June 6th was the 63rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Europe in the Second World War. The event happened so long ago now that it is hard to even put it into a modern frame of reference. Regardless of that fact, it remains one of the most significant events of the last 63 years, probably the last 100. The amazing thing is that baseball mattered even then, when great things were happening in the world. Great things are happening in the world now too, and while baseball matters…it no longer matters in the deeper and more inspirational way that it once did. The players today are better paid and (arguably) more famous – or at least better known – than their counterparts of the 1940s, but it is debatable if they are anything close to the solid citizens the members of the greatest generation were. Still, for being less of a game than it was, played by lesser men (if not lesser players), the game sure makes a lot of money for a handful of people. Guess that makes it all okay.
Kind of harder to enjoy all the nonsense in that light, but when you come from a generation that still has an appreciation, if not an attachment, to the events of 63 years ago the notion makes a little more sense. Sure, those guys drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes and cigars – but that was the extent of their “drug” use. Would they have used performance enhancing substances given the chance? Unlikely, at least in the opinion of the Stock Exchange, because those guys were made of different stuff and the easy way out was not always the answer to them.
Besides, hope springs eternal that there have been legitimate heroes playing this game.
So, the Red Sox and Yankees still get a lot of press – the Sox for losing a bunch of games before Curt Schilling nearly threw a no-hitter – and the Yankees for starting to win again while welcoming the return of Roger Clemens. For the record, Roger Clemens is no hero, so do not start thinking of him that way. What was somewhat shameful was the big deal that was made about players on the Yankees celebrating the fact that Schilling did not get a no-hitter. The fact that they watched the game is interesting in and of itself, but the realization that they watched it in hopes of seeing the man fail as opposed to being witnesses to history is shameful. That the story made it out of the clubhouse is even worse. Feel free to dislike Curt Schilling, feel free to hate the Red Sox – that is the right of any person who is a baseball fan or not. The plain fact remains that there is no class in celebrating loss or failure in others, and the Yankees’ players showed the greatest lack of class that they have exhibited all season with their negative antics. Feel relief that an opponent was not energized by such a historic event – just don’t jump up and down like crazy people and have a party. The interesting thing watching the Yankees this season has been the quiet dignity and perseverance that has been the common thread through their challenges this season. Not being the biggest Yankee fan here, that notion has still been something that resonated while watching them play. While the Stock Exchange openly roots for the Red Sox, the truth remains that it was better that the Sox got that win than anything else. Still, even if you do not like Curt or Boston – respect the effort and still be classy New York. Do not dip into the territory of Alex Rodriguez and show how bush league you can be!
The standings are an interesting beast, because even with a bunch of losses the Red Sox still own the American League East. While they have all the time in the world to blow it, the plain truth remains that they still will win a bunch of games because their pitching is better than most, and their guys can still be dangerous hitters. It is not like the team as a whole is playing above their collective heads – they are actually good and stuff. Should J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo actually start to play like they can and that lineup only gets a LOT better. Of course, there will always be Coco Crisp…and what can you really do about Coco? New York may be juiced up on Rocket fuel right now, but that stuff only works one day in five. The rest of the staff, Chien-Ming Wang aside perhaps, is porous and vulnerable. Knowing that, the hitting will continue to keep them in only so many games, and Clemens will lose some games – some of them will be blowouts too. Toronto is struggling to hold onto third simply because injuries have devastated their hopes this season. The big salary gambles on pitching have paid off in some regards (A.J. Burnett) and failed in others (B.J. Ryan). Do not be surprised if the Blue Jays make a splash in the offseason with another free agent or two. Baltimore remains the team in baseball that MOST needs a change in ownership and leadership. While it seems doubtful that Peter Angelos has any desire to sell, the Orioles remain one of the great franchises in the game and they deserve better than what they have now. As always, there is great talent on the team and some good prospects for the future, but they just cannot put it all together. The decline of the franchise started when they let Mike Mussina go, and once Cal Ripken was gone it has never been the same – a real shame. Tampa Bay is the team pregnant with potential, but never delivering. The best thing that could happen to the Rays is for the Marlins to leave the state – then Florida baseball fans could focus on just one team that is actually pretty good. Their recent pickup in the draft – pitcher David Price – and existing talent Scott Kazmir and James Shields makes for a hopeful start of a solid rotation. Add in the persistent rumors of a Rich Harden to Tampa trade and the Rays could be looking dangerous all too soon for their competition in the East.
On the National League side the Mets remain the team to beat in the East, but Atlanta continues to amaze with its ability to pull quality talent out of their farm system. Just when you think they cannot do it anymore, someone like Brian McCann or Jarrod Saltalamacchia shows up and wins a starting job. The Phillies still have a shot, but they are continually challenged by consistency issues on the mound and at the plate. Still, you have to admire a team that gets so much better AFTER dumping in the summer of 2006 – they hardly even remember Bobby Abreu in Philadelphia anymore. The Marlins are a great young team with a ton of talent, which is what we seem to be saying about them every year. After the Orioles, they are the team most in need of an ownership change to breathe new life into the franchise. Talk continues that they may find themselves a new home in a place like Las Vegas or Portland, but the fact remains that their worthless owner really prefers southern Florida and would likely prefer to stay there assuming he can extort what he wants from the local and state governments. Getting back to the standings, while this is not the Marlins year, odds are good that they are due another World Series visit soon, and once they get there, it sure seems likely that they will pull off a win…again. Finally, there is Washington, the once and never again Montreal Expos. Some people surely liked them better in Montreal, and it is a shame seeing a once loved team struggle and suffer in an environment where they are still earning a fan base. Winning would help that, but it seems like until they improve their talent pool doing that will be more than just an uphill battle. However, if ownership decides to lay out some cash now to bring in more talent, it could pay dividends for the team for years because they have some good pieces now – they just need the holes in the team filled in first.
Looking at the two eastern divisions, there are some great teams and talent collected there, but it is also nice to see how neither division is the powerhouse of the game anymore. Still, there will be more than a couple contenders for playoff berths coming from the east, and that should surprise no one. Time will tell if Pedro Martinez comes back in any great shape and, more importantly, has anything real to contribute to a team that is already pretty darned good. The smart money this season should also be betting that the trade deadline goes down as one of the quietest in years, as more teams circle the wagons around their young and cheap talent, while any deals that do happen are based more around trading bloated and bad contracts away for bloated and bad contracts. Kind of takes the fun out of the whole “trade deadline” time of year. Additionally, do not be surprised if the Red Sox soften on their hard-line contract stance in regards to Curt Schilling and sign him for at least one more season. The plain truth there is that the man can still pitch like a champion, and replacing him could be nearly impossible once the season is over since the competition for pitching will be severe and expensive. For example, Carlos Zambrano is not all that likely to be a Cub for the rest of the season, let alone the next few years, so he is one serious arm who could actually buck the trend this season and get dealt by the end of July. Of course, not only will he be insanely expensive to trade for, but will also cost a prospective employer many, many millions in annual salary by means of the new contract he is due. Let the insanity continue.
Still…don’t you think Zambrano would look good in a Red Sox uniform?
Excelsior!
Have a question or comment for Chris? Email him at chrismeyer@sportsgrumblings.com.
A long-time writer outside of the fantasy field, Chris got sucked into sports journalism by Mark Haverty five years ago, and that has led to Chris being a regular columnist online for the last five years, and his work has also appeared online in such places as FOX Sports.