I've ever seen on a baseball field. For him to call it quits right now was doing a huge favor to the Mariners. He's been a classy guy for his whole career and this was no exception. I don't think it's embarrassing at all, he realized he didn't have it and he gave it up. He had some of the most prolific seasons in major league history and has done it all completely clean (at least I really hope so).

- Red Sox Red Hot- With the Buchholz/Lester 1-2 punch coming up tonight and tomorrow, look for the Red Sox to continue their hot streak. They've won 12 of their last 16, and it's because of these two as well as the hitting really stepping it up a notch. I bet most readers don't realize that Adrian Beltre is hitting .332 and has been a success in the Red Sox lineup thus far this season.

Everybody have a great weekend. Sorry the posts haven't been as regular lately. Check back every weekend for updates. And PLEASE become a fan of the blog.